Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

Macau, Coloane, abandoned shipyard.

The air was thick with the nauseating stench of blood, mixed with the smell of stale seawater and engine oil. Seven or eight corpses lay scattered on the ground, and streams of blood flowed slowly into the drainage ditch.

In the center of this hellish scene, Fu Longsheng (Shadow) carries a bag full of gold and cash in one hand and tightly grips a blood-stained microphone in the other.

His body muscles were taut, like a fully drawn bow, ready to deal with bullets that might come from any corner.

"Mr. Fu Longsheng, there's no need to be so nervous."

The voice on the other end of the phone had been altered and sounded somewhat distorted, but the sense of composure and control that came through the electrical current was clearly transmitted.

"Look at your upper left, that abandoned vent."

Fu Longsheng suddenly looked up.

On the dimly lit factory roof, an inconspicuous black rat—no, it wasn't a rat, it was a well-disguised pinhole camera, flashing a faint red light.

"Since you can see me, why don't you just attack me?"

Fu Longsheng pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his voice as cold as ice, "Who are you? The boss behind Shui Shenglong?"

"Water Dragon? Hah, that kind of trash doesn't even deserve to have me as his boss!"

The person on the other end of the phone chuckled. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Rum, and I'm here on behalf of the 'Brewing Company' to greet you."

"winery?!"

Upon hearing those two words, even Fu Longsheng, who was usually able to remain calm, couldn't help but have his pupils slightly contract.

As a top agent who has risked his life, he has an extremely keen sense for intelligence in the underworld.

In recent months, if anyone has been making headlines in East Asia's underworld, it is undoubtedly this mysterious organization known as "The Distillery".

They were like a group of ghosts; no one knew where their headquarters were or who their leader was.

But everyone knows their record—the once arrogant "Viper Gang" that dominated Taiwan was uprooted overnight by this group, with its core members killed or wounded, and even its leader Bill was killed.

And now, this organization that strikes fear into the hearts of countless assassins has actually found him?

"Heh, so it's the famous distillery," Fu Longsheng took a deep breath to calm himself down. "What, the distillery is also interested in these millions of dollars worth of gold?"

"A few million? That's just the cost of one meal for our boss," Rum said with a hint of disdain. "What we're interested in is you. Or rather, your amazing counter-surveillance skills and that... 'Shadow' identity."

When he heard him mention his code name for the second time, Fu Longsheng's heart sank.

He never used the code name "Shadow" again after leaving the small island across the sea. The other party not only knew his real name, but also knew everything about him.

This shows that the other side's intelligence network is unfathomable.

In fact, Fu Longsheng did not know that this exposure was either an "accident" or a victory for the "database".

As a newcomer to Macau, Fu Longsheng was highly skilled, but in Macau, where local thugs were rampant, it was not easy to turn his stolen goods into cash.

Therefore, before planning this robbery, he had inquired through underground channels about the safest and most reputable money laundering institutions in Macau.

All the clues pointed to one name—DOA Security Group.

Thanks to the development by Song Zihao and Mark, DOA has now become the leading platform in the Macau and Hong Kong markets due to its advantages of low fees, high efficiency, and absolute security.

Unfortunately, DOA has extremely high entry requirements. They only accept referrals from acquaintances or large transactions in the tens of millions. Lone wolves like Fu Longsheng, who had only a few million worth of loose stock and no guarantor, were directly rejected.

What he didn't know was that DOA had a system: information on everyone who had contacted or even tried to contact them was entered into that massive intelligence database.

The characteristics of Fu Longsheng and his two unfortunate accomplices had already been stored in the distillery's database three days ago.

This morning, while the police were still frantically searching for answers after the jewelry store robbery on Rua Nova, the winery's intelligence analyst astutely spotted three men. Although the leader was discreet enough to remain unidentified, his two henchmen's portraits closely matched those of two members of the "trio" who had attempted to contact DOA.

The distillery found out all of Fu Longsheng's information in just half a day, and Fourth Brother immediately concluded that he was the best instructor to train the Wind Catchers team.

Thus, a large net was quietly cast.

When Fu Longsheng walked into the shipyard, he had already entered the winery's surveillance area.

Fourth Brother (Rum) even watched with great interest the entire process of Fu Longsheng's counterattack against Shui Shenglong through remote monitoring.

"Perfect infiltration, precise calculations, and... swift and decisive action."

Over the phone, Rum didn't hold back his praise, "Mr. Fu, it's such a waste of your talent to be stuck in a quagmire like Shui Shenglong."

"What do you want?" Fu Longsheng asked.

"We value talent, so we'd like to make a deal with you."

Rum's voice became seductive, "I know you're looking for sales channels. From now on, whether you're in Macau or Hong Kong, DOA can handle all your 'harvest'."

"The handling fee is only 20%."

"Twenty percent?!"

Fu Longsheng was taken aback.

You should know that the starting point for the black market is 50%, and unscrupulous people like Shui Shenglong even dare to push it up to 70%. 20%? Even DOA probably wouldn't make much money that way.

"What are the conditions?" Fu Longsheng was a smart man; he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. "What are you after?"

"Use your brain and your experience."

Rum revealed his true intentions: "The distillery has assembled a special tactical squad, codenamed 'Wind Catcher.' This squad doesn't need to kill or charge into battle. They have only one mission: to track, monitor, eavesdrop, and... disappear from this city."

"We need an invisible pair of eyes, eyes that can stare down anyone without being detected."

"And you, Mr. 'Shadow,' are the expert in this field."

At this point, Fourth Brother paused, then said, "The boss hopes you can become the head instructor of this squad. Teach our trainees your counter-surveillance, disguise, and infiltration skills."

"Of course, you are free. You can continue to be a lone wolf and take on freelance work as usual, just occasionally take some time to pass on your experience."

Fu Longsheng remained silent.

He was weighing the pros and cons.

reject?

Since the other party was able to get through on this call, they could easily have the police surround the place in the next second, or even send assassins directly. With the distillery's ability to wipe out the Viper Gang, crushing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

promise?

This meant he would have a powerful backer. DOA's resources, intelligence, money laundering channels... these were all things he had always dreamed of. Moreover, the terms offered were extremely generous, even preserving his freedom.

This is an offer you can't refuse.

"Why should I believe you?" Fu Longsheng probed one last time.

"We haven't called the police yet."

Rum said casually, "Also, look out the window."

Fu Longsheng turned to look at the filthy window.

On the distant sea, a speedboat was quietly moored. The driver, wearing sunglasses, made a hand gesture in their direction.

"That's the ship that's going to pick you up. Whether you get on or not is your choice."

Fu Longsheng smiled.

He took off his glasses, wiped them with the blood-stained corner of his clothes, and then put them back on.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you," he said over the phone, "but I have one condition."

"Speaking."

"I must choose the training location."

A glint flashed in Fu Longsheng's eyes. "I'm not used to teaching apprentices in someone else's cage. I have my own space."

This is a professional agent's last resort for self-protection, and also his bottom line for ensuring his sense of security.

"no problem."

Rum agreed very readily, "As long as it's in Hong Kong or Macau, you can choose. Also, welcome to join us, Shadow."

"Beep, beep, beep..."

The phone hangs up.

Fu Longsheng took a deep breath and picked up the heavy bag full of gold and banknotes.

He glanced at the corpses scattered on the ground, and then at the flashing camera one last time.

Then, he turned and rushed out of the shipyard, like a nimble petrel, and jumped onto the long-awaited speedboat.

"boom--"

With the engine roaring, the speedboat sliced ​​through the waves and sped off into the distance.

It was only much later that the police finally arrived, after being alerted by villagers in the surrounding area.

……

Night falls.

Inside the mansion in another village, the lights were on.

When Lu Chen returned home, Ruan Mei and Ba Wang Hua were watching TV in the living room.

"You're back?" Ruan Mei greeted him as usual, taking Lu Chen's coat.

"Mmm." Lu Chen smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Chen, did you see today's news?"

The woman handed over a peeled apple. "There was a major robbery in Macau. Many people died. I heard it involved double-crossing."

"Yeah?"

Lu Chen took a bite of the apple; it tasted crisp and sweet.

"It's Macau, so a bit of chaos is normal."

He put his arm around the woman's waist, sat on the sofa, and watched the Macau police press conference on TV, a barely perceptible smile flashing in his eyes.

"However, some talents are only discovered in chaos."

"What are you talking about? You're being so mysterious." Ba Wanghua rolled her eyes at him.

"It's nothing."

Lu Chen leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I was saying... tonight, shouldn't we continue last night's 'family meeting'?"

"Go to hell! You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth!"

The two women blushed instantly, and the living room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.