After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

Click. The call ended.

Wu Jinshui held his phone and stood there for a few seconds before the inner room fell silent again.

He slowly buttoned his shirt, straightened his collar, walked to the mirror, and looked at the man inside.

"Gong Yuelong...you want to play for high stakes?"

He looked at himself in the mirror and said softly, "I'll play along."

"Let's see who goes first, or we can't afford to play this game."

……

The next day, Gong Yuelong changed his route.

The old pickup truck was followed by the gray sedan. Instead of going to the desolate old factory area, it drove straight into several large construction sites in the high-tech zone.

The car was parked conspicuously. Gong Yuelong led Lao Wang and the others out of the car, and without explaining much, they walked around the construction site, calling over the project manager and supervisor to ask about the situation.

The people at the construction site were stunned at first, but their expressions changed immediately when they saw the police following behind them.

An old man, squatting down and eating a steamed bun, nudged the person next to him with his elbow and whispered:

"See that? That's Boss Gong who broke Wu San's legs. Goodness, when he goes out on business, Lei Zi really follows behind him... This kind of approach is incredibly powerful."

The younger day laborer next to him clicked his tongue, a hint of envy in his eyes. "Wu Jinshui used to be arrogant too, but that made people afraid. This guy... he seems like someone you have to respect?"

Look at him, walking with the people from the bureau, neither humble nor arrogant...tsk, things are probably going to change drastically in the High-tech Zone from now on.

Wouldn't you feel more at ease working for someone like that?

Whispers swept through every corner like the wind.

After seeing Gong Yuelong off, the project manager returned to the prefab house and sighed, "See? That's how things are done. Knowing when to be firm and when to leverage resources. Just burying your head in work is useless."

"Those who only know how to act tough will die even faster. People like him, with strong fists and the ability to legitimately leverage the power of the government… will definitely be successful in any future job."

In the afternoon, the pickup truck drove into the largest building materials market in the high-tech zone.

This place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, and it's well-informed.

Gong Yuelong specifically visited a few large merchants.

The sharp-eyed proprietress of a hardware store, after seeing them out, turned to her husband and muttered:

"Boss, do you see? This Boss Gong is no simpleton. When Wu Jinshui's men came to help him before, they did it in a sneaky way, with a ruthless edge."

This guy, on the other hand, brought officials with him, openly showing up without saying a word... What's that called? That's called a calculated scheme!

"In the future, when we supply goods, shouldn't we also consider which side is more reliable to align with?"

Her husband said, "The officials...the officials have come to investigate and impose fines before. But it's rare to see them like this, with a specific person in charge, acting like a figurehead everywhere...it seems the High-tech Zone really needs to change its rules."

After making a round of visits, Gong Yuelong and his men openly spread the news throughout the construction industry, which was more effective than any official announcement. Within half a day, the news had reached all relevant circles, both large and small.

The focus of people's discussions is no longer simply his fighting ability, but rather the unique blend of qualities he possesses:

The ruthlessness of the martial arts world is combined with a kind of almost grand legitimacy.

In the past, this was a novel and intriguing thing in the High-tech Zone's ecosystem.

In the evening, I returned to the car.

Old Wang handed over a cigarette, lit it himself first, and exhaled a long puff:

"Boss Gong, your reputation has been thoroughly established today."

"Doing this one round is more effective than issuing ten documents. The way your subordinates look at you will be completely different."

Gong Yuelong lit a cigarette, took a drag, and the smoke slowly dissipated in the car.

He didn't respond to the topic about himself, but simply said, "Reputation is meaningless; it can't scare people who are truly willing to risk their lives."

Turning on the lights is to make the shadows in the dark move.

He paused for a moment: "As for whether you can shake something out... it depends on luck and patience."

Old Wang silently smoked his cigarette. He knew Gong Yuelong was right; this kind of intimidation tactic was also a form of reconnaissance.

But the payment bureau wants credit for quick results.

It's easy to borrow the title of an official, but if you fail to accomplish something after borrowing it, you'll lose face even more severely.

"Will it still be turning like this tomorrow..." Old Wang asked anxiously.

Before he could finish speaking, Gong Yuelong's phone rang.

The words "Director Fu" appeared on the screen.

He pressed the answer button, "Director Fu."

On the other end of the phone, Fu Mingde's voice was even more enthusiastic than usual:

"Boss Gong, still out there running around? You must be tired. If you're free tonight, let's have a casual meal together."

Juxian Pavilion has just received a batch of excellent ingredients. Boss Yang said it's been a long time since we've seen each other, so we'll have a chat.

The words were polite, and the venue was elegantly chosen.

But Gong Yuelong knew perfectly well that talking about ingredients and meeting Yang Ruyan were all pretexts.

Fu Mingde was getting impatient. All he'd seen all day was activity, but no results. He was about to confront him and demand an update on the progress.

Gong Yuelong said into his phone, "Director Fu, it's too quiet at Juxian Pavilion. We have to be very proper when we talk."

After running around for several days, the guys are exhausted. I think we should find a lively place to go, something more practical.

At the eastern end of the High-tech Zone, the newly opened Lao Hao Barbecue City has a large area, fresh meat, and ice-cold beer.

"Director Fu, if it's convenient for you, bring Brother Wang and the others along. Let's grab some skewers and drinks, and relax a bit."

There was a two or three-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Clearly, Fu Mingde hadn't expected him to do this, and even offered to bring a large group of his brothers, turning what might have been a private opportunity to exert pressure into a gathering with many people and eyes around.

"...A barbecue restaurant?" Fu Mingde was somewhat surprised, but quickly covered it up.

"Okay. Down-to-earth, that's good. See you at Lao Hao BBQ City at 7 pm tonight."

"Okay." Gong Yuelong said and hung up the phone.

Old Wang had been listening the whole time, and now his gaze towards Gong Yuelong was somewhat complicated:

"Boss Gong, Director Fu's meal... wasn't very good, was it? Going to a barbecue restaurant, wasn't that a bit too much..."

"Is that too disrespectful to the bureau chief?" Gong Yuelong finished speaking for him, then smiled.

"Old Wang, Director Fu wants fish. He'll ask me this in the private room of Juxian Pavilion. What should I say?"

"You say there's no sign of it yet? How can you even eat that meal? We'd be better off at the barbecue place; it's crowded and noisy, so it's harder to ask too many questions there. Besides,"

He paused, looking out the car window at the brightly lit streets:

"We also need to let Director Fu, and many more people, see that I, Gong Yuelong, am not just someone who borrows his coattails to intimidate others."

"This is my territory. I can get his bureau chief to have dinner with me, and I can also get him to chat my way of doing things on my turf."

Old Wang opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

He suddenly realized that the man next to him driving the old pickup truck was a man of deep thoughts.

You might think he's dealing with things on the first level, but he's actually already thinking about the fifth level.

Leveraging existing power to establish authority, turning the tables and taking control step by step.

At 7 p.m., Lao Hao Barbecue City was bustling with people and filled with smoke.

Gong Yuelong chose a large table facing the main passageway.

There were eight or nine men at the table, shirtless or wearing t-shirts, creating a lively atmosphere.

The skewers of meat sizzled and dripped with oil from the charcoal fire, while the aroma of chili powder and cumin filled the air.

Fu Mingde arrived on time with another young police officer.

When someone recognized Fu Mingde, and then saw Gong Yuelong standing up to greet them from the main seat, the meaning in their gaze became even deeper.

"Director Fu, over here!" Gong Yuelong greeted him warmly and naturally.

"Boss, bring two more dozen ice-cold beers, the coldest they can be!"