Gangster heir? Please call me a legitimate entrepreneur.

Visiting room at Longhai No. 1 Detention Center.

The incandescent light bulb overhead had a poor connection and was making a buzzing electrical sound.

The air was filled with the sour smell of cabbage stalks, mixed with the stench of cheap disinfectant, which assaulted my senses.

The bulletproof glass was scratched with countless fine white marks.

Zhao Hai slumped in the iron chair.

His slicked-back hair, which had been coated with thousands of dollars' worth of hairspray, now looked like a bird's nest.

His eyes were sunken, his eyeballs were bloodshot, and his cheekbones protruded high.

He had only been locked up for three days, but he had become incredibly thin.

His fingernails were full of black dirt, and his thumb nail was pitted and uneven from chewing it himself.

The iron gate opposite the glass was pushed open with a loud bang.

Lin Dai walked in wearing a well-tailored iron-gray business suit and ten-centimeter high heels.

The crisp "tap-tap" sound of shoe heels striking the concrete floor echoed in the empty room.

Upon hearing the noise, Zhao Hai shuddered violently.

He shrank back as if he had seen a ghost, his back pressed tightly against the cold iron wall.

"You, you stay away! My godfather has already transferred the money! What else do you want?!"

His voice was terribly hoarse, as if he had a handful of sand in his mouth.

Lin Dai pulled out a folding chair and sat down.

She placed the heavy black leather briefcase on the table and unzipped it.

A faint scent of citrus perfume wafted through the vent of the intercom.

Good morning, Mr. Zhao Hai.

Lin Dai didn't even lift her eyelids. She took out a stack of documents with a red stamp from her bag and straightened the pages with her slender fingers.

"Yesterday we talked about Article 275 of the Criminal Law, the crime of damaging property."

She pulled a pen from her breast pocket, removed the cap, and touched the nib to the document.

"Today, we'll calculate your sentence in detail."

"I won't listen! I won't listen!"

Zhao Hai covered his ears tightly with both hands, and the iron chains of the handcuffs slammed against the glass panel with a clanging sound.

"This is mental torture! I want to see my lawyer! I'm going to file a complaint against you!"

Lin Dai remained unmoved and drew a circle on the paper with her pen.

"The three Red Star brand mixers you smashed were imported equipment that was just shipped from Germany yesterday."

"The combined cost of a single unit and the penalty for breach of contract just barely reached the 'exceptionally huge' threshold."

She looked up, her gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the light.

"Minimum three years, maximum seven years."

"In addition, you instructed thugs to beat up our employees, resulting in three people suffering mild concussions."

"Multiple offenses will be punished concurrently." Lin Dai's lips curled into a cold smile. "I've given you a conservative estimate."

She held up two fingers and waved them in front of Zhao Hai.

"Eleven years and six months. That doesn't even include the time spent depriving him of his political rights."

Zhao Hai's breathing stopped instantly.

He stared blankly at Lin Dai's fingers, his pupils dilating.

My mind was filled with images of fighting with several robbers for a toilet in that tiny cell of about ten square meters.

Eleven years?

Eleven years in this moldy place?!

"vomit--"

Zhao Hai felt a spasm in his stomach and began to dry heave, his face buried in the table, with acid dripping down his chin.

He broke down.

She frantically grabbed at her hair with both hands, wailing in a sobbing voice.

"I'll pay the loss! I'll get my sugar daddy to add more money! Twenty-six million isn't enough, I'll give you fifty million!"

"Please, stop reading... Every time I close my eyes at night, all I see is you reciting legal provisions!"

……

Two o'clock in the afternoon, outside the large iron gate of the detention center.

The northwest wind blew so hard that the bare branches of the roadside trees rustled.

The Zhao family's secretary drove a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class and parked it on the side of the curb. The engine was still running, and white steam was coming out of the exhaust pipe.

The small door on the iron gate opened.

The guard stuffed a transparent plastic bag containing personal belongings into Zhao Hai's arms.

"Go out and behave yourself, and don't come back in."

Zhao Hai, wrapped in a wrinkled military overcoat, walked like a lost soul on the dusty asphalt road.

I've only taken two steps.

He looked up and saw a familiar silver riot control vehicle parked across the street.

Lin Dai leaned against the car door.

Holding a cup of coffee, she raised a lengthy "Letter of Criminal Forgiveness" to him.

"Mr. Zhao, have a safe journey. Welcome to invest in Longhai City again next time."

Zhao Hai's legs went weak instantly.

He screamed and scrambled toward the Mercedes G-Class.

He yanked open the car door, jumped into the back seat, and buried his head in the leather seat.

"Drive! Drive!"

The secretary was startled and quickly stepped on the gas.

"Young Master, let's go back to the capital to find the Old Master..."

"Go back to the capital my ass!" Zhao Hai roared hysterically, his face covered in tears and snot.

"To the airport! Buy the fastest ticket to Los Angeles! Now!"

He was trembling all over, and his teeth were chattering.

"I need to see a psychologist... That she-devil, that she-devil is going to sentence me to eleven years!"

The Mercedes sped away as if fleeing for its life, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust.

……

At the same time.

Chairman's Office, Sihai Group Building.

Lei Hu sat on the sofa with his legs crossed.

Holding a copy of the *National Economic Morning Post*, still smelling of fresh ink, he smiled so hard his scar twitched.

"My goodness, that old man Zhao really has the nerve to do that!"

He spread the newspaper out flat and pointed to the black border that took up half the front page for the headline.

He read it aloud in a gruff voice.

Apology letter.

"Due to our lax discipline, Zhao Hai caused a disturbance at the Sihai Group construction site... resulting in a negative impact."

"We extend our sincerest apologies to Sihai Construction, an outstanding company that abides by laws and regulations, and to the 36 injured employees."

After Lei Hu finished reading, he slapped his thigh and laughed so hard he slapped the table.

"Brother Su, that's amazing! Now, everyone in the underworld of Longhai City treats us like royalty!"

Su Ye stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling traffic below.

He unscrewed the thermos, took a sip of the warm goji berry water, and smacked his lips.

"Has the money arrived in your account?"

Chen Suan, standing next to him, with two large dark circles under his eyes, looked up from a pile of financial statements.

He adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose.

"Here it is. Twenty-six million in cash, not a penny less, just transferred from the company account at nine o'clock this morning."

Chen Suan swallowed hard, watching Su Ye's retreating figure, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Is this even human?

Without shedding a drop of blood, they not only crippled the scoundrel from Beijing, but also made over 20 million yuan for free, and even got a free GG in the national media!

Now, those construction bosses and chamber of commerce presidents outside.

Just hearing the words "Sihai Group" makes my legs tremble.

Who would still consider them the same thug gang that used to only collect protection money?

Su Ye turned around and casually tossed a project tender document on the table to Lei Hu.

"Tell the brothers below to calm down."

He adjusted his glasses.

"Now that we've gained fame, even more eyes are watching us. If anyone can't control themselves at this point and gets involved in those shady businesses..."

"No need for the police to arrest him, I'll break his legs myself."

……

Days passed by, and cold air masses came one after another.

All the leaves on the trees have fallen, and pedestrians on the street are all wrapped in thick down jackets.

Time slipped silently to the end of 2008.

Longhai City welcomed its first heavy snowfall of the winter.

The Municipal Bureau building, the director's office.

The radiator is probably quite old; it makes a gurgling sound as water bubbles inside.

Li Jianguo stood by the window, a half-burnt Hongmei cigarette between his fingers.

The bluish-gray smoke swirled inside the room.

Outside the window, heavy snow was falling and pelting the roof of the police car.

There was a knock on the door, and Captain Gu, the criminal investigation team leader, pushed the door open and walked in.

He patted the snowflakes off his police uniform shoulder and held a brown paper document bag in his hand.

"Chief, you wanted to see me?"

Li Jianguo turned around, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray with a soft hissing sound.

He walked behind the desk and opened the drawer.

He produced a document stamped with the provincial department's official red seal of confidentiality.

"Old Gu, the things you've been preparing for a whole year have finally been approved by the higher-ups."

Li Jianguo slammed the document heavily on the table.

On the kraft paper cover, several bold black characters were prominently printed—

"Thunderbolt Sweep: Year-End Clean-up Operation".

Captain Gu's expression hardened, and he instinctively straightened up, his heels touching.

"The investigation into the dens, casinos, and underground banks of organized crime in all districts of the city has been completed."

Li Jianguo picked up his enamel teacup and took a sip of the slightly bitter herbal tea.

He stared at the administrative map of Longhai City on the wall.

The center of the map is marked with a large red X.

That location is the headquarters building of the Sihai Group.

"The day to close the net is set for the third of next month, which is the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month."

Li Jianguo turned to look at Captain Gu, his eyes revealing a fierce determination that had been brewing for a long time.

"Has the first batch of strike team members been drafted?"

"It's ready." Captain Gu handed over the brown paper bag in his hand. "Each squadron has already signed a confidentiality agreement."

Li Jianguo took the bag and untied the white thread sealing it.

I just pulled out the first sheet of paper.

His previously serious facial muscles suddenly twitched uncontrollably twice.

The target list for the attack is right in front of us.

The number one thing is not which venue or nightclub.

Instead, it was a line of neat and tidy Song typeface.

Captain Gu scratched his chin, looking somewhat embarrassed, and lowered his voice.

"Um... Director."

"The special police brigade asked us if we would raid the Sihai Group's live-streaming room to help farmers on the night of the 28th."

"Should we... order two pounds of the tangerines they're promoting online first?"