Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

"Brother Huo, why are your shoelaces tied so tightly? It's not good to tie them so tightly."

After a long silence, An Xiaohai inadvertently saw Ah Huo's foot on the anchor block. Ah Huo's shoelaces were tied very tightly, causing the entire shoe to be somewhat deformed.

"Oh, is that so? What's wrong with tying your shoelaces tighter?"

"Of course it's bad. It will affect blood circulation. Over time, it can even lead to numbness in your legs. If you encounter any emergency, you'll have trouble running."

"Really? It can still happen like this?"

"Of course!" An Xiaohai nodded. "Also, shoelaces are like nerves in a person. They can't be too tight, or they'll break easily."

Think about it, if you're unlucky and break your shoelace while running for your life, wouldn't that be a problem?

"Never mind, I'll re-tie it for you, don't move!"

An Xiaohai squatted down and, after a lot of effort, finally untied Ah Huo's shoelaces, adjusted them to a comfortable tightness, and then tied them back on.

Throughout the entire process, Ah Huo didn't say a word, except when An Xiaohai stood up, he grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it hard.

An Xiaohai was in a lot of pain from being pinched, but he kept smiling.

"You... don't do this kind of thing again. You're my equal, we're both bosses. What kind of nonsense is it to tie my shoelaces like this? If someone sees us, don't you care about your reputation?"

In the underworld, if you don't have face, who will respect you?

"Face...face is not as important as friends."

"You consider me a friend?"

"Of course, aren't we friends?" An Xiaohai raised his right hand to his chest, making the gesture used to identify his own people.

Ah Huo shook his head and smiled, then raised his right hand and made the same gesture. Then, the two of them clasped hands tightly together again.

"Call me Ah Huo, and I'll call you Xiao Hai. We'll call you that whether you're in front of others or behind their backs."

"Okay, whatever you say."

"That's enough, I'll take you home."

"OK."

"Can you ride a motorcycle?"

"No, what's wrong?"

"I'll give you one, and then teach you how to drive it. Once you've learned, we'll go racing together. There are lots of pretty girls there."

"I feel like you're teaching me to ride a bike not to pick up girls, but to get me closer to Guo Fang."

"Why do you think that way? If that's really how you want to think, there's nothing I can do. But what's wrong with getting closer? She's not bad-looking, and besides, she likes you quite a bit."

"Ah Huo, you can't just say things like that."

"I'm not making this up, I'm not blind! Believe me, Guo Fang is interested in you. I could tell from her eyes, she's definitely smitten."

"Ah Huo, don't get me into trouble."

"How could I possibly harm you? We men never suffer losses anyway!"

"If that's the case, why don't you go and do it yourself?"

"I'm getting old, I'm afraid my firepower won't be enough!"

……

When Ah Huo dropped An Xiaohai off at home, it was almost 2 a.m. Even after the car had driven quite a distance, Ah Huo still leaned out of the car window and waved to An Xiaohai.

"Ah Huo... Kite... Could you be that kite? So energetic, that's great..."

As An Xiaohai stepped into his home, an indescribable sense of desolation washed over him.

Grandma passed away, Grandpa left alone, and Grandpa and Grandma on the maternal side still live in town, leaving only An Xiaohai and Chen Shuifen at home.

There's also Kwan Kee, but Kwan Kee has been rarely home lately.

Walking into the kitchen, An Xiaohai found a bowl of rice in a wok. He heated up the rice and sat down to eat.

At Guo Xiangshui's club, An Xiaohai spent most of his time talking and ate very little. In addition, it was already late at night, and he was indeed very hungry.

An Xiaohai had actually read all of Ah Huo's stories in the materials Wang Tiejun had given him, but Ah Huo's account was much more vivid, detailed, and comprehensive than the materials.

Through Ah Huo's narration, the underground world of Deep Sea City finally appeared clearly in An Xiaohai's mind like a large, radiant net.

The information Wang Tiejun provided did not include Hu Haikong or the mysterious pig dragon. It was unclear whether Wang Tiejun had not yet compiled the information or had deliberately shielded it from him.

Ah Huo did indeed have a very detailed and thorough understanding of the underworld of Shenhai City, but An Xiaohai seemed to know even more than him.

At least An Xiaohai knew that a demon's shadow was still lingering in the skies above Shenhai City.

The hunters are already here, so the demon can't be too far away.

So, are there any demons among the underworld forces in Deepsea City?

An Xiaohai believes it absolutely exists.

Could it be that Zhao De's good brother Lao Meng, whose fate is unknown, and Atai, were captured by the devil's minions?

An Xiaohai and Zhao De inquired about this matter from both the legitimate and criminal worlds, but the two men seemed to have melted away like ice, leaving no trace.

If there are indeed demons' henchmen within the underworld of Deepsea City, then who are these henchmen?

Is it Hu Haikong, or that mysterious Zhu Polong? Or perhaps both?

Is it possible for others? Yes, it is possible, but not as likely as for Hu Haikong and Zhu Polong.

Demons are good at hiding, and they must hide themselves well, otherwise the hunter's sword will cut off their heads.

The demon's minions should also be good at hiding, otherwise they would be easily found by hunters, who could then follow these minions to find the demon's true form.

Therefore, Hu Haikong and Zhu Polong are the most suspicious.

If the demon is so powerful, can he handle that high-ranking official? If the two of them were to fight, who would win?

All sorts of questions kept flooding An Xiaohai's mind, causing him to suffer from insomnia again that night. When An Xiaohai finally woke up, it was already afternoon.

"Xiao Hai, did you drink yesterday? Your clothes smell of alcohol," Chen Shuifen asked while cleaning.

"I did drink a little bit, not much. A friend of mine got drunk, and I took care of him. I guess the smell of alcohol on me is from him."

"That's good. Drinking is bad for your health, so it's best not to drink if you can avoid it."

"Okay, Mom."

"By the way, Xuan'er came to see you twice today, but she didn't wake you because you were sleeping. You child, don't always keep your days and nights upside down, it's not good for your health."

Xuan'er is about to start school. Go find her after you finish eating and spend more time with her. Also, spend time with her mother; Xiru has been alone for so many years, it hasn't been easy for her."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

After finishing his meal, An Xiaohai went to check on Kunji's room. The guy was still nowhere to be found, and he hadn't left any information. However, he must have come back before, because An Xiaohai saw film and developing solution on his desk.

Kunji is actually a very simple and persistent person. If he really becomes obsessed with something, he will insist on mastering it to the extreme. Since he has decided to learn photography, he will definitely learn the whole set.

Xiao Hai went out and walked towards Lin Xuan'er's house. Before he had taken more than a few steps, he saw a burly figure standing there with his hands on his hips and an unfriendly expression, waiting for him.

An Xiaohai instinctively turned around and wanted to slip away, but he managed to hold back and slowly walked up to the imposing figure.

"Hello, team leader!"

"What a 'chirp'! Can't you tell I'm in a bad mood?!" Zhou Meng said fiercely. Every time he saw An Xiaohai, he found it hard to suppress his anger.

"Thank you for your hard work, team leader!"

"Shut up! Don't say a word, come with me!" Zhou Meng said, then turned and left.

"Team leader, where are you taking me?" An Xiaohai was a little flustered. Was he afraid that they would end up back in the First Prison?

"Just follow me, stop talking nonsense! If you say another word, I'll mess with you!"

"Fine, I give up..."

An Xiaohai sighed inwardly and followed dejectedly.