Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

Fishing boats heading to the deep sea in the south

An Xiaohai stood at the bow of the boat like a statue, the sea breeze making his clothes flutter. Kunji and Xu Tianyou sat on the side of the boat, holding onto the railing, their legs dangling out of the boat and swaying gently.

Xu Tianyou tried to exhale a smoke ring, but the smoke was blown away by the sea breeze as soon as it left his mouth; Kunji lowered his head, seemingly in low spirits.

"Brother Tian, ​​why is Grandpa in such a hurry? I want to go see Mom..."

"You want to tell her how amazing you are now, right?"

"Yes, I also want to tell her that I'm very rich now, all of which I earned myself, hehe!" Kunji finally grinned.

Xu Tianyou patted Kunji's head: "Don't worry, your mother knows. Your grandfather had no choice; he was very scared."

"What is he afraid of?"

"He's afraid we won't be able to escape!" Xu Tianyou sighed lightly, a rare occurrence for him. "We've killed too many people, and besides, I'm the infamous Buddha Zitian, while you're a notorious bandit."

Xiao Hai is the big boss of Shenhai City. He can earn endless wealth with just a few strokes of his brain.

There's also Hongpao, Yeren, Pitiao, Acha, Achun—none of us have a clean past, only Alai is slightly better off.”

"No way? They wouldn't do that, would they? Big Brother has done so much for them, they wouldn't just abandon him after he's done his bidding, would they?"

"It's not as bad as killing the donkey after it has served its purpose," Xu Tianyou lazily hooked his arm around Kunji's shoulder. "But making the most of us is inevitable. They have so many leverage over us, they'll definitely use us to the fullest."

Even if they were willing to let us go, do you think they would dare to leave us alone? Would you dare to do the same in their shoes?

Kunji, don't blame Grandpa. He's lived a long time and seen much more of the world than we have. He knows what he's doing.

He fired first because he didn't want Xiao Hai to be branded as a murderer; so many people were watching.

So we have to leave quickly, forget about everything else, just get going. He did the right thing, understand?

"I understand now. Actually, I didn't blame Grandpa. I just didn't quite understand. Now I get it, haha."

"Good, we'll go back first and wait for your sister-in-law to give birth. Then we'll steal the baby and take the little one to see your mother. We'll say it's your child, and your mother will be overjoyed."

……

"That's not a good idea..."

"You know it's not a good idea!" Xu Tianyou rolled his eyes at Kunji. "Nayi likes you so much, and she's so pretty, why don't you talk to her?"

"She's taller than me!"

"What kind of bullshit reason is that?"

"Okay, I confess. She's stronger than me. I can't beat her."

……

"Are you stupid? What's wrong with your brain? If she becomes your wife, you and she will be on the same side. Why do you always want to fight with your own people?"

Don't you ever think about it? With such a powerful wife protecting you, you could beat up whoever you wanted on the island!

"Yes, how come I didn't think of that! But I'm still a little scared."

"Don't worry, I'll teach you a few powerful tricks that will make Nacha completely obedient."

"Really? Does it work?"

"You little brat, you actually doubt me! Of course it's true!" Xu Tianyou gripped Kunji's neck tightly and shook him vigorously.

"Okay, okay, I was wrong! Stop shaking me! I'm scared!"

"Now you're scared, aren't you? Let's see if you dare to question me again!"

"I won't dare, Brother Tian, ​​please teach me quickly."

"I can teach you, but you have to do me a favor in return."

"What kind of help?"

"Don't worry, it's very simple for you," Xu Tianyou glanced at An Xiaohai not far away, then whispered mysteriously in Kunji's ear, "You saw it last night, didn't you?"

"What did you see?"

"That's the guy. Before he died, he seemed to have given Xiao Hai something. He's been hiding it and won't tell us. Can you help me steal that thing out so I can see what it is?"

……

"I won't do it!"

"Are you going to do it or not? Are you going to do it or not! If you don't, I'll do it to you!" Xu Tianyou shook his head again.

"Hey! Is this what you're talking about?"

The two were playfully fighting when they heard An Xiaohai's voice from behind. Xu Tianyou turned around and saw that An Xiaohai had already stood behind them, smiling at them, with a USB drive in his hand.

"Wow, how are your ears structured? I said something so soft and you could hear me? That's unbelievable!"

"Big brother, you're practically singing it out loud, how could I not hear you?!" An Xiaohai rolled his eyes at Xu Tianyou, annoyed. "If you want it, just say so. Why are you bullying Kunji?"

"I didn't bully him, Kunji. Tell me, did I bully you?"

"You bullied me, you tricked me!"

……

"I've noticed you're getting bolder and bolder!" Xu Tianyou shook the chair even more vigorously.

"Alright, stop bullying Kunji. You can handle this."

"Really?!" Xu Tianyou was stunned.

"Really," An Xiaohai nodded with a smile, "but I'm warning you, whatever's on this USB drive, it's not good stuff!"

An Xiaohai let out a long sigh and looked up into the distance: "That person, even in death, won't stop. He still wants to control us and cause us trouble!"

"Do you think there's trouble here?"

"Of course it's troublesome. It could be the secrets of the Abyss Organization, the wealth he's hidden away for so many years, or even the truth about our origins."

Of course, it's possible that both are true.

But whatever's inside, once we open it, we'll never escape its shadow.

"I think...we can try looking only at the assets!" Xu Tianyou said seriously.

"Okay, but I choose not to look, so I'll leave it to you. However, whatever you see inside, please don't tell me, okay?"

"Mmm-hmm-hmm!" Xu Tianyou nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"Take it!"

An Xiaohai's hand trembled, and the USB drive was thrown away.

Caught off guard, Xu Tianyou was terrified and desperately reached out to grab the USB drive, but because of the strong sea breeze, the USB drive fell into the sea.

Holy crap!

Without saying a word, Xu Tianyou jumped off the fishing boat and plunged into the sea.

"Ha ha…"

An Xiaohai laughed as he leaned on the railing. Kunji looked at An Xiaohai, then at Xu Tianyou who was searching in the sea. Just as he was about to say something, An Xiaohai shoved a USB drive into his hand.

"This is the real one. Let him have his fun before telling him. After all, he bullied you, didn't he?"

"hey-hey!"

Kunji chuckled, nodded vigorously, stuffed the USB drive into his pocket, and then pointed at the sea, shouting, "Brother Tian, ​​it's there! It's there! I see it!"

------

Haixi Province, Security Department Confidential Medical Center

After finding out Mai Xiaoyu's ward, 073 rushed over without even knocking and pushed the door open. But the scene inside the ward surprised him slightly.

Besides Mai Xiaoyu, there was another person in the ward, a very handsome young man. Judging from his posture, he should also be a soldier.

At this moment, the young man was sitting on a chair next to Mai Xiaoyu's hospital bed, his face slightly flushed; Mai Xiaoyu was half-lying on the hospital bed, and looked to be in good spirits.

A large bouquet of roses sat on the bedside table, the bright red roses standing out starkly against the white backdrop of the hospital room.

"Boss, you're here? Did you finish your mission so quickly?" Mai Xiaoyu's eyes held a hint of a smile. Judging by the time, 073 must have rushed over as soon as the mission was over.

"Well... how about you two talk first?"

073 finally reacted and spoke, his tone showing a hint of panic and a touch of disappointment.

"No need!" Mai Xiaoyu's smile deepened. "This is Xiao Lin from the Special Operations Team of the Security Department. Xiao Lin, this is my direct superior."

"Good morning, leader!" Xiaolin stood up straight and gave 073 a standard military salute.

"Hello, at ease," 073 returned a military salute.

"Sir, it's all my fault. I accidentally injured Comrade Mai Xiaoyu during the operation, I..."

"Don't say that, Xiaolin. It was just an accident. Nobody expected the knife to break. You didn't do it on purpose. When we're on a mission, all sorts of accidents are bound to happen. I've already said, it's not your fault."

Also, I really liked the flowers you sent me, thank you!

"You're welcome, I apologize again, Comrade Mai Xiaoyu!" Xiaolin blushed and saluted Mai Xiaoyu again.

"Okay, I accept your apology. Xiaolin, my boss is here, and I have some work to report to him. Could you please…?"

"No problem, I'll avoid it!" Kobayashi gave the two of them another military salute, turned and left the ward, gently closing the door behind him.

"What are you standing there for? Sit down!" Mai Xiaoyu scolded. 073 was about to sit down in the chair when Mai Xiaoyu patted the edge of the bed: "Sit here!"

After a slight hesitation, 073 sat down on Mai Xiaoyu's bedside.

"you…"

"I'm fine. I just accidentally injured a vein and bled a lot, but I'm okay now."

The enemy was very strong, and we couldn't hold back. Almost all of them were killed. Two were seriously injured and were pulled back for a long time, but we couldn't save them; they just passed away.

"I know, I'm glad you're alright," 073 said, bowing his head. "You did a good job, I'm glad you're alright."

Mai Xiaoyu finally couldn't help but laugh: "No, you're wrong. I didn't do well. I probably can't continue following this line."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" 073 finally raised his head, frowning as he looked at Mai Xiaoyu.

"Nothing went wrong. Zhou Xun just called me. First, he asked about my injuries, and second, he made a request. He asked to go and follow up with Anderson and Kang Lianhai."

"You agreed?"

"I'd like to say yes, but that requires your consent."

Do you think he can do it?

"I think he's fine; he just needs a chance to prove himself," Mai Xiaoyu said with a long sigh.

"Now, almost all the people on the enemy's side who were familiar with Chen Maogan are dead. As long as we keep Kang Lianhai under control, I believe no one will be able to see through him."

"Phew... Alright, let him handle it then. I'll go coordinate with the security department. You really need to get some rest; you've been working hard these past few days!"

"It's not hard work. Boss, can you take a look over here? I feel like something's poked me!" Mai Xiaoyu said, pointing to her left shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

073 leaned out to see what had pricked Mai Xiaoyu, but was suddenly pulled into Mai Xiaoyu's arms.

073's body stiffened suddenly. He tried to break free, but he couldn't because Mai Xiaoyu was holding him tightly.

"Xiaoyu..." 073 panicked completely.

"Fool!" Mai Xiaoyu's eyes sparkled as she hugged 073's neck tightly and sealed her hot red lips with his.

"Hahahaha! Great news! I can't believe that bastard Kang Lianhai is such a coward, he actually got scared and came to surrender to us! Haha... Holy crap!"

Xu Congzhou burst in laughing, but was startled by the scene in the ward.

"Holy crap! Why is this ward so dark?! I can't see anything! Hurry up and get someone to fix the light bulb!" Xu Congzhou reacted quickly and slammed the ward door shut.

The light in the ward was blindingly bright, and 073's stiff body gradually softened under Mai Xiaoyu's passionate kiss.

------

one year later

------

Ah Po Cape Bay

As soon as Li Boping, the village head of Apojiao Village, entered the bay in his fishing boat, three armed police speedboats immediately surrounded him.

"Village Chief Li, what exactly happened?" Two armed police officers rushed onto the fishing boat with guns and asked.

"Ah! That was terrifying! On our way back, we encountered a large fishing boat with several men carrying guns on board!"

They rushed onto our boat, forced us at gunpoint, threw everything on our boat into the sea, and then made us carry about ten large boxes from their boat onto ours.

They said these boxes were gifts for Captain Zhou and Captain Yan, and told us to return immediately and contact them. They warned us not to look inside the boxes, or they would make things difficult for us!

That's exactly it!

Li Boping's eyes were filled with fear, and his voice trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he had not yet fully recovered from the shock.

"Where is it? Where is it?" the armed police officer asked quickly.

"It's right in the hold, in those big black crates! We really haven't touched them. We haven't moved them since they were brought aboard, not even inside the hold, really!"

"Okay," the armed police officer nodded. "Xiao Liu and Xiao Fang, take the villagers to your boat immediately, then sail a little further away. I'll go check on those things."

"Class monitor!"

"Enough talk, get to work!"

"yes!"

The armed police officers brought the villagers from the fishing boat onto the speedboat and quickly drove a short distance away. The squad leader took a deep breath and entered the cabin.

Sure enough, there were about a dozen large black trunks in the cabin, which looked particularly high-end.

The squad leader approached the large black boxes and examined them, discovering that all of them were locked with combination locks. He frowned deeply, but then suddenly noticed a small note stuck to one of the boxes. Upon closer inspection, he saw a line of small print on the note:

The password is Captain Zhou's identification number.

The squad leader's heart skipped a beat. Not everyone knew Captain Zhou's number. He gritted his teeth and dialed Captain Zhou's number on the combination lock. He had to check the contents of the box and make sure it was safe before taking it back.

With a click, the combination lock opened.

The squad leader took another deep breath and very carefully and slowly opened the combination lock box. Even though he was mentally prepared, he was still so shocked when he saw what was inside that he gasped and his pupils contracted sharply.

"Quickly! Contact Captain Zhou and Captain Yan immediately and have them send all their men over to completely blockade this area of ​​water! Hurry!"

The squad leader rushed out of the cabin and shouted loudly to his comrades on the speedboat not far away.

Zhou Meng's office

At this moment, Zhou Meng was in a real bind.

Zhou Xun has been out of contact for a year, not even a phone call. Zhou Meng understands his son's situation; it means she's gone on an important mission.

But Zhou Meng's wife couldn't hold back. Although she didn't say or ask anything, she liked to hold up a picture of Zhou Xun in front of Zhou Meng and sigh, which always annoyed him.

During this period, her condition became increasingly serious, and at this moment, she was in Zhou Meng's office.

"Gui Xiang, I'm working here! What kind of behavior is it for you to just stay in my office?" Zhou Meng was about to explode.

"The house is so empty, and I'm always alone. I'm scared!"

"..."

"Old Zhou, how about we go somewhere else?" Wu Guixiang suddenly looked up at Zhou Meng: "I know that you've stayed here all these years and haven't wanted to leave because you're waiting for Jianguo to come back."

"But didn't you wait for the news of the founding of the nation? Now that Xiru has left, what are you still doing here?"

"..."

"Do you know that my superiors have talked to me several times?"

You've made so many contributions over the years, they don't know how to reward you anymore. It wouldn't be appropriate to raise your rank any higher. Why don't you want to leave?

"If you don't think about yourself, shouldn't you at least think about our Xunzi?"

"Oh, never mind that! I have my reasons!"

"Aren't you happy living here? Didn't you say yourself that the climate here is nice, and there's seafood to eat? Don't you want to go up north?"

"That was before. Now I'm getting a little tired of staying here."

"..."

Zhou Meng wanted to say something more, but the phone on the table rang. Zhou Meng answered impatiently, "Zhou Meng, speak!...What did you say?!"

Upon hearing the reply, Zhou Meng jumped up from his seat, his voice rising three octaves.

"Sound the alarm! All personnel, assemble immediately! Everyone, get out there and do whatever it takes to bring that item back safely!"

Zhou Meng practically yelled as he finished speaking, then slammed down the phone, grabbed his belt, and rushed outside.

"Old Zhou..."

"Don't ask! You should understand that this is not your business!" Zhou Meng said, and without waiting for his wife's reply, he slammed the door shut and left.

"How could I have chosen such a man... Both father and son are like this!" Wu Guixiang sighed inwardly, but she did not leave immediately. Instead, she stood at the window, watching with worry as Zhou Meng led a large number of armed police officers rushing toward the dock.

"Captain Yan, you're here really fast!" Zhou Meng ran to the dock, panting, and glanced at Yan Hong standing there, saying irritably.

"Hehe, Chief Zhou, I'm the deputy, Deputy Chief Yan, hehe."

"Hmph, everyone else calls me that, so why can't I? Captain Yan."

"Captain Zhou, please stop making fun of me!" Yan Hong was almost in tears.

"I'm not kidding you anymore. Tell me, who sent us such a big gift?"

"Who else could it be!" Yan Hong's eyes gleamed brightly. "It must be him!"

"You mean, that kid?"

"Yes, I bet it's him. He promised me, it must be him!"

"Hmph, then we'll just wait and see! I hope he doesn't forget his promise and I don't catch him again! If he dares to play me for a fool, I'll skin him alive!" Zhou Meng said viciously.

Yan Hong wanted to laugh but didn't dare. He knew very well how excited Zhou Meng was at that moment; his voice was trembling.

A roar came from the sea as more than twenty armed speedboats escorted a fishing boat slowly into the dock.

As soon as the boat docked, a team of armed police officers rushed onto the fishing boat, carried more than a dozen large black boxes off the boat, and neatly stacked them on the dock.

"Open it!" Zhou Meng gave the order.

"yes!"

The armed police squad leader stood at attention and saluted, then immediately opened all ten or so black boxes, revealing a dark yet lustrous metallic sheen that shimmered before everyone's eyes.

Zhou Meng gasped, his whole body stiffening on the spot, his heart skipping a beat!

"My God! My God!..."

Zhou Meng remained relatively calm, while Yan Hong had already rushed forward recklessly:

"My God! These are FGM missiles! There are five of them! ... This is a Stinger missile, and it even has a V-type air defense radar system! ... This is a Barrett... This is a Gatling gun's electronic control system... This is..."

My God! How did this kid do that?! How am I ever going to repay this favor?! Wow…”

Yan Hong knelt in front of a box, clutching the control unit of the FGM missile tightly in his arms, and wailed uncontrollably.

Zhou Meng ignored Yan Hong; he couldn't control him anymore!

Zhou Meng gritted his teeth and desperately tried to control his emotions. He slowly walked past a row of large black boxes and finally stopped in front of one of the large boxes at the end.

Besides the weapons, there was also a small suitcase in the box. The suitcase was a bit old and didn't look like a military product. It looked out of place among this pile of advanced weapons.

Zhou Meng stopped in front of the suitcase, picked it up and looked at it.

The small suitcase didn't have a lock, and there was a small, cute smiley face sticker on the handle.

Zhou Meng pressed the switch, and the small briefcase opened immediately. The first thing Zhou Meng saw was a stack of papers.

"Supplementary instructions for the drone flight control system, please forward to the security department... You brat, still trying to act all civilized with me! Your handwriting isn't bad..." Zhou Meng flipped through the documents, his expression growing more and more serious as he read. After looking at two pages, he decisively closed the documents.

Remove the documents; underneath are several USB drives. These should be the program files mentioned in the documents.

There were a few more sheets of paper below, one of which was still laminated. Zhou Meng immediately picked up the laminated one, turned it over, and his eyes immediately reddened.

This is a family photo with coconut trees, sandy beaches and the sea in the background, full of tropical charm;

An Xiaohai's maternal grandparents sat in the middle of the first row. The old couple sat very upright and smiled from ear to ear.

To their left were Chen Shuifen and Chen Xiru. Although they were taking a picture, it was clear that both women's attention was entirely focused on the tiny baby in their arms.

To the right of the elderly couple sat An Xiaohai and Lin Xuan'er, nestled together with their fingers intertwined. An Xiaohai looked at the camera with a faint smile on his face, while Lin Xuan'er gazed at him with eyes full of love.

Behind them stood a row of men with their arms around each other's shoulders, looking menacing, who completely ruined the heartwarming scene.

Xu Tianyou stood in the middle, always so nonchalant; Kunji grinned, revealing his two front teeth;

Of all the people in this row, only Lai Donglin seemed like a normal person. He was smiling brightly and even raised his hands to make a heart shape with his fingers towards the camera.

The wind was a bit strong, and some sand might have blown into his eyes, so Zhou Meng quickly wiped them with his sleeve.

"You brat! The child's all grown up, and you haven't even brought him home to show your aunt...you brat!"

-----

Security Department, Haidong Provincial Headquarters

In the interview room, Xia Qing stood straight in the middle of the room. Opposite her, 065 and 1033, with their gray hair, were looking at her information.

"Comrade Xia Qing, you have passed our assessment and review. All your indicators are excellent and you have met the requirements for joining the Security Department."

I think our people have already explained to you repeatedly what joining the Security Department will mean for you, right?

065 put down the documents and looked into Xia Jing's eyes as he spoke.

"Reporting to the commander, yes! The instructors from the security department have explained it to me 11 times already, and I understand exactly what it means!"

"Very well, no need to reconsider anymore? You should know that once we sign this order, neither you nor we will have the chance to back out."

"Reporting to the commander, I have thought it through very carefully. I want to join the Republic's Security Department and become a glorious soldier of the Security Department!"

"No regrets?"

"I will never regret it!"

"Comrade Xia Qing," 1033 took off his reading glasses and put them aside, his tone unusually gentle:

"Son, although you've met the requirements to join the action team, I feel that with your knowledge and strengths, you'd be better suited for the research and development team or the support and logistics team. Won't you reconsider?"

"Reporting to the commander, as I've already said, I've thought it through very carefully! I want to become a soldier in the Security Department, and I want to be a member of the Security Department's action team. Please approve my application!"

Xia Jing did not hesitate for a moment; 1033 could even hear a kind of tragic heroism in her tone.

"Sigh..." 1033 sighed inwardly, turned to exchange a glance with 065, 065 nodded, and the two of them signed their names in the agreement column together.

-----

Security Department Haizhou Headquarters, Ye Du Office

A knock came at the door.

"Enter!"

The door opened, and Xu Congzhou poked his head in: "Director Ye, I've brought the person over. When would you like to see him?"

"I'm free now, let him in."

"Meet here?"

"What else can we do? Where else can we meet him? Let him in."

"Okay, you can go in now!" Xu Congzhou stepped aside and said to Liu Cong, who was following behind him.

"yes!"

Liu Cong nodded, straightened his police uniform, and walked into Ye Du's office. Xu Congzhou raised an eyebrow and closed the door.

"Good day, Director Ye!" Liu Cong gave a military salute, though he seemed a little hesitant.

"Sit down and tell me, do you smoke?"

"No, thank you, Director Ye!"

Ye Du smiled slightly and tossed the cigarette pack in his hand to Liu Cong: "It's good that you don't smoke, but you need to learn how."

I'm not saying you have to actually smoke, but you need to learn how to smoke properly so that no one can tell you don't smoke. This will be beneficial for your future career.

"Understood, Director Ye, please rest assured, I will definitely learn it!" Liu Cong quickly stood up straight and replied after taking the cigarette.

"Don't be so nervous, come, sit down and let's talk!" Ye Du stood up and led Liu Cong to sit on the sofa: "Relax, we don't have that many rules here, just be natural."

"Yes, Director Ye. Director Xu introduced me to him before I came. He said my personality is a bit old-fashioned, and I will change it as soon as possible."

"Hey, no need!" Ye lit a cigarette and quickly waved his hand: "No need to change it, you're fine as you are, don't listen to him!"

Our department is in such a mess because there are too many people like Director Xu, which has led to misunderstandings between us and colleagues from other departments.

You're fine as you are, please don't change! A department can't have only one type of person; there always need to be some outliers so they can handle more specialized tasks.

"Okay, I've got it, Director Ye."

"Hmm, very good! I see from your profile that you're not married. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Reporting to Director Ye, not yet," Liu Cong said, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes.

"That's great! We have many female colleagues here who are still unmarried, and they're all pretty good girls. Hurry up and help me find one or two!"

"Director Ye, this, I..."

"Stop with all that 'you' and 'me' stuff. You're very attractive to women, and you're very deceptive. Trust me!"

Teamwork makes the dream work! A husband and wife working together on intelligence—how romantic! You should do it!

"..."

-----

Shenhai City, Four Continents Hotel, Award Ceremony for Outstanding Youth Representatives of Shenhai City

Host: Next, please welcome Mr. Wang Bulai, Chairman of Shenhai Haian Network Technology Co., Ltd., a representative of outstanding young people in our city, to deliver his acceptance speech! Mr. Wang, please!

Wang Bulai was stunned for a moment, but he quickly stood up. He first turned his head to look at the people sitting next to him. There were many familiar faces here, including Ah Huo and Tian Qiaoming. They were all wearing red corsages that symbolized the winners.

Applause erupted, and all eyes turned to Wang Bulai.

Wang Bulai took a deep breath and walked onto the stage, standing behind the podium that the host had vacated.

The applause gradually subsided.

Looking at the audience filling the hall and his brothers clapping until their hands were red, Wang Bulai suddenly felt his mind go blank. For some reason, tears started flowing uncontrollably, dripping onto his speech and smudging the words on it.

The scene was completely silent.

No one urged him on, and no one laughed at him. Everyone seemed to understand the meaning behind Wang Bulai's tears. The young people sitting in the Haian Network Technology Co., Ltd. area all had red eyes and clenched their fists.

"I've been to prison!"

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Bulai suddenly put down his speech and said in a choked voice, "I spent three whole years in the First Prison of Shenhai City! The crime was fighting and assaulting others."

At that time, I lived in a daze, and even thought that going to jail was a glorious thing.

I was wrong, terribly wrong, so wrong! I shouldn't have done this! I finally got to be a human being, but I didn't cherish this opportunity, I failed to live like a human being!

Fortunately, I met a great older brother who dressed us in suits and shirts to cover our tattoos. He taught us how to read and use computers, enabling us to support ourselves and put away the sharp knife in our hands.

We will always remember him!

At this point, Wang Bulai forcefully wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve.

"Thank you everyone! Thank you to the government for giving us a chance to start anew. Thank you for not holding grudges, for your utmost tolerance, for giving us the opportunity to reform, and for giving us this honor today!"

We will certainly live up to everyone's expectations, and in the future we will work steadily and step by step to create value for society and contribute our modest strength to the construction of Shenhai City!

We will cherish everything we have now and keep moving forward!

I lost my composure a bit, I'm sorry! I'm done talking.

Wang Bulai left the podium, walked to the center of the stage, and bowed deeply to the audience.

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

"Thank you, Mr. Wang Bulai, for your remarks! Thank you!"

Next, we would like to invite city leaders to present awards to outstanding youth representatives of Shenhai City. The award presenters are, in order, Li Hong, Mayor of Shenhai City, and Zhou Zhengguo, Standing Committee Member of the Shenhai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Director of the Shenhai Municipal Public Security Bureau…”

The awards ceremony concluded in a lively atmosphere, followed by a banquet.

Taking advantage of this time, Zhou Zhengguo went to a small garden next to the venue, lit a cigarette and started smoking. When he was halfway through the cigarette, he saw a young couple walking towards him, the man carrying a gift box.

"Your name is Xie Dan, right?" Zhou Zhengguo asked with a smile as the young couple approached.

"Yes, Director Zhou, I am Xie Dan, and this is my wife, Tang Yanran," Xie Dan nodded, appearing slightly reserved.

"Hehe, Tang Yanran... I feel like I know you!" Zhou Zhengguo said with a smile as he looked at Tang Yanran.

"Uncle Zhou, of course you know me! You even held me when I was little!"

"Oh, I remember now, you're Tang Xiaobo's daughter?"

"Haha, it's me! You really remember me! Uncle Zhou, you go chat with Xie Dan, I'm going over there."

"Hehe, okay, give my regards to your father!" Zhou Zhengguo smiled and waved to Tang Yanran, then turned to Xie Dan: "What's up? Did you need something?"

"Yes, it's nothing important, someone asked me to give this to you!" Xie Dan handed the gift box to Zhou Zhengguo with both hands.

"Someone asked you to deliver a gift to me?" Zhou Zhengguo frowned at first, then seemed to suddenly realize something: "You mean... it was him! He sent it!?"

"Director Zhou, you'll know once you open it. I won't bother you any longer!" Xie Dan handed the gift box to Zhou Zhengguo and then turned to leave.

Zhou Zhengguo quickly threw away his cigarette, found a place to sit down, and eagerly opened the gift box.

The gift box was specially made, containing two large jars of tea printed with the T country's name, and a huge red thermos.

Zhou Zhengguo was slightly taken aback. He picked up the thermos to take a closer look, but found a small photo and a small note under the thermos.

The photo showed An Xiaohai and Lin Xuan'er holding a child. Zhou Zhengguo squinted at the photo for a long time before reluctantly putting it down and picking up the small piece of paper.

The note read: "Director Zhou, drink more tea, exercise more, take care of your health, and come visit us when you retire!"

"You brat! Who looks forward to their boss retiring? Honestly! Giving me a thermos...you brat! Hahahaha..."

Zhou Zhengguo finally couldn't help but laugh, and he laughed heartily.

In another lounge of the venue

Ah Huo was taking things out of a huge gift box when Wang Tiejun walked over and handed him a cigarette case.

"I don't smoke anymore, I've quit."

"What? You quit smoking? No way!"

"What's impossible?" Ah Huo didn't even look up, focusing only on cleaning the items in the gift box. "Fangfang and I are planning to have a child. I've been abstaining for two months now."

"Oh, I see. Then I should quit!" Wang Tiejun was a little disappointed. He lit a cigarette, but then thought it was a bit inappropriate, so he put the cigarette back in the cigarette case and put it away.

"What are all these?"

"A gift from a friend."

Ah Huo pulled out a pair of sneakers from the gift box. His eyes lit up, and he quickly took them out to try them on. They fit him quite well! Ah Huo was very satisfied, so he simply didn't bother changing them and put his own leather shoes into the sneaker box.

"These shoes look pretty good."

"Yes, it's a limited edition, and very expensive!"

"You little rascal, now that you're rich, why do you care about prices? Sigh, you've even built a career out of being an undercover agent, I'm impressed..."

"It's different. It has nothing to do with whether it's expensive or not; the meaning is different."

"What kind of gift is this? ...How come it has all sorts of things?" Wang Tiejun suddenly noticed that the huge gift box contained a lot of things, including some baby products.

"Of course, they are my best friends."

"Best friend? Do I know him?"

"Of course you know him. Oh, right, I almost forgot, he also sent you one!" Ah Huo opened the door to the lounge, snapped his fingers, and someone immediately handed in a smaller gift box.

"Hey, yours."

"Mine? Really mine?" Wang Tiejun was a little flustered now: "Who sent this? Doesn't this violate any rules?"

"Don't worry, it won't violate any rules."

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Brother Huo."

"What's wrong? Didn't I tell you not to bother me unless it's absolutely necessary?"

"Fang said she's not feeling well!"

"What?!" Ah Huo was shocked and quickly put the items back in the gift box, then rushed out with the gift box in his arms.

"You brat! Explain yourself! Who sent this?!"

Wang Tiejun held up the gift box in his hand and asked loudly, but Ah Huo had already run out of the lounge and seemed not to have heard his question at all.

"Who sent it? So mysterious!..."

------

Downstairs from Jingxi Industrial Company, Nancheng City, Haixi Province

A young couple was dining at a Western restaurant. Looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the long queue across the street, the girl remarked, "Why are so many people buying flowers from that flower shop?"

"Oh, I heard it's because that flower shop has a very beautiful proprietress, and she's not an ordinary person. She's said to be the CEO of Jingxi Industrial," the boy said, pointing to the Jingxi Building not far away.

After An Xiaohai left, Mai Xiaoyu bought half of the property rights of that office building, and now the building has been renamed Jingxi Building.

"No way? Jingxi Industrial! Why would their boss come here to open a flower shop?!" the girl asked, her eyes wide.

"How would I know?" The boy shrugged. "Maybe people just like flower shops. But that mysterious, beautiful proprietress is usually not in the flower shop. She only comes one day a month. On that day, a lot of men come to buy flowers."

Actually, they all just wanted to see her and talk to her.

"Oh, I see... Is the proprietress the round-faced girl by the door?"

"No, that's the florist's manager; she's always there."

"I knew it. She's cute, but that's not enough to make so many men fall head over heels for her."

"These are just rumors, maybe they're all just made up by busybodies," the boy said with a shrug.

"I really want to see that beautiful proprietress... But the name of her flower shop is so strange, why is it called 8332073? What special meaning does this number have? It's so weird!"

"Alright, stop overthinking it and just eat. Maybe this is someone else's lucky number."

"That's true... So many men want to pursue her. I wish I had that many suitors!" the girl said, squinting her eyes with envy. Suddenly, she seemed to have discovered something new and interesting:

"Look! There's a foreigner in the line! He's so handsome! Look!"

The boy had no choice but to turn his head and look. Sure enough, in the middle of the line stood a blond, blue-eyed foreigner who was indeed very handsome, reminding one of a prince from a movie.

Just as the boy was about to look away, he suddenly noticed a strange man standing at the front of the line. It was quite hot, yet this man was wearing a trench coat, sunglasses, and a hat, covering himself up completely.

Before the boy could even get a good look, the round-faced female shopkeeper had already led him into the shop and closed the door.

"What a strange flower shop..." The boy shook his head slightly and continued cutting the steak on his plate;

The girl seemed to have completely lost her appetite; her gaze remained fixed on the handsome young foreigner. But before she could get her fill of looking at him, a commotion suddenly broke out in the flower queue.

The boy turned around and saw that it was the round-faced female shop manager who came out, locked the flower shop door, hung up the "Closed" sign, and then skipped away with her hands in her pockets, completely ignoring the questions from the people queuing to buy flowers behind her.

"He's so pitiful..." the girl suddenly said.

"Who's pitiful?"

"That handsome blond guy! He queued for so long, and he didn't even get to see him. Poor guy!"

The boy looked out the window again. The line had almost completely dispersed, but the foreigner was still standing there, looking at the flower shop with a sense of loss.

"That's really pitiful... Eat quickly, you have to go to work this afternoon!"

"Okay!" The girl glanced at the blond prince one last time before finally looking away.

In the flower shop, Mai Xiaoyu carefully examined 073's repaired hands, her brows furrowing deeply.

"What's wrong? Comrade 833, are you not satisfied?" 073 suppressed a laugh and asked Mai Xiaoyu.

"Of course I'm not satisfied!" Mai Xiaoyu's eyes widened. "I spent so much money, and it's still like this? That agency must be a scam!"

"Well... actually, I think they've done their best."

The main reason is that my injury covered a large area, making it difficult to repair. However, I think their technique is very impressive; at least I'm not in pain anymore.

"Really?" Mai Xiaoyu turned her head and stared into 073's eyes as she asked.

"Yes, it really doesn't hurt anymore."

"You're not lying to me?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"That's more like it! A little ugly is fine, I can bear it, as long as it doesn't hurt! What did you call me just now?"

"Comrade 833, you haven't been using your code name for long, have you? I'm happy for you."

"Everyone else calls me Comrade 833, and you call me Comrade 833 too? Call me that again right now!"

"Alright..." 073 nodded and took a deep breath: "Dear Comrade 833."

"That's more like it!"

"I……"

073 wanted to say something more, but Mai Xiaoyu had already thrown herself into his arms and sealed his lips with hers.

-----

On a scenic island in the waters off Country T.

It was sunset, the sunlight was getting softer and softer, the sun's outline was getting clearer and clearer, and the sky and sea were turning golden.

An Xiaohai and Xu Tianyou lay side by side on the beach, staring blankly at the sky; not far away in the sea, Lin Xuan'er was playing with her tiny baby.

"Hey, my nephew is so tiny, and your sister-in-law is letting him play in the sea like this. Won't she hurt him?" Xu Tianyou nudged An Xiaohai with his elbow.

"Don't worry, it won't break. Xuan'er is such a good swimmer because she's been playing in the sea like this since she was little."

"You're really that careless? You're my nephew's own father!"

"Shut up! Do you really have to ruin such a beautiful evening?"

"Indeed, such a beautiful evening... what a boring evening!"

"If you're bored, don't stay single all the time. Even Alai has found someone he likes!"

"Come on, his sweetheart is so fat, I'm really worried he'll get crushed in his sleep and die! I just can't understand why he likes this type!"

"Physical appearance is not important..."

"Stop! Stop! Here we go again!" Xu Tianyou rolled his eyes at An Xiaohai.

"Alright, I'll stop there. By the way, how's the construction on your No. 1 Island coming along?"

Xu Tianyou built a total of four secret bases. The island they are currently on is named Tianzi No. 3 Island, Tianzi No. 2 Island, and Tianzi No. 4 Island, which have more functions as decoys.

The safest island is Tianzi No. 1. It is actually a huge ocean-going cargo ship, fully equipped with all kinds of facilities and weapons. It is both a mobile fortress and a mobile luxury villa.

Previously, when Xu Tianyou led Kunji and his team on a military campaign in Thailand, An Xiaohai's family was placed on this ocean-going cargo ship. However, recently, Xu Tianyou discovered that the cargo ship's power system seemed to have some problems and is currently undergoing repairs.

Upon hearing An Xiaohai's question, Xu Tianyou sat up abruptly.

"What's wrong? Don't go crazy!"

"Hehe!" Xu Tianyou chuckled slyly. "To be honest, aren't you tired of being on this island too?"

"How could you have such a strange idea? I don't know how pleasant that would be!"

"Haha, I know you too well! You never care about Island Number One before, but you're actually showing interest today? What else could it be but falling for someone?"

"Shut up!" An Xiaohai rolled his eyes at Xu Tianyou. "It's not that I'm smitten, it's just that your No. 1 Island reminds me of another big ship."

"Another big ship? What ship?"

"A very, very large ship, it should be docked in a port in Ukraine right now, waiting to be dismantled."

"That bad?"

"Yes, it's quite tragic. Ukraine is too poor to afford to raise it."

"so what?"

"So I want to bring it back and give it to Captain Qian and the others, after all, we still owe them a big favor."

"That's true. Captain Qian and the political commissar are both good people, but they're from the navy, the proper navy. Do you think they'd want your old, beat-up ship?"

"I think they'll find it interesting, after all, that wrecked ship is a Kuznetsov-class vessel."

"Kuznetsov-class... Holy crap, are you out of your mind?! You can't possibly go this far again, can you?!"

"What? Scared?"

"I'm not so afraid, but this isn't something we two bandits should be doing, is it? Wouldn't the government do it?"

"I think the country also wants to do it, but if they were to do it, they would have many concerns. Even if they succeeded, I estimate that their return journey would be extremely difficult."

"We're different. You just said we're bandits. If anyone dares to stop us, we won't hesitate to wipe them out!"

"What you said sounds really reasonable! That's definitely a good idea!" Xu Tianyou rubbed his hands excitedly. "Since we're going out to play anyway, why not play for a while longer? Yes, that's more like you! What are some plans after we get the boat back?"

"Sure, I've been thinking about going to Japan, since we still have some debts to settle there."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes! We absolutely cannot let that...what was it again?"

"Kazuko Koyama, Kenichi Ikawa."

"Yes, those are the two! But I heard they have a lot of earthquakes and volcanoes there, so it doesn't seem very safe."

"Yes, it is a bit unsafe, but I don't think we're that unlucky. Mount Fuji is an active volcano."

"An active volcano, that's impressive, I've never even seen one before... So tell me, if I throw a big one into the crater, could it erupt and give us a chance to see it?"

"This estimate is difficult, but we can give it a try."

"Wow! Just thinking about it is so exciting!" Xu Tianyou sprang to his feet.

Where are you going?

"Of course we're going to prepare! Didn't we say we were going to give them a big one?"

"Let's get the boat first!"

"It's the same, I have to prepare anyway, I'll go prepare now!" Xu Tianyou said as he was about to leave.

"What's your hurry... Wait, Xu Tianyou! Confess! Did you hide explosives on the island? Damn it! Didn't I tell you not to bring these things onto the island? What if they blow up your own people?... You stop right there!"

Xu Tianyou realized he had given himself away because he was too excited, so he ran away before An Xiaohai could finish speaking. An Xiaohai shouted and chased after him.

Under the setting sun, on the beach, Xu Tianyou and An Xiaohai were running at full speed, just like teenagers!

------

布拉格广场

Xu Zhenzhen opened the Ghost Network and issued an international kill order:

Target: An Xiaohai;

Prize amount: US$200 million;

Task issuer: Mountain Goddess

Xu Zhenzhen closed her laptop, took out a banknote and placed it under her cup, then picked up her laptop bag and left the small coffee shop.

A puppeteer performing on the street bowed to Xu Zhenzhen, who smiled back but did not stop walking.

"Uncle, wait for me. After I've avenged you, I'll come back for you. Wait for me!"

A slight smile appeared on Xu Zhenzhen's lips as she disappeared into the crowd in Prague Square.

(End of the book)