Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

The next morning, Fan Debiao didn't go to the store; he went straight to Victoria.

Wu Derong had just finished the morning meeting and was sitting in his office looking at reports when Fan Debiao came in. He was a little surprised: "Debiao, so early?"

"Mr. Wu, something urgent has come up." Fan Debiao closed the door tightly.

Wu Derong put down the report: "What happened?"

Fan Debiao sat down, lit a cigarette, and recounted the whole story from beginning to end. From Gangzi's old feud with Lao Ba, to Lao Qian setting a trap for Gangdan, which dragged him into it, to the discovery of the ecstasy pills last night.

After hearing this, Wu Derong's face gradually darkened.

"Was this... done by Old Scar?"

"Old Scar was the one who started it, but Old Qian was the one who instigated it." Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of smoke. "Mr. Wu, this is no small matter. They've even gotten ecstasy into Victoria. If our customers get hooked on it, our business will be ruined."

Wu Derong stood up and paced around the room twice: "How's Gangdan now?"

"I told him to go to the hospital to get checked out, but once you're hooked on this stuff, it's not easy to quit." Fan Debiao paused, "Mr. Wu, this matter needs to be resolved. Otherwise, it will never end."

"What do you want to do?"

Fan Debiao stubbed out his cigarette: "Call the police."

Wu Derong was taken aback: "Call the police?"

"That's right," Fan Debiao said decisively. "Old Scarface is involved with the D, this is a done deal. If we call the police, firstly, we can take down this whole gang, and secondly, we can build a good relationship with the Six Doors. They'll have to remember us for this kind of favor."

Wu Derong pondered for a moment: "But the steel ball is also on it, if we call the police..."

"Gangdan is a victim; he was tricked into this," Fan Debiao said. "If we proactively report the case and cooperate actively, we can still get lenient treatment. If we hide it and wait for the truth to come out, we'll be in a passive position."

"What about Lao Qian?"

"If Old Scar gets in there, won't he bite Old Qian in there?" Fan Debiao laughed. "Even if he can't bite him out, after all this commotion, Old Qian will have to quiet down for a while. We can still put up a sign in Kaiyuan—this is what happens to those who oppose us."

Wu Derong sat down and tapped his fingers on the table for a long time.

"De Biao, that was a ruthless move of yours..."

"It's not about being ruthless, it's about self-preservation," Fan Debiao said. "Old Qian has already set his sights on Victoria. This time it was ecstasy, who knows what it will be next. If we don't fight back, they'll think we're easy to bully."

Wu Derong lit a cigarette and took two puffs: "Okay, we'll do it your way. But we need to make sure it's done properly and without leaving any loose ends."

"Understood." Fan Debiao stood up. "I'll make the arrangements right away."

In the small warehouse behind Dexing Communications, Gangdan sat in a chair, his face ashen and his whole body trembling.

Fan Debiao and Gangzi stood in front of him.

"Steel Egg, do you want to quit?" Fan Debiao asked.

Gangdan nodded, tears streaming down his face: "I miss...Brother Biao, I'm so sad..."

"You have to endure the discomfort," Fan Debiao said. "Now there's an opportunity to help you quit and also put the people who harmed you in jail. But you have to cooperate."

"How can we cooperate?"

"When the police come, you have to tell the truth. Tell them who gave it to you and what they asked you to do," Fan Debiao said, looking at him. "But you also have to be prepared that you might have to stay in jail for a few days."

Steel Egg's face turned even paler: "Brother Biao, I don't want to go in..."

"If you don't want to go in, you have to stay like this, neither human nor ghost?" Gangzi slapped Gangdan across the face. "Look at the fucking state you're in now!"

Fan Debiao waved his hand: "Gangdan, you're young and you've been set up. If you cooperate with the police, you'll probably get a suspended sentence. But if you don't cooperate, and the police find out on their own, then it's hard to say."

Steel Egg bit his lip and remained silent for a long time.

"Brother..." He looked at Gangzi.

Gangzi's eyes reddened: "Brother, listen to Brother Biao. Staying in there for a few days is better than ruining your life."

Steel Egg nodded: "I'll cooperate."

"Okay," Fan Debiao said. "Go to the hospital today and get a certificate saying you're voluntarily quitting drugs. Tomorrow I'll take you to see someone."

At 3 p.m., Fan Debiao took Gangzi to the Public Security Bureau.

They were received by Captain Zhang of the Criminal Investigation Team, a man in his forties with a buzz cut and a serious expression.

"Boss Fan, we understand the situation you're describing." Captain Zhang frowned deeply after hearing this. "The appearance of ecstasy in Kaiyuan is no small matter."

"Captain Zhang, we discovered this by chance," Fan Debiao said. "This child is my employee's younger brother. He was tricked into this. We reported it to the police as soon as we found out."

Captain Zhang looked at the steel egg: "Where's the stuff?"

Gangzi took out the plastic bag, which contained more than a dozen pills, given to him by Erlv and Guangtou in the past two days.

Captain Zhang picked it up and looked at it, then called over a technician: "Have it tested."

The technician took the pills, and Captain Zhang continued, "Can you recognize those two people?"

Steel Egg nodded: "Yes."

Where do they usually hang out?

"The arcade, and... and that abandoned factory."

Captain Zhang wrote in his notebook: "We know about Old Scar. He's involved in the Party, but we've never caught him red-handed. If we can catch him red-handed this time, it'll be a meritorious service for you."

Fan Debiao said, "Captain Zhang, we want to cooperate with the police to wipe out this group in one fell swoop."

"How can we cooperate?"

"Let Gangdan continue to contact them and agree on the delivery time and place," Fan Debiao said. "Then you lie in wait and catch them in the act."

Captain Zhang thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but safety must be guaranteed."

"clear."

After leaving the police station, Gangzi asked, "Brother Biao, do you think this will work?"

"It'll work." Fan Debiao lit a cigarette. "Old Scar and his gang have been under surveillance for a while now. We're giving the police credit; they're more than happy to do that."

"That steel egg..."

"Gangdan has to suffer a bit, but it's for his own good," Fan Debiao said. "Once this matter is settled, I'll send him to another place for a while, to change his environment and help him kick his addiction."

Gangzi's eyes reddened again: "Brother Biao, I'll remember this kindness."

"Stop talking nonsense." Fan Debiao patted him on the shoulder. "First, sort out your brother's matter."

Three days later, at 11 p.m.

Inside the abandoned factory, music blared deafeningly. Old Scar sat on a tattered sofa, with Erlv and Baldy standing beside him.

"How's Steel Egg doing lately?" Old Scar asked.

"Not bad, quite obedient," Erlv said. "They've been selling in Victoria for almost a month now, and nothing's gone wrong."

"Tell him to take more goods tonight. There are some customers coming from the south tomorrow, and they want a large quantity."

"clear."

Just then, Gangdan arrived, still looking rather unwell.

"Scarface," Steel Egg called out softly.

Old Scar looked him over and asked, "How are you? Still feeling unwell?"

"A little..."

"It's okay, you'll get used to it." Old Scar pulled a small packet of white powder from his pocket. "Here, take this. It's stronger than ecstasy. Try it tonight."

Steel Egg took it, his hand trembling slightly.

Erlv leaned over and said, "Gangdan, there's a big client here tomorrow night at 10 PM. Bring more goods with you, and you can make this much this time." He held up three fingers.

"three hundred?"

"Three thousand!"

Steel Egg's eyes lit up, but quickly dimmed again: "But...but I don't have that many goods on hand..."

"I'll give it to you tomorrow afternoon," Old Scar said. "You can bring it over tonight."

"OK."

Steel Egg left. Old Scar said to Erlv, "Prepare more goods tomorrow. If this goes well, we'll move to another place and not stay in Kaiyuan anymore."

"Scarface, why?"

"I have a bad feeling about this," Old Scar frowned. "Fan Debiao is too shrewd, and Gangzi is fiercely protective of his own. Can they really just watch their brother go on like this?"

The bald man laughed: "Scarface, you're overthinking it. That kid Steel Egg, when he's hooked up, he won't even recognize his own father. Why would he listen to his brother?"

"I hope so." Old Scar lit a cigarette. "Be careful tomorrow, bring a few extra men with you."

At 9:30 p.m. the next day, the area around the abandoned factory was quiet.

Captain Zhang, along with a dozen plainclothes officers, lay in ambush around the factory. Fan Debiao and Gangzi sat in a car not far away, keeping an eye on the direction of the factory.

"Brother Biao, will Gangdan be alright?" Gangzi's palms were sweaty with anxiety.

"No, Captain Zhang and the others have made all the arrangements," Fan Debiao said. "When they're arresting people later, don't act impulsively."

"I know."

At 9:50, several motorcycles drove up, and Erlv and Guangtou led five or six people into the factory.

At 10 o'clock sharp, a bread truck drove up, stopped, and three people from the south got out, each carrying a bag.

Music started playing in the factory.

Captain Zhang spoke into the walkie-talkie: "Attention all teams, all targets have entered. Once the transaction begins, proceed according to my orders."

At 10:05, Gangdan arrived on his bicycle with a black plastic bag in the basket.

He entered the factory, and the music became even louder.

At 10:10, Captain Zhang waved his hand: "Move out!"

A dozen or so people rushed into the factory, their flashlights illuminating the interior.

"Police! Don't move!"

"Hands on your head and crouch down!"

Chaos reigned in the factory. Old Scar tried to run but was pinned to the ground by two policemen. Erlv and Baldy tried to climb over the wall but were also arrested. The three southerners squatted in a corner, heads in their hands, cash scattered all over the floor.

Steel Egg was so frightened that he squatted on the ground, trembling all over.

Captain Zhang walked over, picked up the black plastic bag on the ground, opened it, and found a packet of white powder inside.

"Caught red-handed," Captain Zhang said. "Take them all away!"

It was already 2 a.m. when I left the police station.

Captain Zhang saw Fan Debiao and Gangzi to the door: "Boss Fan, thanks to your cooperation this time. We've been watching Old Scar and his gang for a long time, but we haven't caught them in the act. Now, we've got them red-handed, they're in for a world of hurt."

"Captain Zhang, you're too kind. Cooperating with the police is the right thing to do," Fan Debiao said. "What about Gangdan..."

"Gangdan's situation is special, and he cooperated voluntarily, so we will handle it accordingly," Captain Zhang said. "You can go back now, and I will let you know if there is any progress."

"Thank you, Captain Zhang."

In the car, Gangzi asked, "Brother Biao, could Lao Qian be involved?"

"It's hard to say." Fan Debiao lit a cigarette. "Old Scar isn't stupid. He knows what crime it is to be involved with drugs, and he'll take advantage of it if he can. But Old Qian will definitely be on guard and won't leave any evidence."

"So you're just letting him off so easily?"

"Cheap?" Fan Debiao laughed. "After all this commotion, Lao Qian will have to quiet down for a while. Besides, the police are watching him, so he'll have to think twice before trying anything funny again."

When the car arrived at the entrance of Dexing Communications, Fan Debiao got out.

"Gangzi, go back and rest first. Go to the hospital tomorrow to see Gangdan and tell him to cooperate well so we can try to get lenient treatment."

"Understood, Brother Biao."