Chapter 100

"That's good. It's better to make a clean break first, so there won't be any chaos later."

A few minutes later, the owner served four bowls of noodles.

Shi Lei tasted it, and the sauce for the noodles was indeed quite good. It was crispy and very flavorful.

After lunch, Lin Yuxia drove ahead in a private car, while Texas followed behind with the two of them.

At 1:30 p. m., we arrived at the meeting place for this Business Negotiation – the Hatton Hotel.

The Miss Zhu I met with Texas at the Lungmen Theater last time is the daughter of the hotel owner.

The three stood outside the meeting room to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering. Shi Lei did not go inside, but remotely cast a transparent Jade Shield on Lin Yuxia.

Today, she spoke with Mr. Meng, the president of a bank, about a collaboration project to provide low-interest loans to young entrepreneurs in Lungmen.

This bank manager, surnamed Meng, has a rabbit-like face and wears...

He wore very small, round-framed glasses. His face was both mature and sleazy, and his Fangs made him look a bit like a little baka.

Shi Lei is only responsible for protecting people; he doesn't need to worry about anything else.

The three of them stood outside the door for more than half an hour before Lin Yuxia ended the negotiations. Judging from the smile on her face, she must have achieved a very good result.

Lin Yuxia was very pleased that she had completed the business negotiations independently, without relying on anyone else.

"Thank you for your hard work, standing for so long. I will transfer the payment to your company's account later."

At this point, she shielded her eyes with one hand, looked out at the blazing sun, and suggested:

"The weather is really nice today, the sun is shining so brightly. Are you guys free this afternoon? If not, how about we go to Mister Zhongli's house to play mahjong together?"

Upon hearing this, Exusiai immediately woke up from her drowsiness:

"Great! You, me, and the two of them, that makes four people enough for a table."

After leaving in 2000, playing mahjong became their favorite pastime to pass the time.

Drinking and clubbing have their rest periods, but playing mahjong doesn't. You have to consider what hand to win when drawing tiles, remember the tiles others are playing, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

It's just past 2:30 now. I can play a few laps and then go back to the company to clock in. It's not a big problem.

"Let's go, let's go play mahjong."

Shortly after the four left

After packing up his materials, Director Meng didn't rush to leave. Instead, he grinned mischievously and headed to the third floor to enjoy the spa massage service.

The reason we negotiated with Lin Yuxia here was because of this vinegar, which is why we made dumplings.

The technicians in the shop include Feline race and Caster race. They wear light-colored clothes, and with their cute bunny ears perked up, they are the quintessential bunny girls.

Just as President Meng changed into a white bathrobe and was about to lie down on the massage bed, an uninvited guest entered the room, removed his black hat, and politely bowed.

The newcomer was none other than Lee from the Koi-Style Detective Agency, who revealed a knowing smile that only men could understand:

"President Meng, I've been looking for you for ages!"

President Meng frowned slightly, waved his hand to signal the bunny girl technician to leave first and come back in later:

What are you doing here?

"I asked around at the bank and found out you were here discussing a collaboration, so I came looking for you. President Meng, you probably don't want your wife to know..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Bank Manager Meng quickly interrupted, saying irritably:

"Speak, what do you want from me?"

"What a straightforward person, no wonder he's a veteran of Lungmen. I want to inquire about the Cat Gang."

Upon hearing this, President Meng frowned even more deeply:

"Cat Gang? Why are you asking that?"

"Recently, several pharmacists at Lungmen Hospital have gone missing, and their whereabouts remain unknown. The authorities can't find them, so they have no choice but to entrust the task to detectives like me. That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"

On the surface, Lee was explaining the reasons, but in reality, he was trying to highlight his collaboration with the official authorities. This would make the other party think twice before refusing.

After a moment's consideration, President Meng responded:

"Alright, Lee. I can use my connections to find a few people who know about the Cat Gang's past. What are you going to offer in exchange?"

Lee smiled, seemingly unprepared, and let the other party name their price:

"That depends on what you need in exchange."

"Oh."

Bank Manager Meng's expression relaxed, and his demeanor softened. He stared at Lee's face, but inwardly pondered the recent trouble caused by the tax bureau's scrutiny. That Suiya's daughter was not easily fooled; having some money of dubious origin in his hands for an extended period could easily lead to unforeseen problems.

"I have some money that's a bit tricky to handle recently, and I need someone to hold onto it for a while. Lee, you're a smart man. As for the source and amount of the remittance, don't worry about it. As long as you agree to this condition and keep it a secret, I can satisfy your request and find a few people who know about the Cat Gang."

Lee nodded, having no objection:

"It sounds like a fair deal, but what about the time and place to meet?"

President Meng frowned and thought for a moment, then suggested:

"Then let's meet on March 25th at 7 pm at Longlongmen Bar in the Upper City. Bring a confidentiality agreement with you, and we'll discuss the payment later."

Lee remembered that it was Ah's birthday that day, but compared to celebrating his birthday, the intelligence from the Cat Gang was more important:

"Okay, it's a pleasure to work with you."

He put his top hat back on and turned around with a flourish:

"Then I won't disturb your good time."

156. To eat fried dough sticks or not (3K)

March 25, 6:20 p. m.

Lee slumped listlessly on his desk, the fan beside him whirring. He glanced up at the wall clock and figured it was about time to leave.

Although it's A's birthday today, intelligence about the Cat Gang is equally important. The only way Lee can think of to balance both is to have Hong and Waai Fu keep A occupied while he goes to the bar to gather information and returns as soon as he's done.

Sigh, I hope it doesn't drag on until midnight.

Lee opened the office door, peeking through a five-finger-width crack, and stole a glance at Ah, who was playing with a Rubik's Cube.

Hong and Waai Fu already knew there was an important meeting that evening, and pointed to their wrists, signaling him to hurry up. But just as Lee reached the door, he was stopped by A:

"Where did you go?

Lee had promised to celebrate his eighteenth birthday, but he had to finish dealing with the Cat Gang's affairs before returning today, and said somewhat guiltily:

"Yes... there is a commission."

Ah's eyes lit up, and he put down the Rubik's Cube:

"Can I go?"

Lee looked embarrassed and refused directly, saying, "No, that's a place only adults can go."

To his surprise, this was exactly what Ah wanted to hear. He stood up excitedly and pointed to himself:

"I just turned eighteen today, I'm an adult now, can I go? Can I? Can I?"

Lee really wanted to refuse, but seeing Ah's expectant eyes, he finally softened and compromised.

He left Hong and Waai Fu to decorate the room, then took A out of the detective agency and left in a taxi.

Friday traffic was terrible, so Lee and his companion arrived at Longlongmen Bar before 7 p. m.

He glanced around and quickly spotted the booth where Director Meng was sitting. Director Meng had brought two people with him today: the Tanuki man, was a broker specializing in intelligence. The woman on the left, Lee Feline, was from Chaoshang.

Chaoshang is the proprietress of Chaoshang Restaurant and the general manager of Mount Choryu Shops. In terms of intelligence capabilities, she's not as good as Penguin Logistics or Fengchi Logistics, since that's just a side business. Her main business is the restaurant, and the distribution of clothing, luxury goods, and other items. She also engages in some shady intelligence trading and other gray-market activities.

Kunkun, the bartender, has prepared the cocktail.

Four glasses of spirits, ice cubes, and lemon slices were brought over by the waiter.

Ah reached out to take it, but was interrupted by Lee:

"You can't drink this, you have to drink milk."

Feline stared at the still-childish boy beside him, a hint of teasing in his laughter:

"Lee, why are you bringing a child with you?"

Ah just turned eighteen today and is very resistant to this word. He cares a lot about what others think of him, and explained:

"I'm not a child."

President Meng had a lewd look on his face and was laughing unrestrainedly. He waved his hand, signaling the other party not to disturb the cooperation.

"The adults talk business, and the children go play on the side."

These rather provocative words greatly displeased A. He slammed his hands on the table, preparing to lash out.

Unexpectedly, a tall and burly bodyguard came to the table and gave the child a fierce look, signaling him to behave.

Ah immediately backed down and climbed out of the booth:

I'm going out for a walk.

Lee didn't chase after them, wanting to end the intelligence exchange meeting as soon as possible. He didn't drink; instead, he slid his glass down the table towards Director Meng.

"I asked you to inquire about the Cat Gang before..."

President Meng pulled a yellow note from his pocket, pressed it down with his wine glass, and then slid it back into place:

"Here is the information you requested."

Lee picked it up, glanced at it, and then put it back in his coat pocket. President Meng was the bank manager himself, yet he insisted on having him handle this sum of money. As expected, it was illicit funds. If the amount wasn't large, perhaps he could find a way to launder it. But if it reached tens of millions, he dared not accept it lightly.

"We can discuss the payment you want to handle, but the amount cannot be too excessive."

"Understood. Cheers to today's collaboration!"

"Cheers!"

The four of them raised their glasses in celebration and took a sip.

After drinking it, Lee immediately put on a mask of pain. Feeling the burning aftereffects of the strong liquor on his throat, and the surging inspiration that almost made him choke.

That would mean you'd choke on the alcohol.

President Meng took a small, symbolic sip, making sure he didn't drink a third of it all at once.

"That Cat Gang has been getting more and more outrageous lately. I don't know where they came from, they're just a bunch of stray cats."

Lee had only settled in Lungmen a few years ago, so his intelligence was limited. He could only trace back to the end of last year, 1094. The Lungmen Guard Department launched a targeted extermination operation, targeting all illegal organizations in districts 19 through 21. The Cat Gang, which suddenly appeared, seized a large amount of vacant territory, leaving many local gangs baffled as to their origins.

"How come I've never heard of the Cat Gang before?"

The female Feline under Chaoshang spoke up:

"Actually, the Cat Gang has been rooted in Longmen for many years. The original Cat Gang had a very good relationship with the Rat King, Lin Ge Rui. But 28 years ago, there was a major incident caused by infected people. Since then, the Cat Gang leader and the Cat Gang have disappeared without a trace. Nobody knows where the Cat Gang leader went."

The Cat Gang you're inquiring about is secretly involved in the pharmaceutical business and other shady dealings. Furthermore, this Cat Gang not the same as the previous Cat Gang; although the name is the same, it's completely different.

At this point, the raccoon next to her chimed in:

"I heard that quite a few pharmacists have gone missing recently, keeping the Lungmen Guard Department extremely busy. They must have asked you to investigate the Cat Gang, right?"

Just as Lee was about to speak, he felt dizzy. A strong sense of drowsiness washed over him, making his eyelids feel unusually heavy, and he longed to rest his head on the table.

It's said that when a normal person gets drunk, they generally fall into two categories: "Pig drunkenness" and "dog drunkenness." Pig drunkenness means falling fast asleep, while dog drunkenness means acting out. Some people experience both, but this is less common than the first two categories alone.

"I'm not feeling well, I'll lie down for a bit. You guys chat, this table's bill is on me."

After Lee finished speaking, he lay down to rest with his hands folded over. He felt extremely uncomfortable in his stomach and throat, and thought to himself that he would never drink this damn strong liquor again; it was such a headache.

A short while later, Ah returned.

Lee immediately felt his stomach churning, as if he was about to vomit. He didn't even have time to say sorry before rushing towards the restroom.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh~"

After spitting out the filth, Lee felt much better, but his throat still felt a bit spicy. He pulled out some tissue paper to wipe his mouth and turned on the tap. After washing his face with cold water, he took a big gulp of tap water to rinse his mouth and get rid of the taste.