Eighty Percent Chance It's Hopeless

Chen Yongren felt deeply uneasy after receiving the message that Wang Yan wanted to see him; he had no idea what Wang Yan could possibly want.

He arrived at the office on the top floor of the Longteng Headquarters, knocked on the door, and after hearing Wang Yan's voice from within, he gathered his courage, opened the door, and walked in.

Seeing Chen Yongren enter, to be honest, Wang Yan felt like unloading a full magazine into him.

I didn't come here to play nanny and coddle your emotions, damn it. Wang Yan had been working on his self-cultivation for so long that he had nearly broken his composure just now.

Wang Yan stared into Chen Yongren's eyes with a dark expression, not saying a word.

Chen Yongren felt as if he were being targeted by a ferocious beast; the air grew incredibly thick, making it difficult to breathe, and his body trembled as he broke out in a cold sweat.

This was the absolute deterrence of a superior—a titan of Longteng and a billionaire—over someone at the bottom of the food chain, an unparalleled aura of life-and-death authority. This was not something Chen Yongren could withstand; it was like a tiger facing a rabbit in the animal kingdom, and Wang Yan was definitely a predator.

After a long silence, Wang Yan spoke: "You are an undercover cop!"

Hearing this, Chen Yongren's heart skipped a beat, and he nearly collapsed to the floor. His lips trembled as he tried to explain himself.

Wang Yan didn't want to hear his nonsense: "So, what is your reason for this?"

"I know you went undercover in the Ni Family because you despise your origins, and perhaps there's also a part of you seeking revenge on Ni Kun for abandoning you and your mother. I understand all of that; it's human nature."

"What I don't understand is why you came to go undercover at Longteng."

"Were you fooled by Huang Zhicheng, wanting to uphold some ridiculous sense of justice you've convinced yourself of?"

"Or are you tired of living and want to provide a snack for the creatures in the ocean?"

"Tell me why."

After speaking, Wang Yan stared fixedly at the thunderstruck Chen Yongren.

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Chen Yongren slumped to the floor, staring blankly at him. He didn't want to say anything more; in his mind, since Wang Yan knew he was an undercover agent, he was surely going to finish him off, so talking was useless.

Seeing Chen Yongren like this, Wang Yan knew he was terrified. How many people can truly see past life and death when faced with it? Why had Wang Yan been living such a reclusive life, not even taking a proper look at Hong Kong Island in four years? Wasn't it because he was afraid of dying?

Wang Yan said: "Don't look like you're about to die, damn it. I'm not killing you."

Hearing that Wang Yan wouldn't kill him, the light returned to Chen Yongren's eyes, and he looked at Wang Yan in confusion.

"Why not kill me? Brother Yan?"

Wang Yan said with a forced tone: "I don't want to kill someone who has no brain."

"Nowadays, Longteng is a tall tree that catches the wind. I can understand you coming here to go undercover and collect evidence of crimes."

"But can't you use your head? Is Longteng something that can be easily toppled? To say nothing else, do you know how many people Longteng supports? If Longteng falls, what do you think will happen to those unemployed people? Are you going to support them?"

"Do you know how many undercover agents are in Longteng? I've found dozens of them—dozens, you idiot."

"There are people from the Gweilo, people from the mainland, and then there are people like you, sent by superiors looking to earn merit."

"You won't be able to go back without some achievements, but thinking about earning merit is a pipe dream."

"Even if you find evidence and earn some credit, I bet you won't live to see the next day. If you can actually survive, honestly, you won't even need to report me; I'll go to jail myself."

"Either way, you die, and Huang Zhicheng gets the credit."

Hearing this, Chen Yongren thought it over carefully, and the situation was indeed as Wang Yan described.

Regardless of anything else, Longteng supported so many people and paid so much in taxes. Furthermore, they had cleaned up Hong Kong Island, maintained public order, and cracked down hard on drugs. To put it bluntly, they were more like the police than the police themselves; in some areas, Longteng might even have more credibility than the government.

Perhaps because he was trapped in the middle of it before, he hadn't taken these things seriously even if he had thought of them. But now that it was being said by a big shot of Wang Yan's status, he understood these things in an instant. He even figured out the things Wang Yan hadn't explicitly stated.

Just like how his status as Ni Kun's illegitimate son made it impossible for him to be a cop, and whether a Senior Inspector like Huang Zhicheng even had the ability to smooth that over was a question in itself.

Seeing that Chen Yongren understood his point, Wang Yan said: "Alright, don't waste time. I'm very busy."

"For the sake of the time we spent in jail together, I'll help you out."

"Do you want to be a cop, or do you want to take a sum of money and live a quiet life?"

Wang Yan's words left Chen Yongren very confused; he wasn't stupid enough to blindly trust Wang Yan. How could a figure like Wang Yan care about a small fry like him, let alone for such a ridiculous reason?

Wang Yan didn't know what Chen Yongren was thinking, though he could roughly guess—there's no such thing as a free lunch, right?

But in reality, this really was a free lunch provided by Wang Yan. Wang Yan couldn't exactly tell Chen Yongren, "I have a system, and the system received your wish task, so I'm here to give you a hand"—that would be insane.

Wang Yan was also annoyed looking at Chen Yongren. Although he was a nobody in the real world, after experiencing two worlds, his mindset was completely different. If he hadn't been working on his self-cultivation, he would have been arrogant beyond measure by now. Considering his current status and position, playing nanny to someone who had clearly been driven stupid by being an undercover agent made Wang Yan feel insulted.

Truth be told, if it weren't for the task, he would have unloaded a magazine into him; he'd write his name backward if he didn't.

Chen Yongren thought for a long time before he finally came around.

No matter what Wang Yan wanted, given his current status, it was obvious he wasn't worth Wang Yan's schemes. For now, he should take whatever benefits he could get, and worry about the future later.

Chen Yongren looked up at Wang Yan and said: "Thank you, Brother Yan. I want to be a cop."

Wang Yan wasn't surprised by Chen Yongren's choice. After all, it was a dream he'd had since childhood, and now that it was within reach, he had to give it a try.

"Fine, I get it. Go back and wait for news."

Although he knew it was useless, Wang Yan still added one more thing.

"Live a good life from now on. When you have nothing to do, think about what your fate would be if Longteng didn't exist."

Wang Yan had a bad feeling that this time it would be tough. He was planting a seed in Chen Yongren's heart; if one day Chen Yongren thought of these words and compared them to his own life, and had a sudden realization, wouldn't that be a happy ending for everyone?

Chen Yongren didn't understand why Wang Yan said such inexplicable things; perhaps he wanted him to remember his kindness? Chen Yongren dismissed this immature thought—who was he to deserve Wang Yan's favor?

Deciding not to dwell on Wang Yan's inexplicable words, Chen Yongren offered a sincere word of thanks before turning and walking away.

After stepping out of the Longteng Building, Chen Yongren called Huang Zhicheng: "I've been exposed, but Wang Yan didn't kill me."

Huang Zhicheng asked: "What happened?"

Chen Yongren then explained what had just occurred, partly to gauge Huang Zhicheng's reaction.

After hearing Chen Yongren's account, Huang Zhicheng fell silent for a moment, wondering where else he could possibly place Chen Yongren as an undercover agent.

Since Dragon Ascending Technology had wiped out all the organized syndicates and drug trafficking rings in Hong Kong Island, he racked his brain but couldn't think of anywhere left to send him. He could only say: "Alright, I understand. Let's meet in a bit, and you can give me the details."

Chen Yongren said okay and hung up, feeling deeply disappointed; Huang Zhicheng's silence just now had said it all.

Sure enough, after they met, Huang Zhicheng offered a bunch of empty platitudes to appease him, without ever explicitly stating that he would let Chen Yongren return to the police force.

Regardless of how Chen Yongren felt, after he left, Wang Yan made a direct phone call to a Gweilo high-ranking official in the police force.

He instructed him to arrange for Chen Yongren to become an inspector and to have Huang Zhicheng transferred to a desk job.

Because of Wang Yan, Ni Yongxiao had yet to uncover the truth about his father's murder, which had effectively saved Huang Zhicheng's skin. Yet, instead of being grateful, he had brought Chen Yongren over to cause trouble and disrupt Wang Yan's mission.

Wang Yan naturally had to use some leverage; killing him was pointless, but transferring him to a dead-end job would make Huang Zhicheng suffer.

At a time like this, he shouldn't approach those with close ties to the mainland, as it might lead to misunderstandings—people might think Wang Yan was trying to plant his own people in the police force or had some ulterior motive.

Going straight to the Gweilo was better; they had to spend resources to get settled in Hong Kong Island anyway, and with the handover only three years away, whether they could break even depended on these next few years. They were happy to deal with a big client like Wang Yan—take the money, do the job, and save themselves the headache.

As for the issue of Chen Yongren's background, Wang Yan greased the wheels from top to bottom, arranging everything perfectly.

A few days later, following the Gweilo's maneuvering, Chen Yongren received word to report to the Police Station. Chen Yongren had some merits from his undercover work, and with Wang Yan's help, he ended up in Tsim Sha Tsui as a Probationary Inspector. This probationary period was merely symbolic; he would be promoted to a full Inspector within six months.

Huang Zhicheng, however, was miserable. The original plan had been to promote him to Chief Inspector—a move that looked like a promotion but was actually a demotion—but Huang Zhicheng lacked the seniority, and Wang Yan wasn't about to spend money to get a minor character promoted. In the end, Huang Zhicheng was transferred from the Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station to the Police Headquarters for logistics management. Wang Yan didn't even bother with pretense, telling him plainly: I am doing this specifically to mess with you.

When Huang Zhicheng realized it was Wang Yan targeting him, his heart turned to ash. As long as Wang Yan remained in power, he would essentially be stuck in logistics until retirement—a classic case of reaping what he had sown.

Hearing the news about Huang Zhicheng, Chen Yongren had no time to worry about him; he was too busy enjoying himself in his new uniform.

Wang Yan had done everything he could, but as expected, he received no system notification that the mission was complete. Wang Yan had essentially given up, taking it one day at a time, just waiting to see when he could return, as the system provided no option to trigger a departure.

The main issue was that Wang Yan had been too aggressive, effectively killing off any subsequent plot lines. Chen Yongren hadn't experienced enough, and it just felt lacking. Wang Yan had actually been holding back; otherwise, he would have wiped out all the plot-relevant characters the moment he got out of Prison.

As for the undercover agents Han Chen had planted, they were just minor characters. Wang Yan had no interest in knowing how many there were or who they were. As long as they didn't get in his way, he couldn't be bothered with them.

Seeing that there was no hope of completing the mission, Wang Yan let go of the reins.

Now, when Hong Kong Island citizens walked the streets, no one harassed them, theft was rare, and even street fights were few and far between.

Meanwhile, there was constant good news from Dragon Ascending Technology. Three months ago, the DVD had been successfully researched, and it was now in mass production and on the market. His partners were still his "good brothers" from all over the world; working with them was truly effortless—no need to worry about anything, just collect the money.

The research and development for mobile phones was also largely complete and would enter production in a short while. This timeline was several months ahead of other major manufacturers, which was enough for Dragon Ascending Technology to make a fortune; after all, people always remember who came first.

The development of various Dragon Ascending industries in the mainland went without saying; Wang Yan focused on high-end sectors, driving regional development and employment.

To the delight of the Dragon Ascending subordinates, the residential project in the New Territories was finally completed. These units were not for public sale, as the internal demand from Dragon Ascending staff was already far greater than the supply.

With more people than properties, Dragon Ascending began a lottery system. Regardless of your status, everyone had an equal chance, and there was absolutely no backroom dealing. Furthermore, Dragon Ascending had its own Longteng Bank, which provided loans to its employees at very low interest rates. Wang Yan was, without a doubt, incredibly generous to his subordinates.

Dragon Ascending had been expanding steadily during this period. To fulfill his initial promise, Wang Yan continued to acquire land across Hong Kong Island for massive development. The people of Dragon Ascending were all waiting to buy homes built by their own company and wouldn't dream of patronizing other developers, which caused property prices in Hong Kong Island to drop significantly.

With vast tracts of land in the New Territories and Kowloon left undeveloped, the high property prices in Hong Kong Island had been artificially inflated by developers. Wang Yan's actions had offended a group of Hong Kong Island property tycoons led by Li the Richest.

These real estate moguls hated Wang Yan to the core, but they were completely helpless against him.

In the past, they could use Hong Kong Island syndicates to do their dirty work, but now that the syndicates had been wiped out by Dragon Ascending, there were no thugs left to act as their lackeys. Even if they offered money, no one dared to take the job; the deterrent power of Dragon Ascending was too immense. They didn't dare hire assassins to target Wang Yan either; as people standing at the top, they knew exactly what would happen if Wang Yan were to fall.

Wang Yan's contribution to Hong Kong Island was quite significant; if nothing else, his anti-drug campaign had effectively driven out the drug trafficking groups. Coupled with his rewards for reporting crimes, the results were extraordinary.

Of course, due to Dragon Ascending's vigorous anti-drug efforts, it became increasingly difficult for consumers in Hong Kong Island to buy goods, and prices skyrocketed. With such massive profits at stake, there would always be people willing to risk their lives for money; that was unavoidable.

Unable to afford the costs in Hong Kong Island, consumers began crossing the sea to Macau or Taiwan. These were people who would risk their lives for a fix, and both regions fell into chaos, with crime rates soaring.

As consumers flocked to these two places, the major suppliers and distributors naturally began frequently dumping large quantities of goods there. Major cases occurred one after another, further exacerbating the difficulty of maintaining law and order in both regions.

Then there was Wang Yan's Neighborhood Office system, which could eventually serve as local police stations or public service centers for the mainland.

Combined with Wang Yan's massive investments and constant charity work in the mainland, the authorities there had nothing but praise for him. This was also why the mainland continued to strongly support Dragon Ascending, and it was the source of Wang Yan's confidence in surviving until now.

As for those tycoons, they didn't trust the mainland and only focused on transferring their assets away.

They were helpless against Dragon Ascending, with no way to fight back. Unable to watch their wealth drain away, they could only keep moving their capital abroad, trying to get as far away from Dragon Ascending as possible. Wang Yan just watched; once they had transferred enough, he would send his elite personnel to coordinate with his "good brothers" to kidnap them for ransom.

They understood better than anyone just how terrifying the power of Dragon Ascending was; once you offended them, there was no place left in the world for you to hide.

If Wang Yan kidnapped them in Hong Kong Island, any fool would know it was him. That would be bad for his reputation; it was much more convenient to do it abroad.

Dragon Ascending's development had reached a bottleneck, leaving them no choice but to expand outward. A significant number of Dragon Ascending personnel had already begun to set foot in Macau and Taiwan.

Dragon Ascending didn't care how the local syndicates reacted; they would simply proceed with their development step by step. If you stood in their way or tried to play hardball, they would just kill you.

These two places were already on Dragon Ascending's plate. The wise would submit to Dragon Ascending; as for the unwise, why even bother being in the underworld? It had always been a world where the strong preyed on the weak—those who couldn't see that would just end up as extra food for the creatures in the sea.