A New World

It was a bright and sunny afternoon, and Wang Yan was tirelessly making cold calls.

Just as he got through to a line and was speaking with great enthusiasm, the person on the other end didn't show impatience, didn't curse, and didn't rudely hang up. They listened to Wang Yan very quietly, occasionally asking a few key questions.

Wang Yan knew his opportunity had arrived. After some communication, they agreed to view a property the next day.

When they came to view the property the next day, they were a couple about to walk down the aisle.

The man was named Zhang Hai, a mid-level technical manager at an internet company with an annual salary of one million. The woman's surname was Liu; he didn't know her given name—as a grown man, why would he rashly ask a client's wife what her name was? She was also a manager at a company, with an income slightly lower than Zhang Hai's, but not by much. They were two years older than Wang Yan, around thirty.

Due to their wedding date, they didn't choose a new build. After looking for a few days, they settled on a second-hand property in a bustling area. It was 120 square meters and cost 12 million. The seller had originally been dead set on 12.5 million, but Wang Yan stepped in and smoothed things over with the owner.

Wang Yan's skills were sufficient now, his speech was extraordinary, and he had helped them save a large sum of money. The couple had a very good impression of Wang Yan, and the owner had no complaints either—none of them were short on cash. In the end, he collected a one-percent commission, and everyone was happy.

This single deal earned Wang Yan nearly 100,000, which was close to his total income for the previous year. Of course, the money wouldn't arrive that quickly; it had to go through the full procedure, which would take about one to two months.

The success of this deal made Wang Yan realize that he shouldn't waste time on useless things. He would earn money in the early stages, and once he had enough, he would arrange for his parents to have a good time, then find a beautiful place with mountains and rivers to enjoy life. As his abilities grew increasingly terrifying, making money would only become easier. Once he had earned enough, why bother with those useless things? He believed that by then, his value would have been realized countless times over.

In the period that followed, things were plain and simple, and Wang Yan continued his previous routine.

It wasn't until one night at the end of March, while Wang Yan was reading, that he received a prompt from the system again.

"Infernal Affairs Chen Yongren wishes: To obtain redemption!"

Seeing Chen Yongren's wish, Wang Yan couldn't help but smile: "This Chen Yongren definitely regrets it. He doesn't want to continue struggling in the sea of bitterness."

The thought flashed through his mind, and he remembered that this world was a bit dangerous; in the film, there were all sorts of backstabbing and shootings. Wang Yan decided to add all the attribute points he had obtained to his physique. He wasn't in a hurry to add them; he preferred to add them bit by bit, as this allowed time for digestion and adaptation.

Afterward, he opened his computer, logged into his membership, and began watching Infernal Affairs I, II, and III. He also looked up some information about Hong Kong Island at the time. To be honest, other than having watched some Hong Kong films, Wang Yan didn't know much about Hong Kong, and he couldn't speak Cantonese. Plus, with all the triads and criminal organizations, it really wasn't a simple matter to figure it all out in the short term.

Wang Yan didn't worry about that, though. If he really waited until he understood everything, who knows how long that would take. It was actually a better way to improve his own abilities; the unknown was the best challenge, wasn't it?

He immediately drew the curtains, took a sip of water, and lay down on the bed.

Without a second word, he pulled up the panel and chose to depart.

A blue light flashed, and Wang Yan vanished without a trace.

Wang Yan opened his eyes and was stunned to find himself standing at the entrance of a prison cell.

Seeing Wang Yan dazed, the prison guard behind him shoved him hard: "Bastard, what are you spacing out for? Get in there."

Wang Yan stumbled from the push. He turned his head to look at the guard without speaking, realizing that he understood exactly what the guard had said.

Seeing him like that, the guard became even more furious: "Looking at me? Want to hit me? You dead bastard." As he spoke, he tried to kick Wang Yan inside.

Wang Yan's reaction was fast. Before the guard could even lift his foot, he dodged inside, apologizing repeatedly: "Sorry, Officer, I was spacing out, just spacing out, haha." He said this in Cantonese.

Seeing Wang Yan act this way, the guard paused, feeling unsatisfied. He had built up a lot of momentum that he hadn't been able to vent, leaving him feeling frustrated. His face twitched, and he cursed unhappily: "Don't cause trouble, watch yourself, you punk!" Closing the cell door, the guard walked away, grumbling.

Only then did Wang Yan have the time to survey the room. There were four bunk beds, the space was open, and the conditions weren't bad. Besides that, there were three men staring at Wang Yan with what they thought were fierce expressions.

He didn't choose to receive the system's identity information yet; this clearly wasn't a good time.

Having watched many Hong Kong triad films, Wang Yan knew what was going on, and he had been mentally prepared before coming.

"Don't waste time, the three of you come at me together." Wang Yan didn't mince words, beckoning to the three of them.

To these Guhuozi who spent their days shouting and posturing, this was a supreme humiliation. The three of them rushed over without a word.

Wang Yan dodged the first punch, ducked, and delivered a heavy blow to the stomach, making the kid vomit. He then used the momentum to retreat and kick, his powerful explosive force providing unparalleled speed, dodging the second man's flying kick. By the time the third man threw a punch, he was nowhere near as fast as Wang Yan, who landed a hook directly on his jaw. He spun around and kicked the second man in the lower back, knocking him flat.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. In less than twenty seconds, Wang Yan had rendered all three of them combat-ineffective. One was retching while clutching his stomach, one had passed out, and the third was lying on the ground groaning while rubbing his waist. Wang Yan beat the fallen dog, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks; every strike avoided vital areas but left the three of them in agony. Even the one who had passed out was jolted awake by the pain, let alone the other two.

The trio's wailing attracted the prison guards, who brought a stretcher and sent the three to the infirmary. Seeing how fierce Wang Yan was, the arriving guards gave him a stern warning but didn't impose any further punishment. They were human, too, and they were afraid. Fortunately, the guard from earlier didn't come back, otherwise, Wang Yan would have undoubtedly been sent to solitary confinement.

Through the fight just now, Wang Yan learned the level of an average Guhuozi or street thug, and he felt much more at ease.

He found an empty top bunk and lay down, finally able to receive the information in peace.

The identity arranged by the system was someone who had snuck over from the mainland in '77. Due to the policies at the time, he had been granted an ID card upon arrival. Through years of struggling, he had finally become the boss of a small gang in the Tuen Mun area, controlling one street with over twenty subordinates. He had been sentenced to one year for assault and was currently serving his time.

He wasn't in the legendary Stanley Prison, but a regular prison for criminals with shorter sentences; Wang Yan wasn't qualified to enter Stanley yet—that was where the real big shots were kept.

The system had also very thoughtfully gifted him LV2 Cantonese.

There was no other information; he would have to rely on himself. The current time was September 1990, and he wouldn't be released until September 1991.

Wang Yan found it hard to accept. He could have at least been a police officer, or even an undercover agent. Instead, he was a pure, unadulterated punk. He cursed the damn system. But the system was always stubborn; he didn't even know if this damn thing had any intelligence.

After grumbling to himself for a while, Wang Yan resigned himself to his fate; he couldn't get out anyway.

He opened the system panel and looked at the data in the attribute column.

Wang Yan

Attributes: Strength 12

Agility 12

Physique 13

Spirit 13

Unallocated points: 4

Wang Yan hesitated for a while but still didn't rashly add points to his physique. He felt that his physique was improving more and more slowly now; wouldn't it be even slower after adding points? Therefore, Wang Yan planned to train first, and only add points when he couldn't train any further or needed an emergency boost in a dangerous situation—to maximize the benefits.

Stopping his wandering thoughts, he immediately warmed up and began to exercise.

For the month or so in the real world, Wang Yan had focused on survival and development, so his exercise intensity had been far lower than before. During this year in Prison, he had been training his body frantically; since there was no shortage of scum in this place, he could handle Fighting and physical conditioning at the same time.

Furthermore, the system provided free body maintenance services upon his return, so with no worries left behind, he could just go all out.

Wang Yan had arrived in the afternoon, and since the fight hadn't taken long and he had been exercising ever since, he was already famished.

Finally, the long-awaited moment arrived; the guards unlocked the cells, and everyone gathered in the canteen for dinner. However, aside from the large portions, the meal lacked any real substance, and the taste was just passable. It was standard prison slop, and having eaten Northern Chinese cuisine for thirty years, Wang Yan really couldn't get used to it.

Wang Yan calculated how to get some money to bribe the guards and improve his situation. He performed a massive amount of exercise every day, and he couldn't afford to fall behind on nutrition.

He didn't have a single cent on him right now, and as for his underlings on the outside, Wang Yan figured they had long since disbanded; he couldn't count on them.

After much deliberation, he realized he could only start with the fellow inmates around him.

Eating quietly, he listened to the others at his table talking about matters inside and outside the prison, which gave Wang Yan a general understanding of the situation.

There were many gangs in Hong Kong Island, with countless organizations large and small like Hung Hing, Tung Sing, and Wo Shing Wo. It was the same in reality; perhaps this was a world created by the system for the sake of balance.

The system's arrangement also destined Wang Yan to develop a career in the underworld; after all, once you're in, you're in for life. If he wanted to go straight, no one would hire him anyway.

In the underworld, there is no retreat, only advancement. The moment you want to quit is the moment you're ready to die.

Overall, dinner was finished in a relatively friendly atmosphere; after all, the prison held members from all sorts of gangs across Hong Kong Island, so it was normal for rivals to trade a few insults.

After eating, the Guhuozis shoved and pushed their way back to their respective cells. Wang Yan, meanwhile, paced around his room to digest his food.

Afterward, he did some light exercise, tidied up, and went to bed. He was the only one in his cell, with no one grinding their teeth or snoring to keep him awake, so he slept comfortably until dawn.

He woke up, warmed up, and washed up just in time for breakfast.

After that, the guards assigned work; you weren't sent to prison to enjoy yourself. Moreover, since Wang Yan hadn't bribed the guards, the work assigned to him wasn't easy. Wang Yan accepted it gladly; although the labor was far from the targeted training he had in mind, it was a step up for his endurance. And as for the benefits of good endurance, well, that goes without saying.

While Wang Yan was working hard to improve his endurance, a group of minor bosses over there wasn't happy: "Damn it, this kid is pretty arrogant. Does he not know how to pay his respects when he gets here?"

When break time came, over a dozen people surrounded Wang Yan, and the two men in front stepped aside to reveal a hot-headed Guhuozi: "Kid, I'm from Hung Hing. Who do you run with? Don't you know the rules, damn it?"

Wang Yan looked at the group of delinquent youths in their twenties who had come to lecture him on the rules. He shook his head; he had nothing to say.

Everyone was unarmed, and without guns, he feared no one. Without wasting words, he swung a fist directly into the leader's body, then followed up with a kick to his stomach that sent him flying quite a distance. Wang Yan had put his full strength into it, knocking out several teeth. The dizzy boss spat through the gaps in his teeth: "Damn it, beat him up. Kill him." Seeing their boss give the order, the other underlings swarmed Wang Yan without a second thought.

What followed were cries of pain. Wang Yan was hurting too; he could only handle four or five Guhuozis at once without getting injured. No matter how trashy these Guhuozis were, they were experienced in street Fighting, and ordinary people were no match for them. Wang Yan had a strong spirit; he gritted his teeth, kept a clear head, and held his own against the Guhuozis with a burst of adrenaline.

In the end, everyone, including Wang Yan, was lying on the ground. Wang Yan stood up, bruised and swollen, wincing in pain with every movement. He staggered over to the leader and, summoning his remaining strength, gave him a good beating.

The guards had been watching the show from afar, and seeing that the outcome was decided, they stepped in to restore order. They gave Wang Yan two baton strikes that made him howl in pain, pulled him away, and then sent everyone to the infirmary, shouting at the onlookers to get back to work and stop causing trouble.

As soon as they left, the onlookers started gossiping; everyone loves a bit of drama. They scrambled to find out where this tough guy came from and how he could be so badass. This was normal; aside from anything else, most people wouldn't dare provoke Hung Hing. And Wang Yan was such a good fighter—don't think all Guhuozis are like Chen Haonan. By Wang Yan's estimation, among the famous fighters and top-tier enforcers, his combat record could definitely hold its own. They were all just ordinary people, after all; they couldn't all be boxing champions.

Wang Yan could be said to have become famous in a single battle. Of course, everything has a price, and he naturally had to bear the consequences. Nearly a quarter of the people in the prison where Wang Yan was held were Hung Hing underlings—several hundred of them. Pulling the radish brings out the mud; Wang Yan had poked a hornet's nest. The grudge wasn't deep enough to get him killed yet, but he was in for a rough time; he would definitely be bruised and battered every single day from now on.

The guards taking Wang Yan away could be said to have saved him. Otherwise, once the group he had beaten recovered, he would likely have been finished. Walking slowly along the path, the guards didn't rush him. They understood; he was beaten to such a state that being able to walk at all was impressive enough, though they did give him a couple of kicks to symbolically assert their authority.

On the way, Wang Yan thought about the fight and summarized his experience. He had previously only sought out individual professional sparring partners; he had never encountered a brawl of this scale before. It was mainly thanks to the fact that Wang Yan had learned a wide variety of skills and had fast reactions. Otherwise, given that his body wasn't much stronger than the Guhuozis', he would be in the ICU right now.

Fighting, regardless of who you're against or how many people there are, ultimately comes down to the body. After this fight, Wang Yan felt completely drained and exhausted. I believe many people have been in fights, right? There isn't anyone who hasn't been in a fight since childhood, is there? After it's over, you feel weak all over, and you might even tremble. That was Wang Yan's situation. He wasn't trembling, though; years of training had allowed him to control his body well. The main issue was that Wang Yan's practical experience was too low, and his control was lacking; he could have knocked someone down with sixty percent power, but he used ninety percent, wasting too much energy.

Wang Yan summarized it into three points: first, body; second, technique; third, control.

Despite all that, they arrived at the infirmary quickly. The doctor checked them one by one and applied medicine. Wang Yan's injuries looked severe, but he had avoided most vital areas, so a bit of medicine and rest would be enough. Therefore, they assigned Wang Yan a bed to rest.

Wang Yan lay on the bed and looked around. The infirmary wasn't small, and perhaps due to long-term experience, there were quite a few beds.

As he looked around, Wang Yan saw the three people he had beaten up yesterday; the three of them clearly saw Wang Yan too.

Mainly, after some time, the injured areas had swollen up, making them a bit hard to recognize. The three of them lay in a row, staring intensely at Wang Yan, trying to confirm if he was the one who had beaten them yesterday.

Their eyes met, and that confirmed it. The three of them immediately burst into laughter, drawing a barrage of insults from a group of Hung Hing members who had just been beaten and were currently cursing Wang Yan. The three of them were clearly not from any major gang; they apologized cautiously while continuing to stare at Wang Yan and make faces.

Wang Yan was amused by the three of them. It wasn't surprising that Wang Yan found it funny; they really had no brains at all. It wasn't like they weren't going back to their cells; they would still be with Wang Yan, wouldn't they? They didn't even think about how to deal with him when they got back, yet they were here provoking him.

He couldn't be bothered to pay attention to them, nor did he care about the impotent rage of the other scum. He simply closed his eyes to rest, letting them continue their cursing. It was always like that; if you ignore them, they'll eventually get bored and quiet down. They were probably plotting how to take revenge on Wang Yan once they recovered, and Wang Yan was more than happy about that. As long as he wasn't killed or crippled, he welcomed any exercise that could improve his body and Fighting ability in every aspect; he couldn't ask for more.