Half an hour earlier, at the center of the mining area, there was a bottomless mining pit.
The rear half of the pit had already been filled in, while the enormous space at the front had been reinforced and remodeled.
A small office area had been cordoned off here, complete with several individually partitioned desks, chairs, sofas, computers, televisions, and storage cabinets.
If the surroundings had been a little better, it could easily have passed for a modern office.
"Boss, the latest batch of goods has been dealt with. The money runners below are laundering it through betting accounts. It should be ready to enter the accounts in about half an hour."
"Mm." Xu Shixiong nodded. His right sleeve hung empty, and he looked far older than he had a few years ago.
"There's also some... not-so-good news..."
"What news?"
"Sixth Brother and his men seem to have failed..."
"Hmph!"
At that cold snort, the man making the report instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
"Useless trash. They couldn't even deal with a snot-nosed student. What a disappointment."
"B-Boss, should we send someone to dispose of Sixth Brother? I'm worried they might..."
"You're worried they'll talk?" Xu Shixiong laughed disdainfully. "If he actually had the guts, I might even think a little more highly of him."
"Just watch. The brat will finish himself off in prison. Those cops won't get a damn thing out of him."
Xu Shixiong kept toying with a Great Ball, a sinister look in his eyes.
"New Year's is coming. Make sure those people in Qinzhou are all taken care of. We're operating on their turf, so we still have to follow the rules."
"Those old bastards have been getting greedier and greedier lately..."
"Hmph. A greedy heart is like a snake trying to swallow