Seattle's Foundation and the Blueprint for California
The convoy on the return journey glided smoothly along the winding mountain road to Bellevue, like a silent school of sharks in the night. The cars were unusually quiet, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle above the Space Needle.
Outside the car window, the city lights flowed past like an inverted galaxy, occasionally a beam of headlights pierced the darkness, only to be quickly swallowed up by the even darker night.
The Maybach's rear cabin was luxuriously spacious, but the atmosphere was tense. Lü Yi sat by the window, leaning slightly forward, his face still showing lingering excitement and a sense of vengeful pleasure. He licked his slightly dry lips and broke the silence first.
"Boss, that was fucking satisfying!" Lü Yi's voice sounded a bit out of place in the soundproofed carriage. He clenched his fist, as if still savoring the scene. "That old white pig, his face turned green! Haha! And that damn celebrity from before, damn it, if it were me in the past..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear. Lin Feng leaned back in the opposite seat, closing his eyes to rest, his face revealing little emotion, as if the conflict that had just shaken the entire audience was merely a rather uninteresting silent play. Hearing Lü Yi's words, he didn't even lift his eyelids, only giving a faint "hmm."
K, who was driving, kept his eyes steadily focused on the road ahead, but he was also clearly paying attention to the conversation in the back seat.
Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the soft ambient lighting on the car roof. He spoke, his voice calm and even, as if stating a work assignment unrelated to himself:
"K, that Daniel Crawford, when you get back, find out everything about his company. Especially that defense transportation business he mentioned, I need to know the specific contractors, operating model, profit structure, and... the most vulnerable link."
"Yes." K glanced at Lin Feng in the rearview mirror and replied briefly.
"Furthermore," Lin Feng paused, tapping his fingers lightly on the leather armrest, "Send two teams to take turns keeping an eye on him and his company's core management. They don't need to get too close, but they need to know their daily movements, who they meet, especially meetings with government officials, the military, or... other influential figures."
"Understood," K replied again, without any doubt. Monitoring the CEO of an industry giant and his core team sounded as natural to him as ordering sugar in tomorrow morning's coffee.
Lü Yi interjected, "Boss, what if that old bastard doesn't know what's good for him and doesn't make a move, or he tries to play dirty tricks on us?"
Lin Feng turned his head, looking at the silhouettes of the mountains and forests flashing past the car window, dotted with scattered lights, his tone as casual as if he were saying, "Weeding the garden."
"Then teach him a lesson. It doesn't have to be too big, but make him feel the pain, so he remembers that what I said at the banquet wasn't a joke."
He turned his gaze to the back of K's head. "You decide on the specifics. The principle is to not affect our core business in Seattle, but to make him clearly feel the pressure, preferably... business pressure."
"Understood." K replied for the third time, his voice still steady. How to make a giant like "All-American Express" feel "business pressure" without triggering a full-scale war—this was precisely where his execution ability was tested. But he did not hesitate at all.
Silence returned to the carriage, broken only by the deep rumble of the engine and the soft creaking of tires against the road. Lü Yi, seemingly having released his excitement, leaned against the window, gazing absently at the darkness rushing past.
Back at the lakeside villa, only a few wall lamps were on in the huge living room, casting a warm yet dim light. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the lake water was a deep, inky black, reflecting the villa's scattered lights and the sparse stars in the sky. The night breeze blew in through the deliberately left-open terrace door, carrying the dampness and chill of the lake water.
The three of them didn't go back to their rooms to rest, as if the storm they had just experienced was merely an appetizer, and the real review and planning were only just beginning. Lin Feng took off his suit jacket and casually tossed it onto the sofa armrest, leaving himself in only a shirt. He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured three glasses of water, took one for himself, and went to the huge map wall depicting detailed topography and political divisions of North America.
K and Lü Yi each took a glass of water and stood behind him.
"In Seattle, NLG has initially established a foothold." Lin Feng took a sip of water, his gaze fixed on Seattle Washington State, on the map. He spoke slowly, his tone lacking in joy, more like stating an objective fact. "We've purged the internal parasites, scared off the dishonest shareholders, business is recovering, and cash flow is improving. The shell Walton left behind has been cleaned up and is usable."
He pointed to that point on the map with the hand holding the cup.
"But this is all there is to it."
He turned around, leaning against the map wall, his gaze sweeping over K and Lü Yi.
"Washington State is home to tech giants like Boeing, Microsoft, and Amazon... Political forces are deeply entrenched, and local Old Qian families (the Walton are just one prominent example) have been operating for decades, even centuries, with unfathomable networks of connections. The waters are too deep, too murky."
He walked to the sofa, sat down, and leaned back slightly.
"As outsiders, as 'outsiders' who broke their original rules of the game and barged in using methods they were most unfamiliar with and most afraid of, it is extremely difficult for us to truly rise to the top and control core resources here."
They will reject us, be wary of us, and use all sorts of 'civilized' rules to restrict and wear us down. Here, at best, we can become a relatively powerful 'local force,' but the ceiling is within reach."
His voice was calm and rational, without the slightest hint of discouragement, only a clear-headedness based on a realistic assessment.
K listened quietly, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Lü Yi frowned, seemingly not too fond of the word "ceiling," but knew that what his boss said made sense.
Lin Feng stood up and walked back to the map wall. This time, his finger slid decisively and forcefully southward from Seattle, across Oregon, and finally pressed heavily on the vast, long and narrow California region bordering the Pacific Ocean to the west.
"This place," Lin Feng's voice suddenly became clear and forceful, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, "Is the more suitable location for our next stage of development."
His fingers moved slowly along the outline of California.
California, the strongest economy in the United States, ranks among the top five globally in GDP alone. It boasts the largest population, the largest market, and the strongest consumer spending power. Silicon Valley's technology, Hollywood's entertainment, the Central Valley's agriculture, and the international trade of Long Beach, Los Angeles, and the Port of San Francisco... its industrial chain is complete and high-end, and its flow and concentration of wealth are unparalleled.
He paused, his gaze becoming profound:
"More importantly, it's a true melting pot of immigrants. Latinos, Asians, African Americans, whites... the ethnic composition is extremely complex, new money is pouring in, and the old order is relatively loosening amidst rapid changes. The exclusion of 'outsiders' here is far less deeply rooted than in the Northeast or the ' Bible Belt ' of the South. There are more opportunities, and the rules... are more 'flexible'."
K nodded, adding, "Furthermore, California, as a traditional 'deep blue state' (a Democratic Party stronghold), often clashes with and battles with the federal government on political leanings (especially when the White House and Congress are controlled by different parties). States have a very strong sense of rights, and in certain areas—such as environmental protection, immigration, gun control, and even business regulation—they frequently oppose federal policies or have greater discretionary power."
He looked at Lin Feng: "For us, who need a certain amount of 'room for maneuver' and flexibility, this is a condition we can take advantage of. Chaos is a stepping stone."
"That's right." Lin Feng's finger moved along the southern coast of California, and finally, his fingertip firmly landed on Los Angeles.
"The first step, choose here. LA, the City of Angels, and also... the City of Sin."
His tone carried a strange mixture of desire for opportunity and a clear awareness of danger.
"The global entertainment industry hub, where information, capital, and attention converge in a frenzy. The massive port (Port of Long Beach) connects to the other side of the Pacific Ocean, serving as a natural springboard for extending our existing logistics network into Asia. The large Latino and Asian communities provide abundant human resources and potential allies (or cover). Prosperity and poverty, glamour and darkness, creation and destruction coexist here in the most extreme ways."
"The waters here are deeper and murkier than in Seattle, but that's precisely why they're more suitable for 'catfish' like us to infiltrate. We can start with logistics and trade, leveraging NLG's infrastructure and the advantages of California's ports to gain a foothold. At the same time, investments in the entertainment industry, Silicon Valley's technological concepts, and even certain local 'service industries'... can all become entry points for our penetration and expansion."
He looked at K: "Golden Sun in LA, there must have been some preliminary arrangements, right?"
"Yes," K answered affirmatively, "We have some basic information points and external connections, mainly concentrated in the Chinese community and a few specific industries. But the depth and breadth are insufficient, and we need to increase investment and integration."
"Very good." Lin Feng walked back to the sofa and sat down, leaning forward and placing his hands on his knees with his fingers interlaced, entering a specific deployment mode.
"However," he changed the subject, emphasizing, "We absolutely cannot lose our core base in Seattle. We must thoroughly digest NLG, turning it into a solid cash cow, a talent pool, and... a 'positive asset' that we can showcase when necessary. At the same time, we should quietly extend our reach from here, making preliminary investments in California, especially Los Angeles."
"Send people over there," he said, looking at K, his tone steady but clear. "No need for a big fuss. Don't use NLG or any of our publicly known affiliated companies. Use clean shell companies, and send them in batches under different identities. The task is to establish an initial network, not to expand our territory."
"First, reach out to people. The target isn't the already successful bigwigs, but rather the middle class with potential but currently unsuccessful—mid-level officials in local governments, police departments, and court systems who have no chance of promotion but wield real power; capable but marginalized lawyers, accountants, and consultants; 'smart people' on the fringes of local gangs who yearn for advancement but lack the opportunity and acumen; and small business owners who have gone bankrupt for various reasons but still retain connections and industry knowledge. These people crave change and are more easily swayed by our 'methods' and 'resources'."
"Second, acquire assets. Again, keep a low profile and diversify. Small, inconspicuous but strategically located warehouses; micro-logistics companies with special transportation permits; nightclubs or bars with average business but full licenses; seemingly harmless consulting or outsourcing service companies... Individually insignificant, but they can connect to form a network when needed. Prices can be slightly higher, but it must be clean and free of subsequent legal disputes."
"Move slowly and steadily, like water dripping into sand, nourishing silently. The initial goal isn't profit, but rather establishing a network, creating a network of points of contact, and building channels for the flow of information and personnel. Understand?"
K's expression was solemn, etching every instruction from Lin Feng into his mind. "Understood. I will formulate a detailed infiltration plan and timetable; personnel screening and funding arrangements will proceed simultaneously."
"Hmm." Lin Feng nodded, leaned back on the sofa, picked up his water glass, took a sip, and showed a faint look of weariness and satisfaction that belonged to a strategist.
Having listened to the strategic plan for a while, Lü Yi was getting restless. His eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together, eager to get started. "LA! Boss! I heard Beverly Hills is full of supercars and beautiful women, and the parties in Hollywood are going on until dawn! Should I go scout ahead? I'll make sure I get a complete picture of everything!"
Lin Feng glanced at him, then laughed and scolded, "You're sending me to scout ahead? Are you sending me to raid nightclubs, or to fight the local gangs?"
Lü Yi chuckled and scratched his head, but the excitement in his eyes didn't diminish.
K's lips twitched slightly, a rare occurrence, but he quickly regained his composure.
Lin Feng's smile faded, and his gaze returned to its deep intensity. He looked out at the boundless darkness, but it seemed as if he could pierce through it and see three thousand kilometers away, at that enormous city on the Pacific Ocean coast, shimmering with endless allure and danger.
Seattle is the cornerstone of our position, the testing ground for proving the effectiveness of the "Fang Logic," and a stronghold that we must defend.
California, especially Los Angeles, is the stage where his next phase of ambition will truly unfold. There lies a wider world, more lucrative prey, but also fiercer competition and more hidden rules.
A larger, more complex, and more covert game of chess began quietly in the night, with the first piece being placed.
Silence returned to the living room. Only the flickering light from the fireplace, mimicking the flames, danced on the walls, and the ceaseless sound of the wind from the lake and the forest outside the window.