Chapter Summaries

K and the other migrants arrived at a desolate black-sand beach, where a hired thug ordered them off the boat and along a path through the bushes. As they stepped onto the path, more than a dozen dark figures sprang out and surrounded them.

• A rough, dark-skinned man ordered the passengers to grab their belongings and leave the boat.
• K noticed the quiet dock, the man's threatening demeanor, and faint signs of metal and tension.
• The passengers disembarked onto a desolate beach and formed a line toward a muddy path through the bushes.
• K followed at the back and detected heavy breathing and the faint clink of metal in the darkness.
• More than a dozen figures emerged from the bushes and rocks, surrounding K and the other migrants.

Li Kun and his thugs trapped the illegal immigrants on the beach and used brutal violence to force them into working for his internet-finance company. K watched silently, memorizing the attackers as the terrified newcomers were left under Li Kun’s control.

• Li Kun introduced himself as the illegal immigrants’ boss and said they would work for his internet-finance company.
• When Scarface protested and tried to bluff Li Kun, two thugs beat him with wooden clubs.
• Two young men tried to escape, but thugs shocked them with stun batons and Li Kun cut off each man’s big toe with a machete.
• Li Kun warned the remaining immigrants not to resist and welcomed them to the company.
• K stayed in the crowd and memorized Li Kun, the thugs, and their acts of violence.

K and the other captured migrants were brought to a compound where Brother Kun showed them a vast scam operation staffed by terrified workers. As Brother Kun dangled high wages and commissions before the newcomers, K silently recorded the compound’s layout and observed that the mission had only just begun.

• K and the other migrants were unloaded from the truck, freed from their restraints, and escorted into a warehouse by Brother Kun and his thugs.
• Brother Kun led the newcomers through a corridor and opened the doors to a huge hall filled with hundreds of workers typing at computers.
• K observed the workers’ fearful, exhausted faces and noticed that some had missing toes, while discreetly mapping the hall and its security.
• Brother Kun described the operation’s scam schemes, promised salaries and lucrative commissions, and encouraged the newcomers to imagine wealth and promotion.
• Some newcomers began to respond to Brother Kun’s promises, while K remained expressionless and memorized the compound as the mission began.

Brother Kun explained the company’s brutal performance rules and threatened workers with torture, resale, and organ trafficking if they failed or tried to escape. When he invited questions, K stepped forward and declared that he would not do telecom scams.

• Brother Kun laid out monthly targets and punishments ranging from beatings and the water dungeon to having toes chopped off.
• Brother Kun said workers with no results during probation would be sold from company to company, eventually ending in Myawaddy’s organ trafficking operation.
• Brother Kun warned the newcomers that surveillance and internal security made escape nearly impossible and that escapees would be tortured and sold.
• Brother Kun asked whether anyone had questions, and K stepped forward.
• K told Brother Kun, “I don't do telecom scams,” freezing the smile on Brother Kun’s face.

K refused to work as a chat operator and claimed he had mastered IT, persuading Brother Kun to consider him valuable technical talent. K negotiated for better treatment before following Brother Kun through a side door to prove his skills, leaving the hall wondering what awaited him.

• Brother Kun ordered the guards to punish K for refusing to work, but K said he was an IT expert rather than a chat operator.
• K told Brother Kun he had mastered IT and could prove his abilities, prompting Brother Kun to dismiss the guards and invite him through a side door.
• K insisted they discuss his price and reject the same pay, living conditions, and rules as the chat operators.
• Brother Kun offered K money, a house, women, and drugs if he proved his worth, and K accepted the invitation.
• K followed Brother Kun through the side door as the workers watched and whispered about his fate.

Brother Kun brought K to the compound’s technical department, where K proved far more skilled than Old Zhao by diagnosing a firewall flaw and recovering the cause of a server permissions problem. Brother Kun appointed K technical director and offered him lavish privileges, leaving K to begin familiarizing himself with the compound’s systems as his mission moved into its core phase.

• Brother Kun introduced K to Old Zhao and asked him to demonstrate his technical ability.
• K identified a flaw in the compound’s external firewall and recommended diverting suspicious packets through a decoy node.
• K traced a permissions mix-up to a faulty script and recovered the old key details in three minutes.
• Old Zhao conceded that K’s skills surpassed his own, and Brother Kun appointed K technical director with a high salary and special privileges.
• After Brother Kun left, K told Old Zhao there was no rush to fix the problems because he first wanted to understand the compound’s entire systems architecture.

Lin Feng learned that K had been kidnapped by a telecom fraud gang, but K quickly turned the situation around and secured a technical director position at their compound. K stayed undercover there to investigate Xie Yunchuan and the gang, leaving Lin Feng reassured and curious about what he might uncover.

• K contacted Lin Feng and reported that a telecom fraud gang had kidnapped him and was taking him toward the coast.
• Lin Feng told K to stay calm, observe his surroundings, and let Lin Feng work on finding his location.
• K contacted Lin Feng again and revealed that Brother Kun had hired him as the compound's technical director after seeing his skills.
• K told Lin Feng he had gained access to the compound's internal network and would investigate Xie Yunchuan and the fraud operation while maintaining his cover.
• Lin Feng decided not to rush K's extraction and told him to stay safe and contact him if he needed support.

Lin Feng dealt with a bulk buyer who accused his online shop of selling fake liquor and demanded triple compensation, advising Wang Laoshi to offer a refund and ignore the threats. The shop’s role was nearing its end as Lin Feng focused on the larger schemes involving Xie Yunchuan’s organ factory and the scam den K had infiltrated.

• Lin Feng learned that K had identified key nodes in the compound’s network and was trying to decrypt its communications.
• Wang Laoshi visited Lin Feng to report that a buyer who had purchased 50 bottles was accusing the shop of selling counterfeit liquor and demanding 193,200 yuan.
• Lin Feng examined the messages and concluded that the buyer was a professional extortionist seeking compensation through threats and legal pressure.
• Lin Feng told Wang Laoshi to keep shipping orders, offer unconditional returns and refunds, avoid arguing, and preserve all records.
• Lin Feng reassured Wang Laoshi that the shop might soon close and promised to arrange other work for him.
• After Wang Laoshi left, Lin Feng turned his thoughts to Xie Yunchuan’s organ factory and the scam den K had infiltrated.

Lin Feng received a call from a man demanding 193,200 yuan in compensation for allegedly fake liquor and threatening to expose his shop. Lin Feng denied the accusation, told him to do as he pleased, and returned to his ordinary commute.

• A man called Lin Feng and claimed he had bought counterfeit liquor from Old Lin Liquor Shop.
• The caller demanded three times the price of fifty bottles, totaling 193,200 yuan, and threatened to publicize the dispute and cause trouble for Lin Feng.
• Lin Feng said the liquor came from legitimate manufacturers and had traceable sources, and told the man to test or expose it as he wished.
• Lin Feng called the man a psycho, hung up, and continued his subway ride.

Liu Jian, who made money by targeting small online shops with compensation claims and publicity, found a liquor listing priced far above its stated wholesale cost. He bought fifty bottles to pressure the seller for a payout, convinced he had found a lucrative target.

• Liu Jian browsed an e-commerce platform and noticed a shop selling inexpensive baijiu for 1,288 yuan a bottle.
• Liu Jian reviewed the listing and negative reviews, then decided the high price could help him pressure the shop despite the lack of obvious false advertising.
• Liu Jian calculated that buying fifty bottles might let him demand nearly two hundred thousand yuan in compensation.
• Liu Jian ordered and paid for fifty bottles, then saved screenshots of the listing and order details as evidence.
• Liu Jian planned to question the seller about the price and escalate to complaints or an online video if negotiations failed.

Liu Jian tried to build a case against Old Lin Liquor Shop by staging an unboxing video and pressuring its customer service, but the shop’s owner refused to negotiate and hung up on him. Enraged, Liu Jian decided to find another way to damage the shop’s reputation.

• Liu Jian filmed himself opening the delivery of fifty bottles of liquor and paid the courier to confirm that the parcel had just arrived.
• Liu Jian accused Old Lin Liquor Shop of selling cheap liquor at an excessive price and tried to provoke Wang Laoshi into admitting to quality or authenticity problems.
• Wang Laoshi repeatedly said the liquor was genuine and offered Liu Jian a return and refund, refusing to engage with his accusations.
• Liu Jian obtained the shop owner’s phone number and angrily accused him of fraud, but the owner said the liquor’s source was legitimate and hung up after calling Liu Jian a psycho.
• Liu Jian grew furious over the failed confrontation and resolved to ruin the shop’s reputation.

After the shopkeeper rejected his demands, Liu Jian decided he needed help to pursue compensation and punish the shop. Old Fang agreed to take the case for seventy percent of any gains and arranged for Liu Jian to visit the owner with his team the next day.

• Liu Jian concluded that platform complaints and legal action were unlikely to win him the compensation he wanted.
• Liu Jian contacted Old Fang, described the overpriced liquor shop, and offered to work together on the case.
• Old Fang demanded seventy percent of the proceeds, and Liu Jian reluctantly accepted.
• Liu Jian told Old Fang he wanted compensation and wanted to destroy the shop; Old Fang said his team would investigate the owner.
• Old Fang arranged for Liu Jian to accompany his people to visit the shop owner in person the next day, and Liu Jian agreed.

Lin Feng summoned Wei Guanglin, a highly placed public security official, and realized the deathsworn could give him access to extensive city resources. His thoughts were interrupted by a group pounding on his door, and the chapter ended with Liu Jian ordering his cameraman to film Lü Yi holding a kitchen knife as an attack.

• Lin Feng summoned Wei Guanglin, a loyal municipal public security bureau director and deputy mayor with exceptional investigative and political abilities.
• Lin Feng considered how Wei Guanglin’s position could provide access to intelligence, files, and government resources.
• After urgent pounding interrupted him, Lin Feng called for Lü Yi, who took a chef’s knife and opened the door.
• Liu Jian arrived with two men and a cameraman, then told the cameraman to film Lü Yi and accuse him of attacking people with a knife.

Lü Yi confronted a group of online consumer-rights agitators who accused his liquor shop of fraud, then narrowly missed stabbing Liu Jian when Liu tried to force his way through the doorway. The chapter left the visitors stunned as Lü Yi warned Liu that he might not be so lucky next time.

• Lü Yi opened the door with a kitchen knife and demanded to know why the four men were there.
• The bespectacled man accused Old Lin Liquor Shop of selling cheap liquor at an exorbitant price, while Liu Jian posed as an aggrieved customer.
• Lü Yi dismissed the accusation and told Liu Jian he could return the liquor for a refund, then ordered the group to leave.
• Liu Jian threatened Lü Yi and tried to charge through the doorway as the bespectacled man encouraged him to provoke a confrontation.
• Lü Yi thrust his knife at Liu Jian's face, but Liu dodged and the blade plunged into the security door beside his ear.
• Lü Yi left the knife embedded in the door and warned the stunned group that Liu Jian might not dodge next time.

Lü Yi’s knife attack narrowly missed Liu Jian, giving Glasses and his companions a chance to turn the confrontation into leverage against the shopkeeper. As they called the police and staged Liu Jian’s collapse, Lü Yi watched them coldly, waiting to see how their act would unfold.

• Liu Jian narrowly dodged Lü Yi’s knife and froze in terror after it stuck in the security door.
• Glasses recognized that the knife attack could be used as evidence and considered how to pressure Lü Yi for money.
• Glasses urged his companions to call the police and preserve the video, accusing Lü Yi of attempting murder.
• Liu Jian and his companions staged a medical emergency to strengthen their claim against Lü Yi.
• Glasses filmed Lü Yi and denounced him while Lü Yi remained calm beside the knife.

Police arrived after Lü Yi threatened Liu Jian with a knife, and Glasses demanded five hundred thousand yuan in exchange for forgiveness. As an officer pressured Lü Yi to settle, an unseen young man questioned why a knife-related incident had been handled by a lone officer.

• A middle-aged police superintendent arrived and asked what had happened, while Lü Yi pulled the knife from the door and tossed it inside.
• Glasses described the confrontation as an unprovoked attempted murder, and Liu Jian claimed he had been frightened and felt unwell.
• Lü Yi said he had used the knife to scare the group after they banged on the door and tried to force their way inside.
• The officer proposed mediation, and Glasses demanded five hundred thousand yuan for emotional distress and triple compensation for the liquor.
• The officer warned Lü Yi of possible criminal consequences and urged him to pay, but a young man inside questioned why the officer had responded alone to a knife-related incident.

Lin Feng challenged the middle-aged man posing as a police officer and exposed suspicious details in his credentials and response. As he accused the man and the thin caller of working together, Lü Yi raised a knife and froze everyone in the doorway, leaving the standoff unresolved.

• Lin Feng questioned why the officer had arrived alone without a body camera and doubted that he was a real cop.
• The officer showed his police ID, but Lin Feng snatched it and noticed it listed a police station in Lin'an District rather than Chaoyang District.
• Lin Feng challenged the officer's explanation that he had been nearby, pointing out that he could not have arrived from Lin'an District so quickly.
• Lin Feng accused the thin man of calling the officer personally instead of contacting 110.
• Lü Yi picked up the chef's knife and threatened to stab anyone who moved, stopping the group as Lin Feng held the ID and watched them.

Lü Yi stopped a suspected extortion crew from deleting evidence by holding their scrawny accomplice at knifepoint, while Lin Feng called 110 and exposed their supposed police officer. The group waited for real officers to arrive as sirens approached.

• Glasses tried to calm Lü Yi and discreetly signaled the scrawny man to delete the phone's call history.
• Lü Yi pinned the scrawny man with his knife when he reached for his phone and threatened to stab him or the fake officer.
• The scrawny man gave up and pleaded with Lü Yi not to hurt him.
• Lin Feng called 110, reported the threats and suspected impersonation, and asked police to verify the fake officer's identity and dispatch.
• Lin Feng and Lü Yi kept the group in place as real police sirens approached.

Lin Feng exposed a counterfeit-hunting extortion scheme involving Brother Fang and corrupt officer Zhao Zhigang, while Lü Yi was detained for threatening the group with a knife. After leaving the station, Lin Feng learned that an information broker called “Black Mirror” had found his address and resolved to strengthen security while Lawyer Zhou worked to get Lü Yi released.

• Police arrived at Lin Feng’s home, questioned both sides, and took Lin Feng, Lü Yi, Zhao Zhigang, Liu Jian, and the others to the station.
• During separate interrogations, the small, thin man confessed that Brother Fang and Zhao Zhigang had planned to intimidate Lin Feng and split any compensation.
• Brother Fang admitted that his team used threats and harassment to extort merchants, and Zhao Zhigang confessed to taking benefits and helping them.
• Lin Feng learned that an information broker known as “Black Mirror” had supplied the group with his home address.
• Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan secured Lin Feng’s release, while Brother Fang’s group and Zhao Zhigang were placed in criminal detention and Lü Yi remained in administrative detention pending review of his diagnosis.
• Lin Feng declined to move, asked Lawyer Zhou to strengthen security and pursue Lü Yi’s release, and left the station determined to protect what he had built.

K maintained his privileged position inside Brother Kun’s telecom fraud compound while secretly investigating its money-laundering network. He used his growing access to trace the people and funds behind the operation, keeping his focus on the billions he intended to target.

• K woke beside two women and went to breakfast, where Brother Kun offered to arrange other women for him.
• K rejected Brother Kun’s offers and listened as Brother Kun discussed compound business over breakfast.
• K went to his private office instead of returning to his room and began working on the compound’s systems.
• K used his increased access to scam projects and the outer stage of the money-laundering channel to record accounts, trace connections, and plant backdoors.
• K continued disguising his investigation as routine technical work while pursuing the compound’s funds, totaling tens of billions.