A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1549 Are You an Undercover Agent? (Please Subscribe!)

When Hua Shier returned to Zheng Chao's toy factory, he called over Haozi, Kun Ge, and Fenzi, the three underlings who had stayed there.

"This toy factory is registered under someone else's name, but it's actually Lao Fu's business. I've already talked to Lao Fu, and from now on we'll take Zheng Chao's place. This toy factory is our territory from today onwards."

He looked at Haozi and Kun Ge, his tone conveying the decisiveness of assigning tasks:
"Mouse, Xiao Kun, you two bring the mole digging team over tomorrow and get this factory up and running. From now on, we can officially produce toys and have a legitimate business on the surface."

Kun paused for a moment, then tentatively asked:
"Boss, do you mean we should become official employees?"

Hua Shier nodded, then shook his head, exhaled a puff of smoke, and slowly said:
"It's not about completely switching to a legitimate business, but you need to have a respectable source of income. In short, I'm handing this toy factory over to you two. Do a good job."

He said that, but he had already drawn a line in his mind.

The mole burrowing team members can no longer be dragged into Fu Guosheng's mess.

If you go any further down this road, it's a dead end. Before, when Haozi and his gang smashed car windows and stole chickens and dogs, if they got caught, they could only get a few years in prison and could start a new life after they got out.

But if they take another step forward and get involved in Fu Guosheng's industrial chain, then they're on a dead end with no chance of turning back.

Knowing full well that there's a sheer cliff ahead, pushing someone off is something he, as an undercover agent, absolutely could not do.

Of course, one thing at a time.

All the shady things Kun Ge and Haozi did in the past, none of them will escape accountability.

When the time comes to close the net, those who should be arrested will be arrested, and those who should be sentenced will be sentenced. He won't hold back then.

Having taken over the toy factory, it's time to reap the rewards.

Hua Shier turned to Fenzi and asked, "You know Zheng Chao's warehouse and where he keeps his money, right?"

Pinkie Pie pointed in the direction of an office, her tone uncertain:

"There's a safe in that office, but that's all I know. As for the warehouse, I'm just a low-level henchman; Boss Zheng wouldn't tell me anything."

Hua Shier nodded. He had only asked casually, just to see if there was any chance of success.

"Go, bring out the safe and see how much inheritance Old Zheng left us."

Hua Shier lit a cigarette, pulled over a chair, sat down imposingly, and began directing his three underlings to work.

A moment later, the three men huffed and puffed as they carried a heavy safe out of the office.

The cabinet made a dull thud when it hit the ground, indicating that it was quite heavy.

The three men were covered in sweat, but none of them complained of being tired; their six eyes were burning with passion.

After all, no man can resist the temptation of opening a treasure chest.

You don't know what's inside, but you know it must be valuable. This unknown thrill is more exciting than any game.

The mouse, without even wiping its sweat, turned around, grabbed a hammer, and swung its arm to violently dismantle the machine.

The hammer was raised halfway in the air when Hua Twelve snapped at him impatiently:

"If you could just smash it open with a hammer, would it still be a safe? You must have developed a professional habit from smashing car windows."

Hua Shier asked Fenzi to find a safety pin, and then directed Haozi and Kunge to push the safe against the wall.

He carried the chair over and sat down, pressing his ear against the cold door of the box, and bent the safety pin into a small hook with his right hand.

"Keep quiet."

Hua Shier spoke in a very calm tone, but his three underlings immediately held their breath and stared intently at his hand.

He inserted the safety pin into the keyhole with extreme gentleness, feeling the subtle resistance from the pin with his fingertips, and listening to the soft clicks of the springs inside the lock cylinder.

With a gentle flick of the pin and a simultaneous turn of the lock handle with the right hand, the safe door opened with a crisp "click".

The whole process took less than two minutes.

Pinkie Pie gaped in astonishment, while Kun and Mouse were so shocked they blurted out a curse: "Holy crap, awesome!"

Inside Zheng Chao's safe, dozens of stacks of banknotes were neatly arranged, and a dozen gold bars were piled together, gleaming heavily. In the corner, there were also five or six gold watches, all Rolexes.

With so many Rolexes, it's not surprising that Hua Shier is involved. Just look at Shan Ji; Rolexes are definitely a hard currency for gangsters when they're on the run!

Hua Shier looked at the contents of the safe but was not very satisfied.

Someone who has absconded cannot possibly have so few assets; most of their money should be in overseas accounts.

He immediately began searching the safe and, sure enough, found a hidden compartment at the bottom, inside which he discovered a ledger that was not marked with any code.

Upon opening it, one finds a densely packed record of all the accounts Zheng Chao made for Fu Guosheng's goods transactions, with every single entry clearly documented. On the last page, there is also a copy of an overseas bank account number and key.

Hua Shier understood.

The electronic ledgers and the encrypted handwritten ledger found on Zheng Chao's computer should be the 'corporate accounts' between Zheng Chao and Fu Guosheng Group.

The ledger hidden in the safe was probably something Zheng Chao secretly recorded to save his life.

If Fu Guosheng ever decides to silence him, this ledger will be Zheng Chao's shield.

Hua Shier smiled and shook his head. This Zheng Chao is quite intelligent; it's just bad luck that he met him.

These ledgers and the money in these overseas banks are all thanks to him, the undercover agent.

He closed the ledger and put it away.

Haozi, Kun Ge, and Fenzi were all curious about what it was, but seeing that Hua Shier didn't seem inclined to explain, none of them dared to ask.

Hua Shier was in high spirits. He took out 90,000 yuan and three of the finest gold watches from the safe and casually placed them on the table.
“The three of you have done a great service by following the emperor. I am a person who rewards and punishes fairly, and I will certainly not treat my brothers unfairly. Each of you will receive 30,000 in pocket money, plus a gold watch.”

The three men were overjoyed. They quickly accepted the money and each grabbed a gold watch and put it on their wrists, their smiles almost reaching their ears.

Hua Shier took out his phone and beckoned to the three of them:
"Come on, you three stand together, hold up your watches and banknotes, and I'll take a group photo as proof. A proper memento!"

Hua Shier was inwardly lamenting that he was too kind, and that he couldn't even tell a lie properly. He almost let it slip just now!

Haozi, Kun Ge, and Fenzi stood side by side, each holding up a thick wad of banknotes with the hand wearing a gold watch, while happily making a peace sign at the camera with their other hand.

Hua Shier took a series of photos; these would serve as evidence when the stolen goods were recovered later.

After the photos were taken, Mouse laughed and shouted, "Thank you, our good brother!"

When Kun Ge and Fen Zai saw him shout, they felt extremely contemptuous. What a sycophant!
Then they quickly joined in, loudly thanking their "good brother." The three clowns were competing to see who could shout the loudest.

Hua Shier waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I am unworthy of this honor, I am unworthy of this honor."

Everyone thought he was being modest, but he was telling the truth.

The next day, the wind and rain continued, but they subsided considerably, and most of the water on the road receded.

It looks like this typhoon is almost over.

The brothers from the gopher burrowing team officially took over the toy factory, and Hua Shier said he had to go out for a while. Before leaving, he turned back and instructed the mouse:

"Let's prepare hot pot and have it together tonight to celebrate that we finally have our own place."

Hua Shier drove to the task force's temporary base. By this time, all the action team members, including Xu Pingqiu, were ready and waiting to go.

All of the police academy students, except for Jie Bing, were among them.

An Jialu stood at the end of the line, adjusting the Velcro straps on her bulletproof vest. Mouse was putting his pistol into its holster when Luo Jialong whispered a reminder that the safety was still on.

Xu Pingqiu and Hua Shier had previously agreed that Zhang Anru had to be arrested to prevent the shipment from leaving the country. However, to avoid arousing Fu Guosheng's suspicion, they planned to make the arrest three days later, and today was the third day.

Upon meeting Hua Shier, Xu Pingqiu delivered some good news: the man with the big gold chain had confessed, and the task force had raided Zheng Chao's warehouse yesterday.

Hua Shier took out the notebook he found yesterday: "That's great! Yesterday I also found Zheng Chao's ledger, which contains his overseas bank accounts and keys. With this, we should be able to recover all the stolen money!"

Xu Pingqiu was overjoyed: "Yu Zui, well done! Don't worry, I will definitely speak up for you and 'Big Boss'!"

After he finished speaking, he went on to talk about today's actions:

"The special police at the city bureau have assembled. Yu Zui, are you confident you can catch Zhang Anru?"

Hua Shier raised his hand and made an OK sign, smiling as he said:
"There's absolutely no problem!"

He said this casually, with complete confidence!

After speaking, he looked at An Jialu, Mouse, and the others, raised an eyebrow, and asked Xu Pingqiu:
"This is a major operation, and you're even bringing these newbies along?"

Xu Pingqiu frowned and said, "Weren't they recommended by you? I don't keep idle people here."

Mouse was the first to jump out, his voice louder than anyone else's: "Yu'er, don't look down on people!"

The other students joined in the protest: "That's right! If Yu'er can participate, why can't we?"

Hua Shier looked at them with a smile and said, "I'm not targeting anyone, but you guys are all trash. Do you even deserve to be compared to me?"

His response was a flurry of middle fingers from his old classmates.

Xu Pingqiu checked the time and called out, "It's time, let's go!"

He grabbed Hua Shier's arm and dragged him toward the car door. The other operatives also sprang into action, heading toward their respective vehicles, their leather shoes making a series of hurried footsteps on the concrete.

Just then, Jie Bing ran out of the base. He still had a slight bruise on his forehead from last time, his breathing was rapid, but his voice was as steady as possible:

"Director Xu, I request to participate in the operation."

Xu Pingqiu didn't even turn his head, opened the car door and said:
"Get lost. You're from the anti-smuggling team. What are you doing getting involved with us? Just stay put and I'll let you go once the case is closed."

After saying that, he shoved Hua Shier into an SUV, got in himself, and slammed the door shut. As soon as he got in, Hua Shier gave an address: "XX Street, XX Nightclub, Zhang Anru should be there."

He used a clever trick to pinpoint Zhang Anru's location. By matching the location to the Guangzhou map, he easily located her exact position, even more accurately than with navigation, and without the problems of traffic jams or detours.

The task force's vehicles first went to the municipal bureau, picking up two teams of special police officers who had already assembled, and then the convoy headed straight for its destination.

Upon arriving at the entrance of XX Nightclub, Xu Pingqiu put on a bulletproof vest, tightened the Velcro straps, picked up the walkie-talkie, and gave the order in a low voice:

"Attention all teams, the objective is to search for contraband and apprehend any suspicious individuals. Move out!"

Xu Pingqiu jumped out of the car and turned around to stop Hua Shier, who wanted to follow.

"The higher-ups want results, and the special police are following reporters with them today. So you shouldn't go out."

After saying that, he closed the car door and led his men quickly toward the nightclub entrance.

Hua Shier sat in the car, feeling extremely frustrated. He had come along with great enthusiasm to participate in the operation, only to find himself serving as a guide, not even allowed to enter the gate.

A short while later, a gunshot rang out from the nightclub, but the fighting quickly stopped. The gunshot lasted for less than half a minute before falling silent.

The operation went very smoothly, and Zhang Anru's gang, along with their goods, were all apprehended by the police.

No one was missed in terms of personnel, and no goods were missing either, as they had not yet entered the market due to the typhoon.

During the arrest, several gang members attempted to resist by firing shots and were killed on the spot; that's when the gunshots rang out.

Back at the task force base, all the comrades who participated in the operation today had joy on their faces, chatting in small groups about the details of the operation.

There was only one exception—the mouse.

He sat alone in the corner, his face full of frustration, his shoulders still trembling slightly, as if he had just been pulled out of ice water.

The reason is simple. When Zhang Anru's gang opened fire, all the other comrades drew their guns and returned fire, but Mouse turned and ran, covering his head and fleeing in panic.

The fluidity of his movements, the speed of his actions, and the awkwardness of his posture were so striking that even he himself found them unbearable to look at afterward.

What's worse, this scene was captured on camera by a reporter who was following the police operation.

The camera was pointed directly at him, and everyone in the scene was rushing forward, except for him who was running in the opposite direction, a stark contrast that made him look like a clown in a comedy.

It is said that 'Big Head' is still communicating with the TV station director to make sure that this part is cut.

Xu Pingqiu called everyone to a meeting in the conference room.

He stood at the table and summarized the operation, first praising the personnel involved, including the police academy graduates.

When mentioning An Jialu, he specifically praised her for remaining calm under pressure and cooperating with veteran players to complete the blockade of key positions.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was normal until Xu Pingqiu changed the subject.

He slammed his hand on the table, making the lid of the teacup jump.
"Yan Debiao, explain yourself! Why haven't Xiao Lin and Xiao An retired? Why the hell are you running away?"

"Do you realize that your behavior today will tarnish the reputation of our entire group?"

Yan Debiao, the real name of Mouse, was now filled with shame, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his lips trembling as he managed to squeeze out a few incoherent words:
"I... I am..."

Hua Shier spoke up: "Old Xu, everyone has a first time on the battlefield. Let's give Mouse another chance."

Xu Pingqiu abruptly turned to look at Hua Shier, and said irritably:

"It's not a question of whether I'll give him a chance or not. He's already on 'Big Boss's' radar! Do you know how green 'Big Boss's' face turned when he saw the sample footage?"

Seeing Hua Shier's ambiguous smile, Xu Pingqiu remained unperturbed and said irritably:

"Alright, alright, I'll give you face. I'll talk to 'Big Head'!"

"But listen to me carefully, if there's a next time, I won't give face to anyone, you'd better get the hell out of here!"

After saying that, he slammed his hand on the table, angrily opened the conference room door, and walked out.

The other members of the task force got up and left. As the footsteps gradually faded, only a few police academy students remained in the meeting room.

The mouse's head was practically buried in his crotch. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly burst into tears, his shoulders shaking with sobs.

"I'm so sorry everyone... I've let us down..."

Hua Shier walked over and slapped him on the back of the head. He didn't use much force, but it was still quite a slap.

Mouse cried out in pain, looked up abruptly, tears still streaming down its face, and cried out in pain and grievance, "Yu'er, I see stars everywhere I look! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"You deserve to be beaten to death."

When the other comrades were present, Hua Shier gave Mouse face, but now that they're all his classmates, he won't tolerate it anymore. It's a system task; he has to criticize when necessary, and no one can change his mind.

"You know you've embarrassed us, yet you still have the nerve to stand here crying and wailing?"

"Aren't you making us lose even more face in front of the task force? Hurry up and hold it in. If you pee again, we'll all beat you up."

He took a cigarette out of his pocket, put it in the mouthpiece of the mouse, and lit it for him.
"Do you even know what it means to be ashamed and then strive harder? If you're really afraid of dying, I'll tell Old Xu right now that you can quit being a policeman and go home to have a baby with your girlfriend!"

"Then, after the baby is born, remember to make your child call you 'Mom,' because I think even a little girl like you has more manliness than you. You're a fucking coward."

When Mouse heard Hua Shier mention Xi Meizi, his mind involuntarily followed the lead of the conversation.

He thought of the child he had with Xi Meizi, the child who called him "Mom." He felt terrible, a shiver ran down his spine, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

Mouse pulled the cigarette from his mouth, stood up abruptly, and roared at Hua Twelve:
"Yu'er, I'm not a coward! I'm not a fucking coward!"

Hua Shier grinned and patted him on the shoulder.

This slap was very light, completely different in strength from the previous one.
"That's right. Remember this feeling. The task force will have more operations later. I'll talk to Lao Xu and give you a chance to redeem yourself. You'd better hurry up and make a contribution, understand? If you mess this up again, you're fired. Don't embarrass us all, you hear me?"

Mouse noticed that his classmates were all looking at him. Zhang Meng nodded slightly to him, and Luo Jialong pushed up his glasses with a barely perceptible smile on his lips. There was no mockery in the eyes of any of his classmates, only a heavy sense of encouragement.

He nodded vigorously, so hard that the veins on his neck bulged, and then shouted again, "I'm not a coward! I, Mouse, am not a coward!"

Outside the meeting room, Xu Pingqiu, who was leaning against the corridor wall smoking and making a self-criticism call to "Big Boss," paused for a moment when he heard the roar coming from the meeting room, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

In the evening, the toy factory had a dinner party.

A television set is placed in front of it, playing a TV program at a moderate volume, serving as background noise.

Three round tables were set up in the center of the venue, with hot pots on them bubbling with red oil, steaming and filling the room with the aroma of beef tallow and Sichuan peppercorns.

Hua Shier sat in the center of the main table, receiving frequent toasts from his underlings. The scene was so lively it almost lifted the roof off.

In the midst of the revelry, a news report began on television: police had received a tip and launched a crackdown on illegal gambling and prostitution at a certain establishment.

Because everyone there was involved in the underworld, the news immediately attracted the attention of everyone present. They all stopped eating, put down their chopsticks and wine glasses, and turned to look at the television screen.

On television, a reporter was on the scene reporting, with flashing police lights and cordon tape behind him.

The voiceover said that the police seized new types of contraband at the scene and arrested several members of the criminal gang.

The scene shifts to a long-haired man being handcuffed and escorted into a police car.

The camera zooms in, revealing Zhang Anru.

Hua Shier narrowed his eyes, looked at Fenzi to the side, and asked in a deep voice:
"Pinkie—are you a fucking undercover agent?"

Sigh! This is what they call preemptive strike, turning the tables, and blaming others for your own aggression—basically, it's just... cough cough.
The main point is that as long as he asks others first, he can clear himself of suspicion.

Hearing their leader say this, Haozi, Kun Ge, and the members of the Groundhog Digging Team all stood up, and some even took out their daggers, glaring at Fenzi.

Pinkie was completely terrified, waving his hands frantically as he tried to explain:
"Boss Tianlong, I'm an innocent person, how could I be an undercover agent!"

Hua Shier's face darkened. Was this guy targeting him? So, just because he's an undercover agent doesn't mean he's innocent?
He raised his hand and slapped Pinkie across the face, making Pinkie stagger several steps to the side, even overturning the chair.

Before Fenzi could even regain his footing, Hua Shier had already pulled out a pistol from his back waist, cocked it with a click, and pressed the muzzle directly against Fenzi's forehead.

Pinkie's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf.

"Boss Tianlong, I'm really not an undercover agent... How could I possibly be an undercover agent..."

Fenzi's voice was trembling, her eyes were red, and every syllable she uttered was choked with sobs.

Hua Shier sneered: "But I heard that you used to work with Scarface Rat? But Scarface Rat ran away after only a few days. Then you went with Zheng Chao—but Zheng Chao also went down in the dumps. I took you to make a deal with Zhang Anru once, just once, and now Zhang Anru has been arrested. Tell me, how do you explain this?"

That's right, he used this as an excuse to get clues about Scar Rat from Pinky's mouth.

This achieves two goals at once: it clears him of suspicion and steers the conversation toward the question he really wanted to ask.

After hearing this, Fenzi almost cried: "Didn't you kill Zheng Chao? What does it have to do with me?"

He honestly confessed his relationship with Scar Rat.

It turns out that Pinky was just a nobody in Scarface's gang. Later, Scarface killed the undercover agent and fled to avoid being caught. Pinky lost his boss and switched sides to join Zheng Chao.

Pinkie Pie did provide a clue: Scar Rat had a mistress in the area.

If Scarred Rat returns, he'll most likely go after that mistress.

As Hua Shier was pondering whether to report the intelligence or investigate Scar Rat's mistress first, his phone beeped with a text message notification.

I picked it up and saw that it was sent by Shen Jiawen. The message read: Lao Fu is not home tonight!
Hua Shier almost choked on the smoke. This slut, what do you mean by sending me this, a decent person like me!
Suddenly the screen flashed and a call came in; it was Old Fu's number.

"It can't be such a coincidence!"

Hua Shier answered the phone somewhat nervously, only to be informed by Lao Fu that there would be a meeting at the usual place tomorrow, and all the bosses had to be present!

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