American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

Lynn didn't speak, but waited quietly.

"Do you want to know where Li Minghui is now?" Mr. Chen asked.

"He ran away?"

“No,” Mr. Chen said with a cold smile, “He had no chance to escape. We discovered he was problematic a month ago, but we hadn’t had time to investigate further. Now, with your report, everything is clear.”

He stood up, walked to the French windows, and turned his back to Lynn.

Do you know how we treat traitors?

Lynn's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the scene he had witnessed in the basement that day—Zhou Jianguo was tied to a chair and then shot dead.

“Li Minghui is currently under our surveillance,” Mr. Chen turned to look at Lynn, “and by tomorrow morning, he will vanish without a trace, as if he had never existed.”

Lynn's expression remained unchanged, but a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him. Li Minghui was a greedy thief, but that didn't mean he deserved to die. However, within this organization, any form of betrayal had only one outcome.

“I am very satisfied with your performance,” Mr. Chen continued. “In this organization, we need people who are both loyal and capable. You have both.”

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Chen."

"I heard you're a retired Marine?"

"Yes, I served for eight years."

“No wonder your marksmanship is so good,” Mr. Chen nodded. “Our organization has many businesses, casinos are just one of them. Someone as talented as you shouldn’t just be working here as a bookkeeper.”

"What does Mr. Chen mean?"

“I want to promote you,” Mr. Chen said, “to give you more important responsibilities. Of course, this will take time; you need to prove your worth and loyalty.”

"I am willing to accept any test."

Mr. Chen looked at him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

"Very good. Starting tomorrow, your job responsibilities will change somewhat. In addition to continuing to handle financial matters, you will also assist us with some special tasks."

"What kind of special matter?"

“You’ll find out then,” Mr. Chen said, walking back behind his desk and sitting down. “You can go back now. If you have any questions, report directly to A-Qiang.”

"clear."

Lynn stood up and walked towards the door.

“There’s one more thing,” Mr. Chen called after him as he reached the door, “Don’t mention the problems you’ve discovered to anyone. Li Minghui’s matter will be handled properly; you don’t need to worry about it.”

"I see."

Lynn walked out of the office, where Ah-Qiang was waiting for him.

"How is it?" Ah Qiang asked.

"Mr. Chen said he wanted to promote me."

“Congratulations,” Ah Qiang patted him on the shoulder, his tone tinged with complex emotions. “You’re lucky; you’ve gained Mr. Chen’s favor after only two days. But let me remind you—here, the higher you climb, the harder you fall.”

"I'll be careful."

At 2 a.m., Lynn left Jinsha Pavilion and returned to the hotel.

Kevin was still waiting for him, sitting on the sofa looking at a magazine, but from his expression, it was clear that he had no interest in reading.

“You’re back,” Kevin said, putting down his magazine. “How was your day?”

Lynn recounted the day's events to Kevin in detail—discovering accounting discrepancies, finding Wang Zhiqiang, investigating Li Minghui, and being summoned by Mr. Chen. Kevin's expression turned serious after listening.

"You got promoted? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

“Both,” Lynn said. “The advantage is that I have access to more core information, the disadvantage is that my situation will be more dangerous.”

"Will Li Minghui really be killed?"

"Very likely."

Kevin was silent for a moment. "Have you ever thought about saving him?"

“How can I save him?” Lynn looked at him. “He’s a corrupt official who stole over half a million dollars from the organization. Even if I could get him out, he’d still face legal consequences. And if I expose my identity, not only will I fail to save him, but I’ll also risk my own life.”

"So you just stood by and watched him get killed?"

“I had no choice,” Lynn’s voice grew heavy. “In this world, some people are beyond saving. All I can do is continue my mission, gather enough evidence, and completely destroy this organization. That’s the only way to save more people.”

Kevin looked at him, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "You've changed, Lynn."

“Perhaps,” Lynn walked to the window, looking at the night view outside. “In this world, nothing can remain unchanged.”

They remained silent for a long time. Finally, Kevin stood up and prepared to return to his room.

“Oh, right,” he stopped at the door, “I found some information about that ‘Falcon.’”

"Zhou Jianguo's contact person?"

“Yes,” Kevin’s expression turned serious. “I couldn’t find out his real identity, but I did find his activity records. His last contact with Zhou Jianguo was two days before Zhou Jianguo was arrested, and then he completely disappeared.”

"disappear?"

"Yes, there's no record of any activity; it's like they vanished into thin air."

Lynn frowned. "You mean, he might have known Zhou Jianguo was going to be arrested, so he ran away beforehand?"

“That’s possible,” Kevin said, “but there’s another possibility—”

"He's the one who betrayed Zhou Jianguo."

They exchanged a glance and saw the same suspicion in each other's eyes.

“Keep investigating,” Lynn said. “Find out 'Falcon's' true identity. If he really is the mole, we have to find him.”

"clear."

The morning sunlight streamed into the room through the gaps in the hotel curtains, casting long, thin streaks of light on the carpet. Lynn opened her eyes and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table—8:15 a.m.

He lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while. Fragments of last night's dream still lingered on the edge of his consciousness; Erin Shaw's sarcastic face and the words "You are the prey" were like tiny thorns stuck in his heart.

He shook his head, banishing these chaotic thoughts, and got up to wash in the bathroom. Hot water poured from the showerhead, washing over his body and his muddled mind. Steam filled the small bathroom, blurring his reflection in the mirror. Lynn stood under the water, eyes closed, trying to clear his head completely.

Today will be a new day. He has gained Mr. Chen's favor and is about to enter a more core level of the organization. This means more intelligence, but also greater danger.

He must be prepared.

At nine o'clock, Lynn's phone vibrated. It was a message from that black triangle avatar.

"Mr. Jack, please report to the conference room on the third floor of Huaxing Trading at 1 PM today. Someone will assign you new tasks."

Lynn replied with "Received" and then started packing her things.

Kevin was in the next room, and Lynn knocked on his door.

"Come in."

Kevin was sitting at his desk, his laptop displaying a jumble of complex data and charts. He looked like he hadn't slept all night; the dark circles under his eyes were even deeper than yesterday.

"You've been investigating all night?" Lynn walked in and looked at the contents of the screen.

“Yes,” Kevin rubbed his eyes, “it’s about ‘Falcon.’ I’ve been tracking all his activity over the past three years and found some interesting patterns.”

"What mode?"

“His activities are highly correlated with the Brotherhood’s operations,” Kevin pointed to a chart on the screen. “Before every major Brotherhood operation, ‘Falcon’ becomes unusually active—frequently contacting informants, retrieving classified documents, and attending closed-door meetings. But after the operation, he goes quiet for a while.”

"You mean, he's tipping off the Brotherhood?"

“That’s possible,” Kevin said seriously, “but I don’t have concrete evidence yet. His true identity is too well protected; all I can find are these behavioral patterns.”

“Keep investigating,” Lynn said. “Find out his real identity. This person might be the key to the whole case.”

“I know,” Kevin nodded, then looked at Lynn. “What are your plans for today?”

"I'm going to report to Huaxing Trading at 1 p.m. today. They said they'd be assigning me new work."

"New job duties?" Kevin frowned. "What could it be?"

"I don't know, I'll only know when I get there."

Lynn patted Kevin on the shoulder. "You should rest too, don't overwork yourself."

"I'm fine."

"This is an order."

Kevin looked at him, wanting to object, but finally nodded. "Okay, I'll sleep for two hours."

Lynn left Kevin's room and returned to his own to tidy himself up. He changed into a dark suit—his new look as "Jack Brian" after joining the organization, which required him to appear more formal and professional.

At noon, he left the hotel and hailed a taxi to Chinatown.

The midday sun shone brightly in San Francisco, and the streets were bustling with people. The taxi drove through the busy city, past rows of towering office buildings and shopping malls, finally arriving at the edge of Chinatown.

Lynn got out of the car and walked towards the building where Huaxing Trading was located.

Just like last time, the building looked very ordinary—an unassuming import/export trading company with a worn-out signboard and faded advertising posters on the windows. The surrounding streets had a few Chinese restaurants, a grocery store, and a small stall selling counterfeit designer bags. The air was filled with the aroma of roast duck and five-spice powder, and occasionally a few pigeons pecked at the pavement.

Lynn pushed open the door and went inside. The middle-aged woman with glasses at the front desk was still there, still reading a magazine. She looked up at Lynn, then pointed to the stairs next to her.

"Third-floor conference room."

Lynn nodded and went up the stairs.

The layout of the third floor was different from the finance department he had visited before. It was more spacious, with rows of offices and meeting rooms on both sides of the corridor, each door labeled with a sign that read "Human Resources," "Operations," and "Risk Control." It looked like a normal company's office area, but Lynn knew that this was just a facade.

He stopped in front of the door marked "Meeting Room A" and knocked.

"Come in."

Lynn pushed open the door and found three people already sitting inside.

Mr. Chen sat at the head of the conference table, dressed in a dark gray suit, his expression serious and authoritative. Beside him sat a woman in her thirties, wearing a black business suit, with short, neat hair and sharp, piercing eyes. On the other side sat a man in his forties, short and stout, with a slick, businessman's smile.

“Jack, please have a seat,” Mr. Chen said, pointing to the empty chair opposite him.

Lynn sat down in the chair, waiting for what was to come.

"Let me introduce you," Mr. Chen said, pointing to the short-haired woman, "This is Li Xue, who is in charge of our intelligence gathering and analysis."

Li Xue nodded to Lin En with a cold expression and did not speak.

“This is General Manager Qian,” Mr. Chen said, pointing to the short, stout man, “who is in charge of our external business and resource integration.”

“Mr. Jack, it’s an honor to meet you,” Mr. Qian stood up and warmly shook hands with Lynn. “I heard you exposed Li Minghui’s problems in just two days. You’re truly a promising young man.”

“I don’t deserve such praise,” Lynn said. “I just happened to discover some suspicious points.”

"You're too modest," Mr. Qian said with a smile, sitting back down. "In our line of work, there are very few people who can identify problems, and even fewer who can solve them. You've done both, which shows you're a talented individual."

Mr. Chen coughed, interrupting Mr. Qian's compliments.

“Alright, let’s get down to business,” he said, looking at Lynn. “Jack, starting today, you are officially joining the management team of Sands Pavilion. Your position is Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer, reporting directly to me.”

"Assistant to the CFO?" Lynn was somewhat surprised. This position was much higher than he had expected.

“That’s right,” Mr. Chen nodded. “Your predecessor—Li Minghui—was originally the CFO. After he was purged, the position remained vacant. I’m currently serving as CFO on a temporary basis, and you, as my assistant, will help me handle daily affairs.”

"clear."

“Your job mainly involves three aspects,” Mr. Chen continued. “First, continue to be responsible for the accounting management of Jinsha Pavilion, ensuring the accuracy and completeness of financial data. Second, assist Li Xue in collecting and analyzing some special information—this will be explained in detail later. Third, participate in some external business activities, which will be guided by General Manager Qian.”

Lynn nodded in understanding.

“As a member of management, you will have higher-level privileges,” Mr. Chen said, picking up a folder from the table and handing it to Lynn, “including access to core documents, participation in high-level meetings, and access to some sensitive information. But I must remind you that these privileges also mean greater responsibility. You should be well aware of the consequences of any leaks or betrayals.”

"I see."

“Very good,” Mr. Chen stood up. “I have other matters to attend to. Li Xue and General Manager Qian will explain the specific arrangements to you.”

He walked out of the conference room, leaving Lynn and two other people behind.

The atmosphere in the room relaxed slightly. Mr. Qian took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag. (End of Chapter)