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

Zheng Haoran's body was trembling, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. "Please... I really have no other choice."

“Don’t rush me,” Li Xue’s tone softened slightly, “We’re not here today to force you to repay the money. We’re here to give you a chance.”

"An opportunity?" Zheng Haoran turned his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

“Yes, an opportunity,” Li Xue took a document from her bag and handed it to him. “It’s from a company called ‘Innovation Future Technology,’ and they’re applying for a five million dollar loan. We hope you can help expedite the approval process.”

Zheng Haoran took the document, his hands trembling. He looked at the contents, and his expression changed from hope to fear.

“This is against the rules,” he said. “This company’s qualifications don’t meet the loan standards at all.”

“Mr. Zheng,” Li Xue’s voice turned icy, “I don’t care whether it meets the standards or not. What I care about is whether you can help us get this sorted out.”

"But if I get caught, I'll lose my job, and I might even go to jail."

“If we get caught,” Li Xue emphasized, “but what if we don’t? You’re a long-time bank employee; you should know how to operate without leaving a trace.”

Zheng Haoran fell silent, his face contorted in struggle and pain.

Lynn observed all of this silently from the side. He saw the fear, despair, and the last shred of weak resistance in Zheng Haoran's eyes.

“I…I can’t do it,” Zheng Haoran finally said, his voice low but firm. “It’s a crime. I can’t do it.”

"Are you sure?" A dangerous glint flashed in Li Xue's eyes.

“I’m sure,” Zheng Haoran’s voice trembled, but his gaze hardened. “I’ve made too many mistakes. I can’t afford to continue.”

Li Xue remained silent for a few seconds, then let out a cold laugh.

“Mr. Zheng, I admire your courage,” she said, “but I must remind you that this is not a problem that can be solved with courage alone.”

She took a tablet out of her bag and opened a video file.

Do you know what this is?

Zheng Haoran looked at the screen, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

The video shows him—betting wildly at a casino table in Sands Casino, losing stacks of chips, and then borrowing more money from the staff to continue gambling. The video quality is very clear, and his face is fully recognizable.

“This is just one part,” Li Xue said. “We have much more. Every time you entered or left the casino, every single transaction you made was meticulously recorded.”

She put the tablet away.

"What do you think would happen if these videos were sent to your wife, your boss, and the bank's compliance department?"

Zheng Haoran's body was trembling violently, and his face was covered in cold sweat. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

“Your career will be over,” Li Xue said, emphasizing each word. “Your marriage will fall apart. Your daughter will know what kind of person her father is. You will lose everything—your job, your family, your dignity. And then, you'll still have to pay back that $480,000.”

Zheng Haoran lowered his head, his shoulders shaking violently. Lin En heard his suppressed sobs.

“Mr. Zheng,” Li Xue’s tone softened slightly, “we’re not trying to ruin you. We just want you to do us a small favor. If you cooperate, your debts will be wiped clean, and these videos will never be released. You can continue your work, continue your life, and it will all be as if nothing happened.”

Zheng Haoran raised his head, his eyes red and swollen, tears streaming down his face. He looked at Li Xue, then at Lin En, his eyes filled with despair and pleading.

Please, I really don't want to do this.

“I know,” Li Xue said, “but you had no choice.”

A long silence.

The parking lot was quiet, with only the occasional sound of footsteps and the tinkling of the elevator in the distance. The dim light outside the car window cast a sense of oppression over the entire space.

Finally, Zheng Haoran lowered his head.

“Alright,” his voice was hoarse, as if all his strength had been drained, “I will help you.”

“A wise choice,” Li Xue nodded in satisfaction. “We will inform you of the specific operational details separately. Until then, please continue working as usual and do not do anything to attract attention.”

"I understand."

“Very good,” Li Xue opened the car door, preparing to get out, “Mr. Zheng, remember, we are watching you. Don’t do anything foolish.”

She got out of the car, and Lynn followed her out.

Zheng Haoran remained seated in the driver's seat, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, his shoulders trembling. He didn't turn to watch them leave, but stared blankly ahead, as if his soul had left his body.

Lynn followed Li Xue back to their car.

Before opening the car door, he glanced back at Zheng Haoran's car. Through the window, he saw the man still in the same pose, like a shattered statue.

"Let's go," Li Xue's voice pulled him back to reality, "The mission is complete."

Lynn got into the car, Li Xue started the engine, and drove out of the parking lot.

The view outside the car window changed from the dim underground to the bright streets. The evening sun shone on the city's high-rise buildings, bathing everything in a golden glow. Pedestrians hurried across the sidewalks, and people chatted leisurely at the outdoor seating areas of cafes; everything seemed so normal, so beautiful.

But Lynn knew that beneath this beautiful facade, there were countless people like Zheng Haoran, trapped by their own desires, controlled by the Brotherhood, and struggling on the edge of despair.

“You did a good job,” Li Xue said. “Remaining silent throughout and letting the target make the choice themselves was the right strategy.”

"Thanks."

“But I have a suggestion,” Li Xue turned to look at him, “next time, try saying something. Sometimes targets need a ‘good cop’ to balance the pressure. You can play that role.”

"A good cop?"

“Yes,” Li Xue said, “it’s the kind of person who seems gentle and easy to talk to. Make the target feel that you can trust them, that you can rely on them. That way, they’ll be more likely to cooperate.”

Lynn was silent for a moment. "I'll try."

“Very good,” Li Xue turned her gaze back to the front, “You learn very quickly, which is an advantage. In our line of work, the ability to learn is the most important quality.”

They drove back to Huaxing Trading, and Li Xue dropped Lin En off at the door.

“That’s all for today,” she said. “Come to work tomorrow. You’ll have new tasks assigned to you.”

"OK."

Lynn got out of the car and watched the black Mercedes disappear at the end of the street. He stood on the side of Chinatown, surrounded by bustling crowds and the cacophony of vendors' calls. An old man selling roasted sweet potatoes pushed his cart past him, filling the air with a sweet aroma. Several children chased and played on the sidewalk, their laughter as clear and melodious as silver bells.

Lynn took a deep breath and then walked toward the subway station.

It was already past 7 p.m. when we got back to the hotel.

Kevin was waiting for him in the room, and immediately stood up when he saw him come in.

"How about it?"

Lynn told Kevin about what happened today—joining the management team, gaining access to core documents, and the mission to "reprimand" Zheng Haoran.

After listening, Kevin's expression turned serious.

"They want you to force someone to break the law?"

“Yes,” Lynn nodded, “that’s how they control people. First, they get you into debt, then they use that debt and leverage to force you to comply. Once you cooperate with them, you’re dragged into a deeper quagmire from which you can never escape.”

"Did Zheng Haoran finally agree?"

“He agreed,” Lynn’s voice was low. “He had no choice.”

Kevin was silent for a moment. "Have you considered... reminding him? Telling him you're with the FBI?"

“No,” Lynn shook his head. “First, I can’t reveal my identity. Second, even if I told him, he has nowhere to run. His debts are real, and those videos are real. Even if the FBI gets involved, it won’t change his situation.”

"So he can only become a puppet of the Brotherhood?"

“For now,” Lynn said, “but if we can completely destroy the Brotherhood, people like him will have a chance to gain their freedom. That’s why I must continue this mission.”

He walked to the window and looked at the night view outside.

The lights of San Francisco twinkled in the darkness like countless scattered stars. In the distance, the Golden Gate Bridge presented a magnificent silhouette under the lights, and the sea breeze blew in from the direction of the bay area, carrying a hint of saltiness and chill.

“Oh, right,” Kevin’s voice came from behind, “I found out some more information about ‘Falcon’ today.”

"What information?"

“His activity range,” Kevin said, “I tracked down the various accounts and communications he used in the past and found that his activities were mainly concentrated in two places—New York and San Francisco.”

“San Francisco?” Lynn turned around.

“Yes,” Kevin nodded, “and the time he was active in San Francisco overlaps exactly with the time you’re investigating. That can’t be a coincidence.”

"You mean, he might be here?"

“That’s possible,” Kevin said. “If ‘Falcon’ really is a Brotherhood insider, then he likely has connections with these capitalists in the Bay Area. Maybe…maybe he’s one of them.”

Lynn pondered for a moment.

Falcon's identity, a capitalist in the Bay Area, and a core member of the fraternity's leadership—all these clues seem to point in the same direction, but he is still missing a crucial connecting point.

“Keep investigating,” he said, “see if you can find any more connections. Meanwhile, I'll conduct an internal investigation to see if we can uncover any clues.”

"OK."

At nine o'clock in the morning, Lynn arrived at the office area on the third floor on time.

Unlike yesterday, there were a few more people in the office area today. In addition to Li Xue and her two assistants, there were several faces that Lin En had never seen before—all young people in their twenties, dressed in ordinary casual clothes, each busy at their computers.

"Good morning," Li Xue nodded to Lin En as he entered. "Your main task today is to familiarize yourself with the file system. All the core files are stored on our internal server; you need to learn how to query and access them."

"OK."

Li Xue led Lin En to a corner workstation where there was a desktop computer that looked quite ordinary.

“This is your dedicated terminal,” she said. “Log in with your employee ID, and the system will automatically assign you a permission level.”

Lynn sat down and logged into the system as instructed. A simple interface appeared on the screen, with various folder directories on the left and a search bar and recent access history on the right.

“Your current access level is B,” Li Xue explained, “which allows you to access most customer files, financial records, and business documents. Level A access is only available to Mr. Chen and a few core members, and that allows access to all files.”

"clear."

"Your task today is to review the files of all the important clients from the past three months to familiarize yourself with our business scope and client situations. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or someone else."

Lynn nodded and began browsing various files in the system.

This was a tedious but important task. Each file contained a wealth of information—the client's personal background, financial situation, records of cooperation with organizations, and various supplementary materials. Lynn read through them, silently noting down useful information in her mind.

Time passed by, second by second.

Around 11 a.m., the office door was pushed open and two men walked in.

Lynn looked up. There were two men in their thirties, one tall and thin, the other short and stout, both dressed casually, their faces showing weariness and dissatisfaction. They walked straight to a table in the corner, plopped down, and began to talk in hushed tones.

Lynn continued looking at the computer screen, but his ears were carefully listening to their conversation.

"Damn it, all that work for nothing," the tall, thin man cursed in a low voice. "The New York project is completely ruined."

“I heard,” the short, stout man sighed, “the higher-ups have announced they’re giving up. What we thought was a sure thing has gone down the drain.”

"It's all because that operation failed," the tall, thin man said angrily. "If the plan had succeeded, that project would be ours by now."

"Shh, keep your voice down," the short, stout man glanced around warily, "Don't talk about this."

"What's there to be afraid of? There are no outsiders here," the tall, thin man said dismissively, but still lowered his voice. "I just can't understand how such a meticulously planned scheme could fail."

“It’s all because of a capable guy on the FBI side,” the short, stout man said. “I heard it’s an agent named Ashford who messed up the whole operation.”

Lynn's heart skipped a beat.

Ashford. That's his name.

He forced himself to remain calm, his eyes still fixed on the computer screen, but all his attention was focused on the conversation between the two people. (End of Chapter)