All the heavens are bound to the palace intrigue system

"Brother Sheng!" Yu Li greeted him, sat down casually opposite Hua Sheng, and then called out to the shop, "Uncle Zhong, a bowl of Bao Gong noodles with Sheng Chun, and a glass of iced lemon with no ice."

"Roger that!" Uncle Zhong, the restaurant owner, chuckled and went to prepare the food, adding, "Didn't my son go out with you, Li-zai? Why hasn't he come back?"

Uncle Zhong is talking about Huang Mao; he's Huang Mao's father.

"Huang Mao suddenly got an itchy skin condition and went to the hospital. Why hasn't he come back yet?" Yu Li asked with concern.

"No, this scoundrel, could he have picked up some filthy disease from a shady place?" Uncle Chung immediately became worried and muttered as he walked towards the kitchen.

Yu Li then looked at Watson, who was looking at him with a serious expression.

Before he could speak, he interrupted, "I know what you want to ask. My answer is that only I know. I saw you guys by accident. You should have investigated me. I joined the gang out of necessity. I actually want to be a good person. I need you to do me a favor now. In return, I can be your informant."

"Think it over carefully, or go back and discuss it with your hometown. If you agree, I hope my identity will only be known to those who know it now, and not spread. Okay, I've finished speaking."

"..."

You've said everything that should and shouldn't have been said, what else can I say? Hua Sheng stared at Yu Li for a long while before saying, "I'm going to make a phone call."

Yu Li nonchalantly gestured for him to proceed.

He needed to feign compliance with people in the community; but with an undercover policeman like Watson, he needed to immediately state his position, make his stance clear, and set his conditions—the more direct and simpler, the better.

Because the other party lives in a dangerous environment year-round and is under extreme stress, they will eliminate any uncertain danger, even if it's just a suspicion, immediately. Although Yu Li's clean record won't lead to imprisonment, it will certainly cause him a lot of trouble.

After Yu Li finished his bowl of noodles, Hua Sheng returned.

"I've agreed to your conditions. Currently, only three people know your identity: besides me, there's Officer Ma and our superior, Inspector Wong." Watson looked at him. "You want me to help your family solve your father's high-interest loan problem? Is that it?"

Yu Li laughed: "Brother Sheng, we're all in this together, so of course we have to follow the rules. I've prepared the money, but I need the Vietnamese to support me. I don't want my family to be harassed or threatened. Besides, this is more reasonable."

"No wonder even Tony thinks highly of you; you're good at handling people." Watson showed an appreciative expression. "But there has to be a reason, right? You just joined; normally I wouldn't even give you a second glance."

"That's where Brother Sheng comes up with a solution," Yu Li said. "I need to do something to officially join the club, and also to get Brother Sheng to help me out this time in a reasonable way."

Watson hesitated for a moment, then said, "Merit... If you dare to take the risk, you'll have a chance tonight."

Yu Li's spirits lifted: "Is the risk very high?"

"You might get arrested, but no one should die," Watson said, looking at him. "Tonight, Ah Kang will be distributing the goods at the Mystery Bar; it's my arrangement. But the police will be checking the license plates. My original plan was for me to personally rescue Ah Kang, protect the goods, and increase Tony's trust in me. But if you want the credit, I can give it to you."

"What is the specific plan?" Yu Li asked calmly.

"Ah Kang went to make a deal with a guy named Beggar Cow at 8 PM tonight. This guy is one of Baldy's men from the Number Gang," Hua Sheng said. "Their deal took place on the second floor of the bar. At 8:05 PM, the police came to check the license plates and surrounded the front and back doors."

"But actually, there's an escape route from this bar: jump out of the second-floor storeroom window, which happens to lead to a small alley called Hewei Alley. Ah Kang will definitely run down that road, and the police will send people to chase him. I'll drive by then and rescue Ah Kang."

After speaking, Watson looked at Yu Li: "This is my whole plan, but you don't have a car, how are you going to rescue them?"

Yu thought for a moment and asked, "What kind of goods? How big are they?"

"One kilogram of wheat flour," Watson said.

"That should be able to be hidden on his person..." Yu Li's eyes showed a thoughtful expression. "What if the police block that escape route as well, and rush in to check the license plate before Brother Kang even has a chance to go up to the second floor?"

"Then Ah Kang is doomed!" Watson said irritably.

"But what if I happen to have arranged to meet with La Ba at that bar to discuss paying off my debts, and Kang Ge happens to see me? What will he do then?" Yu Li asked again.

Watson was taken aback: "In that case... even though you're a newcomer, he might very well try to shove something at you and make you a scapegoat!"

"Is it possible that the police won't search me?" Yu Li asked again.

Watson shook his head: "Even if you come out, you'll still be suspected if we don't search you."

Yu Li nodded: "Is it possible that they won't search my crotch, meaning they won't search so thoroughly?"

"That can be arranged," Watson said with a strange expression. "But that's a kilogram of flour. Are you sure you can hide it in your crotch? It'll be obvious! And it'll fall out when you walk."

"I'll figure something out!" Yu Li exhaled, his eyes hardening. "If things go as I say, I can save Brother Kang and keep the goods. Then, can I join the association directly? And if I ask Brother Kang to endorse me afterwards, he should agree, right?"

"Definitely." Watson's gaze towards Yu Li was somewhat complicated. "Besides, this matter can be distanced from me; you and I appear to be completely unrelated. Even if one of us is suspected, it won't implicate the other!"

"Let's do it!" Yu Li slammed his hand on the table. "As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. If we succeed tonight, all my troubles will be over! Most importantly... I'll have the identity of an informant. Even if I join the gang, I won't be considered a bad guy, right?"

"Yes." Watson reached out and patted Yu Li on the shoulder. "Yu Li, you're very smart, and most importantly, you don't give up on yourself. Don't worry, no matter what the outcome, I'll make sure you're alright."

Watson was somewhat moved. Intelligent, righteous, family-oriented, and principled, such a young man is trustworthy.

But what he didn't know was that Yu Li had intentionally shown these things in front of him, otherwise how could he gain enough trust?

Of course, Yu Li was also somewhat sincere. The Vietnamese gang was doomed sooner or later, so leaving himself a way out was a way of unintentionally planting flowers in the wild.

"I'll make the arrangements now." Watson stood up. "From now on, it's best if we pretend we don't know each other in the gang. I haven't come looking for you either. Don't contact me if you need anything. I'll give you a phone number, remember it. It's Ma Sir's. You'll be his informant from now on, and you'll be in direct contact with him. Your code name is—Little Ghost."

"..."

You guys really know how to come up with nicknames.

Yu Li nodded silently and watched Hua Sheng leave.

"Uncle Chung, the bill!"

"Countless!"