Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

Tianxiang Tea House is located on the edge of Luotian District, covering a large area. It is near the Shenhai Antique Trading Market and only about 300 meters away from Shenhai Avenue.

From the outside, nestled among the high-rise buildings in the bustling city, the antique-style Tianxiang Tea House appears very mysterious and grand. However, An Xiaohai really couldn't compliment the interior decoration. He saw a strong Guo Xiangshui style in the interior design.

Xu Congzhou was still fiddling with his beaded string, absentmindedly brewing tea, while Zhou Meng opposite him had his hands on his knees, his angry gaze sweeping back and forth between Xu Congzhou and An Xiaohai.

After brewing the tea, Xu Congzhou waved his hand and said, "Xiao Yan, go out for a bit."

"Oh..." Yan Hong stood up like a punching bag, gave An Xiaohai a wink, and then walked out.

"Old Zhou, we're discussing serious matters here. Let those who aren't involved leave."

Xu Congzhou then said something else in a leisurely manner. The person he was referring to as unrelated was Zhou Meng's bodyguard and driver. Yan Hong, who was leaving, visibly stiffened.

"You can go out too," Zhou Meng ordered with a frown. His bodyguard, Xiao Luo, followed Yan Hong out with a wronged look on his face.

"Xiao Hai, come on, have some tea! Old Zhou, you should have a cup too. It's top-quality raw Pu'er tea; I sell a cake for 2000 yuan in my shop!"

"You're kidding me! Who would buy tea this expensive?" Zhou Meng picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and immediately shook his head with a look of disgust. "It's nothing special!"

"Alright, Lao Zhou, don't be angry. Let's get down to business. You're short on time, and so am I. Let's not waste time arguing."

"An Xiaohai, tell me, what exactly happened?"

"What's going on?" An Xiaohai promptly pretended to be clueless.

An Xiaohai already had some distrust of Yan Hong and his group, and Xu Congzhou's style made him seem even more unreliable. No wonder 073 said that the person in charge here did not play by the rules. An Xiaohai felt that this assessment was a bit conservative.

"Wow, this young man is quite cautious!" Xu Congzhou took a sip of tea and smacked his lips. "073 contacted me personally, saying that you have a mission here, with you as the main character, but they can't directly participate, so they want to ask us for help."

You've got it right, it was 073 who came to ask me for help, not me asking him for it.

"Alright, now you should believe me, right? But let me warn you first, I have no interest in small businesses. It's beneath me. Don't even mention anything below this amount; go find Yan Hong to have some fun."

As Xu Congzhou spoke, he held up one finger.

"Xu..." An Xiaohai was a little unsure how to address Xu Congzhou.

"You can call me Director Xu."

"Director Xu? Aren't you known in the underworld as Master Xu?!"

Zhou Meng said irritably, but unfortunately, neither Xu Congzhou nor An Xiaohai paid him any attention.

"Director Xu, I'm a little confused. What kind of business are you referring to with that number?"

An Xiaohai asked tentatively, but he was really unsure. 073 had personally found him, so his level couldn't be low. Who knew what that "one" actually represented?

"1,000 million! I never discuss business for less than that!" Xu Congzhou said decisively.

"1,000 million, thank goodness..." An Xiaohai breathed a sigh of relief, while Zhou Meng looked at him with disdain. After careful investigation, the value of the case in An Xiaohai's last operation was close to 2,000 million.

"Wow, judging by your appearance, you've got more than 1,000 million!!"

"Hmm, I made a mistake. It's not just 1,000 million, so we need to be more careful! Here, don't drink this tea. It was just something I used to fool people. I've brewed it for you again; this time it's really good tea!"

puff~

Zhou Meng, who was drinking tea, almost spat it out.

"Alright, enough joking. The case involves such a large sum of money, we must treat it with utmost care."

"An Xiaohai, tell me, what exactly happened? Tell me what you can, and keep what needs to be kept secret, but please be as detailed as possible, understand?"

In just over ten seconds, Xu Congzhou had already switched between several states. Now, he finally felt like a senior leader in the security department.

This seamless switching between different states made An Xiaohai involuntarily think of Xu Tianyou.

An Xiaohai took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and then carefully explained what he was doing to Xu Congzhou and Zhou Meng.

Xu Congzhou listened intently with his head down and brows furrowed from beginning to end, without interrupting once. Zhou Meng's expression was priceless; he never imagined that An Xiaohai was secretly planning such a big thing!

At this moment, Zhou Meng felt a pang of regret, realizing he shouldn't have been so reckless today.

What An Xiaohai said was very serious, as it concerned the safety of the entire region. Even with his rank, he would theoretically need to submit a report if he wanted to get involved in this matter.

An Xiaohai spoke for more than half an hour, explaining all the causes and consequences, as well as the current progress of the matter. As usual, he omitted information about the demon and Xu Tianyou.

Silence fell in the tea room, and Zhou Meng's brows furrowed even more deeply.

"An Xiaohai, now I know why you asked 073 for help... This matter is indeed too difficult and involves too many aspects. If it is not handled properly, the consequences will be very serious!"

Furthermore, have you considered the immense damage that would do to the economy of Deepsea City if you were to successfully orchestrate this?

"I've thought about it," An Xiaohai nodded, "but I don't believe that if the operation succeeds, it will cause much damage to the economy of Shenhai City. Director Xu, we are cracking down on organized crime!"

"Why not?"

"How could that be?!" An Xiaohai retorted.

Xu Congzhou paused for a moment, then frowned and pondered carefully. After a long while, Xu Congzhou's brows finally relaxed.

"I roughly understand what you mean... Indeed, the situation is probably not as serious as I imagined. I didn't consider things carefully, I was too hasty, I'm sorry!"

Xu Congzhou's frank apology made An Xiaohai raise an eyebrow, instantly improving his opinion of him. A high-ranking leader who so openly admits his mistakes is more than 90% likely to be a good leader.

Zhou Meng really wanted to ask Xu Congzhou what he had figured out, but in the end he held back, not wanting to lose face!

"Okay, we're definitely going to help you with this. Which part would you like us to handle?"

"If your people can get involved, I would like to ask you to be in charge of some information gathering and reconnaissance tasks in the early stages."

During the final operation, I'd like to ask your people to help take down the insurance vaults of Haiyaozi, the Chen brothers, or other underworld bosses.

"Those heavy-duty SUVs that are full of money?"

"Yes."

"This shouldn't be difficult. I actually think the main vault of the Pig Dragon is extremely difficult. Why weren't we assigned to handle that area?"

"Because it needs to be kept secret."

I think if you guys help the main vault, it won't be much different from 073 and his team helping; they'll notice. And once they do, it will affect 073 and his team's mission.

"Then what if we attack their main supply lines?"

"The same principle applies."

"So you intend to use your power to deal with Pig Dragon's main treasury and his transportation routes in various districts?"

"Yes."

"An Xiaohai, this is dangerous! I think this is too dangerous, you know what I mean?"

"I understand," An Xiaohai nodded solemnly, "but this is something I have to do!"

Xu Congzhou stared at An Xiaohai for a long while, and finally he gave him a thumbs up: "Well done! You're just like someone from the security department. People from the security department are all a bunch of daredevils. I admire you!"

"Director Xu, you flatter me."

"I'm stating the facts!" Xu Congzhou waved his hand. "Let me ask you something unrelated. I've checked your records; you've been to prison, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Then you're definitely not a staff member of the security department. Someone with your background wouldn't pass their background check."

"Yes, I might not even qualify as an outsider."

"Great! After this is over, come work with me!"

"Old Zhou, don't glare at me, it's useless! Getting An Xiaohai to your side is just as difficult, but coming here is no problem at all. It's just a matter of a word from me. What do you say, An Xiaohai?"

"I'll consider it!" An Xiaohai nodded gently after a slight hesitation.

"Well, another waste of effort..." Xu Congzhou shrugged. "Forget about that for now, let's finish the task first."

Here's what I'll do: I'll assign someone to be your sole contact, and none of the rest of us involved in the operation will know you exist.

Once the operation begins, you will be in overall command, and my people will only be responsible for cooperating and carrying out your arrangements;

At the same time, I can provide you with a state-of-the-art real-time command system, covering a range of nearly 400 kilometers. Before that, you can also arrange any reconnaissance missions through the contact person, and we will fully cooperate.

This is my phone number. Remember it. If you encounter any emergency, just call me.

As for the contact person…

"Let's make Yen Hung the contact person."

"You actually chose him? Don't you kind of distrust him?"

"I just want to minimize the number of people who know about this."

"Smart! Okay, he's the one!" Xu Congzhou said with a smile. "I've already chosen the people to participate in this operation. It's a six-person team, including but not limited to them."

I'll have Yan Hong show you the team members' information in a bit. Aside from their names, everything else is accurate. Get to know these people well so you can make arrangements accordingly.

"Okay, thank you, Director Xu!"

"You're welcome, it's what we should do."

Finally, a word of advice: don't use the same move against the same enemy, or you're likely to suffer a loss.

For example, if you've already robbed a car once, you can't do it a second time in the same way. Once you form a fixed mindset and a fixed routine, it's easy for the enemy to see through it and take advantage of it.

We can't let another heinous crime like the one on Chuangye Road happen in Shenhai City. Don't treat us like we're just sitting around doing nothing.

An Xiaohai, do you understand what I mean?

"I understand, thank you for the reminder, Director Xu."

"Alright, since the deal is done, let's call it a day. You and I both have things to do. How about I arrange a car to take you home?"

"Since Captain Yan picked me up, I think it would be best if he took me back."

"Very good, that's exactly how it should be. Go, see you after the victory!"

"Okay, see you after the victory!" An Xiaohai nodded, stood up and was about to leave when Zhou Meng stopped him.

"You wait for me at the door, kid. If you dare to sneak away, you'd better try to live!"