Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

"Okay, I'll go as soon as possible. I need to think about this matter first so I can figure out how to use it."

"I'll wait for you then. Call me when you've confirmed the time. I'm off now."

After Zhou Meng finished speaking, he turned to leave, but An Xiaohai called him back: "Team Leader Zhou, tomorrow... I'd like to treat everyone to dinner, do you have time?"

"You're treating everyone to dinner? That's quite something. Who are you planning to invite?"

"My mom, grandparents, Xuan'er, Aunt Xiru, and you... I'd like to invite Director Zhou over, but I don't know if he'll be available tomorrow."

"Are you planning to confront them?!" Zhou Meng frowned.

"Yes," An Xiaohai nodded, pursing his lips.

"I advise you to think this through carefully before you speak. They are not you; you need to consider whether they can handle it."

"I've already thought it through."

Last night, Aunt Xiru told me that if they loved each other, she would rather live and die with her lover.

I don't want my family and friends to be kept completely in the dark. I don't want them to worry and live in fear every day. I don't think it's necessary for them to suffer like this.

If struggle is unavoidable, I am willing to stand with them through thick and thin. If they are afraid, I will not blame them and will immediately make arrangements for their escape route.

If they insist on fighting alongside me, then let's fight together. Even if we all die in the end, we'll die knowing why!

An Xiaohai's words made Zhou Meng's body stiffen visibly, and it took him a long time to relax.

"You don't have to do this. I'll take good care of them while you're not here, I promise."

"I know, but I've really thought it through. Rather than keeping everyone in the dark, I'd rather tell them part of the truth so they're aware of the situation. That way, when danger comes, they'll be more aware."

"Alright, since it's your decision, I won't interfere. But I still want to remind you that once these things are said, there's no going back."

"I think I won't regret it."

"Okay, call me once you've decided on the time and place."

"Captain Zhou, my home isn't safe. I'd like to set up a meeting place at the canteen of the Xiadong branch. My mom and Aunt Xiru both work there. It's normal for my grandparents to go and visit, and it's also perfectly normal for Xuan'er to go to see her mom."

Let's set the time... for tomorrow at 11:30 AM.

"Okay, I'll be there on time."

"Team Leader Zhou, Team Leader Yan, he..."

"Don't worry, he's still perfectly healthy. Just let him make the arrangements. I'm off."

Zhou Meng left, and An Xiaohai first called Yan Hong. Yan Hong grumbled and agreed to make arrangements for him. Judging from his voice, he didn't seem to be going to die anytime soon.

An Xiaohai called Zhou Zhengguo again, and Zhou Zhengguo readily agreed. The two didn't chat much, since they were going to meet tomorrow anyway.

When An Xiaohai returned home, he found that Chen Shuifen hadn't gone to work that day. She said she wasn't feeling well, but An Xiaohai knew in his heart that Chen Shuifen was worried about him and wouldn't be in the mood to go to work.

An Xiaohai felt both guilty and warm.

An Xiaohai wanted to treat everyone to dinner, and Chen Xiru naturally wouldn't object. The dinner location was right where she worked, so it wasn't too much trouble.

After making lunch for An Xiaohai, Chen Shuifen went to work with peace of mind. Working half a day would earn her a full attendance bonus for the month. Although the amount wasn't much, Chen Shuifen valued it highly.

An Xiaohai called his maternal grandfather, and his grandparents were very happy, as the family hadn't been together for quite some time.

An Xiaohai offered to pick them up, but his grandfather refused, saying that there was a shuttle bus from the shipyard that went directly to Xiadong Town. An Xiaohai did not insist.

A day passed in the blink of an eye, and early the next morning, An Xiaohai drove up and picked up Lin Xuan'er.

Lin Xuan'er was overjoyed. After asking her best friend in the dormitory to help her ask for leave, she ran away with An Xiaohai, which drew boos from her roommates.

------

A relatively secluded private room in the canteen of the Armed Police Xiadong Detachment.

Zhou Meng had already arrived and was sitting opposite An Xiaohai's family, drinking tea.

Chen Shuifen and the others seemed somewhat uneasy. She had seen Zhou Meng before, but had never seen him in military uniform. Having worked in the armed police camp for so long, Chen Shuifen could now distinguish the ranks of the armed police officers.

Zhou Meng was clearly a high-ranking official. If Chen Xiru hadn't remained calm, Chen Shuifen probably would have lost her composure long ago.

The grandparents also seemed a little awkward. An Xiaohai hadn't explained things clearly on the phone; they had originally thought it was just a simple family gathering, but they hadn't expected there to be outsiders present.

"Director Zhou, this way please!" Yan Hong knocked lightly on the door and invited Zhou Zhengguo in. This guy always walked with his butt sticking out, so Zhou Meng's blow was obviously quite forceful.

After inviting Zhou Zhengguo to the private room, Yan Hong smiled at Zhou Meng and quickly closed the door and slipped away.

Zhou Zhengguo also arrived in uniform, and his arrival made Chen Shuifen even more nervous.

Zhou Zhengguo clearly noticed this, and introduced himself with a smile, even cracking a few jokes, which eased the tense atmosphere considerably.

Zhou Zhengguo had just sat down when An Xiaohai finally arrived, leading Lin Xuan'er.

"Hello, Director Zhou! Hello!" Lin Xuan'er greeted Zhou Zhengguo with a sweet smile as soon as she entered the room, and then looked at Zhou Meng with curiosity.

Lin Xuan'er actually had some impression of Zhou Meng; she had seen him at home, but she never expected that Zhou Meng was actually an armed police officer.

After An Xiaohai greeted everyone, armed police officers filed in carrying dishes.

These people were all Yan Hong's subordinates. They all knew An Xiaohai. They all looked very serious, but whenever they turned their backs to Zhou Meng, they would wink and make faces at An Xiaohai, making Lin Xuan'er cover her mouth and laugh.

The Armed Police canteen doesn't have any particularly good dishes, but the portions are really generous; seven dishes filled a whole table.

Once all the dishes were served, the door to the private room was closed, and there was no one else around, An Xiaohai stood up, and everyone's eyes turned to him.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Aunt Xiru, Xuan'er, I have something to tell you today."

No one spoke. Zhou Meng looked serious, Zhou Zhengguo smiled, Chen Shuifen looked nervous, Lin Xuan'er looked curious, the grandparents exchanged a glance with calm expressions, and Chen Xiru raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.

"After I was released from prison, I actually worked for the police."

During this period, I assisted the police in dismantling a drug trafficking organization, the "Sea Hawk" drug trafficking organization that was mentioned on the TV news a few days ago.

……

In the room, everyone except Zhou Meng and Zhou Zhengguo was so surprised that their mouths were agape, including Lin Xuan'er.

Although Lin Xuan'er knew that An Xiaohai was working for the police, she never expected that An Xiaohai was doing something so big!

In the past few days, all sorts of rumors about the Sea Hawk drug trafficking group have been circulating wildly on the university campus.

The students passed the story around, almost describing the drug trafficking group in vivid detail. Lin Xuan'er knew very well how ruthless and difficult to deal with the Sea Hawk drug trafficking group was.

But this powerful drug cartel was brought down by the man she loved!

Lin Xuan'er felt no fear at all; her heart was filled with pride and happiness, and she looked at An Xiaohai with even more admiration.

"Yes!" Zhou Zhengguo nodded with a smile: "An Xiaohai deserves great credit for uprooting the Sea Hawk Group, which was entrenched in Shenhai City. I can vouch for him on that point."

"Thank you, Director Zhou."

"You're welcome, it's only right. You invited me over for dinner because you want me to endorse you, right? Hehe!"

"Haha, that's definitely true."

"It's not easy to get a meal from you, alright, go on, haha."

"Okay..." An Xiaohai took a deep breath: "The reason I kept it from everyone before was because I was afraid you would worry, because what I was doing was very dangerous; the reason I am now confessing to everyone is also because what I was doing was too dangerous."

This Sea Hawk Group is very powerful. What we have just destroyed is only their organization in Deep Sea City. They still have a huge influence outside of Deep Sea City.

Although they don't know yet that I provided the key information, everything I do leaves a trace, and I'm worried they'll find out sooner or later.

So I must confess to everyone, I'm sorry, I've put my whole family in danger!" An Xiaohai said, then lowered his head.

"Xiao Hai, lift your head!"

To An Xiaohai's surprise, the first person to speak was his maternal grandfather.

An Xiaohai looked at his grandfather in surprise.

"Xiao Hai, we're family. If something happens, we'll all share the burden. It's nothing."

You did a good job! These drug sellers are all bad people; they've ruined many families and caused deaths. They deserve to die. You did a good job!

Don't worry about us, we're not afraid of danger. We're just worried about you. Just take care of yourself, we're fine.

"Thank you, Grandpa!" An Xiaohai's eyes immediately reddened.

"What are you saying? Come on, let Grandpa toast you!" Grandpa stood up and raised his glass.

"Grandpa, I can't drink alcohol; I have to stay sober at all times."

"Then I won't drink, but I'll clink glasses with you. If I'm happy, I'll drink! Haha!"

An Xiaohai picked up his wine glass and clinked it with his grandfather's. The old man raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, which earned him two gentle slaps from his grandmother.

An Xiaohai secretly glanced at Chen Shuifen. Although Chen Shuifen was somewhat worried, the vague tension and unease she had felt earlier had completely disappeared.

An Xiaohai also breathed a sigh of relief; his family's reaction was much more relaxed than he had expected.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'd like you to move in with us. It'll be better if we all live together so we can look after each other and be ready to help each other in case anything happens."

"Yes, gentlemen, the Sea Hawks and their gang are not ordinary criminals. If they find out about you and retaliate, it's not safe for you to live separately in two different places."

Apojiao Village is very close to the Armed Police Xiadong Detachment. If you two move here, the Armed Police can take good care of you.

In case of any emergency, a phone call can solve the problem, which isn't as convenient for you living in town.

Zhou Zhengguo quickly chimed in to help.

"That makes sense. We absolutely can't hold Xiaohai back. I'll quit my job tomorrow and move here the day after! Hehehe..." An Xiaohai's grandfather immediately nodded.

Grandpa didn't not want to come back and live with everyone. He's so old, yet he's still working outside to earn money, all for An Xiaohai.

In his grandfather's mind, An Xiaohai was a released prisoner, and it would be too difficult for him to find a proper job. The more money he earned, the more security he could provide for An Xiaohai's future.

But now, none of that matters anymore.

An Xiaohai worked for the police and made a great contribution, so his future should be secure. The heavy weight on the old man's heart has finally been lifted.