Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

"Ah Huo, it's me," An Xiaohai whispered.

The other end of the phone went dead silent immediately. After what seemed like an eternity, Ah Huo's voice came through again: "Oh, okay, wait a moment, I'll go check it out."

An Xiaohai couldn't help but laugh. Ah Huo's voice was trembling, and it was clear that he was suppressing his emotions. This reminded An Xiaohai of the time he used to hang out with Ah Huo at the docks.

Those years, which had long since flowed away in the river of time, suddenly flooded back into my mind.

I could hear Ah Huo's soft breathing on the phone; he must have left in a hurry.

"You bastard! You finally decided to call me!" Ah Huo hissed in a low voice, "It's been six months! Six months of complete silence from you! I didn't dare call you, I didn't dare go looking for you, do you know how worried I was?!...

Ah Huo vented his emotions to the fullest, and An Xiaohai listened attentively. After a while, Ah Huo finally controlled his emotions and slowly calmed down.

"Alright, I've vented. Now you can tell me what's wrong!"

……

"You really trust a wanted criminal that much?"

"Come on! Don't I know you? I've known you for so long and I've never seen you have any major emotional fluctuations. You would shoot your own people in a fit of rage? Forget it, I don't believe it!"

Stop giving me that nonsense. Get to the point. You're calling me so late; there must be something you can't resolve.

"You really know me..." An Xiaohai's eyes were a little sore. Ah Huo was still the same as always, putting work first, hating evil as if it were his enemy, and trusting him completely.

An Xiaohai repeated to Ah Huo what he had just told Wang Bulai and the others.

"Ah Huo, I don't know if what I'm doing is right or wrong, but I really have no other choice."

This assassin organization, and the international criminal organization behind them, has done extensive research on the police. I feel that if this matter is handed over to the police, it will be too easy to arouse their suspicion.

The power of the underworld is another matter; I think even if they were aware of it, they probably wouldn't take it too seriously.

But I'm very worried about you all. I hope you can oversee this matter secretly. I just spoke to Ah-lai and asked him to ask for your opinion more often…”

"Stop talking," Ah Huo interrupted An Xiaohai. "I understand what you mean and I agree with your point of view. If the forces in the open can solve all problems, there's no need for undercover agents."

I understand what you're worried about. You're afraid that Ah Lai and the others will suffer losses, and you're also afraid that I will suffer losses.

I can tell you definitively that sometimes you overthink things and underestimate people like A-Lai. There aren't many fools in the underworld, and those who rise to the top are even less foolish.

Fools are either in jail or in the fields.

Assassins are human too. They're just a bit stronger and more secretive. If we really fought face-to-face, they might not have much of an advantage.

Moreover, we don't need to confront them head-on; we just need to find their foothold.

This task isn't that difficult for us. We have countless eyes; we don't even need to deliberately keep watch. If they dare to come, they definitely won't be able to escape.

"You saying that only makes me more worried..."

"You're afraid I'll underestimate you, aren't you?" Ah Huo took a deep breath: "Xiao Hai, don't worry. After being trapped at the bottom of the ship for so long that time, I've figured out a lot of things."

I will never underestimate anyone again, nor will I take my enemies lightly.

Don't worry, leave this to us. I'll protect myself and all the brothers, I promise you.

"That's good, then I'll leave this to you."

"Yes, no problem... Xiaohai, will you... come back?"

"They should, they'll come back eventually, it's just not the right time yet."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Aren't you helping me?"

"Hehe!" Ah Huo laughed, "That's great! I always felt something was off when you weren't here!"

"Stop talking about me. What about you? How are you doing now?"

"I'm doing fine now. You exposed Master Xu's identity, and he asked me to take over his part of the work. You're right, this place is more suitable for me."

Honestly, the thought of going back to wearing a uniform makes me a little scared. I'm not even confident I can adapt to life in the police force.

"Haha, whatever makes you happy. How's Captain Wang doing?"

"He's doing well; he should be promoted to deputy director soon."

He seemed to already know I held some positions in the security department. Yesterday, he even called me out and gave me a thorough dressing-down, saying I was treacherous and had gotten too big for my britches, haha.

"Ha, that's good, it means he wasn't really angry."

"I know, if he's really angry he won't talk to me."

Actually... Captain Wang is thinking about you too. A while ago, when it was your birthday, he suddenly came to my place, drank a lot of alcohol, and then left without saying a word.

I think he misses you.

How did you know my birthday?

"Not only do I know, but many people know your birthday now; it's even written on the wanted poster."

……

"Alright, are the guys all okay?"

"Everything is fine now. Everyone is making money and rarely goes out to fight anymore. Er Mao and Dao Dou always talk about you to me. Everyone misses you."

"By the way, Xiaohai, there's something... I'd like to hear your opinion."

"Tell me, what's wrong with you today? You're speaking haltingly."

"I've fallen in love with Guo Fang, and I want to marry her. What do you think?"

"Has the security department approved it?"

"I haven't submitted the report yet. I tentatively asked Mr. Xu, and he didn't seem to object. But I'm really conflicted; I'm very worried..."

"You're worried that Guo Fang will one day discover your true identity, aren't you?"

"Yes, if she finds out, I really don't know how I'll face her."

"Then don't let him find out, just keep lying to her for the rest of your life."

"To lie for a lifetime?"

"Yes, you can lie for a lifetime, or even until you're fifty or sixty. By then, you'll both be old and have grandchildren, and she won't be able to run away."

"Hahaha! You bastard!..." Ah Huo burst into laughter.

"Congratulations, Guo Fang is a good girl."

"Thank you! Thank you so much! Really, I knew you would support me!"

"Of course! You're my good brother, who else would I support if not you?"

"Okay, brother, I take your advice! I know what to do. By the way, how do we notify you if we find those killers?"

"I have an email address with Ah Lai. He can send me emails, or you can send me emails. Write down the email address..." An Xiaohai gave Ah Huo the email address: "If there is an emergency, you can also call this number."

My current cover identity is that of a businessman; you can call me Mr. Chen.

"Mr. Chen, hmm, not bad. This means you're not doing too badly after all."

"Haha, it's impossible for me to be miserable. If I really can't make a living, I can still work as a fitness instructor for you."

"Hahaha... You're as skinny as a chick, and you want to be a fitness instructor? But you're handsome, so I can introduce you to a few rich women. It's more fun to be a kept man!"

"Ah, that's a great idea! If I ever go down on my luck and come looking for you, don't pretend you don't know me!"

"I dare not pretend I don't know Brother Hai. If Brother Hai gets angry and kills me, I'll have nowhere to cry..."

An Xiaohai chatted with Ah Huo for a while before ending the call. After hanging up, a scene involuntarily flashed through An Xiaohai's mind: the time when he was being chased by the Big Circle Gang, Guo Fang took him to the urban village on her motorcycle.

"This place is under my protection. If anyone bullies you, just say my name!"

Back then, Guo Fang was a carefree young delinquent. Little did she know that she would be getting married now, and to Ah Huo no less.

pretty good!

An Xiaohai pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked back at the computer screen. After thinking for a moment, he connected to the server of an internet cafe in Shenhai City.

An Xiaohai personally created the internet cafe management system for Shenhai City; it was a piece of cake for him. The internet cafe server that An Xiaohai chose to connect to was located near the city's Public Security Bureau.

After doing all this, An Xiaohai opened the Honggang Xinghe Technology Forum page and entered the account and password that Ding Ping had given him.