Chapter 123

Wang Yan was busy setting up Phoenix Pavilion and Four Seas, while the World Alliance was struggling to develop.

Forget Fushan—even all of South Korea is just a tiny patch of land, and nothing stays hidden. Besides, the first batch of thugs who got chased off had already come forward to testify; now virtually every trash and cop in South Korea knew about a gang called the World Alliance, crazily expanding its manpower and territory.

Two thousand people of mixed quality? Wang Yan didn't care—he thought they were trash. That's because he'd once commanded thousands of elite, rigorously trained direct subordinates and tens of thousands of indirect ones, with big players like Dao Dan and Da Bao Bei under him, a Southeast Asian godfather and a world-class triad boss who could take on dozens alone.

But South Korea was different. Though there were many gangs and factions, they were all chicken-shit organizations. Genuine, sizable groups with over a thousand members were few and far between. Now one suddenly emerged, making such a huge move—it deserved to be crushed.

Of course, all this was Park Jung-ui's fault—he was too damn reckless. Was this situation anything like when they expanded in Gijang County? Back then, they had only four hundred people total, with barely three hundred deployed, and even then in small squads. Now, apart from the three major gangs, every inch of Gijang County belonged to the World Alliance. They'd already clashed with those three and weren't afraid of being ambushed—if they tried anything, they'd just go back and crush them again. So this time, Park Jung-ui kept only the usual operational staff and sent everyone else out to sweep the streets.

Even though Park Jung-ui hadn't reported it, Wang Yan still knew what was happening—he wasn't some rookie boss who'd spent decades on top for nothing. For instance, vice-chairmen eager to climb the ladder, squad leaders desperate to show off—they all had ways to reach him.

Wang Yan could understand Park Jung-ui's brain-dead behavior. He'd once led only twenty people, running a shabby, mediocre shop. Now he commanded two thousand, controlled most of Gijang County, his boss wasn't around to rein him in, and he was the chairman of the World Alliance—it was only natural he'd forgotten his own name.

So on the streets of Haeyun-dae, this scene unfolded.

Hundreds of World Alliance members faced off against hundreds more from a coalition of stronger local gangs. Each side had knives tucked behind their waists, no one moved, and they just yelled insults back and forth.

Around them stood a crowd of armed cops, dumbfounded, listening to nearly a thousand men bellowing at each other, their heads buzzing.

As long as neither side started slashing, they didn't care. With this many people, they couldn't even arrest them all—the police station couldn't hold them. And even if they did start fighting, the cops would just wait until it was over, arrest a few token scapegoats, and call it a day. Cops were just trying to feed their families. The ones who died were themselves; the ones who got promoted were their bosses. Not worth it.

As the standoff dragged on, the World Alliance's leader felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out, glanced at it, then suddenly raised his hand, waved it twice, and clenched his fist into a "recall" gesture.

They were all trash. Though social norms were sacred, saying they fell silent instantly was exaggerated—it could only be said that this group of people quieted down very quickly. And the Resistance Alliance on the other side, confused by the sudden silence, naturally shut their mouths as well.

The leader glanced at the tense cops beside him, then answered the call: "Chairman, it was noisy just now, but it's quiet now. Sorry for the wait."

"Yes."

"Understood."

"Yes, boss."

Under the gaze of the crowd, the leader bowed repeatedly, then hung up.

He sneered at the opposing side, then turned and pointed at ten no-name subordinates: "Follow me."

The ones called didn't understand why, but their boss had spoken—they had no choice. They exchanged glances and followed him toward the perimeter of cops.

As they walked, the leader didn't look back: "You'll be inconvenienced for a few days, but the Chairman and I won't let you down."

With him speaking like that and heading toward the cops, the meaning was obvious.

When they reached the police, the leader didn't care who was in charge—he just blurted: "These ten men provoked trouble. Do whatever you want with them."

After speaking, regardless of their reaction, the leader patted the nearest person on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement, turned around to call out to the hundreds of World Alliance members, and they all swarmed away.

The resistance alliance members, seeing everyone leave, smirked in victory. They glanced contemptuously at the ten men standing before the cops, chatted and laughed, and dispersed.

The cops looked at each other, then at the ten men, and sighed. They holstered their guns, loaded the suspects into vehicles, and packed up. Today, they'd apprehended a group of troublemakers disturbing public order—contributing to South Korea's stability.

Park Jung-ui hung up the phone, mimicking Wang Yan's posture—legs crossed, leaning back on the sofa like a boss. He'd only ever seen one real boss: Wang Yan.

This mess had backfired, putting him on the defensive. Though the World Alliance would eventually draw attention, the difference between now and later was obvious.

He wasn't stupid. Put himself in Wang Yan's shoes—he knew Wang Yan would find out. From brief contact, he'd learned the boss's style: results mattered, nothing else. Whether he reported it or not made no difference. He had only one choice: fix it.

If he fixed it well, he wouldn't just recover lost points—he'd earn extra.

If he failed… like the first time he killed someone—he stabbed him eight times, each blow avoiding vital organs. He remembered the screams. The final slash across the throat, the warm blood spraying onto his face—he remembered. The victim's final expression—madness, regret, release—he remembered…

Park Jung-ui shook his head violently, stopping his wandering thoughts. He lit a cigarette, drew a deep drag, exhaled slowly, and planned his next move.

That night, the three gang leaders who had shouted loudest against the World Alliance vanished with their entire families.

The next night, the World Alliance didn't send anyone out to fight with blades. Instead, they politely visited in small groups to negotiate. It went smoothly—no bad incidents, and they successfully absorbed a bunch of minor bosses.

As for the vanished ones? Nobody cared. Everyone knew the World Alliance did it—but no one had proof.

With this strong start, their territorial expansion accelerated. Aside from the three major syndicates, who didn't want the World Alliance to grow and steal their market, and who kept bumping into them occasionally, there was little serious resistance. The three major factions in Fushan were already inadequate. They'd failed to crush the World Alliance the first time in Gijang County—there'd be no second chance.

According to the Fushan City Police Department's assessment: the World Alliance was now the fourth-largest gang after the Hu Pai, Diri Sect, and Beidamen Sect.

They'd already labeled the World Alliance a dangerous organization that must be destroyed before it grew too strong. But as they gathered more intelligence, they found it harder and harder to act.

Fushan Town Police Station, conference room.

The station chief and his team were in a meeting, primarily discussing the World Alliance.

"The World Alliance has a complete organizational structure and clear promotion channels…"

One officer read aloud from the dossier on the World Alliance.

After listening, the chief scanned the room: "The higher-ups say the World Alliance will be South Korea's fourth-largest gang. We cannot tolerate this kind of tumor. What are your thoughts?"

A section chief sitting beside the chief spoke: "I think we should focus primarily on Park Jung-ui and the shadow operator, Wang Yan."

The chief nodded. Though it was nonsense, the attitude was good—the station needed people like him.

Where there were sycophants, there were also capable men. The chief turned to another section chief: "Section Chief Jin, what's your view?"

Section Chief Jin nodded: "I agree with Section Chief Cui. As Officer Han just mentioned, Park Jung-ui is only the public chairman—the real boss is Wang Yan. But our intelligence is limited. Do we have any more details, Officer Han?"

Officer Han stood respectfully: "These are all we have. I gathered them through an old informant—a Chinese man who appeared in Gijang County over a month ago. He used his superior martial strength to seize control of an entertainment street's businesses, absorbed their operators, and built the World Alliance from there. He once declared: 'Anyone who betrays me, I kill their whole family.' Based on current info, Wang Yan is likely an illegal immigrant. For more details, we need information from China and deeper investigations here."

The chief frowned: "Who issued his household registration?"

"The Gijang County police chief issued it personally."

"I see. Continue, Section Chief Jin."

They were all chiefs—maybe he was half a rank higher, but they all knew each other's secrets. This wasn't unusual. Everyone played dirty, fought for advantage—whoever had the better tactics won. He wouldn't even believe himself if he claimed he was clean.

Section Chief Jin thought for a moment: "We currently have no good options. Targeting the World Alliance's businesses won't help—it'll just alert them."

The World Association ran gangs: prostitution, gambling, protection rackets, loan sharking, entertainment venues—all trivial to them, with no formal paper trails. They knew how many such operations existed. Call it a gang, run it, arrest someone—it's useless. There are always people happy to take the fall. Light, routine sweeps are fine, but if they keep disrupting business, what the hell do they think they're doing?

They already have two thousand men—and it'll only grow. How many lives do we cops have to waste? Unless we can pin the crime on Park Jung-ui and the shadow boss, Wang Yan, everything we do is pointless.

This is the new century. Cops can't act on suspicion alone. We need evidence—ironclad proof, especially against Wang Yan.

Others nodded in agreement. They'd seen colleagues who'd blindly shown off, only to be destroyed by gangs—family ruined, lives shattered. Strategy before action.

Seeing the reaction, Section Chief Jin continued: "So I suggest we prepare two fronts."

"Go on," the chief prompted.

"First, investigate the recent disappearances of those gang leaders and the missing persons cases in Gijang County. Second, plant an undercover agent." Section Chief Jin said: "Chasing the earlier disappearances is unlikely—we all know they did it, yet they're still brazen. They've surely cleaned everything up…"

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Section Chief Choi seized the opportunity, while the man surnamed Jin caught his breath, nodding earnestly: "Section Chief Jin's analysis is correct—it's nearly identical to my own. Undercover agents must climb from the bottom up, which is slow, but for a group like Gao Su that's expanding rapidly yet can't be dismantled quickly, undercover work is the best approach."

He stopped there. The key information had been spoken by him, and the burden of action now rested with him—it was no longer his to demand, but up to his superiors to grant.

The Director nodded with satisfaction and smiled: "I trust your professional abilities completely—this analysis was clear and precise. With Gao Su expanding so quickly and proving so difficult to handle, I think the two of you working together will uncover multiple avenues of breakthrough. Report any developments to me immediately. What do you think?"

When the boss spoke, what could the two of them say? They both sat up straight and respectfully replied, "Yes, sir."

The Director chuckled: "Good, then it's settled. I'm counting on your good news. Meeting adjourned."

Watching the Director leave, the two Section Chiefs exchanged glances—both dismissive.

They said "work together," but it was really each doing their own thing. Besides, both had recently heard rumors—the Director was about to be promoted. We're all Section Chiefs; why are you so eager?

In truth, sometimes people really are just overly eager…

Park Jeong-yeol didn't know about this matter, but on the third day he learned the police had come to investigate the disappearance of the first batch of big bosses. He understood perfectly well what a covert investigation meant.

Though he was confident he'd cleaned everything up, now that the police were watching him, he still had to inform his boss.

After hesitating for a long while, Park Jeong-yeol exhaled deeply. Whether he died now or later, death was inevitable—he gritted his teeth and dialed Wang Yan's number.

"Speak."

Hearing the calm, emotionless voice on the other end, Park Jeong-yeol instinctively stood at attention and bowed: "Boss, good. We've been spotted by the police. Today… today I received word that police have come to investigate the disappearances of those we handled."

He was afraid—not because he feared arrest, which meant nothing to him—but because he feared his boss killing him.

"Was everything cleaned up?"

"Boss, rest assured—absolutely no issues."

"Continue with the original plan. Also, they may send undercover agents—stay alert. That's all."

"Yes, Boss."

After hanging up, Park Jeong-yeol wiped the cold sweat from his forehead—he'd escaped death…

This small matter wasn't worth Wang Yan's full attention. Finding someone obedient isn't easy; this little Korean is acceptable. After all, his skills were never great—he just needs more time to grow. We'll see later.

Given Gao Su's growth rate, being watched was inevitable. Wang Yan didn't care—just keep an eye on it.

Now is the perfect time for Gao Su's expansion: the three strongest gangs have merged, yet they're surviving through struggle, outwardly united but inwardly divided. The three major gangs have just merged; moving toward legitimacy is no simple process, and they currently lack the energy to pay attention to this region. Their influence in Fushan is negligible—capable only of minor annoyances. If Wang Yan hadn't wanted to see if he could absorb Jinmen Group and play them against each other, he'd have wiped out this bunch of little Koreans long ago.

Gao Su can proceed methodically: digest personnel, territory, and industries while continuing to nibble southward. In time, Fushan will be entirely under Gao Su's control.

Seohai Group hasn't yet fully recruited its staff—it will take more time. Wang Yan has been writing development documentation; once personnel arrive, they'll start immediately. He plans to launch a messaging app first. At the very least, he'll seize the Asian market outside China, then test the waters in Europe and America. When smartphones become widespread, launching other products later will be far easier—he'll ride the wave to success.

Why exclude the domestic market? Because Tencent has already gone public in Hong Kong, with over 300 million registered users in China. What would he gain by joining the money-burning game? He'd rather use that capital to buy shares in several local game companies—or at least secure the China distribution rights, layer two shells, and funnel profits back into China to partner with Tencent. Any profit he makes this way beats burning cash fighting Tencent.

The logistics side is also building its structure and recruiting staff. For entry-level workers, he'll first recruit family members from within Gao Su to bind their loyalty, then hire externally.

………

Nearly four months passed in the blink of an eye.

Across all of Fushan, except for the few territories still held by the three major gangs, the rest is now fully controlled by Gao Su.

After this period of growth, Gao Su now has nearly five thousand subordinates. Having seized Fushan, these men—of uneven quality—had become a liability, prompting a sweeping selection process.

Of the five thousand, only one thousand would remain; they would join Gao Su Group's security company. The rest would be assigned to various entertainment venues to run traditional businesses.

Originally, Wang Yan had planned to bring them all into Seohai Security, but he changed his mind. He wanted to keep Seohai Group clean—even if everyone knew Seohai Group and Gao Su Group were one and the same, at least they wouldn't appear to be colluding. He didn't need much—just enough to fool the public. This also served the interests of future political allies.

Thus, Gao Su established a new corporation, and Seohai Security's staff were transferred over—each one, at minimum, promoted to Third-Class Team Leader. This not only separated the two entities but strengthened his control over Gao Su—perfect.