Chapter 133

Because this time it was not a car accident, but the disappearance of whole families, and the time was at night, the people in the Golden Gate Group did not discover his disappearance until the normal working hours of the next day, when they saw that Zhang Xiuji, who used to laugh and chat, did not come.

Subsequently, after some investigation, this was a big deal. Zhang Xiuji's whole family was gone; not only that, but two other veterans were in the same situation, neither seen alive nor dead.

Knowing that things were not good, the lackeys who discovered something was wrong hurriedly reported to Ding Qing and Li Zhongjiu.

The two of them instantly understood the current situation; if one thing went wrong, the Golden Gate Group would collapse directly. After all, anyone with eyes knew that Zhang Xiuji was just a mascot placed on the table for balance, and the future big brother was to be decided between the two of them.

A mascot is not so easy to be, nor can anyone who wants to be one be one; status, standing, qualifications, and other conditions must all be sufficient. There were quite a few veterans in the Golden Gate Group, but if you really wanted to say who was qualified to be a mascot, it was just Zhang Xiuji alone. There was one before, but that was the subordinate of the former big brother of the In-Tiger faction, who had long been killed by Wang Yan.

As for the others, even if Ding Qing and Li Zhongjiu supported them together, the lackeys below and the other veterans would not be convinced. After all, being able to be a mascot is also a proof of strength, isn't it? Everyone's level is about the same, and no one is higher than anyone else. As long as they are not fools, they will not put themselves in a position that is a target for everyone and basically has little profit.

Therefore, now a chairman must be elected. The two people currently recognized as qualified are Ding Qing and Li Zhongjiu.

Externally, there is still a strong Heaven Alliance eyeing them covetously, and now internally, another power struggle is about to be set off.

With internal troubles and external aggression, it is a true moment of life and death. So Ding Qing and Li Zhongjiu made a phone call, and after exchanging information, they decided to hold a high-level meeting to set out a charter.

Golden Gate Group headquarters building, top floor large conference room.

A veteran acting as a stooge served as the host: "I believe everyone knows the reason for this emergency meeting; last night, Director Zhang Xiuji and two other veterans collectively disappeared. Who did it, I don't need to say, everyone knows."

How Zhang Xiuji and the other two veterans disappeared is not the main problem, and no one cares about their life or death. Besides, they shout every day about fighting the Heaven Alliance; regardless of whether Zhang Xiuji is dead or not, they have to fight. This is not the subjective reason of any one person, but the common interest of the entire Golden Gate Group; it is business, it is money.

"Regardless of anything, it is not very good if the selection of the new chairman drags on for too long. I think we should still make a decision as quickly as possible; I don't know what everyone's opinion is?"

After speaking, the stooge veteran looked around, signaling for everyone to speak freely.

"That is exactly it; no matter what organization it is, if the leader's position is empty, the organization has no soul. It has no power."

"Now is the critical moment of the battle with the Heaven Alliance; if we cannot make a decision quickly, then without a good leader, our power cannot be exerted. If this continues, our territory will be compressed step by step, and the business under the group will also suffer losses."

"Yes, that's right, the position of chairman cannot be left empty."

"It just so happens that Wang Yan is injured and hospitalized, without much energy, so we can take this opportunity to elect the chairman."

"Sibal, he injured his leg, not his brain... I favor determining the chairman candidate as soon as possible."

Below, it was a chaotic mess, and the central idea was one thing: it must be elected, and it must be elected quickly.

The stooge veteran pressed his hands down, and after the scene quieted down, he said: "Everyone's opinions are relatively consistent, so there is no need to drag it out. Let's just make a decision at the temporary board meeting next week, how about that?"

Hearing this, the others buzzed and whispered for a while, and finally, their eyes all converged on Ding Qing and Li Zhongjiu.

After everyone quieted down, Ding Qing looked left and right: "My opinion is consistent with everyone's; what do you think?"

As he spoke, Ding Qing looked at Li Zhongjiu, who was sitting opposite him, and the others' gazes also focused over.

"What do I have to oppose?" Li Zhongjiu stared at Ding Qing: "Leaving the group chairman position empty for too long benefits no one, and it benefits the group even less."

The stooge veteran waited for a while, and seeing no one speak, he cleared his throat and said: "Good, since everyone is not speaking, that means you agree. Then it will be at the temporary board meeting next week."

"If the discussion is about done, then I will take my leave first." Li Zhongjiu stood up and looked at Ding Qing: "My business is a bit busy."

"Hey, everyone is here today, let's have a meal together?"

Now with internal troubles and external aggression, if the internal struggle is too intense, it will only benefit the Heaven Alliance. So Ding Qing still wanted to sit down and have a good chat, striving to resolve this matter peacefully. Even if he knew it was unlikely, he still had to try; doesn't everything have a "what if"?

"No need, our relationship hasn't reached the point where we can sit together to eat and drink." Li Zhongjiu looked at Ding Qing as if he were an idiot: "In this situation, can you still eat?"

Having his goodwill rejected, Ding Qing gave an awkward laugh: "Why say it so harshly? Everyone..."

Li Zhongjiu interrupted unceremoniously: "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first."

After speaking, he took his men and left directly, not even looking at how others were reacting.

He understood Ding Qing's meaning, but how could that be possible? He asked himself that his strength was not inferior to Ding Qing's, but his position in the group was indeed a notch lower, so the result would definitely be a group of people dragging their feet and making him bow his head. But if one can be the big brother, why be the second brother? So the two of them couldn't possibly resolve it peacefully; they had to fight it out.

Li Zhongjiu affected the atmosphere, so facing Ding Qing's invitation, everyone just said they were busy with affairs and would gather another day. If everyone went, no one would say they weren't eating, but now is a sensitive time, and everyone has different thoughts. If one were to form cliques and eat with Ding Qing, it would easily give people a feeling of taking sides.

The Golden Gate Group is a legitimate company operating in compliance with regulations; the veterans and other middle and high-level managers who are doing things all hold a certain amount of shares. So the key to the contention between Ding Qing and Li Zhongjiu lies in how they obtain the support of the majority.

Therefore, for the sake of their own happy lives, they certainly cannot easily take sides. Instead, they must wait until Ding Qing and Li Zhongjiu offer conditions, and then they will act according to the situation.

Ding Qing did not force it and dismissed the meeting directly, thinking he would contact them individually later.

In the underground garage of the Golden Gate Group building, a large group of people walked out of the elevator. Ding Qing looked at his watch, clapped his hands, and said: "Call the other brothers later; I'll treat everyone to a drink."

Everyone laughed and responded.

Li Zicheng frowned and said: "What time is it now? You still want to drink and eat? Shouldn't you be winning over other veterans and preparing forces to deal with Li Zhongjiu?"

Ding Qing smiled and put his arm around Li Zicheng's shoulder: "First, let's boost the brothers' morale; after all, the coming time won't be easy."

Since he had said so, what else could Li Zicheng say?

After waiting for the lackeys to drive over, the group got into the cars and set off for the restaurant.

Li Zicheng drank with Ding Qing and the others with a heavy heart, especially when he received a text message halfway through drinking, making his mood even worse.

As a friend of many years, Ding Qing keenly sensed Li Zicheng's abnormality, but he brushed it off. Coupled with the fact that the situation was indeed quite severe, he thought he was worried about their own lives, so Ding Qing didn't think much of it.

With the fire burning his eyebrows, it was impossible for Li Zicheng not to have a heavy heart.

What is the situation now? A power struggle between the two major gangs that make up the Golden Gate Group is about to take place. Either he dies with Ding Qing, or they kill Li Zhongjiu; there is no third possibility.

Want to be like Zhang Xiuji, hand over power, and then enjoy wealth and honor? It's simply impossible.

Zhang Xiuji's situation was special; the three major gangs had just merged, and it was fine for the In-Tiger faction and the North Gate faction to swallow the Imperial Sun faction, as that was Zhang Xiuji's lack of ability. But if Zhang Xiuji died, that would be killing the donkey after the millstone is used, and the hearts that had just been gathered would instantly scatter. And in the time that followed, Zhang Xiuji was relatively honest and didn't make any small moves, which was why he was able to live until yesterday.

But the situation is different for Ding Qing and Li Zhongjiu. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot hold two tigers; they are both big brothers of their respective gangs, and they have influence and control over their subordinates. No matter who is the winner, they don't have the heart to let such a person live and look for trouble for themselves. So as the second brother of the North Gate faction, he now shares honor and disgrace with Ding Qing.

So as an undercover policeman, in seven days, or maybe even less than seven days, if he wins, he is the second brother of the Golden Gate Group; if he loses, he is a missing person.

But he doesn't want to be the second brother, and even less does he want to be a missing person; he just wants to be a policeman steadily. Of course, this is also based on his status as an undercover agent.

After so many years, to say he has no thoughts about Captain Jiang would be pure nonsense.

No matter what, he is also a second brother of a faction. Captain Jiang keeps ordering him around, threatening him with the fact that he is a policeman at every turn. Not only that, but he also keeps fooling him, saying "after finishing this, you'll return to the team," "after finishing that, you'll return to the team." He's about to return to the position of second brother of the Golden Gate Group, the largest violent organization in South Korea composed of three major gangs, and he still hasn't returned; no matter who it is, they couldn't stand this grievance.

When he really felt too much pressure, he would think, if it weren't for Captain Jiang and the others holding the solid evidence that he is a policeman, he might really have killed those few old turtles and just completely mixed with the underworld, which would have been unrestrained and free. At least that way, it would be much better than being suspected and threatened by his own people for no reason.

So after finishing the meal, and forcibly discussing with Ding Qing, the lawyer Wu Liang, and other core members of the gang for a while, he drove wildly alone, once again arriving at that abandoned building complex, and pushed open that dilapidated, rusty iron gate.

Captain Jiang was biting on a cigarette, patiently using a small broken stick tied with a line to fish in that pool of muddy water that he didn't know if it had fish or not. Hearing the movement, he asked without turning his head: "No tail, right?"

"I circled around several times before coming over, no problem." Li Zicheng calmed his mood, stepped forward two steps, and asked: "You must have received the news about the situation long ago; Zhang Xiuji is dead, and the new chairman will be elected at the temporary board meeting next week. Can we close the net? I have submitted the information on the illegal operations of Ding Qing, Li Zicheng, and some of the Golden Gate Group over the past two years."

Captain Jiang knew what Li Zicheng was thinking, turned his head, and stared at him: "Things did not develop as we imagined, and some changes have been made to the original plan, so..."

Li Zicheng stared coldly at Captain Jiang: "So the 'last time' you mentioned last time was a fart?"

"Hey, kid, is that how you talk to your superior? Huh? After mixing with gangs for more than ten years, have you really become a hoodlum?" After speaking, he stopped looking at him and went back to fishing on his own.

Clenching his fists tightly, Li Zicheng really had the intention to kill Captain Jiang now; he took a long breath to control himself: "Say it, what do you want me to do this time?"

On the other side that Li Zicheng couldn't see, the corners of Captain Jiang's mouth rose slightly, followed by a long sigh: "According to the original plan, after the Heaven Alliance and the Golden Gate Group finished fighting, you would be about ready to return to the team. It's a pity, Wang Yan went crazy and killed Zhang Xiuji, and we had to change the plan."

"Now our plan is..." Captain Jiang stared fixedly at Li Zhongjiu's eyes: "To help you become the next chairman of the Golden Gate Group."

In fact, their previous plan was the "New World" in the original drama. Let Li Zicheng pave the way for Zhang Xiuji, and they would control Zhang Xiuji to control the Golden Gate Group. As a result, Wang Yan killed Zhang Xiuji. Now, the undercover agent they have with the highest status in the Golden Gate Group is Li Zicheng; there is no other choice, and if they want to achieve the same goal, they can only do this.

And Captain Jiang had led Li Zicheng for so many years; didn't he know what kind of person Li Zicheng was? He knew. This was also why they sacrificed Li Zicheng to support Zhang Xiuji. Although Captain Jiang should bear the main responsibility for Li Zicheng becoming what he is today, how could he admit it?

The evidence that Li Zicheng is a policeman is in their hands; isn't that just letting them knead him flat or round?

Hearing this, Li Zicheng was stunned; he didn't expect their ambition to be so great, and then his mind turned rapidly.

Captain Jiang's meaning was that, if everything went smoothly, he would be the big brother of the Golden Gate Group. Then in this situation, they would definitely not say anything about taking down the Golden Gate Group; after all, everything was under control. That is to say, he would never be able to return to the police force in this life, and would be a dog for them for the rest of his life.

If it doesn't go smoothly, that means death, with no retreat at all, and the possibility of failure is still very high.

Li Zicheng understood; this was gambling with his life. Whether it succeeds or not depends on the operation, and even more on whether his life is hard enough.

"You are asking me to die."

Captain Jiang hummed with dissatisfaction: "What kind of talk is that? You haven't even done it yet, how do you know you will die?"

Li Zicheng's eyes were red, and he kicked away a broken plastic bottle by his feet: "I can't do it anymore, you change someone else, and please remember our agreement from back then."

"Can't do it?"

"Can't do it."

Captain Jiang didn't even look at him: "Fine, then don't do it. Go back and write a resignation letter and hand it to me. By then, just be your gang big brother properly. It's not easy to be a policeman, unlike you guys, drinking and eating meat and playing with girls every day, earning piles and piles of banknotes. This life, it's good..."

Li Zicheng felt aggrieved; he had been an undercover agent for so many years, and in the end, in Captain Jiang's mouth, it became this shitty look?

After nagging about the happy life of a gang big brother for a while, Captain Jiang lit another cigarette: "Hey, I suddenly remembered one thing. You say... if they knew you were originally a policeman, and had betrayed quite a few of their criminal evidence, what would they do..."

The red-eyed Li Zicheng grabbed Captain Jiang by the collar and lifted him up, questioning sternly: "What are you going to do? Huh? What exactly are you going to do?"

Captain Jiang had too much experience in handling Li Zicheng, staring faintly into his eyes: "Look at you now, how is it any different from a hoodlum? Huh? Why haven't you let go yet?"

Li Zicheng struggled internally for a while, knowing he had no other way, let go of Captain Jiang, and sat down powerlessly.

Captain Jiang flicked the ash unhurriedly, straightened the clothes that had been deformed by Li Zicheng, and then sat down: "Do you think it's easy for us? Huh? Once things are exposed, do you think I'll be any better off than you?"

"Think in a good direction, be optimistic. It will be over in a week; by then, there will be a result whether you live or die. You've come through so much, can't you even persist for a short week now?"

In the time it took for these two sentences, Li Zicheng had already calmed down a bit, too lazy to listen to Captain Jiang's hypocritical bullshit, and said: "What do you need me to do?"

He understood that since things had reached this point, there was no room for him to choose. If he didn't do it, he would die.

Captain Jiang smiled and patted Li Zicheng on the shoulder: "That's right, now everything is on you, including the lives of me and Section Chief Gao."

Then his expression straightened, and he continued: "Now, the chairman candidates of the Golden Gate Group, ranked by strength, are Ding Qing, Li Zhongjiu............"

Busan Hospital, night, Wang Yan, who had his subordinates push him out for a stroll, hung up the phone casually.

He already knew what those people in the Golden Gate Group were doing.

After the meeting, compared to Ding Qing's fake encouragement of his subordinates' morale, Li Zhongjiu was much more direct; he directly summoned the veterans who had supported him before, promised some benefits, and gave some warnings to prevent them from becoming double-agents. For this, he also got a group of people to protect the safety of these people.

Next, Li Zhongjiu made appointments with some neutral people to eat in the afternoon, still using the same set of coercion and inducement.

These people were slippery and did not express a clear stance, but Li Zhongjiu did not care, because they would see what the consequences of not cooperating were.

After eating at noon, Ding Qing handled some things, and in the evening, he made an appointment to drink with those who supported him. Amidst the clinking of glasses, conditions were negotiated, and they parted happily.

Ding Qing also knew that now was not like ordinary times, so he specially sent people to escort these people home.

Li Zhongjiu got the news and sent people to block them, thinking of inviting them over politely. He didn't want to kill them; he just wanted to call them over so everyone could communicate happily.

After a conflict, Li Zhongjiu only invited two people. And after the friendly conversation was over, he sent them home.

Those two people also just disappeared...

It is not in Wang Yan's interest for Ding Qing and Li Zhongjiu not to fight. After all, only when things are chaotic are there more opportunities for operation. So first, put a pot on Li Zhongjiu and see what the subsequent reaction is.

He knew Li Zicheng had met Captain Jiang, and he even knew exactly what was discussed.

With the intention to search, it was not difficult to find a dilapidated building complex. After confirming that there were no special arrangements around or inside, Wang Yan had people install wiretaps inside...