Chapter 18: Eighty Percent Is Probably Bad

After receiving the message that Wang Yan wanted to see him, Chen Yongren felt deeply uneasy, not knowing what Wang Yan wanted with him.

Arriving at the top-floor office of Long Teng Headquarters, he knocked on the door, heard Wang Yan's voice inside, took a deep breath, and opened the door to step in.

Seeing Chen Yongren walk in, Wang Yan honestly wanted to gun him down.

I didn't come here to fucking babysit your emotions. Wang Yan had spent so long cultivating calmness he nearly broke his cultivation.

Wang Yan stared coldly into Chen Yongren's eyes, saying nothing.

Chen Yongren felt as if he'd been locked onto by a beast—the air turned thick as syrup, his breathing grew labored, his body trembled, sweat drenched his forehead.

This was the absolute intimidation of a top-tier power, a billionaire boss of Long Teng, over the lowly—a overwhelming aura of life-and-death control, of absolute dominion. Chen Yongren could not bear it; it was like a tiger facing a white rabbit, and Wang Yan was just as much a meat-eater.

After a long silence, Wang Yan spoke: "You're an undercover agent."

Hearing this, Chen Yongren's heart lurched—he nearly collapsed to the floor. His lips trembled, trying to explain something.

Wang Yan didn't want to hear his bullshit: "So why did you come?"

"I know you infiltrated the Ni family because you despise your origins, maybe partly to retaliate against Ni Kun for abandoning you and your mother. I understand—all of it, human nature."

"But I don't understand why you infiltrated Long Teng."

"Was it because Huang Zhicheng tricked you into believing in some ridiculous sense of justice?"

"Or did you just get tired of living and want to be a snack for the sea creatures?"

"Tell me why."

Wang Yan stared fixedly at Chen Yongren, who looked as if struck by lightning.

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Chen Yongren collapsed onto the floor, staring blankly at Wang Yan. He no longer wanted to speak—he believed Wang Yan, knowing he was an undercover, would surely destroy him, and talking more would be useless.

Seeing Chen Yongren like this, Wang Yan knew he'd been terrified. How many people truly see through death when faced with it? Why had Wang Yan stayed hidden for so long, not even properly exploring Hong Kong Island in four years? Wasn't it because he was afraid of dying?

Wang Yan said: "Don't act like you're already dead—I won't kill you."

Hearing Wang Yan say he wouldn't kill him, Chen Yongren's eyes regained their luster, looking at Wang Yan in confusion.

"Why won't you kill me, Brother Yan?"

Wang Yan said, somewhat awkwardly: "I don't want to kill someone without brains."

"Now that Long Teng is a big target, I understand why you came to gather criminal evidence."

"But don't you use your head? Can Long Teng be toppled so easily? Forget other things—don't you know how many people Long Teng supports? If Long Teng falls, what do you think will happen to those unemployed people? Are you going to feed them?"

"How many undercover agents are in Long Teng? I've already uncovered dozens. Dozens, you idiot."

"There are agents from the foreigners, from the mainland, and people like you—sent by your superiors to earn merit."

"Without some merit, how could you go back? Wanting to earn merit—that's a dream from another lifetime."

"Even if you find evidence and gain some credit, I bet you won't live past the next day. If you somehow survive, honestly, I'll turn myself in myself—no need for you to report me."

"Either way, you die, Huang Zhicheng gets the credit."

Hearing this, Chen Yongren thought carefully—Wang Yan was right.

No matter what, Long Teng supported so many people, paid so much tax, cleansed Hong Kong Island, maintained public order, and cracked down hard on drugs. To be blunt, it was more police-like than the police—even in some areas, Long Teng had more public trust than the government.

Previously, perhaps because he was too close to the situation, he'd thought of these things but never taken them seriously. Now, hearing them from a powerful figure like Wang Yan, he instantly understood—everything, even what Wang Yan hadn't said.

Just like how his identity as Ni Kun's illegitimate son disqualified him from becoming a cop, Huang Zhicheng—a senior inspector—wasn't even sure he could fix this.

Seeing Chen Yongren understood, Wang Yan said: "Enough wasting time—I'm busy."

"Out of respect for our time in prison together, I'll help you."

"Do you want to become a cop, or take a sum of money and live quietly?"

Wang Yan's words confused Chen Yongren—he wouldn't be foolish enough to believe them. How could a man like Wang Yan care about a nobody like him, let alone for such a ridiculous reason?

Wang Yan didn't know Chen Yongren's thoughts, but he could guess them roughly—there's no such thing as free pies falling from the sky, right?

But in fact, this truly was the pie Wang Yan was offering. Wang Yan couldn't possibly say, "I have a system that received your wish task and told me to help you"—that would be insane.

Wang Yan was getting angry looking at Chen Yongren. Though in the real world he was a nobody, after experiencing two worlds, his mindset had changed completely. Had he not been cultivating calmness, he'd have floated so high he'd forgotten his own name. Considering his current status and position, acting as a babysitter for an undercover who'd clearly lost his mind felt like a personal insult to Wang Yan.

Honestly, if not for the mission, Wang Yan would've gunned him down already—he'd reverse his surname if he didn't.

Chen Yongren sat there thinking for a long time, finally coming to his senses.

No matter what Wang Yan wanted, his current status clearly made it pointless to scheme against someone like Chen Yongren. First, grab every possible benefit offered—deal with the rest later.

Chen Yongren looked up at Wang Yan and said: "Thank you, Brother Yan. I want to become a cop."

Wang Yan wasn't surprised by Chen Yongren's choice. After all, it was a childhood dream—now right before him, he'd have to seize it.

"Alright, I understand. Go back and wait for news."

Though he knew it was useless, Wang Yan still said one more thing.

"Live well from now on. Think about this—what would your fate be without Long Teng?"

Wang Yan had a bad feeling—this was going to be tough. He was planting a seed in Chen Yongren's mind; if one day Chen Yongren remembered these words, compared them to his own life, and had a moment of realization, then everything would be perfect.

Chen Yongren didn't understand why Wang Yan said such strange things—maybe he wanted him to remember Wang Yan's kindness? He discarded this immature thought—who was he, anyway, to deserve Wang Yan's favor?

He stopped worrying about Wang Yan's odd words, sincerely thanked him, and turned to leave.

After leaving Long Teng Tower, Chen Yongren called Huang Zhicheng: "I'm exposed. Wang Yan didn't kill me."

Huang Zhicheng asked: "What happened?"

Chen Yongren explained what had just occurred—he wanted to see Huang Zhicheng's reaction.

After listening to Chen Yongren's account, Huang Zhicheng fell silent, thinking where else he could place him undercover.

All organized gangs and drug cartels in Hong Kong Island had been crushed by Long Teng—he couldn't think of any other place to send Chen Yongren. He could only say: "Alright, I understand. Let's meet up soon—you tell me everything in detail."

Chen Yongren said "okay," hung up, and felt deeply disappointed—Huang Zhicheng's silence had said everything.

Indeed, when they met, Huang Zhicheng spouted a pile of soothing nonsense but gave no clear indication that Chen Yongren would return to the police force.

Regardless of Chen Yongren's fate, after he left, Wang Yan immediately called a senior foreign officer in the police force.

He ordered him to assign Chen Yongren as a inspector and transfer Huang Zhicheng to an administrative post.

Because of Wang Yan, Ni Yongxiao had not yet uncovered the truth behind his father's murder, which indirectly saved Huang Zhicheng. Yet you show no gratitude—you brought Chen Yongren here to cause trouble and sabotage Wang Yan's mission.

Wang Yan naturally applied subtle tactics; he didn't kill him—that would be meaningless. Moving him to a dead-end post was what would truly make Huang Zhicheng suffer.

At this time, you shouldn't seek someone friendly with the mainland—it might cause misunderstandings, making people think Wang Yan is inserting his own people into the police force with some hidden agenda.

Go straight to the foreign devils. Getting them to Hong Kong requires resources to arrange, and with only three years left before the handover, whether they can hold on depends entirely on these few years. For a major client like Wang Yan, they're happy to deal—take the money, do the job, easy and hassle-free.

As for Chen Yongren's background, Wang Yan had arranged a complete, clear chain from top to bottom.

Not long after, through the foreign devils' maneuvering, Chen Yongren received notice to report to the police station. Chen Yongren had earned some merit as an undercover agent, and with Wang Yan's help, he was assigned as a probationary inspector in Tsim Sha Tsui. This probationary inspector role was merely symbolic—he'd be confirmed as a full inspector within half a year.

Huang Zhicheng fared badly. Originally, they planned to promote him to Senior Superintendent as a disguised demotion, but his seniority was insufficient for promotion, and Wang Yan wouldn't spend money to elevate such a minor player. In the end, Huang Zhicheng was transferred from Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station to headquarters for logistics management. Wang Yan had no shame—he plainly told him: I'm targeting you.

After learning it was Wang Yan who targeted him, Huang Zhicheng's heart turned to ash. As long as Wang Yan stood, he'd spend the rest of his career in logistics—his just deserts.

Hearing of Huang Zhicheng's fate, Chen Yongren had no time to care—he strutted around in his uniform, delighting in his newfound joy.

Wang Yan had done everything he could, yet still received no system notification that the mission was complete. He'd mostly given up—day by day, he waited for when he could return, since the system offered no return option.

The main issue was that Wang Yan had gone too far—he eliminated all subsequent plotlines. Chen Yongren's experiences still weren't enough, just short of the mark. Wang Yan had even held back—if he hadn't, as soon as Chen Yongren got out of prison, he'd have killed every key character.

As for Han Shen's undercover agents—they were minor players. Wang Yan had no interest in knowing how many there were or who they were. As long as they didn't interfere, he didn't care.

Seeing no hope of completing the mission, Wang Yan finally let loose.

Since earlier stability had been only superficial and far from sufficient, Long Teng must continuously deepen and strengthen its control over Hong Kong and intensify crackdowns on drug traffickers.

At the same time, Long Teng expanded massively, recruiting more triad members. There was no choice—these people needed strict control, or chaos would follow.

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed. Hong Kong was utterly under Long Teng's control.

Now, when Hong Kong citizens walked the streets, no one harassed them, stole from them, or even fought in public. Long Teng had truly extended its tentacles to every corner of Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Long Teng Technologies kept delivering good news. Three months ago, DVD technology was developed; now it was already in production and on the market. Their partners were still Wang Yan's good brothers spread across the world—working with them was effortless: just collect the money, no worries.

Mobile phone R&D was nearly complete and would soon enter production. This timeline was months faster than other major manufacturers—enough for Long Teng to make a fortune, since people always remember the first.

Domestic development of Long Teng's various industries spoke for itself—Wang Yan focused entirely on high-end industries, driving regional growth and employment.

To the surprise of Long Teng's subordinates, Long Teng's housing project in the New Territories was finally completed. These units were not for public sale—there simply weren't enough internal staff to fill them.

More people than housing, so Long Teng held a lottery. No matter your status, everyone had equal opportunity—absolutely no backroom deals. Moreover, Long Teng had its own Long Teng Bank, offering low-interest loans directly to its employees. Wang Yan treated his subordinates with absolute generosity.

Long Teng had been growing continuously, expanding its workforce. To fulfill its earlier promises, it kept acquiring land across Hong Kong for large-scale development. Long Teng staff waited to buy their own company-built homes and wouldn't touch other developers' properties—Hong Kong's housing prices had been driven down by Long Teng.

Vast tracts of land in the New Territories and Kowloon remained undeveloped; Hong Kong's high housing prices were artificially inflated by developers. Now, with Wang Yan's actions, he had angered a group of Hong Kong real estate tycoons led by the richest man.

These real estate tycoons hated Wang Yan with a vengeance, yet they were utterly powerless against him.

Previously, they could use Hong Kong's triads to do their dirty work, but now all triads in Hong Kong had been wiped out by Long Teng—no one dared act as their lackeys anymore. Even if they paid, no one would take the job—Long Teng's intimidation was too strong. They dared not hire assassins to kill Wang Yan; they were men of high standing, and they knew what it meant if Wang Yan fell.

Their connections with Hong Kong government officials were useless. Long Teng could directly influence hundreds of thousands—these were votes, precious political resources. They scrambled to curry favor, let alone dare offend Wang Yan for the tycoons' sake.

As for appealing to the mainland—that was unthinkable. The mainland was more than satisfied with Wang Yan; every action since Long Teng's founding had aligned perfectly with socialist characteristics.

Just consider drug control: Wang Yan had nearly eradicated Hong Kong's drug trafficking syndicates. Combined with his reward system for tips, the results were extraordinary.

Of course, due to Long Teng's fierce anti-drug campaign, consumers in Hong Kong found it increasingly difficult to buy drugs, and prices soared. With such massive profits, there would always be people willing to risk their lives for money—this was unavoidable. Long Teng had achieved a level of control comparable to the mainland's.

Once Hong Kong consumers could no longer afford such prices, they crossed the sea to Aomen or Taiwan. These were people who'd risk everything for a single hit—both places descended into chaos, with crime rates skyrocketing.

With consumers flooding into these two regions, major suppliers and distributors began aggressively dumping goods there. Major cases surged, further worsening the difficulty of maintaining public order.

Wang Yan's neighborhood office system could also serve as police stations or public service centers on the mainland.

Coupled with Wang Yan's massive investments and charitable donations across the mainland, the mainland's support for him was unquestionable. This was precisely why the mainland continuously backed Long Teng—and why Wang Yan had survived this long.

As for those tycoons, they distrusted the mainland and only kept shifting their assets abroad.

They were helpless against Long Teng—no options at all. Unable to watch their wealth drain away, they kept moving it overseas, far from Long Teng. Wang Yan simply watched, waiting until most of it had been transferred, then sent elite personnel to coordinate with his good brothers to kidnap them for ransom.

After all, you can't go too far in Hong Kong. With Long Teng's dominance, Hong Kong truly deserved the title of the world's safest city—even terrorists dared not provoke it. They understood better than anyone how terrifying Long Teng's power was: defy Long Teng, and there would be no place left for them on Earth.

If Wang Yan kidnapped them in Hong Kong, everyone would know it was him. That would damage his reputation—far better to do it abroad.

Now, Long Teng's growth had hit a bottleneck—it could only expand outward. Already, many of Long Teng's people had begun entering Aomen and Taiwan.

Long Teng didn't care how local triads reacted. It simply advanced steadily, step by step. When someone blocked its path—or dared to challenge it directly—it would crush them without mercy.

Aomen and Taiwan had long been on Long Teng's menu. The wise would submit to Long Teng; the foolish—who still think they can survive in this world—should just become food for the sea creatures.