Chapter 18: Eighty Percent Likely to Be a Nightmare

After receiving the message that Wang Yan wanted to see him, Chen Yongren felt deeply uneasy, unsure of 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 stepped in.

Seeing Chen Yongren enter, Wang Yan honestly wanted to gun him down right then.

I didn’t come here to babysit your feelings, you fucking idiot. Wang Yan had spent so long cultivating calmness he nearly broke his discipline.

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

Chen Yongren felt as if a predator had locked onto him—the air turned thick, his breathing grew labored, his body trembled, sweat poured down his face.

This was the absolute dominance of Wang Yan, the boss of Long Teng, the billionaire, over the lowly—a terrifying aura of life-and-death control, absolute power. Chen Yongren couldn’t bear it, like a rabbit facing a tiger, and Wang Yan was every bit as hungry for meat.

After a long silence, Wang Yan spoke: “You’re an undercover agent.”

Hearing this, Chen Yongren’s heart lurched—he nearly collapsed. His lips trembled, trying to explain.

Wang Yan didn’t want to hear his bullshit: “So why did you come?”

“I know you infiltrated Ni’s family because you hated your origins, maybe partly to retaliate against Ni Kun for abandoning you and your mother. I understand—it’s human nature.”

“But why did you come undercover into Long Teng?”

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

“Or are you just tired of life 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 kill him, and talking wouldn’t change a thing.

Seeing Chen Yongren’s state, Wang Yan knew he was terrified. How many people truly face death without breaking? Why had Wang Yan stayed hidden for four years, never even properly exploring Hong Kong Island? Wasn’t it because he was afraid of dying?

Wang Yan said: “Don’t act like you’re already dead—I’m not killing you.”

Hearing Wang Yan say he wouldn’t kill him, Chen Yongren’s eyes regained their luster, confusedly staring at Wang Yan.

“Why not kill me, Brother Yan?”

Wang Yan said half-heartedly: “I don’t kill people without brains.”

“Right now, Long Teng is a big target. I understand you came to gather criminal evidence.”

“But do you ever think? Can Long Teng be toppled so easily? Don’t even mention other things—do you know how many people Long Teng supports? If Long Teng collapses, 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 earn some credit, I bet you won’t live past the next day. If you somehow survive, honestly, I’ll turn myself in before you even report me.”

“Either way, you die and Huang Zhicheng gets the credit.”

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

No matter what, Long Teng supports so many people, pays so much tax, cleans up Hong Kong Island, maintains order, and aggressively combats drugs. To be blunt, it’s more police-like than the police—even in some areas, Long Teng has more public trust than the government.

Before, perhaps he was too close to the situation to take it seriously. Now, hearing it from a figure like Wang Yan, he instantly understood—all of it, even the things Wang Yan didn’t say.

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 handle the situation.

Seeing Chen Yongren understood, Wang Yan said: “Enough wasting time—I’m busy.”

“Since we did time together, I’ll help you.”

“Do you want to become a cop, or take a lump sum 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? Especially for such a ridiculous reason.

Wang Yan didn’t know Chen Yongren’s thoughts, but he could guess them—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. He couldn’t just say, “I have a system that received your wish and told me to help you”—that would be insane.

Wang Yan was annoyed 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 off into arrogance long ago. Considering his current status and position, acting as a babysitter to a clueless undercover agent felt like an insult to him.

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 him. First, grab all the benefits he could, 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 it was right before him, he had to take it.

“Alright, I understand. Go back and wait for news.”

Even though he knew it was useless, Wang Yan still said:

“Live well from now on. Think about what your life would’ve been like without Long Teng.”

Wang Yan had a bad feeling—this was going to be tough. He’d planted a seed in Chen Yongren’s mind—if one day Chen Yongren remembered this and compared his life, he might have a sudden realization, and that would be perfect.

Chen Yongren didn’t understand why Wang Yan said such strange things—maybe he wanted him to remember his kindness? He discarded the immature thought—what was he, anyway? Did he 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, curious to see Huang Zhicheng’s reaction.

After listening, Huang Zhicheng fell silent, thinking where else he could send Chen Yongren undercover.

All organized gangs and drug rings in Hong Kong had been wiped out by Long Teng—he couldn’t think of any other place to place him. He could only say: “Alright, I understand. Let’s meet soon—you tell me everything in detail.”

Chen Yongren hung up, disappointed—Huang Zhicheng’s silence said it all.

Indeed, when they met, Huang Zhicheng spouted a bunch of soothing nonsense without ever clearly promising to reinstate Chen Yongren into 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 sergeant and transfer Huang Zhicheng to an administrative post.

Because of Wang Yan, Ni Yongxiao still hadn’t uncovered the truth behind his father’s murder—Wang Yan had saved Huang Zhicheng’s life. Yet you show no gratitude, instead sending Chen Yongren to cause trouble and sabotage my mission.

Wang Yan naturally had to make a move—not kill him, that’d be pointless. Moving him to a dead-end post was what would truly hurt Huang Zhicheng.

At this point, he shouldn’t contact someone friendly with the mainland—it’d cause misunderstandings, make them think Wang Yan was inserting people into the police force with ulterior motives.

Better to go straight to the foreigners—they came to Hong Kong at great cost, and with only three years left before the handover, they were desperate to break even. For a major client like Wang Yan, they were happy to cooperate—take the money, do the job, easy and quiet.

As for Chen Yongren’s background, Wang Yan arranged a full chain from top to bottom, perfectly clean.

In a few days, after the foreigners’ maneuvering, Chen Yongren received notice to report to the police station. He had earned some merit as an undercover agent, and with Wang Yan’s help, he was assigned as a probationary sergeant in Tsim Sha Tsui. The probationary status was just symbolic—he’d be promoted to full sergeant within half a year.

Huang Zhicheng was in bad shape. Originally, they planned to promote him to senior sergeant as a disguised demotion—but his seniority wasn’t enough, and Wang Yan wouldn’t waste money to promote a nobody. In the end, Huang Zhicheng was transferred from Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station to headquarters for logistics work. Wang Yan didn’t even bother hiding it—he plainly told him: “I’m targeting you.”

When Huang Zhicheng realized Wang Yan was behind this, his heart turned to ash. As long as Wang Yan stood, he’d spend the rest of his career in logistics—his own doing.

Hearing about Huang Zhicheng’s fate, Chen Yongren had no time to care—he strutted around in his uniform, delighted beyond measure.

Wang Yan had done everything he could—yet still received no system notification that the task was complete. He’d basically given up. One day at a time—he’d just wait to see when he could return, since the system offered no return option.

The main issue was Wang Yan had gone too far—he’d eliminated all remaining plotlines. Chen Yongren’s experiences still weren’t enough—he was missing something. Wang Yan had even held back; otherwise, right after prison, he’d have killed every key character.

As for the undercover agents Han Chen had planted—mere pawns. 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 task, Wang Yan finally let loose.

Previously, he’d only maintained surface stability—now he needed to deepen and strengthen Long Teng’s control over Hong Kong Island and intensify crackdowns on drug traffickers.

Simultaneously, Long Teng expanded massively, recruiting more gangsters. There was no choice—these people needed strict control.

Time flew—six months passed, and Hong Kong Island was completely 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 into 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. His partners? Wang Yan’s global network of “older brothers”—working with them was effortless: no worries, just collect money.

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

Long Teng’s various industries on the mainland were thriving naturally—Wang Yan focused on high-end sectors, driving regional development and employment.

To the delight of Long Teng’s men, the housing complex in the New Territories was finally completed. These units weren’t for sale—there weren’t enough members to fill them.

More people than homes—Long Teng held a lottery. No matter your status, everyone had equal chance—no backroom deals. Long Teng even had its own bank, offering low-interest loans directly to employees. Wang Yan treated his men better than anyone could expect.

Long Teng had been growing, expanding its workforce. To honor its promises, it kept acquiring land across Hong Kong for development. Long Teng members waited to buy their own homes, refusing to touch other developers—Hong Kong’s property prices dropped as a result.

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

These property tycoons hated Wang Yan to the core—but they couldn’t touch him.

Previously, they had used Hong Kong’s gangs to do their dirty work. Now, all gangs had been wiped out by Long Teng—not a single person dared become their foot soldiers. Even if they offered money, no one would take the job—Long Teng’s intimidation was too powerful. They also dared not hire assassins to kill Wang Yan—they were men of high status, and they knew exactly what would happen if Wang Yan were to fall.

Their connections with Hong Kong government officials were useless. Long Teng directly influenced hundreds of thousands—these were votes, precious political resources. They’d beg for favor, not dare offend Wang Yan.

As for appealing to the mainland? Forget it. The mainland was more than satisfied with Wang Yan—every action since founding Long Teng aligned perfectly with socialist principles.

Just consider drug eradication—Wang Yan had nearly wiped out every drug syndicate in Hong Kong. Combined with his reward system for tips, the results were spectacular.

Of course, due to Long Teng’s aggressive anti-drug campaign, consumers found it harder to buy drugs, and prices soared. With such massive profits, there would always be those willing to risk their lives. It was unavoidable—Long Teng had achieved a level comparable to the mainland’s.

Unable to afford these prices, Hong Kong consumers crossed the border to Macau or Taiwan. These people were addicts who’d risk anything for a fix—both places descended into chaos, crime rates skyrocketed.

With consumers flooding in, major suppliers and distributors began aggressively dumping drugs in both regions. Major cases surged, further worsening law enforcement challenges.

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

Combined with Wang Yan’s massive investments and charity work on the mainland, the mainland’s support for him was unwavering. This was precisely why the mainland continuously backed Long Teng—and why Wang Yan was still alive.

As for those tycoons, they didn’t trust the mainland—they only kept shifting assets abroad.

They were powerless against Long Teng—no options at all. They couldn’t watch their wealth vanish, so they kept moving it away, far from Long Teng. Wang Yan simply watched, waiting until enough had been transferred, then sent elite teams to coordinate with his “older brothers” to kidnap them for ransom.

After all, he couldn’t go too far in Hong Kong. With Long Teng’s control, Hong Kong truly deserved the title of “world’s safest city”—terrorists wouldn’t dare touch it. They understood better than anyone how terrifying Long Teng’s power was—crossing Long Teng meant no safe haven anywhere on earth.

If Wang Yan kidnapped them in Hong Kong, everyone would know it was him. That’d ruin his reputation—better to do it overseas.

Now, Long Teng’s growth had hit a bottleneck—it could only expand outward. Already, many Long Teng members had begun entering Macau and Taiwan.

Long Teng didn’t care how local gangs reacted—they’d steadily grow, and when anyone blocked their path or dared to challenge them, they’d crush them outright.

These two places have long been on Long Teng’s plate; those who are wise will ally with Long Teng, and those who aren’t have no business in this world—survival has always been about the strong preying on the weak, and those who can’t see that are just food for the sea creatures.