Chapter 36: Delete File

"Alright, I knew this day would come sooner or later," Chen Mo said, feigning ease. "When are you letting me go? Are you really keeping me here for 24 hours?"

"It's not your first time. Just wait! Wait for your lawyer to come tomorrow!"

"Fine, I'll stay the night then."

Huang Bingyao returned to his office, turned on the computer, and pulled up a top-secret file.

It was Chen Mo's undercover file, including his police academy experience and the merits he had earned over the years as an undercover.

Of course, apart from destroying Wei Jixiang's videotape factory recently, there were hardly any records of merit at all.

Looking at the photo of a clearly still very young Chen Mo, Huang Bingyao couldn't help but feel his eyes sting.

With complicated feelings, Huang Bingyao still hardened his heart and clicked the delete button.

He knew very well that Chen Mo was right — even if he returned to the police force, he would no longer be trusted by them.

For an undercover like Chen Mo who had been embedded for years, the best outcome would be a minor leadership post in some idle department, with essentially no room for advancement, and he would instead face retaliation from Triad Societies on the outside.

Completely erasing Chen Mo's police identity might truly be a good thing for him.

The next morning, Li Ying brought Chen Mo to a conference room, and also present was Hongle's Shen Deng.

"Li Sir, what are you bringing me here for?" Chen Mo asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, Li Sir, you put the two of us together — aren't you worried we'll start fighting?"

Shen Deng rubbed his somewhat red eyes; he looked exhausted.

He had also been brought in last night, but his constitution was far inferior to Chen Mo's, and sitting in an interrogation room all night was no easy task on the body.

"What for? To let you negotiate, that's what. What, you still want to keep fighting?"

"Li Sir, what kind of joke are you making? What's this 'negotiate'? I don't understand!"

"That's right, I don't know this gentleman at all — what is there to negotiate!"

Both Chen Mo and Shen Deng spoke without revealing the slightest flaw.

"Let me tell you, I came from an undercover background.

I know every trick in your Triad Societies inside out. I brought you here to work out a solution. I don't want to see any large-scale clashes in Wang Jiao. Do you understand?"

Chen Mo and Shen Deng exchanged a glance, then each turned their heads away.

Neither took Li Ying's words seriously at all — Chen Mo even started whistling.

No clashes? How was that possible?

Hongle had lost Ball Shoe Street — how could they not fight to take it back!

Shen Deng genuinely didn't want to fight, but it wasn't his call.

Chen Mo's appetite wasn't that small either.

Since Shen Deng's men had already joined the fight last night, of course they'd seize Laundry Street along the way too.

Seeing the two looking so indifferent, Li Ying slammed the door and left in anger.

"Li Ying, come here!"

Li Ying, who had just stepped out, was called into the office by Huang Bingyao.

"The people arrested last night already have lawyers here for bail. Let them post bail and they can go."

Huang Bingyao handed a stack of documents to Li Ying.

"Let Chen Mo and Shen Deng go too — there's no point holding them."

"But, Sir Huang..." Li Ying was about to say more, but Huang Bingyao cut him off directly.

"I know you want them to make peace. It's useless.

You've been undercover in a Triad Society — you should know they'll definitely fight until there's a winner.

They're all thugs anyway — one dead means one less. As long as they don't harm the citizens of Gangdao, that's fine."

Since Huang Bingyao had put it that way, Li Ying couldn't very well say anything more.

"Yes, Sir!" Li Ying saluted, took the documents, and left Huang Bingyao's office.

Li Ying handed the documents to his subordinates, then turned back to the conference room from earlier.

Chen Mo and Shen Deng were still sitting obediently in their respective seats, making no moves and saying nothing.

Neither of them was stupid — why would they say anything reckless in a police station conference room?

"Alright, someone's posted bail, you can leave right away. But!"

Li Ying stood at the conference table, both hands planted on the surface, eyes fixed dead on the two of them.

"You want to fight — fine. You want to grab territory — fine! But from now on, I set the rules of the game.

First, absolutely no harm to any ordinary citizen's property or personal safety!

Second, absolutely no firearms.

Third, before 1 a. m., I expect you both to behave. After 1 a. m., I don't care how badly you fight, but before 4 a. m., you must have it cleaned up!

I'm only saying this once. Nod if you understand."

Chen Mo and Shen Deng exchanged a glance and nodded in silence.

"Very good. Remember this — these three rules are all red lines.

If either of you dares to cross a red line, don't blame me for being ruthless.

When that happens, I'll raid your venues every single day — a full month of raids — and we'll see how you explain that to the bosses behind you.

I mean what I say. In my book, there are no winners — only whoever breaks the rules first dies first."

With that, Li Ying turned and walked out.

Before long, someone came to notify Chen Mo and Shen Deng that they could leave.

At the police station lobby, Gao Jin and Fei Ji had brought Gang Sheng over, and quite a few of the foot soldiers arrested last night had already been released, all waiting there for Chen Mo.

"Mo Ge!"

"Mo Ge!"

As soon as Chen Mo appeared, quite a few people immediately crowded over.

"What are you doing? This is a police station. No causing trouble here!"

A police officer shouted at the group.

"Don't worry, sir, we won't cause any trouble. We're leaving right now!" Chen Mo replied.

"Let's go. We'll talk when we get back."

After leaving the police station, Gang Sheng had even prepared pomelo leaves to cleanse Chen Mo of bad luck.

On the way back, Chen Mo put his arm around Gang Sheng and asked Gao Jin, "Brother Jin, how were the casualties among the brothers last night?"

"Eight dead, over forty injured."

Though Gao Jin, Da Tou, and Fei Ji had all fought fiercely last night and ultimately won, the disparity in numbers was an objective reality—casualties were unavoidable.

"Were the death benefits and medical expenses distributed?"

"Already distributed first thing this morning, including the bonuses."

Chen Mo did a rough calculation: after last night's battle, the death benefits, medical expenses, today's bail money, plus the bonuses for the foot soldiers—it came to nearly three million in total.

Money really didn't last.

Fortunately, Chen Mo still had plenty of money in his accounts, had seized a good amount of cash from Shensheng's turf last night, and the bar's profits over the past few days were quite substantial—otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to absorb the cost.

"Mo Ge, maybe you shouldn't stay in the Triad Society anymore. It's too dangerous."

Gang Sheng tightened his grip on Chen Mo's arm, his face full of worry.

"Don't talk nonsense, people will laugh at you! You think you can just leave the Triad Society whenever you want?"

Chen Mo shot Gang Sheng a glare.

"You're their big sister-in-law—you need to carry yourself like one. You've killed someone with your own hands. What's there to worry about!"

Chen Mo suddenly felt that his training of Gang Sheng back then hadn't been thorough enough. After spending a long time by Chen Mo's side, Gang Sheng had reverted to his original delicate-flower self.

Now, if he were to train Gang Sheng again, he couldn't quite bring himself to do it.

Never mind—let the delicate flower be a delicate flower. Worst case, he'd find a ruthless one later.