War of Money
Four childhood friends, hailing from a poor and remote village, enlisted in the army together in pursuit of their dreams. The eldest, Dacheng, sacrificed his life on the Laoshan front. The second, third, and fourth each gained admission to military academies. Not long after their graduation and assignments to various units, they transitioned to civilian life. Chi Zhaoming, who found employment at Dahe Television, became ensnared in the invisible war of online gambling following the World Cup in country D. Unable to extricate himself, he fell deeper into addiction, disregarding the earnest efforts of his family, friends, and colleagues to save him. His losses mounted until his entire fortune was gone, yet he remained stubbornly unrepentant. To fill the enormous void left by his gambling, he maxed out credit cards, borrowed from loan sharks, and eventually embezzled public funds, setting foot on a criminal path that led to a ten-year prison sentence. After his release, he donated a kidney to his wife for her transplant surgery. As the anesthesia coursed through his veins, he slipped into a strange and unfamiliar realm, where he met his childhood friend Dacheng once more. By candlelight, Dacheng and Chi Zhaoming spoke deep into the night. Dacheng revealed to him the story of his lost years—a tale unfolding in the city of desire, filled with the light and darkness of human nature, the beauty and ugliness of the soul, and the tangled web of love and hate.
War of Money
This story is purely fictional.
The alarm clock on the bedside rang incessantly. Wu Zhengzhe rubbed his eyes and, upon opening them, saw that it was already half past six in the morning.
Wu Zhengzhe, about fifty years old and standing over one meter eighty, wore his hair short. His skin was tanned, his face strikingly handsome yet cold, marked by a certain resolve, and his eyes shone with a keen brilliance.
Wu Zhengzhe was born restless. As a child, everyone claimed he was hyperactive. Perhaps because of this, his athletic abilities far surpassed those of his peers. When he joined the army, it was alongside three childhood friends. His second brother, Chi Zhaoming, had an artistic gift and attended the PLA Academy of Arts. His youngest brother, Qu Wenkai, driven by his interest in medicine, was admitted to the Military Medical University. As for Wu Zhengzhe himself, loving physical activity, he enrolled in an army officer school.
There was a fourth friend—almost forgotten. The eldest, named Dacheng, had gone to the Laoshan front and heroically sacrificed his life for the country.
Later, during the second major military downsizing, Wu Zhengzhe was transferred to a civilian post. Thanks to his skills in grappling and hand-to-hand combat learned in the army, he was fortunate to be assigned to Dahe’s public security bureau as a police officer. In less than two years, he passed the bar exam with ease.
Wu Zhengzhe knew he was confident—so confident that some called it arrogance, even self-importance. But he paid them no mind. In truth, his e
