Chapter 082: The Special Forces Captain Wandering Among the People

What should you do if you’ve been duped? Swallow your pride and grit your teeth! As Chen Yuanhua put it, they couldn’t undo the fact that they’d already fallen into the pit, but they still had the right to decide whether they could climb back out—and maybe even kick Zhang Tianfeng in after them.

Except for matters within the carton factory, all other countermeasures had now entered a strict state of secrecy. The hot money in the two men’s accounts was flowing in all directions as they recruited allies and prepared for a final showdown with Zhang Tianfeng.

In the hotel room, Zhang Tianfeng was perusing the newspaper when a whiff of fragrant shampoo drifted in. He looked up to see Gao Ran, fresh from the shower and dressed in pajamas, entering the room.

“You really don’t treat me as an outsider, do you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll lose control?” he teased.

“With you? Even if I’m lying in bed, you wouldn’t dare touch a hair on my head,” Gao Ran replied with a laugh. Then, her expression grew serious. “There’s news from the carton factory. Xu Kuangdao showed up with an elderly man—Chen Yuanhua from the Chen family. The two of them placed an order for a hundred thousand cartons.”

“Judging from the boss’s reaction, it seems they want a huge amount—looks like they’re preparing for something big.”

“No matter,” Zhang Tianfeng replied, unconcerned. “Let them do as they please. The outcome is already decided; any further effort is just a struggle.”

“Can you tell me where your confidence comes from?” Gao Ran asked, leaning closer.

Zhang Tianfeng lifted his head, gazing at her intently. “This face of mine is my confidence. Don’t forget what I did when I first arrived in Harbor City.”

“Oh, right. You’re the little stock god. If you were to get involved personally, I can’t even imagine the scene,” Gao Ran said, tucking her hair behind her ear to reveal her flawless face. “Since victory is assured, why don’t you come with me somewhere?”

“Where to? Tell me first.”

“My best friend just returned from overseas. She’s been flaunting her foreign boyfriend non-stop. I’ve helped you so much already—can’t you be my shield, just this once?”

“Where is she returning from?”

“Why do you ask?” A hint of wariness flashed in Gao Ran’s eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re interested in her?”

“Of course not. I’m just curious about finance and tech overseas, but I have no connections. If I could make a foreign friend, I’d never have to worry about information sources again.”

“You should have said so! You scared me for a moment!” Gao Ran patted her chest, then said, “She’s coming back from Japan. She’s not in finance or tech—she’s in precision industry.”

“That’s fine,” Zhang Tianfeng replied, closing his book. “Are we leaving now?”

“Yes, right now.”

Whether it was high-end precision industries or the anime sector, as long as the information was genuine, Zhang Tianfeng always found a way to turn it to his advantage.

After changing clothes, this time it was Fu Tianfeng himself who drove them to their destination.

Tonight’s gathering was at the Peninsula Hotel, located on an artificial island in the Shallow Sea District—a true peninsula in every sense. Word had it the hotel was built by the Li family, matching the world’s top five-star hotels in security, service, and management.

Dining there required advance reservations, and guests had to take a dedicated boat to reach it.

When they got out at the pier, they were greeted by the spectacle of the sea swallowing the sun. Half of the setting sun was already submerged, its orange light dyeing the sea red. An isolated island sat directly in front of the sun, casting a peculiar shadow like a nine-tiered pagoda reflected in the water, flanked by unidentified sculptures.

“I’ve heard that the Li family hired the preeminent Southeast Asian feng shui master, Mr. Bai, to select this location. Even the hotel’s shape and its reflection in the water follow his unique design,” Gao Ran explained.

“His appearance fee alone was over a hundred million yuan.”

“Rich people really do have it easy,” Zhang Tianfeng muttered, almost drooling. “If just showing up costs over a hundred million, a proper job must rake in billions.”

“So what does a feng shui master actually do?”

“Site selection, divination, fate reading, finding dragon veins—anything bordering on the mystical or fantastical counts.”

“Do typhoon predictions count?”

“Of course, if you’ve got the skill,” Gao Ran replied, covering her mouth with a laugh, then whispered, “But don’t be too brazen. Along the coast, everyone worships Mazu. If you go against their beliefs, you’ll get yourself beaten up.”

“I’m not stupid—I wouldn’t say such things out loud,” Zhang Tianfeng replied with a glare.

It was already mid-August. In his memory, the typhoon would come soon—next month, and the month after as well.

Should he try to fool the Huo family again?

As soon as the thought occurred, Zhang Tianfeng shook it off. Better to target the Li family or another clan if the opportunity arose.

“Excuse me, could you move aside?” a sudden voice interrupted his thoughts.

Turning around, he saw a shirtless, middle-aged man, muscles straining under a taut hemp rope. Behind him was a large box of seafood. Zhang Tianfeng and Gao Ran quickly moved out of the way.

“Thank you,” the man said, hurrying off. Not long after, another member of the group caught up, clearly part of the same crew.

Watching the man’s retreating figure, Zhang Tianfeng was momentarily lost in thought. That square-faced middle-aged man seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he’d seen him before.

“Are you interested in them?” Gao Ran asked.

“No, I just thought he looked familiar.”

Gao Ran leaned in and whispered, “Most of them are undocumented laborers—stowaways. It wouldn’t be surprising if you actually knew someone.”

The word “stowaway” was most common in the coastal regions of 1990, thanks to extensive propaganda. Everyone knew the coast was paved with gold, and Harbor City was a paradise of overnight riches. Yet, less than 0.5% of Harbor’s population had entered legally.

Crawling through wire holes, taking boats, riding trucks—these were the main routes into the city. Crawling through holes was relatively safe, but boat stowaways faced great danger.

Sometimes, halfway through the journey, the snakehead would suddenly demand more money, and if they encountered violence, they’d simply resort to robbery.

Setting foot on land didn’t mean freedom. Without proper identity, the joint defense squads would chase them down, and work was hard to find in Harbor City.

Some jobs existed in places where detection was unlikely, but even then, local gangs would exploit them.

Even if someone had connections and power inland, without status or backing in Harbor City, they couldn’t move an inch.

“Come on, my friend’s here,” Gao Ran urged.

Up ahead, a white Beetle was parked by the roadside. As the car door opened, there was a loud bang—it had hit the cargo being hauled by the laborers.

“Baka! What’s wrong with you people? Do you know how expensive my car is?” A man with a small mustache emerged, firing off a string of heavily accented Mandarin.

Trailing behind in a Lolita dress was a young woman, who showed no anger at all. Instead, she waved and called out, “Ranran, over here!”

“Qingqing, you’ve been abroad for two years, and you still haven’t kicked your habit of being late,” Gao Ran said, pulling Zhang Tianfeng forward. “This is my boyfriend, Zhang Tianfeng. Ah Feng, this is Li Qing, my best friend.”

“Wow, handsome! Nice chest muscles—can I touch them?” Li Qing teased.

“Get lost, go harass your boyfriend instead,” Gao Ran laughed, swatting Li Qing’s hand away.

Li Qing looked back and whispered, “He’s not my boyfriend—just a shameless pursuer, eyeing my family fortune.”

“Then why are you with him?” Gao Ran asked, astonished.

Li Qing replied smugly, “I haven’t lost my virtue or my first kiss. If he wants to chase me, let him. I’m just enjoying being pampered for once.”

“You weren’t like this before.”

“Oh, relax. I’m just—” Before she could finish, a sharp sound pierced the air.

From where Zhang Tianfeng stood, he saw the entire scene. The friend from Japan, emboldened, berated the laborers in a mix of her native tongue and Mandarin, finishing with a final “Baka!”—completely enraging the square-faced middle-aged man.

He sneered, “You must be living the good life to forget your place. Here, you’re the outsider. Waving your military father’s status around—what for?”

Military? Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Zhang Tianfeng—he remembered who that man was.

He was the bodyguard hired by Li the Magnate for his son—the real deal, a special forces captain operating among the common folk.