Chapter 102: Clear Skies After the Rain

Wang Hu walked in the lead, his hands handcuffed and resting against his stomach. He said he wanted to take one last look at the world outside, and no one stopped him.

Since he could no longer run, he might as well experience life in his mind. There was no hope for his repentance, nor was it necessary, but now that an enemy who had fought them for so long had fallen, a gesture of high-minded magnanimity was acceptable.

Two plainclothes officers followed slowly in a car behind them. The operation at the Asia Bar was already underway; this time, not a single member of the gang they had been tracking for so long would escape.

The officers were pondering a strange thing: this man named Yang was incredibly bold and did things in ways that were always unexpected. When he left, he took one of Wang Hu’s bank cards—the company’s money.

Furthermore, he had declined the invitation from the provincial bureau to attend the commendation ceremony. When one considered that the capture of the entire gang was his achievement, he seemed strangely uninterested.

It was even possible to clearly sense that he was not indifferent to the act of meritorious service itself, but he was simply uninterested in the ceremony. In his eyes, perhaps only the dedicated anti-narcotics heroes were worthy of attending such an event, and he was expressing his respect by keeping his distance.

He must have been a soldier, someone who had dealt with anti-narcotics work extensively—a comrade-in-arms they had never heard of.

Before they parted ways, they heard Wang Hu say to Yang Changfeng that this matter would not end here.

His exact words were: "The trouble has only just begun."

Yang Changfeng was unimpressed. He replied, "Why aren't you saying that the trouble for your side has only just begun?"

This was a kind of confidence—a confidence born of utter contempt for his enemy.

Could more fish be pulled from the depths beneath the surface using Wang Hu? This matter seemed to have exceeded their jurisdiction; it was beyond their control.

As dawn approached, the rain stopped. Wang Hu reached the entrance of the Provincial Bureau, stopped, turned around, and tilting his head, asked, "If I walk in myself, does that count as a surrender? That should help reduce my sentence, right?"

The two plainclothes officers answered indifferently, "Suit yourself."

Why was everyone so indifferent to him now? Didn't they want to destroy him? Why did it seem as if they held no hatred at all?

Wang Hu would never understand the faith of these officers. They were against drugs themselves; striking down men like Wang Hu was merely a method. As for the method, once it succeeded, there was no need to dwell on it.

It was time to consider the next move, or even the next operation.

The officers thought to themselves, feeling a wave of drowsiness. Although the result of this battle had come suddenly, it was the result nonetheless, and they now had two days of well-deserved leave.

Yang Changfeng returned to the company. Chen Aijia and An Ya were still in the car, but Zhang Baode had boldly walked into the courtyard and was standing there, supervising the people cleaning the hall.

He wasn't even afraid of being beaten.

If those people had wanted to run, they would have had to rush past the Raptor truck first. It was safer inside the vehicle; being out in the open was truly risky.

Zhang Baode said cheerfully, "With the boss here, they don't dare to have any other ideas. I think I can still manage to supervise them."

Yang Changfeng laughed. "If I were you, I’d find a place to get some sleep first."

Zhang Baode was puzzled. "Why is that?"

"As soon as the sun comes up, go to the Armed Forces Department. Ask them for some people—demobilized soldiers, the best of the best. Recruit fifty. You’ll be the deputy captain. If you don't manage the security department, who will?" Yang Changfeng yawned and stretched his legs out over the driver's seat, prompting Chen Aijia to pout incessantly.

Could he not show a little bit of a leader's image? At the very least, take his legs down and stop resting them on the dashboard; it looked terrible.

*I'm comfortable, and I'm happy. Can you even control me? Honestly.*

When Zhang Baode realized he was being put in charge of the security department, he patted his chest and promised, "The boss has the wisdom of a leader. I’ll just be the one running errands for you. I’ll definitely pick the best, most honest men. But there won't be anyone watching the place tonight. I’ll go back this afternoon, pack my bedding, and I’ll keep watch tonight."

"No need. There are plenty of people who will volunteer for the night shift. Just watch; the 'fence-sitting' nature of some people is not something we can truly comprehend." Yang Changfeng yawned, leaned against the car seat, and fell asleep just like that.

***

He didn't know how long he had slept, but the blinding sunlight woke Yang Changfeng.

It was broad daylight, though not yet time for work—around six in the morning. Zhang Baode was standing outside the car, blinking and staring at the group of trembling men and women standing in front of the vehicle. He kept smacking his lips, lost in thought. None of the people dared to meet Zhang Baode's eyes. Today was different from the past; they were now the suppressed reactionaries, while Zhang Baode was a hero, a clean and righteous representative of the winning side.

Seeing Yang Changfeng wake up, Zhang Baode said happily, "Boss, the owner went to the office to rest, and Secretary An went to her office first. I saw you were sleeping well, so I didn't disturb you."

"Go set up a few tables in the study room and get some sleep. You'll have a hard job ahead of you; I’ll just be content being the boss's driver, haha. I trust you." As Yang Changfeng said this, he yawned and told Zhang Baode to go rest, adding, "Give your wife a call and let her know you're safe."

Zhang Baode's eyes crinkled with a smile. "I already did. She just came by. She works in administration, and the boss thought highly of her, saying she should start working at the company this afternoon. I told her to go ahead and quit her old job. Following you, Boss, our good days are finally coming. With that kind of salary, I’ll be able to save up for a house."

A solid, honest man. That was good enough.

Yang Changfeng walked around the hall with his hands behind his back. He didn't know how they had cleaned it, but there was truly no smell of alcohol, and there wasn't even a speck of debris on the floor. The wires had been reconnected, and more importantly, the surveillance cameras had been reinstalled at the perfect angles.

If they had known it would come to this, why act that way in the first place? Among these security guards, there were talented individuals—plumbers, electricians, and even some with chef certifications. It was a pity; they hadn't walked the straight path. On one hand, they were coerced by Wang Hu, but on the other, they couldn't resist temptation. Now that they had committed these mistakes, they would have to bear the consequences themselves.

Yang Changfeng pulled up a chair, sat down at the entrance, lifted his legs, propped them against the wall, crossed his arms, and fell asleep again.

The group of men and women looked at each other. Now that everything was finished, shouldn't they be allowed to leave?

Yang Changfeng knew what they were thinking. Even now, they still believed the price they had to pay was just a few people getting bruised, and that the rest could just clean up and walk away. Had they not realized that some things required a heavy price to be settled?

Keeping these people here was merely to intimidate others. Otherwise, the moment Yang Changfeng went upstairs, a large group of police officers from the cars parked on the roadside would have rushed in to impose legal sanctions on these accomplices of Wang Hu. Some would pay for their past actions with half a lifetime behind bars.