Luo Jiajun, a 23-year-old graduate from the police academy, caught the attention of his superior Huang Guofeng. Coming from a humble background with no influential connections, he agreed to become an undercover agent in order to quickly advance his career.
At the time, Huang Guofeng wanted him to infiltrate not for the purpose of targeting Zhou Shen, but to get close to a prominent figure in the criminal underworld named Madman Cai, who was currently in prison.
After five long years, Luo Jiajun helped Huang Guofeng dismantle Madman Cai's notorious criminal syndicate that once had a stranglehold on Lincheng, causing a major sensation when the case was exposed.
Luo Jiajun thought that he would be able to return to the police force after this achievement. However, Huang Guofeng, after tasting success through Luo Jiajun's efforts, became unstoppable and failed to fulfill his promise. Instead, he forced Luo Jiajun to infiltrate Zhou Shen's circle, promising that if he could bring down Zhou Shen, he would allow him to rejoin the police force.
This was the first intense conflict between the two. Luo Jiajun had long grown tired of being an undercover agent and immediately refused. Besides, Zhou Shen was far more dangerous than Madman Cai.
By this time, Luo Jiajun had already entered the world of organized crime and had no desire to continue undercover work. He simply wanted a stable job and to gradually accumulate points while staying under the radar.
However, Huang Guofeng informed him that when he had initially chosen Luo Jiajun as an undercover agent, it was for his safety and to ensure secrecy. As a result, his undercover identity had not been recorded in the police system.
In other words, only Luo Jiajun could prove his status as an undercover agent for the police. If he refused to continue, Huang Guofeng threatened that he would never be able to return to the police force and would be treated as a criminal.
After the threat, Huang Guofeng resorted to enticing Luo Jiajun once again, promising that this time, if they successfully closed in on their targets, he would allow him to return and even earn a promotion. Reluctantly, Luo Jiajun agreed to continue as an undercover agent.
However, his mindset had already started to change.
On one side, there was his ambitious and self-serving superior, as well as the police force to which he had no sense of belonging. On the other side, there were his brothers who had risked their lives for him, along with the extraordinary encounters in the world of organized crime. All of this made him question the significance of being a mere cop.
Now, all he wanted was to capture Zhou Shen and put an end to his laughable dream of being a police officer.
Then, he could live a peaceful life with his brothers.
A month ago, he introduced four brothers he had met while undercover with Madman Cai to join Zhou Shen. However, they had yet to meet Zhou Shen in person, with one of Zhou Shen's subordinates being their only contact.
While Madman Cai was a notorious figure in the criminal underworld of Lincheng, Zhou Shen was a formidable gangster operating at a higher level in society. Zhou Shen had been involved in numerous high-profile and high-value criminal cases, yet he always managed to escape unscathed, as the police had no evidence to convict him.
He would only make a move every few years, ensuring that each operation received widespread attention while maintaining a flawless escape record.
It could be said that while Madman Cai was well-known within Lincheng, his notoriety was mostly confined to the lower echelons of society. Zhou Shen, on the other hand, had made a name for himself in the upper echelons of society. His meticulously planned operations, such as bank robberies and targeting wealthy individuals, always made headlines.
Zhou Shen had played a significant role in the thriving private bodyguard industry for Lincheng's wealthy elites.
Luo Jiajun had just joined Zhou Shen a little over a month ago, shortly after Madman Cai's downfall. However, he had yet to gain Zhou Shen's trust.
Consequently, he found himself in a state of idleness.
"Damn, this is so difficult," Zhao Yan said, rubbing his forehead with a troubled expression. Caught between a boss driven by personal gain and the cunning and suspicious Zhou Shen, he was in a tight spot.
He had to guard against both his boss and Zhou Shen.
He had to gain the trust of two more people.
The unsuspecting police would also be watching him.
And if he wanted to earn points, he had to help the police eliminate the Zhou Shen gang while ensuring a stable life for his six imprisoned brothers serving life sentences.
What kind of situation was this?
Moreover, as a simple college student, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to play the role of an undercover fierce bandit well.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
The sound of knocking interrupted Zhao Yan's thoughts.
"Come in," Zhao Yan took a deep breath.
Then the door was pushed open, and a silver-haired young man said in a deep voice, "Brother Jun, Shen-ge is here."
Zhao Yan was taken aback, memories related to this came to mind. The silver-haired youth's nickname was Xiao Shuai, 24 years old, and he had been with him two years ago. He was impulsive in character and ruthless in his actions.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Zhao Yan quickly got up, wearing slippers, and walked out of the room into the living room.
This hotel was in the countryside, a three-bedroom house converted from a private residence. The owner was a relative of Zhou Shen and had been temporarily arranged for the six members of the Luo Jiajun. After keeping them in hiding for a month, Zhou Shen finally agreed to meet them. Zhao Yan knew that his test was about to begin.
In the living room, Zhao Yan saw a middle-aged man of short stature, slightly overweight, with a kind expression, sitting on the sofa. Two men stood behind him.
"Shen-ge, you finally show up. I thought you didn't like my two hundred pounds of flesh and were planning to find another way out with the brothers," Zhao Yan imitated Luo Jiajun's way of speaking and laughed.
Zhou Shen crossed his legs, held a cigarette, and looked at Zhao Yan with a smile, "You are Cai's reliable right-hand man. If I didn't think highly of you, I wouldn't have accepted you back then. It's just that Cai has just had some trouble, and I wanted you guys to lay low for a while."
"Now that the trouble is over, Shen-ge, are you letting us make a move?" Zhao Yan sat down opposite him, took off his glasses, and wiped them.
"It's time for you guys to make a move," Zhou Shen casually waved his hand, "Show him."
A bald man behind him took out a photo and threw it on the coffee table. The photo was of a young man.
Zhao Yan looked up at Zhou Shen, "This is..."
"This is Huo Tianyu, the only son of Lincheng's richest man, Huo Xiaoqi. It is rumored that Huo Xiaoqi has a fortune of billions, so his son must be worth at least a billion," Zhou Shen smiled.
Luo Jiajun's heart trembled. This damn Zhou Shen was really stirring up a big story, but he remained calm on the surface, "Since Shen-ge can think of me for such a good thing, whatever Shen-ge says, I'll do it!"
As long as he could cooperate with the police to arrest him in this operation, he would earn his first set of points.
"It's not about what I say, it's about what you do," Zhou Shen flicked the cigarette ash casually and said indifferently, "You'll handle this alone. After you're done, I have a big deal waiting for you."
"I handle it alone?" Zhao Yan was taken aback but quickly realized that this was a test, a trial.
Zhou Shen smiled faintly, "Scared?"
"My eldest brother has already fallen. Now I'm just waiting for Shen-ge to give me a chance. There's nothing I'm afraid of!" Zhao Yan's heart skipped a beat and he decisively picked up the photo.
Zhou Shen burst into laughter, "I knew you were someone who takes on big tasks. I'll be waiting for your good news. If you need to talk to Da Biao, just go ahead. You guys haven't done this kind of thing before, and he'll be with you every step of the way, following your orders."
As soon as he finished speaking, he got up and left.
Da Biao was the person who had been arranging things for Luo Jiajun and the others. It was evident that he was also there to closely monitor Luo Jiajun's actions.
"Shen Ge, let me see you off." Zhao Yan quickly got up to see Zhou Shen off, looking at the middle-aged man with a face full of flesh beside Zhou Shen, "Biao Ge, I'll trouble you."
"After we handle this matter, we'll be like a family, eating from the same pot. We're all insiders, so why worry about troubles?" Da Biao said indifferently.
Zhao Yan watched as the three of them got into a black Mercedes and drove away. Only then did his face darken.
This Zhou Shen, he's too cunning, too cautious.
"Luo Ge, what should we do? Are we really going to do this? We've never done this kind of job before!" A young man with a crew cut touched his head.
His nickname was Er Pi, 23 years old, introduced to Luo Jiajun by Xiao Shuai. He was lecherous, arrogant, and daring.
"What about you guys? What do you think?" Zhao Yan looked at the four of them and slowly took out a cigarette.
Next to him, a tall and muscular man, nearly two meters tall, silently took out a lighter to help him light it.
His name was Da Lei, 35 years old. He met Luo Jiajun when Luo Jiajun first went undercover in prison to contact Madman Cai. Da Lei came from the mainland, had served in the military, and ended up killing someone in a fit of rage after his sister was violated.
After being released from prison, he had been following Luo Jiajun.
"Let's do it, Luo Ge. With Cai Ye gone and us on the run, we need money. Even if we're not on the run, we still need someone to cover for us, and only Zhou Shen can do that." The one speaking was a slightly chubby young man with a center-parted hairstyle. His name was Fei Zai, 25 years old. He was the only one in the team besides Luo Jiajun who could use his brain.
Zhao Yan exhaled a puff of smoke, squinting his eyes, "This is a big deal. I'll think it over again. I'll give you an answer before tonight. Everyone, get some rest."