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As soon as they left the dazzling Golden Palace Nightclub, Ken Lin and Shawn Young flagged down a cab and headed straight for Southern University. By the time they arrived, it was already past one in the morning. They got out at the university’s side gate.
Even at this hour, the street outside Southern University’s side gate was still buzzing. A few late-night food stalls were open, catering mostly to insomniac night owls and young people who’d been gaming all night and needed something to eat.
After hustling for hours, Ken Lin and Shawn Young realized they were starving. They found a quiet food stall, sat down, ordered a couple of beers and two plates of fried rice noodles. Then Shawn pulled out the Blue Wolf Syndicate Ledger from his jacket and handed it to Ken. "Ken, you’ve got experience. Take a look—what kind of secrets are in here?"
"Alright, let me have a good look—" Ken took the ledger, flipped it open under the streetlight, and started reading carefully. The more he read, the deeper his frown got, and his face grew serious.
"Heh heh—holy crap, we’re in deep now!" Ken muttered as he read.
Seeing Ken’s reaction, Shawn leaned in and asked, "Ken, did you find something big?"
Ken flipped through a few pages and whispered to Shawn, "Yeah, look—this thing lists all the big-shot government officials who act as protection for the Blue Wolf Syndicate, plus a detailed record of all the bribes and gifts they’ve received. Some of these guys are police chiefs, others are high-ranking officials from major government agencies. Just these few pages alone—if there’s a full investigation, we’re talking about hundreds of officials involved! This could shake up the whole country!"
"Whoa! Hundreds of government officials involved? No wonder the Blue Wolf Syndicate grew so fast. With all these officials backing them, how could they not blow up?" Shawn exclaimed.
"And get this—the Blue Wolf Syndicate’s got partnerships with other gangs, both local and international. Tons of projects, crisscrossing profit chains! The scale of their operations and the stuff they’re secretly running—it’s honestly shocking!" Ken said, surprised.
Shawn asked, "So now that we’ve got the ledger, what’s our next move, Ken?"
Ken thought for a moment and said, "We need to act fast—lightning strike! Get all the major law enforcement agencies together and launch an operation against the Blue Wolf Syndicate. We also need to keep a close eye on those officials protecting them. Now that we’ve got this secret ledger, it won’t take long before the syndicate realizes it’s missing. Our operation needs to use out-of-town personnel, because here in Nanning City, word could leak and the big fish might escape, move their assets, or destroy evidence. That would be a disaster!"
"Oh! Well, I’m not familiar with this stuff, so I’ll be counting on you, Ken! Interpol should be involved too, right?" Shawn said.
"Interpol? Yeah, that makes sense. The Blue Wolf Syndicate smuggles drugs from abroad, uses Nanning City as a hub, and then ships the goods to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Plus, they launder money and run illegal human trafficking operations. All of that falls under Interpol’s jurisdiction. With Interpol working with us, this case will be much easier to control!" Ken nodded.
Shawn asked, "Ken, should we move quickly to make sure none of them slip through the cracks?"
"Of course! I’m with the National Paranormal Task Force, so organized crime isn’t usually my department. But since it’s for you, bro, I’m all in. Besides, I work for a government agency—I can’t just let something like this slide!" Ken replied.
The two of them munched on their midnight snacks while hashing out the details. Ken decided to take the Blue Wolf Syndicate Ledger and head back immediately, calling in his connections and resources to set up a Central Special Investigation Unit, teaming up with Interpol for a massive takedown of the Blue Wolf Syndicate!
After seeing Ken off, Shawn headed back into Southern University. When he got to his dorm, his three roommates were already snoring away. Shawn, having burned through a ton of energy earlier using his 'Clairvoyance Technique,' felt wiped out, so he climbed into bed and was out cold in minutes.
He slept like a log, but in the early morning haze, Shawn thought he heard someone calling his name from downstairs. It sounded like a woman’s voice, but he couldn’t tell who it was. He snapped awake and sat up.
His three roommates actually woke up before him. Just then, a few loud car honks blasted from downstairs, followed by a crisp, girly voice shouting, "Shawn! Wake up! Shawn! Stop being so lazy! The sun’s already up—get moving!"
Jia Xiaoyu, still half-asleep and yawning, said, "Dude, Old Three’s got game! It’s barely morning and he’s already got girls banging at the door. I gotta go see what’s up!"
He shuffled out of the dorm, leaned over the railing, and took a look downstairs. Instantly, his eyes popped wide and he started hollering: "Whoa! Holy crap! That’s a certified bombshell down there! And those headlights—damn, I’m blinded! I’m toast, man, I’m done for!"
Ding Dacong, with his belly on full display, grabbed a towel, tossed it around his neck, and waddled out, muttering, "Man, that girl’s always putting on a show. I’m gonna call her out this time!"
But when Ding Dacong looked down, he joined Jia Xiaoyu’s chorus: "Whoa—whoa—my eyes! She’s a total powerhouse! Yo, Old Four, your busty goddess just got smoked by this one!"
Xu Dong, who’d been chilling on his bed with a cigarette, heard the words 'babe with killer curves' and sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. He grabbed his slippers, rushed outside, craned his neck, and got so hyped his cigarette dropped right out of his mouth. He spun around and shouted, "Yo—Bo-Goddess alert! Old Three, I’m officially jealous, envious, and bowing down! Even the Bo-Goddess is here for you! Our boss status is in danger—she’s here to ask you out!"
Shawn was still clueless, when another burst of girly shouts floated up: "Shawn! Get your butt down here! If you don’t, I’m coming up!"
Jia Xiaoyu spun around, babbling at Shawn, "Dude, let her come up! She’s unreal—I need a closer look! I wanna study her, and if I get lucky, maybe even talk philosophy with her!"
That’s when Shawn caught the voice—wait, was that Yvette Liu? He shot out of bed, dashed to the window, and yep, it was her for real!