Volume 1: Dragon in the River and Lake Chapter 2: The Dark Road

  Ye Shaofeng looked up and took a glance at the man with the sideburns, feeling somewhat familiar. The man with the sideburns removed his large-brimmed hat and said, "What's wrong? You've been away for a few years and don't recognize me anymore!"

  "Peng... Peng Xiaofei!" Ye Shaofeng suddenly recognized this person, who was actually his brother since middle school, Peng Xiaofei!

  ……

  Across from the bath center, in a small tavern, Ye Shaofeng and Peng Xiaofei sat at a small wine table, with two small dishes of cold cuts and several bottles of Qingdao pure draft beer.

  "When are you coming back?" Peng Xiaofei asked with a mouthful of peanuts.

  Yesterday.

  "Time flies so fast, eight years have passed in the blink of an eye. I heard you were a soldier for two years, where did you go after serving?"

  "When I was a soldier, I went to the south for business and messed around for a few years without achieving anything. Now I've simply returned home and am living a stable life." Ye Shaofeng lied, but he lied so smoothly that outsiders couldn't detect any flaws in his words.

  The Dragon Squad Special Forces are the mysterious masters of the motherland. Members within the squad are not allowed to have any contact with the outside world unless there is a special mission that needs to be carried out.

  In the process of contacting civilians, one must not reveal his own identity or any information about the Dragon Squad. Once revealed, he will be punished by a military court with severe penalties.

  This time, Ye Shaofeng returned to his hometown, not retired, nor visiting relatives, but with a SSSS-level mission from the Dragon Group.

  This is a top-level mission with the highest danger coefficient, the lowest completion success rate and the longest time consumption.

  4S-level missions are called death marches by the Dragon Squad members. Few people who receive such a mission can come back alive. Moreover, this type of mission is not issued at one time. After receiving the mission, the official Dragon Squad will issue instructions in stages. If it is not completed at a certain stage, exposed or sacrificed, another Dragon Squad member will immediately take over the task to continue completing it.

  Although this mission is extremely difficult and almost impossible to return unscathed, all Dragon Squad special forces members consider receiving such an order the greatest honor of their lives. Members who can execute a 4S mission alone are absolutely the top elite in this elite unit.

  "Come back and be at ease, turn around and follow me, although we won't get rich, but we'll live a carefree life!" Peng Xiaofei said.

  "What are you doing? Doing this kind of thing, impersonating a police officer and extorting money? Brother, I advise you to turn back now, while you still can!" Ye Shaofeng advised.

  "Maple brother, you misunderstood me, I'm not what you think."

  "What's going on? I saw it with my own eyes today, aren't you just preying on each other?"

  "Maple Brother, you misunderstood. I'm now the team leader of the security team at Zhonghai Group. The boss of this bath center owes our boss at Zhonghai Group over 500,000 yuan and refuses to pay back. We had no choice but to disguise ourselves as police officers and come here every day to cause trouble for them, making it impossible for them to do business. After a few times, their boss will have to pay up."

  "It's nothing serious." Ye Shaofeng said casually, then took a sip of wine, but his mind was secretly thinking about the matter.

  Before this trip back to perform the task, Long Zu's official gave him a detailed city data. Including the latest map of the city, the management personnel of the municipal government at all levels, even the rich and powerful figures in the city, as well as the black society gangster information.

  What Peng Xiaofei said about the Zhonghai Group is a typical example of an underworld organization that relies on violence to make a fortune. Nowadays, all underworld organizations want to whitewash themselves and set up companies or groups with fancy names, but they are actually just putting up a false front. Ye Shaofeng looks down on these underworld organizations from the bottom of his heart.

  "Brother, I have a question for you." Ye Shaofeng asked.

  "Maple brother, you say."

  "Does the boss of your Zhonghai Corporation have a daughter?" Ye Shao Feng asked.

  "Ah, Feng Ge, it's been years since we last met, and your lecherous nature hasn't changed a bit. As soon as you're back, you start thinking about someone else's daughter. Chang Miao is the acknowledged beauty of the entire group, with both elegance and looks. Many rich young men are lining up to try to get close to her, but can't even get near. I advise you, forget about her, we're not worthy." Peng Xiaofei said with a bitter smile.

  Ye Shaofeng nodded. He inquired about this Chang Miaoke purely because the task required it, the first phase of the 4S mission was for Ye Shaofeng to proactively get close to Chang Miaoke, the only daughter of the Zonghai Group, and gain her trust, infiltrating the underworld organization once.

  The Zhonghai Group was previously a triad organization, and they made their fortune through a single drug trafficking route. Although the company has now been legitimized and whitewashed, this lucrative black path has never been abandoned.

  The boss of the Zhonghai Group, Chang Fu Guo, has stopped showing his face in the drug business. In order to avoid suspicion, his 21-year-old daughter, Chang Miao Ke, has taken over the entire operation from procurement to distribution and sales. Although she is still in college, she runs this illegal business with ease, much to her father's satisfaction and her own confidence in her abilities.

  Ye Shaofeng's task is to proactively get close to Chang Miao Ke, gain his trust, and allow himself to infiltrate the drug trafficking network. By following the clues, he can investigate and cut off the supply source, thereby solving the problem of rampant drugs in Luyang City and its surrounding areas without the country having to deploy a single soldier.

  Now comes the question of how to get close to this wonderful guy?

  Ye Shaofeng could easily infer from Peng Xiaofei's words that this young lady, Chang Miaoke, was a femme fatale. If she didn't have some charm, it would be difficult to get close to her. The introduction to Chang Miaoke in the Dragon Team's mission data was very brief, just a few rough sentences:

  Chang Miao Ke, female, 21 years old. Daughter of Chang Fu Guo, chairman of the Zhonghai Group. Has a proud and aloof personality. Currently studying in her third year at Ruyang City's Yingde Aristocratic University, majoring in psychology with excellent grades. She controls the drug market in Ruyang City and its surrounding areas, with severe consequences.

  "By the way, brother I just came back, nothing special, just a strong body. Do you think your security team is still short of people? If it's short, can you introduce me to join in? The salary doesn't have to be too high, as long as it covers food and accommodation." Ye Shaofeng said with a smile.

  "I just meant that, let you come with me to the security team, we brothers will take care of each other. Don't worry about this matter, I guarantee it will be done! Today, don't go anywhere else, just stay at our security team and get familiar with the environment." Peng Xiaofei said with a relaxed tone.

  Ye Shaofeng smiled, and the two of them clinked their glasses together. The beer foam splashed everywhere as they tilted their heads back and downed the drinks in one gulp. And just like that, Ye Shaofeng's dark path had officially begun...