The TV in the living room was broadcasting the top news stories of the day.
A pretty news anchor was covering the recent Summer Special Operation launched by the authorities.
"Recently, the authorities have cracked down on numerous criminals, providing powerful support for the city’s peace and stability..."
Liu Menglong, a member of the Heilin Society, drank morosely as he watched the news report.
It was no wonder he felt so gloomy. He was, after all, one of the "lawbreakers" the news anchor mentioned being targeted by the authorities.
Now, business at his underground casino was grinding to a halt, and his income had plummeted.
His men could barely make ends meet, all because of this Summer Special Operation launched by the authorities.
"Don’t just drink, have some snacks!" a beautiful, skimpily dressed woman said, carrying two small side dishes into the living room and placing them in front of Liu Menglong.
"From the looks of this report, the authorities are only going to crack down harder on this Summer Special Operation for the foreseeable future."
Liu Menglong said with frustration as he took the chopsticks the woman offered, then picked up some garlic cucumber and stuffed it into his mouth.
"I know, right? There have been so many reports about it lately. It shows the authorities are determined to clean up the city this time," the woman said with a nod.
In this day and age, criminals like them—who lurked in the shadows and couldn’t bear the light of day—were actually more avid news watchers than ordinary people.
It wasn’t that they actually enjoyed watching the news. It was simply their only channel for the latest intel on the authorities’ operations targeting them, so they had no choice but to tune in every day.
As Liu Menglong and the woman were watching the news and chatting, he got a call from the subordinate assigned to surveil the target.
"Boss, the target went home in the afternoon and hasn’t come out since. It’s getting late now, can I go home?"
Zhu Daqi had been sitting in his car all day, and his ass was sore.
He got out of the car and stood under a large tree by the road, smoking a cigarette while he called his boss.
Liu Menglong checked the time, then told his subordinate, "Alright, you can head home and rest for now. Get up early tomorrow and keep a tight watch on him."
"Okay, Boss." Zhu Daqi nodded and ended the call.
His gaze fell on Building Three of the Ping’an Garden District. He stared at the lights on in the target’s apartment and muttered to himself.
"Sigh... I wonder when this job the boss gave me will ever end."
He pulled his gaze away and stubbed his half-smoked cigarette out against the tree trunk. A trash can was just a few steps away, but he simply dropped the butt on the ground.
"CLICK... SLAM."
"RUMBLE..."
He opened the car door, got in, and started the engine.
Instead of going home to rest as he’d said on the phone, Zhu Daqi headed to his usual nightclub.
He’d been tailing the target all day. It wasn’t physically taxing, but it was mentally exhausting. He decided to go to the club to find his lady friend and blow off some steam before heading home.
......
A little after nine at night, Lin Li finished his shower and went out onto the balcony to wash the clothes he’d just taken off.
After hanging his clothes to dry, he went back into the living room. Just then, his phone, which was on the sofa, started to ring.
"RING RING RING..."
"Who could be calling me so late?" Lin Li muttered, picking up his ringing phone. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Su Yue.
"Hello."
"What are you up to? I texted you, but you didn’t reply."
"I just finished doing laundry, so I didn’t see your message." Lin Li put the call on speaker, then swiped down his screen and opened his chat app. He saw that Su Yue had indeed sent him a message a few minutes earlier.
"Oh." Su Yue nodded slightly after hearing Lin Li’s explanation.
The night was dim. After having dinner with her colleagues, Su Yue had gone to a karaoke bar and sung for a few hours.
Since they all had work the next day, they didn’t stay out too late.
After leaving the karaoke bar and saying goodbye to her colleagues, Su Yue didn’t go home. Instead, she’d sent a text to Lin Li, hoping to meet up.
"It’s pretty late. What’s up?" Lin Li asked.
"Are you hungry? Let’s go grab some barbecue. My treat," Su Yue said.
’Lin Li glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost ten. If he went out for barbecue now, he probably wouldn’t get home until after eleven.’
"Alright, but just to warn you, I’m starving. I’m not gonna hold back, so your wallet better be ready," Lin Li said with a laugh.
Su Yue started walking toward the park across the street as she replied to Lin Li.
"Don’t be ridiculous. Eat as much as you want, seriously. I said it’s my treat, didn’t I? It’s not like you can eat me out of house and home."
"Should I come to your place to get you?" Lin Li asked, assuming she was already home from her get-together.
"I just finished singing with my colleagues, so I’m still out. You can come find me. I’m at... actually, forget it. I can’t really explain where I am. I’ll just send you my location," Su Yue said.
"Alright, sounds good. Send me your location and I’ll come find you," Lin Li said before hanging up.