The car wash was located in a small town in the northern district of Shangjing. Li Chonglou guessed that this area was likely Sister Feng's jurisdiction, as Li Meixia’s management area was in the southern district.
Given their similar positions in the Qing Gang, Li Chonglou hadn't yet found out which prominent figure she was aligned with.
Despite being a small town, it was still in Shangjing and was quite prosperous, with standard dual-lane roads.
At this moment, quite a few people from the workforce were rushing on their way, either busy with dates or trying to solve their basic needs.
After a stroll, Li Chonglou finally found a public phone booth that had a sense of age.
These things should have been phased out, but Shangjing's situation was somewhat special. Both for communication between personnel from various factions and for the needs of the underworld, these products from decades ago still had a space to survive.
Li Chonglou discovered this only after opening the Tong Gu Ming Jin Company, and he had sighed with emotion at the time.
He never expected that he would have a day when he would need to use it himself.
Taking out the coins he had prepared long ago, Li Chonglou picked up the phone and inserted the coins into the small slot.
This call was for Zhou Tong.
When the other side answered, a familiar yet confused voice came through.
"Hello, may I ask who this is?"
"It's me."
There was a long silence on the other end.
"Brother Li?"
The voice suddenly became somewhat shaky and filled with disbelief.
Li Chonglou sighed deeply. In fact, given their friendship, he should have explained the situation to Zhou Tong earlier when he came out of the underground world.
However, fearing that he might still be watched and that every move could bring unnecessary trouble, he had held back until now.
In reality, if he hadn't met Ya Lili, Li Chonglou wouldn't have had this plan for the time being.
"It's me, don't speak, just listen to me."
Getting straight to the point, Li Chonglou quickly recounted the events of the past period, emphasizing that he was no longer in his previous position and status.
After that, he inquired about Yue Hai and the others.
Zhou Tong on the other end of the phone was silent for a long time, as if trying hard to accept everything. Finally, he said in a deep voice, "Brother Li, what are your plans now?"
"Do you remember what I told you when I first found you? I need to complete this goal first. We'll talk about other things later."
"I'll help you!"
Li Chonglou said seriously, "No, pretend you don't know anything. Also, this call might bring you trouble. In short, just develop steadily. I'll contact you if I need anything."
Zhou Tong understood Li Chonglou's personality, so he didn't say anything more. After another long silence, he finally spoke about Yue Hai and the others.
"They haven't come out yet, but last week someone brought back a message saying that everything is proceeding according to plan. Everyone's strength has roughly doubled. However, to go further might take more time."
Li Chonglou nodded, "That's for sure. They should all be around the fifth level of cultivation, which is also a bottleneck. To go further, sheer effort is no longer enough."
"It's a shame I can't use my old identity, otherwise I could give them some inspiration."
"Brother Li, Ah Hai wants me to ask if you need them to come out first."
Yue Hai was the temporary leader of the entire team, and conveying messages was naturally his responsibility.
If nothing had happened, Li Chonglou might have had them all come out first. After all, as long as he got rid of his identity inside, he could always go back in.
But in the current situation, there was no need to do that. Zhou Tong had also completely returned to the normal business circle. Even if Yue Hai and the others came out, they probably wouldn't be able to stay in the company.
"Tell them to focus on improving their strength. They don't need to worry about other things for now."
"So you're not planning to tell them about your situation either?"
Li Chonglou chuckled wryly, "The people I've offended are so formidable that even the head of the General Bureau wouldn't dare to disrespect them in the slightest. Telling them would only add to their worry."
"Don't forget about Old Du and the others."
Not everyone in the team could be trusted. In truth, only Yue Hai and Chen Peiyue were trustworthy.
If others knew about what had happened to him, it was hard to say what their reactions would be.
After that, Li Chonglou got to the point.
"By the way, can you help me check if something has happened to Ya Lili?"
Zhou Tong was somewhat surprised, but he didn't say much, instead asking, "Then how can I contact you?"
The number making this call was a virtual number. Coupled with what Li Chonglou had just said, Zhou Tong understood that this call was also from a temporary number, and it would be impossible to find Li Chonglou through it.
Li Chonglou thought for a moment, and a flash of inspiration struck him.
"Right, isn't there a newsstand outside the company? Find some time to bribe the person there and store the messages there."
Outside his Tong Gu Ming Jin Company, about a few hundred meters away, there was a newsstand that had been operating for decades, a hobby of an old gentleman.
Li Chonglou and Zhou Tong quickly agreed to use it as their secret contact point. In the future, whenever there was any news, Zhou Tong would first encrypt the information, and then Li Chonglou would send someone to retrieve it.
To prevent anyone from eavesdropping on Zhou Tong's phone calls, Li Chonglou didn't chat for too long. After confirming the plan, he immediately hung up.
"Alas, I hope it's not too much trouble."
Ya Lili was one of his few friends in Shangjing, and Li Chonglou wouldn't stand by and do nothing if he could help.
However, even if she really encountered big trouble, such as involving martial artists or cultivators, Li Chonglou had ways.
Don't forget that the Sen wolf brothers were still with Hei Dao and didn't enter the underground world with Yue Hai and the others.
Thinking of this, Li Chonglou remembered Hei Dao.
"If that kid hasn't been slacking, he should have some influence by now, right?"
Li Chonglou couldn't help but sigh at his foresight. At this time, Hei Dao was also one of his trump cards.
However, he had no intention of contacting him yet. Everything had to be done carefully. The best scenario was to avoid contact if possible.
Afterward, Li Chonglou casually bought some daily necessities and also browsed through the small town. It wasn't until almost ten o'clock that he returned to the dormitory behind the car wash to rest.
From now on, he also had to get used to his new identity.
One of the miscellaneous workers at the car wash, Hua Dong.
The next day, Li Chonglou knocked on Qiu Yuan's door to wake him up. He came out and met his colleagues.
It was then that he learned that all the employees here were young family members, the oldest being no more than twenty-five years old, comprising four men and three women.
Perhaps due to similar backgrounds, their personalities were very similar, easygoing and kind. Li Chonglou quickly bonded with them.
Although his real age was not much older, his experiences were incomparable to ordinary people. His conversation was very fitting for the identity of Uncle Hua Dong, and he immediately became the elder brother figure among them.
Li Chonglou also told them to call him Uncle Hua.
"By the way, Uncle Hua, do you know anywhere that would accept college students who dropped out?"