The Dragon City Rises

The city of Saint Paul, Huo Dongsheng's villa.

After three or four hours, with the additions from Huang Peishan, Dong Ke, and Liu Tao, Huo Dongsheng finally worked out a response plan.

In the morning, the "three carriages" (close confidants) stayed at the Huo residence for breakfast. The meticulous Mrs. Huo even brought a bowl of warm milk to the toothless Old Dong, advising him to eat more soft food.

After breakfast, the three men left the villa.

Huo Dongsheng slowly got up from the sofa, stretching his somewhat stiff body. He looked up at the clock beside him; it was already past nine in the morning. After staying up all night, Huo Dongsheng was tired, but he couldn't fall asleep. He wanted to go out for a walk.

"Do you want me to accompany you?" Mrs. Huo asked softly. "Or would you like some milk? It's good for your stomach. I didn't see you eat much this morning."

"I don't like soft food," Huo Dongsheng waved his hand, absentmindedly heading towards the backyard.

The backyard was planted with some flowers and plants, all arranged by Mrs. Huo. In the center of the backyard, a large pond had been dug, filled with many koi carp, red and white, swimming back and forth. After Huo Dongsheng finished his stretches, he walked to the edge of the pond. The koi immediately gathered around, slapping their tails against the side.

Huo Dongsheng picked up fish food from the stone platform beside him and scattered it into the pond.

The koi churned, fighting for the food. Huo Dongsheng scattered two more handfuls, then quietly watched them compete.

After feeding the fish, Huo Dongsheng clapped his hands and returned to the living room.

Many bamboo plants were grown by the living room window, usually tended to by Huo Dongsheng himself, as was the case today. Two pairs of scissors hung on the nearby wall, one large and one small. He first picked up the larger scissors and carefully trimmed the bamboo from top to bottom, cutting off the tougher leaves. After finishing, he switched to the smaller scissors and began trimming the remaining softer leaves.

Huo Dongsheng was very patient. Only after he had trimmed everything did he return to his study, sit at his desk, and spread paper on the surface.

Throughout the morning, Huo Dongsheng had thought through various plans. He slowly wrote six words on the paper: "Qing Dao Fu—Wu Boxin" (The Cleaner—Wu Boxin).

...

Three days later, Saint Paul, the headquarters of the Chinese Labor Association.

Wu Boxin returned to Saint Paul after attending the wine reception in Jia City. He went to the Chinese Labor Association headquarters to discuss the matter with Huo Dongsheng.

"You're back," Huo Dongsheng said with a smile, beckoning Wu Boxin to sit down on the sofa.

"Yeah, I got back last night. I was a bit tired, so I went straight back to rest." Wu Boxin looked at Huo Dongsheng, eagerly asking, "I heard you had an accident a few days ago. What happened?"

"Met an old friend, got targeted on the way," Huo Dongsheng replied softly. "Luckily, it was a false alarm. It's all over now."

"You're the helmsman now. You need to ensure good security for any private activities," Wu Boxin advised with concern.

"Yeah, I've learned my lesson this time. Forget about it, let's not talk about it," Huo Dongsheng said, fiddling with the tea set, preparing tea for both of them. "You must be tired this time too. Take a good rest when you get back."

"It's all for the Chamber of Commerce. I can handle it." Wu Boxin waved his hand. His mental state had been particularly good recently. Running around for his ideals and career had rekindled the passion he felt when he first entered the business world.

Huo Dongsheng handed Wu Boxin a cup of tea. "How did the wine reception go?"

"Pretty much done." Wu Boxin took a sip of the hot tea and said, "Everything was discussed well over there. I got all the kickbacks I was supposed to get. Just leave me a few expansion slots here when you get a chance."

"No problem!" Huo Dongsheng nodded. The two men drank tea and chatted for a few more sentences.

As they were talking, there was a sudden knock on the office door.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Come in."

Huang Peishan, holding a document in his hand, pushed open the office door and walked in. He saw Huo Dongsheng and Wu Boxin chatting and immediately greeted them, "The two presidents are chatting!"

"Old Huang, come and sit down," Huo Dongsheng beckoned Huang Peishan to sit on the other sofa, then said with a smile, "Old Wu just got back. He did a great job this time. Everything was discussed pretty well over there. That way, you can hurry up and get some expansion slots in the Chamber of Commerce. Don't delay Old Wu's business."

"He really did a good job. President Wu is very efficient!" Huang Peishan gave Wu Boxin a thumbs up, then his expression turned serious and he said to Huo Dongsheng, "But... President, I've received some information here, just sent back to me by the intelligence personnel."

"What kind of information?" Huo Dongsheng asked.

Wu Boxin also put down his teacup and looked at Huang Peishan.

"Take a look." Huang Peishan picked up the document in his hand and gently placed it on the coffee table in front of Huo Dongsheng. It was a list of names, about twenty or so.

Huo Dongsheng picked up the list and looked at it for a while, his brow furrowing. "Is it that thing again?"

"Yes." Huang Peishan nodded. "This is the list of personnel who have been contacted in secret... President, how do you think we should handle this?"

"Damn it!" Huo Dongsheng suddenly became furious. He slammed the list on the coffee table and cursed angrily, "That bastard, messing around here! Keeping him around will only bring trouble sooner or later!"

"What's going on?" Wu Boxin asked, looking confused.

"Take a look." Huo Dongsheng handed the list to Wu Boxin.

Wu Boxin took it and scanned it. He found that these people were all political and business figures from various districts who had recently been won over, as well as some internal members of the Chamber of Commerce, but none of them were his direct subordinates. Looking at the list, Wu Boxin still didn't quite understand, so he asked Huo Dongsheng, "What does this mean?"

"Let me put it this way," Huo Dongsheng said, looking at Wu Boxin, "Do you know a political and business figure in the Second District named Yi Sheng?"

"Yes, I know him." Wu Boxin nodded. "He's a familiar face in the Second District, quite prestigious in the Chinese business circle."

Huo Dongsheng frowned and said, "The Central Bureau specially set up a new department called the 'Liaison Department' to deal with our Huaxing Chamber of Commerce. And this Yi Sheng has completely defected to the Central Bureau and joined the Liaison Department. This despicable person is very insidious, using various means to assassinate some of our people, and even bribing some of our internal personnel! It's causing panic! Obviously, he's likely to also serve as the president of the Chinese United Chamber of Commerce, replacing your former position, and working with the Central Bureau to compete against us."

After listening to Huo Dongsheng's words, Wu Boxin was silent for a moment, then asked, "So what do you mean?"

Huo Dongsheng sat on the sofa, thinking for a long time, then said with a grim expression, "He's a menace. We have to get rid of him."

...

First District, Central Bureau.

Gwen sat in his office, frowning as he looked at the investigation report on Zhao Yan's death that was placed on his desk.

After a long silence, he gnashed his teeth and cursed, "It's the Qing Yi Bureau again?! Kang Dinghuang's subordinates are all goddamn internal spies!"