Chapter 1 The Dragon City Rises

　　In District One, Dai Quan's business vehicle slowly followed the red compact car driven by the forty-year-old woman.

　　The woman seemed no different from an ordinary office worker. After getting off work, she first drove to a supermarket, buying some groceries and daily necessities. Then she continued driving, stopping at a pharmacy in a community to buy some medicine, before finally heading to the suburbs and arriving at a small villa.

　　In District One, these suburban villas weren't very expensive. One reason was their remote location, far from the city center, and the other was the sparse population, which kept housing prices down.

　　Places like this usually form their own small communities. Many office workers liked living here, and in their spare time, they could interact with the community and organize activities.

　　Clearly, this was the woman's home.

　　The villa was dark, and it seemed no one else was inside. The woman parked her car in front of the house, unlocked the door, and went inside.

　　Dai Quan and his team's car also parked on the street, engine off, quietly observing the movements inside.

　　"Snap!"

　　The lights in the room came on, and through the window, they could see the woman sitting in the living room, eating snacks and watching TV.

　　The driver, Xiao Yu, couldn't sit still any longer and asked softly, "Should we go in?"

　　Zheng Guang waved his hand, "Wait a little longer."

　　Dai Quan nodded slightly, and Xiao Yu and the others could only huddle in the car and continue waiting.

　　...

　　At nine o'clock in the evening, the woman went into the upstairs bedroom, turned off the lights, and the small villa fell into darkness again.

　　Inside the car outside, everyone was getting impatient. Xiao Yu turned his head, looking at Zheng Guang with some displeasure, and asked, "Are you messing with us?"

　　Zheng Guang frowned and retorted, "What do you mean?"

　　Xiao Yu pointed at the villa, lowering his voice, "Are you just pointing us at some random woman, trying to screw around with us?"

　　Zheng Guang immediately shook his head, "I'm not. This is my friend's woman."

　　Xiao Yu looked at him with suspicion, "It's all coming from you. How am I supposed to know if it's true or not?"

　　Saying that, he turned to look at Dai Quan, "Brother Quan, why don't we just go in and grab the woman? How long are we going to wait like this?"

　　Zheng Guang immediately劝said, "I already told you guys not to do anything yet. Wait for her to take the initiative to find my brother. They're really in love."

　　Xiao Yu said impatiently, "Why should I listen to you? There's a time limit on this job. You think we're out here on vacation?"

　　Zheng Guang stared into his eyes, his face grim, and asked, "What if you grab her and she doesn't talk?"

　　Hearing this, Xiao Yu said disdainfully, "She's just a woman. If I can't even handle her, then I..."

　　"Alright." Just then, Dai Quan finally spoke, waving his hand to interrupt Xiao Yu, "Have some patience. Listen to Zheng Guang, and wait."

　　Hearing his boss speak, Xiao Yu immediately fell silent, only taking out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one, and taking a deep drag.

　　Dai Quan didn't completely trust Zheng Guang, otherwise, he wouldn't be keeping such a close eye on him. But he felt that this kid had no reason to lie about this.

　　Finding the person sooner rather than later would help himself, and help his brother.

　　It was a somewhat chilly night for this time of year. The car was parked on the side of the road, engine off, so as not to attract attention.

　　A sliver of cold air seeped in through the gaps in the car windows, chilling the interior. Everyone took out their coats and put them on to stay warm.

　　Occasionally, residents jogging at night or walking their dogs passed by, but the windows were tinted with reflective film, and outsiders couldn't see inside the car. No one noticed the group of grown men huddled inside.

　　Everyone remained silent. Some smoked, some munched on bread. Except for Zheng Guang and Dai Quan, everyone else looked rather unhappy.

　　Another two hours passed, and there was hardly anyone on the street anymore, only the dim streetlights keeping them company.

　　Xiao Yu glanced at the time and finally couldn't help but curse in a low voice, "What the hell, how much longer do we have to wait..."

　　"Don't talk!" Zheng Guang slapped him on the arm. "There's movement!"

　　Everyone's spirits lifted, and they immediately looked out the window.

　　They saw the lights in the small villa turn on again. Soon, the woman, wrapped in a black trench coat and carrying a large bag, walked out of the house. She looked around, then quickly walked to her car, opened the door, and got in.

　　The car's headlights came on, and the woman started the car and slowly drove down the street.

　　Inside the business vehicle, Dai Quan softly instructed, "Follow her."

　　Xiao Yu nodded. After the compact car had driven a short distance, he started the car and silently followed behind.

　　On the way, Dai Quan was curious and couldn't help but turn to Zheng Guang and ask, "Do you know how she and your brother met?"

　　Zheng Guang rubbed his bald head and sighed, "I know. This woman is called Hong-jie (Sister Hong). She was very beautiful when she was young. She worked as a dealer in a casino, but she married a scumbag. Her life wasn't good. The man was a gambling addict. When he lost money, he would abuse her. She used to have a child, but he beat her so badly that she had a miscarriage..."

　　Even Xiao Yu perked up his ears when he heard this.

　　Zheng Guang paused for a moment, then continued, "Later, she got divorced. Hong-jie went back to work at the casino and met Jianjun, who was working there as a waiter. This woman is very ambitious. Later, she saved some money, left the casino, and got a job as a lobby manager at Victoria. Although there's a bit of an age gap, she's very good to my brother."

　　As he was speaking, the red compact car stopped next to a slum community street.

　　On the street late at night, many black people could still be seen active. Some were sitting on the street, eating barbecue. Some were huddled together, smoking weed.

　　Hong-jie got out of the car, carrying the large bag, head down, right hand in her pocket, and hurried toward a dilapidated apartment building.

　　Some black people saw her and whistled at her. Hong-jie ignored them and walked even faster.

　　Seeing this scene, Dai Quan couldn't help but sigh, "Ah, there's true love in the world. It's better to be older. They know how to care for people."

　　"Brother, if you're going to look for someone based on that standard, then you'll have to bang someone who's at least sixty."

　　"...It's not impossible. There's a certain charm to it."

　　...

　　Five minutes later, Hong-jie followed the outdoor stairs to the fifth floor of the apartment building. The surrounding walls were covered with colorful graffiti, and the ground was littered with trash, making it look very chaotic.

　　Hong-jie stepped over the trash and quickly walked to a door, reaching out and gently knocking on the door in a rhythmic pattern.

　　"Creak—"

　　After a while, the door was gently opened. A figure with a crew cut walked out, opened his arms, and hugged Hong-jie.

　　Just then, Zheng Guang appeared in the hallway and shouted at the figure, "Jiang Jianjun!"

　　The figure turned around, saw Zheng Guang, and was immediately stunned.

　　Hong-jie also saw him, and as if she had seen a ghost, her face turned pale, and a deep fear was revealed in her eyes.

　　"Clatter!"

　　The bag in her hand slipped and fell to the ground, and two lunch boxes crashed to the floor.