Chapter 1 A Thriving Scene

New Era, August of the 65th year. It was another hot summer. It had been a year and eight months since Su Tiannan was imprisoned and Zhang Tao and Li Mingsheng's team negotiated.

It was Friday evening. Su Tianyu, wearing a police uniform with the rank of Senior Sergeant on his shoulders, strode into the evening duty office of the Zhan Nan District Coast Guard.

Last year, the Zhan Nan District Coast Guard underwent two internal personnel adjustments. Su Tianyu was promoted to Sergeant due to his meritorious service in solving a human trafficking case. This year, the General Administration selected him as an advanced individual and model sergeant, so he was promoted to Senior Sergeant in the first half of the year.

Su Tianyu was only half a step away from the rank of Deputy Superintendent. If it weren't for his lack of seniority, he would have likely broken through that barrier already.

Because Su Tianyu, a freakishly driven individual, was chasing after them, Fang Zheng also got a great deal and was promoted to the captain of the Zhan Nan Coast Guard, with the rank of Deputy Director.

With Fang Zheng moving up, Director Cheng immediately appointed Su Tianyu as the captain of the First Squadron of the Coast Guard. People within the department were clear that this position was the equivalent of the crown prince, and whoever held it was being groomed to become the captain and director.

As the old saying goes, when a man achieves enlightenment, all his dogs and chickens rise to heaven. Lao Li had been living relatively comfortably for over a year, so Su Tianyu, as his protégé, was naturally riding high.

Su Tianyu entered the duty room and called out to Hou Guoyu, "Monkey Brain!"

Hou Guoyu turned around. "Good brother, can we please not call me that nickname anymore?"

"Hehe, watching porn again?" Su Tianyu bent down and sat beside Hou Guoyu. "Who's with who?"

"African lion and Asian tiger," Hou Guoyu said with a heavy taste. "Very brutal. Want to enjoy it together?"

Su Tianyu looked at him. "Enjoy my ass! Did you beat two suspects into serious injuries again when you caught smugglers the day before yesterday?"

"Brother, you know me, I hate evil like poison."

"Stop talking nonsense! Every time you handle a case, you create a stain. How the hell am I supposed to promote you?" Su Tianyu frowned. "They were already lying on the ground begging for mercy, why were you still hitting them?! They were just smuggling some designer underwear. How is that a heinous crime?"

Hou Guoyu clasped his fists and replied, "Alright, stop lecturing me, Master! I'm convinced. I won't do it again next time."

"That's more like it." Su Tianyu criticized Hou Guoyu a couple of times, then whispered, "The goods are coming in tonight. You're on duty!"

"Okay, no problem."

"Same old rules, stop outside." Su Tianyu glanced at his watch. "It's the weekend today. I have to go home for dinner."

"Got it."

After the two finished talking, Su Tianyu turned around and left the duty area, changed into casual clothes, and went home.

Ever since his older brother Tiannan had an accident, Su Tianyu, Su Tianbei, and the younger generation, including their third sister, Miaomiao, had developed a very good habit: no matter how busy they were, they had to go home for dinner with their elders on Friday nights to chat.

...

Dragon City, Tianhong Port, inside the No. 66 courtyard on Tianhong Street, the scene was one of prosperity. More than a dozen private cars were parked neatly and attractively in the backyard. There were also many grassroots management personnel of the association running back and forth, handling business.

This was the Tongji Association as it was now. The small courtyard office on Tufang Street had long been abandoned. In the second half of last year, Yu Mingyuan seized the opportunity to buy out the No. 66 courtyard on Tianhong Street in one go for the headquarters' daily operations.

Nowadays, the Tongji Association had many businesses. The previous liquor and tobacco business, sanitation contracting, mining, and the covert arms trade were all gradually getting on the right track.

The funds invested by the association in the early stages had basically been recovered after the arms trade started. Everyone was shocked when they actually did it. The profits generated by the arms trade were almost like printing money, about six or seven million in net profit every three or four months.

Since this business officially started in March of last year, most of the funds invested by the association in the early stages had been recovered so far, and Zhao Weihu still owed the association more than three million in payment for goods.

This profit could be considered worthy of the lives the brothers had risked in the Old Triangle area. Of course, this amount of money could only be considered a start for an association that had been developing for nearly three years, with thousands of members and many shareholders. After all, when there were more people, the profits would be diluted.

But this was also the Tongji Association's development policy. To run an association, you had to expand. The shareholders' unity and internal stability were definitely better than seeing huge short-term profits.

Inside the association's office building, Fei Guangtou (Baldy Fei) was holding a bowl of noodles with a rich sauce and garlic, eating with great relish.

Beside him, Su Tianbei asked softly, "Are you tired?"

"I'm not tired, why?" Fei Guangtou asked with a smile.

"...Oh, I was thinking, if you're tired, I'll take your shift tonight," Su Tianbei said, grinning.

Fei Guangtou curled his lips when he heard this. "Stop trying to pull my leg. Don't you think I know you? You definitely want to bang that black girl again."

"I must correct you, she is a Latina girl, not black!" Su Tianbei had been running the arms trade business recently and often had to go to Casaro to contact the Mexican military, so he met a black girl and, reportedly, there was some spark between them.

"We each have our own job, I can't always let you do mine." Fei Guangtou replied while eating his noodles, "Go next time!"

"Sigh." Su Tianbei slumped back in his chair. After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "Brother, have you ever banged a black girl? What's it like?"

"If you're talking about black girls, it reminds me of something that happened more than ten years ago..." Fei Guangtou said, spraying saliva, "It was an early autumn night, the north wind was slightly cool, and three of my brothers and I had a few drinks, and our crotches were unbearably hot. At that time... your sister-in-law was also pregnant, and I was so pent up... so we went to a red-light district..."

"Damn, you went whoring?!"

"Otherwise? Where the hell would I have time to date a black girl!"

"Slap!"

Just as the two were bragging, A'Hua walked over from behind and slapped the bald head. "Black girl? I'm still white! What did you do on that early autumn night?!"

Fei Guangtou looked at her aggrievedly. "I... I didn't do anything! They went in, and I went to the supermarket next door... to buy you yogurt, didn't I?!"

"Slap!"

A'Hua slapped him again. "Work more, brag less!"

"Yes!" Fei Guangtou quickly ate the noodles in his bowl and immediately stood up and said, "I'm going to gather the team. We're going to work tonight."

"Brother, tell me more about black girls!!" Su Tianbei shouted.

"Stop flirting with my Lao Fei all day long, or I'll beat you up!" A'Hua said angrily.

"If you hit me, I'll tell everyone about you and Da Bai!" Su Tianbei retorted fiercely.

"Don't spread rumors, Da Bai isn't married yet!"

While the two were arguing, Fei Guangtou had already gone downstairs to find Zhang Chao, A'Shui, and others to gather the team and prepare to work.

...

At the same time, Su Tianyu had just entered his house and heard his second uncle scolding his third sister in the living room.