Chapter 142: The Return

Xu Jian finally agreed to continue his undercover work.

It wasn't the promises made by his superior that swayed him. As a public servant, he possessed a high level of ideological awareness. Benefits and perks were vulgar, an insult to his dedication.

When the members of the Flying Dragon Group awoke, they felt a throbbing in their heads, a sense of disorientation. Looking at their surroundings, they were briefly stunned.

Where was this?

They had been clearly carousing naked in a restaurant, boasting and bragging, how did they wake up here?

Several public servants in familiar uniforms passed by the bars, looking at them with strange expressions.

Their eyes widened in growing bewilderment.

Then came the roars.

"Let us out!"

Inside the detention room.

Xu Jian was locked up with Lin Fan. This was a special arrangement, hoping that Xu Jian could have more contact with Lin Fan and dig up more useful information.

He looked at Lin Fan, who was sitting there motionless, thinking. Lin Fan must have come in on purpose. He was so calm, his face without any change, which was enough to show that he had made all the preparations.

Xu Jian had been suspicious of one thing.

His superior said that Lin Fan was taking the fall for someone, but this claim simply didn't hold water. Taking the fall for whom? Was it necessary to involve the entire organization?

And to present so much evidence?

Not only was the Flying Dragon Group wiped out, but Duan Shanhu's organization was also uprooted.

It was completely impossible.

"Brother Fei, how did we end up here?"

Xu Jian asked respectfully. Even here, he couldn't act too casually. He had to make Brother Fei feel that he was always his little brother. At this point, the only one you can trust is me.

Lin Fan slowly raised his head, a faint smile on his face:

"Because I want to lead you all to become good people."

Huh?

Xu Jian stared at Lin Fan in astonishment, momentarily at a loss for words. He felt as if Zhu Fei's mind was playing tricks on him. It wasn't like what his superior had said, that he was taking the fall for some big shot.

Could it be that the pressure was too much, leading to mental illness?

He stood in the corner without saying much. At a time like this, every word had to be carefully considered to avoid being detected.

But still, Lin Fan's operation this time was really baffling. He couldn't understand it at all.

The news outside was ablaze.

The media scrambled to report.

The two major organizations in H City were uprooted, which surprised many people. At the same time, many businessmen were terrified. They had interests intertwined with those organizations.

They were afraid of being implicated.

Several days later.

With conclusive evidence, the trial began directly. Because the matter was too significant, the court, which was originally closed, was opened to the public via live broadcast, attracting countless viewers.

Because of the large number of people involved, all the courtrooms were used that day, a unique occurrence.

While being escorted to the court, Lin Fan encountered Duan Shanhu.

Lin Fan remained calm, a faint smile always on his face.

Duan Shanhu was not so composed, especially when he saw Lin Fan. He roared like a madman:

"Zhu Fei, you son of a bitch! You're a goddamn dog! You're crazy, don't drag others down with you! Even if I offended you, you didn't have to go down with me! If I had known you would be like this, I would have knelt down and called you grandpa!"

"Damn you..."

No one knew how devastated Duan Shanhu was.

Years of struggle, living on the edge, all gone because of Lin Fan's actions. He had nothing left, not even his life.

Lin Fan smiled at Duan Shanhu and waved at him.

"Let's be good people together. Want to high-five for our shared effort?"

Duan Shanhu had a lot to say, but hearing Lin Fan's words, he felt a tightness in his chest, dizzy, as if he could faint at any moment.

Regret.

He hadn't studied enough back then, and didn't even know how to curse properly.

The court was in session.

The number of people watching the live broadcast reached an unprecedented level.

Duan Shanhu was sentenced to death.

Hearing the verdict, the once notorious gangster of H City fainted in court. He couldn't accept such a judgment. I'm still in my prime, with a bright future ahead of me, and you just cut off my path. I hate it!

Most members of the Flying Dragon Group were sentenced to ten to twenty years.

Some with solid evidence received life sentences.

Lin Fan's sentence was death with reprieve. He had the most evidence against him, but because they wanted to know more inside information, he was only given a reprieve.

Because he was a special figure and his arrest was unusual, a reporter asked:

"What are your thoughts now?"

Lin Fan smiled at the camera: "I want to be a good person."

As he was escorted away from the court, he looked at the sky and took a deep breath of fresh air. The steps towards becoming a good person had begun, and everything was just getting started.

One month later.

The familiar rooftop.

"Xu Jian, your undercover identity is no longer a secret, why are you still coming to the rooftop?"

Xu Jian leaned on the railing, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and exhaled the smoke, tilting his head up. "Chief, I've found that this matter is not what you think. There might not be a protector behind Zhu Fei, and he has become somewhat unfamiliar to me. I suspect he has a mental problem, possibly a mental illness."

"If possible, I suggest sending him to a mental hospital for an evaluation."

Could he say that Lin Fan was eerie?

His smile was unnerving, and his way of speaking was strange, not like a normal person.

The chief patted Xu Jian on the shoulder and said: "Don't overthink it. If he really has a mental problem, he wouldn't be in prison, but in a mental hospital. I think this might be his cleverness. If he really has a protector, they could certainly bribe the doctors at the mental hospital, and he could get out of prison. Being in a mental hospital is much more convenient than being in prison."

Xu Jian pondered, nodding silently: "That makes sense."

Time flew by.

One year later.

Inside the prison office.

"Chief, I request to terminate my undercover operation. I've realized that this is a trap for me. If there really was a protector, I wouldn't have found no clue at all. I see that he's doing well now, very stable every day, and he donates all his labor allowance to the Huahua Children's Welfare Home."

"What confuses me the most is that he actually called on his former subordinates to donate their labor allowances to the welfare home, even taking my share."

"Maybe he's right, just like what he said when he surrendered, he wants to be a good person."

Xu Jian had undergone a complete transformation, from former confidence to current resignation.

Honestly, he was truly convinced. He felt like his youth had been utterly wasted.

"Xu Jian, how can you think like this? You've already persisted for a year, why not a little longer? You've been with him for so long, you're his confidant. Trust me, you will succeed."

Looking at his superior, Xu Jian felt like the man was banking on him for a promotion.

But on second thought, it made sense. Having come this far, persisting a little longer wouldn't hurt.

The members of the Flying Dragon Group still didn't understand why they had been arrested.

Where did the evidence come from?

They were all obedient to Lin Fan. Of course, some felt that since things had come to this, what was the point of being the boss anymore? They wanted to experience what it felt like to beat up their former leader.

But after one reckless member kicked Lin Fan and broke his own leg in the process, they realized that Brother Fei was still Brother Fei, and they couldn't defy him.

Three years later.

Xu Jian left prison.

He felt like an idiot, a fool tricked by his superior. He had spent three years in a daze in prison. Being undercover outside had at least been somewhat free.

What was this now?

Utterly foolish.

Sixty years later.

Outside the prison.

News media vans were parked there. A young, beautiful reporter held a microphone, facing the camera with a sweet smile:

"Viewers, we are now at the gate of H City Prison. As you can see, many media colleagues have already arrived. Today, we are going to interview Zhu Fei, the former chairman of the Flying Dragon Group, who dominated the scene sixty years ago."

"Perhaps many of you are unfamiliar with who Zhu Fei is. You can search online to see how terrifying this once invincible underworld boss was."

"But what's even more unbelievable is that after being imprisoned, this once invincible boss called on his former group members to donate all their labor allowances earned in prison to the Huahua Children's Welfare Home."

"And because of this, over the past sixty years, dozens of top scientists have emerged from the Huahua Children's Welfare Home. This is undeniably remarkable."

"Some say this is a deeply sinful boss turning over a new leaf, while others say he is atoning for his crimes. We won't comment on that, as he is the first prisoner in our country to be released at the age of ninety, and the first case of its kind in the world."

At this moment, many private cars arrived.

Young people helped elderly individuals out of the cars. Some of the elderly could no longer walk and were in wheelchairs.

These were the members who had been imprisoned for more than a decade.

Having been reformed by Lin Fan's "good person" philosophy in prison, they had turned their lives around after release, walking the path of righteousness.

The prison gates opened.

Everyone looked towards the opening gates. A frail old man appeared in their sight.

Although old, he still wore a smile.

"Brother Fei."

A group of elderly men, nearly at death's door, cried out. Seeing Brother Fei, they were almost in tears. Even in prison, Brother Fei was still so great.

The young people beside the elderly looked at the smiling old man.

Was he the legendary Brother Fei their grandfathers often talked about, the one who dominated sixty years ago?

Reporters surrounded Lin Fan.

"Mr. Zhu Fei, what is the first thing you want to say upon your release today?" the reporters asked expectantly.

Lin Fan looked at everyone and smiled: "I am a good person."

A mysterious force pulled Lin Fan's soul towards the sky. It was a familiar feeling, like going home, comfortable.

Gradually, he lost consciousness.

At this moment, Zhu Fei's dormant consciousness returned.

"Where is this?"

"Wang Meng..."

His smile vanished, replaced by coldness. The domineering Zhu Fei was back. With so many people around him, he frowned. As the overlord of H City, was no one afraid of him?

"Brother Fei, I'm here," an old man cried, removing his oxygen mask.

Zhu Fei glanced at him. Who was this old man?

A little girl came up to him with a flower.

"Grandpa Zhu, on behalf of the Huahua Children's Welfare Home, I thank you for your continuous kindness."

"Although we know Grandpa Zhu was a bad person before, you are a good person in our hearts now."

Zhu Fei looked down at the little girl, then at his own wrinkled hands. He touched his face in disbelief. His youth was gone, replaced by old age. He lacked strength, even standing for too long was tiring.

"What year is it?"

The little girl said: "Grandpa Zhu, it's 2080."

Zhu Fei's eyes widened, his blood pressure soared, and he fainted. The surrounding people cried out in alarm.

He couldn't believe it.

He had been having a good time with two young models, so why did he wake up here, almost ninety years old?

He forced his eyes open and looked at the little girl, "You said I'm what?"

The little girl said sadly: "You are a good person."

Unable to accept this "good person" label, Zhu Fei's head tilted, and he died...

He roared in his heart.

Who lived these sixty years for me?

Bastard...