Taking Control Of Shanghai 1

Back in Shanghai, Hei Long found himself in a dimly lit room, a sprawling map of the city's underworld factions laid out before him. Different territories were marked, some with red crosses, signifying the gangs that had already fallen to the Black Dragon Gang. A cigarette dangled from his fingers, thin tendrils of smoke rising toward the ceiling. The air was thick with tension, the kind that always accompanied shifts in power within the criminal underbelly.

"The Red Knife Syndicate is done for," reported a burly subordinate, Wu Jian, as he adjusted his leather jacket. "Their leader was found dead this morning. The rest of their crew either surrendered or scattered."

Hei Long smirked, taking a slow drag from his cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Good. The sooner we clean up this city, the better."

In the past month, the Black Dragon Gang had been methodical, first swallowing up the smaller gangs before taking on the mid-sized ones. Their strategy was ruthless but effective—cut off the head, absorb the body. With Ye Feng's backing and his promise of cultivation techniques, Hei Long had an advantage that no one else could match. Their influence had grown rapidly, and now they controlled more than half of Shanghai's underground operations. Brothels, gambling dens, smuggling rings—everything was gradually falling under their banner.

But Hei Long was well aware that their success wouldn't stay under the radar forever.

A younger man, Zhang Wei, stepped forward and placed a folder on the table. "Boss, there's been some movement from the police," he said, his voice laced with caution. "They're investigating, but they're being careful. It's almost like they're stalling."

Hei Long chuckled, tapping the ashes of his cigarette into a glass tray. "Let them bark. As long as they don't bite, they're no threat. We have friends in the right places."

The Black Dragon Gang's expansion had drawn the attention of local law enforcement. However, due to well-placed bribes and hidden political pressure, the police found themselves restrained, unable to take decisive action against the gang. Instead, they resorted to small-scale raids that barely dented the gang's growing influence.

Wu Jian, standing beside him, frowned. "What if they start getting bold?"

Hei Long leaned back in his chair, his fingers tracing the edges of a silver lighter. "Then we remind them why the Black Dragon Gang is not to be trifled with."

Despite his confident demeanor, another concern gnawed at his mind. Strange faces had started to pop up in the city's underbelly—men who didn't seem to belong to any known groups. They weren't cops, nor were they rival gangsters. Their movements were different, they asked the right questions, and they appeared more interested in the Black Dragon's recent surge than anything else.

"Boss, there's another issue," Zhang Wei said, his voice tinged with hesitation. "Some outsiders have been snooping around, asking questions about us. They don't seem like law enforcement, but they're definitely keeping tabs on our activities."

Hei Long's eyes narrowed in response. "Outsiders?" He crushed his cigarette in the ashtray with a flick of his wrist. "I am aware of this. Find out who they are and what their motives are. If they pose a threat, we need to take care of it."

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Meanwhile, in a quieter part of Shanghai, far removed from the neon-lit chaos of the underworld, Huo Feng and his team of investigators moved with purpose. Their approach was careful—gathering whispers from the streets, bribing informants, and tracking the last known whereabouts of a missing man named Harold.

A lean, sharp-eyed investigator named Gao Ming handed Huo Feng a report. "Most of Harold's last known movements were in areas now under the control of the Black Dragon Gang. There's no solid evidence yet, but this gang is rising rapidly. Too rapidly. It's like someone powerful is backing them."

Feng Huo frowned as he flipped through the files. "No ordinary gang expands this quickly without stepping on some toes. Someone's pulling the strings here. We need to figure out who it is."

Gao Ming hesitated before adding, "Boss, there's something else. People in the underground aren't just scared of the Black Dragon Gang. They're… cautious. Like they've encountered something they can't quite comprehend."

Huo Feng set the file down and locked eyes with Gao Ming. "Then let's dig deeper. We need to uncover who really runs this gang. And if there's a hidden backer… we need to find out their name.

Huo Feng then again started looking through the details in the report, trying to find out if they were missing anything significant .

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Meanwhile , Ye Feng's life was moving smoothly; he was provided with all the information from Hei Long's side on their achievements, but for Ye Feng, it was not that important; he only told Hei Long to do what he deems fit and tell him if there is anything that he can't take care of.

Ye Feng also gave his time to enjoying it with Li Yue and Tang Shuang; his relationship with Bai Shuang also deepened with time, and he was just waiting to harvest the fruit of his labor. 

Also, his relationship with Ling Ningxue became a little better as time passed; she was not that cold to him as she was earlier , but she maintained her distance from him as she still had doubts about Ye Feng's character and his background.

Also , in this time period, Ye Feng also progressed in his cultivation; he was continuously absorbing and refining the energy from the keystones he had. He was now at the Peak Foundation Establishment Stage , just one step away from forming his core.

But this point was very significant for any cultivator, as the quality of core one formed during this stage had a great impact on his/her cultivation journey, as this core will act as a future energy reserve and also as a storage house for any cultivator, so Ye Feng was refining his energy again and again to make sure that the core formed will be of great quality.