Chapter 25 Identical Views

Fusang.
Nagoya.
Inside a Fusang-style tavern.
Two men were discussing business.
One was a typical Fusang local, short in stature, with a humble smile plastered across his face. He was an underground merchant dealing in pharmaceuticals within Fusang.
The other stood over one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, wearing a trench coat, exuding a formidable and domineering aura.
Sitting beside each of the two men were two heavily made-up geishas.
After answering a phone call, the man in the trench coat slammed his cell phone onto the table with a sharp bang. "Dammit."
The underground merchant smiled warmly. "Sun-kun, what has caused you such anger?"
"It's nothing." Sun Hongshan, the man in the trench coat, shared only a simple transactional relationship with this underground merchant. He had no intention of revealing the details.
He made another phone call, borrowing fifty million from a different source to complete the transaction at hand, his eyes narrowing slightly.
A mere newcomer like Shen Ye dared to clash with him; he was truly courting death.
To have the audacity to assassinate his assistant meant that if he didn't teach him a lesson, people would really start looking down on him.
Thinking that having a Squadron Leader Shen behind him made him hot stuff? He had powerful backing, too.
However, killing Shen Ye still presented some trouble.
Unless... he found a suitable opportunity.
The Lunar New Year was approaching, and right after the holiday would be the selection battle for the Eighth Squadron's captaincy.
Although the Special Operations Unit belonged to a state department, it differed vastly from other government branches. This department was one of genuine bloodshed, fighting on the front lines, and belonged to part of the martial underworld. Since it belonged to the underworld, it naturally carried a certain mortality rate. Much like other sects in the pugilistic world, life-and-death contracts could be signed here.
Once a life-and-death contract was signed and one stepped onto the arena of mortality, life and death were determined by fate alone, leaving the law powerless to intervene.
When the time came, he would just need to find a way to provoke Shen Ye into signing a life-and-death contract with him.
Then, he would beat Shen Ye to death with his bare hands!

Thinking of this, Sun Hongshan could not help but feel a lingering sense of anticipation for the squad leader selection battle after the New Year.
......
Meanwhile, at the Feileng Chemical Plant.
The corpse of Guo Dong, the fat man, lay discarded to the side.
Shen Ye took out his Huawei smartphone and placed a call to the old man.
"Hello, Old Man."
"You brat finally remember to call back. Are you done?" The squadron leader's voice betrayed a hint of helplessness.
"Done."
"How many did you kill?" the squadron leader asked again.
"Not many this time, just one." As he spoke on the phone, Shen Ye held a cigarette in his left hand, picked up a lighter with his right, and lit the cigarette.
"Only killed one? Not bad. Who was it?" The squadron leader also revealed a hint of surprise. "Wait, given your temperament, in a place like the Feileng Chemical Plant, only the chief culprit would have sins warranting death. Everyone else is innocent, mostly just security guards and workers. Killing one is normal. Still, who did you kill?"
Shen Ye was in no rush to answer, taking a deep drag from his cigarette. "A fat man named Guo Dong. In other words, Deputy Squadron Leader Sun Hongshan's assistant."
On the other end of the line, the squadron leader audibly drew in a sharp breath. "In our Special Operations Unit, killing requires evidence; you can't just slaughter people indiscriminately. The last time you killed ten, it was the kidney-harvesting syndicate. Even though the number was a bit high, it didn't exceed the limit, so we let it slide. But this Guo Dong you just killed is a member of our Special Operations Unit. What justification did you use to kill him?"
"If it were just a polluting enterprise, nobody would care about that reason."
"Within the Special Operations Unit, there is an Internal Affairs Department."
"After pulling off a stunt like this, you're in deep trouble. No matter how hard I try to shield you, Internal Affairs will make you serve years in prison." The squadron leader was plagued with a headache. "Run. Flee abroad. I'll help look after your family."
"Old Man, you're overthinking it. Do you really think I'd do this without covering my tracks? This fat man Guo Dong was a total pervert. He raped and murdered two pairs of mother-and-daughter duers, and whether it was before or after their deaths, he encased all four bodies in wax. He kept them on the top floor of his office so he could admire them whenever he had free time. Using a polluting enterprise as an excuse to kill him might not have been enough, but using this reason to execute him leaves no room for dispute." Shen Ye flicked the ash from his cigarette and blew out a ring of smoke. "I've been in the Special Operations Unit for a while now and have gradually figured out its rules. I'm not that reckless."
Hearing this, the squadron leader let out a long sigh of relief. "You brat aren't entirely reckless after all. Still, is that fat man Guo Dong really that perverted? Raping and murdering people only to turn them into wax statues? Damn it, if I had known about this earlier, I wouldn't have needed you to do it; I would have taken that fat man's head myself. You killed him rightly, you killed him well."
"That's why," Shen Ye nodded. "Old Man, the matter of Guo Dong is in the past, and Internal Affairs can't touch me. However, if I want to kill Sun Hongshan, how can I do it in a way that is both logical and justifiable?"
The squadron leader couldn't help but feel a fresh wave of headache coming on. "Sun Hongshan provoked you?"
"I killed his assistant, so it's a fight to the death between us. We already exchanged verbal blows over the phone earlier. He wants to butcher me, and I want to kill him." Shen Ye briefly and clearly summarized the situation, naturally omitting his principle of executing evil on sight.
"I see," the squadron leader pondered. "Sun Hongshan is a ruthless and scheming individual. He wants to cut you down, but with me backing you, it won't be so easy for him. Therefore, he will most likely devise a trap. For instance, the Eighth Squadron's captaincy selection after the New Year would be a prime opportunity."

"To put it bluntly, our Special Operations Unit is still composed of martial artists. We rely on combat and killing."
"Thus, much like others in the pugilistic world, we can sign life-and-death contracts."
"Once a life-and-death contract is signed and one steps onto the arena of mortality,"
"Life and death are determined by fate alone, leaving the law powerless to intervene."
"That provides the perfect trap and opportunity."
"When the time comes, you can feign ignorance and play along to turn the tables."
"Of course, if Sun Hongshan doesn't set a trap during the Eighth Squadron's selection battle, you can reverse the roles and trap him, forcing him to sign a life-and-death contract." The squadron leader mused.
"That is indeed feasible." Shen Ye nodded. "Wait, I originally had no interest in competing for this squad leader position. But with things turning out this way, it seems I must fight for it after all. I've practically fallen right into your trap."
The squadron leader chuckled like an old fox. "You can always choose not to participate in the Eighth Squadron selection and ignore the method I suggested."
After the call ended,
the squadron leader narrowed his eyes. His own opponent was Sun Dehai.
Shen Ye was his grandson, while Sun Hongshan was Sun Dehai's nephew.
The conflict between Shen Ye and Sun Hongshan was, in reality, an extension of the struggle between himself and Sun Dehai.
......
After executing the fat man Guo Dong, Shen Ye struck repeatedly, ruthlessly destroying all the primary production machinery in the Feileng Chemical Plant.
Simultaneously, he utilized the personnel provided by the old man to contact journalists from the provincial newspaper.
The provincial newspaper reporters had already prepared the groundwork, and under the firm insistence of Elder Shen that the story be published, coverage of the pollution incident at the Feileng Chemical Plant officially began.
Following this momentum, the Feileng Chemical Plant would undoubtedly be forced to shut down.
(Chapter One delivered, craving recommendation votes!)