Chapter 2212 - 2413: Are You Hiding Something From Me?

External power from another city? The strongest force in Yun City's underworld has been overthrown? Hearing this, Hao Jian's brows furrowed.

Seeing Hao Jian's puzzled expression, He Yingzi felt even more smug and spoke more enthusiastically: "Exactly, I can confirm this group is from the neighboring city, and they've recently come to Yun City. I don't know why, but they quietly eliminated the top force in our city's underworld. Yunqi vanished without a trace, and even the boss is nowhere to be found."

"Then, that group clearly intends to dominate Yun City's underworld. After eliminating Yunqi, they immediately went after Baldy's newly emerged forces. Initially, we didn't receive any news, and by the time we did, we found out Baldy had already been hacked into the hospital." After a pause, He Yingzi continued.

As she spoke, she looked at Hao Jian with an expression of bewilderment and surprise, saying, "I didn't expect you, just a student, to be involved with the underworld, and even have a certain degree of influence. Even the newly risen forces like Baldy, Wumao, and Afei are your subordinates, following your lead. It seems I have truly underestimated you before."

Hao Jian wasn't focused on this at all. He intended to keep these secrets private; apart from Liang Xiaohan and Lin Dongyang, he didn't want anyone to know. But suddenly, here was He Yingzi who seemed to know everything. Anyway, given her profession, it wouldn't take much effort for her to find out, and it didn't matter to him if she knew.

Hao Jian directly addressed the main point: "You said only you can help me? What do you mean?"

Upon hearing Hao Jian growing impatient, He Yingzi became even more smug, raising her eyebrows and announcing triumphantly: "See, you still have to rely on me for this. Without me, you can't do anything. To put it simply, the police of the neighboring city and Yun City are now closely monitoring this matter. I'm here to inform you to have Baldy and his men behave themselves for a while. The two cities' police departments have teamed up for a major sweeping operation, aiming to uproot all forces in the two cities' underworlds, thereby restoring peace to society."

Hao Jian raised an eyebrow: "Just that?"

"Yes!" He Yingzi nodded, "You just need to inform Baldy and his crew not to seek revenge and to stay quiet for a while. If there's any hint of trouble from the police, I can let you know, enabling you to keep 'a complete corpse.'"

Hao Jian's brows furrowed even more: "Why are you helping me? And risking so much? Things are probably not that simple."

"Haha..." Upon hearing this, He Yingzi laughed, "Indeed, smart and accurate guess, I naturally have my demands. Otherwise, why help you?"

Hao Jian remained silent, so He Yingzi continued: "I need you to help me control the forces in Yun City's underworld. It's impossible to uproot them completely, but if they are under your control and listen to me, they can maintain their existence while also ensuring peace in Yun City's law and order."

"Haha..." This time, it was Hao Jian who laughed.

"What?" He Yingzi raised an eyebrow, "You're refusing to make this deal? Don't you know the consequences if you refuse?"

"I'll do it!" Hao Jian suddenly said.

Upon hearing this statement, He Yingzi was stunned. She had imagined countless possibilities, given that she knew Hao Jian's temperament from their past interactions, understanding that Hao Jian was a tough nut to crack. Earlier, persuading him to get into the car took considerable effort, so getting him to agree to this would clearly be harder.

She had prepared several plans, if the first didn't work, then the second, if the second didn't work, then the third... if none worked, she planned to appeal to him both emotionally and logically. But she never expected the situation where she'd only presented the first plan, and before she could ponder more options, Hao Jian had already agreed. This... was a bit too fast and a little too hasty.

And when Hao Jian said these words, even he was somewhat surprised, as his mind spontaneously considered the situation and then he agreed instantly. However, after speaking, only a few moments of reflection revealed that agreeing to He Yingzi was indeed a wise choice.

Yes, when He Yingzi demanded that he lead Baldy and his crew to obey her, it was something he definitely wouldn't agree to. After all, who was he to submit to a woman's orders, this was clearly impossible. But upon quick reconsideration, he realized something.

Controlling Baldy's forces was merely to ensure that Liang Xiaohan could stir trouble freely in Yun City without consequence, with a force backing her up. He didn't truly want to manage the force, and now that his goal was achieved, agreeing to He Yingzi would effectively provide Baldy and his men an invisible shield.

This means, they appear to be obeying He Yingzi, but in reality, he wouldn't interfere in the matter. It has no impact on him since he wouldn't actually listen to He Yingzi. And for Baldy and his crew, following He Yingzi is essentially following the orders of the police, making them indirectly an extension of the police.

So, no matter how the police sweep away other forces, they would always ignore Baldy and his men. In reality, they wouldn't be ignored, but managed in secret.

In fact, such occurrences have long existed elsewhere, where local police control local forces, publicly appearing at odds, but privately one party is subordinate to the other party's superior. This allows the police to maintain regional peace by eliminating other forces and protecting a force they fostered, serving as a long-term strategy.

And for the forces, although governed by the police, they receive protection behind the scenes. While other forces face issues, they remain untroubled.

Both sides benefit, the police easily control local forces and maintain societal peace, while the forces, by obeying the police covertly, ensure their own survival. Why not pursue this path, as it benefits both parties?

In recent years, such scenarios have been prevalent in many regions, though they are often kept undercover, not openly addressed.

At this moment, He Yingzi spoke with the intention of gaining control over the street forces in Yun City. From the beginning, he had thought He Yingzi was an ambitious woman, and it seemed he was right.

Since she wanted control, let her have it. After all, it didn't matter to him, and this way he could also protect Baldy and his group, which meant Liang Xiaohan could always be protected too. Why not?

This was why he agreed to He Yingzi without a second thought. At that moment, He Yingzi looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "You agreed to me so easily? I had planned to persuade you carefully, but now you caught me off guard."

Hao Jian smiled, "Otherwise, did you expect me to refuse? Isn't this the answer you wanted?"

Hao Jian laughed, and He Yingzi laughed too, saying suddenly, "Hmm... you're quite clever. From now on, I'll look at you with new eyes."

Hao Jian smiled, saying, "You too, I'm starting to see you in a new light."

The two exchanged smiles. He Yingzi then reached out her hand to Hao Jian and said, "Well, that's a pleasant decision then, happy cooperation!"

Hao Jian smiled, "Happy cooperation!"

Afterwards, they didn't say much more and just temporarily decided on it. He Yingzi asked Hao Jian to tell Baldy and the others to lay low for the time being and not act recklessly. Hao Jian nodded in agreement and then got out of the car. They said they'd discuss it more tomorrow. After Hao Jian got out, He Yingzi drove off into the distance.

After getting out of the car and watching He Yingzi's car leave, Hao Jian stood on the street and pondered for a moment before walking away. He went to have a meal first, then entered the school and attended classes in the classroom.

However, after getting out of the car, he walked towards Lin Dongyang's classroom.

When he reached Lin Dongyang's classroom door, Lin Dongyang seemed to be inside sitting at his desk, studying earnestly. Although he had now followed Hao Jian onto this path, he hadn't slackened his efforts in studying. After all, it's not a long-term plan; in today's society, studying well is the key to success.

Seeing him studying, Hao Jian stood there motionless, preparing to message him to come out. However, at that moment, a delightful and familiar voice sounded beside him.

"Brother Hao, why are you here?" It was Li Yaqin's voice.

Hao Jian didn't speak, but Li Yaqin understood his purpose for coming and said, "Brother Hao, wait a moment, I'll call Dongyang for you."

"Hmm!" Hao Jian nodded, saying, "Sorry for the trouble!"

Originally he wanted to message Lin Dongyang to come out, but since Li Yaqin saw him and was going to call him, it saved the trouble of sending a message.

It was just a moment's thought.

When Lin Dongyang heard from Li Yaqin that Hao Jian was waiting outside, he immediately put down his pen and ran out.

"Brother Hao, you were looking for me," Lin Dongyang said to Hao Jian with a smile on his face.

Hao Jian nodded and motioned for Lin Dongyang to talk aside. Lin Dongyang immediately followed. When they reached a corner of the corridor where there were no other people, Lin Dongyang asked Hao Jian, "Boss, what's the matter?"

Hao Jian's expression suddenly became serious and he asked, "Is there something you're keeping from me?"

As soon as Lin Dongyang heard this, he immediately understood. It wasn't that he intended to hide it from Hao Jian, it's just that Hao Jian had said not to bother him with trivial matters. Besides, he thought he could perhaps resolve this issue, so he didn't tell Hao Jian to avoid troubling him.

Therefore, he didn't inform Hao Jian.

At this moment, he furrowed his brow.