Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Chapter 24 - Submitting the Letter of Intent

Chapter 30: Chapter 24 – Submitting the Letter of Intent

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The room was quite spacious, with only a table in the middle, beside which sat two people. One was indeed Zhang Baocheng, and the other was a burly old man with a scar on his face. Zhang Baocheng wore a respectful expression when facing the imposing elder.

The two were in conversation when Yan Fei had an idea, controlling the Drone to activate its storage card and begin recording their conversation in real-time.

Inside the room, Zhang Baocheng said to the scar-faced elder, “Marquis, the situation is as it stands, it’s time for you to make a decision.”

It was then that Yan Fei realized the scar-faced elder was the Marquis who had been causing him trouble. Although there was a scar across the Marquis’s face, his guarded glances added an oppressive feeling, resembling the majesty of Marquises portrayed in film and television.

The Marquis tapped his fingers on the tabletop without speaking. As Zhang Baocheng grew anxious and was about to talk, the Marquis finally spoke, “Baocheng, I’ve always had a question. Back when we were so carefree and powerful in Shanghai, why did you suddenly drop out and join that organization?”

Zhang Baocheng replied with a wry smile, “Marquis, I’m not afraid to be the butt of your jokes. I was abroad dealing with some private matters, and I fell for a honey trap set by the other party. Under their seduction, I did some bad things that couldn’t be exposed. Then they held that over me and, under their coercion, I had no choice but to join them and work for them.”

The Marquis asked, “Is it under their orders that you’re here to persuade me?”

Zhang Baocheng responded, “Indeed, I am here on their orders to recruit you, hoping you will join the organization as well.”

The Marquis remarked, “An old man like me doesn’t have much time left to live, I shouldn’t be of much value to them. It’s somewhat strange that they would still try to recruit me.”

Zhang Baocheng explained, “Marquis, they have a few plans targeting the domestic front that they need to advance soon, but they’ve found that their manpower within China is insufficient. They need to increase their numbers. Since there’s urgency and no time to train new agents, they can only recruit domestically. They’ve been monitoring you through me all these years. They’re quite aware of your strength, which is why they’ve decided to recruit you.”

The Marquis weighed the matter for quite a while before asking, “If I join them, what are their demands?”

Zhang Baocheng said, “Joining them doesn’t mean you just work for them for nothing; there are many benefits. Firstly, they can guarantee your safety. If you truly can’t stay in China anymore, they will help you flee to the United States, find you a place, and ensure you live a comfortable second half of your life. As for your son, Liang, they can also secure a US green card for him and arrange for his settlement in the United States.”

After tapping the table a few more times, the Marquis inquired, “What else?”

Zhang Baocheng continued, “Secondly, once you join them, you will receive a substantial amount of operational funds, which will completely alleviate the financial difficulties currently faced by the gang. Finally, if you’re willing, they might even send an expert to assist you, helping you to unify Shanghai’s underworld and become the true overlord of this underground world.”

The Marquis chuckled, “The benefits sound decent, but these advantages can’t be that easy to obtain. What do they need me to do?”

Zhang Baocheng said, “If you join the organization, you naturally become one of its members, and the most important thing is to comply with the organization’s arrangements. Besides mobilizing a large number of gang members for the immediate tasks of the organization, they won’t make you do overly dangerous things most of the time. But even this task poses no real danger.”

The Marquis inquired, “What specific tasks will I have to perform later on?”

Zhang Baocheng explained, “Normally, I wouldn’t be able to discuss such matters in advance, but I can make an exception and give you a hint. Once you join the organization, they will have you establish several civilian organizations, like the Dog Lovers Association, for example. Then you must use this association to gather so-called dog lovers and actively participate in highly publicized public activities related to dog abuse or consumption of dogs.”

A puzzled expression crossed the Marquis’s face as he said, “My job can’t be as simple as that, can it?”

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Zhang Baocheng said, “This Dog Lovers Association is just a facade. The organization requires you to use the Association as a platform and exploit those dog slaves’ love for dogs, to rally a large number of dog lovers. Then, by using hot-button issues related to dogs, continuously stir their emotions, provoke incidents, and thereby disrupt the normal operating order of government agencies.”

The Marquis responded, “Such a job is indeed interesting. What else is there?”

Zhang Baocheng continued, “You need to take control of the Dog Lovers Association, and then through meticulous planning, use dog abuse incidents to create some not-too-extreme bloody scenes in schools or other public places. For instance, on the highway, intercept dog transport vehicles, doxx, threaten, and beat those who mistreat dogs, slowly creating chaos and gradually challenging the state’s bottom line. Through such actions, turn these dog slaves into a tightly organized group.”

Zhang Baocheng glanced at the Marquis’s expression and, seeing nothing abnormal, continued, “Your Dog Lovers Organization needs to have its own slogan. There should be branches in various locations, cultural symbols, your own secret signals and ways of meeting, a common belief and taboos, and a strong sense of cohesion, identification, belonging, and collective honor.”

Stroking his chin, the Marquis said, “In that case, wouldn’t this Dog Lovers Organization essentially become the embryo of a political organization?”

Zhang Baocheng said, “You could say that. After setting up this grassroots organization, when the organization needs it, you’ll create some dog abuse incidents on your own, ignite those dog slaves’ emotions, incite them to rampage, with the goal of causing internal chaos in China.”

The Marquis touched the scar on his face and said, “The organization behind you is indeed impressive, actually finding a breakthrough with such a trivial Dog Lovers Association. In the early stages, the state won’t pay any attention to such associations, but once they are well-organized and have an action program, it will be too late to rein them in.”

Zhang Baocheng chuckled dryly and said, “What I do is almost the same. My main task is to buy off some well-known experts on the internet, verified accounts, and some high-traffic anchors on live streaming platforms, influencing everyone’s correct understanding by subtly spreading information like regional discrimination and health rumors. When the organization really needs them, they will jump out and use some hot issues to attack the state, thereby achieving the goal of undermining Chinese unity and stability and causing a rift within the population. Take, for example, the recent trade war between the United States and China, when everyone internally was united against the threat from the US. That’s when I’ll organize those verified accounts and experts to jump out and say the US is powerful, that we will definitely lose the trade war to them, that we need to be rational, and reflect on why the US is starting a trade war with us, whether we’ve failed to honor trade agreements, etc. Discordant noises in a united voice will disrupt the atmosphere of solidarity, eventually leading to a pessimistic view of China’s future amongst the masses, thus achieving the organization’s strategic purpose.”

A realization dawned on the Marquis. “I thought it was strange that when the trade war first started, China was very united domestically. But then those noisy voices appeared, seriously affecting everyone’s enthusiasm and breaking the united front. So it was your doing.”

A rare look of shame crossed Zhang Baocheng’s face as he said, “China is so vast; if I hadn’t done these things, naturally someone else would. That Chinese people can never unite is not my fault. I just gave them a little push from behind. They can only learn their lesson after suffering a loss, and then they’ll understand my good intentions.”

The Marquis, no longer focusing on the actions of Zhang Baocheng, asked, “You just mentioned that they’re about to launch several plans domestically, hence the shortage of manpower, which is why they thought of me. Do you know what the plans are?”

Zhang Baocheng shook his head, “I don’t know. For actions like this, the executor won’t know the exact plan until the last moment.”

Seeing the Marquis hesitate, Zhang Baocheng said, “Marquis, you’ve also received news. The state is cracking down on crime, so to make an example out of you, Shanghai is about to unleash a devastating blow. Although your previous actions haven’t left solid evidence for the state to seize, with so many subordinates, there’s no guarantee someone won’t betray you. Once your criminal evidence is in someone’s hands, your life is over.”

An angry look appeared on the Marquis’s face; clearly, he also had his sources, knowing that he would not escape the state’s crackdown and that there were undercover elements among his men. He asked, “Facing the state’s crackdown, does your organization have a way to cope?”

Zhang Baocheng smiled, “You haven’t joined the organization, so you don’t know how powerful it is. Once you join, if you are arrested, there will be human rights fighters at the United Nations level speaking out for you. They will distort right and wrong, present you as a pro-Western democrat, pressure the state by accusing them of serious human rights violations, blow the issue up at the United Nations, bring it to the world’s attention, and then compel the state to release you. In this way, the human rights fighters can rescue you. As soon as you’re out, you’ll be labeled a human rights fighter. From then on, you don’t have to worry about your past anymore; you are completely safe.”

The Marquis, considering his own deeds, suddenly let out a long sigh, “Well, if the state wants to take action against me, leaving no way out, then I cannot just wait to be caught. As long as your organization delivers on its promises, can ensure my safety, and get Liang to the United States, I agree to join.”

Seeing the Marquis agree to join, Zhang Baocheng immediately rejoiced, “Please rest assured, Marquis. The organization behind me is powerful. They have never gone back on their word. Once you join, you will see their strength.”

Now that the Marquis had decided to join the Mysterious Organization, his thoughts took a more radical turn. “Baocheng, now that I’m joining the organization, naturally, I can’t come empty-handed. Is there any way for me to make a significant gesture, to show them my worth?”