Under Uncle Kun's guidance, Su Cheng met Master Shen.

"Master Shen."

"Sit down." Master Shen is a very interesting person. He is very casual when he doesn't care about formalities, but when he does, he can put on a very showy act.

For example, it's practically impossible for Su Cheng to see Master Shen on his own. The few times he's seen Master Shen so far, it was either with Xu Mao or with Uncle Kun today.

Not to mention the low-level members of the organization, many of whom had never even heard of Master Shen and knew nothing about his existence.

Just like Su Cheng back then, who thought that he could end the mission once he had obtained evidence of Xu Mao's crimes, but who would have thought that there was someone else behind him?

"Thank you, Master Shen." Su Cheng sat down, looking very honest. He didn't look around or say anything, following Master Shen's instructions.

His behavior earned him a higher opinion of Master Shen and Uncle Kun.

"You did a good job on what I asked you to do last time," said Master Shen.

"Thank you for the compliment, Master Shen."

The reason Shen Ye summoned Su Cheng this time was to cultivate him into a new force, to make Su Cheng the next Xu Mao, to manage more gang affairs, and to make the gang bigger and stronger, penetrating into more cities.

"Business in Huadu is almost saturated."

The market is only so big, and Master Shen can't monopolize it all by himself. Right now, gangs already take up at least 50% of the business in Huadu. If he were to take over more, it would probably cause dissatisfaction among other forces, and might even invite them to unite against him. At that point, they would be in a disadvantageous position.

Therefore, Master Shen plans to expand the market and open up new battlefields. Naturally, he cannot do this himself, and Su Cheng is the most suitable candidate he has in mind.

"I plan to develop my career in Beijing."

Su Cheng's heart skipped a beat. The capital?

Is this a coincidence? Or is it a subtle test from Master Shen?

But this shouldn't be the case. His identity as Lu Zhengjun has been completely erased. Even his parents and wife think he's dead. Now he's called Su Cheng, and apart from his contact with Xu Ziqi, no one should know his true identity.

We must not lose our composure.

"Does Master Shen mean for me to go to the capital?" Su Cheng asked, trying to appear calm.

"Not for now," Master Shen waved his hand.

The leader who opens up new battlefields, the next Xu Mao, must be someone who can be proud of his abilities.

Therefore, a new test awaits Su Cheng.

"With your current abilities, you're not yet capable of handling things on your own. Master Shen plans to first assign you to manage the transactions with the Jade Kingdom. If you manage them well, we'll consider sending you to the capital to take a share of the market there. Once you're in the capital, you'll be in charge," Uncle Kun explained from the side.

The implication is that once Su Cheng passes this test, he will be able to stand on equal footing with Xu Mao, conquer the capital, and manage the gang's business there.

Of course, there's not much business yet. Su Cheng needs to go there and compete with the local forces. If he wins, he'll become the boss, second only to Master Shen, above everyone else. If he loses, the consequences are obvious and need no further explanation.

"I understand," Su Cheng nodded.

It was indeed a test, but it was only to test his abilities in order to elevate him to a higher position, not to test his identity, which reassured him quite a bit.

As long as my identity wasn't exposed.

Moreover, if we could gain Master Shen's trust, wouldn't it be easier for him to collect various pieces of evidence in the future?

If Su Cheng can become the gang leader in the capital, he will inevitably have direct contact with Master Shen, and the evidence he obtains will be more direct and convincing.

“Go ahead,” said Master Shen.

Uncle Kun saw Su Cheng off, and in the short distance, he took the opportunity to give Su Cheng a few more pointers, basically to motivate him and tell him to do his best and cherish this hard-won opportunity. Su Cheng thanked him repeatedly.

The matter that Su Cheng will be responsible for next is the transaction with the Jade Kingdom, or to put it more bluntly, the human trafficking business with the Jade Kingdom.

The part that Master Shen taught him was mainly the trafficking of adults.

There's a reason for this.

Men are sent to Jade Country to work illegally, where they are exploited to the maximum extent as extremely cheap labor. Beautiful women are sent to engage in prostitution, while those who are not beautiful are exploited just like the men. In the worst-case scenario, their organs can be sold to make another profit. In short, people are squeezed dry.

Su Cheng pondered that to gain Master Shen's trust and obtain the qualification to go to the capital, he had to complete this mission, but he wasn't really involved in a gang; he was just an undercover agent.

These unethical and illegal things cannot be actually done, but the illusion of completing the task must be created. This requires contacting superiors and getting their help.

“We’ll refrain from collecting payments for now,” Su Cheng said to Haozi and Zheng Chong.

The three of them are a team, and now that there is a new mission, Haozi and Zheng Chong also have to change along with Su Cheng.

"Not collecting debts? Then what are you doing?" Haozi asked.

"We're recruiting," Su Cheng said.

"Recruiting people?" Haozi's eyes lit up instantly, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Are we about to take over?"

Within a gang, there's a hierarchy of what each person does and is capable of. The more "advanced" the job, the higher one's status within the gang, and human trafficking is clearly a symbol of being a "high-ranking person" in this gang.

"Only when you succeed can you be considered to have risen to the top. Right now... it's at most a probationary period." Su Cheng's expression was a half-smile.

Haozi was still happily basking in the moment, while Zheng Chong was much quicker to the point.

"Is this what Master Shen wants?" Zheng Chong asked.

Su Cheng nodded.

Zheng Chong then understood; Haozi was right this time, it seemed they really were going to take over.

“If this job goes smoothly, we might be able to open up new battlefields in the capital later,” Su Cheng said.

Haozi became completely excited. Although he was just a henchman, he wanted to become a top-level boss and immediately looked like he was eager to do something big.

Su Cheng gave the signal and secretly met with Xu Ziqi to explain the current situation to him.

"I can't actually do this, but I can't not do it either. It has to work out. The military will definitely have to find a way to cooperate with me, at least to make Master Shen think that I can do it."

Xu Ziqi nodded, agreeing with Su Cheng's words.

The opportunity to gain Master Shen's trust is rare and should indeed be seized, but this requires advance deployment and cooperation from the troops.

"I understand. I'll report back when I get back and then contact you again. I'll do my best to cooperate with you next time you're on a mission," Xu Ziqi said.

After returning, Xu Ziqi immediately reported the situation to Commander Liao. The final decision was the same as Su Cheng's: to rely on the army's resources to create the illusion of completing the mission.

With the help of both inside and outside forces, the mission was completed brilliantly, further increasing Master Shen's appreciation for Su Cheng, and it was basically a done deal.