After searching through the documents, Chuanliu found only one obvious dual contract signed with Hou Yifan, and another document showing that the three Long Dongqiang brothers were exploiting loopholes in the Red Peach City system to conduct some shady business.
These operations would undoubtedly be illegal in a society governed by the rule of law, but on Paradise Island, these flaws have been tacitly tolerated and have become an unspoken rule on the island.
Chuanliu secretly pondered that even if he showed these things to the higher-ups at Red Peach, the punishment would be nothing more than a fine, just like last time, and there wouldn't be any more severe sentences.
It's even possible that the higher-ups were aware of Jiulong's underhanded tactics, but tacitly approved of such behavior in the face of huge profits.
Her gaze continued to wander around the room, finally settling on the only painting in the office. It was a minimalist painting, with only simple lines and colors; it wasn't a famous work, nor was it particularly beautiful.
Simple mode.
The classic safe is hidden behind the painting.
Chuanliu carefully moved the painting aside and, sure enough, saw a safe.
The safe is embedded in the wall and has two four-digit combination locks on it.
For a normal person, the probability of opening these two locks is only 0.00001%, but for Chuanliu, who is skilled at picking locks and entering doors, it only takes 3 minutes.
She closed her eyes, listening intently to the subtle sounds coming from inside the lock. Her fingers moved gently across the keypad, each number accompanied by a soft "click," and the sound changed subtly when it stopped at a specific number.
With a few soft noises, the two locks were opened one after another, revealing the contents of the safe: an account book, several contracts, and an iron box.
Chuanliu flipped through the ledgers, which were the true financial records of the red-light district.
Compared to the fake ledger, the actual annual revenue of the red-light district was much higher, and a large portion of the difference went into the pockets of the three brothers, Jiulong, He Dadong, and Zhuang Qiang.
Several contracts were slush funds they made in collusion with other cities, bypassing the City of Hearts. These included the actual terms of their collaboration with Hou Yifan:
Contract Party A: Hou Yifan
Contract B: Jiulong
Purpose of the contract: The purpose of this contract is to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties in order to achieve the cooperation goals.
Cooperation Scope: Party B agrees to provide Party A with labor resources primarily composed of homeless individuals from Paradise Island, and will not need to retrieve them after provision; the labor resources will be traded as a product; this product has no age, gender, or identity restrictions, with preference given to those without social connections on Paradise Island, and a minimum of 8 people will be provided each month. Party A agrees to pay the corresponding fees as stipulated in this contract.
Contract Term: This contract shall be effective from the date of signing until Party A indicates that it has no need for product supply.
Fee: Party A shall pay Party B RMB 1,000 per person (in words: One Thousand Yuan Only), and the settlement shall be made on the 1st of the following month.
Note: If Party B fails to provide a sufficient number of personnel as stipulated in the terms, Party A has the right to refuse payment for the previous month.
Confidentiality Clause: Both Party A and Party B shall keep confidential all information involved in this contract and the cooperation process.
Party A (Signature): Hou Yifan
Party B (Signature): Jiulong
Judging from the contract signing date, Jiulong and Hou Yifan's business dealings have lasted for over a year. Based on the timeline, it should have started two years ago after the "disaster" when Jiulong became the boss of the red-light district.
If the higher-ups at Red Peach City knew that Kowloon had been sending people to other cities, I wonder what they would think.
Then, Chuanliu opened the metal box again.
A "Nine of Hearts" lies quietly in the tin box.
The vibrant heart pattern and the striking number "9" stood out in the dimly lit office.
Chuanliu was filled with doubt.
Kowloon's "9 of Hearts" identity card was not carried with him?
Does he really trust his room so much that he thinks no one will break in?
In Paradise Island, a place where status is paramount, identity tokens are often more important than life itself.
It is not only a symbol of status, but also a necessary credential for entering and exiting various places. For high-ranking figures like Jiulong, the identity card is a direct manifestation of his status and power.
However, the "Nine of Hearts" identity card appeared so easily in this metal box, which is not something Kowloon would do.
Despite his doubts, Chuanliu did not hesitate at all and put the identity token into his pocket.
Playing cards were not only a convenient tool for her, but also lightweight and easy to carry. Now that she had discovered them, there was no reason for her not to take them.
Storage card balance: 258,150.
Identity card:
One "10 of Diamonds";
One "Nine of Hearts";
Fragments of "Plum Blossom 2";
One "WD Special Edition" card.
Chuanliu carefully put each item back in its place, his movements precise and swift, like a skilled magician tidying up props after a magic trick.
Make sure everything is restored to normal, so no one can detect her intrusion.
The office was deathly silent.
The sound of patrolling footsteps outside the door and windows, along with indistinct noises from afar, became the only background noise in this silence.
The sound of Chuan Liu's heartbeat and breathing was especially clear in the stillness. She pricked up her ears, like a vigilant cheetah, intently capturing any subtle sound around her.
Suddenly, a strange noise broke the silence.
Knock knock knock.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Knock knock knock.
The sound of the pounding seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet air, like a drumbeat drifting from nearby, striking at the taut nerves of the swiftly moving man.
Chuanliu's heart tightened suddenly, and she quickly looked around, trying to find the source of the sound.
However, nothing was found.
The strange noise rang out again in the silence, and because Chuanliu was paying even more attention, the first sound was clearer than before.
Knock knock knock.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Knock knock knock.
Time ticked by, and her planned evacuation time was fast approaching. Chuanliu frowned, stopped searching for the source of the sound, and climbed out the window to leave.
Just as Chuanliu nimbly climbed over the wall along the same route, preparing to return to "Drunk Bar" silently and pretend everything was normal, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded inside the Jiulong base.
"Ring ring ring—"
The deafening alarm shattered the silence of the night like a hammer blow, instantly breaking the tranquility of the Jiulong base.
Immediately afterwards, the lights in the base flickered, and the once peaceful night was shrouded in panic and tension.
Chuanliu's heart tightened. She turned her head and saw that all the guards had been mobilized. They were armed, their faces grim, and they were shouting loudly, "Someone has broken into the base! Alarm! Alarm!"
"Quickly notify Brother Long and the others! Search for any suspicious individuals!"
The sound of hurried footsteps and shouts rose and fell, plunging the entire base into chaos.
She's been exposed?
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