Chapter 01: Before the expedition could succeed, the body perished first

The underworld and such should be the ones most deserving of divine retribution and struck by lightning

Xu Manyu watched helplessly as her camera lay scattered on the ground, her heart aching with sorrow. The camera was not issued by the newspaper; it was a gift from her mother, who had tightened her belt after Xu was accepted into A University’s journalism program, urging her to study diligently and use her knowledge to speak for the people in the future. Having lost her father at a young age, her mother had raised her with great difficulty, battling poor health while fulfilling both parental roles. Although the camera was not a high-end model, it represented hard-earned money saved bit by bit. Yet, she never expected it would be smashed by gangsters! Furious, her teeth clenched in pain, she crouched down to pick it up.

Before long, a group of young men surrounded several beautiful women and descended into the dance floor. Seeing that the table was now empty, Xu Manyu cautiously approached, leaning over the sofa, preparing to secretly take out his camera. In fact, Shen Jun had not mentioned that Director Liang had specifically instructed to obtain photographs, but seeing such a good opportunity go to waste would be a pity. Thus, he mustered his courage and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, snapped several pictures of the scattered bobblehead dolls and K powder on the table.

Holding two cups of tea, I had just arrived at the door and was about to knock when I heard Liang Hongyue's voice coming through unusually clearly.

Where is being too diligent? It is truly just boredom. Many blessings secretly grumbled, and then they heard Liang Hongyue's voice: "She has already heard it, take her along, before the report is published, let her keep her mouth shut."

She had no choice but to be patient and wait. After a long while, she finally saw Director Liang Hongyue poke her head out and say, "Xiao Dai, pour in two cups of tea."

The scalding tea was just splashed onto the tiles in front of her toes, and she felt somewhat dazed, the words "underworld" had been swirling above her mind. The mafia! It is the mafia! How could she not show a hint of nervousness and excitement

Shen Jun found a somewhat secluded spot, ordered a glass of brandy for himself, and also requested a fruit wine for Xu Dafu. After tasting it, Xu Dafu realized it was not as strong as what she had previously drunk at the bar; Shen Jun had underestimated her. She sank into the soft sofa, her eyes rolling around playfully.

She eagerly awaited Christmas, planning to ask her journalism teacher for a leave of absence, as there wasn't much work to do anyway. Moreover, it had been a long time since she had seen the few oddballs in her dormitory, and she had long been looking forward to holding a long-overdue women's meeting. Who would have thought that Shen Jun didn't come to the newspaper office at all that day? It was only when the deadline for submissions was approaching that she saw him hurriedly entering the director's office with a large camera slung over his shoulder

Liang Hongyue adjusted her glasses on her nose, and two piercing gazes pierced through the lenses, puncturing Xu Duofu's body with countless holes: "Xu Duofu? What are you doing here?"

In the car, Xu was sitting properly in the passenger seat, while Shen Jun drove and reminded her: "There are reports suggesting that the Imperial View Nightclub is providing drugs and sexual services. We are going for an undercover investigation, so make sure not to reveal our identities."

As soon as she stepped outside, she remembered that she had forgotten to take her coat. The winter wind, laden with snowflakes, mercilessly whipped against her face and body. Although her little dress was not short, it still fell above the knee, and her bare calves immediately broke out in goosebumps in the wind. She hugged her arms tightly and stomped her feet desperately, straining her eyes in anticipation, yet among the passing traffic, there was not a single empty taxi in sight

Many blessings, however, ignored him, breaking free from his hand and insisting on picking up the scattered parts of the camera, her eyes misty with emotion. It was unclear whether she was heartbroken over the camera or felt wronged, regretting not having obediently listened to Shen Jun's words. She wiped the dust off the camera body and stood up with red eyes

"Brother Yue, it's nothing serious," said Tan Ge, who, upon seeing the visitor, had his arrogance diminished somewhat. His voice was no longer as overbearing as before. After speaking, he turned around and pulled Xu Fufu aside, threatening him in a low voice, "Hurry up and get lost, go home, wash up, and sleep. The Empire Scene is not just one nightclub! Can you handle it all?"

In the car, Jiang Chengyue also noticed the person by the roadside shivering from the cold, and her brows involuntarily furrowed. On such a cold day, she was only wearing a thin black dress, with a neckline that was so low, drawing particular attention to her collarbones. He still remembered when she sat up straight, her eyes shining like stars filled with tears, making her already petite face appear even more delicate and moving. He did not know why that face kept floating in front of him, causing his nerves to ache under the pressure. He still remembered when she sat up straight, her eyes shining like stars filled with tears, making her already petite face appear even more delicate and moving. He did not know why that face kept floating in front of him, causing his nerves to ache under the pressure.

Just as she was repeatedly muttering, a black car sped past her, sweeping in a gust of even stronger wind. She shivered violently and immediately began to curse at the back of the car. What bad luck she had, missing a perfectly good Christmas gathering to come and join this commotion. Now, not only had she not received any news, but she also got a lesson from the underworld.

Before she could grasp anything, a pair of shiny black leather shoes suddenly appeared before her. The owner of the shoes stood in front of her but did not speak to her; instead, he quietly asked the man by the pond, "What are you doing? It’s a mess here right after you arrived."

For this undercover visit, she even specially borrowed an outfit, after all, the people who frequent such occasions are not ordinary. She certainly couldn't go dressed in a pullover sweater and jeans. However, in this cold winter, isn't this V-shaped backless black dress a bit too extravagant?

No matter how foolish or silly Xu Nofu is, he cannot admit it, so he can only shake his head vigorously: "No, it's not that, I am just quite curious about this place, really"

Xu Duo Fu raised the corner of his mouth and leaned closer to his ear, advising, "Teacher Shen, if a beautiful woman offers you any services, be sure not to let it slip by, it's news!"

Get lost! That person walked up with a displeased expression, stared at Xu Manyu for a while, and then curled his lips into a cold smile, saying, "A reporter?"

A sudden jolt ran through him, and he immediately felt restless and agitated. He already disliked seeing women cry, and watching this woman in tears made him feel even more uncomfortable. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he pressed down on the accelerator and plunged into the flow of traffic

"Isn't this my first time here? Am I not allowed to feel fresh? Am I not allowed to take photos for memories? Why are you all so stingy!" Xu Fufu furrowed his brows and began to try to reason with him, just then a loud shout came from the side: "What are you doing! Get out of my way!"

She continued to nod repeatedly, but her mind had long since wandered away

She began to pray to the Tathagata Buddha, the Jade Emperor, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Lord Jesus, and the One True God Allah

Curiosity killed the cat is absolutely true; how could she have known that such a subtle action as pressing her ear against it, out of extreme boredom, would suddenly cause her life to take a sharp 360-degree turn?

As she looked up, she saw a tall figure standing directly opposite her, backlit, making it difficult to see their features clearly. However, the outline appeared particularly resolute and stern due to the backlight, causing her to instinctively take a few steps back. The person was wearing a black jacket-style leather coat and held a half-burnt cigarette between their fingers. They pointed at her with a frown, their eyes filled with tears, and asked, "What are you crying about? Did they do something to you? The people here wouldn't lay a hand on a woman!" After saying this, the person turned back to a man named A Tan and said, "A Tan, don't cause trouble here anymore. I'm leaving this place in your hands, and you need to manage it well. It's not a good sight to come down and see this kind of thing!" After finishing, they stuffed the cigarette into their mouth and took a deep drag.

She has never specifically covered news, and Shen Jun is quite uneasy about her, not expecting her to be of any help, but merely hoping that she won't cause any trouble when the time comes

This is the lobby on the first floor, where the attendees are somewhat affluent individuals, but the real big clients are likely not present here. Many blessings observed the young bodies swaying in the dance floor, scratching their ears, as the music was a bit loud

Xu Duo Fu immediately stopped Xiao Dai, smiling as he said: "Teacher Dai, you should continue to focus on writing your draft; I will take it in for you."

Shen Jun gave her a light tap on the back of her head, then stood up with a smile and walked into the vibrant neon colors

Xu Manyu remained silent, merely pursing her lips and sniffing. She was already feeling angry inside, especially since the person in front of her was clearly a member of the underworld, yet he pretended to be a great sage. However, she did not dare to raise a fuss or make a scene. She was not foolish; she was well aware of who was standing before her. If she let her emotions take over, wouldn't that mean she was risking her life? As the saying goes, "While the green mountains remain, one need not worry about firewood." With this thought in mind, she decided to act accordingly. She immediately grabbed her handbag from the nearby sofa and rushed out, completely forgetting about her good teacher and loyal comrade.

However, that Tan Ge was not so easily deceived. He stepped forward, snatched her camera, and smashed it hard on the ground, threatening her fiercely: "Don't come here looking for death in the future! You journalists are the most overconfident. What news do you think you can dig up? Just these shaking pills? K powder? Do you think that by doing this, our Empire View will collapse? Let me tell you, dream on!" Just these shaking pills? K powder? Do you think that by doing this, our Empire View will collapse? Let me tell you, dream on!

Shen Jun leaned closer and whispered in her ear: "Stay here and wait, I will go check the situation."

Many blessings nodded repeatedly, and what surged in her heart was neither tension nor fear, but rather a slight sense of anticipation, feeling that she had finally made a contribution. Shen Jun seemed to have noticed her little thoughts, glared at her, and added, "You just sit quietly, do not do anything, do you hear me?"

Shen Jun was probably not acting out of favoritism, after all, they were his own students, and he had to bear some responsibility for their guidance. He stood up to block many Fu, while pushing her out the door, he explained to Director Liang: "My student, quite good, just a bit too, too eager, always rushing to take on tasks."

Xu Fu lowered his head to look at the shattered cup, then glanced at the remaining cup in his hand, forcing a smile as he said: "Director Liang, Xiao Dai is busy, I have brought you tea."

Interns are always filled with endless passion and enthusiasm, yet she has not been particularly fortunate, as she encountered a formidable opponent in her very first battle

This is in stark contrast to her original fervor to eliminate harm for the people and uphold justice

At that moment, a security guard approached from behind, exuding a fierce demeanor, yet speaking politely: "Miss, the environment here is not suitable for photography." As he spoke, his actions were rough and aggressive, grabbing her camera and starting to pull it away. Mucho Fu watched helplessly as the results of her wait for an entire evening were about to be snatched away, immediately clutching the camera like a hen protecting her chicks, refusing to let go. The security guard did not seem to be an easy opponent either, warning: "Miss, if you do not cooperate..." Mucho Fu watched helplessly as the results of her wait for an entire evening were about to be snatched away, immediately clutching the camera like a hen protecting her chicks, refusing to let go. The security guard did not seem to be an easy opponent either, warning: "Miss, if you do not cooperate..."

She had never been to a nightclub. When she first entered university, she insisted on trying to look cool and went to a bar a few times with her senior. However, a nightclub is certainly not comparable to a bar. As soon as Shen Jun's car stopped, Xu Manyu had already noticed the luxurious cars in the parking lot, which were indeed not in the same league as theirs. She clicked her tongue twice, wrapped her coat tightly, and followed Shen Jun inside.

Shut up! Jiang Cheng was too lazy to argue with him, squeezing out two words from between his teeth before falling silent. Although his eyes were still fixed ahead, the hand gripping the steering wheel tightened.

Xu Manyu has been at Rong'an Urban Daily for nearly a month now, but as an intern, she is still bound by the duties of an intern. Not only does she serve tea and water, but she also has to clean the desks and sweep the floors. In fact, having these tasks to do is not too bad; otherwise, she would spend the entire day hunched over her desk reading newspapers, not even missing the small advertisements tucked in between the pages.

Many blessings have yet to be reflected, and the security guard has already stepped aside, bowing his head and addressing the newcomer: "Brother Tan."

The old seventh sitting beside me smiled and asked meaningfully, "What? Are you interested in that girl? Go for it! With Brother Yue taking the lead, who would dare not come over on their own?"

"Xiao Shen, this news is entrusted to you, be sure to act with caution, after all, it involves the underworld..." Before Liang Hongyue's words had finished, Xu Yufu stumbled and fell into the office.

Shen Jun even specifically threw her into a nearby hair salon, where her originally jet-black long hair was styled into large waves, indeed adding a touch of charm. However, this was not the appearance she preferred; if it were not for her career, she would never have agreed to it. Nevertheless, it was just a temporary curl, so she could overlook it. Staring at the rearview mirror ahead, Xu Fu grinned and chuckled for quite a while.

During the Christmas party and such, many blessings were instantly cast aside.

The nearby tables were bustling with noise, as several young men gathered together, drinking heavily. Xu Duo originally intended to wait for Shen Jun to return before investigating thoroughly, but unexpectedly, when she turned her head, she caught a glimpse of one of the men putting something into a glass. Her mind jolted, and without a second thought, she tightened her grip on the large shoulder bag she was carrying and quietly moved closer to that side.