155: The picture is exhausted...

The tea room door closed gently, the thick solid wood completely sealing off all the clamor outside.

Inside, the scent of tea curled in the air, yet it could not dispel the silent, spreading tension.

Bai Shaqiang sat in the main seat, skillfully scalding the cups, warming the pot, placing the tea, and pouring from high and low—a set of movements as fluid as flowing water...

Prince Hui pulled a few cigarettes from an exquisite case and handed them one by one to those present.

Li Zhan took one, leaned in to the flame Prince Hui offered to light it, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled, the smoke blurring his deep gaze.

The confidants behind the spokespersons, such as Lao Zhou and the top lieutenants of Bai Shaqiang and the others, tacitly dispersed to the corners of the room or stood against the walls, their gazes lowered yet maintaining absolute vigilance, like a group of silent statues.

The sound of boiling water was exceptionally clear in the quiet tea room.

Bai Shaqiang poured the first brew of tea over the tea pet before speaking slowly, his voice steady yet pointing straight to the core, "Mr. Li, thank you for giving me face regarding this matter."

As he spoke, he poured the golden, clear second brew of tea into the tasting cup in front of Li Zhan.

"I heard you obtained that Port Authority Company of his in Humen from Young Master Liu?"

He raised his eyes, looking at Li Zhan with a gaze like a torch.

Li Zhan picked up the teacup, his fingertips feeling the warmth of the porcelain, and lightly inhaled the tea's aroma, not answering immediately but simply nodding.

Bai Shaqiang continued, his tone stating a settled fact, "The port share quota for Chashan Town for the next three years has opened up. I'll give this portion to you."

He paused and added, "Along with the share you deserve from the points you earned in the arena, if you can handle it, you can take it all on."

You certainly know how to be generous with other people's property.

Li Zhan sneered inwardly, but his expression remained calm.

The Chashan quota had opened up precisely because of him; now that Bai Shaqiang said it, it sounded like an extra favor he was bestowing.

"The goods you move in Humen... as long as the volume is within the quota and the shipping routes and schedules are arranged properly, there won't be any problems."

Bai Shaqiang's tone carried the absolute confidence of someone on his own turf, "Customs, anti-smuggling... I will handle all the arrangements here. Have the people you send to take over the company contact me directly, and I will arrange for someone to show them the ropes and introduce them to the right people."

His words carried immense weight.

As the largest and most critical port in Dongguan, Humen Port's capacity for grey-market transit was not infinite; the quota was a lifeline.

Whoever controlled the distribution of the quota held, to a large extent, the lifeblood of the forces in each town.

Bai Shaqiang had operated in Humen for many years, deeply rooted with complex ties to every link in the chain; this was his greatest capital and source of confidence, and the fundamental reason why all parties had to give him face.

Li Zhan was silent for a moment.

This was exactly what he wanted—a stable and sufficiently large outlet to the sea to connect his Changan industrial chain with a broader market.

He had no interest in or desire to touch the other grey industry shares...

He raised his teacup, gestured slightly toward Bai Shaqiang, and then drained it in one gulp, "Then... thank you, Brother Qiang."

His voice was calm, but it was a final decision.

Seeing Li Zhan readily accept this "compensation" and express his stance, Prince Hui, Brother Chang, and A-Ming, who were present, although not showing it on their faces, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The potential conflict and uncertainty brought about by the illicit drug incident were finally temporarily suppressed and put behind them.

The atmosphere in the tea room seemed to soften slightly as a result.

However, everyone knew that while the old grudge had just settled, new matters were about to arise.

Bai Shaqiang would never have brought out such substantial items just to apologize.

What followed would be the real main event of tonight's tea session...

A smile appeared on Bai Shaqiang's face as he began to pour the tea again.

Prince Hui also took the opportunity to pass around another round of cigarettes.

Smoke and the scent of tea intertwined once more, but the ensuing conversation would determine the landscape and direction of Dongguan's underworld for a long time to come.

Prince Hui took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled slowly, the white smoke blurring his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

He sat up straight, no longer looking lazy and scholarly, and turned his gaze to Li Zhan, "Mr. Li,"

He spoke, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet tea room, "Have you ever thought about a question? Why has Dongguan formed this situation over the past few years... where every town has a spokesperson?"

Li Zhan's heart skipped a beat.

This question seemed ordinary, but it was actually extremely sharp, pointing directly at the core of the power structure of Dongguan's underworld.

His fingers holding the cigarette paused slightly, and he looked up to meet Prince Hui's gaze. He did not answer immediately, but responded calmly, "Oh... Brother Hui, that's an interesting point."

"Every town is filled with rival factions fighting to the death, and finally a spokesperson emerges to settle the disputes; isn't that a natural ecosystem for the underworld? Could it be... there's some other explanation? If Brother Hui has any insights, I'm all ears."

Prince Hui took a deep drag, the smoke slowly escaping from his nose. His gaze behind the gold-rimmed glasses became somewhat deep, even carrying a hint of undisguisable worry.

He flicked the ash, his voice dropping lower but sounding heavier, "Natural? Mr. Li is a smart man, why pretend to be ignorant? Where in this world is there so much that happens naturally? It's just that someone wanted it to become this way."

He paused, glanced around at the people present with their varying expressions, and continued, "This structure didn't form naturally. It was the higher-ups..."

He pointed his finger upward again, "That head of the Provincial Department spent several years single-handedly orchestrating it. One town, one faction—it looks chaotic, but it's actually easy to manage. It reduces large-scale conflicts and also makes it convenient... to harvest everyone at once when the time comes."

He sighed, "We only started to feel it in the last year... This sword is hanging brightly over each of our heads. We just don't know... when it will fall, or in what way it will fall."

"We people, while we seem glorious, are actually just... pigs and sheep penned up in our respective towns. Once fattened and the rules are set, when the time comes... I'm afraid it will be convenient to slaughter us."

These words were extremely blunt and explicit, tearing away almost all the fig leaves.

Brother Chang of Houjie and A-Ming of Changping looked solemn as they smoked silently, clearly having long known and accepted this assessment.

Bai Shaqiang's tea-brewing motions also slowed down, his expression calm...

The cigarette at Li Zhan's fingertips burned slowly, a long length of gray ash accumulating.

He felt a wave of emotion; it wasn't as if there were no smart people in the underworld... But he hadn't expected the other party to be so direct in piercing through this layer of paper.

He and Lao Zhou had indeed privately deduced this possibility repeatedly, but had never spoken of it aloud...

Bai Shaqiang interjected, his tone heavy, "We people, to put it bluntly, are like fish raised in a pond. Usually, we swim around and live in peace... but when the fishing net is cast, and which ones are caught, all depends on the mood of the people on the shore."

He looked at Li Zhan, "Mr. Li, your momentum this time is too fierce; it has already alerted the people on the shore. We are worried... will this net be cast early?"

Brother Chang sighed, the amiability on his face replaced by worry, "Everyone knows the cards are on the table, but how do we play? In this country, who has the power to go head-to-head with the authorities? We people, while we look glorious, are actually... just duckweed without roots."

The tea room fell into a brief silence, with only the faint sound of boiling water.

This was a silent consensus, as well as a profound sense of helplessness...