Once, I wanted to be a good person

Meanwhile.

Emerald City, Red Light District.

Fang Ze's old roommate Wang Hao, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, was swaggering out of a hallway adorned with red lanterns, alongside an old gangster whose face was already marked with many traces of hardship.

Both of them clearly had been drinking, and they carried the scent of women on them.

Behind them, a few girls, dressed to attract attention and not particularly beautiful but young, were giggling, "Brother Wang, Sir Yang, don't forget to come again."

While they laughed, they waved their hands, "Sure. We won't forget," "Don't worry."

Judging by their "familiar" manner with those girls, the two men had probably just been engaged in activities related to the vitality of life.

Once they were out of the hallway, the old gangster, his face a map of experience, patted Wang Hao on the shoulder and slurred, "Brother Wang! You... you're all right!"

"I was right about you!"

"The moment I first laid eyes on you, I felt a certain kinship!"

"That's why I, who usually dislike interacting with others, was willing to talk to you!"

Hearing the old gangster's words, Wang Hao laughed heartily before saying, "Sir Yang, likewise. When I first saw you, I felt a special connection, as if we were old friends."

Listening to Wang Hao, the old gangster patted him on the back and slurred, "Hey? Calling me Sir Yang is just too polite! I'm old enough to be your dad. You might as well call me..."

He trailed off as his muddled brain also sensed something amiss, and he quickly changed his words, "Forget it, to each their own. To each their own."

"You call me brother, and I'll call you bro!"

Wang Hao:..... Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire

While internally questioning what kind of relationship that was meant to be, Wang Hao still happily called out, "Brother!"

The old gangster also laughed, "Bro!"

Having affirmed their brotherhood, the old gangster linked arms with Wang Hao and said, "Brother Wang. Now that we are brothers, I can't treat you as an outsider."

"Come. Let me take you to see something else."

Upon hearing Yang's words, Wang Hao's eyes sparkled, but he still feigned drunkenness and asked, "Sir Yang, what are you planning on showing me?"

The old gangster, reeking of alcohol, leaned into Wang Hao's ear and whispered mysteriously, "Bro... I'm taking you! To see a great treasure!"

"This is something our boss trusts me with, and I have been tasked with guarding it."

"No one else knows about it."

Having said this, he grabbed Wang Hao's arm and said inebriatedly, "Let's go! I'll take you to see it!"

Hearing the old gangster's words, Wang Hao's heartbeat involuntarily started to race...

For the past two months, his presence in the Red Light District had one purpose only: to seek information about the Flower Morning Festival for the mysterious person he had pledged to serve.

However, whether it was because the gangsters and gang members who frequented the Red Light District were of a lower rank, his gains over these two months had been meager.

The only lead he had was the man before him: Sir Yang.

Sir Yang was a member of the Qingfeng Gang, one of the eight major gangs.

He set out to make his mark in the underworld in his teenage years and then joined the Qingfeng Gang.

He followed the earliest founders of the Qingfeng Gang, and when the founder stepped down, he followed the founder's son, who was the second leader.

But for some unknown reason, despite many years in the gang, he always had bad luck and remained just a low-level member of the gang.

Not only was life hard for him, but he could only hang around with the young peripheral members of the gang.

Just because of his seniority, people in this area would respectfully call him "Sir Yang."

Initially, Wang Hao engaged with Sir Yang under the impression of "catching whatever you can, better than nothing."

To his surprise, after getting to know Sir Yang, Wang Hao discovered that Sir Yang indeed seemed to know something!

So Wang Hao began to treat Sir Yang seriously, using his [Social Expert] skill to invite him to meals, drinks, and in-depth connections with the ladies.

Gradually, the two became familiar with each other, and with the strong capability of [Social Expert], Sir Yang gradually let down his guard and began to share many gossips and information about the gang with Wang Hao.

Among all the information, what caught Wang Hao's attention the most was something Sir Yang let slip one day inadvertently: Sir Yang said that over the years, it appeared as if the gang didn't value him and excluded him from its inner circle.

But in fact, the gang leaders placed great importance on him!

From the first leader of the Qingfeng Gang onwards, he was given a secret mission to guard something significant.

Later, the second and third leaders also asked him to continue this secret mission.

Truth be told, at first, Wang Hao didn't believe it.

After all, if Sir Yang was truly trusted by these three leaders with a secret mission of this nature, his position and location for secrecy's sake would be understandable, but his treatment would surely not be poor!

Given Sir Yang's meager appearance, barely able to afford his own drink, Wang Hao found it hard to believe.

After all, with neither a respectable position nor decent remuneration nor only a secret to guard for decades, who would be willing to do that?

However, after trying to use [Social Expert] to influence Sir Yang and getting him to answer some peripheral questions while drunk, Wang Hao was surprised to find... Sir Yang really hadn't lied!