Elsewhere, at the streaming broadcast station.Ford’s face was still covered in fading bruises as an executive led him into the legal affairs column studio to formally announce his appointment as Editor-in-Chief. The room erupted in polite applause, yet Raven wore a look of helpless exasperation, silently dreading what lay ahead.On his very first day in office, Ford delivered an impromptu thirty-minute speech to the whole staff. He rambled emptily about macro industry trends and lofty journalistic ethics with hollow, pompous rhetoric while striking an overly haughty pose. Once the assembly dispersed, everyone filed out while muttering complaints under their breaths.After the lunch break, Ford summoned Raven to his office. Putting on an affected managerial air, he brushed off work matters entirely, fixated on explaining away the Christmas fiasco in a desperate bid to salvage his ruined reputation.Raven cut him off cold with four blunt words. “Quite the spectacle.”Ford’s features st

Oakley picked up a slice of lamb, speaking casually. "I’ll be straight with you. Wade also came to see me. But your uncle and I have a tighter bond, and you know that well."Pierce chose his words carefully. "What terms did Wade offer you?""First answer me this — do you want to move your goods into my territory?"Pierce pretended to agree. "Naturally.""What’s the cut?""I offer a seventy-thirty split to everyone else. If Brother Oakley handles distribution, I can bump it up to forty percent for you."The smile vanished from Oakley’s face in an instant. He never expected such harsh terms."I don’t call all the shots for this supply line. Forty percent is the absolute maximum."Oakley set down his chopsticks, his gaze turning icy. "Do you take me for some beggar?""Brother Oakley, that’s not how you should put it.""You carry on eating. I just remembered I need to make a call home." Oakley stood and clapped Pierce on the shoulder. "Wade knows how to show respect far better than you do

As one of his men pulled out a phone, shrill police sirens suddenly cut through the night. Eight police pickup trucks raced over.Dusk yelled through a megaphone, "Everyone, get on the ground with your hands on your heads!"Salem’s face turned pale. "They hit us with this coordinated move.""This is your final warning. We will open fire if you refuse to comply."The vehicles screeched to a halt. Kane stepped out of the car and glanced at Salem. "You look pretty banged up."Salem gritted his teeth and glared. "You guys didn’t hold back at all."Hartley swung his baton. "Get down on the ground when you speak to the captain!"After taking several blows, Salem stopped resisting."Dusk, take all the others back to the precinct," Kane ordered flatly before turning to Salem. "I’ll take you to the precinct hospital."Hartley grabbed Salem by the collar and dragged him into the police car. Salem was filled with confusion. He did not expect Kane to send him for medical treatment first.Once ins

Heath said, “When the next truck arrives, we’ll follow it directly and map out the entire chain.”“Eight children died. Won’t they tighten security?” Ford voiced his concern.“It’s a tragedy to us, nothing more than an operational accident to them. The incident took place in an unplanned development zone. They have enough clout to sweep it under the rug, so they won’t change how they operate.”“We’ll do it your way. You get the vehicle, I’ll pick up plain clothes.” Ford nodded.……Inside a storefront on Nanyang Road, Oakley sat smoking on the sofa.A young subordinate stepped forward to report. “Salem’s locked up, and I can’t handle the three deals he was managing.”“Salem won’t be out anytime soon. Which shipments are they?”“One bound for South Spire, and two for Viera.”Oakley pondered for a moment. “Wrap up these three jobs quickly. After that, suspend all human trafficking operations. Shift all our resources to the drug route and go head-to-head against Pierce. The drug trade tur

Once the main business was settled, Wade asked privately, "Who’s going to carry this out?"Oakley hesitated for a long moment before answering, "Ulric.""Good." Wade nodded in relief upon hearing the name.……Time slipped by, and dusk fell.Inside the editor-in-chief’s office of the Legal Column Department at the web broadcasting station, Ford stared at his computer screen, reviewing the new quarterly plan he had drafted.Ring ring ring!His phone began to ring."Hello?!" Ford picked up the phone casually."Something’s happened! Something’s happened!" Heath shouted frantically from the other end of the line. "They called! They’ve reached out!"Ford was confused. "Who called? Speak plainly!"Heath pressed anxiously, "The human traffickers. The traffickers just phoned me. What should I do?"Ford stood up, eyes wide with shock. "They made contact?""Yeah, but I haven’t answered yet. The call’s still ringing, listen!" After Ford had given out Heath’s contact information to the gang, Heath