Chapter 813: Chapter 818: Genius of the Criminal Underworld (Part 2)
During the year Tang Guolun served, the FBI made astonishing gains. Five of the top ten international fugitives were captured, and countless criminal organizations and terrorists were taken down. That year, the global crime rate hit a new low. Everyone knew that with Tang Guolun’s support, nobody dared to cross Lord Tai Sui, as that would be a death wish.
Therefore, when Tang Guolun decided to leave the FBI, the Director personally tried to persuade him to stay, but unfortunately, Tang Guolun was resolute in his decision to leave, and no one could hold him back. In his own words, "I’ve grown tired of the cat-and-mouse game; there’s no challenge in it, so being the mouse is more interesting."
Of course, that’s not all there is to Tang Guolun’s story. Once, a friend of Tang Guolun’s was unfortunately caught while acting alone and was imprisoned in a high-security prison, sentenced to life.
Tang Guolun was a man of loyalty and couldn’t just stand by when his friend was in trouble. So, he voluntarily turned himself in and was placed in the same prison.
It took about ten days, and Tang Guolun successfully broke out with his friend. The prison administration had no idea how they managed to escape.
That incident sparked a new interest in Tang Guolun: prison breaks. Every successful escape gave him a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Over the years, Tang Guolun traveled to prisons worldwide, even sparking bets in the crime world on how long it would take him to escape.
Eventually, as Tang Guolun’s fame grew, prison management sought him out, inviting him to stay for a while to help find flaws and loopholes in their security systems. Thus, he earned the title: Escape Expert.
Tang Guolun is now over forty, having spent more than twenty years in the world of crime. In the crime world, Tang Guolun is undoubtedly a legendary figure.
A few years ago, when Ling Chen was with the Ghost Organization, he received an assassination mission. The target was the leader of an international crime force, who had too many enemies and was afraid of retaliation, so he voluntarily went to prison, bribing the prison staff. To kill the target, one had to enter the prison.
At that time, Ling Chen faked his identity as a murderer and intentionally got caught, successfully entering the prison where the target was.
It was then that Ling Chen unexpectedly encountered Tang Guolun. As fate would have it, they were placed in the same cell. Ling Chen, knowing the identity of this renowned criminal mastermind, immediately recognized him. Though their time together wasn’t long, they were both prominent figures in the crime and espionage world, naturally appreciating each other’s talents. With Ling Chen’s deliberate efforts, they gradually built friendship and trust.
After more than half a month, Ling Chen saw an opportunity and smoothly completed the mission. After assassinating the target, and with Tang Guolun’s help, they escaped from the prison and went their separate ways. Surprisingly, Ling Chen hadn’t heard from Tang Guolun in years, only to find out he was in Yan City Prison.
"Boss Tang, you said you were caught during an operation. Others might believe that, but knowing you, I find it impossible." Ling Chen said with a smile, "Everyone knows you’re meticulous and won’t easily collaborate with others unless you trust them completely. Come on, we’re old friends, can’t you tell me what’s really going on?"
Tang Guolun laughed heartily, "I knew I couldn’t fool you. Alright, since you want to know, I’m not afraid to tell you—I was tricked!"
"Tricked?" Ling Chen asked, slightly taken aback, "What do you mean?"
"More than a year ago, Yan City Prison’s Prison Director, Yu Peng, contacted me, hoping I’d help him check out Yan City Prison’s security system for vulnerabilities. You know me, I relish high-level challenges. After researching Yan City Prison, I learned it was a government-contracted private secret prison, and I got interested. Our agreement was if I couldn’t successfully escape within two months, it would show Yan City Prison had top-notch defenses with no flaws. At that point, Yan City Prison would release me. But after I entered the prison, I discovered that bastard Yu Peng tricked me; he didn’t follow the contract terms and had people watching my every move, making escape impossible."
At this point, Tang Guolun appeared quite angry and couldn’t help but curse.
"Tsk tsk!" Ling Chen shook his head, surprised by Yu Peng’s despicable plot to deceive Tang Guolun into entering Yan City Prison.
Previously, when Tang Guolun signed contracts with prisons, the management wouldn’t reveal his real identity to the staff, treating him like a regular prisoner. But Yu Peng monitoring constantly was clearly special treatment, making escape impossible for anyone.
"So, you’ve been stuck here in this godforsaken place for a year?"
"Yes. I’m nearly bored to death; luckily you came, so I have some company."
"Forget that, I’m not staying here to keep you company. Wait, if I can get out, I’ll take you with me."
"Alright, I’ll hold you to that. I’m pinning my hopes on you. Damn it, once I’m out, I’ll make Yu Peng regret messing with me for the rest of his life."
"Tell me, Boss Tang, why did Yu Peng lure you here? Do you have some value to him?"
Tang Guolun replied irritably, "That bastard coerced and tempted me to help him plan operations—murder, theft, arrests, all sorts of dirty deeds. Damn it, if you ask me, that bastard deserves to be locked up more than anyone. Compared to him, I feel like I’m a saint."
Upon hearing this, Ling Chen grew even more curious and asked, "What exactly does Yu Peng want?"
"How should I know? I’m not a worm in his belly. Anyway, that guy’s definitely not a good person." Tang Guolun then changed the subject, "Did people from Qingyang Society and Hongmen invite you?"
"Yeah, if not for hearing you were treating me to breakfast, I would have already gone with Qingyang Society’s people."
"Stay away from Qingyang Society and Hongmen; those guys only compete for power without any ambition or goals. They’re too unmotivated." Tang Guolun expressed his strong disapproval of those two factions.