"Ghost Lord!"
"Ghost Lord!"
"……"
A group of pickpockets who had been scraping by in the Koi District for years, including one called Rat, had gathered in this shop. Their shiny bald heads reflected under the fluorescent lights.
Seeing their appearance, Cripple Wang was taken aback, narrowing his slightly clouded eyes.
"What's this? A mass ordination into monkhood? Or are you all quitting the trade?"
"By our rules, quitting requires cutting flesh and bone. Shaving your heads isn’t enough."
According to the traditions of their underworld, if someone wanted to wash their hands of this life, they could—but only by showing sincerity.
Simply put, they had to carve out a piece of flesh from their own body—an arm or thigh—to prove their resolve. Then, they had to walk to the entrance, burn incense, and leave without looking back.
As long as they hadn’t betrayed their brothers, no one would stop them. Once gone, the past would be forgotten, never to be spoken of again. It was best to leave town entirely, to avoid dragging others down if trouble arose later.
If former brothers wanted to pull them back in, they’d have to track them down, burn incense at their doorstep, and wait. The choice to return or not was theirs—either relight the incense or snuff it out.
This had been the rule for years, respected by all in the underworld. But now, what was this nonsense about shaving?
"Your hair and skin are gifts from your parents. Using shaving as atonement? That’s something Cao Cao did back in ancient times. We don’t do that now."
Rat quickly shook his head, his voice trembling with grievance. "Ghost Lord, you’ve got to stand up for us! We didn’t shave our heads willingly—we were forced, plucked clean one by one."
"Plucked?"
"Yeah, straight up yanked out. Now we’re smoother than a plucked pig." Rat shuddered at the memory, his face burning with humiliation and rage.
He then recounted the events.
Someone had broken the rules of their trade, so they set up a scheme at a supermarket, swindling the owner out of twenty grand.
But their ambush backfired, and they paid a "painful" price.
As Cripple Wang listened to his underlings’ complaints, his expression remained unreadable, calm as still water. "I see. You can all go now—Rat, stay."
Once the others had left, Rat stepped forward. "Ghost Lord, should we ask Brother Knife for help? He’s got some pull in this area."
Instead of answering, Cripple Wang asked, "Do you know who those people were? Have you confirmed their background?"
Rat hesitated. "Five of them looked like they belonged to Li Dayong. But he’s a control freak—he rarely lets his boys poach on other turfs. Besides, no place is better for business than the train station."
"But the others? Definitely not from our world. I noticed they had the character ‘Loyalty’ tattooed on their arms—must be some gang’s emblem."
Cripple Wang’s eyes darkened with understanding. "Enough. This ends here."
"Ghost Lord—" Rat tried to protest.
"I’ll handle it. Go."
Seeing Cripple Wang’s stance, Rat knew further words were pointless. He left, sensing the Ghost Lord’s hesitation.
What he didn’t know was that earlier, Cripple Wang had been visited by men from the Loyalty Union—Bright Pearl City’s top gang, led by Wang Shi, head of the White Tiger Hall.
Now that Rat and his crew had been "plucked" by the Loyalty Union, it was clearly a warning.
With that kind of backing, who in their right mind would dare interfere?
When Rat stepped out of the appliance repair shop, the dozen "hard-boiled eggs" hadn’t gone far. They were squatting by the curb, smoking in sullen silence.
After last night’s humiliation—being stripped of hair and photographed—no man could swallow such disgrace.
The moment they spotted Rat, they swarmed around him.
"Rat, what did the Ghost Lord say?"
"A real man never lets a grudge go unavenged! We have to pay them back!"
"Hold on—since when are we ‘real men’? We’re thieves, remember?"
"So what? Ever heard the saying ‘even thieves have honor’? Sure, I steal, but I also buy welfare lottery tickets every week, helping those in need. That’s honor. That’s being a real man."
"Oh, shut up."
"……"
As the bickering threatened to escalate, Rat snapped, "Enough! All of you, shut it!"
His face darkened as he glanced back at the secondhand appliance shop. Then, with deliberate weight, he muttered, "The Ghost Lord… he’s gotten old."
With that, he walked away.
The others exchanged glances before following.
Not long after, Cripple Wang emerged from the shop, watching their retreating figures before shaking his head.
…………
Bright Pearl City, Logistics Park.
A black Mercedes pulled up outside Qinghong Logistics.
The rear door opened, and Liu Yutong stepped out.
Behind her, three more black cars disgorged over a dozen young men in dark suits, falling into step at her back.
Cheng Jie, the owner of Qinghong Logistics, had been waiting. He hurried forward, all smiles. "Ms. Liu! What an honor! You’re even younger than I imagined!"
"Please, this way!"
"Mr. Cheng, no need for formalities." Liu Yutong gave a slight nod before striding inside, her entourage in tow.
Cheng Jie had heard rumors that the buyer eyeing his courier company had powerful connections. But seeing the reality—the sheer presence of her retinue—made him wipe sweat from his brow.
The logistics park was usually filled with burly men. At lunch, workers gathered to play cards or shoot the breeze.
But the moment Liu Yutong and her black-suited escort entered, the noisy office fell silent.
"Who’s that? Looks like a mob boss…"
"Rumor is the company’s getting a new owner. Must be her."
"Kinda looks shady, doesn’t she…"
"……"
Under Liu Yutong’s gaze, the previously lax atmosphere tightened instantly.
Cheng Jie led her to the conference room, apologizing along the way. "Ms. Liu, our facilities are humble. Hope you don’t mind…"
Liu Yutong’s eyes swept the office, unimpressed. "Logistics isn’t about pretty decor."
Once seated, Cheng Jie launched into small talk—only to be cut off.
"Skip the pleasantries. Get to the point."
Flustered, Cheng Jie flipped open his prepared documents. "Right, of course. Qinghong Logistics currently operates 22 light trucks, 8 medium trucks, 2 heavy trucks, with 12 local stations and over 60 trikes…"
At this stage, courier companies were booming.
Take Shentong Express—already partnering with e-commerce platforms, expanding at breakneck speed.
Shunfeng Express has also begun restructuring this year, transitioning from a franchise model to a direct operation model. The advantage of this move is that it can resolve management chaos, but the downside is that the growth speed can't match the rapid pace of the franchise model—though this will eventually become a benefit in the future.
Jingdong, too, has started building its own logistics system this year.
Beyond these logistics companies that would later rise to fame, there’s another name—one that Liu Yutong had nearly forgotten in her past life—Zhaijisong.
Currently the industry leader in China's express delivery sector, this company is still at its peak, dominating nearly half of the market. Unfortunately, in the future, due to failed follow-up financing and management issues, it gradually declined, almost fading into obscurity.
Aside from these future standouts, many other logistics companies have also ventured into express delivery, driven by the rapid growth of e-commerce.
For example, Qinghong Logistics is one of them.
This logistics company, born in Bright Pearl City’s logistics park, initially focused on short and medium-distance freight before entering the express delivery market.
However, due to certain issues, its development hit a snag, and now it has no choice but to sell itself off.
