The authorities decided to release the Tarantula and even compensate it. As soon as the news came out, the situation in the underworld changed instantly. The leaders of Meridian Gate and Thousand Leaves evacuated from G Province without even saying goodbye to Snake Fang.

"Zhang Zhuoyuan is such a coward!" Snake Fang's deputy leader Xi Fan couldn't help but curse, looking at the tall and thin man sitting across from him with a worried expression. "Boss, what should we do? I don't know how the Tarantula managed to survive this time. Now that Meridian Gate and Thousand Leaves have left, our alliance plan..."

"Stay calm." The tall and thin man, Snake Fang's leader Yuan Peng, opened his eyes and gave him a cold look. "We can still form an alliance, just add the Tarantula to it. Don't be short-sighted, our real goal is Annihilation, eating the Tarantula was just a temporary impulse."

Xi Fan looked worried and said, "Big brother, you make sense, but... but the newly expanded branches below haven't had time to be equipped with corresponding facilities, and our ammunition inventory is not enough. We have taken on too much business after Nine Eagles and Phantom scattered, and some goods have not been prepared yet... There is a huge funding gap, and we need the resources of Tarantula."

Yuan Peng frowned at the words, feeling a bit unhappy. Goods and money were the two most important things that hindered the development of Snake Fang now. If it weren't for this, he would have made Snake Fang comparable to Annihilation long ago.

He suppressed his discomfort and thought for a while before asking, "Has Tarantula not yet settled the matter with Zhang Zhuoyuan?"

Xi Fan nodded and replied, "Yes, Lu Shan was bitten for such a ridiculous reason. It's normal for her to be upset. She's still arguing with Zhang Zhuoyuan and hasn't even taken care of the business that has already been released."

"I remember she had a large amount of goods detained at the port?" Yuan Peng continued to inquire.

Xi Fan nodded again, then suddenly stopped and brightened up, asking, "Big brother, are you thinking..."

"I can allow the Tarantula to become an ally," Yuan Peng interrupted him, his eyes flashing with cold light, "but before that, it must be weaker. When we form an alliance, I must have absolute dominance."

......

On a crisp autumn afternoon, Shi Jin covered a thin blanket over Lian Jun's legs and pushed him out of the villa. "After being cooped up in the house for half a month, I feel like I'm going to grow mold all over my body. Today, we must relax properly,"

Shi Jin stretched lazily and sniffed the refreshing and soothing breeze on the island, squinting contentedly.

Lian Jun turned his wheelchair to look at him, holding his hand and saying, "The economy on this island is mainly based on tourism and seafood. There are many specialty snack shops related to seafood. Do you want to try them?"

"Of course we have to try them!" Shi Jin nodded in agreement, happily pushing his wheelchair towards the nearest snack shop.

Walking behind the two of them were Number Two and Number Six. One was buried in a small notebook, calculating and muttering to himself, while the other was bored and smoking, observing their surroundings. Finally, after turning another corner, Number Six's incessant muttering became too much for Number Two to bear. He reached out and snatched the notebook away, asking, "What are you muttering about? You sound like you're possessed."

Number Six quickly snatched the notebook back, carefully smoothing out the pages. "Don't wrinkle it, I'm preparing a list of items for Young Master Jun's wedding. Stop bothering me."

"Young Master Jun's wedding?" Number Two's voice suddenly rose, attracting the attention of the 'tourists' and 'residents' passing by. "What are you blabbering about? If you keep this up, I'll switch places with you and you can go back to guarding the house!"

Number Six slapped the back of his head, signaling the 'tourists' and 'residents' around them to focus on walking. Then he carefully looked ahead at Shi Jin and Lian Jun, relieved to see that they were not affected.

He lowered his voice and said, "Young Master Jun has proposed to Young Master Shi. Isn't it normal for me to prepare for this? Take it seriously and help me gather information, like what kind of wedding Young Master Shi likes."

With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, Number Two was taken aback by what Young Master Jun had just said. "You're exaggerating a bit, aren't you? Young Master Jun said they should wait until Shi Jin's older to consider marriage. That's still three or four years away. Are you sure everything you're preparing now won't be outdated by then if you start now?"

Number Six was reminded of this issue and realized that it was a valid concern. Looking at the notebook filled with scribbles, his expression changed several times before finally becoming resolute.

"I'll just cut back on some trendy elements and come up with more backup plans. It's never too early to prepare. I need something to do anyway, and having a plan will give me peace of mind."

Idle hands are the devil's playthings... Number Two felt a pang in his heart as he thought about his and Number One's busy schedule. He sighed and said, "It must be nice to work in logistics..."

Number Six looked at him expressionlessly and asked, "Want to switch with me?"

"No, no, you're too old for frontline work. Let us young people handle the hard labor," Number Two quickly waved his hand, not wanting to deal with the tedious tasks in the rear.

Number Six gave him a sharp nudge and then looked ahead to see Lian Jun and Shi Jin buying snacks at a nearby food stall. His expression softened as he watched them for a few seconds, then suddenly jumped up and fumbled for his phone to call Uncle Long, urgently saying, "Oh no, I forgot to ask about Young Master Jun's dietary restrictions. Even if it's food made by our own people, we can't let Young Master Jun eat whatever he wants."

"Stay calm, Shi Jin's watching out," said Number Two as he held onto Shi Jin's shoulder. He gestured towards Shi Jin, who was pulling out a list from his pocket to check, and put Number Six's phone back into his pocket. "When it comes to taking care of Young Master Jun, we all know that Shi Jin is the most careful one among us."

Number Six looked over at Shi Jin and saw that not only did he check the list, but he also went to the shop owner to ask about the ingredients used in the snacks. Number Six felt relieved and held onto his notebook tightly. "Looks like I can only repay him with a grand wedding!" he exclaimed.

Number Two couldn't help but retract his hand from Number Two's shoulder and said, "Don't let Young Master Jun hear you say that, or he might misunderstand that you're trying to steal his thunder."

Number Six ignored him completely.

Shi Jin had no idea that someone was already worrying about his wedding. He happily put away the list of forbidden foods and walked back to Lian Jun, taking the snack from his hand. He picked up a skewer and handed it to Lian Jun, saying, "You can eat it, but this one is too oily. You can only have one skewer."

"Okay." Lian Jun was very obedient and turned around to remind Shi Jin, "Don't eat too much either. There are many other snack shops ahead, be careful not to get too full."

Shi Jin confidently replied, "Don't worry, I have a good appetite. I can eat a lot!"

As they walked and ate, the more they looked around, the more they marveled at the scenery and the fresh air. "This place is really nice. I remember Number Six once said that at least three blocks in this area are inhabited by members of the organisation. It's amazing how they can blend in so well with the locals. They've completely detached themselves from Annihilation and can live independently," he exclaimed.

It's hard to imagine that all the residents and shop owners they passed by earlier were actually members of a criminal organization who could pick up weapons and fight at any moment.

"The three-block radius seems quite large... Do ordinary residents live here too?" they curiously asked.

"None," said Lian Jun, shaking his head. "But some of the members' families and orphans live here. The environment and location of this small island are good, and the safety is high, making it suitable for their living."

Looking at the branch members coming and going, who were no different from ordinary people, Shi Jin couldn't help but bend down and kiss Lian Jun, saying, "My baby is really amazing!" He managed to run a criminal organization like this.

Suddenly, the 'tourists' and 'employees' of the shops along the way who were coming and going around them all stopped in their tracks, dumbfounded by the scene. Lian Jun quickly raised his hand and pressed down on Shi Jin's head, preventing him from looking up. He gave a warning glance around at his subordinates, whose acting skills were terrible.

Once they all averted their gaze, he leaned in and kissed Shi Jin on the forehead before releasing him and saying, "I'm not that great. If it weren't for me, some of these people wouldn't have lost their loved ones."

"It's just the way things are," Shi Jin sighed lightly, standing up straight and continuing to push Lian Jun forward. "In your position, you're already doing a good job."

Lian Jun didn't say anything, but reached out and held Shi Jin's hand.

......

The range of the three blocks was indeed quite large. Shi Jin and Lian Jun spent a whole afternoon strolling around before they finished.

The area outside the blocks was also bustling with activity. It seemed that a film crew had come to shoot here, attracting a large number of tourists. However, Shi Jin didn't go outside. He was very sensible and immediately took Lian Jun back to the villa after finishing their own territory. He focused on studying and accompanying Lian Jun to work, without mentioning going out to play.

Another two days passed, and there was finally news from Lu Shan - Snake Fang had made a move. It seemed that they wanted to rob the batch of goods that Tarantula was preparing to withdraw from the port.

"Although your batch of goods is valuable, it's not enough to cover Snake Fang's current funding gap," analyzed Lian Jun calmly. He instructed, "Keep an eye on the Treasure Island situation. Snake Fang may make a move there. I've sent Number Three and Number Five over. If necessary, you can ask for their help.

"Don't waste any more time with Zhang Zhuoyuan. Agree to his terms and cooperate with him to stabilize the economy of G Province. Contact the leaders of Meridian Gate and Thousand Leaves and proactively discuss forming an alliance with them to strengthen our relationship."

Lu Shan replied with an "okay" and quickly hung up the phone, rushing off to work.

Finally done with business arrangements, Lian Jun put down his phone and rubbed his forehead. He instinctively glanced over to where Shi Jin usually did his homework, but he wasn't there.

Lian Jun furrowed his brow and slid his wheelchair away from the desk. The study was empty, the living room was empty, the kitchen was empty, the bedroom was empty, and even the garden outside was empty. Everyone seemed to have disappeared without a trace. As Lian Jun furrowed his brow in confusion, he suddenly had an idea. He slid his wheelchair towards the bedroom.

Passing through the bedroom, he entered the balcony and walked up the long bridge.

At the end of the bridge, Shi Jin stood alone at the edge, gazing towards the beach and the sea. His figure looked lonely and desolate.

Lian Jun's heart tightened as he watched him. He abruptly stopped his wheelchair and then quickly accelerated towards Shi Jin. He hugged Shi Jin from behind, tightening his arms around his waist and asked, "Do you want to go play on the sea? I'll accompany you."

Shi Jin came back to his senses, turned his head to look at him, and smiled, "How did you come out? Did you finish chatting with Aunt Lu?"

Upon hearing this, Lian Jun felt even more guilty. They had been on the island for so long, yet they had only gone outside once at the request of Shi Jin, and they hadn't even ventured beyond the designated area. He felt sorry for not spending more time with his friend and said, "I'm sorry. I've been busy with work and haven't been able to accompany you properly."

Shi Jin saw through his thoughts with a single glance and chuckled, "What do you mean by 'accompany'? Are you overthinking things again?"

He then gestured towards the direction they had been looking earlier and said, "I came here to watch the commotion. Number Six said that a film crew came over from the other side of the beach and wanted to use our private beach to shoot a fight scene and a scene where someone falls into the sea. Number Six refused them directly, but the crew kept insisting and they're still waiting outside now."

A film crew shooting on their beach? Following his gesture, Lian Jun looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw a few people standing outside the private beach fence, talking to the security personnel guarding the fence.