This kind of company appears perfectly legitimate on the surface, with quite a few ordinary employees at work—especially the office staff, who are basically all regular people. Evidently, Christopher Carter really did arrive early today; it wasn’t until now that the regular employees of Jin Security Company started showing up for work.

The regular employees clearly had no idea about the explosive news that the boss was dead. They clocked in as usual, and when they saw a stranger in the lobby, with the security team lined up respectfully, they couldn’t help but be curious.

Christopher Carter grinned at them. “My surname is Tang. Your President Jin has gone abroad to enjoy himself, and last night he already transferred the company to me.”

The security team, quick on the uptake, all bowed in unison. “President Carter.”

The employees were a bit surprised and somewhat uneasy, but they also instinctively bowed. “Please take care of us, President Carter.”

Christopher Carter added, “I’m new here, so I won’t be making any new rules. Just keep doing things as you always have. The business deals your President Jin negotiated with others—keep doing them well, so he won’t have any worries while he’s abroad.”

“Yes.” A middle-aged man chimed in, “The recent contracts are basically all completed, except for one new one signed a few days ago—the security work for next week’s Samsung phone launch event. President Jin placed a lot of importance on it.”

Christopher Carter nodded, guessing this person was either an office assistant or a key member of the business department, which made sense. If a legitimate company’s business affairs were left to that bald guy, it would have gone bankrupt long ago...

But it was quite surprising—doesn’t Leo King ever hire female employees? They all look like big burly men. Tsk tsk...

This lobby exchange thus turned into a brief meet-and-greet, and rather informally, the meeting dispersed. Christopher Carter returned to the president’s office and opened the Samsung phone launch event security contract and work plan that the business manager had just handed him.

“Looking through all this, it seems Leo King’s line of work is the most legitimate-looking...” Christopher Carter clicked his tongue as he flipped through the documents. “Someone who doesn’t know the business really wouldn’t be able to make sense of it...”

Because the launch event had invited some commercial performance guests, including popular idols, there were concerns that fans might storm the venue, so the hotel security work for the event was a bit heavy. That’s why they contacted a well-known security company to participate. Christopher Carter slowly flipped through the pages, his gaze landing on the list of commercial performance guests, and he blinked with some amusement.

T-ara, performing “Loveydovey.”

Apink, performing “Mymy.”

Chapter 4: There Is a Time for Use and a Time for Not

The president’s office had already been turned upside down. They’d found a big pile of things related to the company’s legitimate business, but as for the item that both the bald guy and Christopher Carter valued most, there was no trace of it.

Leo King’s home had also been entered by people sent by Christopher Carter. Leo King wasn’t married, which made it easier for them to search, but after three days of turning the place inside out, they still found nothing.

“Ethan Grant, any progress?”

“It’s really something, Mr. Clark... Sir King didn’t have a single woman outside. The guys have asked around several times, but all anyone says is that if Sir King was in the mood, he’d just go to a brothel.”

“...” Christopher Carter found it hard to believe. The nine brothers were all getting on in years—Mr. Grant was already over forty, he himself was twenty-six this year, and Leo King was almost thirty. Not being married was understandable, but for a gangster to not have even a single woman on the side? That’s practically a fairy tale... Even he, Christopher Carter, had a few casual partners.

Could it be that he never noticed—was Leo King actually GAY?

Christopher Carter narrowed his eyes, keenly sensing that this abnormality might just be the real reason for Leo King’s death.

“Ethan Grant, pull back. We can’t touch this matter anymore.”

“Yes.”

Christopher Carter thought quietly for a few seconds, then drove straight to Thomas Thompson’s villa.

After hearing Christopher Carter’s report, Thomas Thompson was silent, looking at him for a few seconds before sighing softly, “You’ve done well, Christopher.”

“It’s what I should do.”

“I know you guys couldn’t have spent too much effort on this. The fact that you got this far already surprises me. Even if it’s just a byproduct, it’s better than doing nothing at all.” Thomas Thompson said calmly, “As for the thing you’ve all been looking for these past few days...”

Christopher Carter was taken aback.

He saw Mr. Carter smile slightly. “I had it in my hands right after the incident.”

Watching Mr. Carter take out a small notebook and weigh it in his hand, Christopher Carter was at a loss for words and could only remain silent.

The older, the wiser—Mr. Carter was just waiting to see if he could track down some byproducts... Turns out he’d misunderstood the bald guy, who really hadn’t found anything and got beaten up for nothing.

“But Christopher...” Mr. Carter sighed softly, “I don’t recommend you take over the smuggling business.”

“...Please advise me, godfather.”

“You look more ruthless than anyone, but you actually have a delicate heart. Give you the right platform, and you’ll do very well.” Thomas Thompson said calmly, “Do you really... want to keep going down the underworld path?”

Christopher Carter remained silent.

It’s not just a saying that people in the underworld can’t control their own fate. If you don’t go looking for trouble, trouble will find you. Is it really that easy to wash your hands clean?

History has proven countless times that the ending for those who try to retire from crime with a grand gesture is usually the death of their whole family, with very few exceptions. Those who truly manage to go legit—none of them can escape the shadow of the underworld.