Smoke curled from the cigarette hanging from her mouth, and the smell of burning tobacco drifted in the air. She gently tapped on the table before slamming the end of her cigarette onto the man next to her.
"So you're saying that the sugar boys are after us now?"
She had a bored expression as she listened to the information given by the man sitting in front of her. Her face showed no emotion, her eyes didn't even have any trace of fear or anger, and she was calm. She was dressed in a black suit, with a red necktie. The man in front of her was one of the higher-ups in the Black Swan Organization.
This man was sweating buckets, and his eyes were shifting about. He had an uneasy feeling and felt like his life was at risk. The woman was someone he could never defy or refuse, so he could only obey her every whim.
"That's what we gathered from our spies."
"Haa... it's getting a little troublesome, no? Have they found out about the Null smuggling?"
The Black Swan organization was an underground organization that dealt with the illegal trade of alcohol, but not only that. They were also involved in the production and trading of drugs, as well as a special drug called Null.
Qian Renlei looked the man dead in the eyes after she heard him not answering her question.
"I see. So they've found out. Haa..."
Renlei let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes, the cigarette smoke curling around her face. The man could see the slight wrinkles that formed on her forehead. She was not angry, but he knew that she was definitely annoyed.
"What should we do?" He said while backing up a little from her.
"Nothing. If the Sugar Boys are moving, then I'll leave them be."
She stood up and fixed her necktie, looking like she was going somewhere.
"The Sugar Boys work with the police, so they're limited themselves. Since the Ops want full control over entertainment, they themselves have to clean up some of their underground clubs."
She took out a small case and pulled out another cigarette and put it between her lips.
"But miss, I heard it's Jin Wulin who is in charge of this investigation."
Hearing the name Jin Wulin, she forgot to exhale for a moment.
"Jin Wulin huh?"
She blew out the smoke that accumulated in her lungs, the cigarette burning between her fingers. She leaned forward on the table, and her eyes had a dangerous look to them.
"Now why would the big boss of the Security and NSB be involved in our case? Although we have Null, it's strange for the higher-ups to be interested in us, we don't sell to public buyers."
Renlei sat down again and crossed her legs.
"What do you think, Mr. Wang?"
Mr. Wang, the man who was sitting across from her, looked up at her face.
"Perhaps they want to destroy the Black Swan Organization, Miss?"
"I thought of that as well; but, if they were planning to destroy us, they could've done so years ago. Why now? Especially since we now completely control many of the illegal trading in Yale. It doesn't make sense for them to suddenly appear now."
The Black Swan was originally a small group that was founded by her. It started out as a small, underground alcohol smuggling business since the long ban of all unorganized government entertainment, but they were able to grow it to an enormous size. She now had a lot of people under her command.
The reason why she was able to do so was because she had strong backers.
"They're hiding something, aren't they? The Ops are a little too obvious, and they're showing their hand too early."
She had a feeling that something bad was going to happen soon.
Mr. Wang came over to her with a bottle of red wine. She looked at the man as he poured the red wine into her glass, and she smiled.
"Well, tell me Mr. Luo. Why do you think the Ops are trying to get rid of us?"
Luo Fei was the man who was reeking of fear. He was sitting right next to her and had a panicked expression.
"W-Well, maybe it's because they want to take over the Null trade? After all, the whole point of the ban of entertainment was to get rid of all the Null in the system and render it useless. After all, with no entertainment around, the demons can't take over bodies on a large scale allowing the government to control all Spirit Masters."
Renlei took a sip from the glass that was given to her, and she savored the taste of the wine. She liked the bitter taste and the way it burned her throat.
"But entertainment is still at an all time low, so demons can't possibly come from the spirit dimension and attack humans. So what's the purpose of getting rid of the Null? Besides, the Ops can't produce it as easily as us, since the ingredients are extremely rare."
She stared at the glass and watched as the red wine swirled around.
"They're hiding something, but what? They are not stupid, they wouldn't go against us if they weren't prepared for it. What are you hiding, Luo Fei."
Luo Fei's hand started to tremble, and could barely speak.
"We- we also found that the Ops are using the Sugar Boys Null supply after we hit one of their hideouts."
Null was one of their most popular products. Null was an extremely addictive drug, and it was a drug that made the human soul leave their physical body. Once the user consumes it, their soul would be separated from their physical body. Their soul would float in a separate dimension and see a different world, a world filled with entertainment.
Users would experience intense euphoria and would become addicted to the drug. But this led to demons trying to take over their physical bodies as they sense deep pleasure. If the demon succeeds, the person would become a monster and would have a hard time coming back to their normal body and their soul would dissipate. This is the reason why the Null was banned, and it became a highly sought after illegal drug.
Although the Black Swan had the power to produce the Null, it was hard to find the ingredients. The ingredients are extremely rare, and the process of making the drug was complicated and very time consuming.
Renlei got up from her chair, and her black suit glistened in the light.
"Now why would the Ops be using the Sugar Boys Null? Is there something different with it?"
"Miss, I'll send out the order to deliver the Null to the family for checking. Is there anything else you need me to do?"
"No, you may go." Qian Renlei said, and Luo Fei left the room immediately.
She picked up her glass and finished the last drop of wine. Mr. Wang was behind her at all times and noticed her empty glass and hurried over.
"Miss, shall I get you another drink?"
Renlei just simply waved her hand.
"No, no. I'm fine."
The two were left alone, and silence enveloped the room. Renlei was leaning back on her chair and was staring at the ceiling.
"Tell me, Wang. What do you think the Ops are going to do?"
"It's hard to say. Judging by Luo Fei's reaction, the Ops will not try to negotiate or even make a deal with the Black Swan. They will definitely go for the kill, and everything revolves around that Null."
Wang had an uncertain tone, and his face showed that he was also worried.
"I think that the Null was just a bait. That is the reason why Jin Wulin has been sent."
Qian Renlei turned to him, and she raised her eyebrow.
"A bait? For what? If the Ops wanted to destroy the organization, then they'd attack our supply chain and eliminate us in the spiritual world. They also wouldn't use the Sugar Boys as bait, after all, they get their Null from them and we didn't know about them. But since Jin Wulin has come here, they are obviously up to something. I'm thinking that they have an ace up their sleeve. But if it's Jin Wulin, why didn't they just attack directly. There would be no reason for them to show their hand."
Qian Renlei didn't understand the actions of the Ops. She couldn't think of a reason as to why they would show themselves, and even bring a strong card.
"Well, it doesn't matter for now. But Wang, we need to make preparations. There is something wrong with the Null, and we have to be ready."
Mr. Wang bowed his head, and his lips were pressed into a tight line.
"Miss, if the Ops really are planning something, then there will be casualties."
Qian Renlei chuckled when she heard Wang.
"No worries. aren't you forgetting how we built the Black Swans?" saying that, her eyes changed slightly to a light purple.
Mr. Wang smiled when he saw the change in her eyes, and his eyes suddenly changed to the same weird color as hers and said, "Shall we go inform the other five? After all, it is the founding fathers of the Black Swan that are going to make the decisions, am I right?"
She nodded her head and spat out her current cigarette and put a new one in.
"Of course, prepare my horse."