"Who are these people?" Chu Liang asked coldly, obviously feeling a little uneasy about Chen Hao's news.

Chen Hao shook his head: "I'm not sure, but one of them is an active arms dealer on the black market. He has begun to contact my offline through some indirect channels. According to my experience, such people usually don't miss the opportunity easily." He paused, and a complicated emotion flashed in his eyes. "However, it may also be the hidden power of some government agencies, and they sometimes penetrate into some black market transaction chains."

"In other words, we must be careful not only about other competitors, but also about interference from the government." Qin Yuan analyzed, his voice still calm.

Chen Hao nodded: "That's right. You have to act quickly to ensure that your goods are not hit under this pressure, otherwise when the news is leaked, there will be a lot of trouble."

Chu Liang sighed lightly, his face slightly gloomy: "Thank you for your reminder, Chen Hao. Since that's the case, we must speed up the process and not allow these troubles to continue to spread."

"Yes." Qin Yuan also interrupted, "Time waits for no one. We must react in the shortest time to ensure that we are not dragged into the deeper vortex."

The atmosphere of the bar became more depressing, and the air was filled with the aroma of alcohol and the smell of smoke. It seemed that everyone was carrying a hidden burden in their hearts. Chu Liang took a deep breath and turned to Chen Hao: "Can you help us contact some people? If this transaction is to go smoothly, we cannot let any adverse factors affect the process."

Chen Hao looked at Chu Liang, then turned to Qin Yuan, with a trace of deep thought in his eyes. He whispered: "I can help you contact some people, but it should be noted that the more important the person is, the more you need to pay a greater price. Whether it is the black market forces or the government, they have their own bottom line. What do you plan to do?"

Qin Yuan had a cold look and replied in a deep voice: "No matter who it is, what we have to do is to try our best to ensure that we can maintain our advantage in this game and ultimately win. As for the price, as long as we can ensure that the transaction goes smoothly, everything can be negotiated."

Chen Hao nodded, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It seems that you are well prepared. Since that's the case, I will arrange everything as soon as possible, but I hope you can remember that the power behind it is not as simple as the surface. If you are not careful, each of us may fall into the abyss."

Before he finished speaking, the doorbell at the bar door suddenly rang, and several bodyguards in suits walked in and looked around with vigilance. Qin Yuan's eyes tightened and he immediately stood up and observed the surroundings alertly. Obviously, these people were not ordinary bar guests, but surveillance forces sent by some organizations.

"It seems that we are some uninvited guests." Qin Yuan whispered, with a hint of coldness in his tone.

Chen Hao was obviously not unfamiliar with these bodyguards. He showed a hint of displeasure on his face, but then he restrained his emotions and said calmly: "These people are security personnel I invited to ensure that the meeting tonight is not unexpected." He turned to look at Chu Liang, "But you better try to avoid attracting their attention, after all, they are not here to protect us."

Chu Liang's face changed slightly, and he obviously realized the complexity of this meeting. He whispered: "Then try to avoid conflicts with them."

There was a tense and restrained atmosphere in the air in the bar, and the guests around were still enjoying the slight drunkenness of music and alcohol, but at Qin Yuan’s table, the situation was far less relaxed than it seemed.

After several rounds of temptations and conversations, Chen Hao finally let go, picked up the wine glass, gently shook the wine in the glass, and said in a low voice: "In a few days, there will be a large-scale banquet, and many well-known people will be present, including those you want to meet."

Qin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Chen Hao with a sharp look: "You mean, the boss behind the scenes will also attend?"

Chen Hao nodded slightly, glanced around, as if he was sure that no one else heard this, and then continued: "To be precise, he does not show up in person often. This is a rare opportunity. If you want to really enter the circle, you must prove yourself at that banquet."

Upon hearing this, Chu Liang frowned slightly, pondered for a moment and whispered: "Who is the organizer of this banquet? What is the scale?"

Chen Hao chuckled and said softly: "It was organized by several arms dealers in the southern district. It is held once a year, which is usually mainly to give people in the circle a chance to communicate. But this time the situation is different - I heard that some people above are dissatisfied with the recent market changes and want to readjust their cooperative relationship. In other words, this is not just an ordinary banquet, but also a negotiation for redistribution of interests."

Qin Yuan nodded slightly, his eyes thoughtful. Behind the arms transactions, it is never just a simple transaction, but involves the competition of various interest groups. Since this banquet involves "redistribution", there will inevitably be greater turmoil, and this is precisely their opportunity to obtain more information.

"What threshold is needed to attend such a banquet?" Qin Yuan asked, his voice still calm.

Chen Hao smiled and looked at him meaningfully: "Generally speaking, you must have a real transaction record to prove that you are an insider in the circle before you can be invited. Moreover, this banquet is more stringent than in previous years. If you don't have enough qualifications, you may not even be able to enter the door."

Qin Yuan smiled slightly and whispered: "This problem is not a big deal. We already have enough cooperation foundation."

Chen Hao did not respond immediately, but looked at Qin Yuan again, as if judging his sincerity. After a moment, he slowly said: "Since that's the case, I can recommend you, but you must take out enough chips to let the people above see your value."

Chu Liang tapped the table gently, and his eyebrows slightly locked: "What kind of chips are needed?"

Chen Hao narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice: "There has been a special batch of goods recently, and the organizers are very interested in it. If you can get this batch of goods before the banquet, or at least prove that you have the ability to operate this type of goods, then your identity will not be questioned."

Qin Yuan pondered for a moment and asked in a low voice: "Where is this batch of goods?"

Chen Hao's lips raised slightly, and he showed an intriguing smile: "Well, I can only tell you that it hasn't arrived in this city yet, but someone will soon transport it in. Moreover, there are more than one competitor."

Qin Yuan did not continue to ask questions, but picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It seems that this game is more interesting than I thought."

Chen Hao smiled and said nothing, but raised his hand to signal the waiter to come over and ordered another round of wine. Obviously, he didn't want the atmosphere to continue to be dull. However, the few people present knew that this conversation had laid the direction of their next action.

Not long after, several men in black suits walked into the bar and swept the entire venue coldly. One of them whispered to the bar manager for a few words, then his eyes fell on Qin Yuan's table. Chen Hao glanced at the people, his face changed slightly, and he lowered his voice: "Someone is here, don't show any abnormality."

Qin Yuan turned his head slightly and saw the men in black from the corner of his eyes. One of them had a slight familiar face. After a while, the man walked slowly, stood by the table, and said in a low tone: "Mr. Chu, the boss is welcome."

Chu Liang frowned, obviously a little surprised: "Boss? Who is it?"

The man in black smiled faintly, his tone with unquestionable majesty: "You will know soon."

Chu Liang glanced at Qin Yuan, with a hint of vigilance in his eyes, but then he stood up and tidied up his collar: "Since the boss has invited me, let's go and have a look."

Qin Yuan, Yue Ming and Duan Jinglin also slowly stood up and followed Chu Liang to the back door of the bar. The atmosphere in the bar was still warm, but at this moment there was a sense of oppression in the air. After walking out of the bar, several black business cars had already parked at the door, and several bodyguards stood beside the car, staring at them coldly.

The man in black opened the car door and turned sideways slightly: "Please."

Qin Yuan smiled gently and stepped into the car. As the door slowly closed, the car drove into the night and headed in an unknown direction.

The car was galloping in the night, and the lights outside the window were like flowing lines, gradually disappearing into the distance. The atmosphere in the car gradually became silent, and a sense of depression was filled with the air. Qin Yuan sat in the car, still maintaining a calm expression, but his heart was running quickly. He knew that the situation tonight had become more complicated, not only in cooperation with Chu Liang, but more in the mysterious boss behind the scenes, the real power hidden behind the banquet.

The car drove for about half an hour and finally stopped in front of a hidden villa. The villa's appearance was low-key, but the surrounding high walls, precise security equipment and heavily guarded bodyguards clearly showed that this place was not an ordinary residence. Qin Yuan got off the car, Yue Ming and Duan Jinglin followed closely, and the three walked towards the door of the villa together.

The man in black walked out of the car and led them directly through the villa's courtyard. The whole villa was quiet and secretive, surrounded by tall trees and dense vegetation, as if isolated from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

"The boss is waiting for you inside." The man in black said in a low tone and his steps were stable, and he was obviously very familiar with the environment here.

Qin Yuan did not speak, his eyes swept the movements around him. He knew that today's meeting would determine many things, and he must remain calm and not expose any emotion.

After entering the villa, they walked through a long corridor and finally entered a luxurious conference room. The interior decoration was simple and high-end, with several low-key chandeliers emitting soft lights, and several staff members in the room seemed to be waiting. At the table was a middle-aged man in a suit, with a delicate face and sharp eyes. As soon as he saw Chu Liang and Qin Yuan and his group come in, he stood up and smiled.

"Mr. Chu, Brother Qin, welcome." The man's voice was steady and powerful, and he was obviously a long-standing businessman. He stretched out his hand and signaled them to sit down, "I know you have some questions you want to know, and I will answer them tonight."

Chu Liang nodded slightly and sat down directly. Qin Yuan, Duan Jinglin and Yue Ming also sat on the sofa opposite, maintaining the proper etiquette and alertness.

"First of all, I am one of the organizers of this banquet." The man spoke confidently, "but whether it is the banquet or the cooperation between us, the driving force behind it is not me, but a committee formed by several larger forces."

"Committee?" Qin Yuan repeated in a low voice, staring at him alertly.

"Yes." The man nodded, "These forces control some core resources and channels behind the arms transactions. You should know that the real forces are not on the surface, but a group of people operating behind the scenes. They are not limited to weapons transactions, but also include various means such as information circulation, capital laundering, etc.."

Qin Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly, and a complex feeling surged in his heart. All this was obviously much more complicated than he had originally imagined, and there might be a more dangerous undercurrent behind these forces.

"You mean," Qin Yuan looked straight at the middle-aged man, "Are these 'committees' illegal transactions covered up by legal means? They control the operation of the entire black market?"

The man did not answer directly, but pondered for a moment, as if measuring how to better express it: "These committees are not just part of the black market, they are more like a huge network, each member has independent resources and power, and the cooperation between them is like a chess game that never stops. All our cooperation is a piece of the game."

Qin Yuan nodded slightly, as if thinking about something. This description reminded him of some transnational criminal organizations he had studied before. They may be legal commercial entities on the surface, but in fact, each link is closely linked to illegal transactions.

"So that's the case," Qin Yuan continued, "Are you not afraid of exposure when you participate in these transactions? How powerful are the power behind those committees?"

"Strong?" the man smiled slightly, "The strength you imagined may not be exactly what the outside world recognizes. Each of us has its own protective umbrella, enough to make you think that no matter what happens, no one will dare to touch us. However, if too much is exposed, our transactions will no longer be valuable, so we have to be careful every step."

Chu Liang did not interrupt, he listened quietly, occasionally tapping on the table, as if something was brewing. Qin Yuan remained calm and continued to observe the situation in front of him. He knew that tonight's conversation was not just a simple understanding of the information, but also a deep test, and both sides were trying to understand each other's bottom line.
Chapter completed!