"Yes." An Zhihan nodded. "Xiangcheng is indeed teeming with gangs these days—a lot of them, both big and small. And several have connections in both the criminal underworld and legitimate society."

"It’s that chaotic." It was one thing to know that Xiangcheng had many gangs, but Su Qing was still shocked to hear An Zhihan confirm it.

"It is very chaotic." An Zhihan nodded. "On any given day, you could be walking down the street and run into a gang fight. If you’re unlucky, you might even get slashed with a knife or hit by a stray bullet."

At this, An Zhihan smiled faintly. "Xiangcheng may be prosperous, but I much prefer the peace and quiet here."

Su Qing nodded in deep agreement. ’Compared to her struggles during the apocalypse in her past life, she too cherished the peace and tranquility of the present.’

"In that case, the gangs in Xiangcheng must be quite brazen," Su Qing asked. "It sounds like they don’t value human life at all."

"You can say that again." A Feng and Fang Lutian were also having lunch with them. Hearing Su Qing, A Feng nodded and said, "Those gangs... the small-time ones just collect protection fees and the like. But there are others who engage in shady business behind the scenes. They show a reckless disregard for human life and don’t value it at all. My young master..."

Fang Lutian quietly kicked A Feng under the table.

A Feng fell silent, lowering his eyes with an aggrieved look. ’Back then, his young master and the master and madam... it was those gang members, paid by his uncles, who orchestrated that car accident. In the end, the master and madam were killed, and the young master was never able to stand again. And yet, because of Old Mrs. An and the Old Master, the young master couldn’t even retaliate against his uncles. It was so infuriating just thinking about it.’

Even though A Feng didn’t finish, Su Qing understood what he meant. Old Mrs. An had told her about the incident before. From what A Feng implied just now, it seemed a gang had been paid by An Zhihan’s uncles to do their dirty work.

’It seemed those gangs would do anything for money, with no regard for right or wrong.’

"Why the sudden questions about Xiangcheng?" An Zhihan asked. "Are you thinking of visiting? If so, I can make the arrangements."

Su Qing smiled. "I’m just asking. I’ve heard now and then that Xiangcheng is pretty chaotic, that there’s even drug trafficking and things like that. I was just curious, and since I know you, I thought I’d ask."

"Yes, those things do happen there," An Zhihan confirmed with a nod.

"Then do you know if the people trafficking drugs are part of the gangs, or do they belong to a certain family?" Su Qing asked hurriedly.

An Zhihan glanced at Su Qing. "I’m not sure about that," he said. "But if you want to know, I can look into it."

"Ah, no need, I was just asking." Su Qing quickly shook her head. "Just curious, that’s all."

Su Qing lowered her head and took a sip of water. ’Looks like An Zhihan doesn’t know much about the current situation in Xiangcheng. Which makes sense, I guess. He left several years ago and hasn’t been back. It’s only natural he’d be out of the loop.’

After lunch, Su Qing took her leave. An Zhihan turned to Fang Lutian and said, "Uncle Tian, what do you make of Su Qing suddenly asking about Xiangcheng?"

Fang Lutian thought for a moment before replying, "Zhi Han, I’ll make some inquiries. I’ll see if anything related to Xiangcheng has happened around Su Qing recently."

"Mm," An Zhihan said. "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Tian. I suspect this has something to do with the drug trafficking. While you’re at it, look into the general situation in Xiangcheng, too."

"Alright."