Chapter Twenty: The Red Team and the Blue Team

At nineteen, Jiang Xuan had already earned the respect of President Song, and it wasn't without reason. If nothing else, her efficiency far surpassed that of the average street thug. She was tough, daring, willing to work, and possessed a sharp mind—qualities that made her welcome wherever she went.

In only two days, Jiang Xuan managed to find the people needed for the online hype campaign. As per Zhao Zejun’s instructions, all nine were trustworthy—her younger brothers from the sports school and the streets. They were divided into two teams, red and blue. The red team, six strong, was tasked with posting requests to buy. Each registered several accounts on the Yijiang City forum and the three major national forums, rotating their aliases daily to seek purchases. Each alias, after a period, would declare that it had successfully acquired a certificate at a high price, then be abandoned and a new one registered.

The blue team, three men, specialized in posting information about certificates for sale, leaving contact details. Whenever someone called to inquire, they’d quote a price high enough to scare most off, or claim the certificate had already been sold, thus creating an atmosphere of frantic demand.

Simultaneously, the blue team would create new aliases, spreading rumors that a city-wide crackdown on internet cafes was imminent.

Both teams focused primarily on the Yijiang City forum, with the national forums serving as supporting stages.

By comparison, the blue team required a higher degree of loyalty.

Jiang Xuan herself acted as coordinator, spending most of her time on President Song’s newly founded construction company. Zhao Zejun would not let his own affairs jeopardize Jiang Xuan’s future.

The person liaising directly with Zhao Zejun was Fan Jun—nicknamed "Junzi"—one of Jiang Xuan’s sports school brothers. He practiced judo, was short but solidly built, resembling a little concrete pillar, and had placed in the city competitions.

Junzi was Jiang Xuan’s capable right-hand man, and Zhao Zejun had known him in his previous life. After Jiang Xuan’s violent death in prison, Junzi had nursed thoughts of vengeance, but who was there to avenge? It was impossible.

One of the two ID cards Jiang Xuan gave Zhao Zejun belonged to Junzi.

Junzi spoke little; whenever he saw Zhao Zejun, he would simply greet him with a quiet "Brother Zhao" and get on with the task.

The online campaign lasted less than two weeks, and, as expected, prices for internet cafe certificates soared, reaching nearly seventy thousand yuan.

In his previous life, the price only hit seventy thousand after certificates had been suspended for half a year. This time, thanks to Zhao Zejun’s red and blue teams, it took less than a month.

However, Junzi reported an unexpected discovery.

Zhao Zejun’s group wasn’t the only one hyping certificate prices online. On the Yijiang forum and several major national forums, mysterious individuals were employing tactics strikingly similar to those of the red and blue teams.

On the Yijiang City forum alone, at least two groups were manipulating the market.

Zhao Zejun had Junzi spread rumors about a citywide crackdown, but the other group leaked something far deeper—a transcript of key remarks from a municipal internet cafe regulation meeting.

If the transcript was genuine, it meant the opposing group possessed far greater power and connections than Zhao Zejun’s side.

Junzi worried about possible conflict.

Against such opponents, neither Zhao Zejun nor Jiang Xuan could stand their ground. President Song might manage, but that would require paying for protection.

What a joke! There’s barely enough meat on the bone to feed Zhao Zejun, the hungry little wolf—how could he possibly satisfy President Song, the great tiger?

This immediately caught Zhao Zejun’s attention. He watched the other side closely online and concluded there was no threat.

The transfer market for certificates was hot—demand far outstripped supply. There was no competition for customers. Both sides shared the same goal: to drive up certificate prices.

In a sense, they stood on the same side.

The presence of another, well-connected group meant two things. First, Zhao Zejun’s judgment was spot-on; certificates were indeed worth speculating. Second, it was currently safe to do so.

Policy shapes economics. When policy shifts, those wealthy internet cafe owners become sardines in the ocean, attracting swarms of bloodthirsty sharks. Compared to sharks capable of obtaining inner-party transcripts, Zhao Zejun was still small—at best, a nimble dolphin.

Fortunately, the dolphin and sharks shared the same target. He could simply trail behind and enjoy a safe feast of sardines.

The dolphin’s first target was Storm Internet Cafe.

It wasn’t that Zhao Zejun was ruthless or wanted to trap Elephant. In his former life, Storm Internet Cafe was shut down and sold. If it came to that again, Elephant would spare no expense—sell his house, his car, even his blood—to buy a certificate. Selling it to him was a favor.

Of course, he had to admit, this wasn’t his motivation.

He knew Storm Internet Cafe inside out. Selling the first certificate to them was the safest, most reliable choice.

After all, Zhao Zejun wasn’t expecting a single certificate to buy him a car just yet. But Elephant’s offers had been wholly unconvincing—there was no point negotiating. The ban was in place, the crackdown looming, and Zhao Zejun held the initiative. Elephant was the one feeling the heat.

Zhao Zejun was absolutely right—Elephant was desperate.

Right after the 2002 New Year holiday, on the morning of January 3rd, Elephant arrived at the Bureau of Culture, hoping to apply for a Network Culture Operating License.

In the two months before New Year, he’d visited three or four times. Each time, staff gave him the same answer: "We’re busy before the holiday; come back after."

As an industry insider, Elephant was more attuned and sensitive to developments. Since the second half of 2001, he’d sensed that obtaining a certificate was becoming increasingly difficult.

Storm Internet Cafe housed nearly a hundred computers, had been open for years, and was well-known—a veritable cash cow. Elephant was keen to secure a certificate and keep earning, even offering several thousand to Zhao Zejun to buy one.

But Zhao Zejun’s asking price was outrageous. Though he never said it outright, the way he eyed the Santana car was like a hungry wolf cub—he’d never sell for anything less than a hundred thousand.

Upon arriving at the Bureau of Culture, Elephant saw the municipal notice: certificate applications suspended.

He immediately recalled Zhao Zejun's earlier words: "Certificates are about to be suspended, followed by a crackdown..."

At the time, he’d thought Zhao Zejun was bluffing, merely inflating the price!

But reality proved the first half of Zhao Zejun’s warning true.

What about the second half? Would the crackdown follow?

Once it began, a certificate would decide whether Storm Internet Cafe could continue operating.

Elephant scrambled to find anyone selling certificates.

Dozens of phone calls, daily meals and drinks with contacts, only to discover he wasn’t alone. Every internet cafe owner in Yijiang City was frantic, searching for connections and leads.

Who could have guessed the suspension would come so abruptly?

But the problem was, no one was selling! Even those willing to transfer waited and watched, hoping prices would rise.

Having run an internet cafe and been online early, Elephant’s understanding and use of the internet went far beyond music, movies, or games—there was plenty of useful information out there.

Naturally, he thought to try seeking certificates online.