Novels like The Underworld: I Make the Rules
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Underworld: I Make the Rules, best match first.
- 101 Shan Jin Underworld: I Took Down the Whole Jianghu 山晋黑道，我打爆了江湖 [Underworld, passionate, multiple heroines, first-person] My name is Xu Haoqiang. I live in Longcheng, Shan Jin, a coal-producing region. In 1997, at the age of twenty, I joined the underworld. I let money do the talking, and even the truth has to bow its head. I let the rules of the underworld do the talking, and both the legitimate and criminal worlds have to make way. From there, my influence spread across Shan Jin and beyond… 913Reads6.4Score10314d adds
- 102 The Days We Spent Running Wild Together 那些年我们一起混的日子 Those were the days we spent together. I want to say that no matter what happened, we were brothers. Later, some of us went our separate ways, and some of us died. Only then did we understand that we were true brothers. The wind carries the words we never got to finish. “Either win on your feet or die lying down. That’s our rule.” “Hello, everyone. I’m one of those guys from back in the day.” 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 103 The Jianghu: I Am the Kingpin 江湖：我即为枭 [Underworld] [Brothers United] [Mind-Bending] [Passionate and Thrilling] Three years in prison couldn't dull my edge. My name is Wang Xiao. I spent three years behind bars for offending a powerful figure. After my release, I returned to my old stomping grounds with my brothers and the skills my master taught me. Some want to trample me underfoot. Some want to stab me in the back. And my enemies, lurking in the shadows, are watching me like hawks. But my life is no longer something just anyone ca 119Reads—Score—14d adds
- 104 Underworld Tales: One Hand Shrouds the Heavens 黑道往事之只手遮天 [Realistic, not overpowered, no harem, no System, not reborn] A novel about the southern underworld, telling the story of several young men who avenge their brother and gradually rise to become crime bosses. Whether it is the underworld or organized crime, it is all just a game of chess, a set of rules, fraught with danger and human cunning, and driven by power and desire. Behind the bustling city lies a shadowy underworld filled with darkness and desire, where power and money intertwine, and te 395Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 105 Bloodshed in the Black Abyss 黑渊血戮 (Realistic + Period Setting + Underworld + Political Battles) What is the underworld? It is an endless abyss. Once you take a single step into it, you’ll be trapped forever, with no way out. To make a name for yourself in the underworld, you have to be ready to end up dead in the street or locked away for life at any moment. Now, let me take you back to the late 1980s and show you how the son of a worker gets dragged into this dark abyss and rises step by step to become a crime boss of his era. 907Reads—Score—14d adds
- 106 Tattoos, Brawls, and Turf Wars: You Call This Justice? 纹身干架抢地盘，你管这叫正义？ (Daily 10,000-word updates + the underworld + undercover work + hard-hitting fights + ruthless decisiveness + Justice System) Li Tianhua is a deadbeat student at the police academy. After stepping in to help someone in need, he unexpectedly gains the Justice System. To claim its rewards, he volunteers to go undercover. Ding! [Beat up a gang of unscrupulous punks. Reward: All-Round Combat] [Comfort a mob boss's wife and urge her to go straight. Reward: Physical Enhancement] [Rob criminals and bus 14kReads7.7Score1.5k14d adds
- 107 Northeast China Underworld: The Autobiography of a Crime Boss 东北黑道：一位黑道大哥的自传 [Urban] [Underworld] [Outlaws] [A Cast of Villains] [Justice Served] [An Unvarnished Northeastern Chinese Gangster Story] The underworld rises and falls, settling old scores in blood. To others, the jianghu is about loyalty, passion, and settling scores with a thrilling flourish. The jianghu I’ve seen is nothing but deceit and betrayal. There are no bonds of brotherhood, only greed. There is no mercy, only merciless extermination. On this road, a knife is leverage, blood is the price, and a cons 32.8kReads8.8Score1.7k14d adds
- 108 Reborn, So Why Would I Still Be the Big Boss? 都重生了，谁还当大哥啊？ [Reborn + Business + Powerful father-in-law + Lots of brothers + The straight and narrow + Law-abiding] Back in 2006, Chen Tianjun, who had taken a bullet to the back of the head, suddenly finds himself returned to the day his father-in-law showed up at his door with a dozen men... Now that I'm back, I can never get mixed up with the underworld again. I'll lead my father-in-law, my wife, and all my brothers down a golden road paved with money! “Chen Tianjun is the real deal! He's got nearly a th 164Reads5.5Score—14d adds
- 109 The Underworld: From Low-Level Thug to Godfather 黑手：从沙场小弟到江湖教父 [Modern city + underworld + multiple heroines + business rivalry + romance + powerful protagonist] Born at the bottom of society, his only choice is to defy fate and change his destiny. From the day he first wielded the butcher's knife, he could only kill gods when he met them and slay demons when they crossed his path. Then two beautiful women from Xiguan appeared: one wanted his heart, the other wanted him… [Urban power struggles + hard-core business warfare + fated romance] is a novel weaving 90Reads—Score—14d adds
- 110 Black Panther: The Bloodstained Throne 黑豹：血色王座 [Black Gangster Revenge Thriller | Two Powerful Leads Raised Together | Strong Female Lead’s Growth | Ensemble Cast | Love Triangle Chaos] At twenty, she became the youngest female gang leader in Dong Province. But her story began in a corner of Dawnlight Orphanage, where Xiao Mo gave her a name. “A smile that can beguile Yangcheng and captivate Xia Cai. I want you to bloom into the most dazzling flower in the world.” She thought they would be together forever, until he fell into the hands of B 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 111 I’m the Boss in Prison 我在监狱当大哥 Wang Baolong goes to prison for revenge. Prison is a school, and prison is a society in miniature. With such a long sentence ahead of him, how will he handle his relationships inside and outside? Let's wait and see! 1.9kReads—Score8914d adds
- 112 The Heavenly Gate of the Jianghu 江湖天门 The martial world is awash in blood and turmoil. Who will shape the course of history? What is the true reason for Ming Jia's return? A hidden dynasty emerges once more, the sinister Yamaguchi-gumi refuses to stay buried, and the powerful Xiao clan is shrouded in mystery. As the struggle for supremacy looms, the story of Tianmen continues... 117Reads—Score—14d adds
- 113 The Bad Guys 坏家伙们 When the jianghu is no longer traditional, it’s bound to become driven by self-interest! After the turn of the millennium, a new generation of “bad guys,” born in the eighties and nineties, began to take the stage in their own jianghu! These newcomers no longer revered the spirit of chivalry. They let money clear the way and put profit above all else! To carve out a place for themselves in this treacherous jianghu, they had to stop at nothing and plan every move! The great waves sift the sand! M 5.4kReads8.9Score33814d adds
- 114 Tales of the Southern Underworld 南方黑道往事 A highly realistic and utterly authentic autobiographical story about the underworld. Many readers who have started reading have already been drawn deep into it. Open this book, and you'll see a real underworld: helplessness and betrayal, a deeply immersive world of bloodshed and brotherhood. 5.7kReads8.9Score44614d adds
- 115 The Boss of the Underworld 江湖话事人 [Not many readers, so the rating just won’t go up] One wrong turn brought me into the jianghu. Watch as I summon storms with one hand and calm them with the other. Starting from nothing, I’ll carve out a path through the jianghu. They say you become what you eat, so if you want to climb higher, there’s only one thing to eat... 2.7kReads7.8Score21614d adds
- 116 Dongguan, I Am King! 莞市，我为王！ What kind of legendary path will Li Feng carve out after leaving martial arts school and arriving in Dongguan? In the bright days of youth, ride proud and true. Make the most of your time, and know where you’re headed. May you roam the world for half your life, then return still young at heart... (The original cast of strongmen who rose from vocational school reunites. A new story, a fresh start!) 449Reads7.3Score—14d adds
- 117 Are You Crazy? You Dare Mess with Brother Long? 你疯了，敢惹龙哥？ The underworld is rife with temptations of money, profit, power, and women. It’s not just about fighting and killing, but also about the ways of the world. But human hearts are treacherous, and the ways of the world are ever-changing! After getting out of prison, Li Hailong uses his bloodstained hands to carve out a world of his own and become a fearsome dragon of the underworld! 286Reads7.4Score—14d adds
- 118 Tales of the Night, Shrouded in Darkness 夜话无明 [5,000 Words Daily] [Collusion Between Officials and Gangsters] [Profit Above All] [Human Nature Is Evil] [Ruthless and Decisive] [No Formulaic Plot] [Not a Power Fantasy] Walk the night roads and knock on the black door. Beyond it lies a dazzling world, but one wrong step could send you into an abyss with no way back. This path has set countless hearts ablaze, and drawn countless others to follow, one after another, eager to risk everything. What sparks will fly when old-school guardians of hon 216Reads9.3Score—14d adds
- 119 My First Half of Life: A Bloody Underworld 我的前半生：血色江湖 [The rating just came in and it’ll keep rising, so don’t let it scare you off! This book is entirely handcrafted, and writing it isn’t easy. Hope you enjoy it!] Eight years in the army, decorated for valor, only to have his future stolen by a substitute! He moves to the city for work and tries to keep his head down, but is forced into a dead end! His brother goes to prison, and his sworn brother dies a tragic death. Good people have no way out, while the wicked run rampant! He abandons the strai 1.2kReads8.4Score13014d adds
- 120 Underworld Storm: The Uncrowned King 黑道风云：无冕王侯 (First person, period setting, underworld) A big brother? A big brother isn't some glamorous, all-powerful emperor who does whatever he pleases. A big brother is just the guy who picks up the tab. The underworld? It's brotherly loyalty, deceit and betrayal. It's a place that strips the tenderness from gentle-hearted men and hardens them, and turns green young boys into grizzled old gangsters. My name is Zhao Qingfeng. I've been around the underworld, and I was once a big brother! 37kReads9.2Score3.8k14d adds
- 121 Underworld Jianghu: From Death Row Inmate to King of the Underworld 黑道江湖：从死囚到黑道之王 [Urban + underworld + wish fulfillment + big shots + realism + no System + multiple heroines] Is the underworld all about human relationships and social etiquette? No. It’s about the relationships and social etiquette that come after the fighting. The only people qualified to sit down and talk about such things are those who have earned their place through violence. Plant your flag, make your name, set up shop, stake out your turf. In the underworld, there’s a mountain ahead of you and another b 257Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 122 Underworld: From Delinquent to Godfather of the Streets! 黑道：从不良开始成为江湖教父！ [Pure underworld + no System + first-person + not brainless + I already have an acclaimed older book with two million words. Quality and updates are guaranteed, so jump right in! Early chapters focus on school delinquents; later chapters are all about the underworld, with knives, guns, and cannons! Everyone who reports me can take the hit for me!] A gambling-addicted dad, a mom who ran off. A broken family, and I was broken too! With a terrible hand in life, I stirred up the underworld! A boy th 5.2kReads—Score41314d adds
- 123 Rise to the Top of the Underworld! 引领黑道巅峰！ [Power fantasy] + [Undercover agent] + [Clash of black and white] + [Decisive and ruthless] + [No System] + [Patriotic] Three years, then another three years, and another three years! Jiang Wuqing, you’re a cop! No! I’m the gang’s top enforcer! If you weren’t a cop, why wouldn’t they arrest you when they took down the gang? I play both sides! Years later… Please, when you take them down, take me with them. I can’t take it anymore! There’s really no crime left anywhere in the world. I’ 877Reads6.9Score10614d adds
- 124 A Bull on the Rise 牛冲天 My dad was a king of the battlefield in the Vietnam War and a national second-class merit award recipient. In 1989, something happened to him while he was home on leave. He escaped after being surrounded and pursued by eighty plainclothes detectives. The authorities never said what he was guilty of, and rumors said he was either a master thief or a defector. I was the only one who believed he was a good man, because he told me he was someone I could be proud of, and I believed him. I was eight t 57Reads—Score—14d adds
- 125 The Alpha Wolf, Who Can Stand Against Me? 头狼，谁与争锋 In the depths of winter, my birth parents abandoned me. Luckily, my adoptive mother took me in and named me Yang Dong. My sister dropped out of school to support my education and went to work in the city. I went to find her with my university acceptance letter, only to witness her being abused to death! Blinded by rage, I took a knife to avenge her, but I was framed and sent to prison instead. Six years behind bars, and my hatred never faded! After getting out, I set off on the road to revenge w 15.6kReads8.9Score1.7k14d adds
- 126 Tales of Black and White: Leaping Through the Dragon Gate 黑白往事之跃龙门 (Hardcore underworld, a rise from humble beginnings, ensemble cast, smart characters, a realistic coming-of-age style, not a mindless power fantasy, not first-person! Readers under 18 should exercise caution!) How much impact can one misunderstanding have? Enough to change someone's entire life! Can someone with a damaged brain still be a gang boss? Not only can he, he can be a great one! In the early 1990s, the tide of the market economy swept across all of China, stirring up everyone just like 2.3kReads7.0Score15814d adds
- 127 Hong Kong Island: From Country Boy to King of Hong Kong 港岛：从乡下仔开始，雄霸香江 He has just transmigrated to the crime-ridden world of Hong Kong Island in the 1990s when the great Sha Tin chaos breaks out. As a low-ranking member of a gang, he has no choice but to carve out a place for himself against the odds! Watch how Lin Yiqing rises from a low-level member of the Yirong Society to become a Hong Kong tycoon who commands everyone's attention! 836Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 128 Hongxing: My Days as an Undercover Agent in the Underworld 洪兴：我卧底在黑道的日子 When someone is trapped deep in the mire, do they still have a chance to turn back? What fate awaits them? Yi Feng transmigrates to the world of Hong Kong cinema and, in a daze, accepts an undercover mission. How will he survive in this dark world of deceit and treachery? How will he hold on to the justice in his heart? Can he stay true to himself in the face of endless temptation?! 222Reads6.1Score—14d adds
- 129 Fingertip Fate Reversal Begins with Ren Xue 指尖逆命从壬雪开始 [Coming-of-Age Main Story · Multiple Realistic Heroines · Real Cases and Social Backdrop · No Formulaic Tropes · No Mindless Wish Fulfillment] Wu De narrowly escapes death and returns to the 1980s. He has just one mission: stop the unfortunate girls of that era from turning to crime. Ren Xue, Tao Jing, Bi Limei… Some are driven to desperate ends by hatred, while others take the blame for someone they love… With nothing but nimble fingers, Wu De can fool the eye and turn the tables. He can make b —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 130 The Gray Years 灰色岁月 He walks the edge of the law, yet never crosses the line of his conscience. This is the story of a generation’s wild rise, and of one man’s redemption amid the era’s towering waves. A gritty business-war novel about the entrepreneurial boom in Pengcheng in the 1990s, it follows an ordinary man driven to desperation by fate as he defies the odds and changes his destiny in the tides of the times. 2.7kReads7.7Score25614d adds
- 131 The Korean Variety Show World: Starting Out in Chinatown 韩综世界：中国城开局 [Korean gangster movie fanfiction]+ [A gang of his own sweeps across Korea]+ [Building Korea’s most impressive Chinatown]+ [All your favorite Korean movie characters are here] After accidentally transmigrating into the world of Korean variety shows, he becomes the eldest son raised by Ma Yuhee, the mother in the film Chinatown. Growing up on Chinatown’s streets, he uses his decisiveness and ruthlessness to claw his way to the top of the underworld. 553Reads8.0Score—14d adds
- 132 The Pearl River Delta Rises: The Man in Charge 风起珠三角：话事人 [Decisive and Ruthless] + [Sharp-Witted] + [Brotherhood] + [Industrial Tycoon] Pearl River Delta, 2004. It was the best of times: assembly-line machines roared day and night, and gold seemed to lie everywhere. It was also the worst of times: the urban villages were a tangled mix of people, and might made right. Chen Jun had been driven to the edge of a cliff, with a group of poor brothers who had nowhere else to go behind him. "The rules around here need to change. From now on, I'll be the one m 41Reads—Score—14d adds
- 133 Red Dead Redemption: Bloodshed in the Underworld 荒野大镖客之喋血黑帮 What would happen to the tragic yet heroic story of Red Dead Redemption if a modern man somehow ended up in its world as Arthur Morgan's younger brother, Sandino Morgan? (The story begins with the events of Red Dead Redemption 2 and continues beyond Red Dead Redemption 1. It will also touch on some events from earlier in the timeline. Although those parts are the author's own inventions, they'll stay as close to the game's setting as possible.) Please don't flame me if it's not your thing! 498Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 134 The Underworld Boss Through My Eyes 我眼中的江湖大哥 When Zheng Hao stood up for his ex-girlfriend, Gu Xin, he took down Chengbei Laosi, a small-time thug with a bit of a reputation, twice. His own name soon began to rise. Later, he became enemies with Jin Changxu, a Korean-Chinese gangster, and beat up Chen Jianjun, an old-time thug who had just gotten out of prison. One brutal fight after another turned Zheng Hao into the big brother everyone talked about. But the arrival of Zhou Yunkang, son of veteran boss Zhou Wandai, presents Zheng Hao and h 13Reads8.7Score—14d adds
- 135 The Era After the Martial World 后江湖時代 [Underworld + Passionate + Satisfying + Ensemble Cast + Jianghu + Big Shots + School + Comedy] “After midnight, we call the shots on this land, whether you’re on the right side of the law or the wrong one!” Jiang Nan stood proudly at the summit like a solitary eagle, looking down at the young generation shining like stars across the jianghu below. “The Su District...” “The tragedy from ten years ago will never happen again in our generation!” “I’ll make sure everyone knows that this era belongs 24.9kReads8.9Score1.7k14d adds
- 136 Who Rules the Changing Tides of the Martial World? 江湖之谁主浮沉 “Northeastern Gangland,” “No Mindless Shenanigans,” “Based on Real Cases” A group of young people, driven by a moment of recklessness, set out on a path unlike any they had taken before... From Xiao Yao's days of loafing around to gradually growing up and setting off down the point of no return, making a living in the underworld... Family, friendship, and love all become entangled... Some die... some go to prison... and others... A new story, a new beginning. Come witness the rise of a true crim 261Reads—Score—14d adds
- 137 Forced to Fall! The Gangland Boss Won’t Stop Fighting to Claim Me 强制沦陷！黑道大佬他又争又抢 [Arrogant, obsessive foreign power broker VS beautiful, strong, and tragic stubborn agent] [Combative couple + star-crossed love + mortal enemies + devoted power couple + unrequited love + twisted obsessive forced romance] Born the only son of one of the world's most powerful families, Bai Jinghe was destined to get whatever he wanted from the moment he came into the world. He excelled at school from a young age and made a name for himself early. Later, he crushed every local gang and claimed th 656Reads8.1Score10314d adds
- 138 My Days of Being Bullied at School 校园被欺负的日子 The main characters are Wu Ming, Zhang Qiang, and Zhou Yao. This isn’t a brainless power fantasy, but a bumpy story of growing up. When my brothers fight, I run; I’d never touch a friend’s wife, but if my friend’s away, anything goes. A life of gaming on credit and gambling for tokens in the arcade. 11kReads8.2Score67114d adds
- 139 Underworld Storms: Zhang Yue 黑道风云之张岳 He is the staunchest believer in the code of the underworld, fiercely loyal to his brothers to the point of obsession; he believes most in repaying every blow, dealing with his enemies with ruthless finality; he holds fast to his fighting spirit, staying true to himself to the very end. He is Zhang Yue, the underworld boss known as the Pale-Faced Scholar. 10.8kReads8.1Score59714d adds
- 140 Bad Boy: King of the Streets 坏小子：街道之上，我为王 Li Yizhen was an ordinary student at Jiangchuan No. 1 High School. But the school bully, He Min, singled him out, teasing and tormenting him as she pleased. Too timid to fight back, he endured group beatings and was even forced to eat ice pops mixed with dirt. She also led him astray, getting him to smoke and drink. Day after day, year after year… Then, when Li Yizhen finally confessed his feelings to the school belle, she mocked him in front of the whole class. He Min joined in, too. Overcome w 282Reads—Score—14d adds
- 141 Underworld Storms: Qiao Si's Strategists, Xiao Ke and Wang Wei Fan 黑道风云之乔四军师小克王伟范 He was Qiao Siye’s strategist, known as the Brains. Only five-foot-three, he had an exceptionally quick mind, earning him the nicknames Little Zhuge and Ghost Six among the underworld. He wasn’t known for violence, but for his sense of honor and loyalty. Born into poverty, he started out as a bathhouse scrubber and worked his way up to become one of the Three Musketeers of Bingcheng, even driving the city’s first Mercedes-Benz 560. Follow the turbulent life of Wei Wan, the Little Master of Bingc 166.4kReads8.7Score9.1k14d adds
- 142 The Women I Met in Dongguan Back in the Day 那些年，我在东莞遇到的女人们 [Urban underworld + no System + nostalgia + beauties + power struggles + ruthless action + pure wish fulfillment, no self-torture] Back in Dongguan in 2004, he rises from bodyguard to nightclub beauties to the godfather of Dongguan's underworld. Li Zhan moves to Dongguan for work and meets A-Zhen, who works at a nightclub. After an unexpected incident, Li Zhan drives away a customer harassing A-Zhen, only to find himself at odds with the local underworld. To survive, he's forced into the crimina 21.2kReads8.6Score1.5k14d adds
- 143 My Uncle Is Huang Bingyao, and I’m Invincible from the Start 阿叔是黄炳耀，我开局无敌 In Hong Kong's underworld and law enforcement circles, there's one ironclad rule you must never break: You'd be better off provoking the King of Hell than the uncle-and-nephew duo of the Wong family! After transmigrating into a Hong Kong crime drama, I became Wong Bing-yao's nephew. From the start, I acquired a System. In this chaotic era, where gangsters roam the streets and armed criminals spray bullets with AKs, the rules for undercover cops are the rules! My uncle, Wong Bing-yao, is a shrewd 45.4kReads5.7Score4.4k14d adds
- 144 Selfish Desires: Tales of the Underworld 私欲：江湖往事 [This book is based on a true story] Three years ago, I was convicted of intentional assault and sent to prison. After getting out, I wanted to live an ordinary life. But then my younger sister went down a path of no return. For her sake, I had no choice but to return to the underworld! This book is packed with thrilling action and satisfying moments! 1.1kReads7.5Score11014d adds
- 145 We’ve Been Around the Block Too 哥几个也混过 We navigate society with feeling, And live our lives by loyalty. When feeling and loyalty conflict, We choose loyalty first. We walked side by side, reveling in the wild abandon of youth through those passionate years. You’re my brother, so we’ll face life and death together. 160Reads—Score—14d adds
- 146 Neither Black nor White? A Quack Doctor Twice Over 亦黑亦白？双料庸医 I'm a clinic owner. One act of justice made me enemies with the underworld, and from then on I began walking a path where I could operate in both the criminal and legitimate worlds. The world isn't simply black or white. It's both black and white. This isn't exactly a power fantasy. There are gangs, passion, and humor, as well as brotherhood between men who support one another and rise to the top together. 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 147 I Awakened the Underworld System, but I Really Don’t Want to Be the Boss 觉醒黑道系统，但我真不想做大哥 Lu Hong is the heir to a crime family, but the family comes under investigation. From then on, Lu Hong’s life goes downhill. He goes from an overpowered, swaggering protagonist to a defeated nobody, bullied at every turn. After being beaten up one last time, Lu Hong is badly injured and ends up in the hospital. Just as he’s preparing to start his life over, he unexpectedly awakens the [Game Life System]! At that moment, he swears to grind everyone who bullied him beneath his feet! 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 148 Tales of Liangzhou: Underworld Turmoil 梁州往事之黑道风云 The jianghu has never been just about fighting. It is about navigating human relationships and weighing the pros and cons. After years moving through the gray areas, I have seen the warmth and coldness of human nature, and witnessed betrayal and scheming time and again. With no one to rely on in my youth, I endured a bitter, hard life. Some took a wrong turn and ended up behind bars, their lives ruined before they were halfway through. I clawed my way up from the very bottom of society, swallowi 138Reads6.3Score—14d adds
- 149 The Pawn Who Crosses the River: Beyond Forgiveness 过河卒：罪无可恕 People who make money through shady dealings need to learn to burn incense and pray to Buddha. Those who move in the underworld have to believe that good things come to those who wait. After the turn of the millennium, Jiang Xinze was kicked off the police force for saving someone. He led his brothers into a world of guns and blades, with blood on their military daggers, riding the winds of a turbulent era to forge a dazzling legacy. If you’ve got a score to settle, settle it. If you won’t back 10.4kReads8.5Score86514d adds
- 150 The Underworld: A Fight for the Blood Road 黑社会：血路争锋 In the late 1990s, the waters of the Hai River in Jinmen City carried a stench that wouldn't wash away. They lapped over the dock's bluestone slabs and soaked the mud-caked trousers of Lin Shen. The sixteen-year-old boy huddled in the shadow of a shipping container, clutching a brown paper bag. Inside were three packs of cigarettes he'd managed to “borrow” from a cargo ship that day. They were tribute for Brother Hu, the third-in-command of the Shunfa Gang, and his only bargaining chip for survi 2Reads—Score—14d adds
