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The phone rang for over ten seconds, but the other party hung up without a word, plunging Han Liqun into despair. All his calls had failed to connect, and only this person's number went through, yet they refused to answer. Han Liqun felt utterly helpless; no matter who this person was, he had to reach out to them—only they could save him.
On the morning of August 23rd, at seven o'clock, Han Liqun dialed the number for the fourth time.
"Are you annoying or what?" The scammer on the other end was growing impatient. He had never encountered someone so persistent. "Are you messing with me? I’m asking you if you’re messing with me. Just because I’m a scammer doesn’t mean I can’t deal with you. Don’t push your luck! If you keep bothering me, I’ll call the police."
The line went dead again.
Han Liqun held the phone, feeling both helpless and somewhat amused. A person who made a living through deception was threatening to call the police on him. This individual clearly seemed like a novice in the scamming world, having just entered the trade not long ago. In fact, Han Liqun could be considered a senior in this field; everything he had achieved was due to his own cunning.
This young man's scamming skills could only be classified as beginner level, targeting those who were too gullible. While it was possible to deceive some people, his efficiency was abysmally low—out of a thousand people, perhaps only one would fall for such basic tricks. Han Liqun was at least two levels above this young man.
Such is the nature of the world: wherever there are profits to be made, gray industries will flourish.
After graduating from middle school, Han Liqun never returned to school. He spent several years working hard in a big city, but his monthly earnings barely covered his expenses. He realized that this way of life was unsustainable; besides, manual labor was exhausting, and he couldn't endure it any longer.
On a construction site, there was a Mason in his forties or fifties who saw potential in Han Liqun's youth and introduced him to a job. According to the Mason, this job wasn’t exactly respectable, but generally wouldn’t lead to serious trouble. It paid about the same as what he earned from manual labor but required less physical effort—just some clever thinking.
Thus, Han Liqun entered this line of work and earnestly apprenticed under his master. As his master explained, this field was known as Security Door; some referred to it as Thousand Doors. Any scheme that involved tricking someone without direct confrontation fell under this category—gambling scams, con games involving staged chess matches on the street, telephone fraud—all belonged here.
When he first started out, Han Liqun set up staged chess games on the street using a family heirloom setup. Participants could place bets at even odds: bet fifty and regardless of who lost, they would pay fifty to the other; bet one hundred and similarly pay one hundred upon losing. In those days, most participants were elderly men.
These older gentlemen often believed themselves to be formidable players after dominating local games but were actually only mediocre at best. The reason others set up such staged matches was that they had studied numerous chess patterns; the best outcome would merely be a draw. Yet these simple scams attracted those old men like moths to a flame, eagerly falling for it time and again.
This was indeed much easier than manual labor, and after a month, the money earned was not less than what he made on the construction site.
Han Liqun fell in love with this line of work.
However, as time went on, fewer and fewer people could be deceived by this trick. Han Liqun came into contact with the internet in his twenties, around the 1990s, when telephone internet became his foundation. Back then, the common tactic was to inform someone that they had won a grand prize, but they needed to send a portion of the tax money first.
Through this method, Han Liqun earned his first pot of gold. At that time, housing prices were quite low, allowing him to buy a house, marry, and start a family.
Thinking about this made Han Liqun reminisce about his wife and son. Since last night, he had been missing for such a long time. He wondered if his wife and child missed him or if they had reported him missing. He knew that aside from children and women, a missing adult male could only have a case filed after twenty-four hours. It was now around six in the morning; by six in the evening, it would be twenty-four hours.
Han Liqun then reflected on his life.
Having a family meant that Han Liqun had to destroy others' families for the sake of his own.
At this point, Han Liqun had already reached the second level of his career. He began to understand that to deceive others, he needed to know what they wanted. He aimed to target a vast group across the nation—young men aged twenty to fifty who were obsessed with illicit relationships.
By then, the internet had matured significantly. Han Liqun was among the first to realize he could make money through online platforms. While others used Tencent and Alibaba for legitimate businesses and filled their pockets, Han Liqun also made a fortune—but through deceit.
The art of deception was simple: he applied for numerous QQ accounts, found random photos of girls online, and spread chat invitations across various platforms. Then he just waited for others to transfer money into his bank account. Most people were driven by hormones and acted impulsively, sending him money before realizing they had been scammed.
However, most people chose not to speak out about it; after all, being deceived in such matters was something many preferred to keep hidden. This was almost a risk-free scam. With the development of online payments—especially now—a simple red envelope could seal the deal, making it even more convenient and less risky.
Five years ago, Han Liqun made ten million through his scams.
If Han Liqun was satisfied with this, he would forever remain at the second level. However, Han Liqun gradually realized that any kind of scam requires an initial investment, whether it be money or content. He took out five hundred thousand to develop an app.
This was a social app. When you registered and entered, many girls would chat with you. Sometimes the content was very direct, even asking if you wanted to meet up. Some young men couldn't handle such blunt temptation and hurriedly replied, only to find that their messages wouldn't go through; it turned out that only members could chat.
A membership cost one hundred per month, which was quite cheap compared to going out directly to find someone. After all, who couldn't spare a hundred yuan in a month? They gritted their teeth and finally signed up for a one-month membership. However, when they responded to those seemingly beautiful girls' profiles, there was no reaction from the other side.
They were frustrated by their slow responses, thinking others must have gotten ahead of them. A month passed, and they had hardly chatted with any girls. They were puzzled and didn't understand where those initially enthusiastic girls had gone. Even when their membership expired, they still didn't comprehend what had happened.
Han Liqun watched as this app earned him a lot of money, seeing funds deposited into the company's account one after another. He mocked those losers who were crazy about women. Those hormone-driven young men didn't realize that those beautiful profiles were just robots programmed with a few suggestive lines to lure in plenty of people.
But once they actually spent money, the app had nothing to do with them anymore.
This was the third level.
Han Liqun knew there were two more levels above him. Those at the fourth level looked down on scamming ordinary people; their targets were much larger. Just look at how many cities have unfinished buildings and how many planned projects suddenly halted. Often we hear about developers absconding with loan money.
Owing the bank a million makes the bank your master, but owing a billion makes you the bank's master.
At that level, the bank wouldn't let you go bankrupt. But Han Liqun knew he would never reach that level in his lifetime; he didn't dare to try. High returns naturally came with high risks. Although Han Liqun only graduated from middle school, he understood this simple principle.
Yet this wasn't even the highest level; at the highest level, they weren't just scamming for money but for people's hearts. Just look at how many fanatics there are and how many ignorant masses have been misled by cults, pretending not to understand—this is the greatest evil in the world. It's akin to terrorism breeding among those educated in violence.
In Han Liqun's view, these were the five levels of security doors. At the second level, one could solve basic needs; by Han Liqun's standards, he had already made quite a bit of money.
Insulted by a novice Thief Sect Disciple, Han Liqun found himself in a rather absurd situation. He knew he was a con artist, but the people he had brought in could be dangerous. Glancing at his phone, he noted it was already seven in the morning, and outside, there was an eerie silence—not even the chirping of birds.
Han Liqun dialed the scammer's number again.
"What do you want?" the scammer growled.
"You’re also a Thief Sect Disciple, right? By all accounts, I should be your senior. Listen to me; what I’m about to say is true..." Han Liqun spoke in a pleading tone.
The scammer suddenly burst into laughter. "Are we filming a drama here? You think I haven’t seen TV shows? Why don’t you claim to be from Old Nine Gates or February Hong while you’re at it? You’re just a rookie disciple; stop calling me."
The call ended abruptly.
Han Liqun sat on the bed in a daze, staring at his phone. Throughout his life, he had deceived countless people with endless lies, most of which others had believed; otherwise, they wouldn’t have willingly sent him money. Yet now, when Han Liqun spoke the truth, no one wanted to believe him.
Reflecting on his predicament, Han Liqun began to understand that the lies he spun were always close to reality. However, in this situation, no one would trust him.
He pondered deeply; he needed to figure out how to make this scammer believe him.
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