Wow!!
The light from outside streamed in, instantly brightening the previously gloomy room. Tu seemed a little uncomfortable, slightly closing his eyes and turning to the side before looking at me.
“Look outside.” I pointed out the window. “This isn’t Africa. This isn’t the kind of world where there are only enemies and allies… This world is probably much more complex than the world you originally lived in, and the rules aren’t as simple… But this world has something that your original world didn’t have… That is, peace and freedom.”
I suddenly made a decision: "Actually, I didn't save you for any reason. And now, you're free. You don't need to feel indebted to me... Now you have a new look, a new identity, and you've come to a free new world. You can leave here anytime you want. I guarantee that with your skills, you can live very well in this world."
I smiled at Tu, and Tu looked back at me quietly. After a long while, he whispered, "You're really letting me go?"
"Really." I nodded, looking at him sincerely.
“But I know my own worth,” Tu said slowly. “I am an excellent warrior. I can do many, many things for you. I can help you kill, help you deal with your enemies… I know you are not an ordinary person, you must have your enemies and adversaries. If you have a warrior like me under your command, it can solve many problems for you. Don’t you… want that?”
“I wish I had one.” I made no attempt to hide my thoughts: “Anyone would want a close subordinate like you, with your formidable strength. But remember, remember what Deron told you: you are human, no longer a machine.”
I paused for a moment, looked into Tu's eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Every word I said is true. If you want to leave, I can send you away from here immediately."
"..." Tu looked at me, his eyes so bright that I couldn't even guess what he was thinking. Finally, he smiled.
“I’m not leaving.” Tu shook his head, and this time his smile finally had a hint of warmth: “I know I’m free now. But I also know that even free people need a job. Didn’t you say you wanted me to be your driver? Then I’ll stay and take this job… Anyway, even if I leave here, I might not be able to find a boss as good as you outside.”
...
And so, I gained a driver by my side.
This at least freed Xiao Zhu from my driver job—because that guy Hammer still can't learn to drive. That hothead seems to be able to complete any task I give him without hesitation, and Hammer's loyalty to me is absolutely beyond doubt. I even suspect that if I asked him to take a bomb to blow up the White House right now, Hammer would carry the explosives without hesitation.
However, this guy seems to be incompatible with cars. He has already wrecked several of my cars, but he still can't distinguish the positions of the clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals.
The doctor said it appears to be a form of psychological "obsessive-compulsive disorder".
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Forty-Five: I'm Back
Tu recovered remarkably quickly; the brutal training he underwent from a young age had made him far more physically capable than the average person. He regained his mobility soon after the surgery and began rehabilitation exercises.
According to his own estimation, he had recovered about 60% of his fighting strength. I had tried sparring with him a few times, and even without him trying to kill me, he easily subdued me after a few rounds each time.
This makes me very depressed, extremely depressed!
Having practiced martial arts since childhood, I have considerable confidence in my skills. But now, a guy younger than me has been able to subdue me so easily, which has severely damaged my confidence.
Actually, the gap between us wasn't that big. During sparring, I always restrained myself from using my full strength. Often, the situation where he subdued me was like this: when we were close, I'd throw a heavy punch, and he wouldn't even dodge, just charging straight at me, seemingly unconcerned about getting hurt—but he didn't care, and I didn't want to hurt him. As a result, in that situation, I was caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to retreat in time, and he quickly subdued my vital points.
"Actually... Boss, if you played more freely against me, you wouldn't have lost so quickly," Tu comforted me.
"So what..." After being knocked to the ground by Tu for the Nth time, I got up and muttered dejectedly, "You haven't even used your killing move yet. Once you do, I'll be finished in no time."
“That’s different,” Tu explained calmly. “For example, that day on the plane, my fighting strength was less than 20%, and theoretically, your strength was above mine at that time… but I could still kill you.” He said softly, “It has nothing to do with skill; the important thing is the technique of killing. I may not be able to beat you, but I can kill you!”
I can't beat you, but I can kill you.
This statement may seem contradictory, but only true experts can appreciate its meaning.
Later, I became a bit skeptical, and also out of curiosity, I wanted to test just how skilled my new driver really was...
I picked ten men in the gym at the auto repair shop and had Hammer lead them! Then I staged an unfair fight.
Tu is one person against ten people led by Hammer. The rule is that no one can kill, and no one can use excessive force.
The result was completely unexpected!
In the short time it took me to smoke a cigarette, Hammer and the rest of the gang were all lying on the ground. I even dropped my cigarette!
Witnessing Tu's fighting movements firsthand, one couldn't help but suspect that he wasn't human at all! He was a wild beast! His movements, his every move, every bit of power, were like those of a wild animal, carrying an indescribable speed!
Fast! Very fast!
He struck with almost perfect accuracy! Except for Hammer, who held out for a couple more exchanges, the others were practically felled in an instant. And after he'd taken down two, the remaining men tried to surround him. But Tu, with uncanny agility, leaped out of the encirclement... At that moment, he moved like a swift antelope leaping down a precipice!
"The eyes of an eagle, the ears of a wolf, the speed of a leopard, and the strength of a bear!"
This is my final conclusion about Tu.
After being greatly shocked, I couldn't help but take Tu to see my senior brother. After witnessing his skills, I quietly asked Tu behind his back, "How good is my senior brother? Can you beat him?"
Tu thought for a moment and answered me with one sentence:
"I can't beat him, but I can kill him."
...
I went to Europe and brought back this incredibly skilled black guy. At first, my other men weren't entirely convinced of Tu's abilities. Especially after seeing me keep Tu by my side as my personal driver and bodyguard, many of my longtime brothers felt resentful. However, after witnessing Tu's skills, no one said anything more.
During the month that followed my return to Canada, I attended a celebration party for the film "The Big Heist," marking the film's global box office milestone of over $400 million. I then attended the opening ceremony for the first new film produced after the Rothschild family acquired a stake in Billy Hill Films.
This new film is a low-budget romantic comedy, with Jessica Chastain reprising her role as the female lead. However, after several attempts, Spielberg ultimately helped secure the male lead, bringing in Tom Hanks, Hollywood's undisputed leading man. This undisputed icon, the only actor in history to win two consecutive Oscars for Best Actor, accepted the offer and joined our new film.
In addition, a new film starring veteran Bruce Wayne and rising star Lei Xiaohu, one an established action star and the other a rising star, is also in the planning stages.
The film company's business is booming, so I obviously don't need to worry about anything anymore. I expect the annual report at the end of the year will show profit figures that will make even the most demanding people secretly smile.
I've noticed that the Hells' Angels seem to have quieted down lately. Old Thorin and Allen haven't made any major moves. Allen is still running the stagnant East Coast smuggling operation, and I've heard his influence has been further diminished. Old Thorin even held an internal meeting to officially and publicly confirm the princess's status as heir.
From what I've heard, the atmosphere at that internal meeting wasn't harmonious. After all, the other leaders in Hell's Angels aren't fools... no one likes having a boss who's a reckless, incompetent, and lewd rich girl. Working for a boss like that, even a smart person would feel their future is bleak.
But old Thorin silenced all dissenting voices with his iron fist. I heard that after that meeting, the Hells Angels underwent another small purge... I suspect that a few more ungrateful fellows were thrown into the crocodile pit by old Thorin to be fed to the crocodiles.
I'm happy to sit back and watch the tigers fight, handling some simple matters each day, and then the four wolves gather together to fool around, or I stay home with Yan Di to draw her eyebrows and apply cosmetics, having a great time. Every afternoon I go to my senior brother's place to practice kung fu for two hours, living a carefree life.
I appeared carefree, but I had been waiting in my heart all along. Finally, the day came, and I received a phone call.
The caller was Ren Lei. Since we parted ways in Africa, I had completed two tasks for them and hadn't contacted him since returning.
After that, I sent someone to Cairo, Egypt, to set up a nominal investment company, which was actually a transit point to transfer the profits allocated from the diamond mines in Cairo each year. Ren Lei helped a lot when the company was set up and started operating.
This time, he called and brought me news I had been waiting for for many days!
“Thank you so much for your help last time… I’ve received confirmation from above. We welcome people like you who have a certain influence overseas and are willing to contribute to the country to invest back home… However, you still need to be mindful of certain things yourself.” Ren Lei said tactfully, “Wu Gang will explain in detail to you, but the major principles haven’t changed. Basically, the conditions we discussed before your last trip to Africa can all be fulfilled.”
In other words... I can go back to China!
...
October in Shanghai is still quite hot. The last bit of the lingering heat made a final push, causing today's temperature to climb to 30 degrees Celsius.
As I stepped off the Air China plane and went through customs, looking at the sea of yellow-skinned, black-haired faces around me, the complex emotions I felt were indescribable.
Even after I walked out of the passage, I was so excited that I almost tripped and fell. Luckily, Qiaoqiao, who had been by my side the whole time, helped me up.
I gently released her hand and stood there... Beside me were Qiaoqiao, Aze, and Mutou, behind them were Hammer and Tu, and further behind were my ten close henchmen.
I looked around the airport terminal, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. Suddenly, I felt something welling up in my eyes, as if it were about to spill over…
A thousand-mile chase, countless wounds, betrayal by the person I trusted most, smuggling myself across the border, jumping into the sea, a storm at sea… all of this flashed through my mind like scenes from a movie. Back then, I was like a stray dog, relentlessly pursued with nowhere to run! How desolate, how utterly panicked I was!
And after surviving countless brushes with death... I! Chen Yang! Xiao Wu! My feet have finally set foot on this land once again!!
For some reason, a passage from a novel I had read suddenly came to mind. Overwhelmed with excitement, I impulsively knelt down in front of everyone. Under the astonished gazes of those around me, I prostrated myself on the ground, lowered my face, and kissed the ground beneath my feet.
Then, I turned around, clenched my fists, looked at everyone behind me, and slowly said, word by word, "I'm back! This time, no one will be able to drive me away again!"
When we walked out of the airport, there were four black minivans parked outside. Our group, especially the dozen or so burly men in black behind me, attracted a lot of attention from those around us. Among them, there was a black man walking behind me.
Finally, someone recognized me and pointed at me from a distance.
"Hey? Look, doesn't that look like that Chinese guy named 'Chen' from Hollywood?"
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Forty-Six: Unleashing One's Power
Two weeks before my return, Huaxing Company had already sent personnel to Shanghai to begin the work of establishing its China branch. According to my instructions, the establishment of the Shanghai branch was to be personally overseen by Huaxing Company's current CEO, Sun Wendi.
This key employee whom I personally promoted has taken Huaxing Company's business to a new level in the past year, and his position in the company has since been promoted to CEO.
Currently, Huaxing Company operates under the guise of a legitimate trading company, with an annual turnover of approximately one hundred million US dollars. However, some of its smuggling operations are conducted covertly within the company… the specific profits from smuggling alone reach tens of millions of dollars annually. Of course, the amount I spend each year bribing Vancouver customs and police officials, and other related networks, is also at least several million dollars.
Sun Wendi was not entirely ignorant of the smuggling business; it's just that many multinational trading companies and large corporations inevitably engage in some clandestine illegal activities, which is quite normal. Moreover, it's not unusual for companies engaged in ocean trade to also secretly engage in smuggling.
However, he seemed somewhat surprised that I had sent him personally to Shanghai to open the China branch. In his view, as CEO, he should be based at the headquarters in Vancouver, and that someone else could handle this kind of branch. But after I told him that the company's future strategic focus was on Asia, and even hinted that the China branch would eventually replace the Vancouver headquarters, Sun Wendi finally agreed to my decision.
Huaxing Company (China) branch was located in Lujiazui, Shanghai. Before my arrival, Sun Wendi had already overseen most of the branch's setup, including selecting the office location. On this point, I rejected Sun Wendi's suggestion to rent office space and instead decided to purchase two floors of a building. Although this was significantly more expensive, my meaning was clear: we weren't here to make money and then leave. Now that I'm back, I don't intend to leave. Huaxing Company will take root here.
Moreover, in the long run, even if the company continues to expand and the current location becomes insufficient, I won't lose money even if we have to move to a new place. Shanghai's property prices are skyrocketing, so even if I sell this place in the future, I'll only make a profit.
The company recruited approximately fifty employees locally in Shanghai. Regarding management, ten key personnel were transferred from the Vancouver headquarters to bolster the middle and senior management of the Shanghai office, and several newly recruited local staff were also selected for middle management positions. The company's basic structure has been established.
Of course, this is not the kind of shell company I set up haphazardly in Africa.
“We are outsiders, we have no roots here… We need some excellent public relations talent… Boss, I think Ms. Xu Xin, the company’s original administrative secretary, is very capable in this area. I think we can transfer her to Shanghai to serve as the company’s public relations manager…” After Sun Wendi made this suggestion to me, I thought about it and then refused.
Recently, Xiluo and that girl Xu Xin have been getting really into it. Xiluo is my best brother, he's risked his life for me. Even my position as the leader of the Big Circle was thanks to Xiluo risking his life to kill the Eighth Master's gang. My good brother has just started to enjoy the sweetness of love, and I can't ruin his plans right now.
At the crucial moment when the two were falling in love, I brought his lover from Vancouver to Shanghai. Xiluo, who stayed in Vancouver, would probably go crazy.
After arriving at Huaxing Company's Shanghai branch from the airport, I immediately convened the branch's first meeting. Of course, I wasn't very familiar with these legitimate businesses. Sun Wendi mainly presided over the meeting; as the company's boss, my role was simply to attend and maintain appearances.
However, because I was incredibly famous recently, becoming a sensation in the US, all sorts of reports and news about me, especially entertainment news, had already spread back to China. As a result, I noticed that many of the new company members from Shanghai were secretly watching me at the meeting. After all, I can practically be considered a big star now.
By the way, Sun Wendi initially disapproved of my decision to set up an investment branch in Africa. However, after I returned from Africa, his views underwent a complete 180-degree change.
Why?
Because I established a close personal friendship with General Kunta, the head of state of the East African country G! You could even say we were... in cahoots!
Kunta is not a good person, much less a patriot—frankly speaking, in many small African countries, people generally lack a sense of national identity, and tribal and racial concepts still prevail, with tribal and racial identity far outweighing national identity.
Country G has a backward economy and needs development.
The head of state of G country is General Kunta, a good friend of mine who has sworn a blood oath with me!
General Kunta, the head of state of Country G, is neither a good person nor a patriot. In his heart, he cares more about his private overseas assets than national assets. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sold off all the ownership of the diamond mines and then secretly embezzled the profits.
"We can do business with Country G. Imports and exports, we can do it all! Country G is underdeveloped, they need all sorts of construction, although small, it's still a country. They need all kinds of resources, they need us, and we'll sell them what they need, except for restricted and prohibited items, and arms are out of the question. But for everything else, we can even monopolize it." Sun Wendi was always full of energy when talking about the company's business. He glanced at me quickly: "Boss, you're a good friend of General Kunta, we can sign an import and export agreement with the Country G government under the name of Huaxing Company. In this way, we can even monopolize the entire foreign trade of Country G! Then, whatever resources Country G has that can be exported, we can buy them too... These are all profitable businesses."
Finally, Wendi Sun summarized: "The most profitable business in the world is not arms, not drugs... but monopoly! Any business that can be monopolized is always the most profitable! Now a great opportunity is in front of us!"
I thought for a moment and said with a wry smile, "There are three problems. First, it seems that there are no resources in G country that we can buy... Their economy and commerce are very backward... They don't have any resources other than minerals."
“Then we’ll import rough diamonds,” Sun Wendi said calmly. “And other things… timber, timber is also a resource… no, we can even invest in building factories in G country. East Africa is not lacking in forest resources. We can do a lot of timber processing there, paper, furniture, various tools… and so on, and then sell some locally, and ship the rest to Canada or China for sale… these are all profitable businesses.”
“Hmm…importing rough diamonds.” I laughed: “That’s no longer necessary. We already own 40 percent of the diamond mines, and every year the rough diamonds are shipped out, so we can do diamond business…as for your idea of monopolizing G country’s trade, that’s a great idea.”