Qin Shi Huang, who entered last, said with a smile, "This mouth is crooked."
I was quite puzzled, so I went closer to the little guy and couldn't help but laugh. He had six portraits drawn on the paper, like ancient wanted posters. What was remarkable was that the artist had captured our expressions very accurately. It seems that Lei Laosi's side is full of talented people.
After checking the portrait, the short man put away the paper and smiled at us, saying, "We've been waiting for you all for a long time. Please follow me."
I glanced hesitantly at Xiang Yu and the others, then pulled the smaller man aside and asked, "Where's Lei Ming?"
The short man, still smiling, said, "Please follow me."
Xiang Yu nodded slightly to me, indicating that there was no need to worry.
The opponent has changed their tactics, which has really stunned me. If we start yelling and fighting now, it would make us look cowardly. At this point, we can only wait and see. Who knows, maybe the little guy will lead us to a parade ground where tens of thousands of people will be holding crossbows and shouting "Great Wind!" waiting for us.
The short man led us to a bright conference room, where seven or eight men in suits stood on each side. He greeted us, "Please sit down."
It doesn't look like a war is about to break out. After we've captured three cities in a row, they wouldn't be so naive as to think that a dozen or so people have the strength to start a war with us, would they?
The younger guy ordered tea and cigarettes for us again. I couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Call Lei Ming out. We won't attack him directly." It seemed they genuinely wanted to talk, and our goal wasn't to do anything to that kid surnamed Lei; I just wanted him to apologize to Baozi. Bullying women is a habit we can't tolerate. To be honest, my anger had mostly dissipated during the fierce battle. After all this, it felt like a gentle breeze. The aftereffects of eating Fangzhenjiang biscuits yesterday were much better; my back and legs weren't aching anymore, and I could easily take down five venues in one go.
The short man solicitously placed the ashtray in front of me, smiling apologetically as he said, "Um... I still have to ask, how did Young Master Lei offend everyone?"
I banged on the table and said, "Don't ask me about this, let that kid figure it out himself!"
The short man chuckled and said, “Gentlemen, I think we should be frank. What do you want? Just say it—in this business, having more friends means having more options, and we can discuss things. You look unfamiliar; you might be from out of town or from other circles. To be honest, our Boss Lei is quite influential here, and he can't really do anything to you six. His repeated concessions are out of respect for your talent…”
This time, I couldn't hold back any longer. My face turned pale, and I slammed the ashtray against the opposite wall, yelling, "No more talk, let's fight!" What really angered me was Lei Laosi's magnanimous attitude. You know, I led a bunch of emperors, heroes, and even traitors all night, and in the end, he wouldn't even let his own son say a word, just putting on a show to scare me. Even if it weren't for Xi Jinping, I felt incredibly aggrieved for myself!
Wu Sangui and his men lazily stood up, clenching their fists as they looked at the row of suits against the wall. The suits, however, showed no intention of making a move; they looked at each other, remaining obediently standing. Xiang Yu had no choice but to grab a chair and smash the round conference table first.
Seeing that things weren't going as he'd imagined, the short guy hid to the side, making a phone call with a long face. After I smashed the rear-projection TV, he finally handed me the phone, shouting, "It's our Young Master Lei—"
I took it, and a young voice on the other end shouted frantically, "Boss, I've been thinking about this all night, I really don't know what I did to offend you!"
I said coldly, "My wife's shoulder is still bruised!"
There were probably people around Lei Ming, and he heard the young man ask in confusion, "Did I hit a woman?" A voice said intermittently, "We...during the day..."
Lei Ming then posted the phone number again: "Yes, we smashed up two stores during the day—but which one is your wife?"
He's definitely not a good person! He smashes up people's shops for fun, and besides picking a fight with Baozi, I wonder who else has been unlucky enough to offend him.
Before I could speak, Lei Ming paused and asked, "What's that sound over there?"
I chuckled and said, "I'm smashing your shop too—you'd better wait for me at the next nightclub, or your business will be shut down."
Lei Ming could no longer hold back and roared hysterically, "Come on! Come on! If I don't kill you, you're your son!"
I hung up the phone, snapped my fingers, and said, "Brother Yu, let's go!"
Xiang Yu and the others asked me together, "Where are we going?"
I said, "I've just taken in a godson—"
Chapter Twenty-One Negotiation
It seems Lei Ming has finally snapped. I knew it; every gangster has a temper. The fact that Fuhao and Qian Leduo haven't fought us yet suggests that the kid surnamed Lei is still a bit confused about us. Actually, I'm even more confused than him—weren't they after Baozi during the day?
In any case, the final moment had finally arrived. In the carriage, both Xiang Yu and Wu Sangui were somewhat excited. Hua Mulan, meanwhile, was carefully studying the terrain with a map. Finally, she looked up and said, "This 'Richmond' nightclub is perfect for the decisive battle. It's quiet despite the hustle and bustle, and the terrain is flat. Even if we gather hundreds of people, it won't attract attention."
Wu Sangui said, "'Lishiman'? What kind of place is that? Is it run by Manchus?"
After muttering a few words, I realized it was actually a transliteration of "richman," meaning a wealthy person. Richman, wealthy, and now Richmond—this Lei Laosi is completely obsessed with money, with the smug look of a nouveau riche landlord. The quality of Chinese organized crime is just low; in developed countries, organized crime is already industrialized and open. It's said that some famous mafia groups periodically recruit members online, and besides age and gender requirements, a hard requirement is a master's degree. Looking at Lei Laosi, he's still mostly a petty thug and small-time craftsman—no future.
On the way to Richmond, I couldn't help feeling uneasy. Unlike the others in the car, the largest melee I'd ever participated in had never involved more than 20 people. After much deliberation, I decided to park the car behind the building. The weighty lessons of history taught me: it's always best to leave yourself a way out.
I said, "Brother Yu, you go first." I was afraid he would pull that do-or-die move again and set the car on fire from the inside—who could stand that?
Xiang Yu jumped off the chariot and started doing chest-expanding exercises, full of fighting spirit. After everyone else got off, I said to Qin Shi Huang, "Brother Ying, you don't need to get off."
Qin Shi Huang said with displeasure, "What's wrong? Can't you help me when I'm hungry?"
I said, "That's not what I meant. As long as I keep the engine running, you'll be our strong support. Besides, weren't you also in charge of the rear when you conquered the six kingdoms?"
Qin Shi Huang thought for a moment, realizing that I wasn't just trying to appease him, and then nodded.
I got off the bus, and suddenly I felt a chill run down my spine. It was late at night, the streetlights were dim, and everything was quiet. I felt the atmosphere was very eerie!
Xiang Yu, his face full of anticipation, stepped out of the alley first. But when he reached the street corner, he suddenly froze, staring ahead in astonishment, exclaiming, "Holy crap!" My heart skipped a beat. What could possibly cause the King of Chu to change his expression like that?
Wu Sangui, who was right behind him, quickly walked a few steps and stood next to Xiang Yu. He was also stunned for a moment and stammered, "This..." My heart skipped a beat again. This old desperado was someone who was not afraid of anything!
I jogged out, and was finally stunned by what I saw. I couldn't help but curse, "Holy crap!"
The Richmond nightclub that appeared before us was completely dark, not even a single window was open... They were fucking closed!
Honestly, this is even more shocking than hundreds of people wielding Japanese swords with white socks tied to their heads. That bastard Lei Ming went on a rampage for ages, and this is the result. No wonder he's called Lei Ming (Thunder), not a single drop of rain fell.
Now I finally understand why I felt something was off: in a nightclub, there shouldn't be a "dark and stormy" scene within a hundred meters.
After Mulan and Jing Ke ran out, they looked at each other, completely bewildered. We were utterly shocked by the Lei family's actions. How could they, as members of the underworld, do something so outrageous? They had agreed to a duel!
We lingered for a while, and Mulan said, "What do we do now? Should we go back to Qianleduo or Fuhao?"
Xiang Yu shook his head and said, "Most of the people in those two places have probably left. Besides, it would seem petty of us to fight our way back."
Wu Sangui said, "That's right, there's no point in slaughtering and capturing cities. The enemy abandoned the city to preserve their strength, so we can only wait for them to make another move—let's go back."
Just as we were about to turn around, a figure suddenly appeared slowly from the opposite side of the street. Jing Ke exclaimed alertly, "Someone's there!"