Part 1: In the Martial World, Not in Control of One's Own Fate, Chapter 111: Technical Content
Xiao Feng's appearance has changed a lot, but I still recognized her at a glance. She's lost some weight and her skin is a little darker, but she looks more energetic and has a very imposing gaze—it seems she's been fooling quite a few people.
She stomped the thick books she was carrying on the table, then picked up a folder and placed it on top. She casually pulled out a pair of frameless glasses and put them on her nose. In a soft, affected tone, she said, "Hello everyone, I am your teacher today. Please don't be so polite. Since we're all here, we're all brothers and sisters. You don't need to call me Teacher Liu. Just call me Miss Liu or Xiao Liu."
After she finished speaking, she smiled sweetly. Several men in the front row below were immediately captivated.
Xiao Feng seems to have reformed, but she still retains the seductive charm she had when she was in the brothels! Then, Xiao Feng nonchalantly picked up a large pen, turned around, and scribbled a line of large characters on the small whiteboard behind her:
"The Road to Wealth!"
I have to admit, her handwriting is much better than before. At least when she used to sign bills and serve drinks and fruit platters to customers in nightclubs, Xiao Feng's handwriting was just scribbles.
But her handwriting is beautiful. However, a young woman who didn't even finish junior high school wearing glasses and a business suit is trying to impersonate a marketing expert mentor who has returned from abroad... These swindlers are really bold!
"How to make the greatest wealth!" Xiao Feng waved her hand with great enthusiasm, her face full of longing, and shouted loudly, "Everyone comes south to Guangzhou to work and seek their fortune, all for the sake of getting ahead! But no matter if you're doing business or trading, what do we lack most? A correct theory! You can't do without a brain! The era of blindly working without a theory is long gone! Today, I'm going to introduce to you the most advanced pyramid theory in the world!"
Then, a series of terms that I vaguely understood but were very familiar with tumbled out of Xiaofeng's mouth with great ease: downline, reward, sales chain... and so on.
I must say, Xiaofeng's speech was incredibly inspiring... I'm pretty sure this kind of persuasive rhetoric couldn't have come from Xiaofeng herself; she must have memorized a script. But a woman with experience in the world of entertainment has absolutely top-notch acting skills! Xiaofeng's speech was also much more human!
Generally speaking, this kind of illegal pyramid scheme actually promotes an upgrade-based reward system. That is, you buy products from your upline and then resell them to your downline at a higher price. The more you buy and the more downlines you develop, the greater your returns! At the same time, your downlines must also develop their own downlines…
In reality, the so-called "products" in pyramid schemes mostly lack market value or competitiveness. Their prices are often several times, even dozens of times, higher than similar products on the market, because they are merely a facade used to manipulate the system and defraud people. Many people stockpile large quantities of goods to meet sales targets, believing that quickly finding "downlines" will allow them to obtain more funds or faster promotions. As a result, tens of thousands of yuan worth of goods remain unsold because they cannot find "downlines," leading to significant losses!
What disgusts me most is... these scammers openly luring these easy targets. They tell you to start by recruiting from your friends and family... Do you have friends? Classmates? Siblings? Uncles, nieces, or cousins? Villagers or neighbors?
If they have it, things will be much easier! You can develop your downline among them and sell your products to them! Then, explain your theory to them and get them to join this big family! You need to change your mindset! You need to understand that you're helping them! Because they can also develop their own downlines in this way! And then they can make a lot of money too!
What do you call this? You call this: We're all one family, brothers and sisters! In other businesses, competitors are enemies! But we're different. We're all brothers and sisters! We're all close comrades-in-arms with the great goal of common prosperity!
So, join us!
...
…………
Xiao Feng, being a beautiful woman of moderate age, finished speaking with a radiant glow. A few beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and she raised her arms, shouting, "Success is right before our eyes! Right under our feet! Now shout with me! Shout out your heartfelt wishes! Shout together... I want to get rich! I want to succeed! I want to be wealthy!! Come on! Come on!! I want to get rich! I want to succeed! I want to be wealthy!!"
At first, these fat sheep hesitated, but the shills next to them immediately started shouting loudly, each one louder than the last.
Meanwhile, those old swindlers, laid-off workers, private business owners, and the like, stepped forward again to repeatedly proclaim their success stories and share their achievements, boasting about their current accomplishments and so on... The entire room was filled with an atmosphere of fervor.
Humans have a strange, subtle tendency to "blindly follow the crowd." When the surrounding environment agrees on something, even if you still have some doubts, you can easily be assimilated and mobilized by the enthusiastic atmosphere.
Having prepared myself mentally beforehand, I simply hid behind the crowd and calmly observed my surroundings. I noticed some of the scammers looking at me with suspicion; there were men, women, and children among them. Not wanting to stand out too much, I also whispered a couple of times, and only then did they shift their suspicious gazes.
Humans!
These are all people!
These scammers today, I'm sure, were once easy targets, tricked into coming here to undergo this so-called brainwashing, turning good people into scammers, and then out there to scam others!
Finally, Xiaofeng magically produced several certificates from the folder she had smuggled in, which were nothing more than proof of the company's authority and legitimacy, etc.
One particular certificate, issued by the "China Health Products Organization," which supposedly certified the product, left me speechless. These scammers really know how to pull it off!
I can guarantee that this certificate is genuine! Absolutely genuine! And the certification from this health supplement organization is also absolutely genuine!
Why?
Let me give you a simple example: take those toothpaste advertisements that are often broadcast on TV. They always say things like "Recommended by the National Dental Prevention Group" or "Recommended by the China Dental Prevention Group"... Sounds impressive, right? Authoritative, right? It's enough to make you feel intimidated!
It's all bullshit! The so-called "National Dental Prevention Group" is a complete shill! This organization isn't state-run; it's a privately owned organization! In other words, it's something privately registered! Similarly, there are other organizations frequently mentioned in TV announcements, such as the "Chinese Stomatological Association" and the "Chinese Preventive Medicine Association"—they are all non-governmental organizations!
Ordinary people don't know this. They hear "China XXX Association," and think, "Wow! That sounds incredibly powerful and authoritative!" But it's actually a complete charade. The famous National Dental Prevention Group's office is actually just a small, shabby room in a dormitory building inside Peking University School of Stomatology! Just one small, run-down room, one table, and two people! And that's how they managed to fool almost the entire nation with the infamous title of "National Dental Prevention Group"!
The health product organization set up by these illegal pyramid scheme swindlers is actually not difficult to establish.
No matter what you sell… let alone toothpaste, even if you sell shoe polish, as long as you're willing to spend the money, hire two pseudo-experts to register a “National Shoe Polish Group,” then find a run-down warehouse as your office, register it, and you can publish announcements and boast about it! Can't register in mainland China? No problem! Register in Hong Kong! It's very simple! Hong Kong has organizations that specialize in registering shell companies. What kind of company do you want to register? Just call them, explain, pay a fee, and they'll handle all the paperwork for you! And it's absolutely legal!
Unfortunately, many, many people still believe in this scam...
At least when Xiaofeng presented these certificates, some of the skeptical customers around her immediately became convinced!
Taking advantage of the chaos as people rushed to the front to look at the certificates, I quietly led Ni Duoduo to the back, making no move. Xiao Feng, unaware of my presence, quickly gathered the certificates and hurriedly left. Next, the lecherous man began his announcement.
Anyone willing to join the company can immediately upgrade to become a new member, as long as they take out their own money to buy the company's products and then work hard to develop a downline according to the theories taught in the training. As long as they develop enough downlines, they can get rich...
At this moment, the shills mixed in with the fat sheep immediately jumped out. Some shouted to buy, some immediately took out their money, and others rushed up to fill out the forms.
Humans are often like this: even if you initially thought, "Could this be fake?", seeing everyone around you doing it quickly brings another thought to mind: "So many people are doing this, could everyone have been fooled? It can't be that everyone's been fooled and I'm the only smart one, right? Looks like I'm wrong! Everyone else is right!"
What's next?
The fat sheep should just obediently wait to be slaughtered!
I immediately wanted to take advantage of the chaos to leave, but a lewd man's words made me stay.
"Dear brothers and sisters, new members, please gather here after registering. We will arrange accommodation for you! The company is a big family, and we will arrange accommodation for everyone!"
I thought about it... and it seems like hiding here isn't such a bad idea.
At least, it's much safer than outside!
Part 1: In the Martial World, Not in Control of One's Own Fate - Chapter 112: Psychological Suggestion
Purchasing a complete set of products will cost 1,800 yuan. Not everyone who gets scammed can immediately hand over their money... but don't worry, they'll let you take your time.
No money on you? No problem! Just settle in and become part of this warm family! Then your family can send you money!
The sleazy man was gone, replaced by two other old swindlers. Actually, I could tell they were originally law-abiding citizens, just pathetic creatures who had been assimilated.
The group of people all looked pale and sickly as they led us out of the small building... out from the back.
This is clearly a working-class area, and the buildings are all quite old, typical southern-style bungalows. Behind them are illegal structures, makeshift sheds, and the better ones are just mud-brick houses, all scattered like patches of graffiti.
I saw dozens of pale-faced people walking back and forth in twos and threes, their eyes darting around with a murky yet somewhat crazed look, like a pack of man-eating wolves, surveying us newcomers.
We were led into a low, mud-brick house. We, the new batch of fat sheep, were deliberately separated and scattered. Only Ni Duoduo stuck to me. I looked cold and indifferent. Someone tried to separate Ni Duoduo from me, but after I gave her a cold look, she stepped aside.
"This is our staff dormitory! It's also our big family where all of us brothers and sisters live!" A woman of about forty years old warmly came over to help me with my luggage, but I stopped her. I took my bag and walked in with Duoduo. Duoduo was clearly a little scared, clinging tightly to me, and whispered, "Are we going to stay here?"
I shook my head, signaling her to be quiet.
The room was extremely basic... or even "basic" wouldn't be enough to describe it...
There are only two rooms here. One is for a man, and the other is for a woman. The rooms contain only hard wooden beds, and nothing else.
I saw that some houses outside had coal stoves outside their doors, burning honeycomb briquettes, and thick smoke was billowing out.
"They're cooking," the middle-aged woman said with a "kind" smile. "Once you're part of our big family, brothers and sisters take care of each other!"
Then they introduced each person one by one. It turned out that these people were managed in groups. Each group had seven or eight people, including veteran swindlers, mid-level swindlers, small-time swindlers, and easy targets. The veteran swindlers acted as leaders, like squad leaders, and everyone below had to obey their boss; disobedience was absolutely forbidden!
In their words, "This is called training! It cultivates your spirit of hard work and perseverance! The harder you train, the stronger you will be on the road to success in the future!"
Then this middle-aged woman immediately began to lecture me, first emphasizing that we were all one family, like brothers and sisters, close comrades-in-arms on the road to struggle. She then stated that as a family, we should be managed in a unified manner, and since we were still in the training phase, we needed to be mentored by the leader. She first demanded that I hand over my ID card, mobile phone, and so on.
"For unified management," the middle-aged woman said, deliberately lowering her voice as she dismissed the others, "Young man, I'm doing this for your own good. With so many people living in the dormitory, it's easy for things to get messy. What if your valuables get lost? I'm representing the company. I'm here to help you keep them safe!"
I said calmly, "No, I'll keep my own things myself."
No matter what she said, I just stared at her coldly. The con artist had no choice but to leave. After a while, two or three other con artists came over and surrounded me, trying to brainwash me. They were basically telling me to respect the leaders, obey management, and understand that the current hardships were laying the foundation for future success! It was nothing more than ideological work. I got a little impatient, walked to a corner, picked up a red brick from the ground, threw it in front of me, and said coldly, "I'm here to make money! Not to be bossed around! Anyone who makes a sound will be in trouble!"
After saying that, I raised my hand, clenched it into a fist, and slammed it down, instantly splitting the red brick into four pieces.
The swindlers fell silent and retreated.
Actually, I understand that they won't use force at first. As for using force, they will only reveal their true colors after they have emptied your pockets. And I'm not afraid!
Although the place was rudimentary, it was genuinely safe. The entire pyramid scheme operation resembled a giant rat's den.
I was initially curious why all these people looked so pale and malnourished, but while eating, I finally understood...
We were eating boiled cabbage in plain water, and the rice was very hard. Duoduo frowned as she ate, only managing a few bites before giving up. Meanwhile, the swindlers next to her were eating with relish… and then kept lecturing me about the spirit of hard work and perseverance: “Endure a little hardship now, and you’ll taste ten times the sweetness later!” What surprised me was that these swindlers sounded incredibly sincere when they said these things, as if they themselves firmly believed in this idea!
This is real brainwashing!
What I saw next was truly eye-opening!
Who says scammers lack skill?! I've discovered that these people running illegal pyramid schemes are all psychology experts!!
In the afternoon, a rather peculiar meeting was held in the room, which they jokingly called a "family meeting." The aim was to make every brother and sister feel the warmth of family, especially the newcomers!
A dozen or so people, mostly scammers and a few easy targets, including myself and Ni Duoduo, sat in a circle in the room and started singing inspirational and uplifting songs! At first, some of the newcomers were a bit reserved, but the other scammers, men and women, were all very open, excited, and enthusiastic, shouting slogans about success and wealth, and then singing those inspirational songs in high-pitched, impassioned voices! Then everyone sang together, louder and louder, and the atmosphere gradually became lively. Afterwards, they started playing some… simple games, like dropping a handkerchief, passing a flower, etc., and for a while, laughter filled the room. Everyone in the room, whether easy targets or scammers, was laughing heartily. At this point, there was no longer any distinction between scammers and easy targets; the atmosphere was completely relaxed, and even Ni Duoduo, who had been frowning all day, was having a great time.
Next came some reminiscences of past hardships and the present happiness.
The leader loudly announced the start of today's "spiritual purification" process. All the scammers immediately fell silent, as if they were well-trained. Then the lights in the room were turned off. The middle-aged woman leading the group used a gentle tone to coax everyone to relax, close their eyes, and carefully recall the pain, setbacks, hardships, tribulations, and suffering they had experienced in the past... If not, recall the grievances and disappointments they had suffered since childhood, such as failing exams, losing their jobs, or heartbreak—basically, pick out those sad memories to recall... After a few minutes, seeing that everyone's emotions were about right, the leader called on several long-time members of the pyramid scheme to come out and tell their tragic histories. There were young men and women, as well as middle-aged people, and the more they talked, the more miserable they became.
We're all ordinary people, with similar experiences. Everyone has gone through things like heartbreak and unemployment. Besides, the leader skillfully selected one man, one woman, one child, and one person of all ages to share their stories, which immediately made everyone around feel a sense of empathy! The atmosphere was quickly brought to its climax!
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
The speaker wore a sorrowful expression, lost in memories of the past. The listeners were deeply moved, and several girls even broke down in tears. Finally, the leader spoke loudly and passionately: "Let's release our inner pain! In this big family, we are all relatives! There's no need for one person to continue suffering alone! Let's support each other! Let's rely on each other!"
In the end, most of the people present hugged each other and cried in twos and threes!
I couldn't help but marvel inwardly, it's fucking amazing!
An absolute master of psychology!
First, use activities like singing and games to lower people's guard and create a more harmonious atmosphere, allowing everyone to get to know each other better. Then, use reminiscing about past hardships to evoke feelings of pain and vulnerability in everyone, ultimately making everyone feel like one big family!
Even Ni Duoduo, the little girl next to me, couldn't help but shed a few tears.
And then came the climax!
"Do you all think we're suffering?!"
"bitter!"
"Do we want to get rich? Do we want to succeed? Do we want to be superior to others?"
"think!!"
Okay! Then a few more scammers jumped out to give testimonials, explaining how they felt the warmth of a big family after embarking on the pyramid scheme, how successful they were, how many points they had earned, how soon they would reach a membership level and receive rewards, and so on...
These speeches immediately moved those who had been fooled by the previous series of events and were now on the verge of tears!
I know this is only the first day!