If this cycle continues every day, with each day consisting of one or two such events, and these seemingly "family meetings" are constantly being used... it's actually a form of "psychological suggestion"! Repeating this day after day...
Over time, these newcomers will eventually be brainwashed! The theories of illegal pyramid schemes will become deeply ingrained in their minds! They will turn into pyramid scheme fanatics!
This kind of daily self-suggestion, over time, can have a brainwashing effect!
At that time, the fat sheep will become one of the scammers, and then use this trick to deceive the new fat sheep!
Book 1, Part 1: A Man in the Martial World, Helpless in His Own Way, Chapter 113: Madmen! They're all madmen!
When instilling pyramid scheme theories, the first and most crucial element is that you can start by recruiting your own friends and family! This is a classic case of exploiting acquaintances while keeping strangers at bay! It's about taking advantage of the trust of family and friends to swindle money!
Of course, after the brainwashing process, the leader will tell you that this isn't fraud, but rather helping them get rich together! "Today you may seem to be cheating them out of their money, but actually you're leading them down this path to wealth! They'll thank you in the future!!"
After listening to their nonsense for a while, I took a break to go to the restroom. I noticed that someone was following me; two male swindlers were on either side of me, clearly monitoring me. I wasn't worried. The restroom was just outside the house, only a few steps away. I wasn't afraid anything would happen to Ni Duoduo either. If anything happened, she could just call out, and I would hear her immediately.
The two scammers tried to strike up a conversation with me, but seeing my cold expression, they remained silent. As I took out my phone to make a call, one of the scammers immediately became wary: "What are you trying to do!"
I glanced at him and said, "Call home, I don't have much money left."
Hearing that it was a phone call to ask for money back, the scammers immediately relaxed. One even encouraged me: "You have to persevere! You must persevere! Your family may not understand you, but we will be your strong support! They may not understand you at first, but they will when you succeed..."
I impatiently walked to the side.
The phone rang three times before being answered.
"Chen Yang?"
"Hmm." I glanced at the two swindlers standing not far away and whispered, "It's me."
Where are you going? In Guangzhou?
"I..." Suddenly, a thought struck me!
A strange thought welled up inside me! What happened at the train station today left me very puzzled! Why did those people catch up to Kezhou so quickly?
"I might arrive tomorrow," I said, then changed my mind. I casually asked, "Is Guangzhou safe?"
The deep voice on the other end of the phone seemed to pause for a moment: "You have doubts?"
I didn't say anything.
“You have no choice but to trust me.” He said calmly, “Guangzhou is at least safer than other places. Call me when you get there.”
Before I could say anything, the phone was hung up.
I held the phone, unsure of what to feel.
From my own perspective, I don't want to, and am unwilling to, doubt Huan Ge's character, much less doubt Huan Ge himself! But what I saw at the train station today has left me feeling uneasy!
How could they have spread their net all the way to Guangzhou so quickly?!
The two scammers behind me, seeing me return with the phone, looked somewhat unfriendly. Thinking I had trouble getting money from my family, they came over and tried to comfort me gently, saying that everyone's like this the first time, and suggesting I argue, make a scene, or even threaten suicide, claiming that's what they had done in the past. To prevent me from misunderstanding, they added, "This is just a temporary measure; if we succeed, our family will understand!"
I couldn't be bothered with those two and went straight back into the house. Ni Duoduo was surrounded by two women trying to persuade her, and the little girl looked impatient, repeatedly yelling, "Alright, are you two annoying me?!"
"We're doing this for your own good..." A woman next to me had just said that when she saw me come back, she quickly stepped aside.
"What's wrong?" I frowned.
“They’re going to take my luggage and documents,” Ni Duoduo said angrily.
I stared at the woman and said, "I don't usually resort to violence against women, but you'd better not mess with me."
The afternoon passed. The old swindlers were busy persuading their new victims to send money or recruit others through relatives and friends. I, on the other hand, clearly became the troublemaker. The leader was somewhat displeased with me and tried several times to have a heart-to-heart talk with me, but I just watched her coldly. Two young men next to me wanted to get physical with me, but they backed down when they saw the red brick I had broken.
But I didn't deliberately cause trouble. I paid the money I was owed; I just considered it money spent to find a safe haven. I listened to their theories, but I kept quiet.
That evening, the leader and a few young men came to me, looking very friendly, and said they wanted to have a serious talk with me. They said they could tell I was upset and had some mental issues, and they wanted to guide me and do some counseling... These people are strange; they treat blatant nonsense as gospel!
They're different from ordinary scammers. Ordinary scammers know their scams are wrong, fake, and just a way to swindle money. But these guys are different. They've been brainwashed; to put it bluntly, they're completely insane, insane! They genuinely and fanatically believe they can get rich this way! And they seem genuinely and sincerely trying to persuade me to join their family!
Of course, if I insist on refusing, the next step will be house arrest and other violent means.
I understood their tactics perfectly well, but I remained silent. I listened to whatever they said without arguing back. However, when they asked me to hand over my phone and ID, I resolutely refused.
The leader was a bit angry, and kept saying things like "I'm doing this for your own good" a hundred times, but I was as stubborn as a rock and just wouldn't listen.
Actually, they didn't focus all their energy on me on the first day. After all, quite a few easy targets came today, and not everyone was a fool to be fooled. Some people were brainwashed and influenced by the atmosphere, and they were tempted, but after the initial enthusiasm wore off, some regretted it, hesitated, and even expressed their intention to leave.
Not everyone is a fool when they're out and about!
So these old swindlers busied themselves with persuading people to pay money to join the club and become members, "integrating into the big family."
After they finished talking and left, I left Ni Duoduo in the room and went out for a quick stroll. Immediately, someone followed me. It seems newcomers aren't allowed to wander around freely, especially an untamed troublemaker like me. I was followed everywhere I went; even when I tried to leave the courtyard, I was stopped.
The rule here is that you are not allowed to go out! You must ask permission from the head of your house before you can leave!
I was both amused and exasperated. It was military-style management! They were restricting personal freedom! And yet, some people were still crazy enough to believe they could get rich this way! Unbelievable! This kind of scam is truly astounding!
That evening, a few unfamiliar faces entered the room. They turned out to be two men who also lived in the same room. They looked like seasoned con artists, and they brought back some food.
It turns out that those who went out to buy supplies were all the real "insiders" of these scammers; everyone else was strictly forbidden from leaving! There were no newspapers, no television, and no going out. Every day was just classes, "spiritual purification," and the indoctrination of theories that would drive people crazy and turn them into fanatics...
I feel it's almost no different from being in prison! Indeed, those so-called heart-to-heart talks and family meetings may move you... but they are nothing more than a clever trick that exploits human psychology.
Every time you feel touched, you have to hand over some money! When you've spent all your money, they'll make you call home to ask for more! If you don't get it, make a scene! Argue! If you still can't get it, they'll lie to you! Once your family's money is gone, they'll make you recruit your relatives and friends! It's best to lure them over, since someone will pick them up at the train station! And once they're picked up... they're the new easy prey!
As for the old man... want to leave? No way!
You can't leave because you're being held captive here. The leader won't let you go, and there are other scammers preventing you from leaving. In reality, most people have been brainwashed and firmly believe that this will make them rich! They believe that as long as they relentlessly recruit others, they will definitely succeed one day!
Even if one or two people occasionally come to their senses and want to leave? They can't! They'll lock you up, restricting your freedom... Restricting personal freedom is illegal? What they're doing is illegal and criminal!
Moreover, for most of these brainwashed lunatics, if you want to leave, it means you want to report them and expose this place, which would be tantamount to destroying their path to wealth! These lunatics will then regard you as their mortal enemy!
These people are actually really pathetic! They're a bunch of fools dreaming of getting rich without working, a bunch of lunatics dreaming of getting rich and successful!
What surprised me most was how incredibly united these people were! They were extremely cohesive! They steadfastly clung to those old con artists, their bond was remarkably strong! It was almost a form of dependence!
But then I realized... these guys, in order to recruit more people, had practically swindled every friend and relative they could muster... They'd already lost all genuine friendship and family ties; they had no real friends or relatives left, and even if they did, no one would care about them anymore. It's like someone who's already drowned, clinging desperately to whatever's around them!
In just one day, I have seen far too much. What makes me both laugh and cry is that the men in my room treat me like a monster, simply because I am a troublemaker, disobeying the leader's guidance, refusing to purify my heart, and refusing to open my heart to my brothers and sisters.
So they... they actually banded together to ostracize me!
It can be said that this is a completely distorted, bizarre, ridiculous, and pathetic world!
I can even say I've never met anyone with such unwavering conviction... Aside from the heroic figures in those old patriotic movies I watched as a child... In real life, they're absolutely a bunch of lunatics! A bunch of lunatics filled with stubborn ideals! Pathetic lunatics!
Part One: In the Martial World, Not in Control of One's Own Fate, Chapter 114: Arrogant and Overbearing
In the middle of the night, I was sleeping when I was suddenly awakened by a noise. I'm a very alert sleeper, and at the slightest sound, I immediately sat up and saw three or four men open the door and come in. Their dark shadows filled the small space in the large room.
I frowned inwardly: Were they going to make a move on me so soon? Or was it because I had been disobedient today, and they were making an example of me?
But then the room lights were turned on. It was a light bulb with less than twenty watts. A man in front of me glanced at me and said, "Come out with us for a moment."
The others in the room were awakened, but someone immediately warned them not to move. The man in front of me seemed familiar; he looked like the driver who picked us up in the van, but the lighting was too dim at night, so I couldn't see him very clearly.
"I mean no harm, it's just that the company boss wants to see you." His tone was very friendly, and he showed no intention of making a move.
I glanced at him twice, then patted Ni Duoduo next to me and said something casually.
I wouldn't let Duoduo sleep in the same room with those female scammers tonight; I wouldn't feel comfortable with that! So I let her sleep next to me, fully clothed. The girl initially refused, saying she saw other men in the room and felt uncomfortable. I told her: Don't treat them like human beings.
I woke Ni Duoduo up and told her to take her clothes and bag and come out with me.
“She has to stay here.” The driver hesitated for a moment.
I looked at him coldly: "Wherever I go, she goes."
The guy turned around, discussed it with the person behind him, and nodded.
I led Duoduo out of the room and followed them through the makeshift houses to the small building in front, the same place we'd been during the day. We went up to the second floor, and they guided us into a room. As soon as we entered, we saw bright lights inside. Xiao Feng was sitting on a sofa, a smug smile on his face: "Oh, Brother Xiao Wu! Long time no see! I didn't expect to see you here!"
Her behavior finally restored the image of her in my mind that of a dissolute, promiscuous KTV hostess.
Then Xiaofeng stood up, and the person behind me closed the door. Xiaofeng swayed her hips and walked over gracefully, gently placing a hand on my shoulder: "Hey, Brother Xiaowu, what made you decide to run south to make your fortune? When I saw you down there today, I almost didn't recognize you!"
After saying that, she gave me a flirty wink.
I know she wasn't trying to flirt with me; it was just a professional habit...
Since I had been recognized, I casually found a sofa in the room, sat down, and pulled Ni Duoduo to my side.
"Little Fifth Brother, how affectionate you are!" Xiao Feng said in a deliberately loud tone, "You've traveled all this way to the South, and you've brought such a beautiful little sister with you! Do you treat her like a treasure all the time?"
I looked at Xiaofeng's face and said calmly, "I miscalculated. I didn't expect to end up in your backyard. So, tell me, why did you find me here in the middle of the night? What do you want?"
"Don't be in such a hurry, Little Fifth Brother!" Xiao Feng stared at me with wide eyes, casually pulled a cigarette from a pack of ESSE cigarettes on the table, then took out a delicate silver Givenchy lighter and lit it with a click. She deliberately took a drag, then blew the smoke through my nose, her eyes filled with smug mockery: "Little Fifth Brother! You're still so impulsive. So impatient! Hey! I was really surprised to see you sitting down there during the day... I was wondering why our Little Fifth Brother would grace my humble abode with his presence. Hmph..."
I frowned in disgust, waved the cigarette in front of me, and said nothing.
Xiao Feng laughed for a while, then stared straight at me: "Later I found out that you were on the run! Xiao Wu, do you know that you're now on the wanted list? Someone is specifically looking for you by name! If I hadn't seen this today and made a special call to inquire, I wouldn't have known that you had caused such a big mess!"
"What exactly do you want? Draw a line!" I looked at her frankly.
"Hmph! Still the same old face!" Xiao Feng pointed at me with her little finger and said coldly, "Do you think you're still Jin Bihuihuang's big brother? Do you think you're still the 'Little Fifth Brother' who could summon dozens of underlings to fight for you with a single shout? Weren't you so arrogant? Hmph! You drove me out of Nanjing and forced me to take away all my little sisters. And me? I, Sister Xiao Feng, didn't dare utter a single fart! I slunk away!! Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, Little Fifth!!"
When the moment came, I wasn't in a hurry anymore. I simply leaned back on the sofa and said, "Just tell me what you want. Are there dozens of your men waiting outside the door to bury me alive? I can tell. You're in the middle of nowhere, so you can dig a hole, bury someone, and nobody will know!"
"You're afraid of death too!" Xiao Feng sneered. "I thought you, Xiao Wu, were truly fearless!"
"Everyone's afraid of death." I shrugged. "Given your character, Sister Feng, you wouldn't have invited me here in the middle of the night just to spout this nonsense, would you?"
Xiao Feng chuckled, her fierce expression vanishing, replaced by a seductive look. She pointed at Ni Duoduo beside me: "This little girl, is she your sister? You traveled all the way south just to protect her? I say, Xiao Wu, you're really getting worse with age! Actually, meeting me was just bad luck... Hmph, I thought you'd run away after seeing me during the day. I didn't expect you to be so bold! My men were secretly watching you, and you just wandered around my territory like nothing happened."
"A life-or-death gamble." I chuckled lazily. "They're searching high and low outside. If I went out and wandered the streets now, I'd probably be stabbed to death in less than half a day. You're safe here!"
Then I simply crossed my legs and looked at Xiaofeng: "Alright, Sister Xiaofeng. We've all worked together, we know each other well, let's not play those games. Just tell me straight, what do you want to talk about when you call me up tonight? You know, don't try to fool me, I'm naturally bold and daring!"
Xiao Feng giggled, deliberately adopting a seductive and alluring air, and raised her wrist. She laughed, "Alright! I knew I couldn't hide it from you... Just tell me! I haven't had a moment's peace since I saw you during the day! I don't know who you've messed with, but everyone in the underworld is after you... What kind of culprit have you offended? To cause such a commotion!"
I pursed my lips and didn't say anything.
Xiao Feng deliberately sighed, then walked over to me and plopped down next to me, saying, "As your older sister, let me be frank with you! We've known each other for a long time! For the sake of our past relationship... I'll give you a hand, or rather, pull you up in a good way! How about it?"
"Give me a hand? How?" I laughed.
If Xiaofeng is willing to help me, then even a weasel can pay New Year's greetings to a chicken... not New Year's greetings, but sworn brotherhood.