Then, without any expression, I asked, "Where is it in the repair shop now?"
“It’s alright.” Xiluo hesitated for a moment: “The police investigated for a while and found that there wasn’t much in our repair shop. There were just some guns, but they weren’t licensed. They’re going to charge us with unlicensed possession of firearms… This kind of charge can be serious or minor. But at this juncture, if the police are deliberately trying to cause us trouble, it will take them a lot of effort.”
I hesitated for a second: "Here's what we'll do... Leave three brothers here to watch over Eighth Master. The rest of you, including you, come back to the repair shop with me immediately!"
"What?" Xiluo exclaimed in surprise, "Only three brothers left? But... Eighth Master... and the Vietnamese... they didn't succeed the first time, who can guarantee they won't..."
I grabbed his shoulders tightly, shook him, and said in a deep voice, "Xi Luo! Listen to me carefully!! Now that Master Ba is like this, neither of us are doctors, so staying here is useless! Tell the brothers here to investigate! Find out which hospital in Canada has the best medical standards, and we'll spend whatever it takes to treat Master Ba! But right now, I need you to come back to the repair shop with me! As for leaving three brothers here, that's enough!" My eyes flashed: "Although the Vietnamese are ruthless, they don't dare to be too arrogant. They've already done so much, and Master Ba is already being guarded by the police. If the Vietnamese still dare to come to the hospital now and fight the police to kill Master Ba, they'll have to be furious to stay in Canada! Having the police protecting Master Ba is safer than us protecting him ourselves, do you understand?"
Xiluo's gaze steadied, and he nodded.
After leaving the ward, I looked at the nine brothers waiting outside, left three of them behind, and instructed them to keep watch carefully. The rest of us went back to the repair shop with me.
After I finished explaining everything, I walked towards Officer Jeff without waiting for him to come to me.
“Brother Xiao Wu.” He smiled at me. He sighed, “I can’t believe it. Last time we met, I thought you were just an ordinary gangster. In just a few months, you’ve become the famous Brother Xiao Wu in Chinatown. Hey! You took down that Sha Hu guy. I don’t know whether to thank you or arrest you.”
I forced a smile and said casually, "Your joke isn't funny at all."
Jeff said solemnly, "Regardless, you killed Sha Hu, didn't you? I'm a police officer, and you killed someone; that's a fact." Then he smiled and said, "Of course, our police force has no plans to get involved in this matter for the time being. I know you have your own rules. Right now, everyone's just trying to make a living, and as long as the situation is stable, we'll turn a blind eye to many things."
I nodded: "This is better for everyone."
“But…” Jeff’s tone shifted, and he said in a deep voice, “It’s really putting me in a difficult position that your Fifth Brother came all the way back from Toronto at this time! To be honest, we’re all furious about what’s happened to your Big Circle. They even had weapons and were confronting the police. If we hadn’t stepped in to suppress the media and prevent it from being reported… otherwise, no matter how tough your Big Circle is, you wouldn’t have been able to get through this! After all, this is a world governed by law. There are police and laws; you can’t just do whatever you want.”
"You see, this whole thing wasn't started by us; someone's targeting us. From the beginning until now, we haven't laid a single hand on it; it's always been others dealing with us," I said coldly.
"And now?" Jeff's expression hardened as he pulled me aside. He whispered, "Now that your Eighth Master Fang has fallen, do you know what the first thing I did when I got the news today was? I sent four brothers to the airport immediately to wait there! I told them that once you come back, they shouldn't worry about anything else, they should immediately bring you to our place. They absolutely cannot let you go back to the city on your own! Chen Yang... Fifth Brother! Hehe! Now even an idiot knows that the Eighth Master of the Big Circle has fallen, and they're just waiting for you to come back! As soon as your Fifth Brother returns, there will be a bloodbath!"
He squinted at me, his hand already on his waist, intentionally or unintentionally revealing a pair of handcuffs. His tone was strange: "Tell me, should I take you back now? If we control you, the Big Circle won't break out!"
I laughed, a very peaceful laugh.
I don't even know how I can laugh at a time like this. But there seems to be some strange force driving me.
Or rather, I understand that in this situation, my anger, frustration, and trembling... are not as intimidating as a smile.
I smiled in a mysterious way, then spread my hands and said calmly, "Okay."
"What?" Jeff was taken aback.
"Weren't you going to take me back?" I glanced at him. "If you insist, you can take me back anytime. I can go with you now."
Now Jeff was undecided. His expression was complicated as he looked at me, speechless.
"What's wrong, officer?" I sneered.
"What...what are you planning?" Jeff sighed, rubbed his nose, and took his hand off his waist.
I glanced back at Ciro and the others, signaling them to wait patiently. I pulled Jeff along, slowly opened the door to the fire escape stairwell on one side of the corridor, and went inside.
This is the stairwell. I took out a pack of cigarettes and handed one to Jeff.
"Do you know this is a hospital?" Jeff stared at him.
"I know," I said calmly. "And my boss is lying inside right now!"
My assertive tone immediately softened Jeff's stance. He took my cigarette and said, "Okay, let's talk frankly. What exactly do you want? If you go too far, I definitely won't stand idly by!"
My attitude was firm. I looked him up and down. "Officer Jeff, I'm willing to talk to you for two main reasons. First, because you left a good impression on me last time. I think you're at least a smart man. Hmph, if it were that white cop who dealt with me last time, I would have kicked him out of here long ago. As for the second... you're Chinese!" I stared at him intently and said slowly, "We're all Chinese, all with black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin. We all speak the same language! We bleed the same blood! It's obvious now that the Vietnamese are causing trouble! Do you think we, the people of Daquan, would just obediently tie our hands and feet and let them beat us up when they come to bully us?"
“No!” Jeff answered quickly, shaking his head firmly. “I know very well what the Big Circle is like…” He then said mockingly, “To be honest, in our area, over the past ten years, more than half of the shootings in Vancouver have been related to the Big Circle! The Big Circle is nothing but a tiger!”
"No, not just one tiger, but a whole pack of tigers!" I added. "That's why... let me tell you, if you think that bringing me back today will suppress Big Circle, if you think that without my leadership, Big Circle won't fight... you're sorely mistaken! Let me tell you, when the police were blocking the entrance to the auto repair shop, if I hadn't been desperately holding them back, our men would have already started fighting with the police! Regardless of what happened afterward, just at that time... Hmph, Jeff, it's not that I look down on you police, but if a real fight broke out, Big Circle could sweep your police force two blocks away! If it came to that, the situation would be beyond repair!"
Jeff's eyes lit up, and he vaguely understood what I meant: "You mean..."
“The Big Circle is a pack of tigers, so it needs a leader, someone who can tame them!” I sighed. “Originally, Eighth Master was that person, but now he’s fallen, which is why I had to rush back. If I hadn’t come back, these tigers would have gone wild without anyone to control them, and the situation could have been even worse!”
I couldn't help but threaten him: "Officer Jeff, believe it or not... if you take me back to the police station today, those guys in the auto repair shop, with no one to control them, and in the heat of the moment, you'll find Vancouver turns into a battlefield by tomorrow! Forget about shootings, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned into a 9/11!" I said coldly, "Unless you have the ability to arrest all of our big circles right now! But I don't think you can do that!"
Jeff thought for a moment and said, "That won't work."
I chuckled. "Even if you have the guts, send the police to surround us immediately and arrest all my men... You should know very well what the Big Circle is... You arrest a hundred of us today, but within a month at most, we can bring in two hundred from Asia! You know what the situation will be like then! I know we're thieves, and you're a cop! When thieves and cops clash, we'll definitely lose in the end. But we're gangsters, we're not afraid to die! At worst, we'll all go down together! But before we go down, we can still make a big scene!! Officer Jeff, we can handle it! Can you handle it!!!"
A murderous glint flashed in my eyes. Jeff's hand, holding a cigarette, trembled slightly. He looked annoyed and pondered for a moment before saying, "Fine, tell me, what do you want?"
I looked him in the eyes: "That... depends on how much influence you have with the police!"
Jeff straightened his face: "This is no big problem. I'm in charge of the entire Chinatown in Vancouver right now! I can handle anything that isn't too serious!"
Fifteen minutes later, when Jeff and I returned from the fire escape, Jeff was expressionless, with a complex look in his eyes. I, on the other hand, was quite calm, waving to Ciro and the others, signaling them to leave.
"Little Five, Eighth Master..." Xi Luo whispered.
“No problem.” I said confidently, “Officer Jeff will immediately send two teams to protect Master Ba in two shifts.”
After leaving the hospital, I retrieved my car from the parking lot and drove straight back to the repair shop with my entourage.
As the car drove up to the main street where the repair shop was located, I saw the remaining plastic tape markings of the police cordon on the ground. The police had already dispersed, but there were very few pedestrians. When we drove to the entrance of the repair shop, we found that the gate was tightly closed.
After getting out of the car, Xiluo and I knocked on the door first. Xiluo pounded on the metal roller shutter, making a loud rattling sound. It was a long time before someone finally opened it. As soon as the door opened, he saw me standing there, and his face lit up with surprise. He took a step back and exclaimed, "Xiao Wu?!"
He then turned around and shouted loudly, "Xiao Wu is back! Xiao Wu is back!!"
I patted the guy on the shoulder; he looked to be a bit older than me. I said seriously, "Hey buddy, wait here for a bit. Keep an eye on the gate and watch out for any noise on the street. If you see any police coming, let me know immediately."
After saying that, I led Xiluo and his six brothers into the repair shop.
The repair shop, which used to be behind the metal door, was now completely empty, without a soul in sight. Wrenches and other tools were scattered all over the ground, and several cars were parked on the repair racks nearby.
After passing through the repair shop and entering, I could hear a commotion and noisy shouts coming from inside.
I frowned: "What's wrong? Ciro, you really should have left two people behind to keep an eye on things when you left the repair shop!"
Xiluo sighed and looked at me: "Xiao Wu, it's not that I don't want to keep people here, but it would be useless. Right now, unless it's you, no one else can control the situation. As for me, not many people actually listen to me."
I shook my head and said nothing.
The noise was coming from the underground gym. I led the group over, kicked open the door, and was immediately met with a roar, along with angry shouts and curses.
The huge gym was packed with almost everyone from the auto repair shop. They formed a circle, some cursing, some roaring, and others showing expressions of pity—a whole range of emotions.
What infuriated me the most was that I saw two people fighting each other in the middle of the crowd! The two were brothers from the repair shop. One of them was holding a wrench and had blood on his forehead, while the other was unarmed, wearing a vest, and had a murderous look on his face.
The two separated briefly and then quickly began to wrestle. The one with the wrench was then kicked in the wrist, the wrench fell to the ground, and he was startled and distracted, only to be kicked to the ground again.
Then four or five more people jumped up and started fighting each other. The scene became chaotic, and I looked around. Many people seemed eager to join in...
I was so angry my face turned pale. I shoved the person standing in front of me aside. The situation was chaotic and noisy. When I rushed in with Xiro, only a small group of people at the door saw me, while most of them were caught up in a frenzy...
I shoved the people in front of me aside and, without a word, leaped into the middle of the arena. I kicked one of the two men wrestling in front of me away, and the other, startled, was grabbed by the collar and punched in the face. My anger surged, and with a few swift movements, I knocked down three or four more.
At this moment, everyone finally saw the situation clearly and recognized me. The rest of the people awkwardly stopped, and some even froze, slowly taking a few steps back.
The people around me stopped arguing. Nearly a hundred eyes were all focused on me.
I clapped my hands and looked at the person lying on the ground. My eyes were cold. Some people were angry, but when they saw it was me, they were stunned for a moment, and then they showed a guilty expression.
The room was silent for a few seconds, then someone shouted, "Xiao Wu is back!"
After the first sound, people started shouting incessantly.
"Xiao Wu is back!"
"Great! Xiao Wu is back!!"
"Xiao Wu, let's lead us to fight the Vietnamese!"
"Yes! Xiao Wu, let's do it together!"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Blood Oath
I took a deep breath and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Quiet down!!"
Once the surrounding noise subsided, I pointed at the people lying on the ground, groaning and unable to get up, and roared, "What are you doing? Eighth Master isn't dead yet!! And you're already fighting amongst yourselves? What's going on? A martial arts contest? What kind of contest? Choosing a new leader?? You guys really enjoy fighting, don't you?!" I forcefully ripped off my coat, threw it on the ground, and shouted, "Come on! Come and fight me!!"
No one said a word.
"You!" I grabbed one of them from the ground and glared at him. "You really like fighting, don't you! Huh! You even have a wrench? Do you want to kill someone? Who do you want to kill! Your own brothers?!" I shoved him away forcefully. He stumbled into the group, and the people around him scattered.
I glared at him again: "What are you all looking at! This is your own brother! Why are you all hiding! Hurry up and help him up!! Are you all crazy! Are you all stupid!! Don't you even recognize your own brother?!"
Under my shouts and curses, those who had been knocked to the ground got up, and those who couldn't get up were helped up. Everyone tacitly retreated to the perimeter, waiting for me to speak.
I took a breath and gritted my teeth, saying, "What were you fighting about just now! Can anyone give me a reason for this!"
“Xiao Wu…” A man slowly stepped forward. He was about thirty years old, very tall and strong. “We’re being bullied right here at our doorstep, and Boss Huang is dead! We can’t take it anymore. We have to go out and fight the Vietnamese to the death!”
"Hmm, anything else?" I looked at him coldly.
"And... just now, a few of us discussed it and decided to take up arms and fight the Vietnamese, but some of them refused. Damn it, cowards! Are we supposed to just sit here and let them ride roughshod over us and kill our boss?!"
"Oh? Who won't?" I looked around.
“It’s me.” The man who had just been kicked down had a bruise on his face and looked at me defiantly. “I refuse. The matter isn’t cleared up yet, and the police are blocking the door. We don’t know how many eyes are watching us now. Going out now would be suicide! Besides, Eighth Master isn’t here, and Old Huang and the others are dead. We don’t even have a leader…”
"Damn it, you're a coward! If you're afraid of dying, go back to your hometown!"
With a shout of curses, the scene instantly descended into chaos again. I glanced around and noticed that the vast majority of people were quite agitated. However, there were also about twenty or thirty people surrounding the burly man.
I breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it seems that among these brothers, there are still some rational and calm ones.
I deliberately remained silent. These people continued shouting at each other for a while, then gradually quieted down. Once everyone was quiet, I spoke slowly and seriously, "Are you all done arguing? Now that you're done, can you listen to me for a moment?"
These people looked at each other for a while, and then someone said, "Xiao Wu, you are now the highest-ranking person by Eighth Master's side after we left. You give the order, and the brothers will all listen to you!"
"Do you really listen to what I'm saying?" I glanced at everyone.
"Listen! Damn it, Xiao Wu, you're the boss now! We're following you!"
"Damn it, who dares to challenge Xiao Wu? You think you can fight with your double-flowered red stick?!"
I glanced around, and most people were looking at me with eager eyes. Of course, there were also some people whose expressions were somewhat complicated.
After all, I'm still too young. Although I've made a name for myself and have good relationships with others, I still need to command people.
Being a leader isn't just about having a big name and good interpersonal relationships.
To put it simply, you may be popular, and people are happy to have drinks and chat with you on a regular basis. But that doesn't necessarily mean they'll respect your authority.
I know I don't have time to deal with all these details now. I'm already quite satisfied as long as I can keep most people in check.