"Oh, so you think that by keeping him here, there won't be any fighting outside?" Doug replied coldly.
Of course, I didn't hear their conversation; I only heard it later from Officer Jeff.
I took Xiluo back to the repair shop, and the first thing I did was to order a funeral for Eighth Master, set up a mourning hall, place a memorial tablet, and prepare for the funeral.
After the forensic examination was completed, Eighth Master's body was cremated with my consent very quickly.
It wasn't originally that simple, because the forensic examination process is very complex, and it also requires examining the scene, including the bullet hole in Eighth Master's forehead, the direction of the shot, the trajectory, the distance, and whether the bullet and the firearm match, and so on...
However, Doug seemed to know that no matter how thoroughly they investigated, the police couldn't intervene. Our big boss was killed by the Vietnamese; we'd definitely take revenge ourselves. Therefore, he didn't need to waste too much police resources on this, and even the forensic examination was hastily concluded at Doug's behest.
I didn't care about all that. After arranging things for my subordinates, even though the news of Eighth Master's death threw everyone in the repair shop into chaos, with emotions running high, some shouting for revenge, some heartbroken, and some burning with rage.
I simply gave a brief order, forbidding anyone from leaving the house. Then I hurriedly dragged Xiro into my office, had Hammer guard outside, and ordered no one to come within twenty steps of the office!
"Are you crazy! Shiro!!" I slammed the door shut the moment I entered, then grabbed Shiro by the collar with both hands, pulling him close. "Do you know what will happen if..."
“I know.” Xiluo was not surprised by my teasing and replied in a low voice, “I know what you’re trying to say.”
“No matter how Eighth Master treated me…” I took a deep breath and stared into Xiluo’s eyes: “He is still our boss! Killing our boss to take over is something we would never do!”
“No, no.” Xiluo shook his head, his eyes clear as he looked at me and slowly said, “Little Five, if you want to fight for the position, even if you asked me to help you kill Eighth Master, I wouldn’t do it… But this time, I have to do it! Because I have to save your life! I’m not stupid! During the days Eighth Master was in a coma, you have already gained a position! But now that Eighth Master has woken up, do you think he will allow you to live? Do you think that even if you back down, he will still let you stay by his side? Let me tell you, Little Five, Eighth Master will definitely kill you, it’s either you or him!”
He became increasingly impulsive as he spoke, suddenly breaking free from my grasp and pointing at the chair behind me: "Isn't that the seat? I killed him not to help you seize the position! But to save your life! Little Five, don't think I don't understand... With your intelligence, don't you know that Eighth Master will definitely deal with you after he wakes up? But there are some things that someone like you can't do! Since you can't do it, then I, as your brother, have to do it for you! Do you expect me to watch you die at Eighth Master's hands?"
"You bastard!!" I couldn't help but kick him, sending Xiluo sprawling onto the sofa. Then I pounced on him, grabbing his neck. Despite my rage, I tried to control my voice: "You little bastard! You killed Eighth Master for my sake, Fifth Master! You're my brother, willing to do anything for me, even something so outrageous, and I'd still punish you for it?! But...but..." My eyes suddenly reddened as I looked at Xiluo's face, gritting my teeth, "But you fucking committed suicide! What kind of nonsense is that! Even if you killed Eighth Master, the blame could be placed on the Vietnamese. Why did you shoot yourself?!"
Xiluo's body trembled, his eyes filled with excitement, then a hint of sadness appeared. He looked at me for a long time before slowly exhaling: "After all, I have been here for many years."
Many years!
I was stunned.
Yes, it seems I've overlooked Ciro's feelings.
Xiluo and I are indeed good friends; we became brothers after we met. However, Xiluo is not only my brother, Chen Yang's brother; he's also a young man who grew up in the big circle!
He's been working in the auto repair shop for so many years! All these years, Eighth Master has been his boss! Even though Eighth Master didn't do Xiluo much kindness in the past, after all these years, he couldn't have been completely without feelings for him!
Recalling the last look in Ciro's eyes before he shot himself, everything became clear to me instantly!
That's shame!
Xiluo, this hot-blooded and impulsive young man, killed Eighth Master entirely for my sake! It was for the sake of "brotherly loyalty"!
But no matter what, Eighth Master is our boss, and he is Xiluo's boss! When it comes to our boss, we must be loyal!
To uphold brotherhood, he had no choice but to be disloyal to his eldest brother! Faced with this dilemma of choosing between loyalty and righteousness, Xiluo chose to atone with his death!
Having figured this out, I was even more moved. I hadn't cried in a long time, but now my eyes welled up with tears. Looking at the calm-faced Xiluo, I thought about how this somewhat naive young man fought with me when I first came here, how we lived in the same house, how we basked in the afternoon sun, and how we carried that old record player to play music on the street...
At this moment, a thousand words were in his heart, yet he couldn't utter a single one. He finally took a deep breath and, with a slightly choked voice, patted Xiluo's shoulder forcefully: "Go back and rest... Listen to me, Xiluo, you are my brother, I won't allow you to die!"
Worried that he still harbored suicidal thoughts, I added, "The situation is so complicated now, I'm on the edge of a precipice. Today's battle cost us several more brothers, and I have fewer and fewer people I can trust... At a time like this, can you bear to just leave me here in this minefield and die?"
My last words had an effect; a flicker of life returned to Xiluo's eyes. He lowered his head, thought for a moment, then left without a word. I breathed a slight sigh of relief; it seemed Xiluo had been appeased for the time being.
Next up is the question of the Eighth Prince.
After all, he was the leader, and his death deserves an explanation. The funeral arrangements for the other brothers who died in battle today have also been made. The mourning hall was set up in the auto repair shop as usual.
Accompanied by others, I arrived at the mourning hall. Looking at the rows of memorial tablets, I counted nearly twenty brothers who had died in the repair shop since the start of the battle! The incense smoke curled, the candlelight flickered, the white banners hung, and the wreaths prepared in the past two days filled the mourning hall with a somber and sorrowful atmosphere! My heart grew heavier and heavier.
Yes, in this world, it's either you eat me or I eat you! Fighting each other, everyone's like a bloodthirsty fighting cock, determined to kill the other!
Even the Eighth Master, all of these memorial tablets above, weren't they all lively and vigorous men just a few days ago? Now they all lie in cold coffins, turned into memorial tablets.
After I finished paying my respects in the mourning hall, I came out and immediately found Little Pig and gave him two instructions.
First, we need to bring in that buck-toothed lawyer, Zhou. He was originally the Big Circle Gang's go-to lawyer, so in essence, he's one of our own. Eighth Master is dead. Although my rise to power is unstoppable, Eighth Master controlled a lot, and we can't let things spiral out of control with his death!
To put it simply... Eighth Master is the boss! He controls most of the funds in the gang! Although I've been the acting boss for a few days, I don't have much money! Maintaining the food, drink, and shelter of so many men, as well as firearms, ammunition, and death benefits... all of these things require a huge amount of money!
As for the second thing, it was even more important... I pulled the little pig over, made him lean close, and carefully instructed him.
This kid is very meticulous and capable, which saves me a lot of trouble.
Afterwards, I returned to my office and contacted Stone, who was guarding the lighthouse island, using a secure satellite phone.
Stone brought Xiao Ruan, whom he had captured, back to the island early this morning. After a whole day of interrogation, they were able to extract a lot of valuable information from this high-ranking member of the Vietnamese gang!
Sure enough, Stone had a great haul. Little Nguyen had completely broken down and resigned himself to his fate. In his despair, he offered little resistance and revealed several hiding places for the Vietnamese gang! But what I was most concerned about was the Cobra's forces, which Little Nguyen was completely unaware of.
Only the head of the Vietnamese gang, Mr. Nguyen, knew about the Cobra. Although Nguyen Siu was the third-ranking figure, he didn't get involved in the matter.
Afterwards, I told Stone about Eighth Master's death. Stone was noticeably silent on the other end of the phone for a while, and then after a long time, he slowly said only four words: "I know."
At that moment, the atmosphere seemed a little awkward, and then I suddenly thought of a problem that might cause me some headaches!
While the Vancouver metropolitan area in Canada has long been self-contained—in fact, metropolitan areas around the world are largely independent—we are still, after all, part of the same family as Asia! At least within the larger system, we are all from the same lineage!
Although Eighth Master is dead, I am now the head of the household in Canada... However, whether my status can be recognized by the Big Circle Group in other regions is still a big question mark.
Organizations like the Big Circle, whose senior members were mostly veterans, naturally value "seniority"! As for me, Xiao Wu, although I've built up a great reputation this year, it's still limited to Vancouver, Canada, unlike Eighth Master, who has a vast network of connections and various relationships and contacts with Big Circle groups in other regions!
Whether people from other regions are convinced or not, whether they acknowledge my leadership in the Canadian community, is still a big question mark!
What if they don't acknowledge it? Even... in the worst-case scenario, if an organization from another region thinks I'm too inexperienced, having only been here for a little over a year, and refuses to let me take a position, what if they send an old guy, parachuted into Canada, to take over... what should I do?
These are all issues that must be considered.
Of course, it's unlikely they'd directly send someone to take over this territory. However, it's quite possible they wouldn't acknowledge me, Xiao Wu!
If the Big Circle Group doesn't gain recognition in other regions... what will be the consequences?
The consequences will be severe!
What's most impressive about the Big Circle is its swift and aggressive style, its fearless and daring approach! Its development model is sharp and ruthless, like a knife! While it may create many enemies, it's undeniable that this model is incredibly effective!
The core of this model is "airborne troops"!
If a problem arises in one region, a large number of elite paratroopers can be immediately mobilized from other regions! This kind of approach and this kind of strength is enough to challenge any criminal organization in the world!
However, if we in Canada are not recognized by the major regions... then it's tantamount to us being isolated!
From now on, we will no longer receive support from "paratroopers" from other regions!
The Big Circle lacks a solid foundation; its greatest weapon is its airborne troops! But once it loses the support of this airborne troop model…
We would be reduced to a second-rate gang!
Becoming the boss isn't as easy as it seems...
I sighed, and finally Stone's voice came through the phone again.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying, "I...I will report this back...Xiao Wu, I think you're good, but I suggest you...make more contact with the brothers in other places as soon as possible!"
He's helping me.
I smiled and said, "Thank you."
I've already come up with a move, but I don't know how effective it will be.
"hammer!"
After hanging up the phone, I quickly considered my options and immediately called Hammer in. Hammer's tall frame pushed open the door, and I immediately ordered, "Go down and gather half of the men at home! Everyone take their weapons, and you and a few of the rest of us will lead the team! Drive out..."
"Where to?" Hammer asked in a muffled voice.
"Go to the Vietnamese gang's territory!" My eyes flashed. "Go fight! Go smash!! Go rob!! Aren't all the Vietnamese hiding? Aren't their places all closed, or all empty? Don't care! Smash them even if they're empty! I'm only giving you three rules: First, no killing! Second, no arson! Third, absolutely no conflict with the police!! If the police try to stop you, you'd better leave immediately!! Do you hear me?!"
Hammer immediately stood up straight, a hint of excitement on his face. Seeking revenge was, of course, no problem.
However, I was still not at ease, so I gave a few more detailed instructions, especially the three rules I mentioned, which no one was allowed to violate!
"I'm leaving this to you guys. If you mess it up, come back and face the consequences!"
Hammer rushed out excitedly, and a moment later, he heard a call to assemble from below. The crowd was immediately stirred, and a large number of people gathered in no time.
I stood in the office looking down at my brothers and sighed: Everyone is full of resentment now, we need to give them an outlet.
More importantly: now, no matter what, everyone knows that "the Vietnamese killed the Eighth Master of the Big Circle"! Under such circumstances, wouldn't it be too suspicious if we didn't make a fuss? If we do nothing now, it would be too abnormal! Since that's the case, let's let the brothers go out and cause some trouble.
Besides, the Vietnamese territory is practically empty right now, hardly anyone's around. So, smashing those empty spaces isn't a big deal. As for the police… after my long talk with Doug, they shouldn't give me too much trouble.
Hammer led his men out, while I left the office and ran to the back room to meet Xiluo.
Xiluo sat in the room, lying on the bed with a gun beside him, his face indifferent.
After I went inside, I casually picked up a shoe from the ground and threw it at him.
"Get up and come with me, we have errands to run!"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Forty-Seven: Even the Sea Has Night
How's the injury on your back?
"It's alright." I stretched a little. "I can still hold on."
I was shot in the back, but an emergency doctor treated me before I went to the police station. I don't really care about these kinds of superficial wounds. I'm covered in injuries now, but where am I going to find the time to rest?
I saw Xiluo gripping the gun tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white. I knew this kid had a deep-seated problem. Without saying a word, I pulled him outside.
"Drive, let's go out."
As it was just the two of us going out, Xiluo hesitated, "Should we bring more people? It's not safe outside right now."
I sneered: "When have I ever truly been safe?"
Xiluo remained silent, simply accompanying me to the back to retrieve the car. We then drove out of the repair shop. I instructed Xiluo to drive around the area a few times to make sure no one was following us and that no police were watching us, before I told Xiluo my destination.
Wick Fisheries Company.
A very simple sign hung inside this small building. It was a simple wooden sign, but it was painted beautifully. The company was clearly small, with few employees. When Xiluo and I walked in confidently, two or three men immediately stood up in the roughly twenty-square-meter office, looking at me warily.
I smiled. Although Wick had "turned over a new leaf," he was still a smuggler. None of the men in the office looked like decent people, and some even had their sleeves rolled up, revealing sailor tattoos on their arms.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, is there anything I can help you with?"
“I’ve come to see Mr. Wick,” I said with a smile.
The two burly men exchanged glances, one of them muttering, "Looking for Wick again..." The other simply gave me a malicious look.
"You two, who told you to talk nonsense!" A clear but angry voice came from the side. I saw a brown-haired girl and a Caucasian girl emerge from behind a door. They were about twenty years old, with slightly curly brown hair and fair skin. Their faces were quite pretty, though adorned with a few fine freckles. Although the girl wasn't tall, she shouted angrily at the two burly men before approaching me: "Sir, are you looking for Mr. Wick? Do you have an appointment?"