Before I could speak, one of the two burly men muttered, "They definitely didn't... These guys are probably here to raid our ship again..."
"Shut up, you idiot!" The brown-haired girl glared at the burly man who had spoken. "Jack! This isn't a ship! This is a legitimate company. If you can't learn to be polite to visiting guests, I'll have Wick kick you back onto the ship to wash the deck!"
The girl was young and short, but she had a strong presence. The two burly men seemed to be wary of her and immediately fell silent.
“I didn’t make an appointment.” I smiled at the girl. “However, if you tell Wick that Chen Yang is here to see him, he will definitely see me.”
“Chen Yang…” The brown-haired girl murmured my name, her eyes lighting up as she looked at me with some surprise. She opened her mouth, “Chen… Oh my god, you’re the guy he was talking about…” Then, as if realizing she might have said something inappropriate, she quickly straightened her face and said seriously, “Sir, I’m sorry, Mr. Wick said he won’t see any guests today… In particular, he instructed that if a Mr. Chen were to contact him, whether by phone or in person, he would not see or answer him.”
I laughed.
That Wick!
He really wants to avoid trouble! He's probably afraid I'll ask him to do things he's unwilling to do.
“Alright. In that case, I’ll go find him myself… Hmm, his office is in the back, right? By the way, miss, what’s your name? You’re Wick’s secretary, aren’t you?… Could you please bring me two cups of tea later? Remember, I want tea, not coffee. I think as a captain who once roamed the seas, he should have genuine Eastern tea here.” With that, I started walking inside. The girl gasped and tried to stop me, but how could she stop me? I didn’t touch her; I simply brushed past her nimbly, without even touching a hem of my clothes.
The two burly men behind him tried to stop him, but Xiluo pushed and shoved them aside.
I pushed open a red wooden door and walked in, laughing loudly.
It was a spacious office, well-lit, and furnished quite professionally, giving it the air of a legitimate businessman. At least one large desk held typical office supplies, all high-end items, and the executive chair was clearly a luxury piece. However, Wick wasn't sitting in the chair.
There was a miniature set of miniature golf balls on the floor of the room. Wick was holding a club in his hand, his legs splayed out, standing there gesturing back and forth at the ball on the ground.
As soon as I pushed the door open and came in, Wick, who had been wearing a smug smile and had a cigar dangling from his lips, looking every bit the successful businessman, immediately looked at me and his face fell. He even dropped the cigar.
"Good heavens! I must have forgotten to check the almanac today... Why are you here again! Every time I see you, there's trouble!" Wick exclaimed dramatically, throwing his golf club to the ground.
“Wick, they forced their way in, I…” The girl behind her cried out as she followed in, her face flushed.
Wick waved his hand at her: "Alright, there aren't many people in all of Vancouver who can stop Little Fifth Brother from going where he wants to go. You can go now, dear Ava. Could you please bring me two cups of tea?"
The girl left looking dejected, while I, with my hands behind my back, toured Wick's office, taking a rather interesting look at the row of ship models he had placed on the shelf behind his desk.
He was indeed a seasoned veteran of the seas; his office was filled with various ship models of all sizes, all exquisitely crafted. However, these were clearly Wick's prized possessions. Seeing me touching them, he looked distressed and swallowed hard, exclaiming, "Damn it, Chen Yang… take your hands off me! Do you know that this ship you're touching cost me three thousand dollars!"
Seeing that I had finally left his beloved model ship, he finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, tell me, what brings you here again?"
I smiled without saying a word, then found a chair and sat down. I sighed and gently rubbed my aching back and ribs.
Sigh, I've been getting injured a lot lately and haven't had time to rest properly. I need to take good care of myself once I have some free time in the future.
After the girl named Ava brought in two cups of tea and then left, I smiled and said, "Wick, you've found a good secretary. At least here, she's the only one who looks like a normal company employee... while the others..."
What happened to the others?
“The others are like pirates.” I smiled.
“Pirates… I’m not a pirate.” Wick sighed, walked back behind the table, sat down, and leaned back in his chair.
"This girl is nice, is she your woman?" I smiled.
“No, no, no, this is my cousin.” Wick sighed, “My uncle’s daughter…” He suddenly gave me a wary look, “You’re not allowed to make a move on her.”
I shook my head: "That's not what I meant."
"Alright, dear Chen Yang, the famous Little Fifth Brother, you've come to see me today. What brings you here?" Wick squinted. "Let me make it clear first, I've retired from the underworld. If you want me to do anything illegal for you again, I won't do it."
"Oh." I took a sip of tea. The tea leaves were quite good, but I wondered if this guy had gotten some good stuff from his smuggling days. I said slowly, "Indeed, I need your help with something, but don't worry, I'll give you a lot of benefits... This is something you'll definitely be interested in."
"Speak."
I looked at him: "Wick, how's it at sea lately?"
"What else can we do... The Coast Guard has been cracking down hard lately. If this continues, we'll all be starving! By the way, this is all thanks to you big circle crews and the Vietnamese! Let me tell you, right now, all the captains in this line of work near Vancouver hate you big circle crews and the Vietnamese the most!"
"Oh, I understand." I smiled. "It seems the police are cracking down on smuggling crimes quite severely lately..."
“It’s not just strict, it’s downright insane!” Wick said coldly. “In the last few days, at least three or four of my old friends have been caught in the coastal waters.”
"Hmm...this can't go on like this." I smiled and said, "I came here today because I have a big gift for you..."
"Please speak."
“Well, Wick, I’d like to ask you to come back from behind the scenes.” I smiled, and Wick, as expected, looked startled upon hearing this. But as soon as I said the next sentence, he almost fell off his chair!
Because I said, "Furthermore, I formally invite you to join the big circle! And from now on, all ships that dine in the waters near Vancouver will have to watch your face! In other words, I will make you the boss of the waters near Vancouver!"
Wick nearly fell off his chair, barely managing to support himself on the table with both hands. He stared at me in astonishment for a long time before finally managing to speak with difficulty: "Damn it... Chen Yang, are you out of your mind? The boss of the waters near Vancouver... Let me tell you, back then, that guy Martin had nearly a hundred armed men under his command! They even had heavy weapons! Even the Coast Guard patrol boats had to give way to him... That guy was obsessed with becoming the boss, but even he couldn't achieve this! You... I admit that Big Circle is very powerful, but that's on land! Not at sea!"
As his words flowed more smoothly, the mockery in his expression deepened: "Your Big Circle may be powerful, but how many people do you have? The Big Circle's outer territories, plus the formidable core members under Eighth Master, add up to just over two thousand. And the real, truly capable Big Circle members, the elite fighters, are maybe two hundred or so. With that many men, do you think you can subdue the entire smuggling industry in the Vancouver waters?" He continued to provoke me: "Do you have ships? Do you have sailors? Do you have experienced navigation experts? Don't think smuggling ships are easy to deal with… these guys at sea are all armed."
I waited quietly for him to finish speaking: "But they're not united. As far as I know, the largest smuggling ship only has about twenty people, and you, Wick, used to be considered a big player in this business..."
“That’s impossible!” Wick shook his head again. “You think you can sweep through them one by one? Let me tell you, the smugglers may not be as skilled or capable as your elite troops, but most of them are used to the sea. Where are you going to find them? They go out to sea on a single ship and don’t come ashore for ten days or half a month at a time! Even the Vietnamese, at most, threaten us to cooperate with them, but they’re not crazy enough to think about unifying the smuggling ships here… God. You’re not thinking of creating your own smuggling fleet, are you?”
“A smuggling fleet of its own…interesting!” I chuckled, genuinely intrigued. But then I stopped smiling, sat up straight, and looked at Wick: “Well, Wick, let’s start with the simplest question…so many people in this area make a living through smuggling…how do they earn their income?”
“Smuggling, of course!” Wick answered without hesitation. “Smuggled goods are brought ashore and then resold. Whether it’s Chinese, Vietnamese, Middle Easterners, Indians, or even local Vancouver white gangs, they all have some connection to the smuggling industry, more or less. The profits from smuggling are huge. Because of the different tariffs, and also because of some prohibited items, even weapons…”
"Oh..." I replied casually, "So, what if... one day, these smugglers find that nobody wants to buy the goods they've smuggled? Or, what if they want to smuggle things out of here, but nobody will sell them the goods...?"
“What you’re describing is impossible,” Wick immediately shook his head. “Vancouver is a developed port city with a thriving maritime transport industry, and there’s a lot of cargo here. Both demand and supply are huge… As for smuggled goods, many gangs in the city have a demand for them; it’s impossible that no one would buy them! And then there are firearms and ammunition…”
“Alright.” I sighed, looked into Wick’s eyes, and chuckled, “I almost forgot to tell you… if things go smoothly… then in a few days, the entire Vancouver underworld will be beholden to me! The Vietnamese are definitely finished… I’m sure you saw the news today… as for the other Iranians, Arabs, Indians, or other Chinese gangs… I can tell you with absolute certainty that after this police crackdown, all these guys will have to keep their tails between their legs! From now on, unless I, Chen Yang, give the word… no gang will dare to take on any seafood without my approval! Hmph, the Big Circle can’t go out to sea… but these smugglers will eventually have to come ashore! From now on, in the entire Vancouver waters, without my, Chen Yang’s, word, not a single blade of grass from their smuggled goods will sell! Do you believe me?”
“…” Wick looked at me in disbelief.
Seeing that he was already wavering, I added another strong piece of advice: "If this still doesn't demonstrate my power, then how about this: I can have the Coast Guard reduce its patrols by half for the next three days?"
“My God…” Wick finally broke down in tears: “Could it be that you and the police have already…”
I waved my hand at him: "Wick, you have to understand, the relationship between the police and the underworld will always be more about control than violence. The police can't eradicate us, they know that very well. And given the current terrible situation, they need to establish a new underground order in Vancouver! There must be an underground order to maintain the superficial peace of Vancouver... It's just a win-win situation. And I, from now on, will be the agent of this order. You could say that in Vancouver from now on, the government calls the shots during the day... but at night... I, Xiao Wu, call the shots!"
I squinted at Wick and slowly said, "There are nights at sea too, right?"
Wick was moved; his brows furrowed tightly, as if he were struggling internally.
Finally, Wick seemed to have made up his mind. He slammed his hand on the table with a loud thud, stood up, and exclaimed with a pained expression, "Damn it! From now on, you're my cash cow!!"
"Alright, then I have something I need you to do for me right away." I said with a smile, but a flash of murderous intent crossed my eyes.
"What?"
“It’s simple,” I said slowly. “I’m looking for a group of people, probably a group of unfamiliar faces, not from the Vancouver gangs… I think they’re still in Vancouver and don’t have a legal way to leave… I don’t want them to escape right under my nose… So, if anyone is planning to leave Vancouver by boat in large numbers recently… if you have any information about that, please keep an eye out for me! If anything happens, please let me know immediately!”
As we walked out of Wick's company, Ciro, who hadn't said a word until now, couldn't help but frown and ask me, "Xiao Wu, aren't you being a little too hasty? The situation is still unsettled, and we haven't even wiped out the Vietnamese yet. We don't have the energy to deal with these smugglers. Even if you have such ambitions in the future, you should wait until we stabilize the situation and have a solid foundation before doing these things."
“It’s different.” I looked at Ciro and explained seriously, “We’re only so powerful because of our cooperation with the police! We have Little Ruan in our hands! That’s the bargaining chip the police have to compromise with us! And Doug needs me to help him establish underground order. But these are special cooperation methods under special circumstances… Once Doug gets through this crisis and stabilizes this mess in Vancouver, an expert in dealing with organized crime like him will definitely not tolerate our dominance! At that time, he will either divide us or try to win us over, but he will definitely find a way to support another force to compete with us… Ciro, don’t think these foreigners don’t know how to maintain a balance; they’re very good at it! By then, the police…” "Our support isn't entirely on our side anymore... How can we possibly deal with these smugglers? We need to take advantage of our current resources and act swiftly! Doug is with the police now, he has no choice but to cooperate with us... Now is the perfect time to extort them; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Moreover, now is the best time to deal with these smugglers! We have the police cooperating with us... It's like having the police with us to raid their territory! It couldn't be safer! Even getting Doug to lower the Coast Guard's patrol level isn't impossible... In the future, when we no longer have police support, it will be much more difficult for us to deal with these smugglers on our own."
After a pause, I sighed and said, "And then there's the issue of money... We need money to develop in the future..."
As I got into the car, while Xiluo started the engine, I patiently explained my plan to him step by step:
“Ciro, people need to think long-term! Where our Big Circle will develop in the future… we can discuss that later. But no matter what you do, money is essential! How do we make money? Relying on territories, those traditional gangster, gambling, and drug-related activities won't amount to anything… Besides, our drug business was ruined by the Vietnamese… we're not even sure if the Hells Angels will cooperate with us again… so we need a stable source of income… smuggling is very profitable, I don't need to explain that… And what I'm worried about is… Ciro, let's talk privately… if I become the leader of the Big Circle in Canada, other regions might not accept it! If the organizations in Asia don't accept me… a large part of our brothers' income comes from selling goods continuously transported from Asia to North America! If the Big Circles in Asia don't recognize me as their leader… once they cut off contact with us, how will we support so many brothers?”
I chuckled and said, "I know it's impossible to really take over all the smugglers here... I just want to make as much money as possible! I'll take in as many as I can! Even if we can't control them all, controlling a third will be enough to make us rich! Right now, we have the Canadian police behind us! Who can be more powerful than us?!"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Forty-Eight: The Conditions for Buying a Life
Probably no one would have thought that with the war still unresolved and the situation still unsettled, I would abandon my "real business" and so hastily turn my attention to maritime smuggling.
But I had another reason: Wick had been in this business for years, knew everything about it, and was well-informed. I needed him to provide me with information… at the very least, I couldn't let Cobra leave Vancouver right under my nose!
"Where to?" Ciro asked me.
I frowned, gently rubbed the sore spot on the back of my shoulder, and gritted my teeth, saying, "Go...to see Stone and the others."
Throughout the journey, Xiluo focused on driving while keeping an eye on the front and rear of our vehicle to make sure no one was following us. Then we arrived at a pre-arranged location... an old factory where we had hidden a car to use as a transit point. Here, we switched to a pre-prepared pickup truck and resumed our journey, minimizing the possibility of being followed.
I was feeling a bit uneasy, constantly checking my watch and then my phone. Xiluo noticed all of this. He didn't ask at first, but after I'd checked my phone for the third time, he finally spoke: "Are you waiting for a call?"
"Hmm... I hope I'm right." I smiled wryly and looked out the window.
Yes, the news of Eighth Master's death has probably reached Asia by Stone by now... quite some time has passed.
Such an important matter must have been reported to Fatty Fang immediately... Moreover, here in Canada, with Eighth Master dead, I am now in charge. Everyone understands this outcome, right?
But several hours have passed... Given my personal relationship with Fatty Fang, he hasn't even called me once... Could something have happened? Or perhaps, some place in Asia doesn't want to acknowledge me as Eighth Master's successor?
Just as I checked my phone for the fourth time, it finally rang. But when I looked, it was an unfamiliar number…
Looking at this unfamiliar number, a thought struck me! A slight smile crept onto my lips...
"Hello!" I picked up the phone.
"Mr. Chen Yang?" A hoarse male voice came from the other end of the line: "I am Da Ruan!" It was Chinese, and he spoke it very fluently.
I wasn't surprised at all: "Oh, Mr. Ruan. You finally took the initiative to contact me. I wonder why you came to me? Is it for negotiations...? Hehe, but the hatred between us is probably beyond the scope of negotiation."
"We both understand this," Da Ruan said coldly. "No need to beat around the bush... My brother is in your hands!"
"Huh?" I feigned surprise. "Why would you think that?"
"No one but you could have done something like this." Da Ruan's voice was filled with deep resentment, hoarse and unpleasant: "But I admit, you played this move brilliantly this time!"
"You flatter me," I said casually. "So, what's the meaning of your call?"
"My brother... I want my brother's life back!" Da Ruan said slowly.
"Sigh..." I sighed deliberately and sneered, "This joke isn't funny at all! Da Ruan, we're now sworn enemies! Xiao Ruan is in my hands, do you think I'd ever let him go back to you?"
“…If…” Da Ruan’s voice was somber: “What if I ask for a high enough price!”
"High enough? How high can it be?" My tone was chilling: "Can you give me back the lives of my dead brothers?!"
"Hmph!" Da Ruan said arrogantly, "Chen Yang, you're a boss too! Since both sides are at war, casualties are inevitable. I've lost quite a few men, and my losses are much greater than yours! Hmph... that stronghold that the police raided not long ago, wasn't it you who tipped them off?"
I chuckled and remained silent.
"I'll give the drugs back to you," Da Ruan quickly stated his terms.
I sneered.
"I can take my men and leave Vancouver! All my territory is yours! As long as you, Little Fifth Brother, are in Vancouver, I, Big Ruan, will never set foot here again!"
I continued to sneer, but the laughter grew louder and louder, almost out loud. Then, with an infinitely mocking tone, I said, "Da Ruan, do you think I'm an idiot? Or are you the idiot yourself?"
"..."
The other party was speechless, but I didn't hesitate. I slowly said, "Hmph... Give me back my drugs. Ceding all your territory, and you Vietnamese have to leave Vancouver... In the past, that would have been a pretty high price! But under the current circumstances, your price is practically worthless!"
The other party was speechless. I said sternly, "Drugs or not... even if you keep them... humph, in this situation, you Vietnamese are like rats crossing the street! If you keep drugs, do you think the Hell's Angels would dare to cooperate with you? Now, whoever gets involved with you is doomed! As for you ceding your territory to me... and taking your people out of Vancouver forever... what a joke! A huge joke! You are now the police's number one enemy! The police have decided to completely eradicate you Vietnamese! Your territory doesn't need to be ceded; it's just there... do you think I won't reach out and take it myself! Humph! As for whether you leave Vancouver or not... do you dare not leave? If you don't leave, and stay here, the police will wipe you out!!"