"You...you really are an extraordinary pervert." I stared at the wooden figure in disbelief.
Indeed, this guy, although we used to hang out together in Nanjing, drinking, partying, picking up girls and fighting in bars together, and I know that Wood is actually a repressed pervert—don't let his gentle demeanor fool you, he's ruthless when it comes to fighting. But… thinking about how this guy spends his days doing checkups for the elderly at the community clinic, and when he has nothing to do, he sits in the examination room reading Japanese manga… how could someone like that say something as heinous as "I want to dissect you alive," and actually scalpel his body while cutting into a living person…
“It’s an act.” Wood shrugged. “I’m not a pervert. It’s just that when I was studying at medical school, I did get excellent grades in anatomy class. I remember in the first anatomy class, the teacher led us to dissect a corpse, and I was the only student among all the students who didn’t vomit, and I watched it from beginning to end.”
He ripped off the leather gloves from his hands and threw them on the ground, saying calmly, "That was just to scare that guy. I think most people, even the toughest man, even if they're not afraid of death, would still be afraid of being dissected alive."
He reeked of blood, yet Wood remained calm. He simply removed his outer garment and casually pulled one of my men over: "Where's some water? I need to wash up."
The subordinate looked at the wood with awe and hurriedly pointed in a direction.
Now, everyone looks at my friend with new respect. These brothers of mine are fearless when it comes to murder and arson, especially my loyal subordinates, each one a fierce and capable fighter. But today, they were all stunned by this piece of wood.
I sat for a while longer, and soon, Xiao Huang managed to pry the information out of the prisoners' mouths.
It's true that both hitmen are Chinese. However, they both come from a subordinate branch of the American Huaqing Gang... to put it simply, an extremist organization that takes on jobs specifically for people, including murder, kidnapping, extortion, and so on.
When I heard the name "Huaqing Gang," my heart sank. Because I knew the Huaqing Gang had blood ties to the Hongmen. My first thought was…could Ye Huan have sent someone to deal with me?
The Huaqing Gang is a large Chinese-American criminal organization, but it's relatively loosely organized. Most members use the name "Huaqing" but have numerous branches. Overall, it wields considerable power, but its various sub-organizations operate independently, each ruling its own territory. These two assassins belong to a similar assassin-like organization nominally under the Huaqing umbrella.
According to the prisoners' confessions, their organization's main business was actually kidnapping. They also took on murder cases, but there were very few lucrative jobs in the world, and they only managed to snag a few profitable ones each year. Kidnapping cases were their primary focus. This time, someone paid them a high price to deal with me.
These two are seasoned veterans. They've been in Vancouver for ten days now, and every day they've been secretly gathering information about me, my background, and many details about me, such as my age, identity, preferences, and personality.
The main thing is my daily routine. They know exactly where I go, what routes I take, and who I'm with every day... And what frustrates me is that they obtained a lot of this information almost effortlessly...
Because I am so famous now, many tabloid paparazzi follow me around. They can get a lot of information about me without even having to come and check it themselves; they can just flip through the newspapers.
According to their confessions, they originally planned two schemes. The first was to find a route I usually took and then ambush me. For example, they planned to use a sniper rifle to kill me near my company. However, this plan failed because I'm now practically a hands-off manager, rarely going to the company, and my whereabouts are too unpredictable.
After returning from Los Angeles, I had almost no fixed plan for where I went or what I did each day. Most of the time, I would just decide to do something on a whim and immediately head out. There was no plan or routine for my comings and goings, and they really couldn't figure out my daily routine. So, the plan to ambush and shoot them from the shadows fell through.
Then, after receiving news of my wedding, these people realized that the wedding party would be a complex affair with guests, staff, bands, and so on, so they decided to sneak in during that time.
Fortunately, the area where I lived was flat and there weren't any tall buildings around, so they couldn't station snipers. As a result, they planned to tamper with my wedding cake.
On the wedding day, although I had arranged for a considerable number of men to maintain security, it was, after all, a wedding, not some military restricted area, and no one expected anyone to come looking for trouble on this day, so people were inevitably a little less vigilant. My residence was also not a particularly secure place to protect; it was a large house with a yard surrounded by a low wall, occupying a considerable area. With only a few dozen men, they had to maintain order inside the venue and guard the entrance to prevent media personnel from sneaking in.
It's impossible to completely fence off the outside of the house.
These two guys were pretty skilled; they found a blind spot and scaled the wall to sneak in.
Besides tampering with the cake, they had another preparation: both of them changed into ordinary clothes and mingled with guests at the venue—the guests that day were quite numerous, including both gangsters and legitimate businessmen. Even I didn't know them all, let alone my men. Both of them carried weapons, especially a miniature pistol with a plastic casing. It could only fire two bullets. They had originally planned that if they encountered me at the venue before the wedding, they could simply take me out with a sniper shot.
As it turned out, I was lucky. After Mu Tou and A Ze arrived, I practically dragged those two buddies into the bride's dressing room and chatted non-stop, preventing them from getting a chance to kill me before the wedding. In the end, they had to resort to their last resort—trying to use a bomb hidden in the cake to take me down…
That bomb was timed! It was timed precisely so that it would explode just as I was cutting the cake.
To be honest, at the wedding, besides my gut feeling, the biggest clue that alerted me was: the person pushing the cake cart was Asian!! That was the biggest clue! Because I knew very well that the pastry chef Ciro had found for me was a high-ranking member of the British royal family. Even if that pastry chef was too arrogant to push the cake cart himself, it should have been his assistant. And both the pastry chef and his assistant were white!!
However… I noticed that Yan Di seemed a bit tired from being drunk, so I just said a few words casually, shortening my speaking time!
This was another surprise to them! They hadn't had time to put on makeup (they originally wanted to look white...it's actually quite simple, just add some facial hair or a little makeup to fool them. Maybe that would have been enough). Unfortunately, the timing was off, so they had no choice but to bite the bullet and push the cake cart out!
Finally, I saw through the deception on the spot.
The two assassins I captured were merely "professionals" paid to kill me; they had no personal grudge against me. As for who commissioned their organization to deal with me, I have no idea. They were just frontline operatives; the client couldn't be found out.
That's all the information I have; I can't get any more out of them. I thought for a moment and gave the order: "If it's useless, just put it in a sack and throw it into the sea."
Xiao Huang didn't say anything, turned around and prepared to go back to kill someone, but I called out to him, "Wait!"
I thought for a moment and said, "Let's not rush to kill it. Let's leave it for another day. Maybe we'll remember something else we want to ask."
Then I ran to the corner and pulled up the pale-faced buck-toothed Zhou: "Attorney Zhou, are you done throwing up? Come back and we can discuss things when you're done."
A group of brothers had already helped the buck-toothed Zhou back, whose legs were already weak, and offered him hot tea to rinse his mouth.
I told my brothers to step back, leaving only me, Xiluo, Baoya, and Mu Tou Aze in the warehouse.
"First, we need to figure out who paid to save my life." I rubbed my temples and glanced at Zhou, the buck-toothed lawyer: "Attorney Zhou, among all of us, you're the smartest. Can you help me think of something?"
Bucktooth Zhou sat down next to Wood. Wood had changed his clothes, but he still smelled of blood. Bucktooth Zhou was pale and gritted his teeth, saying, "You have a lot of enemies. It's not just one or two people who want you dead. How would I know?"
I gave a wry smile: "Yes, people who want me dead... Indeed, having risen to my current position, there are naturally quite a few who want me dead. I certainly have enemies too..."
Well, I've offended quite a few people. First and foremost are the Vietnamese. In Vancouver—no, I should say ever since the Vancouver riots I instigated—Vietnamese gangs throughout Canada have been treated like pariahs, relentlessly suppressed by various forces. Especially in Vancouver, Vietnamese gangs have been completely eradicated, leaving no trace. But I don't believe the Vietnamese paid to have me killed. First, with both Nguyen Siu and Nguyen Siu gone, without any victims, who would bother spending money to avenge two dead men? Gangs claim to be loyal, but that's mostly just empty rhetoric. Who would do something without benefit? If you were in their shoes, would you spend money and effort to offend a powerful boss for the sake of so-called loyalty?
Moreover, even if the Vietnamese wanted to do something to me, they wouldn't hire a Chinese person to do it.
So… that mercenary organization called Cobra? Cobra took a job from the Vietnamese to deal with me, but I wiped out all their men sent to North America. Logically, they should be furious with me. However, without their elite troops sent to North America, Cobra, already a second-rate mercenary group, has fallen to the lowest rung. They can barely protect themselves in the mercenary world. They have no time to bother me. Besides, the rule in this line of work is that you pay your employer to do something, and whether you succeed or fail, there's no reason to seek revenge. Mercenaries die every day. If revenge is the only reason for mission failures and deaths, then mercenaries worldwide wouldn't have time for anything else—they'd be too busy chasing after revenge every day!
So, it's no longer Cobra, and I basically won't have any further dealings with this organization.
The people I've offended the most recently are undoubtedly those terrorists! Mr. Ramouche's revolutionary comrades... well, these people probably hate me to death. But those people have their own terrorist businesses; they're all people who do big things. They have no reason to target me, right? For example, even though Uncle Bin Laden has been captured for so many years, we haven't seen Al-Qaeda kill the entire family of the American officer in charge.
Even if Ramuqi's accomplices wanted me dead, it should be a bunch of bearded Middle Eastern men coming after me. It has nothing to do with Chinese people.
So...the Gambino family?
I laughed… Give them the guts! The Gambino family is powerful, and indeed, I can't afford to offend them. But now, with the Rothschild family as my backer, do they dare touch me? I'm now the Rothschild family's money-making tool and partner! Even if Old Goch hates me, he wouldn't be so impulsive. As for hiring someone to kill me, the Gambino family isn't stupid enough to think the Rothschild family can't find out. Old Goch is a man of character. He's not that kind of fool who doesn't know when to back down. He won't drag his family into danger just to vent his anger.
The Clover Family? Does Mr. Yang want me to be his niece's husband? I didn't marry Yang Wei, and that angered him? Now he wants to get rid of me?
I immediately dismissed the idea with a laugh. How could someone as formidable as Mr. Yang do something so foolish? Aside from some favoritism towards his own son, he's undoubtedly a first-rate ruthless and cunning figure!
So... Thorin?
I frowned. Thorin would never be hostile towards me... but that Allen was another story!
It's fair to say that Alan's current fall from grace is largely my fault! If I hadn't swayed old Thorin's resolve to pass the throne to his own daughter in order to protect myself, Alan would still be the undisputed heir! As a result, because I interfered, old Thorin is now determined to eliminate Alan. Although only the two of us know about our collaboration, secrets don't stay hidden forever!
But thinking about it, that doesn't make sense. Allen is struggling to protect himself right now. Even if he were to do something, he'd be rushing to seize power, not come looking for trouble with me.
I sighed, finally forced to bring up that name I least wanted to mention again:
Ye Huan!
Ye Huan is Chinese. Ye Huan most wants me dead, because only with my death can he be safe! But... even if Ye Huan wants me dead, he will have someone he trusts do it, and he would never hire someone to kill me! Because the fewer people who know about my relationship with him, the better!
So... could it be the Hongmen in China?
The people in the Hongmen have finally discovered my identity! And now they're sending someone to get rid of me?
I'm very famous now, not just as the Fifth Master of Vancouver, Canada, nor just as a leader in the Vancouver area. My Hollywood experience has also made me incredibly popular! I'm frequently on the front page of the news! I've even been on the cover of Time magazine… This kind of fame has definitely spread back to China.
The problem is, I've been ignoring this issue.
Because apart from Ye Huan and the others, no one in the Hongmen knew that I was still alive!
This is a very, very crucial question.
I castrated the biological son of a leader in the Hongmen (Triads). Naturally, the people who hate me the most are that leader and his eunuch son. But even these two, do they know me? No!
At most, they know my name and my background information in China... Moreover, even the person who has met me in person, the guy I beat into a eunuch, only saw my face that night when he was high on drugs and in a euphoric state.
Later, when they launched their manhunt for me, it was all based on photographs.
But now more than two years have passed! More than two years have passed, and in their minds, I'm already a dead person!!
Those hundreds of Hongmen underlings who arrested me back then have naturally forgotten me long ago, perhaps even forgetting what I look like. It's easy to understand: if you saw a stranger's picture two years ago, and two years have passed, could you still clearly remember what that stranger looked like? Who would remember? Pshaw!
As for that kid I beat into a eunuch, and his father, they probably remember me the most. The problem is, they both think I'm dead! They won't bother to find out about me anymore. Even if they occasionally hear that the person in charge of the Big Circle in Canada is nicknamed "Fifth Master," do they know who "Fifth Master" is?
The problem is... I'm too famous lately!!
My photos frequently appear in newspapers, magazines, and the media!
I might get recognized even if I walk down the street now! So, the chances of photos of me, this "Chen" who's become a sensation in America, appearing in some domestic media outlets are definitely high!
Imagine, one day, that guy I beat into a eunuch, or his father, flips through a newspaper and sees my picture... Hmm, why does this person look so familiar? Then it dawns on him, wait a minute. Why does he look so much like the guy who crippled me back then? A little investigation...
That's quite possible.
However, there's one condition! If they find out I'm not dead, I definitely won't be the first one to suffer!
It's Ye Huan!!!
Ye Huan used my corpse to complete the mission! Now that they've discovered I'm not dead, Ye Huan will be the first to bear the brunt of their anger.
So, to determine if it's an enemy of the Hongmen seeking revenge, it's quite simple: just check how Ye Huan has been doing lately.
Xiluo knew my background; I had never hidden anything from him. But Bucktooth Zhou didn't. I thought about it and realized there was no point in hiding anything now, so I told him right then and there.
“Attorney Zhou, as you know, I came to Canada illegally and then joined the clique. I got into a lot of trouble in China and couldn’t stay there any longer, so I came here. Now I suspect that my enemies back in China may be coming after me.”
Buck-toothed Zhou looked at me, seemingly unconcerned: "Many people in the big circle are smuggled out after committing crimes in China. But are your enemies very powerful?"
I thought for a moment: "I don't know how to put it. It's pretty impressive, but not that special... Um, you know the Hongmen, right? When I was in mainland China, I beat the son of one of the Hongmen's leaders into a eunuch."
There wasn't much of a reaction; Zhou with buck teeth merely raised an eyebrow and said "Oh."
Indeed, if it were me in the past, the name "Hongmen" would have been something I could look up to with awe!
But now... just one word: Hmph!
I dare to go head-to-head with the most powerful Mafia family in America.
The Hung Society is powerful, but that depends on the location. In Chinese-speaking regions, the Hung Society has a long and rich history; all of Hong Kong's triads are branches of the Hung Society. Essentially, the Hung Society represents the modern history of organized crime in China! However, that's within mainland China!
In terms of absolute power, the Hongmen is probably inferior to the Mafia.
Moreover, I didn't offend the entire Hongmen, but only one of its leaders.
Organizations like the Hongmen are actually quite similar to the Mafia. While they appear large, they are actually quite loosely organized internally. The Mafia in the United States has over twenty families, each with its own factions, and the Gambino is just one of the larger ones. The Hongmen is similar in this respect.
If it were a small-time hoodlum like me back in the day, if one boss gave the order, the other bosses certainly wouldn't risk offending a fellow gangster over such a trivial matter. A kill order would be issued, and I'd be finished in the country. As a nobody, killing me would be a small matter; I could just find a hole to sell myself into, tamper with things a bit, and it wouldn't be a big deal.
But who am I now? I am the big boss of Vancouver, controlling the smuggling trade on the west coast of Canada. I am a veritable local tyrant.
If the opponent is a low-level thug, and one of the Hongmen leaders gives the order, all the other leaders will naturally give him face and help; after all, issuing a kill order is no big deal. But if the opponent is a powerful overseas underworld boss… well, that's a different story!
In this situation, would the other leaders within the Hongmen be willing to create such a formidable enemy as me? And for the sake of a leader's personal grudge?
These days, who would do something without profit?
If the entire Hongmen united to attack me, I would naturally be on high alert. But if it's just the leader of a small faction within the Hongmen trying to take me down... damn it! Who's afraid of who!
Now I have fame, money, and connections. Even if the Gambino family were to target me, they wouldn't dare kill me! At most, they'd try to sabotage my business! That day, Gao Qi merely humiliated me and then let me go!
Why?
Are you kidding me? Do you think my fame, my media profile, my social standing… came from nowhere? Anyone who dares to kill me is asking for trouble! You can kill some nobody, bury them, and nobody will know. But try killing a socialite! These are my protective shields.
So, the grudge that caused me to flee thousands of miles and survive a near-death experience back then, now, in Bucktooth Zhou's eyes, is nothing more than "Oh, I see."