Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Eighty-Two: The Ghost Within the Great Circle
These bastards actually insisted on following the domestic film production process and brazenly decided to send the script to the State Film Administration for review!
However, I highly suspect that this year, those evil guys at the National Film Administration will probably have a few heart attacks because of this.
"Xiao Wu...don't you think this is a good thing?" As we walked out of the rehearsal room, Mu Tou suddenly patted my shoulder.
"Hoo..." I took a deep breath, then looked at him with unprecedented seriousness: "I swear to my conscience, to God, to all the deceased leaders and great men... from ancient times to the present, and for the next five hundred years! There could never be a more lewd and perverse script!!!"
“No, I’m not talking about the script.” Wood smiled. “I’m talking about the new Four Great Jackals… Ah Mei, you little money-grubber.”
"Um?"
Wood sighed, then deliberately walked at the back with me. Looking at the two girls and one boy laughing and joking ahead, Wood's eyes were serious as he whispered, "Perhaps, this is the best ending. Amei... she's now our good friend. Hopefully, this will help her give up those unrealistic ideas. Using friendship to replace the feeling of love—it's a very old-fashioned method. But it's also very effective, isn't it?"
I finally understood. I glanced at the wooden figure and sighed, "Thank you."
Before Mu Tou could speak, I couldn't help but add, "But your script is still terrible, and I won't change that opinion."
Wood smiled slightly: "I've been feeling down for a long time now, so it's good to play a little prank."
I breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that Wood's script was just a joke. But Wood's next sentence made me tense again.
"Hmph! If the Film Bureau won't approve it, we'll just spend money to turn it into a stage play. Then we'll tour the whole country!"
"...You damn crap!"
During lunch, I sent Mu Tou's script to Ning Yan and others at the entertainment company. Sure enough, they all laughed at it. In fact, if we hadn't been prepared, one of the script reviewers in the company might have become the first editor in history to die laughing at a script.
Of course, the four wolves were brimming with confidence, firmly believing that these mortals would never understand the ideas of geniuses.
I hung around the company for a while, and then in the afternoon...
Cheng Xiao, one of Ouyang's subordinates, seems to be quite efficient. He actually sent someone to deliver some information to me this afternoon! It was about that young man, Luo Lie.
Luo Lie, male, 23 years old. Orphaned, with no siblings.
Nicknamed Liehuo, A Lie, etc. A native of Nanjing, he used to hang out in the southern part of the city. He was once detained for fifteen days for assaulting someone while helping a friend. Two and a half years ago, he was recruited and promoted by Ye Huan, and within two years, he became one of Ye Huan's confidants. He is skilled in combat, efficient in his work, and is responsible for Ye Huan's peripheral businesses. He also assists Cang Yu in dealing with the hidden industries operating in Shanghai.
Ye Huan values him highly, and according to some sources, Luo Lie is very close to Ye Huan's daughter...
I sighed, put the document away, thought for a moment, then took it out and looked at it again. At the back were several photos of Luo Lie.
The photo was clearly from several years ago. It was quite different from the Luo Lie I saw in the bar last night. The photo showed a young man who looked somewhat immature, with clean features, but his eyes revealed a hint of determination, clearly indicating a strong-willed person.
And... what I find strange is that he really looks like me.
It's not about appearance, but the look in their eyes, the aura emanating from their brows—it's very similar.
Judging from his background, he was originally a grassroots person who had worked at the bottom of society. He was also noticed, recruited, and promoted by Ye Huan, and quickly became Ye Huan's confidant and trusted person...
Even the trajectory of his rise to power is so similar to mine back then...
Haha, even his catchphrase, "If someone is mine, I'll protect them!", the tone he used when saying it was just like mine back then...
All of this...all of this...
It's like I'm a stand-in who took my place next to Ye Huan! Isn't that right?
As I was looking through this document, the phone rang. After answering, Cheng Xiao's voice came through: "Mr. Chen, are you satisfied with the delivered items?"
"Very satisfied, thank you," I said seriously.
"That's good..." Cheng Xiao seemed to think for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's not appropriate for me to say this... but this Luo Lie is the fastest rising young man in Ye Huan's group in recent years. When Ye Huan rebelled this time, there were a few guys in the Nanjing branch who originally refused to join Ye Huan in rebelling, but it was this kid Luo Lie who took care of them. Although he is young, he is very capable in doing things, and he is extremely loyal to Ye Huan... Hmph, Ye Huan has raised a very good little wolfhound."
"Wolfhound?" I found the term a bit strange.
“Yes, wolfhounds,” Cheng Xiao said calmly. “That’s what we Qinghong people call them. Ye Huan’s biggest wolfhound used to be Jinhe. But Jinhe is getting old, and his strength and skills are past their peak. As Ye Huan’s number one henchman and assassin, Jinhe’s only specialty is fighting. But as he gets older, Jinhe’s abilities will definitely decline. And I think Luo Lie, whom Ye Huan recruited, is specifically there to take over Jinhe’s job.”
At this point, Cheng Xiao suddenly asked me, "Huh? Mr. Chen, you also worked under Ye Huan back then. If I may be so bold as to say that I've seen your file. According to the file, Ye Huan also mentored you back then. Moreover, it's quite clear from the file that he was grooming you to be Jinhe's successor. It's just that after you left, Ye Huan found a new wolfhound to replace you."
"..."
I was in a daze, and I even forgot how I hung up the phone.
Suddenly I feel like laughing...hehe...hehe...
"You are the person I trust the most... I will entrust everything to you in the future..." More than three years ago, Ye Huan said this to me. He spoke with such kindness, such authority, and such trustworthiness.
"He's grooming you to be Jinhe's successor... Wolfhound, that's what we Qinghong people call him." Cheng Xiao's voice on the phone still seemed to echo in my ears, so grating.
I gave a wry smile, touching my cheeks and chin... Hmm, maybe. Ye Huan was lying to me from the beginning. He never intended to groom me as his successor; he was just training me like a wolfhound.
I couldn't help but smile to myself again. Why do I feel so unhappy every time I think of Ye Huan?
That's really... stupid!
I simply put the document in the drawer and locked it. I stood up, ready to go out for some fresh air.
Just then, my phone rang in my pocket! Looking at the number, I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fatty! You finally contacted me! I thought you got lost on your way to Shanghai! Humph!"
When I jokingly said this, I didn't hear the hearty laughter and boisterous voice of Fatty Fang on the other end of the phone, unlike before.
"Chen...Chen Yang...cough cough cough cough..." Fatty Fang coughed weakly. His voice was so hoarse it sounded like someone on their deathbed!
My heart skipped a beat: "Fatty! What's wrong with you!"
"I...cough cough cough..." The fat man coughed violently on the phone, then he gasped for breath for a while, and there was some static on the other end of the phone before his voice finally became clearer.
"Chen Yang...you're all alone right now, aren't you?" The fat man's voice was cold.
"No..." I realized something might be wrong!
“Listen carefully…” Fatty Fang’s voice was hoarse: “I was betrayed… I went to Shandong to take care of some business, and then two days ago… I came south from the north to Shanghai… but… on the way, I was ambushed. Cough… cough cough…”
"An ambush?!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Who did this?!"
“I don’t know…” Fatty Fang chuckled twice, but his laughter was cold: “Two of my old brothers who have followed me for many years are dead… Now only the Vietnamese kid is with me.”
"you……"
"Don't interrupt me, let me finish." Fatty Fang's tone was very serious: "I'm currently hiding in Kunshan, the address is... did you write it down? No one outside knows my itinerary, and our route was decided on the spot... but the guy dealing with me seems to know a lot about our group's numbers and route. So, I suspect... there's a mole!"
"A mole?" My eyelids twitched.
“Yes! A mole!” The fat man’s breathing became increasingly rapid. “There’s a mole in the Big Circle! Otherwise, the people who ambushed me wouldn’t have known so much about my situation. I suspect that someone within the Big Circle is colluding with outsiders… but I don’t know who it is. So… after I was injured, I’m hiding here in Kunshan now, afraid to contact my family or my contact in Shanghai… I can’t trust anyone now! I can only trust you! I believe you wouldn’t harm me!”
"Alright!" I interrupted him. "Are you badly injured? Damn! Fatty, you're not going to die, are you?!" I was extremely anxious.
"Haha...haha...cough cough cough..." Fatty Fang laughed twice, then coughed violently again: "Don't worry, kid, I'm tough as nails! I won't die this time, I just got shot twice and lost a leg, I'm afraid I won't be able to move for a few months."
His tone still seemed quite forthright. But I was becoming increasingly alarmed!
I know Fatty's skills and strength very well! If even he was injured so badly, then this matter is no small thing!
"Fatty! Stay where you are and don't move or wander off... I'm coming to get you right away!" I took a deep breath: "Keep your phone on, I'll be there in two hours at most!"
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter Eighty-Three: Trapped!
The Kunshan that Fatty Fang mentioned is a small city located in the northern part of Shanghai, about an hour's drive from Shanghai.
When Fatty Fang suddenly encountered this situation, I naturally didn't dare to be negligent. I quickly ordered all my brothers in Shanghai to come over, and then I took Tu and a bunch of my men. I only left Hammer with two other men to guard the house, since we still needed some manpower at home.
Our group of ten people drove two cars and immediately headed to the small town of Kunshan.
Fang Pangzi's phone call shocked me greatly! There was a mole within the Big Circle? Why would the mole want to kill Fang Pangzi? At this time and under these circumstances, Fang Pangzi came to Shanghai to clean up the mess after Shen Shan's death, and might even take over the Big Circle's business in Shanghai... Who would benefit from killing Fang Pangzi at this time?
I can't figure these things out by myself; I can only hope to get the answers after I meet the fat man.
After more than an hour's drive, the car arrived in Kunshan. I then found the address the fat man had given me over the phone. It was a place called Gaojian Town, which is under the jurisdiction of Kunshan City. Following the address the fat man gave me, we found the only factory in the town. It was a public agricultural equipment factory, and it was clear that the factory was on the verge of closing down. Even in broad daylight, there were hardly any people around.
Behind the factory was a small river, and along its banks was a path. The car slowed down along this path, and soon I found the place the fat man had described.
This is a typical rural house in southern China, a two-story building with cement tiles and a red roof. It's easy to spot.
When the car pulled up in front of the building, I didn't get out and knock on the door. Instead, I had the driver honk the horn a few times, three long and two short blasts.
Soon, a small window upstairs opened, and a broom came out from inside.
I breathed a sigh of relief; this was the code the fat guy had taught me. It seemed he was still safe.
The small iron gate of the farmhouse in front of us opened, and a dark-skinned, thin man stepped out, giving us a wary look. I could tell he walked with difficulty, clearly injured. I recognized him immediately! This dark-skinned, thin man was the Vietnamese man!
It was that Vietnamese henchman who was with Fatty when I was smuggling myself into the country! I remember before I boarded the smuggling boat, he handed me a bottle of glucose water, which later saved my life!
I immediately pushed open the car door, got out, and strode over. The Vietnamese man saw me and breathed a sigh of relief. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
The building wasn't big, so I had someone keep watch downstairs. Then I followed the Vietnamese upstairs, and in a small room, I finally saw the fat man.
The dimly lit room was filled with the pungent smell of medicine and blood! The fat man lay on the bed, his once imposing body now weak and limp, lying on his back. Where was the former swagger of the Fatty Fang? Only his protruding belly remained. Before him lay only a severely injured and weakened fat man.
"You're here..." The fat man opened his eyes. He forced a smile: "I didn't misjudge you. Now, the only person I can trust is you."
Seeing the fat man's exhausted face, I suddenly felt a pang of pain in my heart!
He had aged, really aged a lot. Perhaps due to his injury, his face was much thinner, and his cheeks were sallow. His stubble was unshaven, clearly unkempt for a long time. I noticed that one of his legs was wrapped in bandages and splinted.
However, to my surprise, his most serious injury was not his leg!
Seeing the blood-soaked fabric on his shirt, my heart tightened, and I pressed one hand against him, saying, "Don't move."
I gently lifted his shirt... and my eye muscles twitched violently!
The fat guy is injured! And he's seriously injured!
He had been shot in the chest... and it was clearly not an ordinary gun! Looking at the bloody, mangled wound on his chest, almost the size of a palm, although it had been somewhat treated with gauze and medication, but...
"How did this happen? With a shotgun?" I frowned. Such a large wound was clearly not caused by a small-caliber handgun.
"I won't die." The fat man smiled, then frowned, gritted his teeth, and glanced at the Vietnamese man beside him: "You... go out for a bit."
I knew the fat man had something to say to me, so I quickly moved closer.
"Xiao Wu, help me sit up a little." The fat man gritted his teeth. Although his face had changed color from the pain, he didn't utter a sound.
I helped him straighten up a little, then stared at him and said, "Tell me what happened."
"I don't know yet." The fat man smiled wryly. "To be honest, I'm completely clueless."
As he spoke, he began to pant, having moved a few times, and then coughed repeatedly.
After a long while, he glanced at my concerned expression and smiled, "Gangzi, I'm fine... It's just a piece of shrapnel that injured my lung, and I've been coughing a lot these past few days."