…………
The camera is shaky.
After adjusting the lighting, the image became clearer, and the focus was adjusted to achieve the best effect.
The background is a wall, with no distinguishable features. Xiao Ruan appears in the frame.
The camera zoomed in, closer and closer... First, it gave a close-up of his face, but it wasn't long, only about two seconds. Although he had been slapped in the face by a stone, it wasn't obvious because of the angle and the lighting.
The camera zoomed out a bit, giving Xiao Ruan a panoramic view.
In the footage, Xiao Ruan was dressed in Vietnamese clothing. I even had my men tidy up his attire and comb his hair. Although his face was still pale, his eyes were numb and showed little emotion, which masked his true feelings and made him appear rather cold.
Xiao Ruan sat in front of the camera with a newspaper next to him. The camera zoomed in and gave a close-up of the newspaper, mainly focusing on the date, before turning back to Xiao Ruan.
In the video, Xiao Ruan is expressionless. She looks at the camera with a blank stare, her tone is flat, and she seems to have no emotional fluctuations whatsoever.
Then, he slowly uttered the following words:
"Vancouver is rife with hatred! We Vietnamese have always been bullied by the mainstream! The Vancouver police often bully us too! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! If someone bullies us even a little, we will repay them tenfold!! Just a few days ago, our brave warriors launched a courageous counterattack against the evil Vancouver police! We dealt a blow to their arrogance! We made them taste fear and terror! We made them know what fear truly means! Now, the more actions they take, the more fear they harbor within!"
But our brave Vietnamese soldiers will not back down! We will continue to take up arms and fight them! We will retaliate against them!
"I, Nguyen Van Kiet, representing the Vietnamese XX gang, declare myself responsible for the police station bombing!"
The video was only about two or three minutes long. Without any hesitation, I immediately uploaded it online and also sent it to several television stations, newspapers, and other media outlets in Vancouver.
As dawn broke and the morning news aired on television, the entire city of Vancouver was in an uproar!
Chaos has broken out across the land!
Almost all newspapers rushed to publish the news overnight! Some morning papers that had already been printed were even immediately reprinted! Almost all media outlets, newspapers, news articles, and frontheadlines featured similar shocking text:
"Vietnamese terrorist organization attacks Vancouver!"
"A gang has transformed into a terrorist organization!"
"The Vietnamese are here! Another 9/11!!"
"Vietnamese gangs declare war on the police!"
Some well-informed individuals even obtained information on Little Nguyen immediately! He was none other than the third-in-command of the Vietnamese gang!
In an instant, everything went into chaos!
The police station was in complete chaos, with countless police cars on the scene. I could even imagine Norton, who was already driven to the brink of madness by the pressure, slamming his fist on the table!
Who is Xiao Ruan? He's the head of the Vietnamese gang!! This revelation, coupled with the recent disappearance of all the core members of the Vietnamese gang…
Everything just fell into place naturally!
Even if the Vietnamese people were to hide now, even if they were to come out and defend themselves... they would still have no chance of clearing their names!
That morning, I walked down the street with a newspaper in hand, then pulled my hat down low and dialed 911 from a public phone. I quickly told the officer who answered, "There are many Vietnamese gangsters hiding in the XX seafood processing plant on the outskirts of town. They have a lot of weapons and firearms..."
The police officer on the phone immediately exclaimed in surprise, trying to ask me more questions, including my name. I simply smiled and said, "A law-abiding citizen."
I immediately hung up the phone, quickly walked into a small alley, and jumped into the van. Xiluo started the car in a flash, and Stone sat in the back.
Xiao Ruan and his woman were both knocked unconscious and thrown behind the car, their bodies bound together like rice dumplings.
“The Vietnamese are in for trouble.” Stone sighed and gave me a deep look: “Last night… you were ruthless.”
I stared blankly out the car window and said calmly, "In this world, it's either you eat people, or people eat you. Do I... even have a choice?"
After a moment of silence, Xiluo suddenly asked in a muffled voice, "Xiao Wu...you..."
I looked at him; Xiluo seemed a little depressed, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. I smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"
“Last night… I didn’t go up with you… but I heard that you almost killed this woman… If this Vietnamese man hadn’t cooperated, would you really have killed this innocent woman?”
"..."
I was silent for a moment, unsure how to answer. Then I forced a smile, and said in a serious tone, "I don't know... maybe it will, maybe it won't. Fortunately, it didn't come to that."
Part Two: The Road to Success Chapter Forty-Two: Shut Up If You Have No Evidence!
I remember Yang Wei once warned me; I don't remember her exact words, but the gist was: any gang is just a marginal force. In a society with a highly developed political, economic, and cultural system, gangs cannot compete with the mainstream. Undeniably, the existence of gangs cannot be eradicated, but they can be controlled to a minimum.
Because no matter how big or powerful a gang is, if the government is truly determined to take you down, you are absolutely doomed! There is no chance of the underworld winning against the state apparatus.
And today, these words are being best exemplified!
In just one morning, several television stations had played the video I anonymously sent over at least twenty times! Almost all news programs focused on the Vancouver police! Around 10 a.m., the police held an emergency press conference, where Norton, in uniform, reiterated the police's determination to combat crime and stated that any provocative or aggressive behavior towards the police would be met with severe punishment.
Immediately, on camera, more than a dozen police cars, loaded with heavily armed police officers, roared out onto the street...
I know that this is just a show to demonstrate the strength and power of the police.
A large number of police officers had already assembled and headed towards the seafood processing plant in the suburbs just ten minutes after I called the police.
Ciro and I randomly chose a secluded street to get out of the car, while Stone and the others drove off, immediately returning to the lighthouse island to continue their covert operations. As for Ciro and me…
I strolled through the streets of Vancouver with Ciro. We turned a corner and had a big meal at a restaurant. I ate a plate of spiced peanuts, a plate of beef, eight ounces of dumplings, and drank two bottles of beer. Then I gave the waiter ten Canadian dollars and asked him to tune the TV on the wall to a sports channel.
The other customers, who were watching the latest police report on TV, expressed their dissatisfaction. However, since I had paid for the service, the waiter completely ignored their complaints... unless one of them was willing to pay more money to have the restaurant change the TV channel back.
I was watching the TV screen with great interest; it was showing an ice hockey game, a sport very popular in North America. Although I had never been interested in it before, I was now completely engrossed. Next to me, Ciro seemed to have a lot to say to me, but he held back, and since we were in a public place, it wasn't convenient to talk, so he just kept quiet and sipped his beer.
Finally, after sitting in the restaurant for two hours watching an ice hockey game, we realized it was past noon. The restaurant had quieted down, and there were hardly any other customers around. Finally, Xiluo couldn't hold back any longer and whispered to me, "Xiao Wu...aren't you worried?"
I leisurely lit a cigarette: "What's the rush?"
"What...are we going to do today?" Xiluo scratched his head, looking puzzled. "We're going to have something big planned today, aren't we?"
"Oh..." I nodded casually, looking at the TV screen, and said casually, "No rush, no rush, now is the time to watch the show... Don't worry, we don't even need to lift a finger, the police are going to take drastic measures against the Vietnamese!"
Terrorist attack?
Will they declare responsibility for this incident?
This goes far beyond the realm of "gangster crime"! The police will definitely employ more sophisticated methods! I believe it will be quite difficult for us to locate the other Vietnamese individuals. However, if the state apparatus intervenes, it will be an incredibly simple matter!
On this land, who can be more powerful than the Canadian government?
I reckon that after that video was leaked this morning, the Vietnamese are now considered the police's number one enemy! As for the hiding place of the part of the Vietnamese I secretly tipped off the police about... the police must have sent people there immediately!
After Youyou finished eating, I wiped my mouth, called the waiter to pay the bill, and before leaving, I smiled and said to the Chinese waiter in front of me, "I have a suggestion for your boss... Your dumplings are pretty good, but generally, people who like dumplings are from the north of China. Northerners have a strong palate, and your dumplings are too bland. If you could make them a little saltier in the future, maybe your business would be even better."
After I finished speaking, I led Xiluo back out the door and onto the street. As soon as we stepped out, we saw a police car speeding past us on the street in front of us.
"Let's go!" I put my arm around Xiluo's shoulder and said with a smile, "It's getting late."
Where are we going?
"...Police station."
The police station entrance was indeed a scene of bustling activity. I noticed that the original protesters had disappeared, but many reporters were brazenly waiting at the entrance, along with numerous television crews carrying cameras and reporters holding microphones…
“Look, this is what press freedom is like in the West,” I laughed. “If this were in China, even if my video from last night were sent to TV stations and newspapers, no media outlet would dare to publish it today! In China, the media’s primary task is to speak for the government, and its secondary task is to supervise public opinion. But in Western countries, it’s completely different.”
As soon as I entered the police station, officers who recognized me spotted me. Many looked surprised, probably not expecting that in such turbulent times, I, now a notorious Vancouver gangster, would voluntarily walk into the police station.
“I need to see Mr. Norton… or Mr. Doug.” I grabbed a police officer.
"Uh... Mr. Doug and Chief Norton are..." A young police officer stood before me, looking somewhat nervous. But before he could finish, I heard a familiar voice from afar: "My God! Chen Yang, what are you doing here!"
Then I saw the Chinese-American police officer Jeff rush over, grab my arm, and look surprised, as if he was afraid I would run away.
"What's wrong, Officer Jeff?"
Jeff pulled me quickly to the side. He looked me up and down several times, took a deep breath, and then said in a strange voice, "You... how did you get here? I..." He gave a bitter smile and said in an even lower voice, "I sent a group of people to guard the entrance of your repair shop, 24 hours a day. My men didn't report it, how could you leave quietly?"
I whistled and laughed, "Officer Jeff, if I didn't even have this much skill, Big Circle would have been swallowed up long ago!"
"..." He sighed. "Mr. Doug is upstairs, and I think he'd be happy to see you... Sigh, things have been chaotic these past few days, but today has been the most chaotic of all! What happened today has nothing to do with you, right?"
I suppressed my smile, looked at him, and deliberately put on a stern face, saying, "I'm sorry, I cannot answer any of your questions without a lawyer present."
He smiled and saw me and Xiluo into the elevator, but didn't get in himself.
Aren't you coming up with me?
"No, thank you." Jeff smiled wryly. "Mr. Norton is in a terrible mood right now, and I don't want to see him at a time like this."
I smiled at him to show my understanding.
The elevator took me upstairs, and none of the police officers inside stopped me, probably because Jeff had made a phone call downstairs. I quickly arrived at the office of Doug that I remembered. As soon as I reached the door, I heard deafening roars and shouts coming from inside, clearly from the hot-tempered Mr. Norton.
There was no secretary or assistant blocking Doug's office door. I knocked on the door first, and without waiting for a reply, I pushed the door open and went in.
Inside the office, Norton was gesticulating wildly and shouting something in an angry tone. Doug remained calm, even gently resting his chin on two fingers, listening quietly to Norton's roar, though a hint of impatience flickered between his brows.
Seeing me walk in, Doug raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't surprised. He immediately stood up and chuckled, "Oh, Mr. Chen Yang."
Norton heard this and turned to look at me, but the old man wasn't so polite when he saw me. He looked displeased, snorted heavily, narrowed his eyes, suppressed his voice, and said coldly, "Mr. Chen Yang, this is a police station. What are you doing here?! Our negotiations with you people ended a few days ago! Our police are currently conducting a large-scale anti-gang operation. Are you here to turn yourself in?"
I shrugged, ignoring Norton's sarcastic tone, and walked to Doug's desk. I sat down in the chair, looked at Doug, and then tilted my head at Norton: "Mr. Norton's words just now... can I interpret this as a senior police officer framing a law-abiding citizen? I am an honest person with an impeccable reputation, a law-abiding gentleman with no criminal record! Now Mr. Norton is actually insulting me by claiming I'm a member of the underworld... I'll have my lawyer file a complaint."
Norton flew into a rage upon hearing this, roaring, "Chen Yang! This is a police station! Not your Big Circle territory! If you want, I won't hesitate to throw you in jail!!"
I sighed. The angrier he got, the calmer my expression became. I looked at him, not saying a word, but staring at him for a good ten seconds before shaking my head with a regretful expression, deliberately letting out a loud sigh, and slowly saying, "Seeing this Mr. Norton, I finally understand why Vancouver's security has deteriorated so much lately... Sigh, as a law-abiding citizen and taxpayer, I feel it's necessary to remind you that your job is to provide a safe social environment for citizens and taxpayers. Your salary is paid by us taxpayers! Understand? With the security situation outside so bad, you, as a senior police officer, are not diligent in your duties, but instead, you're here yelling at a taxpayer..."
“Fuck!” Norton finally couldn’t help but swear, his face flushed red, and he roared, “It’s because of trash like you that Vancouver has become the way it is today!!”
My face immediately darkened. I stood up and moved closer to Norton, my nose almost touching his. I stared into his eyes and said coldly, "Mr. Norton! Listen to me! At least for now, in all the files on me at the police station, I haven't broken a single law in Canada! I haven't even been illegally parked! My records here are as clean as a virgin… So, if you continue to accuse me of being a member of organized crime, I will definitely sue you for wantonly damaging my reputation! You're a police officer; the law should teach you that no matter who you want to criticize, you need evidence! If you have evidence, arrest me… If you don't…" I glared at him fiercely.
"Then shut the fuck up!"
...
Norton was almost stunned! He probably never imagined that a gangster would dare to speak to him, a high-ranking police officer, in such a provocative and hostile manner! He was first stunned, then suddenly enraged, but having witnessed my skills, he didn't dare to attack me himself, instead shouting, "Steve! Steve!!"
Soon, the door opened, and two white police officers walked in. Norton quickly stepped back, pointing at me: "You... you... you..."
Fortunately, he wasn't blinded by anger in his anxiety. Instead, he pointed at me and said in a trembling voice, "Get him out of here!"
Just as the two policemen were about to step in, Doug, who had been sitting and watching the show, finally spoke. He slowly said, "Mr. Norton... I think you've forgotten whose office this is?"
With just that one short sentence, the two policemen immediately stopped in their tracks.
Neither of them are fools; they can understand some of the subtle nuances in the situation.
I leaned back in my chair, looked at Doug, winked at him, and then deliberately spoke loudly: “Mr. Norton, I have something to discuss with Mr. Doug... I think if you are a gentleman of refinement, you should know that the most important thing you should do now is to do us a favor... Please help me close the office door from the outside.”