Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 107: Breaking the Balance
The very next day, we bid farewell to the Yang family and left. This unexpected turn of events filled me with extraordinary excitement. I never imagined that my relationship with Yang Wei would be resolved so easily in such a simple way.
To be honest, I really wanted to thank Mr. Yang Er properly because he was very generous in letting Yang Wei off the hook and didn't interfere. However, it was a pity that when I left the Yang family that day, Mr. Yang Er didn't even see me. He didn't show up, let alone see us off.
But many years later, I had a conversation with Mr. Yang Er, and he said the following to me:
"Thank me? Thank you my foot!" The usually gentle and refined Mr. Yang looked annoyed. "I was choosing an heir, not kidnapping! To be an heir, she has to be willing. Otherwise, even if I tie her up with ropes or kill her, what good will it do? What if she immediately leads the whole family to side with you after I die? Then I'll lose even more! Women..." Mr. Yang looked very annoyed. "Even the smartest woman's IQ drops by half when she falls in love! And when the news of your injury and paralysis came, her IQ dropped by half again! Do you know? After the news of your injury came, the two business deals she was handling in China inexplicably went wrong! Obviously, she couldn't concentrate on anything at that time. I knew then that this child was destined to die."
Finally, Mr. Yang added, "Thank me? Go thank that little bastard Cupid!"
It's also worth mentioning that Yang Wei was right. Although Mr. Yang was willing to relinquish control, it wasn't without conditions. Yang Wei was originally a member of the family, and an important member of the inner circle. Naturally, she possessed considerable assets, company shares, casino pawn shares, and numerous business ventures. However, before leaving, Yang Wei returned all of these to the family. Furthermore, Yang Wei had secretly cultivated her own power base in her ambition to become the family heir, and she handed that over to the family before departing as well.
What she told me was true. Her credit cards are now frozen, she only has a few hundred dollars in her wallet, and the box next to her contains some clothes... This is all the property she has left.
"I'm not a woman who likes to dress up. So I don't have much jewelry, but my expenses are quite high." In the car, Yang smiled and said, "I like driving, and I especially like sports cars. I'd be very happy if you could buy me one. Also, although I'm not too picky about clothes, I'm still a woman, and I like to go to the fashion shows in Paris and Milan every year, both spring and autumn. Sometimes I even order some things on the spot. Oh, and there's perfume, weekly spa treatments, and I also need some professional tools, which can only be bought through the black market, and of course, they're not cheap... Well, that's all I can think of for now." Her eyes crinkled with laughter: "So, supporting me is quite expensive."
I smiled too, as if Yang Wei had changed overnight. Although she used to be very kind to me, she was inherently aloof; she was too cold.
But after last night, it seems that people who have let go of their burdens really do change. Yang Wei's brows relaxed a lot, her tone of voice became lighter, and she smiled more often.
The car arrived at the airport, and the Yang family escorted us into the airport terminal. Tu followed closely behind us, while Yang Wei pushed the wheelchair.
Just as we were entering the VIP lane, we encountered someone.
Hansen still stood there like half a black iron tower, his face cold and his features strong. He was wearing a dark coat, and to my surprise, there was a small leather bag at his feet.
Upon seeing Yang Wei, Hansen seemed to smile, then raised an eyebrow and turned to look at me: "Hello, sir."
"Huh? Hansen? What's this...?"
The burly Black man finally revealed a peaceful smile, showing a set of pearly white teeth: "Mr. Chen, just a short while ago, I resigned. That means I'm currently unemployed. So I rushed to the airport to catch up with you to ask if you need anyone by your side?"
"Hansen..." Yang Wei sighed from behind, "Actually, you didn't have to do this. Aren't you doing well in the Yang family..."
“Miss, no, no, without you, there’s no point in me staying in the Yang family.” Hansen shook his head, then looked at me: “So? Chen Yang, would you be willing to hire me? I’ll be a good bodyguard.”
I laughed... As for that question, is the answer even a question?
...
December has just begun, but unlike previous years, a cold front has suddenly moved south, causing a sharp drop in temperature. Under the influence of this cold wave, many areas in the south are experiencing persistent overcast skies, while in some localized areas, it has even snowed early…
I looked outside through the window, which was already covered with a layer of frost.
This is Shanghai, China.
I secretly returned to China three days ago. This trip was kept strictly confidential. After returning, I didn't even tell Qiaoqiao's father, my friends, or Yan Difangnan. Naturally, no one in the company knew about it.
Everyone thought I was still in North America recovering from my injuries, and that I had left in despair.
My lips twitched slightly. I slowly pulled back the blinds and looked downstairs...
It snowed heavily all night, and this morning the city's fire departments were all out in force clearing snow. Despite this, traffic was still disrupted on many streets due to the heavy snow... From this morning until now, many parts of the city have experienced traffic jams, and the weather has also severely overloaded the city's public transportation system, with more than three times as many people queuing for buses and subways as usual!
As for... taxis? Sorry, don't even think about it. You can stand on the street and wait, but I guarantee you won't be able to hail an empty cab even if you stand in the cold wind for an hour!
Shanghai has a population of nearly 20 million!
I was right by the window. The radio in the room was still playing the weather forecast, and people were commenting on today's traffic, the weather, and the traffic jams. Some were even making good-natured jokes, saying that the traffic police would probably be exhausted today.
But I couldn't help looking downstairs...
Several children walked through the snow, their faces showing no displeasure, but rather joy. They weren't bothered by traffic jams, being late for work, complaining about crowded buses, or the sudden increase in vegetable prices due to the snow...
The children's smiles were innocent; they jumped and played happily in the snow, their shoes crunching under their feet...
Perhaps only children would enjoy this heavy snow.
Turning around, Yang Wei had already prepared the materials. She was fiddling with the projector and then adjusting the screen.
"Alright, take a look." Yang smiled and said, "This is the intelligence I gathered beforehand."
Yang Wei closed all the doors and windows of the room, drew the curtains, turned off the lights, and then turned on the projector.
Several photos immediately appeared on the screen, arranged in the shape of a pyramid.
There are about a dozen photos at the bottom, and then the number of photos decreases with each layer upwards. The top layer has only three photos.
"This is a rough outline of the high-level organizational structure of the Asian Grand Circle Organization." Yang Wei, holding a pen, stood in front of the screen, pointing to the bottom layer first, and said, "These are the lowest-ranking leaders. But don't underestimate them; these are frontline fighters, each leading a team of elite personnel. To put it more clearly, they are the so-called 'Grand Circle Paratroopers'! They are the most elite personnel in the Grand Circle. But as you can see, even the Asian Grand Circle only has a maximum of a dozen or so paratrooper teams. The total number won't exceed three hundred. Of course, what you've seen is the previous list. Because of the performance of your African mercenaries in the past month, many of the people in these photos are now... dead, killed at sea, killed in a firefight with your African mercenaries."
As she spoke, Yang Wei quickly grabbed a pen and scribbled several large crosses across the photos.
“According to my statistics… well, this is probably the closest to reality. In the past month or so, the Great Circle has lost about seventy paratroopers! This means they have lost almost a quarter of their elite troops! What would be the consequences for any organization if it lost nearly a quarter of its elite troops at once?” Yang smiled as he looked at me.
"Significantly weakened? Greatly depleted?" I laughed.
“No, there’s more!” Yang Wei looked into my eyes.
She wasn't in a hurry to give the answer, which was different from her usual approach. In the past, Yang Wei would have immediately given the answer, then told me what to do, what to do, or what not to do…
“…Hmm…” I thought for a moment, then a thought struck me: “Break the balance?”
“Yes, that’s right, breaking the balance!” Yang Wei sighed. “In any organization, the highest leader can’t possibly gather all the organization’s power under his own command as his own cronies! The usual situation is: the highest leader has a fairly powerful cronies under his command! Then his power can overwhelm everyone else in the organization. He has the biggest fist and the most men, so he is the boss! After that, he divides and wins over others, and then he brings a few other leaders to his side, and then his position is secure. Most organizations in the world are like this.”
Yang Wei continued without pausing, "The Big Circle organization is divided into internal and external factions. Externally, there are peripheral organizations responsible for transportation, intelligence, and transactions, as well as various other personnel... The paratroopers are their most elite combat force. However, the previous Big Circle paratroopers were divided into three parts. One part was directly under the Big Circle's leader, another part was divided among three leaders from another Big Circle, and the third part... was neutral. Of course, the neutral part had the fewest members. But with this distribution of power, the Big Circle's leader had enough influence to intimidate others in the organization, including those ambitious individuals. That's why he was able to remain in the leader's position. But now... the situation has changed."
Snap!
A photo was pulled up separately and displayed on the screen. The photo showed an elderly man who looked to be around sixty years old. His face was slightly swollen, but his eyes were sharp.
"Liu Jianguo. Male, born in 1950. As for his resume... you can look it up yourself. He was a soldier, which is not surprising, because many of the core members of the Big Circle are retired soldiers. Many of them also participated in the Sino-Vietnamese War. Nine years ago, Liu Jianguo seized the highest leadership of the Big Circle. He controlled six airborne units, about 140 people! He accounted for half of the Big Circle's most elite airborne troops! In addition, he had many loyal subordinates and his own cronies. All told, there were about a thousand people in the Big Circle who were loyal to him, accounting for more than half of the Big Circle's power... By the way, Fang Dahai was also originally his cronies."
My eyes twitched slightly when I heard the name Fatty Fang.
"It's a pity he's dead." Yang Wei said, drawing another big X with her pen, and said calmly, "He died three months ago... Oh, there was no conspiracy. According to the information I received and my analysis, Liu Jianguo died of natural causes. He had suffered a serious lung injury and his health had been poor in recent years. But he was very shrewd and never let go of his power, so no one dared to usurp his position. He eventually died in bed. I admire him for that. But a problem has arisen... Liu Jianguo died of lung failure, which means... he was fine at night, but when he woke up, he was... dead. He didn't leave any will. Originally, the Big Circle organization wasn't a family-based hereditary system. Even if Liu Jianguo wanted to appoint a successor, he couldn't just appoint one based on his own preferences. He had to consider strength. But originally, he alone controlled half of the Big Circle's power. The remaining three leaders divided the rest. After Liu died, the other three leaders began to take center stage."
"Wang Jiujin... nicknamed Mountain Tiger, is forty-nine years old."
"Luo Kaishan... nicknamed Ox Horn, is forty-seven years old..."
“Oh…this is an old acquaintance of yours…Lei Hu! Remember when he went to Canada to test you after Eighth Master died? He is also one of the three most powerful leaders in the Big Circle after Liu Jianguo’s death, and the most powerful one at that.”
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 108: My Female Strategist
I naturally recognize the person in the photo on the screen.
He was a cunning fellow. I remember after Eighth Master died, he came to pay his respects on behalf of the Big Circle, but he was constantly thinking about how to take over the Canadian influence. Although he ultimately failed and left, his cunning left a deep impression on me.
"The internal strife within the Big Circle was actually sown when Liu Jianguo suddenly died! With the leader gone, nearly half of the Big Circle's power lost its leader, leading to a series of upheavals and changes. Your friend, Mr. Fang Dahai, was one of Liu Jianguo's most trusted men, but after Liu's death, Fang Dahai was unwilling to participate in the infighting and returned to Guangzhou... He used to work in a restaurant at the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau. Unfortunately, although he didn't want to get involved, he was eventually dragged into it."
Yang Wei sighed and then changed the slides again.
The three photos on the screen represent the three biggest leaders in the current Big Circle. Lei Hu's photo is placed slightly above the center.
“In terms of methods, Lei Hu is smarter than the other two. The Big Circle organization has a fatal flaw in essence, which is... xenophobia!” Yang Wei sighed, “This is quite normal. After all, many members of the Big Circle are veterans, old comrades-in-arms who have been on the battlefield, and many of them have gone through life and death together in the same trench... Such camaraderie is the guarantee of the Big Circle's cohesion! But at the same time, it also determines that the Big Circle cannot expand! Imagine, when the organization needs to expand, how can those new recruits be easily accepted into the circle of those comrades-in-arms who have been through life and death together? Their friendship is built on sharing bullets and crawling out of piles of corpses together. It is all built under such circumstances! How can an outsider be easily integrated into it? These are all reasons why the Big Circle cannot expand smoothly! Even the Big Circle in Canada has this flaw. The Big Circle in Canada has been managed by Master Ba for many years, but it has always been difficult to expand because of this... However, these phenomena have improved a lot after you took over.”
Yang Wei quickly picked up some documents: "Well, as I said earlier, Lei Hu's methods are a bit smarter than the other two. Because according to the information I have, this internal strife... especially the ambush targeting you, there are indications that it was Lei Hu who planned it."
My expression remained unchanged, but as I looked at the photo on the screen, a hint of murderous intent flashed in my eyes.
"With Liu Jianguo's death, three leaders began to emerge. Lei Hu had the greatest power, and his skills were the best among the three. He even managed to divide and absorb some of the forces left behind by Liu Jianguo, and also won over some originally neutral individuals. In this way, his power already had an overwhelming advantage over the other two leaders. It could even be said that, judging from the situation at the time, although there was no clear answer, Lei Hu had basically gained the upper hand, suppressed the other opposing and neutral forces, and was just a little bit away from becoming the leader. However... he was just a little bit short."
"What's missing?" I finally asked.
“Merit!” Yang Wei calmly uttered these two words: “Although he has some skills, he lacks a certain imposing presence in his actions. He is overly effeminate but not magnanimous. Moreover, in an organization like the Big Circle, Lei Hu is a scholar. Although he also comes from a military background, he previously worked in a civilian position within the army. Among the people in the Big Circle, he is a ‘scholar.’ A scholar who wants to become a leader, even if he has some power, will not be convinced if he cannot produce some convincing achievements! Because many people will think: We fought for this country with our blood and sweat! You, a scholar, just by talking, have climbed over our heads! With such thoughts, many people will not accept him.”
I nodded and sighed, "This 'achievement' must be mine."
“Yes, that’s right.” Yang Wei nodded: “I have studied the Big Circle organization in detail. This organization is very special, really special. I remember we once discussed the pros and cons of the Big Circle’s ‘parachute’ model. I won’t repeat it today, but looking at the Big Circle’s development trajectory in recent years, what makes me sigh is that the Big Circle has actually been on a downward trend in recent years.”
"oh?"
"Liu Jianguo is a very powerful boss. He controls more than half of the Big Circle's power, and his position is as solid as a rock. Such skill is enough to prove that he is not a fool. But he also has flaws... He lacks foresight. Or rather, this is not his fault, but an inherent flaw brought about by the Big Circle's 'parachute' model. The parachute model is actually an elite model. Relying on these elite combat personnel, the Big Circle is capable of competing with any famous gang in the world in terms of combat power. However, it focuses too much on elites and lacks the ability to manage. Generally speaking, the Big Circle does not pay attention to the development of peripheral members. They are xenophobic and only accept and recognize veterans who have fought alongside them. They lack a sense of identity with newly recruited personnel and even look down on them. However, relying on a group of elites alone cannot expand territory. With their strength, if they wanted to seize territory, they could easily sweep away all the gang forces in any city! But have you ever heard of the Big Circle taking over any city's gangs? No!"
"Collecting protection money, guarding brothels, organizing gangs, opening branches... all of these require manpower! And a large number of henchmen are needed! But Big Circle has the most elite paratroopers, but not these henchmen! Send those paratroopers to collect protection money and guard brothels? Impossible! But the new recruits? They often can't survive in Big Circle. This situation has turned Big Circle into a 'guerrilla force' in the underworld. They have no base of operations, no territory of their own. They can only rely on mobile warfare, constantly taking things from others, and then leaving! In other words, they are more like a swarm of locusts."
“In its early days, the Big Circle swept through Hong Kong and Taiwan, and then landed in North America, all thanks to one word: robbery!” Yang Wei shook her head: “But soon, this model couldn’t continue. The Big Circle finally found a new path to development: drugs!”
"Their elite armed forces can rival official anti-drug forces, and even the guerrilla groups under the command of the big drug lords in the Golden Triangle are no match for them! The Big Circle finally broke into the drug world. Then, they relied on drugs to absorb nutrients and money. And this model has continued to this day. This is the development process of the Asian Big Circle. However, in the years before Liu Jianguo's death, this model also reached a critical point and could no longer expand. The reason is still what I said: the Big Circle is xenophobic! Although they have tried their best to absorb fresh blood in recent years, they rely too much on 'parachuted' recruits. Newcomers often only manage to become peripheral members, and it is absolutely difficult for them to advance further and enter the real inner circle of the Big Circle! You know, the real big drug lords, such as the big shots in the Golden Triangle, or the big shots in the South American plantations... to become..." To truly dominate the drug trade, guns alone aren't enough! You also need territory! You need drug plantations! You need land. You need people to grow drugs for you, you need your own territory, but the problem remains… the Big Circle doesn't have enough people. Their peripheral henchmen are mostly just errand runners; when it comes to actual combat, they only have a few hundred paratroopers! These men are indeed strong, but even a few hundred strong men can't fight against the established drug lords in the Golden Triangle who command thousands of guns. So, while the Big Circle is powerful, their 'special forces' are powerful, but they lack ordinary 'regular troops.' Therefore, they've never had their own plantations, their own bases, and have gradually transformed into 'distributors' in the drug industry, with their elite paratroopers merely serving as 'bodyguards' for cargo transport.”
As Yang Wei spoke, she took out a document and handed it to me: "Take a look at the data above... This is data and information that I secretly obtained from the Thai authorities at great expense some time ago!"
She walked up to me and whispered, “Take General Chatchai of Thailand, for example. He controls several drug plantations and has nearly two thousand armed men under his command. That’s his ‘regular army.’ In addition, there are nearly eight thousand unarmed forces, including women, children, able-bodied men, and even civilians! In Chatchai’s territory, he is the sole government! This is the ‘soil’ from which Chatchai survives! If Chatchai’s army suffers losses, he can absorb new soldiers from this ‘soil’ to replenish his ranks at any time! Meanwhile, every boss in the Golden Triangle operates according to this model… They are local tyrants!”
Yang smiled and then picked up another document: "This is the data for the Big Circle. The Big Circle has several hundred combat personnel, including three hundred core paratroopers and another three hundred who are responsible for transporting and selling drugs. However, in terms of quality, the paratroopers are superior to Chatchai's regular troops, but the transport personnel are far inferior! And what about the Big Circle's unarmed forces? I calculated it, and it's no more than five hundred! That means the Big Circle only has a thousand people in total! They possess elite paratroopers capable of wreaking havoc on any gang in the world, but they lack their own 'base'! Take Chatchai as an example; he uses eight thousand unarmed forces to support two thousand soldiers! That's a four-to-one ratio! But what about the Big Circle? The Big Circle has less than five hundred peripheral members! And only about five hundred who can carry guns, a ratio less than one-to-one! Chatchai has enormous combat potential! Because if one of his troops dies, he can immediately replenish his large 'base'. The Big Circle… well, if one dies, it's one less!"
"The Big Circle is like water without roots, its room for development is getting smaller and smaller. And afterwards, the Big Circle forces that went overseas back then have also drifted further and further away from the Big Circle headquarters in Asia. Among them, the one who makes people's teeth itch the most is you, Chen Yang." Yang Wei sighed: "Your momentum is too strong. Back then, the Big Circle wanted to take over the Canadian branch after Eighth Master's death, but you stopped them. Then you abandoned the drug business and turned to smuggling, using your control of the largest port city on the West Coast to quietly make hundreds of millions of dollars a year! How could others not be envious of such a big pie? In terms of development, the Big Circle has branches in several regions around the world, in Europe, in Australia, but only you, Chen Yang, in North America and Canada, have done it the best! You are the strongest, but at the same time, in some ways, you are also the weakest."
"The Asian Big Circle has little potential left for expansion. Their only option is to seize what others have. Reclaiming an overseas branch would bring them significant benefits. Unfortunately, they can't target the European or Australian branches because the leaders and organizations there are veterans. But you, Chen Yang, are different. In the Canadian Big Circle, there's a unique phenomenon: although you're the leader there, in terms of seniority, you're the least experienced! Anyone in your organization has a longer history within the Big Circle than you! Your foundation is unstable, and your organization..." It's built on loyalty to you personally! Once you're dead, that loyalty ceases to exist! Imagine if you died, and the Asian headquarters sent people to take over the 'branch' under the guise of legitimacy, and many of your subordinates were from the Big Circle—could Xiluo handle that situation alone? Even now, although you've publicly left the Big Circle, there are still many members in their thirties and forties within your organization who habitually consider themselves part of the 'Big Circle.' That's tradition! You rose to power through personal charisma; without you, the Canadian Big Circle is a disorganized mess, easily swallowed up.”
I laughed and said, "So, that Lei Hu is planning to use me as a reason for his rise to power?"
“First, you’re very fat! A huge piece of meat! Eating you would be very beneficial. Second, you have a fatal flaw. As long as we get rid of you, the difficulty of taking over the Canadian branch will be reduced by at least half! Third, if we eat you up, Lei Hu has made such a great contribution, and his power will increase by a lot! At that time, he will also bring such great merit to the organization. If he doesn’t become the boss, who will?” Yang smiled with his eyes narrowed. “So, Lei Hu finally chose to take action against you. And coincidentally, you are still in China. And coincidentally, your grudge with the Qinghong gang is not a secret.”
He noticed a hint of weariness flash across Yang Wei's face.
Sigh, all that intelligence gathering, data collection, organization, and analysis—Yang Wei has been exhausted these past two days.
I gently reached out and stroked her face. She had a few dark circles under her eyes, and I couldn't help but frown. "Yes, you've had a hard time these past few days."
"It was a bit tough, but it was well worth it. Because of your previous work with General Chatchai of Thailand, the series of anti-drug operations at sea, and the brilliant move you made with Old Sorin in Toronto, you basically did a lot of groundwork! Now, in the greater Asian region, Thunder Fox is almost suffocating. What we need to do next is to use our power to intimidate them!"
Yang Wei smiled slightly: "Okay, now I'll talk about the second phase of the plan... Chen Yang, didn't you want to play the 'snake swallowing an elephant' game? Iraq swallowing the United States, this game is not easy!"
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 109: Opportunists
A little over a month ago, Lei Hu had already become the largest force in the Asian region. If nothing unexpected happened, it was only a matter of time before he succeeded as the leader... But the problem was that he set his sights on me and failed to eliminate me in one fell swoop.
After that, I brought in mercenaries from Africa at sea and fought them several times. The losses of the African mercenaries were just a matter of spending some money for me. But Thunder Fox couldn't afford to suffer any losses!
He had already lost dozens of elite paratroopers. Such a huge loss immediately disrupted the balance of power within the Great Circle.
With Lei Hu gone, he no longer held the advantage in terms of strength compared to the other two leaders. But the problem remains, and there's another very important and sensitive issue…
Currently, the biggest force in the big circle is not the three leaders, including Lei Hu, but the neutral forces!
After the death of the previous leader, Liu Jianjun, most of the remaining forces, except for a small portion which was absorbed by Lei Hu, remained neutral. Fang Pangzi was a representative figure among the neutral forces.
Lei Hu plotted against Fatty, colluding with Qing Hong's men to assassinate him on the road. He then used Fatty to lure me out, orchestrating an ambush. In the end, I escaped, and Fatty died.