"Uh... Dad, it's not that serious, is it? I never even considered becoming a hoodlum. You're making a mountain out of a molehill!" Gao Jianfei was both amused and exasperated after hearing Gao Jin's words. "And Dad, how did you know all this?"
"I... your old man may not have eaten pork, but I've seen pigs run! Anyway, you have to promise me! Promise me!" Gao Jin's emotions became increasingly agitated. His face turned bright red!
"Okay, okay, Dad, I promise you! I promise you!" Gao Jianfei said repeatedly.
Only after Gao Jianfei obediently agreed did Gao Jin's breathing stabilize.
Just then, my aunt called from outside, "Lunch is ready! You two come out quickly, we're having twice-cooked pork today!"
Gao Jianfei, supported by his wheelchair, went out to eat with Gao Jin.
After finishing his meal, Gao Jianfei made an excuse that he hadn't slept well the night before and went back to his room to catch up on sleep.
In fact, Gao Jianfei really needed a good night's sleep to recharge. There was something important waiting for him to do tonight!
I slept until 6 p.m.
Gao Jianfei stretched, got up and left his bedroom. He told his aunt and father that he had made plans to have dinner with friends that evening, and then left home.
Gao Jianfei ate two bowls of wontons at the entrance of the alley and then turned on his phone.
The time is 6:30.
Gao Jianfei walked directly to the nearby bus stop, took bus number 35, and arrived at People's Park.
At times like this, no tickets are needed to enter the park. It was dinnertime, and Gao Jianfei walked straight into the park without encountering many people. He casually walked deeper into the park with his hands in his pockets, while cautiously scanning his surroundings out of the corner of his eye.
To say that Gao Jianfei wasn't nervous at all would be a joke!
Tonight was the boldest night of Gao Jianfei's life, and also the most absurd night in his life!
This is extortion! And it's extortion against a person with some influence in ZG city, with the amount demanded reaching as high as 600,000 yuan...
Anyway, this was something Gao Jianfei would never have dreamed of before.
This People's Park, built in the early 1980s, was once very popular for over a decade, but gradually declined due to management issues. Today, it is rarely visited. The park's recreational facilities are extremely outdated, overgrown with weeds and wild trees that are never trimmed.
Deep inside the park, near the back hill, there was an open-air teahouse. It was basically run by a few laid-off workers who set up some old tables and chairs to make a living.
The low price of 2 yuan for a bowl of tea is enough to attract some customers.
When Gao Jianfei arrived at the open-air teahouse, there were already more than a dozen customers sitting there. Some were drinking tea and chatting, some were playing mahjong, and some were playing cards.
It was a little past 7 p.m., and night was gradually falling. An electric wire had been strung up in the teahouse, illuminating several 100-watt light bulbs, and several fans were whirring. Most of the customers were shirtless. Those playing cards were quite loud, shouting without restraint; even those simply drinking tea and chatting were gesturing wildly and talking animatedly.
To put it bluntly, this open-air teahouse is a place where people from the bottom of society mingle!
Gao Jianfei slowly walked into the teahouse and found an empty seat. Soon, a middle-aged man in his forties came up, smiling憨厚ly, "Brother, want some tea?"
The tea here is nothing special; it's all just flower tea that costs 2 yuan a bowl.
Gao Jianfei had come here twice before with his friends and knew the rules, so he directly "touched" 2 yuan and gave it to the middle-aged man.
A few minutes later, a steaming bowl of covered tea was placed on Gao Jianfei's table.
Gao Jianfei quickly looked over the customers in the teahouse... They all seemed fine, so it was unlikely that they were people Xue Kai had sent to monitor them.
Then, Gao Jianfei looked towards the back of the mountain.
The meeting place agreed upon by Gao Jianfei and Xue Kai was just a few hundred meters away from this open-air teahouse, on the back hill. There were some long wooden benches there, and in the late 1980s and early 1990s, young men and women would go there to date, kissing and touching each other under the beautiful moonlight. But now no one goes there anymore.
8 PM.
It was already quite dark. Gao Jianfei stood up, left the teahouse, and headed towards the back mountain.
After turning past a dried-up artificial hill and pond, a thatched hut appeared, which served as a makeshift toilet.
Gao Jianfei glanced around; there wasn't a soul in sight at the long wooden bench. He immediately slipped into the thatched hut. It smelled terrible, but no one was there, which made it convenient for Gao Jianfei to move around. With a thought, he vanished from the hut.
Entering the haunted house.
Gao Jianfei went directly into rooms 1-4.
Gou Wei's ghost was drifting around the room. Seeing Gao Jianfei enter, it instinctively gave a humble smile, "Hello, Xiao Gao."
Gao Jianfei nodded to it, "Wait a moment, I will make a deal with your former boss, Xue Kai..."
Gao Jianfei told Gou Wei about the extortion of Xue Kai, the amount of money involved, and how the money would be collected.
"Xiao Gao, I don't think Boss Xue is likely to give you 600,000 yuan willingly. I know him very well; he's extremely cunning!" Gou Wei warned.
“Yes, that’s what I think too. You were Xue Kai’s top henchman and security captain before you died. What do you think Xue Kai will do tonight?” Gao Jianfei asked.
"It's very simple. Boss Xue has encountered this kind of extortion more than once before! His method is always the same: he employs a group of ruthless thugs who have a criminal record and have served time in prison. Boss Xue will have these people bring the money over and hide it nearby, waiting for you to collect it... Xiao Gao, do you understand what I mean?" Gou Wei's ghost spoke frankly and without reservation.
Gao Jianfei stroked his chin. "You should know all of Xue Kai's gang of thugs, right?"
"Of course! I used to be their leader!" Gou Wei smiled.
"So, your relationship is pretty close?" Gao Jianfei asked.
"What kind of relationship do I have with these bastards? At most, we're just colleagues, we drink together occasionally, it's all just for show!" Gou Wei said nonchalantly.
“Okay, I understand. You weren’t on good terms with those thugs when you were alive, you weren’t even friends. So, even if I make you appear, they won’t be able to see your ghost!” Gao Jianfei nodded to himself, then said, “Here’s what we’ll do: when I release you later, you keep an eye on the transaction site and tell me the names of all the thugs Xue Kai sent, and where they’re hiding!”
"Okay! Xiao Gao, no problem!" Gou Wei patted his chest and assured him.
After discussing the matter with Gou Wei, Gao Jianfei had a sudden thought and left the Ghost Den.
Subsequently, Gao Jianfei went directly into the thatched hut and used two exorcism points to make Gou Wei's ghost appear.
Gou Wei's ghostly form, emitting a phosphorescent green light, floated in front of Gao Jianfei.
Gao Jianfei led Gou Wei's ghost out of the thatched hut and pointed to a wooden chair a few hundred meters ahead, "That's the meeting place where Xue Kai and I agreed to make our deal. Go there right now!"
Gou Wei's ghost made a "K" sign at Gao Jianfei, then drifted away eerily in that direction.
Gao Jianfei returned to the teahouse, drinking tea by himself, listening to other customers chat, or simply standing up with his covered bowl to watch others play cards or mahjong. At crucial moments, Gao Jianfei couldn't help but offer his own opinions.
On the surface, Gao Jianfei seems like a complete pain in the ass.
Time quickly passed to 9 o'clock.
Trading time has arrived!
Gao Jianfei didn't see anyone suspicious passing by the open-air teahouse and heading towards the wooden chairs on the back hill. However, Gao Jianfei knew that there was another path on the back hill that could lead to the transaction site.
Gao Jianfei didn't rush over to collect the money; instead, he patiently watched others play 12 rounds of the landlord game.
At 9:30, Gao Jianfei's phone rang.
Xue Kai called first.
Gao Jianfei didn't answer the phone and hung up immediately.
Power off!
Then, Gao Jianfei went around to the thatched house, craned his neck to look in the direction of the wooden chair, but in the moonlight, he couldn't see a single person.
There was one ghostly figure, though.
Gao Jianfei saw a green light several hundred meters away, floating and patrolling.
Gao Jianfei gently waved to the emerald green light and then entered the thatched hut.
Soon, Gou Wei's ghost floated over from the other side and entered the thatched hut.
"Have Xue Kai's men come?" Gao Jianfei asked, slightly nervously.
“It’s here! The money’s here too, it’s under a wooden chair. But those guys didn’t leave right away, they all hid! Xiao Gao, if you go to get the money now, they’ll definitely kill you!” Gou Wei said directly.
"Damn it! They actually dare to play this trick on me!" Gao Jianfei was getting angry. "How many people came? What are their names? Where are they hiding now?"
"There were four people in total, all of whom used to work for me. Stone and Steamed Bun were hiding in the bushes; Turtle was hiding behind a mound; and Qiu Erguai climbed a tree," Gou Wei's ghost reported truthfully.
"Alright, go and continue observing. If you're sure they've all left, come back and tell me!" Gao Jianfei instructed Gou Wei's ghost.
After Gou Wei's ghost passed by, Gao Jianfei immediately took out his phone, turned it on, and dialed Xue Kai's number.
As soon as the call connected, Gao Jianfei roared, "Damn it! Boss Xue, you're really something! I told you not to try anything funny, but you insisted on messing around. Do you think I'm a pig? Stone, Mantou, Turtle, Qiu Erguai, your four dogs are always sneaking through the bushes and climbing trees, trying to mess with me, huh?"
On the other end of the phone, Xue Kai was completely terrified!
He was completely dumbfounded this time!
Gao Jianfei actually called out the nicknames of the four men he had sent over! He even revealed their current locations!
This situation has completely exceeded the scope of Xue Kai's thinking!
While Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms period was known for his strategic brilliance and uncanny foresight, he didn't possess the same extraordinary abilities as Gao Jianfei!
You should know that these four men are Xue Kai's confidants, absolutely trustworthy. They would never betray Xue Kai. And tonight, besides Xue Kai himself, only these four men know about this deal!
"How did he know? How did he know?" Xue Kai's mind was completely a mess! He kept asking himself this question over and over again. "How did he know?"
After roaring for a while, Gao Jianfei calmed down. "Hmph! You, surnamed Xue, want to play with me? Fine, let's play big! In April 2007, you cornered a contractor at his home over a construction project bidding, hacked him to death with a bunch of knives, and then dismembered his body; in December 2009, at your lavish KTV, you got into an argument with a guy from out of town. Afterwards, you hired some prostitutes to lure him out of his hotel, tied him up with rope, stuffed him in a sack, and beat him to death with sticks... You did both of these things very discreetly, but let me tell you, nothing stays hidden forever! You want to play with me? I'll play you to death!"
The two lives Xue Kai had were both taken by Gou Wei personally. It can be said that no one else knew about them except Gou Wei and Xue Kai!
"Hiss!" A terrifying sound emanated from the other end of the phone. "You...you...you...how...how did you know? You...who...who are you...are you a human...or a ghost?"
Xue Kai was like a venomous snake whose vital spot was pinned down, completely controlled by Gao Jianfei!
A raging storm was brewing within him!
The word "fear" is no longer sufficient to describe Xue Kai's state of mind.
collapse!
Xue Kai has broken down!
"Stop talking nonsense! I'll give you one more minute to think it over!" Gao Jianfei sneered. "If you really can't bear to part with this 600,000, then fine, I'll play along with you to the end!"
"No! No! No! Big brother! I... I can't take this! I was wrong! Big brother, please... please let me go! I'll get my men to leave right away! Right away!" Xue Kai screamed in terror on the other end of the phone.
Gao Jianfei hung up the phone immediately.
Immediately, Gao Jianfei lit a cigarette and smoked it in the thatched hut.
wait.
Twenty minutes later, Gou Wei's ghost floated into the thatched hut. "Xiao Gao, it's all right. Those guys have all run away, but they left the money behind."
Gao Jianfei smoked another cigarette, waited for 10 minutes, and then walked towards the wooden chair with Gou Wei's ghost.
Under the fifth wooden chair, Gao Jianfei indeed found a bulging canvas travel bag.
Gao Jianfei's heart suddenly raced!