I gritted my teeth... Damn it, if I can't afford to mess with them, I'll just avoid them!
I leaned closer to Yan Di.
Yan Di is so gentle... She was sleeping soundly, her breathing was steady, and her sleeping posture was both cute and elegant, her body curled up in a ball... I moved closer to her, and in her drowsy state, Yan Di simply snuggled into my arms. I reached out and gently put my arm around her waist...
But just then, a sharp pain shot through my lower back!
...Holy crap!
Fortunately, I'm a seasoned veteran with nerves of steel! I managed to hold back from screaming!
Looking back, I saw Qiaoqiao staring at me coldly in the darkness, her eyes filled with a hint of coldness. One of her hands was on my lower back... That twist just now almost tore a piece of my flesh off.
Miss Qiao's cold gaze was fixed on my arm that was around Yan Di, like a pair of sharp swords!
"What... are you doing now?" I leaned closer, trying to keep my voice down.
Qiaoqiao's voice was very low, but undisguised, and she uttered three words with unusual determination:
I'm jealous!
I sighed and awkwardly withdrew my arm from Yan Di's.
See, this is what happens when you dare to have your cake and eat it too!
Then...should I sleep with Qiaoqiao in my arms?
I do have the guts!
Qiao Qiao stared at me coldly. Although she didn't say anything, her eyes clearly conveyed the message: "Kid! You dare to lay a finger on me, Miss Qiao!"
Xiao Wu vs. Qiao Qiao, Round three, Qiao Qiao wins!
...
Who says sleeping together under the same blanket is a sensual thing?!
I lay stiffly between two stunningly beautiful women, like a mummy, my legs straight and my hands obediently pressed against my body, not moving an inch.
Damn it... I'm moving in with Xiluo tomorrow... I'm doing it!!
If Xiluo knew that I slept in the same bed with two stunningly beautiful women, and still couldn't forget his brother, would he be moved to tears?
...
…………
As dawn broke, when I left my room in the morning, Xiluo saw me sitting in a wheelchair. I had dark circles under my eyes and looked quite tired, while Qiaoqiao and Yandi, having rested overnight and washed away the dust of their long journey, woke up looking radiant...
Xiluo is my good brother after all, so he didn't say anything, he just patted me on the shoulder.
Hammer, that hothead, wasn't so easy to talk to. He even gave me a rather sentimental piece of advice: "Brother Wu! Although both of your wives are very beautiful, you should still take it easy. Health is the most important thing!"
"He said it?"
After breakfast, I immediately had Ciro push me to the secret room to see Hansen, where I received some good news.
The sniper confessed!
"Their hiding place should be here," Hansen replied calmly. "These guys are clever; they chose a very secluded spot."
According to the sniper's confession, there were a total of sixteen Cobra mercenaries who came to Vancouver, Canada this time.
This is the most accurate number I've received! The location where the other party is hiding is actually the rooftop of a famous building in downtown Vancouver!
A very clever approach.
This is clearly a visual blind spot that most people would find hard to guess!
The rooftops of skyscrapers. Unless they have a special purpose, the rooftops of most buildings are rarely used by anyone.
Normally, only the building's cleaning staff go up there once every so often... or maintenance workers who repair the external compressors of the central air conditioning system on the rooftop—but even these people rarely go up to the rooftop more than two or three times a year.
Normally, helicopters rarely circle around in the city. As a result, the rooftop of the building is undoubtedly a very safe and secluded location.
This sniper not only revealed the location of Cobra's hideout, but also the appearance, characteristics, and specialties of each of the dozen or so people involved. Hansen extracted almost all the information he could get!
Such methods undoubtedly surprised me!
You know, I'm not a soft-hearted person! After capturing that sniper, given the hatred between us and Cobra, I've used torture before!
I've already fought back, and I even went a little too far!
But that guy was very stubborn and refused to say a word. Moreover, someone like him was a typical desperado! Ordinary torture would hardly make him submit.
That's why I was surprised by Hansen's methods.
"How did you do that?" I asked Hansen with admiration.
"Leave professional matters to professionals." Hansen's reply was calm: "I used to be in the special operations force, so I'm much more professional than you when it comes to interrogation. Interrogation is an art, and simply destroying the other person's body is the most basic method. The most skilled interrogators and extract confessions are always the military or intelligence agencies... If you've experienced it, you won't be surprised."
I was still very curious and couldn't help but ask, "Could you teach me a few skills... maybe I'll need them in the future?"
Hansen glanced at me, then grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth that, combined with his dark skin, gave him a rather devilish look.
"You want to learn... Hmm... It seems you're also someone who excels at cruelty. Alright, I'll teach you a very simple trick first." Hansen smiled.
"Without any instruments of torture, without harming the physical body, you inflict mental torture on them!" he said slowly. "You simply tie them to a chair, blindfold and earplug them to block their sight and hearing, then throw them into a separate, enclosed, absolutely quiet room. In this state, the person cannot perceive any external noise, and without sight and hearing, they cannot perceive the passage of time. It will feel like an eternity, absolutely driving them to madness and hysteria! No matter how tough a man is, he cannot withstand it; the only difference is how long he can endure it. This method is widely used by security departments in various countries. Its advantage is that it is very effective and cannot be used for medical examination." (Author's note: This method was provided by a reader in the book review section. I originally had another method in mind, but this reader's method seemed more professional than my own, so I abandoned my own idea and adopted the method provided by this reader. I would like to express my gratitude to that reader!)
major!
Once the confession was obtained, things became much simpler. I left the Cobra sniper to Hansen, so he could confirm if there was anything else they hadn't managed to extract from him.
At noon, I had an important matter to attend to.
That buck-toothed lawyer, Zhou, has arrived with his men to announce Eighth Master's will.
Strangely, after the buck-toothed lawyer Zhou arrived, he made a request.
"Mr. Chen Yang, before announcing the will, I hope we can talk alone."
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Fifty-Seven: Special Talents
To be honest, I've long since lost my fondness for this lawyer, Zhou. Although he was very helpful in handling some legal disputes and procedures before, I was refused when I went to his law firm in person to try to communicate with him about Eighth Master's will. Coupled with his stubborn and unyielding temper, it's really hard to develop a liking for him.
However, since his arrival today was to announce Eighth Master's will, I couldn't be too petty in the face of such an important matter. Although his request surprised me, I didn't show it on my face and still invited him into my office alone.
After closing the door, the two of us sat down, and I personally poured him a cup of tea.
"Attorney Zhou, what advice do you have for me?"
Zhou with buck teeth smiled strangely. He slowly took a sip of tea, and then suddenly sighed.
His sigh was quite strange, seemingly filled with endless感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion/reflection). Then, this notorious Vancouver "legal rogue" stood up, strolled around the office, and looked at the surrounding furnishings.
His wistful expression surprised me somewhat.
"It's been twenty years." Buck-toothed Zhou sighed. With his small eyes and big buck teeth, his appearance was almost sleazy. It was hard to feel anything when he uttered such a sigh.
"Oh? What do you mean, Attorney Zhou?"
“I’ve been serving the Big Circle for twenty years.” Buck-toothed Zhou rolled his eyes at me and reached out to touch the wall. There was a landscape painting hanging there, but it wasn’t a famous piece; it was just something painted by an ordinary craftsman.
I know that people like this don't make pronouncements for no reason. There's always more to it, so I simply kept quiet and waited for him to continue.
"I, Zhou, came to Canada when I was young, in the late 1980s. At that time, there was just a surge in people going abroad... I studied law at the University of Toronto, and after graduating, I worked at a law firm in Vancouver... More than twenty years have passed since then." Buck-toothed Zhou seemed to smile: "Back then, I was just a poor student, but today, in Vancouver, who doesn't know me, Buck-toothed Attorney Zhou? Humph... Even those who hate me know my infamous reputation as Buck-toothed Mad Dog Zhou."
I smiled half-jokingly and said casually, "That's right, Attorney Zhou, you're quite famous now. Over the years, you've been the one who solved all the legal problems in our Big Circle. In that respect, Big Circle's success today is largely due to you."
"What do you mean by 'meritorious service'... it's more accurate to say you've done a lot of bad things." Buck-toothed Zhou sneered, completely ignoring my compliment. He continued, "To be honest, looking back now, I have my regrets. If I hadn't gone down the path of the underworld, perhaps I would be a successful lawyer now, maybe even a partner in a top law firm! But now... although I have the infamous reputation of 'Mad Dog,' everyone knows I specialize in serving the underworld. Although I'm an expert in law and win more cases than I lose, few of those self-righteous law firms dare to hire me."
"In this world, there are gains and losses." I said calmly, "An old friend once told me something that I still remember clearly: In this world, for every gain you make, you have to pay the price!"
At this point, I changed the subject, looked at the buck-toothed Zhou, and sneered: "Does Attorney Zhou regret his 'mistake' back then? But if it weren't for that mistake, would you be the Attorney Zhou you are today? Look at how many people in Vancouver hold a law license? But how many of them can afford a Porsche and live in a house like yours?"
“Not bad.” Bucktooth Zhou’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, “I have indeed gained quite a lot. I have money and wealth. I have long accepted my fate. I, Bucktooth Zhou, am already tied to the Big Circle, and I have long understood this.”
Um?
A thought flashed through my mind... Did he mean he was giving in to me?
Although I still didn't quite understand his intentions, I pondered for a moment and tentatively said, "Since Attorney Zhou is willing, then things will be easier. The Big Circle is still the Big Circle, and you, Attorney Zhou, will naturally still be Attorney Zhou. How about we continue as before? In the future, there will be many, many things in the Big Circle that will depend on Attorney Zhou."
"Hey!" He chuckled strangely, staring at me with his small eyes, which darted around a few times. I had no idea what he was up to.
Suddenly, he spoke, looking at me: "You know what... I've heard similar arguments from you three times in the past twenty years."
I:"……?"
Seeing the slightly puzzled look in my eyes, Buck-toothed Zhou smiled, walked up to me, but didn't sit down. He said calmly, "A gang is a gang. It's a life-or-death struggle, that's the rule of survival! One generation changes, one leader falls, another rises, and it's always accompanied by bloodshed! I saw through this more than ten years ago! Chen Yang... do you know? I've heard similar things from you at least three times already! The most recent one... more than ten years ago, in this same office, Fang Bazhi was sitting in the seat you're in now, and he said these things to me! Back then, his expression was similar to yours, and what he said was similar too..." He seemed to pause deliberately, then smiled slightly, "The situation back then was pretty much the same!! There were originally three leaders in the Big Circle, but one of them died—let's not mention his name! The other, Old Seven, was disheartened and let Quan save his life. Fang Bazhi was left with absolute power... hehe!" Back then, he was just like you, full of vigor and power... He also said similar things to me, trying to recruit me.
I chuckled coldly, waiting for him to continue.
"Chen Yang, things are not much different from the dynastic changes in Chinese history. Someone like me is the kind of old minister you have to recruit... I, Bucktooth Zhou, know very well that whoever takes this position will definitely try to recruit me with kind words... A gangster organization cannot do without legal support. What's more, I have too many confidential matters, such as the legal division of property... These matters involve secrecy, but they also require professional people to keep them safe. And these professionals must be our own people. In this way, my position, Bucktooth Zhou, is as stable as Mount Tai. Whether it was Fang Bazhi who took the position back then, or you, Chen Yang, who took the position today, they will eventually extend an olive branch to me." As Bucktooth Zhou said this, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, which was actually the rare "Da Qianmen" brand, and the kind without filters. He took out one, lit it, and looked at me with a half-smile.
I have to admit... he certainly has the right to be arrogant!
He is a legal expert, and at the same time, he is one of the big circle's insiders... Such a talent with a dual identity is really hard to find!
Even if I rise to power and control the entire organization, I will still need such a talented person within it! Even regarding assets and legal matters, I will still need someone like this to manage them!
There are many people in the big circle... and many lawyers in Vancouver... but someone who is both part of the big circle and a highly skilled lawyer... that person is truly only him, Bucktooth Zhou! So, in that sense, his words aren't arrogant! Indeed, no matter who is the leader, they all want to win him over!
Seeing my silence, Bucktooth Zhou chuckled faintly, "I've said it before, I've heard you try to recruit me three times in the past twenty years, and this is the fourth time... But the difference is, you, Little Fifth, are the youngest! To surpass everyone else in the Big Circle at your age and become the undisputed number one leader... I, Bucktooth Zhou, have been in this place for over twenty years, and you're the first. For that, I admire you, Little Fifth! Hehe... Or should I call you... Fifth Master now?"
“You have every right to be proud.” I sighed, tapping my fingers lightly on the table, and said slowly, “But I still don’t understand what you mean by saying all this to me today? I remember that day in your office, you didn’t seem to treat me this way.”
"Times have changed." The buck-toothed Zhou flicked his cigarette ash quickly. "I have a very strange temper. If someone isn't someone I like, even if they beg me, I won't help them with their case! As for you, to be honest, I have a question for you..."
He slowly took two steps closer and sat down on the sofa in front of me, a smile playing on his lips, as if it were nothing more than casual remark: "Fang Bazhi, you were the one who killed him, weren't you?"
...
If it were me two years ago, I would have turned pale upon hearing such words! If it were me two years ago, I would have jumped up, pulled out a knife, and slit this guy's neck!
He was very close to me, and he was a very frail guy... To me, such a person was completely powerless against me!
If this had happened two years ago... I probably would have already accidentally knocked over the teacup in front of me!
Fortunately, Chen Yang is no longer the same Xiao Wu he was back then.
The current Chen Yang... is the Fifth Brother of the Big Circle!
My expression remained calm as I slowly picked up my teacup, took a sip, looked at him, and instead of getting angry, smiled leisurely, saying, "Attorney Zhou, murder is a serious crime. You need to provide evidence before you speak."