Fang Dahai, the fat guy, also came back and sat down, but behind Lei Hu, he secretly gave me a thumbs up, meaning that I had played that move beautifully.
I pushed Uncle Qi to the head of the conference table, and then moved my own chair slightly to let Uncle Qi sit in the main seat. This was to show that Uncle Qi was now the most respected person in the group.
Although the gang leaders below found my behavior strange, they didn't say anything since it was a family matter. I coughed and said softly to Uncle Seven, "Uncle Seven, I'll begin then."
Uncle Qi smiled, nodded, and said nothing.
He knew perfectly well that I was just using him as a shield to deal with guys like Lei Hu. The real power still lay with me. Uncle Qi was old, paralyzed, and confined to a wheelchair. Besides, he'd been out of the spotlight for years; he couldn't possibly be competing with me anymore.
"Gentlemen..." I smiled, but the smile was rather calm. "Today, most of our comrades in Vancouver have gathered here. For us, this is a rare and excellent opportunity." I spoke slowly and deliberately. "In the past few months, too many unpleasant things have happened, and too much chaos has occurred. Whether it's the police or everyone here, we have all suffered huge losses. It's fair to say that the entire underworld of Vancouver is in complete disarray!"
I spoke slowly, looking at the people below. No one interrupted me; they just stared at me blankly, unsure of what I meant.
“Chaos is not a good thing.” I shrugged, raised a finger, and looked at them. “I know. It’s hard to figure out who was at fault now, how this dispute and riot started. As of today, I think the police station’s detention cells are full of our people, and all of you here. These past few days, the police’s vigorous crackdown on organized crime has caused huge losses to everyone’s businesses! Whether it’s manpower, money… and of course, territory.”
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Finally, someone spoke up and asked me a question. The one who spoke was a dark-skinned man in a dark striped suit, a typical Asian Indian.
“What I want to say is… peace.” I smiled. “We’ve been fighting for so many days now, I think we’ve had enough. Today, I hope to take this opportunity to get everyone here, to talk things out, and then…” I pointed to the door. “After we step out this door, I hope that from today onwards, there will be no more fighting on the streets of Vancouver.”
“Fuck!” A white man stood up abruptly, glared at me, and shouted, “Holy Mother of God! Who do you think you are? What right do you have to demand that everyone here listen to you?”
I glanced at him and recognized him. This man was called "Bill." I remembered that he and Norton had gotten along well at the police station last time. He must have been a guy with considerable connections in the police force.
The local white gangs here have always looked down on us new immigrants, so it's natural that some people will be unhappy when I say things like this.
I wasn't angry at all, and gave him a cold look: "Mr. Bill, I can answer your first question first: I am Xiao Wu from the Big Circle. If you don't know me yet... I think I will make a deep impression on you soon!" I said this slowly and calmly, even with a slight smile on my lips... But considering my habits, Bill's expression immediately stiffened, and his eyes became somewhat evasive.
"I can answer your second question too, which is why you should listen to me." I leaned back, moved my chair back, and suddenly propped my legs up high on the table, looking at him coldly and arrogantly, saying, "Because I know that if we don't stop negotiating and continue fighting like this, it will trigger a larger-scale police crackdown on organized crime within three days! Also... because I currently have the biggest fist! The strongest person has the right to give orders... Are you satisfied with my answer?"
Bill's expression was complicated. I could tell he wanted to explode, but was hesitant. His former backer was probably Norton, but now Norton was gone, and the gang under him wasn't very powerful. The most powerful real white gang was naturally the Hells' Angels, and he was just scraping by alongside them.
After a moment's hesitation, his inherent white pride prevailed. He snorted, looked at me, and said loudly, "I'm here for Mr. Fang's funeral today purely out of courtesy. Don't think I'm afraid. Vancouver will always be Vancouver! Not the domain of you yellow monkeys!"
After saying that, he strode confidently toward the door.
I didn't stop him, I didn't even wiggle my bottom. As Bill strode out, I looked at everyone present and said, "Anyone else who wants to leave, feel free to say so now."
After a moment's hesitation, a small gang leader who was close to Bill stood up, as did an Iranian.
I whistled and looked at them with a smile: "OK, if you two want to leave too, I have no objection."
As soon as he said that, five or six more people stood up at once. They were all big shots in their respective areas. One of them looked at me and muttered, "Young man, don't be too arrogant, or you'll die a very bad death."
To this statement, I simply smiled and said, "Arrogance stems from having the means to be arrogant. Only those who are arrogant without any means to back it up will meet a terrible end."
As I watched them all get up and head towards the door, I sighed softly and said slowly, "Leaving this room means you are declaring that you will stand on the opposing side of the Greater Circle. Have you all thought this through?"
My words made some people hesitate... After all, the reputation of the Big Circle still exists! And the strength of the Big Circle is terrifying!
What does the Big Circle represent? In North American organized crime, the Big Circle represents "bloodshed," "toughness," and "cruelty"!
Some people stopped in their tracks, while others remained unmoved. I pushed open the door and walked out. I sighed inwardly; it seems I'm still young after all, and people usually look down on young people. As for Uncle Seven… strategically, he can only deal with Lei Hu. But against these underworld bosses… a disabled old man who's been retired for a few years and is holed up in a run-down car wash can't intimidate them.
Several people were intimidated by my final threatening words. Although they stood up, they stood there, unsure whether to leave or retreat.
I looked at them and smiled. "If you gentlemen don't want to leave right now, why don't you sit down and let me finish what I have to say? OK?"
They were given a way out, and the group finally sat back down.
I looked around the table and there were only eleven people left.
Of these eleven people, besides myself, Uncle Seven, Lei Hu, and Fatty, there were seven from other gangs. Of these seven gangs, two were from the Chinese gang, one was an Italian named Albertoni, and the remaining four were an Arab, a white man, and two Indians.
"Gentlemen, you will be glad you made the right decision." I smiled, then suddenly sat up straight, stood up from my chair, and walked behind the table near the wall. There had been a curtain there; I slowly untied the cord and let down a thick roll of fabric…
This isn't a curtain; it's a huge map!
"Ladies and gentlemen, you are all very familiar with this map of Vancouver." I smiled, slowly took half a step back, and stood next to the map.
This is indeed a large map of downtown Vancouver. However, I've divided it into sections using different colors. More importantly, the colors I used for those small sections were added later using different colored pieces of paper.
"Mr. Chen Yang, what do you mean by this?" Albertoni, after all, was on my side, so he quickly changed the subject.
"As you can see, these are all sorts of colorful things on this map." I smiled slightly. "This is a map I specially drew of the entire Vancouver underworld! Every gentleman here can find their territory on this map." I glanced at the Italian man. "Mr. Albertoni, I remember your territory is on St. Louis Street, right? Look, right here..." I found that street on the map and marked it in green. "You see, this green represents your territory. Right now, it seems the green area is only limited to the vicinity of the St. Louis Street area."
At this point, I added, "Of course, given the recent chaos in Vancouver, with many underworld territories changing hands and everyone fighting and killing each other for resources, this map I drew is not a current real-time map, but rather the sphere of influence of various gangs in Vancouver a month ago, before the 'battle' of this Vancouver riot."
Everyone was a bit confused; these foreigners didn't quite understand what I meant.
“OK, or let’s just say it directly.” I pointed to a large black area in the lower left corner of the map: “Everyone should know this area. This place has many restaurants, nightclubs, and bars. It’s a very nice area… But before, this place belonged to our lovely brothers, Big Nguyen and Little Nguyen… Yes, this was originally Vietnamese territory.”
No one spoke. Everyone just looked at the map, and then at me.
Without making a sound, I casually tore off the black piece of paper from the map, took out a cigarette from my pocket, lit it, and simultaneously burned the large piece of black paper with a lighter before tossing it on the ground.
I gently exhaled a swirl of smoke and smiled faintly: "However, I think Mr. Ruan from our university no longer needs this territory, am I right?"
...
After a moment of silence, the Indian man spoke. India and the Vietnamese had a history of minor conflicts, and this Indian gang leader hesitated for a moment before slowly saying in extremely broken English, "You're right, but although the police are cracking down on the Vietnamese now, who knows if Da Nguyen will return after this period? You know, historically, the Vietnamese have suffered major setbacks, but they always managed to come back soon after."
I smiled, gently tapped my forehead, and said, "Oh. You're absolutely right, that is indeed something to worry about. But..."
I smiled broadly, giving him a deep look. "You must be Mr. Jaid, right? Thank you for reminding me. It was my mistake; there's something important I forgot to tell everyone here." I smiled calmly and composedly, and slowly said, "My dear Mr. Ruan and I met and had a thorough negotiation... and the result was that, at my urging, Mr. Ruan relinquished all his interests in Vancouver! In other words, we don't need to worry about Mr. Ruan and his men making a comeback in the future."
I paused for a moment, then looked at everyone and said, "If you don't believe me, I can let him tell you himself." I shouted, "Hammer, go and bring Mr. Ruan in."
Everyone was astonished by these words! Some couldn't help but whisper among themselves, especially two elderly members of the Chinese community, who had been the most bullied by the Vietnamese in the past. Hearing that Da Nguyen was actually with me, they turned pale! But what surprised most people was that Da Nguyen was wanted by the police, so how could he be hiding with me?!
A moment later, the tall and burly Hammer walked in from outside. This guy had a cold expression on his face and was carrying a tray with a red cloth on top and something covered underneath. He walked up to me expressionlessly and placed the tray on the table...
Many people paled! Because from the strong smell of blood, they had already guessed that there was probably nothing good in the dish!
Sure enough, I gently lifted the red cloth, revealing underneath a human head! Next to it was a dagger.
The head belonged to Da Ruan. His eyelids were drooping, his skull was covered in blood, and his hair was stuck together in clumps. The cut on his neck was a bloody mess!
Although the people present were all ruthless gang leaders accustomed to murder and arson, some of them still couldn't help but change color when they saw this thing! Especially after they clearly saw the face of the severed head, everyone looked at me as if I were a demon!
Of course, the Italian Albertoni was an exception.
Da Nguyen has been a ruthless and ruthless killer in Vancouver for twenty years, a powerful and arrogant figure! I bet half of you here have suffered at his hands! The Vietnamese are infamous… but today, my men have brought his head to the table!
Now at least everyone understands: the famous Da Ruan died at my hands!
My expression remained calm, even with a smile on my face. I gently picked up the dagger next to the severed head, brandished it in my hand, and then smiled and said, "I forgot to mention, my methods of persuading people are usually very effective! So, everyone can rest assured now, because Mr. Ruan has handed over everything to me, including his life. So, from now on, you don't need to worry about him coming back."
No one spoke! To be precise, everyone was now looking at me with a hint of awe in their eyes!
"In my opinion, there are nineteen gangs in Vancouver that can control their own territory and form their own power. Of course, this calculation excludes the low-level thugs who make a living on the streets. So, I used nineteen colors on this map to mark the territory of each organization." I deliberately sighed, "Unfortunately, I only managed to invite sixteen gentlemen to Eighth Master's funeral today. Perhaps because I don't have enough influence, three others couldn't grace us with their presence."
My invitation made it very clear that everyone who comes is a friend... If you don't come, then you're not a friend!
On this path, you're either a friend or an enemy!
I remained calm, without a trace of anger on my face. I casually plucked three colored pieces of paper from the map, tossed them on the ground, and sighed. "I think I'll take some time in the next couple of days to talk to these three gentlemen... Since they can't grace me with their presence, I'll have to pay them a visit myself..." I paused, then slowly and deliberately said with a smile, "Perhaps I'll be able to persuade them to give up these three territories as well. So... now, I think these three territories are without an owner."
I deliberately emphasized the word "persuade," and everyone present understood what I meant. Many of them couldn't help but feel a chill in their eyes!
No one doubts the validity of what I'm saying!
Even the tyrannical Da Ruan was taken down by me. What are these three guys compared to me?!
“Next up is dear Mr. Bill.” I sighed again. “I used to respect dear Mr. Bill quite a bit, because he was an old friend of Mr. Norton. But just now, as everyone saw, he didn’t give me face. I’m a person who always cares a lot about my reputation. If someone doesn’t give me face, then I have no choice but to not give them face in return. More importantly, some of his inappropriate words really hurt me… Alas, he actually called me a yellow monkey… God, I hate this kind of racism the most! Racism is not a good habit.”
Without making a sound, I removed the color representing Bill's territory from the map and said slowly, as if casually, "Some mistakes can be forgiven, but some mistakes must be punished."
I casually tossed the paper on the ground and smiled at everyone. I said softly, "Don't worry, everyone, I'll have a good talk with Mr. Bill. If he refuses, then I'll have to 'persuade' him."
Someone seemed to want to speak, but looking at the dagger in my hand, they swallowed hard and ultimately remained silent.
“In this world, where there’s land, there must be people.” I spread my hands and shrugged. “Let me do the math. Well, excluding the three gentlemen who weren’t invited today, plus the Vietnamese guy, and dear Bill, we now have at least four vacant lots. I hate wasting things the most… these four lots, leaving them empty like this isn’t a good habit, is it?”
My words filled everyone's eyes with anticipation!
“Since Mr. Ruan has given me his territory, I suppose I have the right to do as I please, right?” I smiled, my gaze sweeping over the faces of the crowd before settling on the Italian: “Dear Mr. Albertoni, I’ve always felt that the St. Louis neighborhood is too small. I think there are a few good construction companies on Strasbourg Street near St. Louis… I know that building materials can be a profitable business, and I don’t think you’ll refuse, will you? Anyway, Mr. Ruan no longer needs this street, right?”
As I spoke, to the delighted look of the Italians, I quickly added a touch of green to the map, a color that belonged to the Italians.
“Mr. Jaid,” I turned to the Indian man, “the two blocks in Area C originally belonged to that guy Locke, but since he didn’t attend our meeting today, and as I said I would go and talk to him… So, I think you wouldn’t mind taking over a part of his territory, would you? Hmm, there are two pretty good parking lots in this area, both profitable businesses.”
Seeing the Indians' cheerful smiles, I drew a line on the map.
...
…………
The spoils-sharing meeting was nearing its end, and everyone else had received a large slice of the map. Only then did my gaze fall upon the two elderly members of the Hua Gang, who were already showing signs of impatience.
I paused for a moment, then glanced at the two elderly members of the Chinese gang, my expression becoming slightly more polite. One of them, surnamed He, known as Uncle He, was the leader of the most powerful gang among all the large and small Chinese gangs in Chinatown. This was the third time I had seen him; the last time was at the police station.
I first met him when I was fighting Sha Hu, who was known as the number one expert in the Hua Gang.
“Uncle He, the territory left by Mr. Bill is right next to Chinatown. I’m afraid I don’t have the energy to take over that area, so…” I smiled slightly and added a blue line to the map. Blue represents the Chinese community on the map.
“Uncle He, this blue area represents the various Chinese gangs in Chinatown. I know that there are many gangs within the Chinese gangs, so I haven’t broken them down into individual subgroups. As the Chinese gangs are a separate entity, it’s not appropriate for an outsider like me to interfere with how to subdivide this new territory. Uncle He, you should discuss and decide on your own behind closed doors.”
My words already gave the Chinese community enough face. The highest-ranking person in the Chinese community is Uncle He in front of me. By saying that I wouldn't interfere and would let them discuss it themselves, I was actually implying to him that I was willing to support Uncle He in bringing together all the large and small Chinese communities in Chinatown.
Discussing behind closed doors? This Uncle He's influence is the strongest in the Chinese gang. So-called discussion is tantamount to me tacitly agreeing that he can get the biggest share! Why would he be unhappy?
Moreover, just because Bill and I turned against each other today, I'm definitely going to deal with that arrogant white man! I'm the one who conquered this territory, and now I'm just handing it over to the Chinese gang for free. They won't refuse such a good deal.
Everyone got a satisfactory result, receiving a large piece on the map. Of course, I was the biggest winner.
Because the Big Circle will be taking over most of the Vietnamese territory. Although I gave up a few blocks to these people in order to gain their support, at the same time, with their tacit approval, I can deal with the three gangs that didn't attend the invitation today, as well as Bill.
The Italians were indeed greedy; they had already received a new piece of territory, doubling their previous size! But they were still not satisfied, and suddenly chuckled, "Mr. Chen Yang, besides Bill, what about those who left earlier... what about them?"
Damn! This guy, do you want me to wipe out all those gangs? That's way too greedy!
That's a stupid thing to do. Even if I had the power, I wouldn't do it! Killing so many people and wiping out so many gangs would cause a huge commotion! Would I want Vancouver to descend into chaos again? If that happened, Doug would probably be the first to come after me with a large police force!
I smiled and lightly licked my lips: "Mr. Albertoni, as I just said, some mistakes must be punished... but some mistakes can be forgiven. I think mistakes made in the heat of the moment can be forgiven as long as they can be remedied afterwards. What do you think? The key is whether they choose to be my friends or my enemies."
Holding the dagger in one hand behind my back, I slowly walked to the table, circled it, and approached the Italian man. I gently patted him on the shoulder and took a deep breath.
"Those who are my friends will all live well!" I smiled at everyone present, then my gaze shifted to the table, where Da Ruan's head lay! My tone changed, becoming chilling: "...And those who were my enemies have already paid the price!"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Sixty-Eight: Fifth Master
According to media reports, after receiving a tip, the police conducted a raid and located the wanted third-in-command of the Vietnamese gang, Nguyen, at a motel on Highway 6 northeast of Vancouver. In the ensuing firefight, Nguyen and his three armed henchmen were all killed. During the gunfight, an explosion occurred, reducing one-third of the motel's main building to rubble, and Nguyen and his three armed henchmen also perished.