Conspiracy

  Japan, Tokyo.

  On the top floor of a newly built five-star hotel near Tokyo Bay, Chekhov was wearing a triangular pants, lounging on the balcony looking at the scenery, muttering to himself: "Damn, the chicks here are really enjoyable."

  Three white, fleshy bodies lay sprawled on the carpet in the room. Chekhov turned his head to take a look and hummed with satisfaction: "Damn it, my abilities aren't bad at all! Although I took two pills, my body is still pretty good. Why does the boss always say that my body is no good?"

  The door of the outer room was gently pushed open, Chekhov quickly walked out, took out a crumpled stack of banknotes from his own trousers and handed them to the sneaky waiter who had slipped in, saying: "You've found a good girl, I'll change to a new one tonight... Hehe, you take care of it."

  The fairly handsome waiter hastily stuffed the banknotes into his pocket, muttered a few words, and quickly closed the door. He pulled out a bunch of short strips from his pocket and handed them to Chekhov.

  Chekhov hastily took over, gritting his teeth slightly at the waiter and said: "You remember this, the hemp you gave me yesterday was not pure, if this batch is still like that, I won't give you a tip, got it?"

  The waiter hastily said: "Sir, sorry, but the big brothers here only sell this kind of goods, and we can't get good ones either. This, we don't quite understand, what makes a good hemp?" He asked Chikov with some hesitation.

  "Alright, alright, get these three girls out of here... Something is better than nothing, even if they're inferior goods... In Europe I can find a better commodity from any small peddler than what you had yesterday... Is there anything good in Japan besides the girls?"

  The waiter nodded hastily and said: "Yes, yes, sir, I'll take them away immediately... Actually, we have a lot of good things here."

  Chekhov said disdainfully: "No matter how many good things you have, I'm not interested. I only like wine, marijuana, women and money... I'm not interested in anything else, so don't introduce your pride to me... Tell you what, give me the best wine, the best marijuana, the best woman, and my money is yours, got it?"

  Chekhov rarely let himself be triumphant outside, and he smiled a little complacently.

  Early in the morning, Yichun rushed out of the training room. Recently, his progress has been good, and he feels that his power has made great strides. Although in the eyes of those hundred-year-old cultivators, he is still a bit tender, Yichun is confident that in this mortal world, there are few people who can be his opponent, of course, excluding the Dark Council and the Temple's people.

  Seated at the head of the table, Yi Chen ordered: "Gole, provide me with all the information on recent arms deals in and out of London through underground channels. Tell those managers that they have been neglecting their duties for too long. Give them three days to deliver detailed intelligence, otherwise we will cut off contact with them. They have benefited enough."

  Ge Er nodded silently and first put a plate of fried eggs in front of Yi Chen, then sat down and tied his napkin.

  Yi Chen cut a small piece of fried egg with his dinner knife and elegantly sent it into his mouth, suddenly asking: "Kain, how's the thing you've been in contact with? Fabio is still waiting anxiously in Rome, he can't wait for us to give him some definite good news."

  Cain swallowed a steak, nodded and said: "No problem, boss, Vicente has promised to give us priority in issuing licenses. I gave him one million US dollars, this damn bloodsucker... But our manpower is not enough to form a large security company... There are also problems with funding, Fabio's money is just enough to buy land and build the first phase of the project."

  "Eh, funds? Take a look at The Times, its headline reads: 'A Weeping England.' The proud British Empire has lost over $10 billion this time, and at least half of it has gone into the pockets of the Fatadios. Our funds are incredibly rich, Mr. Kane."

  "Got it, boss," Kane said with a nod.

  Yi Chen revealed a strange smile: "Since you were once the leader of the 'Black Magic' unit, then you should be familiar with people from other special forces units, right? Hmm? Those retired veterans must not be idle... German soldiers are reliable and loyal, I appreciate them."

  Cain said quietly: "The price is very high."

  Yi Chen picked up a small sausage and said: "High investment yields high returns, Mr. Cain, those who are petty-minded will never achieve great things."

  Kane nodded: "I can try, probably can get about two hundred people... Two hundred people, boss."

  Yi Chen said in a low voice: "That's enough, two hundred special soldiers, plus your 'Black Magic', we can swallow the entire London underworld."

  Jie Si Te quickly raised his head: "Boss, you mean..."

  Yi Chen gave him a sideways glance: "I didn't say anything, Jester, I didn't say anything... If the Yamaguchi-gumi wants to open a branch in London, then let them. They'll need a lot of firearms, and we can provide them with that. We can even give them an 80% discount. Our old friends will be happy to make this big deal happen. Anyway, their guns are almost rusty."

  "Fiona furrowed her brow: 'Boss, what are you trying to do?'"

  Yi Chen smiled: "Baby, it's just a game... Wow, this is a win-win situation."

  Ferris carefully calculated, using a dinner knife to gesture as she said: "Let me think... First, let the Yamaguchi-gumi and the London City gangsters fight each other; second, let's occupy more territory; third..."

  Cain said coldly: "Third, David's cheap."

  Yi Chen smiled: "Yes, sometimes bastards are useful. At least we don't have to take matters into our own hands against those people we need to deal with."

  On a rainy night, the wind howled and blew past, and the stone road was slippery.

  Four men wearing black windbreakers swiftly made their way through the dimly lit streets, carefully observing their surroundings. Even the sound of running water in the river along the road would make them cautiously stop and take a careful look around.

  Venice, the world-famous water city, exudes its unique charm at night. However, these four men were clearly not here for sightseeing. They sneaked through the square in front of City Hall, approached a small alley, cautiously looked around again, and quickly darted inside, hiding in the shadows by the roadside.

  Time passed minute by minute, and several drunken men walked out of a bar tens of meters away, singing softly as they left. The four men waited for another four or five minutes until there were no more customers in the bar before walking over with big strides.

  The bartender, a middle-aged man with a thick beard and a large build, but blind in one eye, was vigorously wiping down a glass and said faintly, "We're closing up shop, it's been a terrible day."

  The man in front shook his windbreaker, letting the water droplets splash onto the ground, staring at the boss with a strange tone and said: "One cup, just one cup is enough... We only need one cup."

  The boss stopped wiping the wine glass, looked at the four men and hummed: "Close the door, pull down the rolling shutter, take off your windbreakers, Japanese?"

  Four men did as they were told, the man who had just spoken took off his windbreaker, revealing a typical Asian face, with a lean face and two thin lips that spat out a few words: "How do you know?"

  The boss bluntly said: "Only Japanese people can speak English with such a strange accent... What kind of wine are you drinking? First-class or second-class?"

  The man walked up to the counter and said in a low voice: "Special treatment."

  The boss looked at him and shook his head saying: "You're kidding."

  The man licked his lips: "Top-notch, and they're willing to pay. No joke, our boss is offering a billion US dollars."

  The boss stopped what he was doing, picked up a bottle of Cognac, poured him a cup, and looked at him carefully, saying: "Are you serious? Want them to take action?"

  The man nodded: "Yes, they... I heard that they have never failed? No matter how difficult the task is, they always complete it smoothly?"

  The boss hummed a few times: "What's the task? Who are you people?"

  The man laughed: "We'll tell you about the task, but there's no need to ask about our identities, is there?"

  The boss shook his head and said, "At least tell me, what makes you guarantee that you can pay one hundred million US dollars. If the thing is done and you don't pay the bill, I'll be in trouble."

  The man thought for a moment, then looked up and said: "Our boss said that we can prepay one hundred million US dollars into their account. If they fail, we believe in their credit and return the money to us."

  The boss smiled: "You're really generous, but I like this kind of generosity... They've never lost their grip... What kind of mission is it?"

  The man leaned in close to the boss's ear and said in a low, insect-like voice: "Take out Yamaguchi-gumi's top dog, Yamaguchi Ki."

  The boss furrowed his brow tightly and stared at the man with a dead gaze.

  The man hastily said: "Do you find it too difficult?"

  The boss shook his head and said seriously: "I don't trust you."

  "The man hastily asked: 'Why?'"

  The boss hummed, continuing to wipe down the already very clean wine glass, saying in a low voice: "The leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi is not worth this price. You're telling lies, the top-grade wine here is already one of the best in the world... killing someone, hmm... why would they need to take action? They are the strongest killer organization in the underground world..."

  The man explained, "We're paying such a high price, naturally we have our reasons... Trust us, things aren't easy. If we hadn't heard that they'd accomplished several unbelievable feats, we wouldn't have looked for you."

  "Alright, alright. If things go well, I'll benefit too... It's been almost half a year since they've had an interesting task report from me, and if I delay any further, I'll be in trouble... You transfer the money to the bank account I specify, and then I'll submit the task... If they don't agree, I'll return 95% of your money."

  "The man's eyes widened: 'If you don't do anything, we'll just swallow 5 million in vain?'"

  The boss said carelessly: "This is the rule, and I, Vis, have my reputation. Humph, if you don't want to, then forget it."

  The man gritted his teeth and nodded: "Account...the money will be transferred within three days."

  The boss smiled: "Good... Note, do not try to find out who they are and where they are by any means. I have served them for four years, always unclear about their background, so I live well... You don't want to become a dead man, do you?"

  The man shook his head and didn't touch the cup of wine, quickly leading the three people out.

  The boss leaned his elbows on the counter, nodded and said in a low voice: "Japan? The leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi? This should be an interesting task. But they've said before that they won't take on tasks that involve killing people... Still, it's something with some degree of difficulty. It's interesting, I suppose. He didn't specify a deadline, so that means it's an open-ended task."

  He walked to the door with a swaying motion, pulled down the rolling shutter with one hand and muttered: "What terrible weather."

  Three days later, after breakfast, Phil drove to the vicinity of the Tower of London. A man in a raincoat and top hat darted into the car and said in a low voice, "Good heavens, must we meet face-to-face? The risk is too great."

  "Risk? The boss never does anything risky. He's asked you to go, so there must be a reason. Congratulations, Mr. David."

  "Congratulations to me? Oh God, I'm on edge every day now, you know? Your boss, he... oh God, why did I offend him?"

  Phil flashed a 'simple' smile: "Mr. David, this is fate, you and our boss have fate."

  One sentence made David's complaints get stuck in his throat, and he couldn't stop coughing.

  Phil said faintly, "What means of communication do you think is safe now? Phone? Email? Aren't you cooperating with the Americans to set up a monitoring center that claims to be able to monitor 90% of the world's phone communications? The boss won't be at ease."

  David shook his head and sighed.

  Yi Chen sat at the dinner table, quietly savoring the freshly brewed beer that was still slightly warm from the kettle, and said with a smack of his lips: "Mr. David, you can try this, it's really good."

  David looked at Yidun with a bitter expression, shaking his head and saying: "Mr. Yi, what are your orders? Please hurry up, we have an important meeting this afternoon, the new boss is taking office, and we must all be present."

  Yi Chen said bluntly: "You can make a call now and say you're sick."

  "Good God, I was just in the office yesterday."

  Yi Chen said indifferently: "Well, just find an excuse then. I need to discuss some issues with you."

  David slowly pulled out his phone and dialed the number: "Hello, Biffert. Oh God, I got soaked on my way home yesterday, can you please give me a sick leave?... Yeah, I'll explain it to the new boss later... I think he'll understand."

  Yi Chen slid a few printed papers across the dinner table, smiling and saying: "Mr. David, this is a detailed list of all arms transactions in London for the next month. Look, there's time, place, transaction parties, amount, specific arms list, isn't it wonderful information? My subordinates paid the price of seventeen ribs to get these little treasures."

  David was taken aback: "Seventeen ribs?"

  Yi Chen took a sip of beer and nodded: "Yes, they broke seventeen ribs for that poor guy before he confessed to these things."

  David's eyebrows twitched slightly as he muttered under his breath: "Oh God, another violent interrogation."

  Yi Chen smiled: "It can't be denied that violence often brings good results... Hmm, I'll pick some easy targets from inside and have you lead the team to capture them. Those top-secret documents, I've specially prepared a file box for them, they're all safely stored inside. You can bring it along when the time comes, of course, the files are incomplete, just some relatively unimportant ones, but enough to make your new boss value your discovery."

  David looked at the dense handwriting on the list and exclaimed in a low voice: "My God, are there so many arms deals?"

  "Obviously, some of your colleagues are not earning their pay. My subordinates far surpass official personnel in the ability to obtain certain information... I am considering that if I ever change professions, I can apply to join the British MI6."

  David ignored Yichen's sarcasm, his words dripping with excitement: "Ah, yes, your idea is simply wonderful. What's the specific plan of action?"

  Yi Chen walked up to him, pointing at the top row of characters on the printout and said: "Japan's Yamaguchi-gumi, they're planning to open a branch in London, preparing to purchase large quantities of firearms... Hmm, take a look, enough to arm two companies. If these firearms fall into Japanese hands... David, think about it, when British bosses fight for territory, because they are British citizens, they won't go crazy. But what about the Japanese? This isn't their land, and the British people aren't their compatriots... You consider it yourself."

  Jester chimed in, adding fuel to the fire: "It seems that the Japanese don't have a strong presence in London yet, so they should be easy to handle. They can't have more than a hundred people? David, take a look at the other files - the Italian Mafia, Russian families, Middle Eastern guerrillas... none of them are to be trifled with. Why risk too much for just a little credit?"

  David nodded in agreement with Yichen and Jester's statement.

  "See David off, Yi Chen smiled and said: 'I hope he can still make it to welcome his new boss while being ill... Hmm, Cain, have the letters been sent to those bosses?'"

  Cain nodded: "We've let those little hoodlums inform the bosses that the Japanese are setting up their own organization in London, and we've told them about the Yamaguchi-gumi's delivery time and place. I think they won't miss this opportunity."

  Yi Chen said with a hint of dissatisfaction: "They're really quite righteous, aren't they? They've got wind of it and didn't even notify me. Looks like they want to swallow that batch of military supplies whole. Let them be, we'll just sit on the sidelines and watch the excitement. It's much more relaxing than participating in the show ourselves."

  Phil walked in, holding a small piece of paper and handed it to Yichen, saying: "Boss, this was sent by Manager Weiss from Venice, the target is the leader of the Shan Kou group, unlimited mission, price one billion US dollars."