Chapter 28: Linked Transactions

  The ultimate state of being a line person is to put the boss's interests first, one's own interests second, or even third or fourth! Hu De Cai deeply understands this truth. In the muddy pit of Zhonghai, he has to be clear about every nook and cranny, who can cheat whom and who cannot, which ones are easy to deceive and which ones are easy to coax, all have to be kept in mind.

  Just like those guys at the Emperor Hotel, they look like big shots, and you can tell they're not good people! A lot has happened in Zhonghai recently, and "Tian Di Tong"'s business suddenly became busy. These people are generous with their spending, and the Emperor's one move is 30 million!

  Three million is nothing! If it's in US dollars, I'll have to think carefully about it! Hu De Cai's cunning eyes stared at the emerald card, which had a payment limit of 100 million inside. In his "domineering" twenty years, he had seen more money than this, but the amount he got was countable on one hand!

  So he's a bit heartbroken!

  "Brother, this business is still worth doing!" Hu De's lewd old face smiled: "Perhaps after this job is done, you can lie in the money and retire, return to Sichuan, go to Hunan, and also fall back to your roots?"

  Yu Bo's face twitched a few times, his facial nerves were very fragile and couldn't resist the 'temptation'.

  "Hehe! I don't know if he'll be able to enjoy it or not!" The Purple Gold Card, just the name sounds like something precious and rare, without any clues, how can we find it? This isn't the most important thing, what's important is that crazy guy has gone to "Tian Ze Garden" to collect rent, hopefully he won't stir up some big trouble!

  "What's it like after three days?" Hu De Cai asked with a look of anticipation.

  Grass! You think you can go to the bank and get a VIP card? That takes at least a week! The mute old man shook his head with a bitter face: "You can try it yourself!"

  It's still the same approach, Hu De Cai is not stingy at all, and all the big and small informants that Zhong Hai can contact have dealings with him. In fact, being an informant should be considered "public relations". No matter where the information comes from or whether the channel is legal or not, I want results!

  "How long does your brother think is good?"

  "It's been a week! How is it?" Ah-yin thought for a moment, tomorrow he would go to the Emperor Hotel to 'feel out' the situation. Regardless of whether Tian Di Tong's words were true or false, he had to investigate what kind of power was behind the people coming to the Emperor Hotel. Otherwise, during the Chongyang Festival, he wouldn't be able to rest easy!

  A week's time is enough, with that madman's style of doing things, I estimate it can be figured out by tomorrow, but we need to be more careful.

  "Hu Decai gritted his teeth and seemed to have made a great effort to make up his mind: "Alright! I'll give you ten days, how's that? Isn't it generous enough?"

  "Old Hu, to be honest with you, if Qi didn't get into this mess, he would have been the best candidate! But look at him now, it's a blessing that he's still alive!" Dumb Old Man clapped his hands and looked at Qi Huan coldly, this guy is really a despicable person!

  "This I don't care about, keep the jade card well, this is our boss's token, pay first and then do things, meet here again in ten days, brother must seize the opportunity!" Hu Decai smiled slyly: "Ghost Thief Mr., am I going with you or walking alone?"

  Zhi Hao's eyes stared straight at Yu Bo, with a fierce glint in them.

  "Haha! One million to buy a useless piece, and it's still so stubborn?" Hu Decai glared at Qi Huan, looking at his two limp wrists, picked up the plate with ears from the table and stuffed it into his arms: "First, go to the hospital..."

  The night is deep, the autumn wind is strong. Shen Qingyang looked out of the car window and couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. How many nights like this had his brothers endured? The sound of AK47s still echoed in his ears, the rumble of machine guns still lingered in the night sky. Why had he left them to come to this city of desire? Lighting a cigarette, gazing up at the starry sky, the African jungle's sky was deeper, wider and more beautiful than here!

  Zhi Hao's sneaking away with his own green card was not accidental, and even before he got off the plane, everything here had already been arranged, waiting for him to take the bait! They didn't expect that the one who fell into the trap wasn't a pig, but a fierce beast!

  Is a green card important? That's one's own life! It's not just an ordinary graduation certificate, the encrypted information on it may not be understandable to anyone, but sooner or later someone will decipher it, and that's also when one says goodbye to this world! A piece of paper, no matter how valuable, is thinner than a life, but damn it, my life is even thinner than paper!

  Shen Qingyang clenched his teeth tightly, this was also his signature move, representing hatred!

  The car door opened and a hunched figure slipped in.

  "Aren't you going to collect rent?" Yu Bo calmly sat in the passenger seat.

  Get out of here! So many wolves are guarding the Tianze Garden, sending me to death? But one day they will personally return what belongs to me!

  "Haha! Gotcha! Thought I was Qi Huang?!" Shen Qingyang punched the steering wheel: "What's the plan for tomorrow?"

  "Are you still going with me?"

  "Why don't you go? My things are still in their hands!"

  Yu Bo nodded: "Let's go, you drive!"

  "I don't know the way!"

  "Go ahead!"

  “……”

  It's impossible to get lost even if you wander around! The taxi drove past a curve and turned onto Cao Shi Zheng Street. Now there are many fewer people on the street, it's late at night, everyone is exhausted, those who need to go home have gone home, even the street girls have finished work.

  Passing by the Tianze Garden Hotel, this huge guy stood like a monster in the small square in front of it. The luxury cars were nowhere to be seen, and there were only two or three security guards at the entrance who were strolling around.

  "What's going on?" Shen Qingyang turned his head to look at the back of the hotel, which was pitch black. Their plan had fallen through, and they had lost one of their generals - Gui Tou Qi! Now it was almost certain that Qi Huan was in cahoots with the "Tian Ze Garden" faction.

  "Hehe! I've only told you a small part of the situation in the Mediterranean, it's too complicated, can't be fully understood! Let's just take the small road." Dumbel leaned back in his chair and looked at the street ahead.

  The streets were cold and deserted, with only a few people darting back and forth from time to time, limping and staggering, probably the 'mix' of the grass market.

  "Are you worried they will set up roadblocks?"

  "Hmm! Not just that, you and I might die without a place to rest our bodies!"

  All these Shen Qingyang have thought about and prepared for. Now returning to the Zhonghai is not a wise move, but after coming out of "Yishuizhai" I promised Xinger to return before dawn, can't go back on my word, especially to a 'woman'!

  "If they set up a checkpoint, taking the side roads won't work and will be even more dangerous!" Now all that's left to do is buckle up, step on the gas pedal instead of the brake! The car whizzes forward with a burst of "dark" wind, tires smoking on the ground. Whatever checkpoints are waiting in ambush, we'll deal with them when we get home.

  Shen Qingyang drives without any technical skill, not dodging or evading, and just charges forward no matter what bumps or potholes are in the way. When he sees a curve, he also charges forward, and basically the car is ruined! However, Shen Qingyang seems to be enjoying himself, this madman, you don't care about your own life, let alone others'.

  "Is the 'refined' slaughter not enough?" Ah Bao didn't see the final shot, he ran up to the upper viewing platform to clean up after the security guard and only discovered that Shen Qingyang was gone after he finished work. He wanted to go back and look for him, but instead bumped into that guy with a scar on his left eyebrow, who was wearing mourning attire and chasing Ah Bao with a fierce expression. The outcome was simple: Ah Bao ran faster than the guy!

  "Not 'brilliant' at all! The opponent is just a dog - no suspense at all!" Shen Qingyang patted the steering wheel, and the car bounced up and continued to speed away.

  "How did Qi Hua get caught?"

  "He's just that dog!" Shen Qingyang sneered, and this remark was a bit hurtful.

  Shen Qingyang was deep in thought, pondering a question: why did Qi Hao appear with that mastiff?

  "What kind of dog?" Yu Bo asked cautiously.

  "Black dog!"

  Yuba's eyes bulged out with a fierce aura, his old face buried in his clothes, staring at the front windshield: "I heard the audience shouting something about Mandrake Beast?"

  "Yes, Mandorla Beast! I don't understand either."

  "Haha! Little brother, this is easy to explain!" Yu Bo patted Shen Qingyang's knee: "Slow down a bit, it's Zhonghai City up ahead, they don't have any checkpoints!"

  Shen Qingyang's foot left the accelerator, and the car sped quickly along the asphalt road.

  "What's going on?"

  "Mandala, do you know what it is?"

  Shen Qingyang nodded, Mandrake was the "dog walnut" in his old home, also known as "intoxicating flower", a kind of medicinal material. Shen Qingyang was of course very familiar with this thing, there were many in the African jungle, highly toxic.

  "A certain amount of mandrake powder can cause hallucinations!" Yuba lit a cigarette: "Qi Huan stole your things, probably used this 'medicine'!"

  Damn! Shen Qingyang suddenly slammed his hands on the steering wheel, and the car drifted for several meters before stopping in the middle of the street. Qi Huan had no reason to appear at the Paradise Club, but because of some means, he was favored by the boss behind the scenes and ended up there, which could also explain why he was with that Tibetan Mastiff!

  In normal circumstances, the dog would continuously attack its prey and it's impossible for it to appear sluggish. It was precisely because Qi Huan didn't know how much of the "medicine" to give the dog that this fatal mistake occurred. So... haha! Saying he has a dog brain is not wrong at all!

  "Who is his backer? Which one of the four?" Shen Qingyang asked with a frown. This question wasn't important, but what was important was that his own things were in the hands of the killer at the Emperor Hotel, and he thought of another connection - who exactly was the precious 'woman' who gave him the "White Gold Card"?

  "This isn't very clear, the social relationships in the Mediterranean are quite complex. To be able to invite a ghost thief like Qi to come up with such a despicable plan, I estimate that person is not someone good! By the way, how's that mastiff?"

  "Fierce, but brainless!" Shen Qingyang burst out laughing and the car slid into a beautiful arc, driving into Xiaosi Street. In front of the dilapidated house where Banji lived, Shen Qingyang stopped the car and looked inside.

  "Yu Bo, he's injured, if you can take him to the hospital, go ahead and send him there, I'll return to Yi Shui Zhai."

  Yu Bo nodded, the car left the alley and walked in the dark. It was already past two o'clock in the morning, and there were basically no people on the main street. The Tianze Garden Hotel across the street was also unusually deserted, with only a few figures visible. A sly smile emerged from the alley, carefully making its way through the darkness of the night.

  I dare not come and go freely anymore, I offended too many people tonight, and they were all ruthless!

  The lights inside the "Yi Shui Zhai" restaurant were still on, and the warm orange light penetrated through the frosted glass, exuding a sense of cozy happiness. Shen Qingyang quickly approached and pushed open the door, just as Xiang'er was reading a book, and let out a startled cry when she heard the sound of the door, before quickly standing up: "Brother!"

  Big Brother, eliminate all evil thoughts!

  Shen Qingyang yawned, locked the door tightly. The two pieces of flesh on his face twitched, took off his coat, and Xiang'er quickly took it over and hung it on the clothes rack: "Brother, where are you going?"

  "Haha, never mind, the old man asked me to take a walk!"

  Still wandering around? It's already midnight! What are two men doing sneaking around? I reckon they've gone to the haunted Ghost Market. Xiang'er's face turned red, she brought over a basin of foot-washing water and bent down to put it on the ground, revealing a white gold crucifix necklace on her slender neck.

  Shen Qingyang's heart warmed up, what a good 'woman'! The women I met in heaven tonight are simply nothing compared to Xiang'er, except for that treasure of a 'woman'!

  "Xin'er, don't bother, go to sleep——" Shen Qingyang felt a bit awkward, suddenly remembering Banji's words. What was under the girl's bed? But how could he say that now in this dark and chaotic situation?! Forget it, he'd talk about it tomorrow, lest the girl become suspicious.

  "Come, brother, I'll wash your feet!" Xiang'er girl took a small stool and sat in front of the foot basin, her slender white hands smoothed out her hair, and a pair of white gold earrings the size of fingernails appeared on her delicate earlobes.

  Shen Qingyang really can't take it anymore! How is that possible? It's absolutely impossible! Let a girl wash her own feet? When did she become a goddess? At most, she's just a... vagabond!

  "What are you afraid of? I always wash Father's feet like this!" Xiang Er's eyes were very pure, very black, pitch black!

  It's rare to see girls like this nowadays - not that I'm a country bumpkin - but from their eyes, you can tell they have a 'woman's heart'. Modern girls have very dark eyebrows - fake! Their eyeliner is also very dark - fake too! Those with bright and shiny eyes mostly wear contact lenses. Even if their eyes are naturally this dark, it's not pure, and the white of their eyes is more black than white. They look at people sideways, thinking they're angels with wings, but in reality, they're like moths, pretending to be silly and innocent when they've actually been corrupted by society long ago.

  Shen Qingyang has seen countless people. When he was in Africa, he didn't see few women, and he saw beautiful women too, but they all had dark skin and most of them looked very confused, which is related to their living environment and cultural cultivation. Shen Qingyang's wife Xiang'er can read books... I, Shen Qingyang, haven't married a daughter-in-law yet, the organization doesn't allow it, reality doesn't permit it!