Madman!

Chapter 133: Playing with Fire

"Is Ah Jun really high up in Hetu? Is he really that impressive?" Chen Wuhong couldn't contain his excitement, peppering the two lackeys with questions as they walked.

"Brother Jun is definitely impressive! At Master Xin's funeral, he was listed fifth on the funeral committee — right behind the Hall Masters. Meaning, below the Hall Masters, nobody outranks Brother Jun." The lackey spoke with unmistakable pride.

After all, the higher Chen Wujun climbed and the more impressive he became, the more they rose along with him.

What was the most important thing when you ran with a gang?

Following the right boss!

If your boss was a pushover who got humiliated everywhere he went, his lackeys had no face either.

When the boss was impressive, his men got to be impressive too.

For people like them, only three things mattered: money, status, and face.

Chen Wuhong was delighted by everything he heard. He kept asking questions the whole way — until they stopped in front of a gambling den. His expression shifted instantly. He grabbed the two lackeys and felt his stomach drop.

"Hey — why'd you bring me here?""Brother Jun's waiting for you inside." One of the lackeys turned to look at him, confused.

"Why would Ah Jun be waiting for me at a gambling den?" Chen Wuhong became increasingly convinced these two were setting him up — definitely on his brother's orders.

"This gambling den belongs to Brother Jun." The lackey explained.

"The den is Ah Jun's?" Chen Wuhong was thunderstruck. His little brother ran a gambling den?

"Not just this one either — he's got several more. Brother Hong, Brother Jun is waiting inside."

"You're really not tricking me?" Chen Wuhong was first indignant — his brother forbade him from gambling while running multiple dens himself! — and then skeptical.

"We're not tricking you. Just go in and see for yourself."

"Just so we're clear — I'm not going in there to gamble! You told me Ah Jun is inside waiting for me." Chen Wuhong announced loudly.

Only then did he enter the gambling den, still half-suspicious.

The familiar haze of cigarette smoke, the familiar clamor and noise, the clacking of Pai Gow tiles — it all sent a jolt of energy through him. He glanced left and right as he followed the lackey through to a back room.

Inside, Chen Wujun was addressing two tall, powerfully built young men: "Ou Jingtang. Wang Sen. You'll start by working under Ah Fei for now. I don't care about seniority — only ability."

"Brother Fei." The two men hastily greeted Ah Fei.

Since putting out the word that he was recruiting, Chen Wujun had attracted a number of people in just a few days.

Some were ordinary lackeys; others were New Arts martial artists poached from various schools.

But between the previous batch — Mantis and his group — and now Ou Jingtang and Wang Sen, the martial arts schools were all but picked clean.

The schools only produced so many students each year, and other gangs were also eyeing the same pool. Anyone who'd shown talent and strength had already been snatched up.

"Brother Jun, Brother Hong is here."

"Everyone else, out."

Chen Wuhong was escorted into the room. Seeing Chen Wujun sitting on the sofa like a warlord on his throne, he pointed at his brother in disbelief: "Ah Jun, you're actually running a gambling den..."

Somehow, this shocked him even more than learning his brother was a Hetu boss.

But Chen Wujun sat there radiating an aura so fierce it was frightening — completely different from the person he was at home. Chen Wuhong's voice trailed off involuntarily.

"It's a company operation. And I run dens — meaning I make money from them. You gambled in dens — meaning you lost money in them." Chen Wujun didn't even look up. He picked up a soda bottle and took two swigs.

"I'll be having a word with every gambling den on Hetu territory... If you gamble, someone will tell me. You know what happens then."

"As for Lidong's dens... I've got no shortage of enemies in Lidong. If you're not afraid of dying, go right ahead. Getting hacked to death would save me the trouble of throwing you off a building myself. At least I wouldn't have to carry the stigma of killing my own brother."

"I already swore an oath! I definitely won't gamble. I'm just shocked you'd run a gambling den." Chen Wuhong said sheepishly, then asked: "So what do you want me to do?"

Chen Wujun stood and headed for the exit. Chen Wuhong scrambled to follow.

Outside the gambling den, Fa Zai was already waiting with Mantis, Ah Yong, and seven or eight other lackeys, falling in behind Chen Wujun the moment he appeared.

Chen Wuhong stuck close to Chen Wujun's side. Seeing the entourage trailing behind them, he immediately felt important himself, his back straightening noticeably.

The group made their way to the arcade on Lung Kong Road. Inside, the din of voices and electronic sounds was deafening.

Even on a weekday, the place was packed shoulder to shoulder.

"Brother Jun!" Two lackeys rushed out to meet him.

"Show him the ropes. He'll be working here with you from now on." Chen Wujun glanced at Chen Wuhong.

"Got it, Brother Jun." The two lackeys were curious about who Chen Wuhong was.

But studying him more closely, they noticed a facial resemblance to Chen Wujun, though the presence couldn't have been more different.

They immediately had a good guess.

"Keep an eye on him. If he stirs up any trouble, you tell me. If he causes problems and you don't report it, I won't let it slide." Chen Wujun added.

"Don't worry, Brother Jun. We'll keep a close watch on him." The two lackeys snapped to attention.

Chen Wujun had killed Yu Wei, Gao Fei, and Li Zhijun. His fearsome reputation in the Walled City was well established.

The lackeys wouldn't dare be careless.

"This is my arcade. You work here from now on. Do well, and I'll give you something bigger." Chen Wujun turned to Chen Wuhong.

Truthfully, he cared very little about his eldest brother. As long as the man didn't gamble, that was enough.

But he'd give him something to look forward to.

After wrapping things up, Chen Wujun was about to leave when his phone rang.

"Shark Jiu!" Chen Wujun answered while walking.

"The pricing came back on those diamonds and jewelry. The diamonds are worth about 4.6 million — eighty percent comes to 3.68 million. The gemstone jewelry is worth about 6.2 million — fifty percent is 3.1 million."

"Works for me. Let's go with those numbers." Chen Wujun smiled.

"Good. I'll collect them tomorrow."

He hung up, spirits soaring.

After offloading the diamonds and jewelry, that was... 6.78 million! His math was excellent.

His two senior brothers' welcoming gift had certainly been generous.

Paying out cash and taking the blame for black marks — now that was true brotherhood.

This trip to West Embankment had netted 17.5 million from Nguyen Minh Kim, with 1.4 million distributed among his men.

On top of that, the cash found in Nguyen Phuc Hung's bar plus the cash from Nguyen Minh Kim's villa added up to over a million more.

Combined with the 6.78 million, this single expedition had earned him 25 million.

A genuine windfall.

After setting aside 15 million for his family's property, he'd still have 10 million on hand.

Plus, he had land deeds and share agreements from the bar and the villa that he hadn't processed yet — worth an estimated two to three million at minimum.

Added to his previous savings, he'd have roughly 15 million.

He was already planning to buy a few units in the Walled City and knock them through into one space — like Shark Jiu's place — with windows facing outward. Then a proper renovation.

A luxury residence and fine cars were all about face. If someone came to visit and found him living in some rundown unit, how would they take his power seriously?

A home wasn't merely about comfort — it was about image.

Whatever was left over, he'd invest in some business.

......

"Shaking like that — did your mother die?" Fire Dragon sneered at the two quivering lackeys who'd been brought before him.

"Brother Dragon, someone torched your car." A spectacled lackey in a suit bent down and spoke softly at Fire Dragon's side.

The grin on Fire Dragon's face vanished. The veins on his forehead throbbed as he looked the two lackeys up and down.

"Brother Dragon, they rushed over, doused it with gasoline, lit it, and ran. They said it was a warning. We couldn't even react in time..." The two lackeys stammered in terror.

"Christ — can't even watch a goddamn car! What good are you?" Fire Dragon exploded, then stood and kicked them each in turn, sending both sprawling across the room.

"Shengsha — those bloody rabid dogs!" Fire Dragon was so furious his scalp itched. He paced around the room in agitation.

He'd hired Shengsha's people to kill Chen Wujun. Instead, their Hall Master had gotten killed, and now they were turning it back on him — claiming his intel was bad and demanding compensation.

They'd called and threatened him several times. He'd ignored them.

Last time, they'd trashed one of his businesses. Now they'd burned his car.

What would they do next? Kill him?

"Brother Dragon, those people are like plasters — once they're stuck to you, they don't come off." The lackey beside him offered.

"No shit! You think I don't know that? Got any bright ideas?" Fire Dragon snapped, his face dark as iron.

"Maybe... get the boss involved?" The lackey ventured cautiously.

If Lidong's Dragon Head Ma Dong stepped in, the Luoyue People from Shengsha wouldn't dare act so brazenly.

"Get the boss involved? And throw away my face?" Fire Dragon's fury intensified.

He'd hired assassins, failed to kill the target, gotten himself entangled with the killers, and now needed the boss to clean up his mess. Where would he even begin to show his face?

Fire Dragon thought furiously, growing angrier by the second.

"Call Wen Long and find out where he is!" Fire Dragon said through clenched teeth.

The original million had been split fifty-fifty between Wen Long and himself.

The two hundred million paid to Shengsha later was also split evenly.

Now that Shengsha had latched onto him, the only move he could think of was to go find Wen Long and brainstorm a solution.

Two hours later.

Fire Dragon walked into a bar on the edge of the Walled City. Only the lights behind the bar counter were on. The chairs were all stacked upside-down on the tables.

Wen Long sat on the sofa, idly playing with a deck of cards.

"Wen Long, those rabid dogs from Shengsha won't let go. This whole thing was your idea — so what do we do now?" Fire Dragon dropped into the seat across from him.

"What are they saying?" A flicker of contempt crossed Wen Long's eyes, gone before Fire Dragon could catch it.

He thought Fire Dragon had spent so much time drinking, popping pills, and chasing women that his brain had turned to mush.

But that was precisely why Fire Dragon was so easy to manipulate.

Especially since they shared a common enemy.

"We added two hundred thousand last time, and now they're claiming our intel was deliberately wrong — that we set them up and got Nguyen Van Son killed. They want a million in compensation! Do they think we're suckers?"

"They think you're a sucker. After all, you've been the one dealing with them the whole time." Wen Long reminded him pointedly.

"Wen Long, this was your idea from the start. Now you want to wash your hands of it?" Fire Dragon turned on him with a glare.

"I'm just reminding you. We're two of the Five Dragon Generals — you think I'd just sit back and watch? Wen Long smiled.

"Damn it, get me a drink." Fire Dragon barked at someone, and moments later poured himself a glass of whiskey. He knocked it back in one go, then said: "So what do we do?"

"Shengsha's people have crossed the line. We definitely can't pay the full amount — otherwise we'd be a laughingstock." Wen Long had already been mulling this over and had formed some ideas.

"That punk Chen Wujun definitely couldn't have taken Nguyen Van Son on his own. Someone else intervened."

"Everyone knows he and Shark Jiu trained under the same master. It was obviously Shark Jiu who stepped in."

"I refuse to believe they haven't figured that out themselves. If they want payback, they should go after Shark Jiu. Having their Hall Master killed by Shark Jiu and not daring to retaliate? If word got out, Shengsha would be a joke." Wen Long intended to redirect the flood.

"But we can show some goodwill too. Throw them a bit more money... and point them at Chen Wujun." Wen Long continued.

"Why should we pay more?" Fire Dragon erupted at the mention of money, crushing the glass in his hand to shards.

"Because they've latched onto you. Paying them a bit to go cause trouble for that kid and Shark Jiu beats having them cause trouble for you." Wen Long explained.

At this point, Chen Wujun was no longer the main issue.

What mattered was that those Shengsha bastards were dishonorable. They'd brought this disaster on themselves.

Now they had two options: pay Shengsha off, or dig in and go to war.

Hiring assassins only to end up in a war themselves — wouldn't that make both of them a joke?

So Wen Long chose a third path: find a pretext to give Shengsha some money and redirect them toward that kid and Shark Jiu. Let the dogs bite each other.

Besides, offering a bonus was very different from paying compensation. It wasn't nearly as humiliating.

As long as they could get Shengsha and Shark Jiu to tear each other apart, it wouldn't be a total loss.

Wen Long laid it all out for Fire Dragon. Fire Dragon ground his teeth for a long time before finally saying: "Fine. This time, I'll do it your way. I'll set up a meeting with the Shengsha people — then you're coming with me to negotiate."

"If they really can't take a hint and keep treating me like a sucker, then to hell with it — we go to war!"