Madman!

Chapter 93: Ji Xiang's Betrayal

"If they don't react at all, who's going to fear them later on?"

"In this line of work, if people aren't afraid of you, you won't even find shit to eat."

Hearing Shark Jiu's warning, Chen Wujun offered a faint smile.

"That works out perfectly. I was just looking for people to practice my punching on."

He actually felt that Shark Jiu's words mirrored his own long-held convictions.

In this industry, if you didn't command fear, everyone would walk all over you. In that state, you really wouldn't even be able to eat shit.

That was why one had to be fierce and ruthless—beat them until they were terrified. Only then would the trouble stop.

"Having that kind of spirit is good, but caution is also necessary." Shark Jiu toyed with the milk bottle in her hand before tossing it in a perfect arc into the trash can.

"Don't end up like Little Twelve."

"What happened to him?" Chen Wujun cocked an eyebrow. It was rare to hear Shark Jiu mention their fellow disciples.In their lineage, every disciple was an individual entity. There was little interaction between them, everybody minding their own business, and they rarely helped one another.

"Someone set a trap for him... I was the one who went to collect the corpse. It took a lot of effort just to piece him back together," Shark Jiu said leisurely, then immediately shifted the topic. "I heard your arcade business is on fire. Packed every day, with players lining up."

"How much can you make in a month?"

"I haven't tallied the final books yet, but it should be around seven thousand a day." Mentioning the arcade improved Chen Wujun's mood instantly.

He had invested over five hundred thousand into those two arcades, far more than what Ah Qi had initially calculated.

A month's run should bring in two hundred thousand. He would break even in less than three months; everything after that would be pure profit.

"Sounds good! Two hundred thousand a month, and it's pure cash flow with barely any expenses." Shark Jiu agreed that Chen Wujun had indeed found a solid business.

Chen Wujun stayed at Shark Jiu's place for over an hour before leaving.

For the next two days, he and his men hung around the dance hall on Lung Kong Road.

Although his own dance hall had been smashed up, High Fly's former venue was still intact, and it now belonged to him.

Two days later, in the dance hall, Chen Wujun sat with his legs crossed, watching a laserdisc. It was playing Once a Thief, which had only been released a few months prior.

Watching the protagonist hijack the art transport truck, Chen Wujun seriously pondered the scene. The security for an art transport vehicle was much lower than that of an armored cash truck.

The phone on the side table rang. Chen Wujun picked it up; Shark Jiu's voice came from the other end.

"We have a meeting this afternoon. Wait for me downstairs at Jindi Finance in a bit."

"Understood."

Chen Wujun glanced at the time on his mobile phone and called over a nearby minion. "Why hasn't the Four Treasure Rice arrived yet? Go see what's holding it up."

After eating, he waited downstairs at Jindi Finance for a while. When Shark Jiu came down, the two went to the Welfare Association together.

"Sister Shark Jiu!"

The minions in the corridor offered their greetings one after another.

Pushing open the door to the conference room, they found only Guan Laosan present.

"Shark Jiu, I heard you're fighting with Lidong again..."

"Guan Laosan, your ears are sharp, aren't they?" Shark Jiu laughed as she sat down.

"The Walled City is only so big. The slightest breeze stirs up a storm of gossip... It would be stranger if I hadn't heard," Guan Laosan said, stretching lazily.

Chen Wujun sat against the wall, picking up an erotic magazine from a nearby chair and flipping through it.

Moments later, Elephant and Tall Guy arrived one after the other.

"Tall Guy, you're the talk of the town lately. Everyone's discussing you," Shark Jiu said, tilting her head.

Over the past month, Tall Guy had fought with Bird of Paradise several times and even captured one of their Harmonization Phase New Arts experts, Blind Hui.

In the end, he successfully collected the debt. The news was spreading everywhere; his momentum was strong.

"Just doing my job for the company. Besides, I'm nowhere near as hot as you are right now—everyone knows you've produced a fine legislative horse!" Tall Guy said with a beaming smile, referring to her capable subordinate.

The group chatted idly until the door was pushed open. Minions entered first, standing against the walls, before Master Xin walked in.

"Master Xin."

"Our Hetu gang's influence has been growing stronger lately, all thanks to everyone's combined efforts," Master Xin laughed as he walked.

"Tall Guy, you caught Blind Hui, forced Bird of Paradise to sue for peace, and secured both the money and compensation. You've done a great service for the company this time."

"It was what I should do," Tall Guy replied with a smile.

"Shark Jiu, I heard your subordinates snatched Fire Dragon's territory a couple of days ago."

"Fire Dragon's people came looking for trouble first. They tried to sweep Ah Jun's venue and got beaten to death as a result," Shark Jiu explained.

"We've swallowed the territory; there's no reason to spit it back out."

"If Fire Dragon isn't happy, we can fight another round."

"No one is asking you to hand back the territory you seized. After all, your subordinates risked their lives to take it. As bosses, we obviously support our own," Master Xin said with a smile after taking his seat.

He knew the context of the incident and was aware that Fire Dragon's people had crossed the line.

Under these circumstances, they naturally couldn't return the territory.

"I'll handle the talks with Lidong. They'll just have to swallow this loss."

Shark Jiu sat there with her legs crossed, smiling pleasantly.

"However, you all need to be a bit careful. They won't let this go easily," Master Xin warned.

"I know, Master Xin," Shark Jiu replied.

"Society is changing so fast now; every day brings new things. You shouldn't just fixate on the Walled City—look outside the walls more often," Master Xin added.

"I'm afraid if we look outside the Walled City, some people won't be able to sleep well," Shark Jiu said with a grin.

"They're scared you'll invade them!" Guan Laosan chimed in with a giggle.

"I'm not telling you to go out and seize territory! Look at the outside world; it changes with each passing day. Recently, there's planning and construction for new districts everywhere, building subways... many gangs are getting involved. Selling sand alone can make a fortune... Some gangs are even partnering with real estate companies to build high-end apartments... It pays far better than collecting protection fees," Master Xin shook his head and laughed.

Chen Wujun's interest was piqued; he stopped flipping through the erotic magazine.

"I'm currently planning a business venture. If it goes well, it could open a new path for us. I'll tell you all about it when the time comes."

"Master Xin's vision is always excellent. You must tell me first when it happens," Guan Laosan immediately interjected.

"However, I'm a bit short on manpower. As they say, a thousand soldiers are easy to find, but one general is hard to come by. Shark Jiu, I want to borrow someone from you to help... Don't worry, not Junzai—everyone knows you're protective of him. I want to borrow Ji Xiang," Master Xin said, shifting the topic.

Shark Jiu suddenly narrowed her eyes. "I didn't expect Ji Xiang to have caught Master Xin's eye. I don't really mind, but I'm afraid others might overthink it. They might feel the Big Brother is poaching people from his subordinates..."

Her gaze swept over Guan Laosan, Elephant, and Tall Guy.

"Let's not have misunderstandings. Although we all work for the company, this depends on personal willingness. After all, we operate democratically," Master Xin smiled. "Why don't we let Ji Xiang speak for himself?"

"If he agrees, naturally, I have nothing to say." Shark Jiu leaned back in her chair, her expression unchanged, though a cold glint resided deep in her eyes.

Master Xin made a gesture. A minion opened the door, and Ji Xiang walked in.

"Ji Xiang, you tell us."

Ji Xiang looked at Shark Jiu, then said, "Sister Shark Jiu has Ah Jun's help, so it makes no difference whether I'm there or not. Since Master Xin has a use for me, I have no objections."

Everyone knew that Ji Xiang was the most important figure under Shark Jiu.

Ji Xiang's words were a veiled suggestion that Shark Jiu was biased toward Chen Wujun, causing core members like himself to feel alienated.

Shark Jiu suddenly laughed, speaking in a leisurely drawl, "Since that's where your heart lies, I won't say more. Go work hard for Master Xin."

"Remember to hand over the accounts properly, or I'll have to send someone looking for you."

Ji Xiang was stunned. He thought Shark Jiu would be furious, or at least say something else. He hadn't expected her to let go so easily.

He had actually hoped Shark Jiu would ask him if she had mistreated him in some way, driving him to cling to Master Xin.

But Shark Jiu asked nothing.

This made him feel as if he were an inconsequential character.

Anger and hatred ignited instantly. Ji Xiang suppressed his unhappiness and said, "It seems I was just an eyesore. Thank you, Sister Shark Jiu. I have already arranged the accounts."

"As long as everyone is in agreement, that's good," Master Xin said from the head of the table. "Ji Xiang, after you hand over the accounts, go find Fat Nan."

Guan Laosan, Tall Guy, and Elephant sat silently on the side, glancing at Ji Xiang from time to time.

Shark Jiu's momentum had been unstoppable lately. Her new subordinate had beaten Yu Wei to death in the ring and seized Lidong's territory...

Ji Xiang was Shark Jiu's top confidant, yet he had turned around and latched onto Master Xin... The implications of this were significant.

Especially since Ji Xiang held Shark Jiu's complete list of loan clients, and perhaps even some leverage over her...

Truly, the older the ginger, the spicier the bite.

After the meeting, Chen Wujun and Shark Jiu walked out of the Welfare Association.

"That old bastard is in such a rush to suppress me..." Shark Jiu snorted coldly as she walked.

"Senior Sister, that guy Ji Xiang has zero loyalty. I'll find a chance to beat him to death!" Chen Wujun said, narrowing his eyes.

Finally, a chance to beat him to death.

"Junzai, don't always think about fighting and killing."

"People strive to move up, just as water flows down. If he wants to go, let him go. He's with Master Xin now; if he gets beaten to death, it will look bad on Master Xin's face," Shark Jiu said lightly.

Ji Xiang definitely had to die, but not now.

To her, Ji Xiang was a ticking time bomb. Now that he was gone, she actually didn't care much.

However, a core member of her crew climbing over to Master Xin was a clear slap in her face. If she didn't deal with it, everyone would follow suit, and how could she lead her people then?

Ji Xiang had to die, but she needed an excuse, or simply to wait a while.

Chen Wujun shrugged. He had already made up his mind to find an opportunity to kill Ji Xiang.

"What will we do about the loan sharking business?"

"I'll find the right person to manage it. You wouldn't want to do it, would you? You can't even read a ledger," Shark Jiu glanced at him and teased.

"I have no interest in that stuff... though I really did find someone to teach me to read recently," Chen Wujun said. He truly had no interest in managing accounts; he threw the responsibility for his own businesses to others.

"At least you're obedient. How's the studying going?"

"Not bad... making fast progress!" Chen Wujun certainly wasn't going to admit he had to start from the middle school curriculum.

In fact, for mathematics, he had to start with primary school content.

He had a reputation to maintain, after all.

Shark Jiu returned to her office. Half of Ji Xiang's minions remained, looking somewhat apprehensive.

Obviously, they had already heard the news.

Ji Xiang's confidants had left with him; those remaining were the ones who chose to stay.

"Sister Shark Jiu... Brother Ji Xiang, he..."

"No need to mention him. Ji Xiang is no longer your Big Brother. Where are the accounts?" Shark Jiu took the ledgers straight into her office. She needed to have someone audit them thoroughly.

However, she estimated that even if there were problems, Ji Xiang would have balanced the books perfectly so as not to give her an excuse to come after him.

"Why the long faces? Did you lose money betting? Smile a bit! Are you born without a sense of joy? With Ji Xiang gone, the air in here is much fresher."

Chen Wujun grinned as he looked over Ji Xiang's former minions, then followed Shark Jiu into the office.