Underworld: Starting with conquering countless lustful beauties

That shout was like a spark thrown into a powder keg, instantly igniting the resentment of the other two.

Mr. Zhang, his eyes also red, slammed his glass heavily on the table: "Old Li, you're right! That Mad Dog Qiang is a complete bloodsucker! My 'Sunshine Community' already has thin profit margins, and he raised the price of sand by 30%, and he even called it 'delivery fee'! To hell with delivery fees! Isn't this blatant robbery?"

"It's more than just robbery!" Mr. Zhou, who hadn't said much until now, couldn't hold back any longer. He pushed up his glasses, a flash of hatred in his eyes. "The day before yesterday, my construction site wanted to get a batch of cement, but we didn't use his truck fleet. And what happened? The truck had barely arrived at the site gate when a group of thugs punctured its tires, and the driver had his ribs broken. We called the police? They came and said it was an economic dispute, telling us to settle it ourselves! I spit on that!"

Seeing that the time was right, Wang Defa quickly picked up his wine glass and leaned over to add fuel to the fire: "Brothers, I understand your suffering! My dozen or so cars were impounded by those bastards too, weren't they? But in this world, the weak fear the strong, and the strong fear the ruthless. We're honest businessmen, how can we fight against those thugs?"

"So..." Chen Feng stubbed out his cigarette, slowly stood up, and walked to the center of the coffee table.

He didn't speak loudly, but his calm and composed demeanor instantly silenced the noise in the private room. The girls who were serving drinks also wisely stopped what they were doing and obediently nestled in the arms of the owners.

Chen Feng personally picked up the decanter and filled the glasses of the three bosses with wine, his movements elegant and composed.

"Bosses, the reason Mad Dog Qiang is so arrogant is because he thinks we're a disorganized bunch, easy to bully." Chen Feng raised his glass, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone. "But from today onwards, let's stick together and make money together."

"Now that Fenghua Building Materials has been established, it's to support everyone." Chen Feng's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried weight. "I, Chen Feng, am putting this out there: as long as you all sign Fenghua's supply contract, anyone who dares to touch a single brick or tile on your construction site will be threatening my livelihood. I may not have much else, but I'm fiercely protective of my food, and... I have a bit of a temper."

"But Boss Chen..." Bald Mr. Li hesitated, "That Mad Dog Qiang is backed by Master Jiu..."

"Ninth Master is a big businessman; he wants money, not trouble," Chen Feng sneered. "As long as we build up the business and increase the profits, someone will naturally take care of things with Ninth Master. As for Mad Dog Qiang... heh, a dog that only bites. If he can't get any meat and only causes trouble, would his master still keep him?"

Those words hit the nail on the head.

Everyone here is a businessman, and they all understand the principle of putting profit first.

"Boss Chen, with your words, I, Old Li, will take it!" Bald Boss Li slapped his thigh, pushed away the young woman in his arms, picked up his wine glass, and stood up. "As long as you can guarantee the supply and the safety of the construction site, my 'Golden Home' will use Fenghua's materials exclusively from now on!"

"Me too! I've had enough of that jerk!" Mr. Zhang also stood up.

"Count me in!" President Zhou followed closely behind.

"Alright!" Chen Feng raised his glass. "We've become friends through this misunderstanding; let's make money together and solve problems for you bosses!"

"Cheers!"

Several crystal glasses clinked crisply in the air, the sound like a clarion call to war against the mad dog.

The drinking lasted until 2 a.m. The three bosses were helped out, each with a hint of drunkenness on their faces, but more than anything, they exuded an excitement at having found a backer.

After seeing the others off, Wang Defa slumped onto the sofa, loosened his tie, and grinned foolishly, his face flushed: "Brother Chen... it's done! It's done!"

Chen Feng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the quiet night outside, his eyes clear and showing no signs of drunkenness.

"Don't be too happy yet," Chen Feng said calmly. "The real battle has just begun. Mad Dog Qiang will soon receive the news; he won't let this go easily."

"Then... what should we do?" Wang Defa shuddered, sobering up halfway.

"Let's just leave it at that." Chen Feng turned around, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "We'll deal with whatever comes our way."

Chen Feng didn't have a moment's rest in the following days.

He changed into a drab gray work uniform, drove a slightly worn van, and took Monkey and Dazhuang with him, touring all the construction sites and sand pits in the southern district.

He wanted to use his own eyes to personally understand the ins and outs of this industry.

At a construction site at the foot of Qinglong Mountain, Chen Feng squatted beside a sand pile, picked up a handful of sand and examined it closely.

"Brother Feng, what are you looking at? Can you see flowers in sand?" The monkey came over, looking curious.

"Look at this sand. The grains are uniformly coarse, the color is yellowish-brown, and the mud content is low." Chen Feng sprinkled the sand back on the ground, clapped his hands, and said, "This is top-quality river sand, perfect for making concrete. And look over there, the sand that Mad Dog Qiang brought over..."

He pointed to another pile of grayish sand not far away, clearly mixed with clods of soil: "That stuff has at least 30% more mud than the standard, and it's mixed with a lot of mountain sand. It can save half the cost, but the quality is far inferior."

The monkey suddenly realized, "No wonder those construction site bosses were cursing! It turns out Mad Dog Qiang has been using inferior materials all along!"

"That's not all." Chen Feng stood up, his gaze sweeping over the busy workers on the construction site. "He monopolized the market; others had no choice. Even if they knew the sand was problematic, they could only grit their teeth and accept it."

The field trip over the past few days has given Chen Feng a deeper understanding of the sand and gravel industry.

The profits are indeed substantial, but the barriers to entry are also high. First, you need a legal sand mining license; second, you need a stable transportation fleet; and finally, you need a team of people who can manage the operation. All three are indispensable.

Fenghua Building Materials currently has a fleet of vehicles and manpower, but lacks only a sand mining permit.

And Old Li's battlefield is the key to solving this problem.

……

On the afternoon of the third day, Wang Defa hurriedly found Chen Feng.

"Brother Chen, let's go! Let's go meet that old Li!" Wang Defa seemed a little excited, carrying a black leather briefcase in his hand, which was bulging with cash—his prepared sincerity.

The two drove straight to Qinglong Mountain in the north of the city.

Qinglong Mountain is located in the northern suburbs of Donghai City. It has steep slopes and abundant stone resources.

Old Li's sand quarry is located halfway up the mountain, which is actually a very good location. It is backed by the mountain wall and there is only one road leading up to it, making it an easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack terrain.

But now, the venue appears unusually desolate.

The large iron gate was tightly closed, with a rusty sign hanging above it. Inside, it was quiet; the two excavators and the crusher were covered in dust, clearly having been out of service for some time.

Wang Defa honked the horn several times before an old gatekeeper came out shakily and opened the gate.

In the simple office on the second floor, Chen Feng met Old Li.

Old Li was a man in his fifties, with dark skin and a face full of wrinkles, the marks left by years of working in the sun and wind. At this moment, he was squatting on a chair smoking a pipe, his brows furrowed like the Chinese character "川" (river).