Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

The day after the Iron Lady and Susan reached a secret agreement, a bombshell exploded in the City of London, with an impact no less powerful than the previous "Standard Chartered scandal".

The Financial Times issued an emergency supplement, with the following headline in bold black font on the front page:

"An Italian behemoth: The High Table Group announces a £60 billion investment to enter the UK market!"

At the press conference, Ms. Susan, President of the High Table Group Europe, dressed in a smart business suit, smiled and announced an ambitious investment plan in front of hundreds of media outlets:

"The High Table Group has always been optimistic about Japan's economic prospects and firmly supports the Iron Lady's neoliberal reform policies. Therefore, we have decided to initially invest £6 billion to participate in the privatization process of state-owned enterprises such as British Telecom and British Airways..."

Furthermore, the High Table Group announced plans to build a new European headquarters building in London's Canary Wharf, which is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs.

The British public, who were initially criticizing the financial sector because of the "Standard Chartered scandal," were instantly drawn to this news.

After all, who would turn down money? Especially when that money can also create a lot of jobs.

Meanwhile, on the London Stock Exchange, the market, which had been sluggish due to the Standard Chartered scandal, miraculously stopped falling and rebounded after being stimulated by this positive news.

Those politicians who were initially observing the situation fell silent after learning that Mark Thatcher's name was on the group's list. Everyone could see that this Italian outsider had already paid his respects at 10 Downing Street and had paid a hefty "protection fee."

From that day on, the name "High Table" officially moved from the sunshine of the Apennine Peninsula to the misty banks of the Thames, forcefully squeezing into the British Peninsula.

……

While the whole of London was in an uproar over this "six billion," the instigator of the storm—Lu Chen—had already quietly boarded a flight back to Hong Kong Island.

There were no flowers, no red carpet, and not even a crowd to see them off.

He was like a ghost; after stirring up the entire West, he vanished without a trace, concealing his achievements and fame.

Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Kwun Tong Industrial Area.

The black Rolls-Royce drove into the dilapidated warehouse, and as the huge hydraulic lift slowly descended, the underground kingdom known as the "distillery" was once again revealed.

The air was filled with the familiar smell of engine oil and a faint odor of blood.

"Boss, welcome home."

Fourth Brother (Rum) had been waiting for a long time and respectfully opened the car door.

"Is everything alright at home?" Lu Chen loosened his tie, tossed it to a servant beside him, and asked as he walked toward the core area.

"Everything is normal. With Brother Long in charge and the reputation we've built up, no one dares to cause trouble," Fourth Brother reported.

"In addition, the matter concerning the two Japanese women that you asked me to handle before you left has been mostly resolved. They are currently in interrogation room number three."

Fourth Brother pushed open the heavy soundproof door. "These past few days, as you instructed, we haven't used any torture. We've just kept them in a dark room, giving them some water and bread every four hours, and playing Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 on a loop."

"How are you feeling?" Lu Chen asked as he took off his trench coat.

"It collapsed, and then it rebuilt itself." Fourth Brother's lips curled into a playful smile. "You know how the Japanese are. They're just inherently despicable. If you try to reason with them, they'll treat you like a fool; but if you beat them into submission and trample them underfoot, they'll treat you like a god."

Lu Chen smiled, pushed open the door, and went inside.

The interrogation room was lit only by a dim, yellowish chandelier.

Ishii Oren and Gogo were huddled in the corner.

At this moment, Ishii had long lost the domineering aura of the "Yakuza Queen." Her exquisite kimono was now wrinkled and disheveled, her hair was messy, and her face was as pale as paper. Gogo beside her looked like a frightened quail, his flail gone, his eyes filled with fear.

Upon seeing Lu Chen enter, the two men trembled violently and instinctively tried to back away, but then, as if remembering something, they both knelt on the ground with their foreheads touching the earth.

This is the highest level of etiquette in Japan – the dogeza (or dogeza).

"Lord Lu... Lord Lu."

Ishii Oren's voice was hoarse and trembling, but more than that, it was filled with an almost morbid reverence.

In the past few days, her worldview has been completely shattered.

Her prized Viper Gang, the internationally renowned assassin group, was as vulnerable as a kindergarten child in front of this man.

The seemingly honest Chinese man (Li Fu) beat her and Gogo to a pulp with just an iron pipe.

The news that followed only deepened her despair—Bill was dead, Bud was dead, everyone was dead.

If it were an ordinary assassin, the annihilation of their organization and their own imprisonment and beatings might breed hatred.

But these two were different; they were Japanese, and Japanese people involved in organized crime.

In the Yakuza culture of Japan, there is a deeply ingrained mentality of "admiring the strong." The strong possess everything, and the weak can only submit.

In addition, the "psychological therapy" that Lu Chen specifically instructed them to use during this period—a typical Stockholm syndrome induction—has made them subconsciously regard Lu Chen as an irresistible "god".

"Lift your head up!"

Lu Chen pulled up a chair and sat down, looking down at the two women.

Ishii Oren slowly raised her head. Lu Chen's deep eyes scanned her face like a scanner.

Their pupils slightly contracted, the muscles at the corners of their mouths relaxed, and their eyes were focused on Lu Chen's shoes—these micro-expressions indicated that they had submitted from the bottom of their hearts.

"It seems you've come to your senses," Lu Chen said.

"Yes, Mr. Lu," Ishii Oren's voice was steady, "The Viper Gang is history. Bill is dead, and I died once too. The current Ishii Oren is merely a knife in your hand. In this world, only by following the strongest can one see the highest view."

"Very good." Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction. This woman is intelligent and a born scheming woman. As long as you are stronger than her, she will be your most loyal dog.

"If you're going to make a knife, you can't let it rust," Lu Chen stood up, walked to Ishii Yuren, and lifted her chin. "I'll give you a chance, a chance not only to survive, but also to climb higher and gain more power than before."

Upon hearing this, a flame called "ambition" finally erupted in Ishii Oren's lifeless eyes.

"Yes, Lord Lu, please give your orders."

"Go back to Japan." Lu Chen withdrew his hand, his voice cold and authoritative. "Take Gogo back to East Asia and find someone."

"Who?"

"Ruan Wen," Lu Chen uttered a name.

A month ago, Lu Chen had already completely won over this counterfeit money queen and shared his true identity with her. Now, Ruan Wen has become one of Lu Chen's true confidants.

"Your mission is simple," Lu Chen's voice was cold and clear, "gather the remnants of your so-called 'Crazy 88 Group' and merge them into Ruan Wen's organization—Takamagahara."

"Help her purge Tokyo's underground forces, whether it's the Yamaguchi-gumi or the Sumiyoshi-kai, anyone who doesn't obey, make them disappear."

"Yes!" A glint of fanaticism flashed in Ishii Oren's eyes. Killing was what she excelled at.

"besides."

Lu Chen turned around and threw out the bait that she couldn't refuse.

"If you do well in Japan and demonstrate sufficient loyalty and value, I will consider officially bringing you into the core of the 'breeding grounds.' At that time, you will no longer be that cotton-mouthed snake that only crawls in the gutter. You will have a new code name and a bottle of brew that belongs to you."

"What do you think of the name 'Sake'?"

Upon hearing this, Ishii Oren's breathing quickened instantly.

After these few days of detention, she knew all too well what the "distillery" meant. It was a temple that stood above all living beings, and to become a member of it would be the highest honor.

"Hi!!"

Ishii Goren suddenly kowtowed again, her forehead hitting the tatami heavily, her voice trembling and impassioned.

"Ishii Oren is willing to go through fire and water for Lord Lu and for the brewery! I would die a thousand deaths!!"

"Gogo too!" The girl next to her also kowtowed and shouted enthusiastically.

……

After dealing with the two Japanese women, Lu Chen walked out of the restricted area.

In the corridor, Fourth Brother was still following behind, seemingly hesitant to speak.

"Is there anything else?" Lu Chen stopped in his tracks.

"Boss, there's one more thing..." Fourth Brother's expression was a bit strange, as if he didn't know how to describe it, "It's about that blonde woman from the Viper Gang, Guido."

"What's wrong with her?"

Lu Chen remembered clearly that during the battle on Lantau Island that night, the martial arts fanatic Feng Yuxiu beat her terribly, almost shattering all her bones. In the end, she lost her heartbeat and was left in the wilderness.

"She didn't die," Fourth Brother shook his head, his tone filled with disbelief. "She was found by a passing ambulance, rushed to the hospital, and spent a day and a night in emergency treatment. Her heart stopped twice, but in the end... she actually survived."

"However, due to severe brain damage and prolonged oxygen deprivation, she is now in a vegetative state. Doctors say the chance of her waking up is less than one in a million."

"Not dead? In a vegetative state?" Lu Chen was stunned for a moment, then he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Hahaha……"

"Interesting, very interesting."

Laughter echoed in the empty corridor, carrying a hint of absurdity and mockery.

Was Quito just incredibly lucky? Was it fate?

In the movie *Kill Bill*, Guido was also beaten half to death and remained in a coma for four years before finally waking up like a vengeful goddess and wreaking havoc across the world. Unexpectedly, in this Hong Kong variety show world, even after being beaten like this by Feng Yuxiu, she was still able to replicate this plot.

"Boss, would you like to...?"

Fourth Brother made a throat-slitting gesture, "Send someone to the hospital to finish the job? Cut the weeds and eliminate the roots."

For a distillery, killing a person in a vegetative state is easier than killing a chicken.

"No," Lu Chen waved his hand, his smile widening, "Killing is no fun."

He seemed to see a scene from the future: a few years later, this woman woke up in her hospital bed to find that her organization was gone, her boss and lover was dead, and her enemy had become the supreme world king.

What kind of expression would that be?

This is not just confidence, but also a perverse sense of a superior looking down on ants.

"Keep her alive," Lu Chen ordered. "Not only must you not kill her, you must also give her the best treatment."

"Fourth Brother, arrange for someone to go to the hospital and pay all her medical bills. Move her to a VIP private room, hire the best caregiver, and then have someone keep an eye on her."

Lu Chen turned around and walked towards the elevator, leaving behind a sentence that left Fourth Brother scratching his head: "I want to see how many years it will take for this 'Sleeping Beauty' to wake up."

"If she really wakes up... I also want to see if her broken katana can still cut through my brewery."