A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 78 Southwest Community, Under Tao Zhu's Command

In the southwest community of Singapore and Malaysia, besides the University of Singapore, another building that must be mentioned is the building belonging to the Tao Chu Group.

Tao Zhu Building has 60 floors and is nearly 300 meters tall.

The highest natural terrain in the entire Singapore-Malaysia Port area—Fangma Hill—is only 162 meters high, which is only about halfway up this building.

The top floor of this building is where Fan Buchou, chairman of Taozhu Group, usually works, meets guests, and enjoys leisure and entertainment.

Specifically, it is divided into offices, a reception room, a chess and card room, a 3D cinema area, and a root carving hall that occupies half of the top floor area.

Root carving is Fan Buchou's personal hobby. Inside the root carving hall, there are twenty display stands and six display cases.

Using tree roots, bamboo roots, and tree burls, various tools are carved along the natural textures, each displaying its own charm in the quiet and soft light.

Small items include cane heads, pen holders, Buddha handles, back scratchers, and pipes; large items include tigers crouching and dragons coiling, Maitreya holding wealth, Guanyin giving a child, and Lü Dongbin drunkenly raising a cup, etc.

Among the exhibits here are several pieces carved by Fan Buchou himself. He has recently been thinking about carving a mythical beast with a tiger's head and a dragon's body, called Bixie.

"When it comes to root carving, the most important thing is to follow the natural shape and be ingenious. That comes second. You have to follow the original texture when making the carving. The shape of the tree root itself is very important. Good materials are hard to come by."

Fan Buchou held a small file in his hand, refining the half-finished root carving while muttering to himself.

In the vast root carving hall, there was only one person observing his craft and listening to his admonitions: a short-haired young man in a suit, his son, Fan Minzhi.

As the leader of a gang in Southwest China, Fan Buchou had countless women in his life, but he had few children. He only had one daughter when he was young, who later passed away from illness. It wasn't until he was fifty years old that he had a son.

Therefore, Fan Buchou is now all white-haired, while Fan Minzhi is not yet eighteen years old. When the two of them stand together, they look more like a grandfather and grandson to those who do not know the situation.

"The mythical beasts that ward off evil in root carvings not only have tiger heads and dragon bodies, but also have patterns of snakes, sparrows, frogs, cicadas and the like carved on their four legs. Each one must have a dynamic posture. The requirements for the material itself are really too high."

"Only your Second Brother Yun could find me such a fine item; his filial piety is truly commendable."

Hearing this, Fan Minzhi finally spoke up: "Second Brother Yun is absolutely loyal to Father, but it's a pity he doesn't seem to like me very much."

Fan Buchou, his eyes glued to the root carving, asked, "So, do you like him?"

Fan Minzhi thought for a moment and then said honestly, "I don't like it."

"Sigh, you're the newcomer and he's the veteran, so it's normal for you to have some conflicts. However, you're almost an adult, and once someone reaches adulthood, the weight of the words 'I don't like you' changes."

Fan Buchou calmly asked, "So, do you like the methods used by gangs?"

Fan Minzhi couldn't help but smile: "I'm adapting very well."

Fan Buchou glanced at him and said, "Since you were eight years old, I've been showing you things that happen in the underworld, and I've made you do them yourself. Back then, I thought that the underworld was like a den of wolves and tigers, and you couldn't go wrong if you were even fiercer and more ruthless than them."

"But ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the situation in Singapore and Malaysia is about to change, so you have to adapt as well."

Fan Minzhi respectfully replied, "I know, Dad. Whatever you tell me, I will do my best."

"It's not about what I want you to do, it's about the current situation."

Fan Buchou earnestly instructed, "In the past few years, when the situation in Singapore and Malaysia was unstable, this place was our paradise, our haven. The gangs operated with ease. The members of the Social Council could get money from us. Everyone, from top to bottom, had to be mindful of our mood."

"But in recent years, Singapore and Malaysia have recovered, and for the economy to develop again, the gang system has to become outdated. It's not that the members of the community council suddenly want to be good people, but rather that the existence of too many gangs is preventing them from making more money."

Fan Minzhi nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing.

He never attended any formal school growing up, but his father hired tutors for him, so he had to learn much more than those who went to regular schools.

Despite being only seventeen years old, he was constantly monitored and reported on economic trends.

Judging from the situation in recent years, if Singapore and Malaysia want to achieve significant economic prosperity, the first priority is to suppress the living space of gangs.

"So the four of us old guys have been preparing for a complete transformation in the past two years, but we are getting old after all, and some things still need to be done by the energetic new generation."

Fan Buchou continued, "As for me, I can only leave it to you and your brother-in-law. Your coming-of-age ceremony is when you will officially make your debut. Of course, before that, you have to give me an answer sheet."

This was the designation of his successor. Although it was a matter of course, when Fan Minzhi actually heard these words come out of Fan Buchou's mouth, he still couldn't help but feel a surge of trembling excitement from the bottom of his heart.

Tao Zhu Group has only a few thousand employees on the surface, but the armed forces it directly controls in secret number only about a thousand armed men and a hundred or so modified martial artists.

However, the gang structure in Singapore and Malaysia is clearly divided into upper and lower levels. Top gangs like the Tao Zhu Group can mobilize members down the chain of command when necessary, and the movements of hundreds of thousands of gang members in the entire Southwest community can be controlled by them.

They have a part in shaping the overall situation in Singapore and Malaysia.

Even if not all of those people actually submit, and even if there are bound to be some losses due to the transformation, this power still burns brightly in people's hearts and eyes.

Fan Minzhi responded, "What kind of report card? Does it mean I need to produce new results for the assets I manage, or for the portion I oversee...?"

"It's not just what you're in charge of now."

Fan Buchou put down the small file, straightened up, and sighed sincerely, saying, "I want to make a change, but some of my subordinates are used to the old gang style, and some may not be happy for you to take the lead. They will inevitably jump up and down."

"Ah-hao should have come back last month, but he hasn't come to see me yet. We've grown distant. And Bai and Fei-yan are both so lively and energetic. You need to tell me before your coming-of-age ceremony which group you plan to win over and which group you plan to suppress. On that day, you need to make their stance clear as your answer to me."

Fan Minzhi responded slowly and solemnly.

Fan Buchou stood with his hands behind his back, examining the half-finished root carving.

The head of the talisman was facing directly at his face.

After a moment of silence, Fan Buchou picked up a small axe and, at a 45-degree angle to the wood grain, chopped off a piece of excess wood root at the foot of the Bixie.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be about stance. If you have the ability, then use the fate of certain people as an answer for your father."

The words "what will happen" were spoken lightly by Fan Buchou, but they carried a heavy weight in Fan Minzhi's ears.

"Go."

Goodbye, Dad.

Fan Minzhi left the root carving hall with reverence and courtesy.

A cloud drifted across the sky, disturbing the sun and slightly deflecting the light filtering through the glass curtain wall.

Fan Buchou put down his axe and looked at it carefully.

His hands are bionic mechanical devices that look no different from the flesh and blood of a normal young man; they are elastic, have fingerprints, and even pores, justifying their exorbitant price.

However, in terms of touch and feel, the feedback from the densely packed sensors under the bionic skin is ultimately not as good as that of a real human hand.

His axe strike was slightly off-angled, leaving a tiny, almost imperceptible crack on the wood carving after the excess was removed.

"What a pity."

Fan Buchou flicked his finger on the head of the root carving of the warding-off evil spirit.

The half-finished hardwood root carving collapsed and slumped down from the head until the entire half-human-sized root carving collapsed into a pile of wood chips on the worktable.

Fan Buchou watched all of this indifferently.

………………

After leaving the root carving hall, Fan Minzhi took out his phone and sent a message. He quickly received a reply, and a smile appeared in his eyes. He then took the elevator to the 36th floor of the Tao Zhu Building.

Feng shui is very popular in Singapore and Malaysia, and many people are somewhat superstitious. The CFO's office is located on the 36th floor, which is to symbolize good fortune.

Fan Minzhi brushed past the many staff members on this floor, walked around the corridor, and arrived at the office with the nameplate of the financial director, and knocked on the door.

A gentle female voice came from inside the door.

"Come in."

Fan Minzhi opened the door, locked it from the inside, and then closed the office blinds.

Behind the desk, a beautiful woman in a business suit with her hair up was casually painting her nails when she looked up at me.

Fan Minzhi walked around the desk and naturally knelt down next to the leather chair, embracing the beauty's long legs, which were only clad in stockings.

"Sister Swallow, I miss you."

Lang Feiyan, one of the Four Valiant Ones, deftly extended a finger and tapped Fan Minzhi's forehead, chuckling softly, "Why are you so excited? What good thing happened that you won't tell us in the text message?"

"We'll talk about it later..."

Fan Minzhi's voice gradually became indistinct.

Someone knocked on the office door, but there was no response after three knocks, so they tactfully withdrew.

Everyone knows that Lang Feiyan has a bad temper. If you bother her over trivial matters, you will definitely face a painful period of life.

In the well-soundproofed, dimly lit office, half an hour later, Fan Minzhi was sitting in a chair when she was kicked in the chest and slid a distance away.

Lang Feiyan's collar came undone, her stockings slipped down to her calves, and she sat on the table, taking out a makeup mirror to touch up her makeup. With a slightly hoarse voice, she said, "You ungrateful brat, you've been too bold today."

"Because the old man essentially made a promise to me today."

Fan Minzhi smiled and briefly recounted the conversation that took place in the root carving hall.

Lang Feiyan raised her left eyebrow and said lazily, "Oh, then it seems I'm destined to be one of those old hands who get a fate."

Fan Minzhi looked anxious and walked to her side, saying hurriedly, "How could that be? I'm going to marry Sister Yanzi in the future. Whoever you want to deal with, I'll deal with."

"You little idiot."

Lang Feiyan chuckled and muttered under her breath, "Need I say more? Yun Lao Er is the least likely person to submit to you."

Fan Minzhi said fiercely, "That's right, I've disliked him for a long time, so I'll deal with him first."

"We need a strategy to deal with him. Dugu Hao has been up to something lately, and he might have run into trouble somewhere. Things aren't going smoothly for him. Yun Lao Er might be tempted to take a bite out of his territory. This is an opportunity."

After fixing her makeup, Lang Feiyan regained her aloof and elegant demeanor. "In addition, there is something unexpected."

She flipped through the keys, took out the remote control from the drawer, and turned on the projector.

On the small screen opposite the office, the image of a young man appeared. One picture after another was shown, all of them of the same person in different places.

Fan Minzhi said resentfully, "My sister has collected so many photos of other men, including handsome young men. Is she getting tired of them?"

Lang Feiyan didn't even bother to look at him, and said in a hoarse voice, "If you're really that stupid, then I must have been blind. Just consider it as being bitten by a dog a few times. Get lost."

"Sister, don't get angry."

Fan Minzhi quickly grabbed her hand, abandoning his teasing thoughts, and turned to say, "I think I've seen this person before. He's the leader of a small, up-and-coming gang in Yishun District."

"A small gang leader, huh!"

Lang Feiyan rested her chin on the remote control and chuckled softly, "Yan Du wiped out the group of people he had planted by the sea a few years ago."

"According to sources, it was one person who wiped out Wei Lengbo and his three brothers. When I investigated him, the earliest I could find was that he came from Hong Kong. He was a bionic machine and Chinese. Tsk tsk, he's quite a big shot from out of town."

………………

"As the old saying goes, a dragon doesn't dwell with snakes. How can such a small dragon, mixed up with that bunch of scoundrels, possibly run a good gang?"

In the garden of a villa, Yun Youbai, the second-in-command among the five tigers and four valiant warriors, threw a stack of documents on the stone table in the pavilion.

His thick hair was neatly combed, and he had a short beard that reached his ears. He wore a loose red Tang suit with seven grape-shaped buttons on the front, and he let out two signature hearty laughs.

"Daoyuan, could you go and talk to him for me? Be nice to him and try to get him on our side."

The five tigers of the Tao Zhu Group: Liu Jingtang, Yun Youbai, Gu Daoyuan, Hu Buxi, and Gao Dacai.

Apart from Fan Buchou's son-in-law Liu Jingtang, the other three have gradually been won over by Yun Youbai over the past ten years.

Gu Daoyuan, dressed in a suit and tie, wearing glasses and headphones, was in his forties. He took the stack of documents, glanced through them, nodded, and went out to take a car to the territory of the Shenzhou Brotherhood Society.

(End of this chapter)