Underworld Chronicles: Qiao Si's Strategist, Xiao Ke, and Wang Weifan

Upon seeing the money in Xiao Ke's bag, Deputy Director Song's eyes lit up. It seemed that Xiao Ke wasn't there to cause trouble, and he figured they wouldn't dare to do anything to him.

Deputy Director Song put down his hand and said, "Then I'll give you two minutes. Tell me, what do you want to see me about?"

"Then I'll get straight to the point. Wang Bao lost his casino to me. He used to give you a 50,000 yuan bonus every year, but starting this year, I'm going to give you a 100,000 yuan bonus every year. This 20,000 yuan is a small gift for you, not included in the total. I will give you the money in full at the end of each year." Xiao Ke finished speaking and looked at Deputy Director Song.

When Deputy Director Song heard what Xiao Ke said, he was overjoyed. 100,000! That's equivalent to many years' salary for him. 100,000 a year, that's a million in ten years! He's going to make a fortune!

Although he was extremely happy inside, Deputy Director Song couldn't show it. He still maintained his airs and said, "Gambling is not allowed, but since you are quite clever and generous, I will protect you for now. You can't cause me any trouble."

"Don't worry, Director Song, here you go. We won't take up any more of your time. See you later." Xiao Ke handed the bag containing the money to Deputy Director Song and then led Wang Zhi and the others out.

Director Song hummed a cheerful little tune as he entered the room and started flirting with his mistress.

They hadn't gone far when Zhang Guangyue started cursing, "Damn it, brother, look at his arrogant attitude, why should we be treated so servilely?"

"It's because of their position. In ancient times, it was scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants; now it's scholars, merchants, artisans, and farmers. You see, no matter when or what era, their status is always number one. You might not have the ability to ask them to do business for us, but they are absolutely adept at ruining your business," Xiao Ke said.

"Damn it, let's just kill him then," Wei Qinggang said indignantly.

"If you take on one Director Song, another Director Qu or Director Yu might appear. Can you handle it all? Besides, do you think just anyone can do those jobs? We're not here to fight and kill; we're here to make money," Xiao Ke said to Wei Qinggang.

Xiao Ke, how much can we earn in a year? If we give him 100,000, how much will we have left? Wang Zhi also felt that Xiao Ke had given too much.

Let's take it one step at a time. Let's get this stall up and running first. I'll make that Song guy regret it sooner or later. Xiao Ke's eyes lit up again.

Xiao Ke and his group went to see Director Song first, but when Wang Bao went to see Director Song that evening, Director Song simply refused to see him.

This left Wang Bao a bit bewildered. He used to be able to get Song Ju to sing, dance, and hug girls without any problem. Why wasn't he showing up today?

Poor Wang Bao would never have imagined that his backer had been poached by Xiao Ke, and that Xiao Ke had used real money to buy him over.

After Xiao Ke took over Wang Bao's casino, he didn't start operating immediately. He first locked the door, posted the agreement that Wang Bao had signed with him on the door to make it public, and also posted a notice saying that the casino would be upgraded and renovated and would reopen in ten days.

Xiao Ke plans to continue his previous approach, providing lunch and dinner to alleviate the gamblers' worries.

Xiao Ke then instructed Wang Zhi and his men to recruit some more daring and aggressive henchmen to prevent Wang Bao and his gang from causing trouble and to maintain security in the casino.

That day, Xiao Ke took Wang Zhi, Zhang Guangyue, and Wei Qinggang out for drinks. They ate and drank to their hearts' content at a restaurant near the train station.

After a hearty meal, the group of people patted their bellies and came out. As soon as they came out, they saw two groups of people fighting each other, with more than 10 people brawling together.

"Damn, this is going to be interesting. Look, there's even a guy with crutches. He's got some nerve," Zhang Guangyue said, pointing at the group.

The group looked in the direction Zhang Guangyue pointed and saw a man in a suit with long hair, standing on the ground for balance with one arm under a crutch.

With his other hand, he swung his cane at a man's head. Although he was using both hands, he was not at a disadvantage and his attacks were extremely vicious, each move aimed at killing.

Even heroes have moments of mutual respect, and so do scoundrels. When Xiao Ke saw the man with crutches, despite his disability, he showed no weakness in a fight, displaying the demeanor of a true scoundrel.

Seeing that the fight was quite intense, Xiao Ke and his friends decided not to leave and stood there to see who would win in the end.

Just as Xiao Ke and his friends were engrossed in watching, Xiao Ke saw someone pull out a gleaming dagger and stab the man with crutches in the lower back. The man with crutches was engrossed in fighting someone and was completely unaware of the danger behind him.

Perhaps because Xiao Ke had drunk a little, or perhaps because he had found a kindred spirit, he rushed forward and kicked the dagger out of the man's hand.

The man with the cane turned around, and without thinking, swung his cane at the head of the man who had just held the dagger.

A bloody hole instantly appeared on the top of that person's head, and blood gushed onto his face, like a watermelon being burst with juice.

The man whose head had been split open staggered back a few steps, clutching his head. Two people quickly ran over and helped him up.

This man was the leader of another gang, and this startled him. He waved his hand, and his group of six or seven people fled in panic.

At this moment, the man with the cane turned around, looked at Xiao Ke, and said, "Brother, thank you for saving me. Come on, I must treat you to a drink."

"It's no trouble at all. We just finished our drinks, so we won't drink anymore," Xiao Ke declined.

That won't do. They saved my life, so we have to get to know them. You guys keep an eye on the business. If they dare to come again, go and let me know, and I'll deal with them.

"Dianlong, Gundao, you two come with me, let's treat these guys to a good drink." The man with the cane insisted on having another drink with Xiao Ke and the others without further ado.

Seeing how warm and generous the other party was, Xiao Ke knew it wouldn't be right to refuse any longer, so he took Wang Zhi, Zhang Guangyue, and Wei Qinggang and followed the man with crutches.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the man with the cane put it down and ordered a table full of dishes and more than a dozen bottles of liquor.

"Come on, brother, my name is Hao Weitao, you can just call me Hao the Cripple. This is my brother, Ma Dianlong. Gun Dao, let me toast you first to thank you for saving me." After pouring Xiao Ke a drink, Hao the Cripple formally introduced himself.

"Ah, my name is Wang Weifan, you can just call me Xiao Ke. This is my brother Wang Zhi, Zhang Guangyue, and Wei Qinggang." Xiao Ke raised his glass and introduced himself as well.

"Come on, let's drink! I'll drink mine, you can drink as you please." Hao the Cripple tilted his head back and downed his glass. Xiao Ke and the others couldn't be outdone, so they all raised their glasses and drank them down as well.

And so, the people at the table, all of them passionate individuals, drank heartily, downing bottle after bottle of baijiu. Xiao Ke and his friends, who had already drunk quite a bit, were all completely drunk in no time.

Will Xiao Ke and Hao the Cripple, who share similar personalities, become close friends? Stay tuned for the next episode.