Forge a path to success

Ji Huaisu almost choked: "Hey! Don't you think it's weird to put the words 'underworld' and 'legitimate' together?"

Chu Hengkong frowned at her, seemingly offended: "Our legitimate underworld businesses are real estate, manufacturing, and film, all of which are transparent and legal. In addition, we are also responsible for maintaining local law and order... Only heartless thugs and hooligans would engage in prostitution."

"Damn, so honest! If I didn't know you weren't one to lie, I would have questioned you a lot." Ji Huaisu waved half a fried dough stick. "So, you were working as a bodyguard for your boss most of the time back then?"

“Sometimes I am,” Chu Hengkong said. “Other times I’m responsible for taking out those heartless bastards.”

Ji Huaisu put down the fried dough sticks and sat up straight. Even she felt a little embarrassed to act silly at this moment, because the man across the table spoke calmly, yet his words carried a stubborn reserve, making him seem like a masked hero who took it upon himself to protect the city... It's just a pity that this hero's left arm is now a slippery tentacle, and his right hand is holding a handful of noodles. He doesn't seem very chivalrous; instead, he looks like a middle-aged man reminiscing about the past with a sigh...

"No matter how cool you were back then, now you can only be a tentacle man," Ji Huaisu said sadly.

Chu Hengkong was utterly baffled; he had no idea what the other person was imagining. He continued, following the train of thought: "Getting back to the point, although Maivia is unconventional, his thinking is old-fashioned, and his attempt to assassinate me is very strange."

"Why?" Ji Huaisu started eating the fried dough stick again.

“In the traditional way, we would first ‘talk’ and negotiate for hours, weeks, or even months, until I finally step in,” Chu Hengkong said. “But they actually took action before the conflict escalated, which is ridiculous.”

"That must have been his son who did it," Ji Huaisu said nonchalantly. "Young people, it's normal."

Chu Hengkong nodded; his partner's words made sense this time. If Maivia's sons continued to act on their own initiative, they could be used as a starting point for future assassinations. They could consider capturing them as interrogators, or finding a way to get them to lead the way… He naturally shifted his thinking to assassination, because gangsters like those in the club had to die; it was only a matter of time.

The biggest shortage right now is intelligence. The core members of the Maivia family seem to never go out, and the spies can't infiltrate the club, so there's no information at all. The white-browed man he ordered to keep an eye on still hasn't responded, but based on Tina's recollections, that man was extremely arrogant, and it's hard to imagine that such a person would stay holed up in the building all this time.

They must have some methods. Invisibility? Disguise? Or something even more bizarre...?

Chu Hengkong pondered to himself, then picked up his tray and stood up: "I'm going to practice martial arts."

"You can go to sleep for a while and then go find Dad, it'll be the same..."

"I won't feel at ease until I learn new tricks," Chu Hengkong said. "Who knows when war will break out."

·

The club, Maivia's office.

Maivia punched Visaph hard. The fist, as big as a melon, smashed his son's head to pieces, shards of glass and flesh splattering everywhere. Visaph fell to his knees, howling like a young mammoth, black blood gushing like oil from his headless neck.

"Father! No!" the headless Vesap cried out in terror. Maivia kicked him in the stomach, splitting him in two, black blood splattering everywhere. His expression was terrifying. His eldest daughter, Carmel, rushed to comfort him: "Father, don't do this! That was his favorite skin; it took him ages to peel it off..."

"You arrogant fool!" Maivia roared, "Who gave you the audacity to assassinate a high-ranking detective? He's someone Ji Qiufeng values!!"

“I want to eradicate the threat…” Vesap hurriedly defended himself.

"And your methods are incompetent and foolish." Maivia's temper flared up again. "If you wanted to kill someone, you should have asked Master Yan to do it directly! Instead of sending your precious kin to risk their lives!"

“Father, he doesn’t want to alarm Master Yan… he…” Carmel explained in a low voice, even though she knew her second brother was stubborn and self-willed.

That's why I said he was stupid!

Maivia sat in a specially made large chair, sighing repeatedly. Only the black-blooded Vesap writhed on the floor, tearing at flesh from the ground and walls, barely managing to piece together a grotesque human form. Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and a man with white eyebrows entered. He knew something was wrong the moment he saw the atmosphere, grabbed Vesap from the floor, and berated him harshly: "What have you done to anger your father again? Are you trying to kill me?! Apologize right now!"

“...It was my fault, Father,” Vesap said reluctantly.

Bai Mei slapped his head hard, then turned his face and gave him a fawning smile like a dog: "Dad, you're so magnanimous, please let him go."

“You’re not as sensible as Bai Mei,” Maivia sighed again. “The City Lord’s Mansion is already watching us, and I’m worried about the upcoming ceremony. Tell me, Vesafu, will you try your best to make amends?”

“I promise I will!” Vesap promised with his ugly face. Maivia waved his hand.

"Go down, everyone. You're in charge of the contingency plan. The countermeasures in case of an attack, personnel deployment, and underground guarding... you'll be in charge of all of that. Do you understand? I want you to do it personally."

“I understand, Father.” Vesap trembled with nervousness, a pathetic sight that made Maivia shake her head repeatedly.

"And you, Whitebrow. The situation is tense right now, so let's choose someone from the club, and find a clever girl if possible... I don't want to find another stupid daughter."

"Don't worry about leaving it to me, Dad!" White Eyebrows nodded repeatedly, pulling the other two out of the room. Maivia waved his hand, as if shooing away a swarm of flies.

“Look at these idiots, Master Yan.” He sneered at his departing “children”. “If we really hand over the business to them, it will be wiped out in less than three years.”

“Then you shouldn’t even think about retiring,” the man in the suit said. “You still have to keep what’s yours in your own hands.”

He remained inside the room, standing quietly like a servant. He didn't utter a sound even as Vesap was brutally beaten, only speaking when Maivia did.

“Only I can be the head of the household.” Maivia lit a cigarette, but didn’t smoke it, only staring at the burning paper roll between her fingers. “The situation is bad. Adari died at the wrong time, and now we can’t count on the swamp to hold our attention.”

“Perhaps we should talk,” Master Yan said.

"Is Ji Qiufeng a negotiator? Look at his mad dog-like daughter." Maivia shook her head. "No. It won't work. I know what you're going to say, but Kanin is a crazy ambitious man. You can only trade with him, but you can't cooperate with him."

Maivia's judgment was devoid of emotion, even though just yesterday he had kissed Kanin on both cheeks, calling him a distinguished guest and a close friend. Master Yan said nothing; he was merely a bodyguard, while the boss was responsible for devising a way out for the organization.

He watched Maivia, cigarette in hand, lost in deep thought, an image that reminded him of the club's early days. Back then, they were single-mindedly determined to leave the swamp and make a name for themselves in the Central Courtyard, but they repeatedly met with setbacks. Their subordinates surrounded Maivia, asking what they should do, and Maivia would ponder this for a long time, cigarette between his fingers, before finally giving a convincing answer.

The burning cigarette burned Maivia's fingers, so he stubbed it out.

"The City Lord's Mansion is about to make a move," he said with absolute certainty. "They've gained a capable and skillful hand, far superior to those useless cowards we crushed before. Now Ji Qiufeng has far fewer concerns; once he decides to act..."

“That’s beyond our level,” Master Yan said, pointing to the sky.

“No matter who wins or loses between him and the outside world, we will be the ones who suffer in the end.” Maivia seemed to have made up her mind. “The accumulation of wealth should be enough. I will summon the benevolent old man as soon as possible, starting from the birth of my new daughter. I will make extra preparations… including myself. The portrait, the underground, and myself, so that there are three summoning points, which is much safer.”

"You decide," Master Yan said.

Maivia laughed and clapped her old partner's hand: "Why don't you take this opportunity to reconsider the ceremony? You're in your prime, but you should also think about the future."

"Twenty years from now, my sword will still be just as steady," Master Yan said matter-of-factly.

“As solid as a rock, Master,” Maivia exclaimed.

He dragged his massive body to his feet and left, ascending through the secret passage. Once out of Master Iwa's sight, he activated his communication relic, and a few seconds later, Whitebrow's voice came through.

"Dad."

“Prepare more blood packs,” Maivia said, her voice icy. “They need to be young, no older than 30.”

"Don't worry, leave it to me. I guarantee you can use it whenever you want." Bai Mei smiled and agreed. This bloodthirsty son was best at kidnapping. There are some things you can't say to others in front of them; you have to entrust them to specialists. Knowing how to handle these things is essential for long-term business success.

With the preparations mostly complete, Maivia pondered as he ascended to the club's top floor. The entire floor was adorned with round stained-glass windows, the dim light converging at a single point to illuminate a massive, colorful oil painting dominating the front wall. The painting depicted a portly old man, his figure robust, his smile serene, and behind him, a table piled high with various foods and treasures.

Maivia knelt before the huge portrait, clenched her hands, and prayed with utmost devotion.

"Hermit embraced by the dark moon, benevolent old man, please hear my plea... grant my family peace... grant me knowledge, food, and wealth..."

Unbeknownst to them, the light in the room dimmed, and the old man's smile in the painting appeared particularly eerie in the shadows. No human figures could be found in the room, only a dark, foul-smelling outline writhing as it prayed. A stream of dark liquid flowed across the floor, within which emerged various delicacies, gold, and silver treasures…

Maivia believed in the most generous god in the world, who would surely reward whatever she asked for.

·

Visapal stepped out of the office, struggling to straighten his face. He wasn't quite right; his distorted expression wouldn't come back together, prompting an angry shout. The noise startled a cleaning maid, who turned around with concern: "Young Master Visapal, you—"

The maid's voice abruptly stopped as Visapal swung his arm, smashing her against the wall until she was a bloody mess. A person who had done nothing wrong died just like that.

Carmel grumbled with disdain, "You've made the walls dirty again! It'll be such a hassle to wash them."

“It’s up to you to find someone else,” Visaph said coldly. White Eyebrows hooked his arm around his shoulder, laughing and joking, “Wow! It’s so inefficient for you to vent your anger like that. You might as well go play with women.”

"Brother White Eyebrows, you just play around with women all day long, is it that fun?" Vesa said disdainfully.

"Brother Bai Mei, I can play around with women, but I never get scolded. Do you know why? Because I don't try to be clever, so Dad trusts me to handle things." Bai Mei chuckled. "That's why Carmel doesn't dare bother me no matter how many people I kill, but if you kill one, she'll have the nerve to criticize you. That's the difference, you know?"

Carmel said irritably, "Yes, yes, you're the best. Remember to find me a new leg when you have time; the current one isn't pretty enough."

"I'll definitely cut you a plump one."

Bai Mei walked away with a grin, his back view smug and triumphant, like a victorious dog. He still had many things to do. Finding blood packs was easy, but finding a new daughter was troublesome; he had to personally vet each one before making a choice.

"Let's just lock up the ones who weren't chosen," Bai Mei thought casually. "Killing them one by one is too troublesome; it's more fun to kill them all at once."

It was just dawn. The night passed in the usual decadent revelry, and men and women left the club with tired eyes, while the women responsible for providing the pleasures hurriedly washed up, trying their best not to leave the smell of the place on their bodies.

While changing, Catwoman Yako was still thinking about the man in the white tuxedo she'd met the night before. A woman's intuition told her he had a story, even though he looked like a wealthy young man new to the world of pleasure. A fleeting, frivolous thought crossed her mind, but quickly vanished. Why think about these things? She needed to hurry home to make breakfast and take her child to school…

As she walked, Ya Zi stopped. She saw the white-browed man standing in front of her, his expression showing irritability due to fatigue. She quickly bowed and said, "Master Bai."

The white-browed man slapped her hard across the face, and Ya Zi fell to the ground, clutching her face.

"What's with the 'Master Bai'? It makes you look old, you know?" The white-browed man stomped on her hand hard. "Just call me Brother Bai Mei!"

Despite the excruciating pain, Ya Zi knelt on the ground and forced a smile: "I'm sorry, Brother Bai Mei."

"Yes, that's a good girl." White Eyebrows took out a large pearl and tossed it to her. "You've been working very hard lately. Take your tip before you leave."

"Thank you, Brother Bai Mei..." Ya Zi was confused and even felt terrified. Many customers who had a good time would leave tips, but everyone knew that Bai Mei wouldn't; he would only chop off people's hands and feet. She racked her brains trying to figure out what she had done wrong that made Bai Mei want to kill her.

"Don't worry, everyone likes a well-behaved woman." Bai Mei smirked. "You have a daughter, right? How old is she?"

“…10 years old,” Yako whispered.

"Do you have any photos? I can see them."

Ya Zi desperately wanted to run away. She slowly opened her wallet, inside which was a photo of her daughter, Mei Zi. Bai Mei snatched the bag away and glanced at it.

"Not bad! A beauty in the making!" Bai Mei smiled. "Your daughter is so lucky. You don't need to come these next few days; I'll come to your house to pick her up later."

"Ok."

"Don't go out after you get back, okay?"

"Ok."

"Don't tell anyone else either," White Eyebrows said impatiently.

"Okay, I understand, thank you, Brother White Eyebrows."

She bowed deeply, turned with a sad calm of complete acceptance of reality, and walked home. Her home was in Bangxing Building, an old apartment building not far from the club, where many catgirls lived. Her husband helped bake bread, and she fried an egg and a slice of "fake meat" made of flour and plant powder to make a sandwich for her daughter, which she put in her schoolbag. Then she smiled and saw her husband and daughter off.

While doing all this, Yako appeared as hardworking and strong as ever. But after her family left, her strength crumbled from the inside out. She locked the bedroom door, knelt on the floor, and cried silently. The tears of despair washed away her makeup, and she stared up at the ceiling, muttering to herself like a madwoman.

"Please, child, I beg you! Please see me!! I know you're still here; I saw you playing with Meizi. I have no other choice... I really have no other choice!"

Naturally, there was no echo from the ceiling. Yako cried out in anguish.

"Those club people, they're taking my daughter away!"

Then, a pair of illusory feet appeared on the ceiling. A little girl in white emerged, followed by a small dog.

“Don’t cry, Auntie,” Tina said. “Tell me about it.”

Chapter 44 Assassination Mission

Chu Hengkong lay in the passenger seat, groaning in pain.

He had just finished his training for the day. In the past few days, Ji Qiufeng's requirements had been rising steadily. The training time had increased from two hours when he returned from the swamp to four hours. In addition to the daily routine of sparring, he practiced that cramping stance to death. He felt like he was turning into a human sponge, constantly squeezing water out of him until he was dry.

Fortunately, he has almost learned it, otherwise he would have had to take a week off.

"Brother Chu, why don't you take a break today?" Lu Xing, who was driving, said cautiously. "I don't think you're fit to go to work right now."

"Drive your car... I'm perfectly fine..." Chu Heng's voice was barely audible. Lü Xing made a few strange sounds with his tongue and parked the SUV on the side of the road. Under the gloomy sky, the 16-story Bangxing Building looked like a gray tombstone.

Chu Hengkong wiped his face with a hot towel, put on his green coat, and got out of the car. Lü Xing quickly turned off the engine and followed behind him. They walked briskly to the familiar door, knocked, and then hurried footsteps came. The middle-aged man who opened the door shook hands with them one after another, full of gratitude.

"Detective Chu! Officer Lü! Please come in quickly, please come in quickly," Hai En said excitedly.

The once disheveled man was now impeccably dressed, his physique even appearing somewhat more robust—a complete transformation from his former self. The reunion of his daughter had deeply affected Hein, utterly changing his life. Tina floated over obediently to greet them, carrying a storybook. Only the little dog shrank into a corner upon seeing Chu Hengkong, clearly deeply traumatized by him.

"What are you hiding? I won't hit you unless you bite," Chu Heng chuckled. He noticed two dumbbells on the living room floor and asked, "Mr. Haien, have you been working out lately?"

“Yes, yes.” Hein nodded repeatedly. “I think men still need… a little muscle! That way, if something happens, they can protect their families… although my daughter doesn’t need my protection…”

Tina chuckled softly, and Chu Hengkong smiled too. "It's good that you mean well." They sat down on the sofa, and Lü Xing took on the role of his helpful assistant, asking about all sorts of trivial matters, while Haien answered somewhat nervously. "How have you been feeling lately... Have you experienced any unusual sensations during these two months of sealing... Are things going well with the neighbors...?"

This was like a routine questionnaire, serving two purposes: firstly, to confirm that Tina's presence wouldn't bother those around her, and secondly, to reassure the father and daughter that the detective was always looking out for them and they didn't need to worry about being harassed by villains. After asking the last question, it was almost time to say goodbye. As usual, Lü Xing asked, "...Is there anything I can help you with?"

“Yes,” Tina said. “I have something I want to talk to the detective about.”

Lu Xing was taken aback and exchanged a glance with Chu Hengkong. "Then Uncle Lu, go out for a smoke first." After Lu Xing left, Chu Hengkong gestured for the two to relax. He noticed that Hai En's expression was somewhat uneasy.

“Detective Chu, I know my family really doesn’t deserve to trouble you anymore, but…” Hai En stammered, “I feel you should be informed about this matter… but… for my own selfish reasons…”

"Don't worry about it," Chu Hengkong encouraged them. "Just say it."

Then Tina spoke in her childish voice, talking about a family downstairs who had a very good playmate. She talked about how that playmate's family was very similar to hers: a father who worked hard but couldn't earn much money, and a mother who was tricked into going to a club... Their child was very beautiful, and the parents always hoped that the child could grow up healthy and become a teacher or a doctor in the future... Then one day, the mother broke down and cried in her home because her child was about to be taken away, to a place she would never return to.

Hein was terrified. He felt he was causing the detective too much trouble, but his pitiful empathy prevented him from standing idly by. He stole glances at Chu Hengkong's expression and found the detective listening quietly, as usual, without showing any particular emotion. For some reason, Hein felt a chill run down his spine.

"When did this happen?" Chu Hengkong asked.

“It was the morning before yesterday, and the person who was supposed to pick up her daughter hadn’t arrived yet,” Tina said. “I didn’t dare tell you directly. I felt that if I asked her father to go find you, they would definitely find out.”

"Well done." Chu Hengkong placed a yellow crystal in Tina's hand; it was a relic from their long-distance communication trip to the swamp. "Could you take this crystal downstairs?"

Tina nodded.

"After I leave, give it to the aunt downstairs. Tell her that Detective Chu knows about this and that she shouldn't worry." Chu Hengkong squatted down, patted Tina's little head, and forced a smile that seemed too innocent to him.