Chapter 6

Three days later, in Jiang Tian-sheng's mansion, Zhang Chen and his boss Fei Long sat cautiously across from Jiang Tian-sheng. Although they both wore smiles, they were filled with a sense of unease.

Jiang Tian-sheng's injuries had not fully healed, and his face still bore a hint of pallor. However, his expression remained calm and composed, with a smile that seemed to care about nothing. This smile was not foolish, but rather carried a hint of arrogance and wisdom, exuding an absolute aura of authority and pressure. Even Zhang Chen, who had seen this face countless times in movies from the real world, felt a bit ashamed.

But he had to admit, this was indeed the image of a qualified leader.

"Are you Liang Kun?" Jiang Tian-sheng asked curiously.

Zhang Chen nodded hastily, "Yes."

"This kid is usually quite relaxed, but now he's suddenly so nervous," Fei Long laughed, patting Zhang Chen on the shoulder. "Don't be so tense in front of Mr. Jiang; he won't eat you!"

Zhang Chen responded, but his tension did not ease.

Jiang Tian-sheng was not bothered by this and smiled, "I heard that three days ago, you single-handedly killed Yan Feng?"

"It was just luck, and at that time, I was also running away, which was a very embarrassing thing," Zhang Chen quickly said.

He did not dare to take credit, as it could make Jiang Tian-sheng dislike him.

As expected, his attitude earned Jiang Tian-sheng's favor.

"Yours is yours; there's no need to be modest," Jiang Tian-sheng said. "Yan Feng was the only pillar of Xin'an. Once he fell, almost the entire Xin'an would collapse. Liang Kun, I'm now entrusting you with the management of the Wanchai territory. How about it?"

Wanchai was still under Xin'an's control, and Jiang Tian-sheng's intention was clear.

If he could take Wanchai, Liang Kun would become the leader of Wanchai and the new generation boss of Hongxing. If he couldn't, he would be nothing!

A glint of determination flashed in Zhang Chen's eyes, and he loudly declared, "Thank you, Mr. Jiang, for your arrangement. I will definitely manage Wanchai well for you!"

A hint of joy crossed Jiang Tian-sheng's face, but his composure kept him calm. "If so, I'll wait for your good news."

...

The situation in Wanchai was much better than Zhang Chen had imagined.

Yan Feng's top lieutenant, Tian Shou, was still guarding Wanchai. Although the situation was deteriorating, Tian Shou's strong presence kept all the underlings in line, preventing them from acting rashly.

Tian Shou was Yan Feng's disciple, picked up from the underground boxing ring, and like Yan Feng, he was a formidable fighter.

Mentioning Tian Shou, many of Hongxing's underlings were intimidated. Coupled with Zhang Chen, the newly appointed boss, the first attack was rather weak. If it weren't for the lack of morale among Xin'an's people, who knows if Zhang Chen and his gang would have been surrounded and killed.

In a fit of anger, Zhang Chen did not let the underlings go home after the battle. Instead, he gathered them for a meeting.

The underlings sat on the football field like schoolchildren, and Zhang Chen stood in front, feeling quite proud. "Hmm, I'm quite good at leadership!"

He felt a bit smug, but his expression was terrifying.

His sinister smile and cold gaze made the underlings shiver, even in the heat of summer, feeling as if they were falling into an icy abyss.

"Are you不服 (disobedient) to me?" Zhang Chen shouted. "Is it because I got my position through luck and cunning that you不服 (disobey) me?"

The underlings became restless, whispering to each other, uncomfortable with the situation.

A few of them, not understanding the situation, even shouted, "We不服 (disobey) you, so what!"

Zhang Chen rolled his eyes, thinking they had never attended a meeting before. In such a situation, even if he asked a rhetorical question, it wasn't their turn to speak.

He then coldly snorted, "Fine, if you不服 (disobey) me, come out and let me see if you have the资格 (qualifications) to stand above me!"

This statement made the underlings' eyes turn red.

Liang Kun was not good at fighting and had only gained Mr. Jiang's favor through luck. This was a common belief among the underlings.

Now, Liang Kun was challenging them?

Gangsters, who were easily provoked, immediately became agitated. Soon, a tall and muscular man ran up to Zhang Chen, looking at him coldly. "I'm tougher than you and have killed more people, so I不服 (disobey) you. What are you going to do, hit me?"

"I've never seen such a despicable person!"

Zhang Chen laughed, and the man's mind went blank, his strength dissipating.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Chen grabbed the man's hair and yanked it, the enhanced strength tearing off a layer of his scalp!

The bloody head was exposed to everyone, and Zhang Chen kicked the man away, shouting, "Anyone else?"

The underlings fell silent. They had killed people before, but who had seen such brutality?

Especially, they saw clearly that the most important part of dealing with the man was Zhang Chen's initial gaze.

One glance was enough to incapacitate a strong fighter. How powerful was Zhang Chen?

Looking at the quiet crowd, Zhang Chen coldly snorted, "Take him to the hospital; I'll pay the medical bills!"

Then he turned to the underlings, "No one不服 (disobeys) me, right? Since you're not speaking, I'll assume no one不服 (disobeys) me. Now, I can talk to you properly."

Zhang Chen raised his arm, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Do you plan to be gangsters for the rest of your lives?"

The thunderous voice stunned the underlings.

"What else can we do if we're not gangsters?"

"What can you do? What do you want to do?" Zhang Chen sneered. "You don't want to do anything and can't do anything. Besides smoking, drinking, and womanizing, all you can do is wield a machete. You can't do anything else!"

"Hongxing is one of the largest gangs in Hong Kong, but if you remain this way, Hongxing will never become a top-tier gang in the world!"

Boom!

This statement enraged the underlings. Gangsters valued loyalty, and his words touched on their sense of loyalty.

That's why someone like Jiang Tian-sheng was suitable to be the leader. These gangsters were all straightforward, and if they were leaders, they would ruin everything in no time.

Fortunately, Zhang Chen's earlier performance kept them from acting rashly. Otherwise, they might have cut him down before he finished speaking.

"Angry? Furious?" Zhang Chen sneered. "Why don't you try harder! Holding a machete and dreaming of being ancient heroes, how cool is that? Bullshit! You're all a bunch of废物 (waste). It's 2023, and you still think fighting and killing is all there is. Even if Hongxing becomes the largest gang in the world, it won't be because of you."

"What should we do, then?" someone asked.

"What should we do?" Zhang Chen countered. "Why don't you think about it yourself?"

The underlings were speechless, staring at Zhang Chen with wide, innocent eyes.

This topic was your idea, what's it got to do with us?

Zhang Chen chuckled inwardly and continued waving his arms, like a politician campaigning. "In Italy, the Mafia has its own kingdom. In Japan, the Yakuza is almost an underground government. But in Hong Kong, Hongxing still has to deal with the British and the police. This is shameful!

Why is this so? Because we are just a bunch of gangsters who fight and kill, making money through despicable means. We lack the capital to challenge the government!

I can say that if Hongxing wants to become a top-tier gang in the world, this development model will never work!

We need to reform. We need to make gangsters not just killers but also businessmen and officials. We need to make gangsters not just rely on exploiting women, selling drugs, and collecting protection money. We need to transform Hongxing from a criminal organization into a criminal enterprise!

Our goal is to establish an empire, a vast empire that controls the underworld and casts a shadow over the world!"

The underlings had never heard such things. In a few words, Zhang Chen had left them dazed and confused, and they unconsciously followed his lead, eventually shouting in unison.

Zhang Chen laughed, "But not now! If we can't even take over Xin'an's territory, what do we have to become a kingdom?"

Stirred by his words, the straightforward gangsters became enraged. "Destroy Xin'an!"

With such loud shouts, in the middle of the night, the gangsters, without any fatigue, rushed into Xin'an's headquarters in Wanchai, wielding machetes. In no time, they cut down the exhausted Xin'an underlings, leaving them in disarray.

Tian Shou was awakened and rushed out, enraged. He grabbed two steel pipes and swung them at Zhang Chen, the cold steel pipes emitting a killing aura.

"Plum Blossom Sword Technique!"

Zhang Chen's body moved, and his machete suddenly darted forward. Tian Shou saw a blur of shadows, and a warm sensation slid down his neck. The sharp machete had unknowingly cut his throat!

Thud!

The massive body fell to the ground, and with Zhang Chen's triumphant cry, a new era in the gangster world began!