Chapter 19

"Jinlong Palace KTV." After leaving the school gate, Qin Lang got into a taxi.

"Fifteen!" The taxi driver directly quoted a price, clearly not intending to use the meter.

Qin Lang knew it was not easy to catch a taxi on Saturday night, so he did not haggle with the driver.

A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of Jinlong Palace. The driver turned back to Qin Lang and said, "We're here, fifty!"

"Fifty? Are you sure?" Qin Lang snorted coldly, "Know your limits, don't be too greedy!"

"Kid, do you want to ride for free?"

The driver clearly did not take Qin Lang, a student, seriously. He stretched his head out and shouted to a thug at the entrance of Jinlong Palace KTV, "Brother Mao, come have a cigarette!"

As he spoke, the driver glared fiercely at Qin Lang, a show of force. It was a warning to Qin Lang, "See that? I have a good relationship with the thugs at Jinlong Palace. If you don't pay the fifty bucks today, you'll be in trouble!"

The thug called "Brother Mao" was a large, tough man with two tattoos on his arms. He was assigned to guard the entrance because of his intimidating presence.

Qin Lang ignored the driver and threw him fifteen yuan.

"Brother Mao" knew the driver and understood the situation. He showed a fierce expression and blocked Qin Lang, "Kid, do you want to ride for free?"

"Ride for free, my ass! Mao, are you blind? Don't you recognize Brother Qin?"

Just as "Brother Mao" finished speaking, someone slapped the back of his head hard. He turned back in anger and saw it was Brother Ma Wei. His anger instantly subsided, thinking to himself, "How was I supposed to know this kid is 'Brother Qin'?"

Mao did not dare to provoke Brother Ma Wei, so he vented his anger on the driver, slapping him hard, "F*ck! Brother Qin riding your car is giving you face, and you dare to extort Brother Qin? You're asking for death... F*ck, give Brother Qin's fare back... Fifty! Bullshit! Give five hundred!"

While Mao was scolding and squeezing the taxi driver, Qin Lang and Brother Ma Wei had already entered the third-floor private room of Jinlong Palace KTV.

There, Qin Lang saw Han Sanqiang, who was in a mess, drinking alone.

Seeing Qin Lang, Han Sanqiang called the others out and handed him a large envelope, "Brother Qin, this contains photos of Andesheng, his address, and some of his properties. That's all I could find out."

"Thanks." Qin Lang put the envelope away.

Seeing Han Sanqiang's hesitant expression, Qin Lang guessed something and asked, "Aqiang, in trouble?"

Han Sanqiang sighed and said, "F*ck, someone is after my territory!"

"Tell me more." Qin Lang poured a glass of wine and listened to Han Sanqiang's explanation.

Qin Lang had already guessed that Han Sanqiang was in trouble, as the person who had tried to poison Han Sanqiang clearly did not fear his power. However, since Han Sanqiang did not speak up, Qin Lang did not want to pry, to avoid making Han Sanqiang feel that Qin Lang was trying to be the boss.

"Strong Bull's leader, Sang Kun, has made it clear. He wants me to give up the street outside No. 7 High School!" Han Sanqiang said with hatred.

The street outside No. 7 High School was quite profitable, and Han Sanqiang was not willing to give it up. Moreover, losing the territory would mean losing face.

"It seems you can't handle this Sang Kun?" Qin Lang's tone remained calm.

"Yes." Han Sanqiang did not hide it, "My people have clashed with them secretly over the past few days, and we are at a disadvantage in terms of numbers and strength!"

"Are you planning to give up the territory?" Qin Lang asked casually.

Han Sanqiang had expected Qin Lang to offer help, given his well-known martial arts skills, but Qin Lang remained unmoved. However, Han Sanqiang thought that as a student, Qin Lang might not be interested in the underworld and had no obligation to help him.

"This..."

Han Sanqiang sighed deeply and took a big sip of wine, "I won't give up the territory! I won't mention the poisoning incident, but this guy is crazy and will do anything. If he takes over the street, he will definitely sell drugs to students and drag more of them down!"

"I didn't expect you to have a sense of justice." Qin Lang smiled slightly.

Han Sanqiang's face turned red, and he said seriously, "Brother Qin, I know you sometimes look down on me, but I'm just a gangster. However, I have my principles. I am loyal to my brothers, I don't deal in drugs, and I don't force women into prostitution!"

"Brother Aqiang, I don't look down on you," Qin Lang said calmly, "There is light and dark in the world, and I understand that. The street outside the school is a place that will attract underworld attention. You have your principles, which is commendable."

By calling Han Sanqiang "Brother Aqiang" again, Qin Lang showed that he did not look down on him. Qin Lang had been taught many things by the old drug lord and was not naive enough to believe the world was peaceful and prosperous. Han Sanqiang's ability to stick to his principles was already quite commendable.

Han Sanqiang was impressed by Qin Lang's insight and decided to share his thoughts, "Brother Qin, I know you are skilled. If you help me, I can keep my territory and face—don't worry, I won't let you do this for nothing. From now on, you will be my boss!"

Qin Lang had known Han Sanqiang's thoughts from the beginning. He had not spoken up to wait for Han Sanqiang to make the first move. The old drug lord wanted Qin Lang to take over Andesheng's entire business, but it had to be done legally. Otherwise, the police would come knocking. After some thought, Qin Lang decided the best way was to work through Han Sanqiang. Han Sanqiang was a seasoned gangster familiar with the black and white forces in Xiayang City and would have ways to legally acquire Andesheng's business.

"I won't be your boss," Qin Lang shook his head, "In the future, you might not just be the boss of the No. 7 High School area; you could be the boss of the southern part of the city, or even all of Xiayang City!"

Qin Lang's tone was calm but exuded confidence, which made Han Sanqiang's blood boil. However, Han Sanqiang was not a naive person and quickly realized that achieving this goal would not be easy. Although Qin Lang's martial arts skills were good, the underworld was not just about martial arts. However, Han Sanqiang understood Qin Lang's intention and nodded, "Brother Qin, I understand. You want to be the boss behind the scenes."

Since Han Sanqiang could accept Qin Lang as his boss, he could also accept him as the boss behind the scenes. If Qin Lang did not help, Han Sanqiang would likely lose to Sang Kun, losing both territory and face, and possibly be taken advantage of by other gangs. On the other hand, if Qin Lang became the boss behind the scenes and expanded the territory, Han Sanqiang would benefit even more.

With a foundation for cooperation, the next steps were easier to discuss.

Han Sanqiang's expression was no longer gloomy as he began to discuss how to deal with Sang Kun, "Sang Kun is not from Xiayang City; he is a Uighur from Xinjiang Province, leading a group of fearless Uighur brothers who control the train station area in the eastern part of the city. He is very wealthy and ruthless, making him a tough opponent. Originally, Strong Bull and Sang Kun did not interfere with each other, but now Sang Kun has bought off Strong Bull, making his current power very strong."

"This doesn't make sense," Qin Lang thought for a moment, "Sang Kun's territory is in the east, and yours is in the south. It doesn't make sense for him to rush into a conflict with you before he has fully secured the east."

"I didn't expect this either," Han Sanqiang said, "Previously, I and Sang Kun did not interfere with each other."

"First, we need to figure out Sang Kun's true intentions—" Qin Lang tapped his fingers on the wine glass, thinking about the reasons. After a moment, he had a vague idea, "The street outside the school! What makes the street outside the school so interesting to him?"