Charlie was in the basement, accompanied by two local Hongmen disciples Luke hadn't met before.
"Boss, everything's ready."
Luke nodded, pulled an envelope stuffed with cash from his pocket, and tossed it to the older Hongmen disciple. "Thanks for your hard work, guys. Take this money for drinks."
The man felt the thickness of the envelope, and a satisfied smile immediately appeared on his face.
"The Young Master is generous, as expected. No wonder the brothers in Coast City all say that following you means there's wine, meat, and women—better than heaven, surpassing King Zhou."
"It's just the brothers giving me credit. I'll have to trouble you two for the next few days."
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all!"
The two bowed their hands and left the basement to stand guard outside.
Emily shot Luke a look and sneered. "Wine, meat, and women! Ha!"
Luke quickly changed the subject. "Charlie, how is he doing?"
"His emotions are relatively stable, but he keeps yelling to be let out."
"Did you lay a hand on him?"
"No."
"Good, don't use force."
Luke walked to the iron window and peered through the bars at Ibn Abdul Sanji Rahman Shalim, who was pacing back and forth. He was a typical Arab man: brown skin, slightly curly hair, and a full beard. He was decent-looking, but overly sloppy. If cleaned up, he'd be a good-looking guy.
"When we meet him, no matter what I do, don't say anything."
Emily retorted sharply, "I know what to do, you don't need to instruct me."
Luke shrugged and pushed the room door open, walking inside.
The moment someone entered, Ibn reacted like an overly startled wild monkey, immediately taking a defensive posture.
"Who are you? What do you want? Why did you bring me here?"
Luke picked up a chair and sat under the flickering overhead lamp, watching him expressionlessly.
"Who do you think I am?"
Ibn froze, cautiously examining the person: black hair, light green eyes, and an overly delicate face. A figure surfaced in his mind.
"You... you're ShowMe's..."
"That's right. I'm Luke Shaw, the founder of ShowMe, the unlucky guy you ruined. Ibn, you're really something. One video made me lose thirty million dollars. The company I worked so hard to build nearly went bankrupt, all thanks to your damn work."
Luke pulled out a handgun he had prepared, racked the slide, and screwed on a silencer. He said calmly under Ibn's horrified gaze,
"Owe money, pay money. Owe a life, pay a life. Since you had the guts to mess with me, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"No!"
Ibn instantly collapsed to his knees. "Don't kill me! It wasn't me! I didn't upload that video, really, it wasn't me! I was working at the restaurant this morning. I didn't even turn on a computer."
Emily frowned deeply. She wanted to speak up, but recalling her promise, she remained silent.
Luke lowered his voice, the hoarse sound grating like wood scraping the floor, sending chills down the spine.
"The account is yours, and the password is yours. If not you, then who?"
Bang!
The gunshot exploded. Ibn's pupils constricted to pinpoints. His heart seemed to be gripped by something, unmoving. His mouth hung half-open, his terrified face frozen like a photograph. After a moment, he gasped for air like a fish brought back to life.
Luke cursed angrily,
"Damn Italians, what a crappy piece of junk. It misfired! You got lucky the last time. You won't get a chance this time."
"It wasn't me! It really wasn't me! I swear, I never uploaded the video!"
Ibn yelled, tears and snot mixing together in a miserable sight. His courage had been shattered by that gunshot.
"Please believe me! The video wasn't uploaded by me. I have no idea what happened."
"Lies. I checked your account before I came. There were no anomalies like hacking or a missing password. That means the account was logged into normally. Who else could it have been but you?"
The muzzle was raised again.
It was a black, ominous hole, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper. Ibn felt his heart was about to stop. His mind raced frantically in his state of terror. Suddenly, a figure popped up.
"Adousan! Yes, Adousan..."
"I remember now! It was him, Adousan! He uploaded the video."
Then, he repeated to himself,
"Yes, it must be him. It has to be him."
Luke didn't lower the gun, his tone still severe.
"Trying to pull a fast one by just giving me a random name? Do you take me for a fool?"
"I'm not lying! It really is Adousan! Only he knows my account password. He... he..."
"He what? Speak!"
Ibn gritted his teeth and said spitefully, "He's in the drug business. He has operations in the Bay Area and Miller Port in Gotham City, and in Brooklyn in Metropolis. His subordinates are mainly Arabs and West Asians. They are ruthless and dare to do anything. He must have had someone upload the video."
"You know so much about him. Are you one of his subordinates?"
Ibn: "..."
His eyes flickered violently, neither denying nor admitting it.
Luke curled his lip. "I thought you were a chef. Turns out you're a drug dealer!" He turned to Emily. "Anything you want to ask?"
Emily remained silent. Seeing him like this initially evoked some pity, but upon hearing the word "drug dealer," that sympathy instantly vanished.
Luke continued, "Where does Adousan live?"
Having already confessed everything, Ibn decided to give up completely.
"78 West Ocean Park in the Bay Area. His bedroom is on the far east side of the third floor. He usually stays there. If not, he's in the small building behind the Logger Bar in Miller Port."
Luke memorized the address, left a single statement: "I will find out the truth," and then turned to leave.
A Favor for the Hongmen
Outside the basement, the two Hongmen disciples were waiting. The older one laughed.
"Young Master, how did the interrogation go? Did you need our brothers' help?"
"Don't call me Young Master; it sounds too formal. We're all brothers, just call me A-Lin. By the way, what are your names?"
"We dare not accept the title 'A-Lin' (a reference to 'Little Lin,' Luke's likely family name). The older man waved his hands repeatedly. "My surname is Lian, single name Cheng. Just call me Old Lian. His surname is Zhao, and he's just recently joined. You can call him Little Zhao."
"So it's Brother Lian and Brother Zhao." Luke cupped his hands. "Thank you for your help today."
"We're family; don't mention it."
Since they started talking, the smile hadn't left Lian Cheng's face. While standing guard, he had opened the envelope and checked the contents—a whopping eight thousand US dollars. No wonder the brothers in Coast City spoke so highly of the Young Master. Seeing him today, he was indeed generous. Not only was he open-handed with money, but his manner and charisma made people feel comfortable. No wonder the former Chairman thought so highly of him!
"Young Master, do you have any other instructions? If so, just say the word. Your brothers will get it done."
"Brother Lian, you're a straightforward man. Actually, there is one more thing I need help with. The Arab man inside is involved in the drug trade. If Brother Lian has the time, please help me get a confession."
Drugs!
Hearing that word, Lian Cheng's expression changed instantly. When the Hongmen first came to America, they suffered greatly because of the drug trade. That hatred was deeply etched in the hearts of the older generation. When the situation improved, the Chairman at the time immediately issued a death warrant: all Hongmen members were forbidden from touching any drug-related business. Anyone who violated the rule, regardless of their identity, would not be spared.
"Young Master, rest assured, I will get to the bottom of this."
"Thank you."
Luke bowed slightly, bade farewell to the two men, and left with Charlie and Emily.
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