A-Bu stepped forward at once, his tone resolute.
"Boss, there's no need to make this so complicated."
"I've already figured out Ba Bi's routine. I can handle him alone."
"No," Lin Yao said, raising a hand to stop him.
"Keep watching him for now. Don't act."
A-Bu was puzzled, but he didn't dare ask more.
Right now, who outside knew that Lin Yao had defaulted on Ba Bi's ten-million-dollar high-interest loan?
That information had almost certainly been leaked on purpose—by Ba Bi himself.
If Ba Bi were killed by someone from Hung Hing,
Lin Yao could stay completely out of it
and still legally swallow the ten-plus million.
Ba Bi had no children—
once the man died, the debt would vanish with him.
No… that wasn't entirely accurate.
Rumor had it Ba Bi had a girlfriend,
nicknamed the "Queen of Nightlife,"
a woman who ran clubs and night venues.
What was her name again?
Sister G?
If it really was her, Lin Yao had zero interest in her daughter.
According to the movie timeline,
she was already past her prime.
Not ugly enough to be unbearable,
but nowhere near Lin Yao's tastes.
In any case, Lin Yao wasn't paying Ba Bi a single cent.
Even the mortgaged property deeds were being reclaimed.
The villa renovation was already finished.
It would be ready for move-in next month.
There were still over ten days until the end-of-month deadline.
Plenty of time.
At present, Lin Yao still had over three million in liquid cash—
not too much, not too little.
After all, the stall business had already been shut down.
Within Wo Shing, many people didn't understand
why Lin Yao was pushing so hard toward "legitimate operations."
Not dealing drugs was one thing—
but not even running underground gambling dens?
That was a misunderstanding.
It wasn't that Lin Yao refused to run illegal casinos—
it was that underground gambling was small money.
A month of work barely brought in any profit,
and the cops loved raiding those places.
Compared to that, Lin Yao was heavily investing in "food" and "sex."
Eating and desire were human instincts.
Huge demand. Long, steady cash flow.
As for the old shops along Nathan Road—
if there was an opportunity, he'd take them.
If there wasn't—
he'd create one.
As for the specifics,
Lin Yao left that to Wu Qiuyu and A-Bu.
The short-term goal was clear:
Turn Tsim East into his own territory.
But Tsim East—this infamous jianghu crossroads—
was never controlled by Wo Shing alone.
The major societies here were deeply entangled.
For now, Lin Yao had only cleared out the Nathan Road strip.
The entire Tsim East area consisted of eleven streets.
Sun Kee, East Star, Hung Hing, Loyalty & Righteousness, Water House,
Numbers Gang, Poison Snake Gang, Hung Thai…
All had halls here.
The Numbers Gang alone had three factions
fighting over territory.
The street Lin Yao bordered
was Lok Road—controlled by Hung Thai—
known as the "holy land" of karaoke bars.
Hung Thai had split off from Hung Hing.
Its leader, Chan Mei,
had once been a partner of Hung Hing's first Dragon Head, Uncle Chiu.
Later, Chan Mei was ostracized by others in Hung Hing.
With Uncle Chiu's approval,
he founded Hung Thai.
Lin Yao needed to expand territory—
not just for the hall,
but also for Tianyao Company.
After deciding to move against Ba Bi,
Lin Yao gave A-Bu a few instructions
and told him to pass them to Wu She.
First, stir up trouble on Lok Road—
test the waters—
then proceed to the next step.
A-Bu understood immediately.
The tactic was old,
but brutally effective.
Just as A-Bu was about to leave to find Wu She—
Wu She walked in,
dragging Feiji behind him.
Feiji was splattered head to toe in paint,
his expression utterly miserable.
He was injured—
one eye swollen shut like a peach.
"Boss, he came to us," Wu She said smugly.
"If I hadn't brought men to pull him out,
he'd have been hacked to death by the Numbers Gang's big circle boys."
Feiji lowered his head, staring at the paint covering his body.
Thinking back to being hunted moments earlier—
and Fish Head Mark watching coldly without lifting a finger—
the last trace of hesitation in his heart vanished.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward—
Thud.
He dropped to one knee.
Hands clasped at his sides, his voice hoarse:
"Boss, if you hadn't saved me today,
I'd already be dead."
"From now on, this life of mine is yours.
You point—I fight. No second thoughts."
Lin Yao glanced at him and said lightly,
"Get up.
If you recognize me as boss, there's no need to kneel."
"You don't need to fear Fish Head Mark anymore.
I've already spoken to him."
"From now on, cut ties with him.
Just follow me."
When Feiji heard the words "Fish Head Mark,"
his body stiffened—
then his eyes filled with shock and wild joy.
He never imagined Lin Yao had settled even that.
All his previous worries evaporated instantly.
"Th-thank you, Boss!"
"Wu She," Lin Yao said, turning aside,
"Take Feiji to the back courtyard to recover.
Find a reliable doctor in the walled city."
"Yes, Boss!"
Wu She clapped Feiji on the shoulder.
"Come on. I'll take you somewhere good."
"Wait."
Lin Yao stopped them and added,
"Feiji—after you recover,
the street in Kowloon Walled City will be yours."
"I'll have Da Dong and the other three follow you for now.
They'll help secure the territory.
If it comes to fighting, their skills won't be inferior to yours."
Kowloon Walled City wasn't as flashy as Tsim East,
but it was solid ground.
Now that he would be calling the shots there,
Feiji was trembling with excitement.
"Th-thank you, Boss!
I'll guard the territory with my life!"
Lin Yao waved them away.
After they left, he turned to A-Bu.
"Hung Thai may claim over a thousand men,
but most of them are useless 'blue-lamp boys.'"
"I heard their strongest Red Pole—Little Overlord—
is gathering three hundred men to cross into East Star."
"But preparation is just preparation."
"Once the wind is tested,
it'll be time to move."
A-Bu asked eagerly,
"Boss—how big are we going?
Take everything at once, or move step by step?"
"That depends on whether Chan Mei and his son
know how to read the situation."
"Understood."
"A-Bu, you'll personally handle this operation.
Wu She is too impulsive—I'm worried he won't know where to stop."
"And watch Hung Thai's Red Pole—
the one named Wai Kat-Cheung."
"He's treated like a guest of honor by the Chan family.
Chan Tai-Lung even favors one of his women."
"All of this must be clarified."
After thinking it over,
Lin Yao ultimately replaced Wu She with A-Bu.
Wu She was too hard-headed—
acting without regard for consequences.
Lin Yao preferred strategy first.
Only when strategy failed
would he resort to force.
He'd seen the movie.
He knew exactly what kind of people
Chan Mei and his son were.
And there was also Hung Thai's useless waste of space.
If he could be used—
then use him.
A useless man, when used properly,
could bring down an entire organization.
And there was also that woman named Ruby—
the so-called "killing machine of the grand brothel."
If you didn't encounter her, fine.
But if you did—
you'd better know exactly how deep the water ran.
Of course, those were minor gains.
The real prize—
was Hung Thai's territory.
Lok Road was pure gold.
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