Rustling footsteps broke the silence of the dim street.
Creeping cautiously around the corner toward the merchants' association building, the detectives wore grim expressions.
The gunfire ringing out from inside had been frantic and relentless.
Yet just as James raised his arm to halt the detectives behind him, limp bodies were hurled out into the street one after another, like discarded rags.
Stunned by the sight, the detectives nervously reached for their holsters.
Right then, Liu Ren's voice rang out, heavy with irritation. "Couldn't you have made less of a mess? Did you have to leave blood splattered everywhere? Whoever cleans this up tomorrow is going to have a miserable time!"
"Wot's miserable, humie?"
Staring at Liu Ren with curiosity, the Orc Lad scratched his head, completely bewildered.
Liu Ren's mouth twitched. How was he supposed to explain the concept of "misery" to an orc? In their brains, all joy came from fighting—because fighting was a blast!
"Hey, Liu! What are you doing here?"
Recognizing Liu Ren from earlier that day, James immediately raised a hand, motioning for his squad to stand down.
"Good evening, Mr. James! Out for a stroll as well?" Liu Ren greeted him with a bright smile, stepping forward and waving pleasantly.
"A stroll?"
James stared at Liu Ren, then looked past him at the Japanese bodies strewn outside. His brow furrowed at once. "Buddy, do you have any idea what you've done? This is a bloody massacre!"
"Mr. James, maybe they're just sleeping. Don't you think?"
Approaching James, Liu Ren deftly produced an envelope and pressed it into his hand.
James looked down in silence, then glanced back over his shoulder at the detectives behind him. "Liu, half the precinct came with me. How am I supposed to explain this back at the station?"
Without a word, Liu Ren turned, grabbed a Japanese corpse by the pant leg, dragged it over, and offered a calm smile. "Problem solved. The heroic Inspector James gunned down an assailant who attempted to attack an innocent pedestrian!"
The detectives behind James gaped in disbelief.
Every single word out of this guy's mouth was English, but strung together like that, it sounded completely alien to their ears.
Mulling over Liu Ren's suggestion, James suddenly beamed with excitement. "Holy hell, Liu, you're an absolute genius! That is the most outrageous solution I've ever heard. Your IQ must be over a hundred and sixty! If you were on the force, I'd promote you on the spot!"
With that, James pocketed the envelope, turned, and waved to his squad. "Pack it up, fellas!"
Watching the "humie" walk away, the Orc Lad looked around in confusion. "We ain't krumpin' 'em, humie?"
Liu Ren whipped his head around, staring at the Orc Lad in shock. "Are you out of your mind? I'm not some born psychopath!"
"But fightin's great!"
Eyes gleaming with excitement, the Orc Lad looked down at the revolver in his hand.
Before he could raise it, Liu Ren shoved his arm down and snapped, "No fighting without my orders! Got that? Otherwise, I'll turn you right back into seeds!"
"Damn humie, you're no fun!"
Storming off in a huff, the Orc Lad kicked the door to splinters.
Liu Ren's eye twitched. He couldn't shake the feeling that these orcs were best kept safely tucked away. They were walking bombs—if one went off, hell would break loose!
By the banks of the Hudson River, heavy splashes broke the water's surface.
Watching the Japanese bodies drift with the current toward the sea, Liu Ren lit a cigarette and muttered, "The cherry blossoms back in your homeland must be in bloom. Hope you can drift all the way home!"
It was wishful thinking, of course, considering there were sharks downstream in the bay.
Having wrapped up every loose end, Liu Ren stood in his suit, gazing into the distance all by himself. "I really never thought I could be this ruthless. It hardly suits the 'benevolence' in my name."
Even so, he didn't feel a shred of remorse. In his past life, he had been ground down like a pack mule—why should he waste sympathy on enemies now?
*Liu Ren: I used to be upright and kind. Really, trust me!*
The next morning, Chinatown.
When Uncle Qing learned that Liu Ren had "persuaded" the entire Japanese General Merchants' Association in a single night, he stared at him in utter shock, unable to believe his ears.
"Uncle, you look like you've seen a ghost."
Liu Ren spread his hands helplessly.
"Seeing a ghost is putting it lightly! How the hell did you talk to them? They actually gave up their headquarters and the surrounding streets?"
Uncle Qing stared at him in dazed bewilderment.
"I gave them a choice between an axe and a revolver, and they ended up taking both. By now, they've probably drifted out to the estuary."
Liu Ren offered a breezy, casual smile.
Hearing that, Uncle Qing's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You mean to tell me you wiped out every single person in the merchants' association?"
"Yeah! Wouldn't you say it's much more convenient that way?" Liu Ren gave a hearty thumbs-up.
Stunned, Uncle Qing collapsed back into his chair, clutching his forehead in a daze.
A Chao had always told him there was something off about Liu Ren. Now he finally understood what it was.
The kid was practically the King of Hell reincarnated!
Even Uncle Qing wouldn't have dared claim he could eliminate the entire Japanese General Merchants' Association overnight. Yet here was Liu Ren—one axe, one revolver, one man, and one night!
"Ah Ren, be honest with me. What on earth did you do before this?" Uncle Qing couldn't help asking.
"Shoveled coal."
Liu Ren answered earnestly, and it wasn't a lie. His predecessor had indeed shoveled coal in the ship's hold.
Of course, his own background was far more complicated. He had done a little bit of everything in his past life and picked up a bit of knowledge from everywhere.
How else would he know that number forty-two pasta could be mixed with concrete?
"Hold on, let me sort this out!"
Straightening in his chair with a solemn expression, Uncle Qing reached for the desk phone.
Liu Ren stepped forward and rested a hand on the vintage rotary dial. "I've already handled James at the precinct. All we need to do is send our boys over to take over those streets. No one will interfere."
Uncle Qing looked up, flabbergasted. "How did you handle him?"
"Nobody turns down American dollars. You were all just too polite in the past! With people like that, you have to hit them with cash!"
Liu Ren grinned enthusiastically.
When it came to how things worked on this side of the ocean, Liu Ren understood the rules far better than "innocent" folks like Uncle Qing.
As long as the money was right, the Japanese—or anyone else, for that matter—could be converted into crisp greenbacks!
Uncle Qing thought it over for a moment. "If you take the men over, can you keep things under control?"
"I guarantee none of those Japanese will raise a single objection."
Liu Ren smiled with utter confidence.
He didn't know how others handled the Japanese, but he would certainly be the strictest "father figure" they'd ever known.
On this side of the ocean, anyone who wasn't one of their own was an outsider. And when it came to dealing with outsiders, Liu Ren had a hundred ways to make them fall in line.
Stepping out of the He'an building, Liu Ren was now officially in charge of the streets previously run by the Japanese.
Though it wasn't a vast territory—only two or three streets—it marked the first step of his rise.
Just as Liu Ren was basking in his ambition, a luxury automobile pulled up and came to a stop before him.
The chauffeur opened the door, and an obese Lauren, dressed in a finely tailored suit, stepped out with a broad grin. "Hey, Liu! Long time no see, my friend!"
"Lauren?"
Liu Ren's eyes widened in surprise.
The man had changed immensely from the simple-minded fat cook aboard the Titanic—mostly because he had gotten even fatter!
Chapter 18