Brooklyn, New York.
Watching the US dollars flowing out of the company account like water, Liu Ren was so frustrated he felt like killing someone.
Those Irishmen were completely useless! They had been fighting the Jewish mob for half a month, and still neither side had gained the upper hand.
Did they plan on dragging this out all the way through the new year? Or did they want him to watch them get wrapped up together in one neat dumpling?
"Useless! Total, absolute garbage!"
Slamming his hand onto the desk in fury, Liu Ren snapped.
Standing before a large map of New York, his eyes drifted toward several nearby streets.
No matter how much brawling and chaos they kicked up, not a single core, high-ranking figure had actually been taken out!
Seeing Liu Ren worked up into such a rage, A Chao covered the telephone receiver with his hand. "Ren, Robert wants you on the phone!"
Hearing this, Liu Ren swept his bangs back with one hand, strode over, and took the receiver. "It's me, Liu!"
"All right. No problem. Understood. I'll be there on time!"
Setting down the rotary phone, Liu Ren took a deep breath. "I need to head out tonight."
"Is it about what happened earlier today?" A Chao asked with a note of concern.
After all, in broad daylight, they had engaged in a massive brawl with the protesting "cotton pickers"!
Quite a few of them had dropped dead on the spot from "acute lead poisoning." Robert was almost certainly reaching out to smooth things over.
A smile curled onto Liu Ren's lips, but he said nothing. He understood full well why the man was calling.
Liu Ren would never back down at a time like this. The word "weakness" did not exist in his vocabulary—and it certainly didn't belong to the Chinese!
When he had first arrived in New York, he might have concealed his fangs temporarily, though he had still repaid every debt that very night. But things were different now. The Silver Rock Arms Factory was getting on track, and every obstacle had to be cleared away!
Inside a restaurant, Robert and another man slowly walked in.
The moment he saw him, Liu Ren broke into a smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lundin!"
Looking Liu Ren up and down, Lundin gave a slight chuckle. "Liu, you've certainly caused me no small amount of trouble in Brooklyn!"
Hearing Lundin's remark, Liu Ren offered a noncommittal shrug and smiled. "I was already very merciful. But those negroes took us for an ATM—demanding hundreds or thousands in compensation at the drop of a hat. Truly terrifying!"
Watching Liu Ren's mock expression of terror, Lundin couldn't help but chuckle.
If this young man were genuinely afraid, he never would have joined the brawl with them in the first place!
"Lauren has already suppressed the press, but this matter is still troublesome, you understand? Liu!" Robert prompted, gesturing toward him.
"I know, but I had no choice," Liu Ren replied calmly, picking up the bottle on the table to pour drinks for both of them.
Just then, Lundin spoke up. "In light of your past support, I can lock up a few scapegoats for you. But on one condition: you must silence whoever is making the biggest fuss! Otherwise, they're bound to run their mouths!"
Watching Police Chief Lundin lay out the solution, Liu Ren raised his glass. "Not a problem at all!"
"A pleasure doing business!"
Clinking glasses with Liu Ren, Lundin turned and added, "Trouble is a routine matter. How it gets resolved is what truly counts!"
Hearing Lundin's words, Robert smiled as well.
After all, they both held shares in the Silver Rock Arms Factory. Hurting Liu Ren's interests was tantamount to gouging flesh from their own chests.
That was why, after the incident that day, Robert had sought out Lundin for a discussion that very evening.
They were all in the same boat, backed by the Astor family!
Knowing full well the mutual benefits of a society built on favors, Liu Ren might be greedy, but he was never stingy.
***
In an apartment somewhere in Brooklyn.
Several negroes were gathered together drinking cheap liquor. All of them had family members who had gone missing after being recruited into the Silver Rock Arms Factory.
Of course, they weren't really trying to find their relatives; they just wanted to squeeze some money out of the arms factory.
After all, since the people were gone, the factory owed them some compensation, didn't it?
Naturally, Liu Ren had rejected such demands out of hand. The bodies had long since drifted down the Hudson River into the sea; where on earth was he supposed to produce them?
Besides, even if they could be found, Liu Ren would never look for them—wouldn't that be a tacit confession?
Yet he had underestimated the spirit of "freedom" across the ocean.
These "cotton pickers" really had too much time on their hands. With just a little agitation, a whole crowd of them had actually shown up to blockade the gates in protest.
Crisp footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Yet the drinking "cotton pickers" did not notice the impending danger at all.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Ren quietly pulled on a pair of gloves and clasped his hands in a gesture of prayer.
Looking at him, A Chao asked skeptically, "You believe in God now?"
"No. I'm just letting God know that the lost lambs are being delivered straight to His door, so He'd better sign for them."
With that, Liu Ren drew two revolvers and flipped off their safeties.
*Crash!*
Kicking hard at the front door, he sent the old wooden door splintering apart instantly.
Before the "cotton pickers" in the living room could react, Liu Ren had already pulled the triggers.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The bullets swept through the living room like a metal storm, dropping most of the negroes into pools of blood in an instant.
Stepping forward, Liu Ren reloaded while continuing to pull the triggers on the "cotton pickers."
Seeing Liu Ren's ruthless efficiency, A Chao stood guard in the hallway, keeping watch for any potential eyewitnesses.
Still, A Chao had underestimated the survivors of Brooklyn.
After all, aside from Chinese people in the future who might curiously crane their necks to look around and gawk at the source of gunfire, who across the ocean wouldn't instantly hit the deck and play dead?
"Hrrk... hrrk..."
Spitting up bloody foam, one of the "cotton pickers" stared in despair as Liu Ren approached.
Stopping in front of him, Liu Ren pulled the trigger with a cold expression, without the slightest hesitation.
After checking the room once more, he walked out into the corridor. "Let's head back for a midnight snack!"
Hearing Liu Ren, A Chao merely shrugged noncommittally.
They drove back to the villa not far from the arms factory.
A piping-hot clear-broth hot pot was already prepared.
Taking off his suit jacket, Liu Ren caught sight of the lingering bloodstains and immediately frowned. "Damn it, this is bespoke!"
Hearing Liu Ren's grumbling, A Chao picked up a beef meatball with his chopsticks, popped it into his mouth, and said, "Bespoke? Wasn't this bought wholesale off the curb for ten bucks?"
"Do you really think I'd wear a cheap suit like that?" Liu Ren stared at A Chao in disbelief, looking thoroughly taken aback.
"So? What's your point?" A Chao asked, not quite following.
"I want to go back and shove them into a wood chipper!" Liu Ren said angrily, rubbing his temples in irritation. Even chopped to pieces, those "cotton pickers" wouldn't be worth as much as this suit!
Hearing that, A Chao said hastily, "We're eating hot pot! Could you not talk like that? I'm begging you, townsman!"
Tossing the jacket onto a nearby chair, Liu Ren gave a broad smile. "Don't you think having hot pot after finishing business feels much more grounded in everyday life?"
Looking at Liu Ren with suspicion, A Chao sneered in disdain. "You're not quite right in the head."
"Hahaha!"
Pouring himself a drink, Liu Ren laughed without argument.
After all, would any normal person come to this godforsaken place to slave away like a beast of burden?
Thinking about the upcoming "King of Europe" quest, Liu Ren felt a wave of uncertainty. How on earth was he supposed to pull that off? It wasn't as if anyone had handed him an instruction manual!
Chapter 29