“Boss. Are you sure this is all right?”
“What is?”
After we came out of Han Lin’s office in Yeonggyeseon, having given him a thorough beating, Scott asked with a face full of concern.
“That guy Han Lin, sir. He’s betrayed us once already. Is it really okay to just leave him like that?”
“What else are we supposed to do? We’re the ones in a hurry right now.”
“…”
“I don’t like it either, honestly. That’s why I roughed him up first, but… do we have anyone in China we can trust? Say we get rid of that bastard and recruit someone else. Is there any guarantee that new bastard won’t betray us? From the look of things, betrayal is an everyday occurrence here.”
“It still doesn’t sit right with me.”
“I know how you feel, but let’s just think of it as business. When you work, how can you only do good things with people you get along with? Even if the situation’s a bit shitty, you’ve got to mix it together somehow and get through it.”
“……”
“It doesn’t make sense to entrust it to that bastard again after he betrayed us, but we don’t know anyone else either. So let’s put a little hope in the person he brings in. That’s why the day after tomorrow is important. We have to sell the drugs.”
“That’s right.”
“If the day after tomorrow goes sideways, we’ll think of another way then. For now, focus on what’s in front of us.”
“Yes, understood.”
“By the way, your acting was pretty good.”
“Pardon? Acting?”
“Yeah. When we were tearing into Han Lin earlier, weren’t we doing that good cop, bad cop kind of thing? Our back-and-forth was perfect.”
“Ah… that… Yes. Back-and-forth. Ahahaha. Ahahahaha.”
Scott could never say that none of it had been acting, and that it had all been his true feelings.
It was the fate of a salaryman.
.
.
.
“Hello, friends.”
Three days later.
A hotel in Guangzhou.
About a hundred gangsters from all over the country had gathered.
That might sound like a lot, but even if you skimmed the surface of South Korea’s gangs, there were easily more than a hundred organizations. The fact that only a hundred Chinese gangsters had come meant the participation rate was extremely low.
It was probably just some back-alley thugs who had gathered.
Or houses on the verge of collapsing.
It also meant the organization called Yeonggyeseon was that weak,
and it was proof that Ascend still wasn’t that famous.
Looks like I’ve got a lot to do.
But it doesn’t matter.
It’s not like I’m trying to become the head of the Chinese Gangster Association.
Nor did I come here to show off my power.
All I have to do is sell Ascend.
The reason I gathered the gangsters today was precisely to sell Ascend.
I took the microphone and went up onto the stage.
I absolutely hate this kind of thing, but there’s no helping it if I want to sell drugs.
It’s not like I can send Scott up there, can I?
As expected, once I got onstage, not a single one of them looked at me kindly.
Just who the hell is that bastard, and why did he call us here?
What’s he trying to say, dragging us all the way here? They glared at me with expressions like that.
But I’ve seen far too many bastards like these.
If you treat bastards like this well, they start thinking they’re something special and crawl all over you.
I skipped all the half-assed manners and got straight to the point.
“Thanks for coming. Greetings and all that are embarrassing for both sides, so let’s skip them and get right to the point.”
“I’m not the least bit curious about what thoughts or reasons brought you here to sit in those chairs. I’m sure you each have your own circumstances.”
“But I can tell you this much for certain. I can make you rich.”
“You’re probably wondering what kind of nonsense this is… so take a look at this.”
I put a large bag on the table.
Then I flipped the bag upside down as it was.
The Ascend inside the bag spilled onto the floor.
“Do you know what this is? It’s Ascend. Ascend!”
At the word Ascend, the gangsters’ gazes changed.
Even if they had never seen it before, they had heard of it.
A precious item you couldn’t get even if you wanted to.
Something that sold out because there wasn’t enough.
The hottest item around these days.
A drug whose distribution channels were impossible to figure out.
They’d heard it was only being distributed in small quantities through dead drops.
And that Ascend was piled up right there in front of them.
They had come with no expectations,
and although they had only been sitting there because they were told there would be food and gifts,
and although they had come because they’d been told they would be given an opportunity to make money, they hadn’t known that the item would be Ascend.
The postures of the people who had shown no interest changed.
They pulled their chairs closer, and greed began to appear in their eyes.
“Whoa, whoa. Don’t pick up what fell. When you leave, I’ll give each of you one of these bags. So let’s not pick up what’s on the floor.”
“I intend to distribute Ascend in China. In that process, I’d like you to help us a little.”
“I’ll bring Ascend all the way to China, and you sell it.”
“I provide the goods, and you sell them. How about it? Simple, right?”
“I can’t give this huge country of China to a single organization. So I’m thinking of dividing it up by city. What do you think? Not a bad idea, is it?”
“If there’s a city you’re confident in, raise your hand.”
“What happens if several organizations overlap in the same region?”
Someone asked a question.
“Oh~ Sharp. That question cuts right to the core. In that case, we hold a bid. Whoever writes down the highest price takes the distribution rights.”
“But there’s a condition. This is a condition that applies not only to that region, but to every region.”
“I’d like the sale price not to exceed 50 yuan.”
“I know you’re greedy for money, but this is the stage where we’re spreading it, so please understand. We won’t take more than 25 yuan either.”
“You need to make a margin too. This is truly a gift bundle we’re giving you.”
“And besides, we’ve already done an incredible job with the marketing.”
“I guarantee you, after just one year, all of you will become xingui.”
“This seems like a pretty decent deal to me. What do you think?”
“Are there any other conditions?”
A voice came from somewhere.
“That you have to protect your own region? If I say I’ll take Guangzhou and then go to Shanghai to sell it, that wouldn’t be allowed.”
“Isn’t that basic?”
“There are a lot of people who can’t even do the basics, you see.”
I glanced once at Han Lin.
“I like people who keep their promises.”
“Then is the price frozen at 50 yuan?”
“Selling below that is fine, but I’d prefer you not exceed 50 yuan.”
“In the future too?”
“For a while, I’d like it to be that way. But don’t worry. The moment I think Ascend has taken root, I’ll raise it. For now, let’s focus on distribution. We need to grow the pie. The barrier to entry shouldn’t be high.”
“Then we’ll take Beijing.”
“Good. Is there any other organization that wants Beijing? Hm? The person raising their hand over there? Beijing, right? How much do you want to receive Ascend for?”
“15 yuan.”
“We’ll pay 17 yuan.”
“20 yuan.”
“22 yuan.”
“23 yuan.”
“25 yuan.”
“26 yuan.”
“28 yuan.”
“30 yuan.”
In an instant, a competition began for the conquest of Beijing.
Before I knew it, they had surpassed the 25 yuan line I had set.
This isn’t good.
If they buy it expensive, they’ll have no choice but to sell it expensive.
Right now, distribution comes before money.
They need to taste Ascend first.
That doesn’t mean I can release even more as samples either.
Production volume is too low even for selling.
I stopped their competition.
“Good. But is there really any need to overdo it like this? The price is already fixed at 50 yuan anyway.”
“It seems like an item we absolutely have to take.”
“Then since Beijing is a big piece, how about splitting it in half? Or the two of you could use this opportunity to form an alliance over this matter. You two go over there and discuss it. If you still can’t reach an agreement, then we’ll auction it again.”
“Now. The same goes for the other regions. Discuss it first. Don’t try to make me into xingui through pointless bleeding competition. I’m already rich enough. So now it’s your turn to get rich.”
“The ones who need to make money aren’t me, but you.”
“We’ll take Shanghai.”
“Chongqing.”
“Chengdu.”
“Wuhan.”
“Hangzhou.”
“Qingdao.”
“Tianjin.”
While I was matching cities and gangs for quite a while, Scott quietly came to my side and whispered in my ear.
“The container Jason from the New People’s Army sent has arrived safely.”
‘Yes!’
What a relief.
A tremendous relief.
I don’t have to worry about taking a plane for the time being.
With a smile on my face, I was able to sell Ascend to even more places.
“How much initial volume do you want? Yeah. Deposit it in coins. Other coins won’t work? They’re absolutely possible. No problem.”
“You’re asking if you can sell it wholesale to other places? It’s your goods now, so you can handle it yourselves. As long as you protect the 50-yuan price and don’t distribute it into other regions, do whatever you want.”
“We’re all one family, united by Ascend anyway. Let’s help each other out. If you need anything, tell me.”
“For now, eat here before you go. I’ve placed the order. Eat comfortably. Let’s enjoy ourselves as much as we like.”
“Ah! Before we really start having fun, I’ll hand out the bags first. Come up in order from the front.”
Starting with the people sitting in the very front, they came up one by one.
Unlike typical Chinese people, they lined up in order.
It seems gangsters follow public order the best.
They don’t even throw trash on the floor.
“Where are you from?”
“I’m Liu Zhenhua of Shanghai’s Shadow Pavilion.”
“Nice to meet you. Let’s get along.”
“I’m Wu Delin of Chongqing’s Viper Gang.”
“Yeah, nice to meet you.”
“I’m Hu Xiaoming of Wuhan’s Flying Eagle Gang.”
“Let’s get along.”
“I’m Han Ruichang of Beijing’s Black Dragon Hall.”
“Thanks for coming. If you have any difficulties, contact me.”
And after handing out the bags like that, the enjoyable party began.
.
.
.
Han Lin carefully watched the man selling drugs on the stage,
no, selling Ascend.
He really couldn’t understand that man.
He looked strong, yet he was flexible.
He was flexible, yet he did not break.
He seemed infinitely light, yet Han Lin could feel a weight that could not be lifted.
He seemed disheveled, but it felt as though everything had been calculated.
He was a truly unknowable man.
Han Lin decided to become strong.
To learn strength, he had to stay beside someone strong.
So he decided to wager the rest of his life on that man.
He had earned some money, but Han Lin’s life was still unstable.
It was a life that could fly away at any moment.
This time, he had felt that keenly.
If that man had changed his mind back then, Han Lin might have been buried not in a hotel, but in the cold ground.
Perhaps it was a reckless challenge.
Even so, he wanted to try at least once.
Han Lin wanted to possess the composure that man showed.
Even though about a hundred gangsters from all over the country had gathered, he did not shrink back or get intimidated in the slightest.
Han Lin wanted to have that kind of backbone.
It was not bravado.
It was behavior born from extremely thorough calculation.
When the drinking party had fully ripened,
Han Lin went to that man’s table.
And he knelt beside the man and spoke.
Perhaps because he had spent so long kneeling before that man, his knees bent automatically.
“Please accept me.”
.
.
.
I think it ended well.
I’d been worried inside.
What if people didn’t come?
Or what if Ascend didn’t sell? I’d had a lot of worries, so this was a relief.
I had even worried about what I’d do if someone decided they didn’t like me while I was talking and charged at me with a knife.
That was why I’d prepared a gun in my inventory.
So I could take it out at any time,
so I could blow away any bastard who came running at me.
But the reaction was good.
It sold out completely.
Is this how a home shopping host feels after selling out? I felt really proud.
The alcohol tasted sweet.
As soon as I got back to the Philippines, I had to expand the factory.
I instructed Scott to make preparations to expand the factory.
All I had to do was drink a few glasses here, go to my hotel room, sleep, and then return, but out of nowhere Han Lin knelt beside me and asked me to accept him.
“What are you talking about? Why would I accept you? And my tastes are different from yours. I like women.”
“Pfft.”
Huh?
What was that?
I feel like I just heard Scott laughing.
I’ll deal with Scott later. First, this guy in front of me.
“No, that’s not what I mean either… I want to become strong.”
“What kind of crazy bullshit are you talking about? If you want to become strong, go to an MMA gym. Why are you doing this here?”
“Boss. No, hyungnim. I want to learn under you and become strong.”
“Hey, Scott. You fucking bastard, where did you hit him? The kid’s gone weird.”
Scott protested as if wronged.
“I really hit him gently. Look at his face. The swelling’s already gone down.”
“Maybe this bastard just has good recovery.”
“I’m really being falsely accused.”
“Then what is it? Are you saying he was crazy to begin with? Well, seeing as he skimmed off Ascend, I guess he really is a crazy bastard.”
“I’m sorry about that. But from now on, I want to live faithfully under you, hyungnim. I mean it.”
“Scott. What do I do? Do I have to get fooled again?”
“They say if you get fooled twice, the one who got fooled is the idiot.”
Scott seemed far too good at back-and-forth.
******
After eating Ascend and closing his eyes for a moment, Li Guoqing shed tears.
His secretary, finding it strange, asked.
“What is the matter? Has something happened?”
“I had a dream.”
“Did you have a frightening dream?”
“No.”
“Did you have a sad dream?”
“No.”
“Then why are you crying so?”
“I am shedding tears of joy because I thought of a way for our China to become the greatest country in the world.”
After eating Ascend, Li Guoqing had dreamed of China becoming the strongest nation in the world.
It was an extremely difficult and arduous path, but if they took that path, China could become the greatest country in the world.
It was within the realm of possibility.
If they just carried this out, China could overwhelmingly become the world’s greatest nation.
Li Guoqing wiped his tears and was about to write a roadmap for becoming the greatest China in the world.
Huh?
What was it again?
He couldn’t remember.
The path to the strongest China, which had been so vivid just moments ago that it seemed to unfold before his eyes, would not come to mind.
He couldn’t think of anything at all, and he was simply hungry.
He craved something sweet terribly.
This wouldn’t do.
No matter how hard he tried to recall the method, he simply could not remember it at all.
Candy?!
Was that it?
He hurriedly searched his pocket.
Fortunately, the wrapper remained.
He urgently called the Minister of State Security.