Chapter 99: Where Is the Crown Prince?

"Brother Taizi" held his territory in the Southern District, and under normal circumstances, it had little to do with the Northern District. Jiangbei City was neither particularly large nor small, but driving from the south to the north took over an hour. Along the way, Jiang Wei was incredibly excited. The lad spent his days fantasizing about the underworld, fighting, and slashing people. He believed that was the only life for a real man, so he was delighted to follow Ye Chen as they went to collect a debt from Brother Taizi.

In the car, Jiang Wei asked excitedly, "Big Brother, how much are we planning to collect this time?"

"Three million!" Ye Chen said, puffing on a cigarette with narrowed eyes. Jiang Wei was immediately startled. "Big Brother, you aren't kidding, are you?"

"Of course I'm not," Ye Chen replied, shaking his head. "We captured twenty-five of those bastards this time. Twenty-three of them are worth one hundred thousand each, and the other two are worth three hundred thousand each."

"Damn, that's awesome!" Jiang Wei exclaimed. "Big Brother, this business really brings in the money! Why bother running a casino? We should just go out and catch these dogs whenever we're free, then demand payment from their masters!"

"Haha, if you want to gain a foothold in Jiangbei City, running a casino and recruiting lackeys are absolute requirements!" Ye Chen patted Jiang Wei on the shoulder. "Jiang Wei, I know you aren't truly following me yet, and I know you're waiting for the day I prove my worth. However, I want to tell you that the underworld and running a casino are far more complicated than you imagine. If you want to quit now, there's still time."

Jiang Wei blushed slightly. "Big Brother, what are you saying? Since I've acknowledged you as my boss, I'm naturally going to follow you all the way!"

"Heh!" Ye Chen smiled and turned to look out the window.

An hour later, they finally arrived in front of a building in the Southern District. The Southern District wasn't as prosperous as the Northern District; it was filled with dilapidated houses. From some of the low-rise buildings, dark heads poked out, seemingly watching the men descending from the three cars.

Everyone looked at the tall building, which had a gloomy sign hanging outside: "Jiangnan Bath City."

"Damn, can Brother Taizi actually make a profit in a dump like this?" Jiang Wei spat.

"It's precisely in places like this that there's business!" Ye Chen chuckled. "First, this place is remote, so the police rarely come for surprise inspections. Furthermore, it's located at the junction of the city and the countryside, the population is chaotic, and there are all kinds of women—Brother Taizi effectively sources his goods locally. Do you know what kind of trade Brother Taizi is known for in Jiangbei City?"

"The 'yellow' trade, right?" Jiang Wei laughed. "Everyone knows that the women trained at Brother Taizi's place are quite skilled. And Zhang Dadan was the best with drugs. Now that Zhang Dadan has fallen, Yan Erbu is acting even more recklessly, and the drug trade is running even more rampant."

"Exactly!" Ye Chen nodded and shouted at two of his lackeys, "Go up and knock on the door!"

Several lackeys went forward to call out, but there was no response from inside. This annoyed Ye Chen, so he turned to his men and said, "Go buy some powerful firecrackers!"

"You got it!" The lackey, seemingly realizing what was up, turned and ran off immediately.

Before long, the lackey returned with several boxes of "two-kickers." These things were incredibly powerful—even good for fishing; if there were fish, one firecracker would easily blast several of them to the surface. Ye Chen grinned. "See that window up there? Who's got good aim?"

"Big Brother, let me!" A shorter guy stepped forward. He held a firecracker as thick as three fingers, a grin on his face. After lighting the fuse, he resolutely tossed it into the window. A moment later, a massive explosion erupted, followed by screams—women's screams and men's roars. When the smoke cleared, a bald man poked his head out, his face full of brawn, and glared at the people below. "Damn your mother! Just you wait!"

With that, the bathhouse doors opened wide. The bald guy led a crowd of shirtless lackeys charging out, all of them brandishing identical machetes. He glared at Ye Chen and his men. "What the hell is your problem? I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

"Wait!" Ye Chen immediately stopped him, his voice cold. "Where is Brother Taizi?"

"I am Brother Taizi!" the bald man roared.

"Uh... really? You look more like 'Brother Baldy' to me," Ye Chen said, stunned, then grinned. "You're not living up to your name."

"Damn it, brothers, hack them to pieces!" Brother Taizi was enraged.

"Wait!" Ye Chen waved his hand again. "Brother Baldy, I didn't come here to fight you today. I came to collect a debt!"

"Collect your mother's debt! When did I ever owe you money?" Brother Taizi exploded in anger.

"Jiang Wei, get the IOU!" Ye Chen ordered.

"You got it!" Jiang Wei nodded, then had his lackeys drag out the bound men from the cars. Brother Taizi looked at the familiar group, yet they felt like strangers because Ye Chen had beaten them so badly their own mothers wouldn't recognize them. The man with the earring was covered in blood and yelled, "Brother Taizi, it's me, Mazi!"

"Damn, it's you guys? Didn't I tell you to go and sort out those punks in the Northern District? How... how did you end up in this state?" Brother Taizi stood frozen, staring at the group in shock. The man with the earring glanced timidly at Ye Chen and said, "They... we couldn't beat them, and in the end, they just tied us up!"

"A bunch of losers! What use are you to me?" Brother Taizi flew into a rage. "Raising you is worse than raising a pack of dogs!"

"Brother Taizi, regardless, these people have been captured by me. One hundred thousand each, three million in total. You decide what to do!" Ye Chen smiled faintly. Jiang Wei brought a stool down from the car, and Ye Chen sat on it while Jiang Wei stood behind him. For the first time, he felt what it was like to be in the underworld—actually negotiating face-to-face with Brother Taizi. Brother Taizi laughed coldly. "You might as well just rob me!"

"That's true too!" Ye Chen nodded. He waved his hand, and a lackey immediately grabbed the man with the earring and forced him to the ground. Ye Chen looked at Brother Taizi. "These are your men. If you don't pay to redeem them today, your reputation in Jiangbei City will be ruined by tomorrow. How will you survive in the underworld after that? Which lackey would be willing to follow you?"

As he spoke, Ye Chen waved his hand again. A lackey raised a machete and sliced off one of the man's fingers.

"Aaaah!" The man with the earring shrieked in agony. The bound lackeys knelt down one by one. Behind Brother Taizi, his men closed their eyes. Brother Taizi stared coldly at Ye Chen. "Ye Chen, you really are ruthless, resorting to such tactics to force my hand!"

"Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself!" Ye Chen flicked his cigarette, letting a trace of ash fall. He looked at Brother Taizi coldly. "One hundred thousand each, three million total. You decide!"

"Damn it, did your elementary school teacher die early? Twenty-five lackeys, that's only two point five million!" Brother Taizi raged.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Mazi and Big Gorilla are three hundred thousand each!" Ye Chen pointed at Mazi, who had just had his finger sliced off, and the sturdy man kneeling behind him. He smiled. "That brings the total to two point nine million—let's round it up to three million!"

"Ye Chen, you're a robber!" Brother Taizi gritted his teeth.

"That's right, I am a robber!" Ye Chen nodded. "Also, if you tell me some things about you and Yan Erbu, maybe I'll give you a discount!"

"Go to hell!" Brother Taizi exploded. He was a man of status in Jiangbei City; to be stepped on by small fries like Ye Chen made him feel utterly humiliated. He grabbed a machete and lunged at Ye Chen. Ye Chen remained firmly seated on the chair. Jiang Wei was about to rush forward for a heated battle, but Ye Chen held him back.

"Let me handle this!" Ye Chen said softly. This fight today was meant to ensure Jiang Wei would follow him wholeheartedly from now on. Ye Chen leaned back in his chair and gently tapped his foot against Brother Taizi's knee. Brother Taizi stumbled, nearly falling onto Ye Chen. Just as he regained his balance, Ye Chen delivered a fierce kick to his chest. The explosive power sent Brother Taizi flying backward, crashing into his own lackeys and knocking them all to the ground.

*Splat...*

Brother Taizi coughed up a mouthful of blood. He used his machete to prop himself up, stood unsteadily, and glared at Ye Chen. "Good lad, so you're a trained fighter."

"You still have a chance to regret this!" Ye Chen said coldly.

"Screw you!" Brother Taizi roared. He leaped off the ground, performed a kip-up, and lunged at Ye Chen again, his machete flashing. Ye Chen sneered, his hands tucked into his pockets. He ducked, dodging Brother Taizi's first strike, then kicked him hard in the shin, forcing him to his knees. Ye Chen didn't stop; pivoting on his left foot, he spun three hundred and sixty degrees and delivered a powerful kick to Brother Taizi's face.