Chapter 79: Untamed |
Chen Wujun and the Huayan man stopped at the intersection. While the Huayan man was still deliberating how to speak, another man—a Caucasian—had already walked over, pulling out his credentials and flashing them before Chen Wujun.
It was only a brief glimpse, but Chen Wujun saw the contents clearly.
Special Task Department, Action Group Leader Harris.
"Special Task Department, Action Group Leader. You must be Chen Wujun," Harris stated directly.
"Group Leader Harris... speak your mind," Chen Wujun replied, his expression unchanging.
"You've only just finished secondary school, yet you joined Hetu... I know many young Huayan men join gangs either for money or for prestige. But to develop your Kung Fu to this level in such a short time proves you are a talent. You have a long future ahead of you; you have other paths you could choose."
Harris wasn't aggressive; in fact, he spoke quite calmly.
He took out a cigarette case. "Smoke?"
"No need. State your business," Chen Wujun said, his mind racing. 'What does he want with me?'
"Being a Federal Police officer and living in the sunlight is surely better than mixing with gangs."
If this had been before he practiced martial arts, before he had tasted prestige, before he had felt the rush of winning two million in a death match, and before he had experienced the life of debauchery... Chen Wujun would have been desperate to join the Federal Police, even as a regular officer.
But now, especially after visiting Fei Ngo Shan with Shark Jiu and fighting in the ring, his mentality had completely changed.
"What's the salary for a Federal Police officer? Does it reach a few hundred thousand a month?" Chen Wujun asked with a hint of frivolity.
"Besides... what is the highest rank a Huayan person can achieve? Can we become the Commissioner?"
Huayan people were constantly suppressed in terms of political and social status; in the Federal Police, they couldn't even reach the rank of Chief.
He scoffed. "Officer, I'm sorry, but I have no interest in being a dog!"
Anger instantly flushed the face of the Huayan man standing nearby.
"If you remain obstinate and walk this dark path to the end, you won't have a good ending." Harris's expression turned cold, his gaze filled with oppressive weight.
"You beat a man to death in full view of the public. I could arrest you right now."
"And as long as you leave the Walled City, I'll have my men target you relentlessly!"
"You'd better think it through."
"Are you trying to scare me?" Chen Wujun looked at Harris with a beaming smile, though the mirth in his eyes gradually twisted into savagery.
"Come and bite me then!"
After speaking, Chen Wujun swaggered away, though his internal alertness was dialled to the maximum.
"Group Leader..." The Huayan man beside Harris seemed eager to act; he felt they should use forceful measures.
"Untamed! He grasps a little power and thinks he can rise above others with his fists, climbing straight to the top," Harris sneered. He had seen plenty of people like Chen Wujun—the type who wouldn't shed a tear until they saw their own coffin.
"Let's go. We're heading back."
He had only come to test the waters. After all, Chen Wujun was young and seemed easy to bluff.
Since the boy refused, he couldn't be bothered to waste much effort on him.
Unless the boy truly made a name for himself and left the Walled City. At that point, Harris would show him the true meaning of authority.
...
Chen Wujun crossed the street, and the two men did not pursue him.
'I didn't expect to enter the Special Task Department's sights so quickly... They probably visit everyone who just starts to rise. Just casting a wide net to see if they catch anything...'
'Providing them with information is suicide in the Walled City. If I do it once, I'll have to obey everything they say. The moment they leak that I'm a snitch, I'll be cornered... I'd be less than a dog then.'
'I actually wanted to use them to get rid of Master Xin... but these people are experts at schemes and plots. How could I possibly outplay them? I wouldn't even know how I died.'
Thoughts spun in Chen Wujun's mind. Thinking of their threats, a fire surged in his heart, and his eyes revealed a ruthless glint.
'Threatening me... let's see if you can live that long!'
Chen Wujun took out his phone and called Shark Jiu.
"Senior Sister, two people from the Special Task Department just found me..."
"Oh? Understood. Don't take them to heart. They knock on the door of everyone new to the Jianghu," Shark Jiu said nonchalantly. She didn't care what was said or how Chen Wujun replied.
She trusted that Chen Wujun wouldn't cooperate with them.
Chen Wujun hung up, stretched lazily, and upon returning upstairs, took out a notebook and wrote down a name.
Special Task Department Action Group Leader Harris.
After writing down the name to ensure he wouldn't forget, he put the matter aside.
The most important thing for him right now was still Qi Refining.
However, facing those two from the Special Task Department had helped him understand his own heart a little better.
Those who submit to me prosper; those who resist me perish.
Compared to wealth, compared to so-called power, compared to debauchery, compared to the excitement of beating Yu Wei to death...
This was Chen Wujun's true heart.
Whoever blocks my path dies.
But what then?
How could he achieve Qi Refining?
Chen Wujun went home to eat, his mind full of thoughts. Besides his family, Shu Fen was there as well.
Huang Meizhen would sometimes invite Shu Fen over for meals.
Over the past few months, even with no one looking after her, the child had managed to survive quite well.
...
The next day, Chen Wujun went to see Shark Jiu.
"Senior Sister, how did you break through to Qi Refining?"
"Everyone's path is different, and the methods vary." Shark Jiu thought for a moment before saying:
"For a period of time, I went to the Suicide Cliff on Fei Ngo Shan every day. I would look up at Incense Burner Peak and look down at Guanfuchang... One day, I felt like I could reach out and grab it all... and then I did."
"Don't be impatient. Think about it carefully. The more you rush, the less you can grasp. things have been too smooth for you lately; you need to settle down and precipitate."
Chen Wujun left, deep in thought.
He knew what Shark Jiu's true heart was.
It was ambition.
His Senior Sister had adhered to her ambition, and within that ambition, she found the power to break through to Qi Refining.
He knew what he wanted. But how to break through to Qi Refining... he didn't have a clue yet.
When he went out and saw Ji Xiang, he couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge him.
"The money should be in the account... go check it."
Thinking of his money, Chen Wujun called Ah Fei and Fa Zai to accompany him.
That way, if they were ambushed, those two couldn't run as fast as he could.
Fa Zai looked like a big, honest guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes. His physique was massive, standing at least six feet three inches tall, yet he had been cuckolded by Elephant's men.
"Brother Jun!"
"Come with me to handle some business."
Leaving the Walled City, he first visited the major banks to check the accounts. Confirming the money had arrived, he felt relieved and his mood improved.
Nothing soothed the human heart quite like money.
"Have we recruited people for the Dance Hall yet?" Chen Wujun asked Ah Fei, turning his head as they walked out of the bank.
Although he had no leads on Qi Refining, business still had to represent.
Before the people from Lidong left, they took all the girls from the Dance Hall. They needed to recruit new staff to restore the venue's business.
"We hired a few, but the quality is average. They can only serve to warm up the venue. That's why the place hasn't opened for the past few days; if we open with them, we'll ruin our reputation, and once word gets out, other customers won't come."
"If you can't recruit, then poach them! Poach them from other venues. The ones Lidong took—poach them back. Offer more money!" Chen Wujun ordered.
"We'll do that when we get back. Walk around with me for now."
Since he had no clue regarding the breakthrough to Qi Refining, continuing to dwell on it would only make him restless. It was better to relax.
Chen Wujun planned to wander around Mong Kok Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, and Xiangbutou. Firstly to relax, and secondly to see if there were any good businesses he could copy in the Walled City.
These were the most prosperous areas in North Port.
Especially Mong Kok Tsui, where countless neon signs hung above the streets, obscuring even the sky.
Signs for seafood restaurants with giant lobsters, tricolour barber poles, and various shop signboards were stacked together, dazzling the eyes.
On the adjacent street, countless vehicles were jammed together, horns honking incessantly, creating an irritable cacophony.
The streets were surging with people, shoulders rubbing against shoulders.
Chen Wujun walked with his hands in his pockets, simply rolling his shoulders to send people flying, physically carving a path through the crowd.
"Tsk tsk, that figure is nice! Large and white headlights!" Chen Wujun let his mind wander, chatting nonsense with Ah Fei and Fa Zai with great interest.
"Dressed so coolly..."
"Brother Jun, that one is even prettier... she looks like a celebrity. What's her name... Vivian Zhou..." Fa Zai suddenly said.
"Where? Where?" Chen Wujun followed his gaze.
If it were anyone else, he wouldn't care, but hearing the name Vivian Zhou, Chen Wujun immediately perked up.
"That one, the one whose skirt can't even cover her backside..."
"That doesn't look like Vivian Zhou. She clearly looks like Cherie Chung... haven't you heard? Nothing is more beautiful than Cherie Chung!"
"Brother Jun, do you want to watch a movie? Cherie Chung is in it, Once a Thief. Have you seen it?" Ah Fei pointed to a movie poster not far away.
"Do you really think we're here to play? We're here to see if there's any business, to find inspiration!" Chen Wujun slapped the back of Ah Fei's head.
"Why not open an arcade? They say a new machine just came out called Street Fighter 2. It's packed with people. Used to be one dollar a game, now it costs two." Ah Fei suddenly suggested.
"That popular?" Chen Wujun became interested upon hearing this.
"Let's go take a look."
He had been to arcades before, but they weren't much fun, and he got bored after a few visits.
The three of them found an arcade and went in. It was overcrowded, with a group of people huddled around a few machines, the sound of buttons being mashed emanating from the center.
There was also an electronic voice shouting: "Hadouken!"
Chen Wujun didn't need to act; Ah Fei and Fa Zai squeezed into the crowd, shoving people aside.
"What are you pushing for?" someone nearby started to curse, but upon seeing two massive men with muscles bulging out of their clothes—men who looked like trouble—his voice immediately dropped to a whisper.
Chen Wujun squeezed in and saw two students playing a fighting game.
"Pretty boy, is it fun?" Chen Wujun walked up behind one of the students and patted his shoulder.
"Of course it's fun! Oh no, oh no, I'm dying, I'm dying!" the student yelled without turning his head, twisting his body along with the game.
"If you're dead, move aside!" Chen Wujun shoved the student out of the way and casually took two of the boy's tokens, inserting them into the machine.
The student's face twisted with rage instantly.
But after taking a careful look at Chen Wujun's build, he decided he wasn't quite that angry after all.
...
Moments later, the three emerged from the arcade. Chen Wujun said to Ah Fei, "Go find out where to buy those machines and how much they cost."