Chapter Twenty-Two: Extort a Million from Him

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Long Kun and his crew had their own hideout—yes, a real hideout. When you’re in this line of work, you need a place to lay low, a base of operations, even if it’s just a shabby little lair. But to call Brother Kun’s den a lair was perhaps too generous… At the very end of the snack street in a slum on the outskirts sat a dilapidated house, flanked by a public toilet on one side and a heap of garbage on the other. It was barely spring, and yet already the place was swarming with flies, buzzing like bombers in tight formation. Zhuo Nan silently cursed every female ancestor of Long Kun—damn it, couldn’t he have picked a better spot?

To avoid getting poisoned, both Zhuo Nan and Shi Yang reflexively covered their noses with their shirts as they knocked on Long Kun’s door—bam, bam, bam—and called out as they entered, “Long Kun, how the hell do you manage to stay here all day?”

Long Kun grinned sheepishly. “Brother Nan, I’ve gotten used to it. Besides, it’s free, and I actually sleep quite well here.”

“Ever think about moving out?” Zhuo Nan swept his gaze across the room, exuding authority.

“We’d love to…” Everyone chimed in loudly.

Zhuo Nan nodded, satisfied with their response. “Long Kun, is there a way to make some real money?” he asked with a smile.

“There is. Whether we strike it rich or not all depends on that floppy disk,” Zhuo Nan replied. “Did you get the computer?”

“Yeah, it’s in the other room.”

“Oh, right, let me introduce someone. This is my brother Shi Yang. From now on, he’ll be with your crew,” Zhuo Nan said, ushering Shi Yang forward.

“Brother Nan, you must be joking. Your brother is my brother too.”

“I’m not joking, Long Kun. From now on, Shi Yang is your little brother. He’s under your wing now—give him a shot at moving up when you can. If he’s not up to it, don’t save face for me.” Turning to Shi Yang, he added, “Call him Brother Kun.”

Obediently, Shi Yang bowed and greeted, “Hello, Brother Kun!”

“No need for that, we’re all brothers here,” Long Kun replied, scratching his head with a bashful smile.

“That settles it. Shi Yang, whatever Brother Kun tells you to do, you do it…” Zhuo Nan instructed.

At that moment, Shi Yang was reeling inside. He’d never heard of Long Kun before, but judging from the crew around him, it was clear these were real street guys. And yet, they all treated Zhuo Nan with such deference. It looked like they were Brother Nan’s men—could it be that Brother Nan had been running the show out here for a while now? Quite likely…

“Shi Yang, get to know the brothers. Brother Nan and I have some business in the other room.”

“Damn, why does it sound so off when this kid says it…” Zhuo Nan could read the looks on his men’s faces. He shot Long Kun a glare, and only then did Long Kun realize just how suggestive his words had sounded…

Inside the back room, the first thing Zhuo Nan noticed was the floor littered with used condoms. Sensing trouble, Long Kun quickly explained, “Brother Nan, sorry, it’s a mess, haven’t had time to clean up. Please don’t mind…”

Zhuo Nan just gave him a knowing look—after all, they were all men of the world.

But what happened next nearly made Zhuo Nan cough up blood. He’d told Long Kun to find a computer, and somehow the guy had gotten hold of this ancient thing: a 15-inch monitor—standard back in ’98, so that was fine—but the keyboard was caked with grime, which was nothing new to Zhuo Nan, who’d used machines like this “in his previous life.” The real problem was it wouldn’t start up, no matter what he tried. The power was fine, the monitor light was on, the machine was running, but there was no image. Zhuo Nan was soon sweating in frustration.

“Long Kun, where the hell did you get this piece of junk?” After wrestling with it for ages and getting nowhere, Zhuo Nan finally snapped.

Long Kun squirmed and then stammered, “Sorry, Brother Nan. You told me to borrow one, but I couldn’t find anyone willing to lend. So I took the guys to a computer company to ‘borrow’ one, but the boss was pretty decent—he built a machine for us on the spot. You know I don’t know much about these things, but he told me it was ready, so we just brought it back.”

Zhuo Nan was speechless. “I told you to borrow one. If you couldn’t, fine—but did you really have to drag everyone to a company for this? What if they called the cops? You’d all be locked up again.”

“Brother Nan, you can’t say that. You’re my big brother. If you give me a job, I have to get it done—otherwise, how could I face you?” You had to admit, Long Kun was a real straight-shooter—though not exactly cut out for a life of crime.

Zhuo Nan felt both angry and gratified. But he pressed on, “If I told you to die, would you do it?”

Long Kun fell silent. Zhuo Nan, adopting the tone of a true boss, said, “Long Kun, you and I are brothers. What’s mine is yours. We’re out here not to show off or fight, not to see who’s got more men or more swagger. We’re here for a better life, to help our brothers live better, too. This is an age that requires brains. From now on, think before you act, understand?”

“I get it, Brother Nan. From now on, I’ll listen to you. If I hit a snag, I’ll consult you and not act on my own.”

“Good. That’s what I want. Now go find a screwdriver—damn it, I need to open this thing up and take a look.”

Long Kun fetched him a screwdriver, and Zhuo Nan began dismantling the machine. “Damn, what kind of computer company tries to fob you off with this relic? The insides are caked with dust!”

Long Kun jumped up furiously. “Brother Nan, I’ll take the guys over there right now—”

Zhuo Nan shot him a look, and the kid fell silent at once.

To Zhuo Nan, a computer from 1998 was ancient history; all the ports were different from those in 2010. Relying on his memory, he took the machine apart, cleaned every component, and reassembled it, wasting over half an hour.

He left the case open, just in case it wouldn’t start, but this time it powered up nicely. As the familiar WIN95 logo appeared on the screen, Zhuo Nan knew that opportunity awaited him… But first, he had to read the floppy disk.

Long Kun sat nearby, watching Zhuo Nan operate the computer with practiced ease, and thought, Brother Nan is a man of both brains and brawn. With a boss like that, good days surely lay ahead.

The floppy drive whirred, and when it finished, a window opened—a Word document, obviously Word 97—filled with dense lines of names, each followed by a workplace, and after that, strings of numbers.

Zhuo Nan sneered inwardly. Wang Zhengguo, Wang Zhengguo, you think storing this on a floppy makes it safe? There are plenty of people who know computers these days…

He closed Word, popped out the floppy, and held it up for Long Kun. “This is valuable. This time, we’re going to make a killing.”

Long Kun didn’t understand any of it, but he trusted Zhuo Nan. If Brother Nan said it was worth money, then it surely was.

“So what now, Brother Nan?” Long Kun asked.

“Contact Wang Zhengguo. Ask for a million in cash—money in one hand, the floppy in the other. But under no circumstances must you reveal your identity,” Zhuo Nan said coolly.

“A million?” Long Kun gasped. “What’s on that thing that Wang Zhengguo would pay a million for?” Usually helping people get out of trouble brought in a few hundred at best, and protection money from the snack street shops was pitifully little. Brother Nan opened his mouth and demanded a million—Long Kun’s heart could hardly take it.

From what he’d seen in that file, Zhuo Nan was actually asking for far too little—Wang Zhengguo’s kickbacks alone totaled over ten million. But Zhuo Nan didn’t want to push too hard; if he asked for more, Wang would rather spend the money buying off officials than give it to them. A million was just right—Wang would see it as a small price to avoid disaster.

Twirling the floppy in his hand, Zhuo Nan smiled. “Wang Zhengguo will definitely pay for what’s on here. We just wait for the money to come in. Take two reliable men with you—Hu Li and Hou Fei will do.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Nan. When it comes to extortion, you can count on me,” Long Kun vowed, pounding his chest.

Then he asked, “Brother Nan, it’s a million—are you really okay with me handling it?”

Zhuo Nan paused, then smiled faintly. “Long Kun, I know people. I trust you. If you were to keep the million for yourself, so be it—but that’s all you’d get. If you keep me as your brother, I promise you’ll make much more than just a million in the future.”

Long Kun understood. He hadn’t known Zhuo Nan long—at first, he’d just been impressed by his fighting skills, and after losing to him, started calling him big brother. But now, Long Kun realized that if he wanted a better life, he’d better stick close to Zhuo Nan. Didn’t you see how easily he talked about a million? If he relied on his own meager protection fees, he’d never get there.

“I get it, Brother Nan. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down.”

A million—Long Kun had never even seen that much money in his life. But then he asked a question that left Zhuo Nan utterly speechless: “Brother Nan, is what we’re doing… illegal?”

Zhuo Nan really wanted to wag his finger in his face and bark, “Are you a gangster or not…?”