Ultimately, Jiāng Tāo followed along. After several turns with his companion, they entered a mahjong parlor. Gamblers huddled around tables, cards in hand, eyes fixed on their games, money placed before them and in the center of the table.
"You haven't graduated yet, but I can tell you, in Datiān City, behind all the big and small mahjong parlors, there are actually just four major bosses controlling everything. This is just a low-end place. When ordinary people like you come in, they treat you like a guest, even if some individuals look a bit fierce."
"But you have to believe me, someone like me, who's rough around the edges, also enjoys wearing custom-made suits in private to experience the life of the upper class. So, in this place, you might see a muscle-bound thug with a face full of flesh and bulging muscles where his brain should be, who might actually be a ten-year veteran member of the Datiān City Sweater Knitting Association in his spare time."
As he said this, both of them glanced at the door of the parlor's only office. Outside stood a six-foot-ten, bald man with a tattoo on his head.
Baldy with Tattoo: "..."
At that moment, Baldy with Tattoo felt his professional career had been severely challenged.
He was a person first, a thug second.
So what he did in his private life... was none of your business!
Damn it! I'm not here to make friends!
Believe whatever you want to believe!
"Let's go, let's go, let's go inside and talk to the boss."
Wáng Fēng teased the acquaintance, then led Jiāng Tāo into the office. Inside, the mahjong parlor's boss was leisurely smoking a cigarette, smiling as he counted the money on the table.
His smile was like he'd just seen the most beautiful woman, wishing he could kiss every banknote repeatedly.
"Hey, Old Deng, it's time to pay up."
Hearing that familiar and annoying voice, Old Deng looked up, wishing he could slap the speaker. Today wasn't Wáng Fēng's usual visiting time; why was this guy here again??
What's gotten into him???
"Pay up... You're always hounding me to pay up. When you're pressuring me to pay, have you ever considered how hard I work to earn this money?"
Old Deng's words made Wáng Fēng's body tremble. To avoid paying, he'd actually resorted to such nonsense.
You work hard to earn money?
Give me a break! You and your subordinates work all year round. At the end of the year, when you go for a physical check-up, you've 100% got hemorrhoids, and your subordinates 100% have lower limb venous diseases.
Other than that, you won't even get work-related injuries. And you're telling me you work hard to earn money?
Even on Lunar New Year, your establishment doesn't close!
"Alright, alright, I know. I'll pay Boss Zhang on time as promised. But if you're trying to collect another debt, then I really can't do anything about it."
"You received counterfeit money, that's your problem. The money you give to Boss Zhang can't be counterfeit. Don't you understand this principle?"
Old Deng frowned. Last month, a young man with terrible mahjong skills came to their parlor and lost twelve thousand yuan. It was a pretty good income for the mahjong parlor.
But when they settled the accounts at the end of the month, they discovered that all the money was counterfeit and not real.
How were counterfeit bills, which even fooled the banknote detector, discovered?
The answer was, that bastard used an ability!
What was most infuriating was that they didn't know what kind of ability the guy used, one that could fool the part-time accountant who visited the parlor once a week.
Therefore, Old Deng had to personally cover the loss of that money. But Old Deng felt wronged. Clearly, it was that guy who used his ability to cheat, yet the boss didn't show any understanding and reduce the amount; instead, he demanded the full payment back.
"Old Deng, we've known each other for eight years. When I first entered this line of work, I often came here. You must have already discovered your loss back then, but you didn't want to admit it, so you tried to shift the problem to Boss Zhang. That's how those twelve thousand yuan in counterfeit bills were sent over."
"As a result, Boss Zhang discovered your intention, and now you're trying to renege."
"Let me make it clear, I'm just here on business. You'd better understand that."
Old Deng nodded slightly. He knew Wáng Fēng's reputation. He was impartial when it came to business, a good friend in private, but when it came to official matters, this guy would definitely get the job done.
So he knew what was coming next.
He would either pay twelve thousand yuan, or get beaten up and then pay the twelve thousand yuan. In any case, he couldn't owe Boss Zhang any money.
But he was unwilling to accept it...
After being in this business for so many years, he was tricked by a young man!
It was truly infuriating!!
"By the way, what does this little friend you brought along this time do?" Old Deng had also noticed Jiāng Tāo, who had been silent the whole time. He pulled out two cigarettes and offered them to both.
"Oh, he's just free during the day, nothing much to do, so I brought him along to gain some experience and, by the way, help me collect money from you."
At this moment, a slight, mischievous smile appeared on Wáng Fēng's face. The first time he encountered Jiāng Tāo's ability, he almost thought his own notorious behavior in Datiān City, where he committed minor offenses relentlessly, had finally led to his arrest.
At that time, he had already planned to sell out a few brothers in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Now...
Old Deng didn't know about Jiāng Tāo's ability yet.
"Come on, show our Boss Deng something, let him see how awesome your ability is."
"Sigh... You really want me to?" Jiāng Tāo let out a sigh. How did 'gaining some experience' turn into him having to confront a mahjong parlor boss head-on?
This didn't make sense no matter how he thought about it.
"Yes, it's rare for me to be willing to guide a rookie through their probationary period, so just show him. After all, you know very well how much value you have, and how much reward you'll get in the future, right?"
"Alright, then Boss Deng, excuse me."
Seeing that Wáng Fēng was serious, Old Deng made no move to stop him. Jiāng Tāo took a deep breath and was about to unleash his ability when his right hand received an electric shock.
Hiss...
"Hahahaha!"
"He fell for it!"
"You two..."
Seeing them both burst into laughter, Jiāng Tāo realized he had been tricked. But Old Deng hadn't done anything. Could his ability be invisible?
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Old Deng's ability is an E-class ability—Electric Current. He often uses this ability to electrocute people."
"That's right! It's a pretty useless ability. If my ability were any better, I would have changed jobs long ago and wouldn't still be working here. By the way, what's your ability?"
"Negotiation Failed, Prepare for Assault. Boss Deng, you refuse my intention to demonstrate my ability, so..."
*Clang.*
A flashbang grenade appeared out of nowhere on the table.
White light and noise filled the office.
As their vision turned pure white, Old Deng and Wáng Fēng, as if struck by a flashbang for the first time, thought to themselves:
"Holy crap! How many brothers do I have to sell to make up for this sin!"