27: Qiangteng Group, Crazy Face Appears
“Originally, everyone here worked on construction sites. Fights were a common occurrence, so no one was afraid. But this guy had no martial ethics; he actually kidnapped our family members. And he had connections higher up. Their people would get arrested and released quickly, while our people would get detained indefinitely.”
“Over time, no one dared to offend them anymore. Now, in Yuezhou, they’re almost a monopoly.”
Wang Lao San complained while drinking.
Ye Lin didn’t interrupt, just listened quietly, not expecting there to be so many shady dealings involved.
“So, did they ever say who was backing them?” Ye Lin asked, pretending to be casual.
To catch the bandits, one must first catch their king. Without understanding the root cause at the top, acting rashly could easily lead to one’s demise.
“How could we not know? It’s our Deputy Mayor Wan Zhihao, damn it, collusion between officials and businessmen.”
Ye Lin’s expression hardened. Wan Zhihao, Deputy Mayor, the third-in-command of Yuezhou City, a standing committee member and deputy, was in charge of the economy. Anything related to the economy had to go through him. Moreover, it was said that he was a local, deeply rooted, and the City’s top two leaders dared not conflict with him.
If it was truly as Wang Lao San said, then the high-ranking officials in Yuezhou City were not simple.
Ye Lin remained silent. This was Wang Lao San’s one-sided account. Although the possibility of Wang Lao San lying was very small, as a police officer, a thorough investigation was still necessary to uncover the truth.
Seeing Ye Lin stop talking, Wang Lao San assumed he was scared and also fell silent. “Brother, the waters in Yuezhou are very deep. You should be careful.”
The two chatted for a few more minutes. By around 10 PM, the bar was already quite crowded, with half the dance floor filled with people shaking their heads and twisting their waists.
Just then, a group of people entered through the door.
“Boss.”
“Boss.”
Several doormen greeted them respectfully.
Ye Lin looked over. The first person had long hair covering half his face. Although his appearance wasn't clear, the information revealed in his exposed eye was enough to indicate what kind of person he was.
Crazy. Only the word 'crazy' was in his eyes.
The three younger brothers following behind him looked a bit more normal, with fleshy faces that made them seem not to be trifled with.
The group surrounded the leading figure and walked to the sofa booth area.
Ye Lin looked at Wang Lao San, who nodded. “This is Mad Face. Give me the rest of the money, and I’ll take you over.”
Ye Lin promptly slammed the money onto the table, and Wang Lao San happily accepted it.
He stood up and led Ye Lin over.
As soon as they approached, Wang Lao San reverted to his previous obsequious demeanor, bowing and smiling apologetically to Mad Face, “Brother Mad Face, I want to buy some goods. This is my friend; he’s also here to buy goods.”
Mad Face looked up, his cold gaze sweeping over Ye Lin.
Ye Lin quickly reined in his righteous aura, and with a roguish tone, called out, “Brother Mad Face, I’m here to buy goods.”
A hint of displeasure flashed in Mad Face’s eyes. This kid seemed to disdain him.
However, despite his displeasure, Mad Face didn’t really think this guy was a cop, or rather, he didn’t even consider that this guy might be a good person.
Could a good person look like this?
Mad Face gestured to a younger brother sitting nearby. The younger brother pulled out two small plastic bags containing white powder from his person.
Wang Lao San’s eyes turned red at the sight, and his hand reached out to grab them.
“Slap!”
The younger brother directly slapped Wang Lao San’s face. Five red finger marks instantly appeared on Wang Lao San’s face.
“Money! 2000 a bag. Have you forgotten the rules?” the younger brother said menacingly.
Wang Lao San ignored the pain on his face and quickly pulled money from his pocket. “I want 5 bags.”
“Heh heh, Wang Lao San, you’ve struck it rich?”
“No, I just won the lottery, just won the lottery.”
Wang Lao San was covered in sweat, grabbed the 5 bags of white powder from the table, and ran out, fearing Mad Face might pull another trick.
Ye Lin was left standing alone.
Mad Face watched Ye Lin with interest, saying nothing. The younger brothers all looked at Ye Lin with ill intent, trying to overwhelm him with their presence.
Ye Lin snorted. Just a few hooligans, yet they thought they could turn the world upside down.
He tossed his handbag onto the table, pulled over a stool, and sat down, staring at Mad Face, unmoving.
“Did I tell you to sit, huh?”
The younger brothers started to clamor.
Ye Lin unhurriedly pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his bag and lit one.
His arrogant posture made the younger brothers almost unable to resist wanting to beat him up, to smash that punchable face of his.
Mad Face raised a hand to stop them, smiling, “Brother, are you here to buy goods? You look unfamiliar.”
“Buying things, you sell, I buy. First time is unfamiliar, second time is familiar. Do we need to know each other?” Ye Lin said cockily.
Mad Face smiled slightly, noncommittally. “So, what does Brother want to buy?”
Ye Lin pulled out two stacks of hundred-yuan bills from his bag, threw them onto the table, and said heavily, “To buy white powder.”
Mad Face didn’t rush to take the money, but continued, “Brother seems to have plenty of money. Which path are you on?”
Drug trafficking was a head-losing business. No matter how crazy Mad Face was, he wouldn’t easily sell drugs to someone he didn’t trust.
“I’ve shown you the money. I’m just a representative, here to buy goods. My boss behind me won’t show his face.”
“Don’t worry, as long as the goods are good enough, money is not an issue.”
Ye Lin had fabricated a boss behind him. His current appearance didn’t look like someone with money.
Mad Face smiled without speaking. He had seen this kind of person before; they were drug mules. Some people in high society also used drugs, but they couldn’t pick up the goods themselves.
So, they usually entrusted a trusted person, and these people were their drug mules.
They weren't short on money; what they wanted was safety and good quality goods.
“How should I address you, Brother?”
“Just call me A Sheng.”
“Brother A Sheng is straightforward, so I won’t be polite either.” Mad Face reached out and took the two stacks of money in front of him.
“Wait!”
Ye Lin pressed down on Mad Face’s hand and, looking at his exposed eye, said, “Where are the goods?”
Mad Face gestured to the younger brother next to him, who then took out 10 bags of white powder.
Ye Lin snorted, released Mad Face’s hand, and picked up a bag of white powder.
“Brother, want to inspect the goods?” Mad Face looked at Ye Lin with a cold gaze.
Ye Lin understood that this was a test. As a drug mule, inspecting the goods was also their job. If they couldn’t even properly inspect the goods, why would their boss trust them?
However, as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, inspecting this kind of drug wasn’t difficult for him. The problem was that consuming it was a bit troublesome; this stuff was too addictive.
Ye Lin hesitated for a moment, and Mad Face’s expression across from him began to change. Several younger brothers started reaching for their waists. If there was even the slightest anomaly, they would absolutely not hold back.
This was the difference between drug traffickers and ordinary criminals: they were a group of true desperadoes.