207: Coercion and enticement

Dongguan, Chashan Town.

Compared to the bustling city center, the night here seemed dilapidated and bleak.

In the corner of an underground pool hall, thick with smoke and reeking of cheap beer and sweat, A Hao, the former spokesperson of Chashan Town, was drinking gloomily by himself.

He looked as if his spirit had been drained; he was unshaven, with sunken eyes, his expensive designer clothes replaced by a wrinkled T-shirt, and faint bruises from the ring still visible on his body.

The young thugs playing pool nearby occasionally cast mocking, disdainful, or sympathetic glances his way, and their whispers buzzed like flies, constantly grating on his sensitive nerves.

"Look, isn't that Brother Hao?"

"Brother Hao my ass! He got beaten like a sandbag even after taking drugs; he's completely lost face!"

"I heard the Liu Family took back his territory and gave it to Sang Bo to manage..."

"Tsk, truly a tiger fallen on hard times and bullied by dogs..."

Every word was like a whip lashing at his heart.

He used to be the overlord of Tea Mountain, his word was law, how glorious he was!

But now, he had become the laughingstock of the entire Dongguan underworld!

He lost the fight, lost his territory, and even his last shred of dignity had been crushed underfoot.

He hated the Liu Family to his bones!

It was Young Master Liu who forced him to take those damned banned drugs, promising countless benefits, only to discard him like trash the moment he suffered a crushing defeat, leaving him alone to take the fall and endure everyone's mockery and the scorn of the underworld!

But his hatred for Li Zhan was just as intense!

It was Li Zhan who, under the eyes of the public, had brutally defeated him, turning all his struggles and sacrifices into a complete joke.

It was Li Zhan who had caused him to fall from the clouds into the mud!

These two grievances intertwined and burned in his heart, almost driving him insane.

He could only rely on alcohol to numb himself and escape this cruel reality.

Just then, the dilapidated wooden door of the pool hall was pushed open, and a figure who seemed completely out of place walked in.

The man wore a well-fitted gray Chinese-style jacket, his hair was combed meticulously, and his eyes were calm yet carried an invisible pressure.

His appearance caused the noisy pool hall to quiet down instantly, and many people recognized this "Uncle Jin," who was by the side of the Vice Mayor Liu.

Uncle Jin scanned the room and walked straight toward A Hao in the corner.

"Brother Hao, long time no see."

Uncle Jin's voice was steady, betraying no emotion.

A Hao lifted his head, his eyes blurry with intoxication.

Upon recognizing the man, a surge of intense hatred and vigilance erupted in his eyes.

He sneered, his voice raspy,

"Uncle Jin? Heh...

The Liu Family's head steward coming to a place like this to find a loser like me?

Here to watch a joke?"

Uncle Jin didn't mind his attitude; he sat down on the plastic stool opposite him, took out a cigarette case, and offered him one.

A Hao hesitated for a moment, but eventually took it, lit it with the flame Uncle Jin offered, and took a deep drag.

"Brother Hao, in the underworld, ups and downs are normal."

Uncle Jin exhaled a smoke ring and spoke slowly,

"Young Master Liu is young, a bit rash in his actions, and has felt some regret since."

"Regret?"

A Hao acted as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, becoming agitated, his voice rising by an octave,

"Regret means using me as a scapegoat?

Regret means taking back all my territory?

Uncle Jin, we are all sensible people, don't pull that stuff on me!

I, A Hao, am just a wretch with a worthless life now, there's nothing left to gain from me."

Uncle Jin watched him vent quietly, and only when he calmed down a little did he speak deliberately,

"The Liu Family follows rules when doing things.

What we promised you before was indeed not fulfilled; that was our fault."

He changed the subject,

"However, Brother Hao,

are you content to live the rest of your life like this, chased by everyone, worse than a stray dog?

Are you content to let that Li Zhan from Chang'an continue to be infinitely glorious and step on you?"

This sentence hit A Hao's sore spot hard.

He gritted his teeth, his jaw tightened, and he didn't speak, but the hatred in his eyes grew even more intense.

Uncle Jin observed his reaction and continued to up the ante, his voice filled with temptation,

"Mayor Liu said...

the previous matters can be wiped clean.

He can even help you regain the power as the spokesperson of Tea Mountain.

The Liu Family needs someone who can get things done and dares to do things.

Not a loser who only knows how to hide in a corner and drink gloomily."

A Hao's heart leaped!

Regain his territory? This was something he dreamed of!

But he wasn't a fool, so he asked vigilantly,

"What's the condition?

There are no free lunches in this world."

"It's very simple."

Uncle Jin leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and stared at him with sharp eyes,

"Help us do one thing.

If you succeed, everything we promised you before will be doubled.

Money, territory, status, it will all return!

By then, everyone who mocked you today will obediently shut their mouths and kneel down to call you Brother Hao again!"

"What thing?"

A Hao's heart rose, and he had an ominous premonition.

"Go to Chang'an, find an opportunity...

and take out Li Zhan!"

Uncle Jin's voice was cold and clear, like a viper flicking its tongue.

A Hao's pupils contracted suddenly, and he gasped...

Assassinate Li Zhan?!

That was a figure who had unified Chang'an and was notoriously fierce!

He had countless experts by his side...

This was basically sending him to his death!

"You... are you crazy?!"

A Hao's voice trembled,

"Let me go kill Li Zhan?

What's the difference between that and letting me die?!"

"The difference is that if you succeed,

you can get back everything you lost, and even more!"

Uncle Jin's tone was firm,

"And...

we will provide you with all necessary help and information.

This isn't asking you to fight head-on; it's asking you to find an opportunity and kill him in one blow!"

Seeing that A Hao was still full of fear and hesitation, a flash of imperceptible cold light flickered in Uncle Jin's eyes, and he used his final trump card.

He took out his phone, pulled up a photo, and pushed it in front of A Hao.

In the photo, a little girl wearing a beautiful school uniform with a bright smile was playing with classmates in front of the gate of what looked like an expensive aristocratic school.

A Hao's face instantly turned pale as paper!

That was his daughter!

The person he hid in the softest corner of his heart and desperately wanted to protect!

"What a cute little girl."

Uncle Jin's voice became exceptionally cold, carrying a naked threat,

"I heard this international school is quite good, just the tuition is a bit expensive, and the security... well, it's just so-so.

Brother Hao, tell me...

what if her father keeps being so depressed, unable to even pay the tuition,

or...

accidentally offends someone he shouldn't outside, and it involves the little one...

that would be a pity, wouldn't it?"

A Hao began to tremble violently, his eyes fixed on his daughter in the photo, and then he suddenly looked up at Uncle Jin's expressionless face.

The immense fear and anger almost tore him apart!

He understood that he had no choice at all!

Refuse, and both he and his daughter might not have a good ending.

Accept, and although it was a nine-death-one-life situation, at least there was a glimmer of hope, and he could even make a comeback!

Two emotions were fighting frantically in his mind.

Hatred for the Liu Family, hatred for Li Zhan, despair at his own situation, worry for his daughter...

In the end...

all these emotions turned into a kind of desperate, burn-the-bridges madness!

He lifted his head abruptly, his eyes bloodshot, his voice raspy and distorted by extreme emotion,

"Fine! I'll do it!

But I have one condition... after it's done,

Tea Mountain must belong entirely to me, the Liu Family cannot interfere anymore!

And you must give me a sum of money enough for my daughter to live without worry for the rest of her life!"

Uncle Jin finally revealed a trace of a satisfied smile on his face and nodded,

"No problem. The Liu Family keeps its word."

He stood up and patted A Hao on the shoulder,

"Prepare yourself, someone will contact you to tell you the specific plan and provide equipment.

Remember, Brother Hao, this is your only chance to make a comeback.

Don't let Mayor Liu down again."

After speaking, Uncle Jin turned and left the pool hall, leaving A Hao alone, slumped in his chair, looking at his daughter's photo with complex eyes, which were eventually replaced by a nearly crazed determination.

He knew he had embarked on a path of no return.

Either step on Li Zhan's corpse to return to the peak, or...

be completely destroyed...