The Unexpected Inheritance
People shouldn't be too outstanding; being overly exceptional is not always a good thing. Take Luke, for example. The words "promiscuity" and "Hongmen" were never in his life plan, yet his girlfriends and his grandfather insisted on giving him the 'best' things. It felt rude not to accept.
"Luke, tell me quickly, how did the talk go?" Danny pressed.
Luke took a drag from his cigarette. "Don't worry, we settled everything. I support Uncle as a candidate."
"What about my Second Uncle..."
Luke smiled. "I don't oppose him, either."
Danny was confused. Supporting one while not opposing the other sounded like fence-sitting.
"Uncle is the elder. We shouldn't interfere in the disputes between our elders; let them fight it out themselves. Danny, the future of Chinatown is going to be up to you."
Danny was stunned, taking a moment to process the words.
"Up to me? What do you mean? You want me to manage Chinatown?"
His voice suddenly rose, his face showing extreme shock.
Luke nodded. "That's right. I'm putting you in charge of Chinatown. You're the new Young Master Shaw!"
"No! Absolutely not!" Danny waved his hands frantically. "I never planned on taking your place! I... I don't have the ability for that."
"You have the ability; you just haven't realized it."
"But—"
"Relax. Everything has been arranged. Tonight is when you establish your authority. Remember, as a man, you must be ruthless when it counts."
The situation had come too suddenly, and Danny was completely unprepared. His mind started to spin at the thought of such a huge enterprise as Chinatown being dropped into his lap. Then, a thought struck him, and his expression immediately turned grim.
"My father forced you, didn't he? I won't allow it! I'm going back right now. How could he do this?"
"Idiot!"
Luke playfully punched him on the head. "Use your brain! I talked with Uncle all afternoon; how could that be all we discussed? This is a deal, got it?"
"A deal?"
Danny rubbed his forehead, utterly bewildered. "What kind of deal?"
"The lodges in the Eastern states and all the connections in the political and business sectors go to me. Chinatown goes to you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Why me?"
"Why even ask? You're a member of the Shaw family, Grandpa's grandson, Uncle's son, and my cousin. There is no one else."
"But—"
Luke raised his hand, cutting him off. "Don't feel burdened. This is a joint decision between me and Uncle. And don't resent it; this deal is a win-win for both of us." He paused to explain.
"My future base of operations is Metropolis. I won't be returning to Coast City anytime soon. For security reasons, I need a reliable group of subordinates to handle things that I can't be seen doing. The Hongmen lodges are the perfect choice. And Uncle's goal is to become the next Chairman. He doesn't lack connections or prestige; he lacks finances and resources. The wealthy and prosperous Chinatown is the best answer for him."
"We exchanged resources. We both got what we needed. Understand?"
Danny fell silent. He largely understood the process, but for some reason, he felt uncomfortable. Both his boss and his father had clearly arranged his future without asking his opinion.
He was caught in the middle, like a puppet on a string.
"Alright, don't overthink it."
Luke patted his shoulder. "Regardless of the cause, this is a rare opportunity for you. There are only three young men in the Shaw family this generation: you, me, and Billy. Billy and I are focused on business and have no interest in the syndicate. The Shaw family's position in the Hongmen can only be inherited by you. Chinatown is the beginning. I look forward to seeing you sitting in the Hongmen Chairman's seat someday."
"Can I... can I really do it?"
"Why wouldn't you? You were doing fine before."
"But—"
"No more 'buts'! How many times have you said 'but' already?"
Luke pulled out a stack of documents and tossed them over. "All the secrets of Chinatown are in there. Read and memorize them carefully. Uncle and I have arranged everything for tonight. When it's time to establish authority, you must remember: ruthlessness! You must be ruthless. No soft heart, no hesitation. That's the basic quality of a boss."
Danny nodded, opening the folder and carefully flipping through it using the car's interior light.
He was only twenty-one, about to become the boss of Chinatown and lead hundreds of people. The thought was terrifying. But then he remembered Luke, who had pressured the leaders of all the organizations into silence when he was just ten. His nervousness lessened.
They were family, and they were all named Shaw. Even if he wasn't as good as Luke, he couldn't be too far behind.
Danny took a deep breath, and a hint of coldness entered his eyes.
The Reunion
The BMW drove around the city before finally stopping in front of a secluded club.
Three men stood at the entrance. The most noticeable was the close-cropped young man on the left. He looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, stood at least six feet three, and was extremely muscular, especially the two slabs of meat on his chest, which were so large they would make most women blush.
The young man was named Wang Hu, nicknamed Lord Tiger. He had trained in Bajiquan since childhood and was known throughout the Coast City underground boxing scene.
Next to him was a slickly dressed street kid. Despite wearing a suit and tie, he deliberately left it unbuttoned, exposing his thin abdomen to the air, which was covered in goosebumps whenever the cold wind blew.
The street kid's surname was Wu, and his name was Tony. His ancestry was Vietnamese, and he reportedly claimed to be a descendant of Wu Sangui, though even he didn't believe that. His combat ability was practically nil, but he possessed an extremely rare psychic ability. He once tried to use his powers to manipulate Luke but was hung up in a tree to sunbathe for three days. Afterward, he became an obedient follower, serving tea, pouring water, and handling prisoner interrogations.
The most striking in appearance was Dior Clay on the right. He was of Chinese, French, and Spanish descent, with an almost androgynous, handsome face that could charm most naive young girls. Unfortunately, he was an anti-social deviant who avoided women. He only loved two things in life: one, killing people with a surgical knife; two, performing autopsies with a watermelon knife.
Due to his unusual habits, he always stood apart from the other two.
Seeing the BMW, the three quickly walked over. Tony Wu rubbed the corners of his eyes, which were completely devoid of tears, and wailed pathetically.
"Boss! I missed you so much! I heard you were coming back and couldn't sleep for three days straight! I almost had a wet dream this morning!"
Wang Hu: "..."
He subtly shifted two steps to the side and roared loudly,
"Boss! You're finally back!"
Dior was taciturn and simply nodded.
"Young Master!"
Luke laughed as he walked over, punched Wang Hu's thick chest muscle, turned and kicked Tony's skinny rear end, and finally patted Dior on the shoulder.
"Excellent. The chest is still the chest, the ass is still the ass, and the face is still the face. That's good. Very good."
"Let's go. We're drinking 'til dawn tonight."
The four men put their arms around each other's shoulders and walked into the club. Danny lingered behind, took a deep breath as he looked at the row of slightly crooked Chinese characters above the entrance, and then strode inside.
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