10 o'clock, Cliff City East Port.

When Ji Jue arrived at the entrance, he saw a car that had been waiting there, a model so familiar, a cucumber.

On the flattened seat inside the car, someone was lazily yawning.

"Senior?"

Ji Jue leaned his head out from the window of the little bull car: "Why are you here?"

"Just happened to pass by, what a lie."

Ye Chun raised her hand through two car windows and tossed over a round object, "Auntie asked me to give this to you, you can borrow it for a while."

Receiving it skillfully, a familiar greeting echoed by his ear.

"Thanks, teacher."

Ji Jue accepted it without hesitation, put it in his pocket, and saw Ye Chun's 'and then?' expression, couldn't help but smile: "Thanks to you too, senior."

"A senior's favor is endless, remember that, understood?"

Ye Chun lazily waved her hand, "Alright, I'm going home, if I sleep any later, I'll lose hair. Such a boss who makes people work overtime every day will get hit by a car sooner or later."

And then she left.

Ji Jue tossed the gadget in his hand and hung it on the keychain again.

[Alright, kid, no matter the trouble, big brother's got your back!]

"Brother Qiu is awesome, I'm counting on you then!"

Ji Jue chuckled and drove forward, from afar, he saw the guide, and after confirming his identity, he was led directly into the berth of the port area.

A pitch-dark and silent cargo ship, fully loaded with containers, yet barely any crew were seen outside, only people with bulging clothes patrolling around.

On the deck, someone holding binoculars saw Ji Jue from afar and turned around: "Tell Brother Ling, the guy named Ji is here."

Someone had already gone up to greet him beforehand.

However, someone was even faster than them.

Ji Jue had just gotten out of the car when he saw a familiar blond head at the boarding area, jumping up and waving at him: "Brother Ji?! Long time no see!"

"Indeed, it has been a while."

Ji Jue nodded, "Where has Brother Blond been making a fortune lately?"

"Ah, just running errands for the boss."

Blond smiled warmly, waving in front, "The boss asked me to guide you here, just up ahead."

He glanced at the people approaching and whispered, "However, that outsider Ling Zhou might not have good intentions, Brother Ji be careful, don't fall into his trap."

"Thanks for the warning."

Following behind Blond, Ji Jue boarded the ship without any obstruction and proceeded straight ahead.

But unlike the ordinary and old appearance from outside, after a few turns, they entered the cargo area originally stacked with containers.

Inside was brightly lit, the space was astonishingly large, elegantly decorated, under the reflection of crystal chandeliers, everything seemed intoxicated in lavish luxury.

A sweet and cloying fragrance drifted in the air.

And in the endless hall ahead, there were actually many passengers, even, a series of grass-green gambling tables. The croupiers and attendants were all in place.

"This is a gambling ship running from the Thousand Islands to the Federation, damn it, these dogs make who knows billions every year with just a few ships."

Blond introduced in a low voice, mixed with cursing and resentment, even visible envy.

"If a fight breaks out this time, I'll f*cking lead the brothers to seize this ship first, by then the boss throws me a few tables casually, and I'll be prosperous!"

"Just focus on doing a good job for your boss." Ji Jue shook his head: "With how much your boss trusts you, those few tables are nothing."

To be fair, someone like Blond, who has proven loyalty and ability, Chen Xingzhou would certainly nurture strongly, unfortunately, Blond is good in every way but lacks a bit of brain, otherwise, he would've been put in charge of something a long while ago.

Hearing this, Blond immediately grinned: "Of course, the boss trusts me the most!"

Ji Jue patted his shoulder as a gesture of agreement and reminder.

Not far away, someone looked over coldly.

"Please follow me, Mr. Ji." The smiling manager approached: "The distinguished guests have all arrived, waiting upstairs for you."

Upstairs was an independent area, but, it seemed even more luxurious than the area below, looking like a VIP section.

At this moment, there were no gamblers.

But it was already filled with people.

Including Chen Xingzhou who had arrived, and those alongside him, a mixture of people Ji Jue had seen or hadn't, mostly old, both men and women, each sitting expressionless, like clay statues, not even conversing privately.

After walking in, even Blond didn't dare to act wantonly, instinctively lowered his breathing and went behind Chen Xingzhou.

The most surprising to Ji Jue was that as the host of the gathering, Chen Xingzhou didn't take the main seat!

Right in the center of the long table, the main seat was an ordinary looking white plastic chair.

A ubiquitous design, a classic model that was popular worldwide last century, its excellent design, experience, and cost made it common, seen everywhere.

Even at the night market stalls for supper.

But now, no one dared to sit on it.

They didn't even dare to look at it for too long, eyes lowered, sitting solemnly.

As Ji Jue arrived, Chen Xingzhou only nodded slightly to greet him before looking away.

After Ji Jue seated in another spot, exaggerated laughter echoed from outside the door.

With a hint of perfunctoriness and indifference, not even bothering to invest any more in the performance.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, I'm late, things are just hectic, you all please don't mind."

A mixed-race man with blonde hair pushed the door and entered, not exactly old, even under thirty, yet everyone he passed lowered their heads obediently, respectfully greeting him.

"Good evening, Mr. Ling."

But even someone as audacious as Ling Zhou, upon entering and seeing that empty chair, couldn't help but lower his voice slightly, a trace of darkness appearing in his smile.

"Unbelievable, Uncle Chen, even brought out the chief's seat." He stopped in front of that plastic chair and asked across it, "Just having a drink to make friends, does it need to be this exaggerated?"

"If we are to talk, we should be serious, shouldn't we?"

Chen Xingzhou smiled slightly, "Involving Cliff City and Gray Port, with Desert Market, having the chief's seat as a witness is more prudent. I was worried it wasn't formal enough."

"No wonder you're the leader; you handle things so thoroughly." Ling Zhou looked at him for a long time, "I've learned from you."

Chen Xingzhou nodded, "No need to mind us old folks. You youngsters are willing to talk, so I'll leave it to you now."

Ling Zhou's smile remained, though it had dirtied somewhat.

Really? Don't need to mind?

You damn well brought out the chief's seat, and you tell me not to mind?

Look at who's sitting here, invited all the seniors from Hai Province and even the neighboring Thousand Island Region... Calling this group of old folks to pressure me, right?

"And who might this be, Mr. Ji?"

He turned back to Ji Jue, "Truly a man of talent, I'm impressed."

Ji Jue remained expressionless, glancing at his extended hand without any movement.

"Mr. Ling is also a man of talent, I am very impressed as well."

Ji Jue sighed lightly, gazing at his smile, "You've gone through so much trouble to bring me here, shouldn't you let me know why?"

"Mr. Ji, you overstate it."

Ling Zhou smiled indifferently, pulled over a chair, and sat opposite Ji Jue, barely glancing at those annoying old folks: "As the saying goes, where there is a mountain, live off the mountain; where there is water, live off the water. The brothers in Gray Port make a living through shipping; we're not aiming for riches but just trying to scrape by.

But Mr. Ji, with such a booming business, coming and going without making any connections, isn't that a bit inconsiderate?"

"Isn't this affluent enough?"

Ji Jue looked up, casting a glance at the opulent decorations of the casino, rapping the table, "This golden nanmu table alone is worth more than my entire fortune.

The Federation has no channels; bringing some parts back from Thousand Islands shouldn't be blocking Mr. Ling's way, should it? Or is there a villain meddling in the background?"

"What are you saying?"

Ling Zhou shook his head nonchalantly, his smile unchanged, "Rely on family at home, friends outside. More friends mean more paths, I'm just hoping to make your acquaintance."

Ji Jue looked on indifferently at him.

Suddenly feeling a bit sleepy, even tempted to yawn.

These boring and meaningless pleasantries are utterly devoid of substance.

"Where's the person?"

He asked directly, "I'm already here, where's my person?"

"What person?"

Ling Zhou seemed perplexed, then suddenly realized, his smile growing wider, slapping his forehead, "Oh, there is such a person. Oh oh oh, look at my memory!"

He turned back, looking behind him, "What are you standing around for? Bring Mr. Ji's person up."

There was the sound of shuffling footsteps outside the door.

Soon, two people pushed through, their white shirts stained with blood, dragging a bloodied and barely alive figure, who was dumped to the ground, coughing violently, and convulsing.

Choking, crying.

Upon seeing Ji Jue, there was a moment of blankness, then desperately tried to prop up his body to say something. But the person beside him kicked him down to the ground without any courtesy.

Yan Jian instantly stopped moving, out of strength, struggling to breathe.

Only his eyes, stained with blood, lifted, looking at Ji Jue, tears like scarlet gushing down.

"Rest assured, he's still alive."

Ling Zhou reached out, carelessly pulling his hair to lift him up, pressing his head against the table, "See, lively as ever. We in Gray Port conduct business with emphasis on fairness and integrity."

Ji Jue said nothing.

Just looked into Yan Jian's eyes.

In the silence, Ling Zhou gestured, and naturally someone brought over a pile of documents and contracts, a dense stack like a mountain, "Years ago, your company's Director Xu gambled a bit too much with us, stringing it all together... totaling four or five billion, not too much."

He spoke slowly, "Debts have heads, and debts have owners. With such a huge bad debt, I, as a brother, really have no way to account to the higher-ups. Helplessly, we had to take this approach; it's only to meet Mr. Ji."

"Is it that simple?"

Ji Jue finally shifted his gaze from Yan Jian to Ling Zhou, inexplicably laughing.

Full of sunlight, without a hint of shadow.

"Rest assured, we wouldn't use this kind of thing to trouble you."

Ling Zhou bared his teeth, like a hungry beast struggling to hold back, "As long as Mr. Ji says the word, our old debts can be wiped clean!

Moreover, I've saved some money myself; two billion, plus a generous gift, to support Mr. Ji's business."

He stared intently at Ji Jue, brimming with enthusiasm:

"Shouldn't we all make money together?"

Ji Jue said nothing, looking at him.

For a long while, as if looking at a fool ignorant of the limits of the sky.

Until Ling Zhou's smile could no longer hold, losing its warmth, collapsing into a grim, cruel ruin, finally the puzzled sound was heard.

"With just you?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.