The Road to Gang Expansion

Everyone looked through it and exclaimed in surprise, "This ratio is too low! It's almost a third of what it used to be!"

Yu Shuying snorted, "I'm asking you, which makes more money, the supermarket or the convenience store?"

"The supermarket, of course."

Are things cheaper at the supermarket or the convenience store?

"Supermarket."

After everyone finished speaking, they suddenly realized what was going on. Although they might not have understood the intricacies, they were still fooled and happily passed the booklet around.

Si Ming rubbed his forehead, speechless at the stupidity of these guys. No wonder they could only be thugs. He asked Yu Shuying, "What exactly do you want to do? You're giving up the righteous path to join the underworld. That's too depraved."

Yu Shuying said, "I have no intention of joining the underworld; I just want to build a vibrant grassroots organization."

Chapter 413 The Road to Gang Expansion

Si Ming asked weakly, "Is there any difference between the two?"

Yu Shuying said matter-of-factly, "Of course they're different. Organized crime is illegal, while vibrant grassroots organizations are legal. The former is pure organized crime, while the latter is a mix of legal and illegal activities. There's no future in being part of organized crime, but being half-legal allows for manipulation. For example, when praising someone for their skill, isn't it always a compliment that they have connections in both the legal and illegal worlds?"

"Well... there's still a difference, isn't there? 'Having influence in both the legitimate and criminal worlds' means having influence in both the legitimate and criminal worlds; they are two separate entities. What you have is only half legitimate and half illegitimate; only when you combine them do you become a unified whole."

"That's enough. Men who are too calculating will lose their hair quickly and end up with premature baldness."

"Can we not talk about pulling hair? Besides, this issue no longer threatens me." Si Ming thought of the special effects of the Wheel-Turning King Sword and chuckled to himself. Nothing in the world could threaten him anymore. "By the way, why did you suddenly have the idea to get involved in the underworld?"

Yu Shuying said, "Isn't this the inspiration you gave me? There's strength in numbers, and we should fight as a group rather than one-on-one. What I lack is manpower. Even a rabble can be incredibly effective if used properly. But finding a group of comrades and slowly building rapport is too inefficient. In comparison, finding a bunch of henchmen is much faster. Look at me now, I have about a hundred loyal subordinates. Once we take over the territories of the other three major gangs, we can at least triple our manpower."

What kind of thought process is this? Why would someone think of gangsters when it comes to group fights involving a large number of people...? Uh, it actually does seem quite fitting.

"How did you manage to control these men? Even if you entered the underworld without our knowledge, it would only have been less than a month. It's impossible to win them over in such a short time. Besides, judging from their expressions, they're not loyal at all; they're clearly under your control. Did you really use their weaknesses to threaten them?"

"To be precise, it was eighteen days. There was absolutely no leverage against them; they were just a bunch of small fry. I didn't have the time or energy to waste on them. I just gave each of them a poison pill, and that was it—the kind of poison that makes you wish you were dead when it takes effect."

In an instant, the names of famous poisons such as the Three-Corpse Brain Spirit Pill, the Life and Death Talisman, and the Leopard Embryo Tendon-Altering Pill flashed through Si Ming's mind. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered, "This is totally the work of a major villain. It has no class whatsoever."

"Although novels usually end with good triumphing over evil and villains meeting a bad end, in reality, there are countless bad people who live carefree and happy lives without receiving the punishment they deserve. Besides, gangsters are neither good people nor innocent. No decent person would ever get involved in this circle. What I'm doing is precisely using evil to fight evil, using poison to fight poison. It undoubtedly falls into the realm of justice, only the method is a bit extreme."

Yu Shuying's answer was without hesitation, clearly indicating that she genuinely thought so, and not just joking around.

Si Ming knew that persuasion was useless. The other party was the kind of person who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. However, her goals were righteous, so at most they were considered heretical rather than criminal. In this respect, she was completely opposite to Murong Qing, who advocated procedural justice. No wonder he couldn't stand her.

Yu Shuying was also admitted to Linked Mountains University, but she used a back door method. To put it simply, she used her mentor's connections to add her name to an important paper published by a big name in the academic world, thus gaining extraordinary qualifications. Then, the admissions office of Linked Mountains University made an exception and admitted her according to the rules and regulations.

There was nothing illegal in the whole process. Every university has special admissions clauses, and Yu Shuying's situation fully meets the requirements. The only criticism is probably about the authorship of the paper, but whether she contributed to the creation of the paper is something no one can verify.

In Yu Shuying's view, since I can achieve the same effect with seven-tenths of my effort, why use three-tenths more? A black cat or a white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat. Personal connections are a form of strength in themselves, so why not use them if you can?

"By the way, I need a reliable and capable fighter. Lend me your Demon Race follower for a while. As the leader of the gang, I can't personally get into battle; that would be too beneath me. Besides, I can't always ask you for help."

"She is Monster Race, not Demon Race," Si Ming declared.

"From the perspective of the Sea Continent people, it's all the same. Besides, she's much better off working for me than for the Mohist Knight Guard. The righteous path can't accept a comrade who's like Demon Race, but the underworld doesn't care. The fact that you can control a Demon Race subordinate proves that you have something special, that even Demon Race are willing to submit." Yu Shuying twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "It can also be used as a trap to fool future opponents. When they use their Demon Race identity to try and weaken me with the help of the righteous path, I can use the truth to turn the tables on them."

"You're always scheming."

"You flatter me."

"I wasn't praising you!" Si Ming said irritably, reminding him, "Don't forget you're still a prospective college student. If you focus your energy on the gang, what about your university? You're not thinking of dropping out when school starts, are you? This kind of ostentatious behavior, if it attracts attention and they dig up the information about your special admission, it'll be quite troublesome to handle. There's a possibility the school might sacrifice you to save the day."

Yu Shuying said, "That's simple. There are still two months before university starts. As long as I expand the gang's influence to Linked Mountains City within two months, that's all I need to do. That's why I chose Linked Mountains University. It's in the same state, close enough that I don't need to cross state lines. Then I can attend classes during the day and handle gang affairs at night, balancing my studies and work."

Si Ming had assumed she chose Linked Mountains University so they could study together, but he hadn't expected there to be a hidden agenda. He couldn't help but retort, "And it solves the employment problem on the side, right?"

Yu Shuying said thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, I think we can bring in highly educated talent from universities. Those involved in gangs are just a bunch of uneducated thugs. There's no hope of managing personnel, let alone finances, with them. Universities definitely have some daring and adventurous guys. If we can just lure them in, the management problem can be solved. It's killing two birds with one stone!"

Si Ming poured cold water on his plans, saying, "Stop with your future plans. There are several counties between Tange City and Linked Mountains City. How do you expect to expand your influence there within two months? I know you're smart, but this is your first time getting involved in a gang. Where does your confidence come from? If expanding territory were so easy, why haven't the existing gangs thought of the same method?"

"The reason is simple: they treat the gang as their life's work, while I only see it as a tool. There are bound to be many hidden dangers during the rapid expansion, but I don't care. If a tool breaks, I'll just replace it. My biggest advantage over them is my background. If they lose, they will surely die without a burial place, but if I lose, I can simply change my skin and become a member of the Mohist Knight Guard, and find an opportunity to East Mountain."

"You know that for gangs, background is the most important thing. The situation in Su State is different from other countries. The most powerful gang is the Mohist Knight Guard, but it's a legitimate organization. The other gangs are illegal groups that can't be brought to the table. They can only exist if the government allows them to. Once the government decides to crack down, it can reshuffle the local underworld in no time. Conversely, the local gangs are tacitly approved by the local government. In a sense, they have powerful backers. So what makes you think you can compete with them? You don't think you can just crush them with force and poison, do you?"

"My expansion strategy has two aspects. One is to collect low protection fees to gain the support of merchants. Since it's all about paying protection fees anyway, of course, you should choose the cheaper one; the people understand that perfectly well. The other is to create a better security environment. Of the three major threats to public security, prostitution and gambling have existed since ancient times and cannot be eradicated. Only drugs can be eliminated. I will issue an order that all drug trafficking is strictly prohibited within the Green Snake Gang's territory. Anyone who dares to traffic drugs will have their hand chopped off. The government upholds the rule of law, but gangs don't. If you were the government, which gang would you choose?"

Ideally, there shouldn't be any at all.

Si Ming said something in anger, but he knew in his heart that where there is white, there is black, and the dark side of society can never be eliminated. If one group of people is taken down, another group will take their place in no time. The only difference is the scale. That's why the government turns a blind eye to it.

If Yu Shuying really implements this policy, unless the local government is completely bought off by the gang, they will naturally side with the Green Snake Gang. Who wouldn't want a free political achievement?

However, Yu Shuying's method sounds familiar; it's as if I've seen similar tactics somewhere before...

A sudden realization dawned on Si Ming: "You're going to start a price war!"

Whether it's lowering protection fees or completely banning drugs, the essence is reducing one's own profits and offering cheaper goods. If competitors want to resist, they have no choice but to lower their prices as well.

In the business world, there is the concept of brand. People can accept that branded goods are more expensive. But gangs don't have brands. Who cares if you are a gang with a century-old history?

Yu Shuying said, "This is indeed a price war, using cost to hurt others. In the early stages, by using this method, we can quickly expand outwards before other gangs can react. Later, when they realize what's happening, they will find that there is no way to break it, and they can only obediently follow my anti-drug and price reduction, but in the end, they still can't outlast me."

"Why?"

"I've already explained the reasons. They see the gang as a career, while I'm just a tool. They want to profit from the gang, make money, and enjoy life, while I only want power, not profit. I don't want to earn a single penny. Of course, they can't outlast me."

Si Ming recalled a report on the crackdown on organized crime that he had seen online in the past. The investigation showed that 60% of the gang's profits went into the pockets of the higher-ups, 30% into the pockets of the middle-level members, and the remaining 10% was divided equally among the lower-level members.

Yu Shuying has made her stance clear: she doesn't want the 60% of the profits. How are the other gang leaders supposed to compete with her? They can't just tighten their belts and all forgo fame and fortune to contribute to the nation's cause, can they?