A finger

At seven thirty that evening, Yu Mingyuan sat at the head of the table in a private room at the Chinese restaurant on the sixteenth floor of the Ronghai Building in Zhannan District. Tang Baiqing sat to his right, and the two chatted as they waited.

A short while later, the door opened, and the burly, friendly-looking Xu Hu walked in with two henchmen.

"Oh, I'm late, I'm late. Sorry about that, Boss Yu." Xu Hu was thirty-seven or thirty-eight, around six feet tall, with a powerfully built body and dark skin. His face wasn't threatening, though; he had a square jaw and regular features.

Yu Mingyuan immediately stood at the sound of his voice. After shaking his hand, he said, "Sorry for all the trouble these past few days, Brother Xu."

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing!" Xu Hu took the opportunity to flatter Tang Baiqing. "Our little business at the docks depends entirely on Baiqing looking out for us. When he asks, we have to help."

"Come on, everyone, sit down," Tang Baiqing said, ushering everyone to their seats.

The five men sat down, and the food and drinks were served.

Yu Mingyuan picked up the bottle and addressed Xu Hu, who sat to his left. "Brother Xu, Baiqing told me what you have in mind, but this maritime business looks simple on the surface and is actually pretty complicated. When I started this company, my intention was also to bring the Dirty Gang brothers together."

"Heh, right." Xu Hu smiled.

After pouring the drinks, Yu Mingyuan kept his eyes on Xu Hu and continued, "Brother Xu, how about this? Help me get my people and cargo back first, and we can discuss you taking a stake once this is over. Of course, I won't make you call in favors for nothing. I'll give you three hundred thousand as a fee, a small token of my appreciation."

Hearing this, Tang Baiqing immediately kicked Yu Mingyuan under the table, signaling that he was taking the conversation in the wrong direction. Yu Mingyuan gave him no response.

After a long silence, Xu Hu replied with a smile, "Mr. Yu, if I were after a little fee, I wouldn't have come today. There are no outsiders here, so let's speak frankly. As far as I'm concerned, getting your people and cargo back and doing business at sea are the same thing. If I have a share in the business, I'll definitely help, because it's our own business. I can first talk to Old Lei, who hijacks cargo outside the district, and get them to hand over the people and goods. If talking doesn't work, I can fight them until they cough up the cargo. But if I don't have a share, I can't break the rules out on the water. Old Lei went to all that trouble to hijack the cargo, fair and square. As an outsider, what right do I have to demand he hand over the people and goods? You offered three hundred thousand, so let me ask you: is that all your cargo and people are worth?"

Yu Mingyuan's brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

Xu Hu kept smiling. "Mr. Yu, don't blame me for being blunt. The sea has its own rules. If we want to do business, we have to follow them, wouldn't you agree?"

"So you mean we have to settle the shares today, Brother Xu?" Yu Mingyuan asked.

"That's right. I came today to discuss taking a stake." Xu Hu looked at Yu Mingyuan, completely at ease. His casual words brimmed with confidence and domineering certainty. "Let me go off topic for a moment, Mr. Yu. Those Dirty Gang laborers you're using now aren't worth shit at the docks or out on the water. They have no connections and no organized crew. Giving them thirty percent of the shares for nothing is practically charity, isn't it? Heh!"

Yu Mingyuan said nothing.

Xu Hu paused briefly, then continued with his hands clasped. "Mr. Yu, are you finding it awkward to tell those three Dirty Gang families to give up their shares?"

Yu Mingyuan looked up at him. "The relationships in this circle are pretty complicated..."

"Ha!" Xu Hu laughed. "Then why don't we handle a complicated thing the simple way? If you're too embarrassed to say it, I'll be the bad guy."

With that, Xu Hu picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Brother Xu, what are you doing...?" Unsure of his intentions, Yu Mingyuan tried to stop him.

"Heh, it's fine." Xu Hu waved a hand, then heard the call connect. "Hey, little brother!"

"What is it, big brother?" Xu Er answered on the other end.

"I'm having dinner and a chat with Mr. Yu. He says he feels awkward asking those three Dirty Gang companies to give up their shares." Xu Hu gave his orders in a calm voice. "Do this: call Old Lei outside the district and ask him to do me a favor. Have him chop a finger off that kid leading the Su Family crew, then send it to the Su Family."

"Got it!" Xu Er replied.

Yu Mingyuan shot to his feet. "Brother Xu, what's the meaning of this?"

"You feel awkward, so I'll handle it!" Xu Hu hung up. "I'm not afraid of offending them. Give him a little lesson, and he'll pull out on his own. Problem solved."

"Xu, there's no need to go..." Tang Baiqing frowned and tried to intervene too.

"Hey, Baiqing, I just said the sea has its own rules." Xu Hu looked up at Yu Mingyuan and spoke slowly and distinctly. "If you agree to let us buy in, I'll deal with those three families. You won't have to be the bad guy. How about it, Mr. Yu?!"

Yu Mingyuan looked down at Xu Hu, now fully understanding what he meant.

Was this meant to intimidate the Su Family? Clearly, that wasn't all. Xu Hu was openly pressuring Yu Mingyuan, telling him in the simplest, bluntest terms that around these docks, the Su, Bai, and Kong Three Families weren't worth shit. If the Yu Family wanted to do business, they couldn't bypass the Dock Gang!

If I, Xu Hu, want to chop off your finger, I'll chop it off. If I want to hold your cargo, I'll hold it. You don't get to choose between two sides, Yu Mingyuan. Your only choice is the Dock Gang and Tang Baiqing. Otherwise, your business won't survive!

Yu Mingyuan stared at Xu Hu and clenched his fists before bending down and sitting again.

In a courtyard midway along Tianhong Street at Tianhong Civil Harbor, Xu Er carried a knife into a warehouse on the left, accompanied by three men.

Xu Er stood over six feet tall but was extremely skinny. From a distance, he looked like a long stick. His facial features were small and cramped, and his face was covered in pits and bumps. He was hideously ugly and looked nothing like the younger brother of the fairly handsome Xu Hu.

Xu Er walked over to Zhang Hao, crouched down, and waved a hand. "Hold him down."

After days of torment, Zhang Hao barely looked human anymore. The wound in his thigh was infected, and he had a slight fever. Lying on a burlap sack, he suddenly sat up. "What are you doing...?!"

"Your boss doesn't know how to behave, so I'm borrowing a finger from you." Xu Er bent down and said calmly, "The blade's sharp. Just bear with it!"

"Fuck your mother!" Zhang Hao cursed, his eyes bloodshot.

The three men pinned Zhang Hao's right hand down. Xu Er pointed the tip of the knife at his little finger. "This one."

Whoosh!

Slice!

A finger was hacked clean off. Zhang Hao's whole body convulsed with pain, and he passed out on the spot.

"Send it to the Su Family." Xu Er tossed the knife aside and turned to leave. "I'm going back to my mahjong game."

Half an hour later.

Two vans entered Tianhong Civil Harbor. Inside one, Kong Zhenghui glanced down at his watch and said, "My friend will call me any minute."

At the same time.

Firecrackers went off in the Su Family courtyard. Su Zhengcai and Su Tiannan hurried over at the sound and found a balled-up piece of white cloth on the ground.

They unfolded it and found a finger inside, with a few words written on the cloth.

"If you don't give up your shares, next time we chop off a leg!"

"Motherfuckers!!!" Holding the finger, Su Zhengcai's eyes turned red. "Yu Mingyuan really can't protect us for shit! You won't need to go later. I'll go myself."