A so-called "opportunity"

Dragon City?

After studying under Mr. Wen, Chen Ying had also crammed some underworld knowledge and gained a rough idea of what sort of place Dragon City was.

It was the shadow beneath the glittering facade of Hong Kong and Kowloon, a truly lawless zone where anything illegal could be found.

From basic sex, gambling, and drugs to their advanced versions: if screwing women wasn't enough, you could screw men, men like women, women like men, or even all those varieties together.

If betting on horses wasn't exciting enough, you could bet on dogs, cockfights, or boxing. There was more variety here than anywhere else. As for drugs, this place had the world's finest stuff. If you wanted volume, they had volume; if you wanted purity, they had purity. As long as you had money and weren't afraid to die, you could indulge however you liked.

Dragon City was not only the largest source of arms and heroin in Hong Kong and Kowloon; it also supplied plenty of gunmen and knife-wielders.

For Lu Zhengxing to hold the top seat in Dragon City, simply being "upright and honorable" could never have been enough, even with the Lingnan Jiedu Office behind him.

When someone like that put the word out, anyone who genuinely thought he was just a nice man trying to settle a dispute was being far too shallow.

"Yisheng's people still have the nerve to complain?"

Hua Shanrong lounged arrogantly across the back seat.

"That old outfit's been in decline for years, and they still dare challenge Dragon City?"

Driving, Yu Tai merely cast Hua Shanrong a contemptuous glance in the rearview mirror and did not respond at all.

Chen Ying watched silently, his fingers tapping slowly against the seat.

Wo On Sing's address was actually public. Even though everyone knew they were hardly respectable people, their official name was the "Wo On Sing Martial Arts Association," purportedly dedicated to promoting traditional martial arts, encouraging cultural exchange, and improving overall personal development.

The association's registered address was also its headquarters, where they held their meetings. The furnishings were all shabby, and none of the successive bosses had taken any interest in repairs.

From the exterior decorations to the bathroom taps, everything here had the air of a decade ago.

That stale atmosphere also suited the old men who met here perfectly.

Under Wo On Sing's rules, a leader was elected every two years. After completing his term, he moved behind the scenes as an elder, joining the so-called Uncle Generation.

As everyone knew, running a triad was not a profession with much turnover. The underworld's changing of the guard could not keep pace with two-year terms, and the result was that the differences between one leader and another were greater than those between a man and a dog.

Power within the organization therefore tilted further toward the big shots among the Uncle Generation, while the boss's seat gradually became a position devoted to taking the blame and getting hammered by the Police Force and other triads.

Since the old men called the shots, there was even less reason to renovate or rebuild their meeting place.

At the center of the head of a long table sat Wo On Sing's current "boss," Ko Lo Wah, though everyone knew he had only been propped up there for appearances.

"Dragon City sent word saying Hua Shanrong was wronged. They want us to do them a favor and let this matter drop."

"Uncles, we've already issued an Underworld Assassination Order and put the word out that Hua Shanrong is to be killed. If we simply drop it now, our name is bound to suffer."

"But if we refuse to give them any face, I'm afraid Dragon City may be difficult to deal with in the future. I don't have a solution at present. What do you uncles think?"

Ko Lo Wah easily passed the buck, then picked up the teacup beside him and took a satisfied sip.

"When have you ever had a solution?"

A short, plump middle-aged man sat puffing on a cigar.

"This concerns our organization's reputation. We issued the assassination order ourselves, and now we're swallowing it back down like a ball. People out there will laugh at us for being gutless cowards."

He tapped the ash off his cigar.

"If Dragon City's unhappy, let them be unhappy. We've got plenty of cash. Would Dragon City really refuse to do business with us?"

"Kwai Lee Ho, you're in small loans, so you don't care. We've got plenty of venues waiting on supplies from Dragon City. We can't afford those losses."

Another old man objected.

"Haven't people also been saying that Hua Shanrong treated Fat Bear well? He returned Fat Bear's belongings to his widow, and he usually gets things done. Just because he was the first to run... I'm not afraid of you laughing at me: faced with that bunch of lunatics under Su Xiong, how many of today's boys wouldn't run?"

He continued, "Besides, Su Xiong clearly means to dominate the whole scene. He's already poached Fire Dragon, killed Fat Bear, and planted his flag right on our doorstep. Without Dragon City's support at a time like this, forget business-you won't even be able to hold your own turf."

"I think withdrawing the assassination order would show people that we're fair in our rewards and punishments."

"Uncle Fai, that's not right."

Kwai Lee Ho spread his hands as he looked around at everyone.

"Gentlemen, Su Xiong has smashed four of our venues in the past fortnight. It's not that we're swallowing the insult; his men are all lunatics. We don't need to fight and kill them. Neither the Brits nor the cops will put up with him."

"Su Xiong is bringing about his own destruction. The more trouble he causes now, the harder they'll hit him. He's from the mainland and doesn't understand underworld rules. That doesn't matter. Heaven will deal with him."

"But Hua Shanrong's case is different. You were all there at the meeting. We issued the assassination order to warn the boys of today, to make an example of him. Running away in battle means betraying your brothers, and that means death."

"Fine, so now Dragon City says one word and we back down? Who calls the shots in Wo On Sing now? How are any of us supposed to discipline our boys in the future? This is no small matter."

Kwai Lee Ho shook his head. "Bosses, I think we need to handle this carefully. It concerns the organization's centuries-old legacy..."

"What legacy? Are you teaching boxing?"

The old man snapped back, "Kwai Lee Ho, how much has Su Xiong paid you? You're beating the drum for him so hard. What do we gain by angering Dragon City? Are none of us going to Lingnan anymore?"

"Fai, your mother paid me. I'm in Hong Kong and Kowloon. Dragon City is only making a suggestion. Am I allowed not to like it? Is the Lingnan Jiedushi going to drag me off, parade me through the streets, and have me shot just because I disagree? Bloody lunacy."

"Fuck off, Kwai Lee Ho. Our most urgent business is dealing with Su Xiong..."

"Dragon City is clearly testing us. If they get us under their thumb this time, business will be hard from now on..."

The group descended into a noisy argument.

Ko Lo Wah, the nominal boss, was in no hurry. He finished his cup of tea and motioned for the underling beside him to refill it.

Although he was a puppet, he still knew what was going on beneath him.

Whether it was Kwai Lee Ho or Uncle Fai, they were merely mouthpieces pushed forward by others to argue. Once they finished, they would still go out for hotpot together and find somewhere to get a massage.

Although Kwai Lee Ho shouted his opposition every day, he actually supported Dragon City. By defining the issue as "damaging the organization's prestige," he was really protecting Hua Shanrong.

Because nobody actually cared about something as intangible as the organization's prestige.

Uncle Fai was the one who truly wanted to ruin things for Hua Shanrong. Every two years, the people seated here schemed against one another over the boss's seat, and now they were being told that a local powerhouse like Dragon City would also have a hand in things from now on.

Like hell they could accept that.

Hua Shanrong would immediately go from an assassination target whose death hardly mattered to one who absolutely had to be eliminated.

As the two sides argued back and forth, Ko Lo Wah was happy to drink more tea. He did not have to pay for the tea leaves here anyway, and they were better than what he usually drank.

The Uncle Generation only stopped arguing when someone downstairs sent word that Yu Tai had arrived with Hua Shanrong and a representative from Dragon City.

"Don't bring them up just yet. Tell them the uncles are still handling other business and ask them to wait downstairs."

After giving his instructions, Ko Lo Wah continued, "Uncles, I know we all want what's best for the organization, but they're already downstairs. We ought to agree on some sort of outcome, or things will look bad in a moment."

None of them could persuade the others to begin with, and some had even come with instructions to sabotage the matter. Naturally, they merely exchanged looks, and no one spoke.

"In that case, why don't I propose a compromise?"

Ko Lo Wah smiled humbly at the people before him.

"Fire Dragon betrayed the organization and broke the oath he swore before Lord Guan. He deserves death by a thousand cuts more than anyone. But now that he's joined Su Xiong, none of us can easily move against him without losing men."

"Why not set Hua Shanrong a condition? Have him take Fire Dragon's life within a month as an offering to his boss. If he succeeds, we'll hold a banquet for him and let him choose between Red Pole and White Paper Fan."

"And if he can't do it?"

Kwai Lee Ho asked.

"If he can't? Then we'll convene the incense hall and give him Three Knives and Six Holes before his boss's spirit tablet. He can't blame us for not giving him a chance. This way, both the organization and Dragon City can save face. What do you uncles think?"

Silence fell around the table. In the end, Uncle Fai was the first to speak.

"I think the boss's plan is the most thorough, but..."

"I agree. One month. If he fails, Three Knives and Six Holes. If he succeeds, we all look good."

After some discussion, the group ultimately approved Ko Lo Wah's proposal.

"All right, bring them up."

Standing downstairs, Chen Ying studied the three-story building before him.

Wo On Sing was a major triad with a name in Hong Kong and Kowloon, but the little building before him truly did not live up to that reputation.

"Think the building's nothing special?"

Yu Tai looked at Chen Ying, seemingly seeing straight through his thoughts.

"This is what economics calls the tragedy of the commons. The Brits do have some good scholarship. Triads actually need economics too..."

Yu Tai explained.

"Construction sites, I know those. Civil engineers toil all their lives. A tragedy indeed."

Hua Shanrong wore an expression of complete understanding.

"Are you interested in microeconomics, Mr. Yu?"

"It seems you don't just study martial arts in Dragon City either, Mr. Chen..."

"Brother Ying prefers beating up ghosts. Blows them apart with one kick."

Hua Shanrong threw in a quip.

Soon, an underling came downstairs with word that the uncles had finished discussing their other business and Chen Ying's party could come up.

The little building was dilapidated, its stairs were narrow, and the whole place smelled of mold.

But unlike what Chen Ying had imagined, it was very "clean."

There seemed to be no trace of any evil presence inside the building.

The meeting room was in the center of the top floor. When they pushed open the doors, they found a group of old men puffing away inside. Seeing Chen Ying's party enter, the man seated in the middle rose first to greet them.

"We heard that Master Lu had trained another expert, and we didn't believe it at first. Seeing you today, you truly do carry yourself with a dragon's stride and a tiger's bearing, accomplished in both letters and arms."

"You're too kind, sir. I've only picked up a few moves studying under him. I can hardly claim to have inherited his teachings."

"Hua Shanrong, what are you standing around for? Find yourself a seat."

Ko Lo Wah smiled. "We've decided to give you an opportunity. Make sure you seize it."