Ambition

Chapter 59 Ambition

At the school's printing shop, Bai Yuze counted the printed exam papers; there were exactly eleven, no more, no less.

He put the exam paper into a file bag and casually picked up his phone to take a look.

The WeChat interface is quiet.

Chiba Yume's profile picture was still showing last night's message: "Boss, are you free after the exam tomorrow? I'd like to treat you to a meal."

Bai Yuze stared at the profile picture for a few seconds, then muttered to himself, "This girl, is she throwing a tantrum because I didn't reply to her messages last night?"

That's what he said, but he knew that Chiba Yumeyu wasn't that kind of person.

She was quiet and reserved, never actively seeking him out, and never getting upset over such trivial matters.

Why is there no movement?

He frowned, opened his contacts, and dialed a number.

It rang twice, and then the other end answered.

"Oh, what a rare guest!"

Lu's lazy voice came through the receiver, "Why did you suddenly decide to call me today?"

"Sister Lu."

Bai Yuze didn't beat around the bush and asked softly, "Did Qianye Mengyu go to the shop today?"

Sister Lu paused for a moment.

"Didn't she call you?"

Bai Yuze let out a soft "hmm," and said, "No, he didn't even reply to my WeChat messages today."

Upon hearing this, Sister Lu's tone became a little more serious, "Xiaoyu messaged me today saying she had something to do and needed to take leave. I thought she had told you."

Ask for leave?

These two words swirled in Bai Yuze's mind.

The reason why Chiba Yume is called a five-star employee is that he has never seen her ask for leave. Even when she has a fever of 39 degrees Celsius, she insists on coming to work, saying that every day she misses a day means one less day of pay.

He cried himself to death.

Thinking of this, Bai Yuze asked, "Sister Lu, do you know her home address?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a soft chuckle.

"What? You're such a bad boyfriend, you don't even know where your girlfriend lives?"

Bai Yuzhe: "————"

"Sister Lu, we're just boss and employee. Don't talk nonsense."

"Yes, yes, the boss and the employees," Sister Lu repeated with a smile, her tone clearly teasing. "Alright, I'll send you the address to your phone. But I must warn you, it's a pretty out-of-the-way place, so don't get lost."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Lu."

Bai Yuze thanked him and hung up the phone.

A message popped up on WeChat quickly; it was a location.

Bai Yuze glanced at it, then turned and walked out.

Didi—

The taxi stopped in a dilapidated neighborhood.

Bai Yuze paid the fare, got out of the car, and stood in front of the narrow alley.

He narrowed his eyes.

He's been to this place before.

The dilapidated residential building, the mottled entrance to the stairwell, and the familiar door next to the entrance.

Ah Long's door.

He came here before when he delivered experimental drugs.

Bai Yuze withdrew his gaze and walked to another door.

There was no house number on the door, only a faded "福" (good fortune) character with curled edges.

He knocked on the door.

No one answered.

He knocked a few more times.

Still no one.

Bai Yuze turned around and walked to the door next door.

After knocking a few times, footsteps came from inside, and then the door opened.

Who is it?

Ah Long's somewhat fierce face appeared behind the door. He saw Bai Yuze, paused for a moment, then forced a smile: "Brother Bai? What brings you here? Did you come to deliver medicine?"

Bai Yuze shook his head.

"Ah Long, have you seen that girl next door today?"

Ah Long blinked, paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Oh! You mean that girl who leaves early and comes home late?" He immediately realized his mistake and quickly corrected himself, "Ugh, ugh, ugh, the student girl! That student girl!"

Bai Yuze nodded: "Yes, she's my classmate."

Ah Long's eyes suddenly became complicated, with a hint of regret and a sense of sudden realization.

"You should have said so earlier!"

He slapped his thigh suddenly. "If I had known that student was Brother Bai's girlfriend, I would have definitely protected her. My sister-in-law wouldn't have gotten ripped off by that shady landlord."

"—Ordinary student."

Bai Yuze corrected him, "Think back, what time did she leave the house today?"

Ah Long touched his buzz cut, trying hard to remember.

"Um—I really didn't notice. I slept until almost noon this morning." He paused, then suddenly remembered something, "But Brother Bai, there's something I feel I should tell you."

"What is it?"

"A few days ago, I ran into some acquaintances at the alley entrance." Ah Long's expression turned serious as he slowly said, "They were from the Ash Gang."

"The Ashes Gang?"

A serious expression appeared on Ah Long's face. "Yeah, at first I thought they were looking for me. But then I realized they were probably targeting this schoolgirl."

Bai Yuze stood there, staring at the door without a number, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I understand, thanks."

"fine."

Ah Long waved his hand and closed the door again.

A few minutes later, Bai Yuze walked out of the block and paused for a moment.

The malice was palpable.

It wasn't the kind of subtle, almost imperceptible spying; it was more like the kind of malice that had a knife to someone's throat.

He turned his head.

Something was moving in the shadows deep in the alley.

It wasn't just one person.

There are several dishes.

Those figures slowly emerged from the corners of the walls, from behind abandoned carts, and from corners piled with garbage, like the tide at night, surging up silently.

There are seven in total.

The one leading the group was a man who looked to be in his forties.

He was wearing a drab gray trench coat, the fabric stained with dark stains that looked like blood or something else entirely.

What's most striking is his mouth; the angle at the corners of his mouth exceeds the limits of what a human should be, stretching all the way down to below his ears.

His teeth were uneven, but each one was sharpened to a point, like a shark's teeth, gleaming coldly in the night.

At the same time, six other fakes surrounded them, blocking all escape routes.

The one on the left is wearing an old suit, but there's a bulge underneath.

The one on the right is wearing a light yellow vest, but the skin exposed underneath is covered with dense black scales.

The scales shimmered faintly in the night, pulsating with his breath.

Blocking Bai Yuze's escape route was something that looked like a child. It was squatting on the trash can, staring straight at Bai Yuze. There were no whites in its eyes, only two black holes.

It kept chewing something, making a crunching sound.

There were three more standing in even darker shadows, their full forms obscured, only their eyes gleaming faintly.

Those aren't human eyes; they look more like those of some kind of reptile.

Thick miasma emanated from them, like the mist rising from a rotting swamp.

An ordinary person standing here would feel nauseous and vomit just from smelling this odor; their brain would automatically send out the strongest alarm.

But Bai Yuze didn't move.

He stood there, his gaze sweeping over their faces one by one.

"Stop looking, kid."

The middle-aged man at the head of the group said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "The cameras here have all been destroyed."

Bai Yuzhe withdrew his gaze and looked at his face.

"Who are you?" "Let me tell you, I am a member of the Redeemers."

The scarred man paused for a moment.

Then he laughed.

"The Redeemers?"

His laughter sounded like it was squeezed from deep in his throat, mixed with phlegm and blood. "Kid, I don't care who you are. You're going to die today."

Bai Yuzhe looked at them, sensing the strong, sweet-smelling scent emanating from them. They weren't from the Redeemers Society.

He blinked.

This level of fake person is not something the Redeemers would do.

That's interesting. It seems that besides the Redeemers, someone else is cultivating imposters. Is it some ambitious bigwig? Or some underground organization's privately held armed force?

Bai Yuze's lips curved slightly.

In that instant, the panic on his face disappeared, replaced by a sense of novelty.

Upon seeing this expression, the grinning man's smile froze for a moment, and he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

The young man in front of them had been trembling and uttering nonsensical words just moments before, but now he stood there, looking at them with the eyes of someone eyeing prey.

He had seen that look before; it was the same look they used when they hunted humans.

"you----"

Ash Gang member Tumor Tiger sat on a broken sofa on the second floor, with a rickety wooden table in front of him.

.

There were three piles of things on the table.

The pile on the left is cash, but it doesn't look very good; it's all crumpled change, and there are several stacks tied with rubber bands.

This is protection money collected from below, squeezed out bit by bit from those who run small shops, set up street stalls, and drive unlicensed taxis.

Not many, but they are stable.

The middle pile is also cash, but it's much thicker than the pile on the left.

This is a cut of the ashes from other gangs; he gets a share of every bag of ashes those gangs sell.

This money comes quickly, but it's a bit too hot to handle; however, it can be spent.

The pile on the right isn't cash; it's a manila envelope.

It was bulging and the seal was stamped with a red seal.

This was a tip from a big shot. He didn't know the exact amount, nor did he need to. This money couldn't be spent; it could only be kept as a gift and used for bribes in crucial moments.

Three piles of money, three different sources of income.

The sick tiger leaned against the back of the sofa, looking at them with eyes like a stagnant pool, without a ripple.

He reached out and picked out the clean parts from the pile on the left and the middle pile first. These were the ones whose origin could be explained, that could be deposited in the bank, and that could be used to pay his brothers' wages.

Push it to the left side of the table.

Then gather the rest together and push them to the right.

That's something you can't touch; you can only hide it, waiting to use it as evidence when you're investigated, or to use it to bribe officials when you need it.

"Bring the heads of each district up here."

Footsteps sounded downstairs. A dozen or so people filed up and lined up in front of Li Hu.

These people were of different ages, heights, and builds, but they all had the same fierce and violent look in their eyes.

They were in charge of the Ash Gang's territory in various districts, each with their own small area and a dozen or twenty brothers under their command.

The sick tiger pointed to the pile of money on the left.

"This is last month's donation. According to the rules of aid, each person receives one, and they can take it themselves."

Everyone who came up took only their own portion, bowed to thank them, and then stepped aside.

Their movements were swift and precise, as if they had rehearsed countless times.

There's a lot of money, but also a lot of people.

In the end, the pile on the left was almost empty.

Binghu leaned back on the sofa, watching the leaders collect their money and leave, his face expressionless.

Scarface stood to the side, not moving.

Lame Tiger glanced at him: "Scarface, why aren't you taking it?"

Scarface leaned closer, lowered his voice, and chuckled lewdly, "Brother Tiger, I don't want money."

"Um?"

I want a woman.

"6

Sick Tiger raised an eyebrow, but didn't scold him.

"What kind of woman?"

Scarface's eyes lit up, and he leaned closer: "The kind of educated woman. Ready-educated, cultured, the kind who speaks in a refined, literary way. Tiger, what do you think of Chiba Abe's daughter?"

Tiger was stunned for a moment, then slapped him on the back of the head.

"Are you fucking out of your mind?"

Scarface covered the back of his head, looking aggrieved: "Brother Tiger, I was just saying—"

"Talking about it won't work either." Binghu glared at him, his tone turning serious. "I'll support whatever kind of woman you like. But you have to go after her yourself, find her yourself. Qianye Mengyu will be one of us eventually; how can we lay a hand on our own people?"

"Tiger Brother————"

"If you dare to threaten or bribe me," Lame Tiger pointed to his crotch, "don't blame me for cutting off your manhood."

Scarface instinctively squeezed his legs together and shrank his neck.

Two seconds later, he leaned closer and asked cautiously, "Brother Tiger, what if—she'd be willing to be my girlfriend?"

The sick tiger glanced at him.

"I don't care."

Just as Scarface's face lit up with joy, Sick Tiger added, "But you're not allowed to use threats or bribes. Otherwise, if they become disloyal and stab us in the back, can you bear the consequences?"

"Don't worry, Tiger!"

Scarface patted his chest, "I'll definitely win her over with my sincerity!"

The sick tiger was too lazy to pay him any more attention.

He leaned back and changed the subject: "How's the matter being arranged from above going?"

The scarred face's expression was just beginning to change.

"Don't worry, Tiger." He lowered his voice, "As long as that kid dares to leave Maple Leaf District, I guarantee he'll die a horrible death."

"Um.

Sick Tiger nodded. "Make sure it's clean and tidy, so the Secret Service doesn't notice."

"clear."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of hurried footsteps came from the stairwell.

A henchman ran up, panting, "Hey, there's a girl at the door. She says she's here to see you and has something to talk to you about."

"Little girl?"

Scarface's eyes lit up instantly, and he said excitedly, "What are we waiting for? Send it to my room, and I'll take care of it myself."

"

Before he could finish speaking, Binghu slapped him on the back of the head again.

"Are you a fucking lecherous bastard?"

Scarface covered his head and shrank to the side.

Tiger turned to look at his underling, his tone calm: "Did that woman say anything else?"

The younger brother nodded: "She said she came to see her younger brother."

"younger brother?"

The sick tiger paused for a moment.

Then the corners of his mouth slowly curved up, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Quickly, go and invite that girl up. Remember to be polite and courteous."

The younger brother paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, "Understood, thank you!"

The sick tiger leaned against the sand and tapped his knees lightly with his fingers.

Scarface leaned closer, looking puzzled, and said, "Tiger, it's just a girl, is it really that big of a deal?"

The sick tiger glanced at him.

"You don't know anything." He leaned back, his tone slowing. "You don't actually think the Ashes Gang can live off selling ashes forever, do you?"

Scarface scratched his head: "What else can we do?"

"In this gray area, we might get crushed by the big shots at the top any day."

The light from the tiger's brow fell outside the window, as if it were looking into the distance. "So we need to find a way to turn it white. What do we need to turn it white?"

We need talent.

Scarface nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Do you know who I admire most in my life?

Who is it?

"White tea, Kurahira".

Binghu tapped his knee again with his fingers. "He went from being a warehouse manager in the Tokugawa family to now being in charge of the White Tea Supplies Company. And now the Xia Federation is in charge of the supply and distribution rights for the Dutch East Japan Autonomous Region."

Scarface opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

But seeing the lame tiger's gleam, he silently shut his mouth.

"Alright, if you don't understand, that's fine."

Sick Tiger waved his hand, "Ya Zheng, remember this: when that girl comes up later, put away your thoughts."

Scarface shrank back: "Understood, Tiger."

Footsteps came from the stairwell.