Chapter 560 - God of Wealth
Chapter 560: God of Wealth
Song Jinbo told Meng Chao that over the past few years, Saber Jin Wanhao did a lot of things to maintain the order in the lair. The number of wanted criminals he personally killed was even higher than what the most outstanding adjudicators in the secret police could mention.
The lair was not a shelter for wanted criminals, unlike what the outside world said.
Many of the wanted criminals who committed heinous crimes in the outside world were targeted the moment they entered the lair.
The gangs naturally had their own secret methods. They first obtained their trust, then released bait and set up traps, and finally, made them disappear from the world without a sound.
However, compared to the reputation for killing wanted criminals, Saber Jin Wanhao was more concerned about the practical benefits.
That was why he was willing to let others take the credit in exchange for the mega corporations and the Supernatural Tower agreeing to his status of the Underground Emperor as well as letting him gain a large amount of benefits from the gray industries.
Unfortunately, even if he had reached Deity Realm, he was not a real deity, and it was difficult for him to escape the corrosion of time.
Saber Jin Wanhao had accumulated countless injuries from his days of fighting in the early years, and after he took control of the lair, he still had to face the troubles of society.
The high-intensity fighting had long since destroyed his body, and he was staying alive only with the assistance of spirit energy.
In a fierce fight five years ago, he killed the third ranked wanted criminal on the Supernatural Tower’s bounty list. That person was known as Corpse Eating Phantom Ju Xiao, and he agitated the hundreds of hidden injuries in Saber Jin Wanhao’s body. They began to wreak havoc within him.
Even though he managed to kill Corpse Eating Phantom, he was heavily injured, and his vitality magnetic field was almost destroyed. His spirit energy became really unstable, and it crashed into his limbs and organs all day long.
To prevent his spirit meridians from drying up, his genes from going out of control, and his cells from combusting, Saber Jin Wanhao turned a cultivation room in the headquarters of Golden Tooth into an advanced medical cabin.
From then on, he seldom came out. He stayed in the room to train and almost never appeared in public.
When it was absolutely necessary for him to show up, he wore a unique, air-tight medical suit that was basically the equivalent of a mobile, wearable medical cabin.
Of course, even while heavily injured, Saber Jin Wanhao still retained his intimidating presence of the Underground Emperor.
Rumors of him being heavily wounded and not having long to live started circulating soon after he built the cabin. A number of ambitious people in Golden Tooth became restless and started coveting the throne of the Underground Emperor.
However, when two of the most arrogant and foolish challengers died an untimely death without even knowing how, people like them learned that even if he only had one breath left, the Underground Emperor was still the Underground Emperor.
There could only be one Underground Emperor in Dragon City, and that was Saber Jin Wanhao!
From then onwards, all the elites in the gangs kept their eyes fixed on Phantom Xiong Wei, the gang leader of Black Bone.
If this older generation elite who was wild and hot-tempered did not dare, did not want, or did not desire to formally challenge Saber Jin Wanhao’s power, no one else would dare to have the thought of replacing him.
Phantom Bear Xiong Wei might be arrogant, but he was not stupid.
He managed to survive through the zombie crisis, so he naturally had his own ways of survival. He knew who he should not offend and who was extremely dangerous.
Even though Black Bone was expanding its influence over the years and were showing signs of wanting to challenge Golden Tooth, Phantom Bear Xiong Wei never crossed Saber Jin Wanhao’s line. The two sides coexisted peacefully and maintained a delicate balance.
The people in the upper and middle management of Golden Tooth like Song Jinbo gradually became used to Saber Jin Wanhao’s style of giving remote commands and seldom appearing in front of them.
Mr. Jin was the spiritual leader of the lair, but the specific tasks in the gang were done by the vice gang leader, Red Brows Su Lun.
“What sort of person is your vice gang leader?” Meng Chao asked with a pensive expression.
“Vice Gang Leader Su… is a uniquely talented person. He’s different from us.”
Song Jinbo told Meng Chao that most of the gang members in the lair were poor people born and bred in the lair. They were hot-tempered, violent, and really good at fighting.
It was difficult for them to turn the gangs into corporations and standardize and legalize their activities so they could become a proper business.
But Red Brows Su Lun did not come from the lair. He was a graduate student from Dragon City University.
Apparently, he had a lot of academic degrees in the fields of finance and psychology. He also had a deep understanding of fields like corporate management and mass media. He had even dabbled in them before.
In the past, Saber Jin Wanhao held an opinion against the majority and hired a professional manager so that Golden Tooth as well as the entire lair could change.
And once Red Brows Su Lun took up the position, he never disappointed.
The original lair had plenty of restaurants, gambling sites, black markets, coliseums, unique entertainment centers, and other hit projects, but the negative impression about the lair had been around for decades. In the eyes of normal citizens, it was an evil hotbed with a bad environment, where the good and bad mixed together, and a place where their safety would be at risk.
Even though plenty of people wanted to seek entertainment in the lair, they usually reconsidered their wishes and, due to their various worries, did not go into the lair in the end.
The gangs had thought about cleaning the environment, restraining their gang members, and upgrading their services to attract tourists, but if they went overboard, they would lose the characteristic of the lair and would become the same as the residential areas outside, which meant that they would also lose the unique nature that made them so attractive.
Red Brows Su Lun suggested a series of reasonable upgrading strategies tailored to the unique nature of the lair.
One of them was to renovate, modify, and add all sorts of valuable services to the gambling sites, coliseums, and entertainment facilities under Golden Tooth.
Then, through a series of business cooperations, alliances, and mutual equity participations, they ensured that the gangs could get a share of the profit, so all the gangs shared the same interests. Through this method, he reduced the conflict between the gangs and increased the tourists’ sense of safety.
At the same time, he paid a large amount of money to install a lot of internet based stations in the lair, which led to all the residents having access to the internet in their homes. He also helped the gangs provide all sorts of online services so that they could use the newest technology to unveil the mysteries of the lair.
It stirred up the people’s curiosity and told the people outside that the lair was not as terrifying as the rumors made it out to be. Instead, it was filled with temptation and excitement that they could not find in the world outside.
Red Brows Su Lun also used the connections he built in the outside world in the past to open up a brand new pool of customer sources for Golden Tooth and the other gangs.
The customers he brought to the coliseums and gambling sites provided a never-ending cash flow.
Hence, even though Red Brows Su Lun was the vice gang leader of Golden Tooth, he had a good reputation among the gangs.
Many people said that he was the lair’s God of Wealth.
There might be people who refused to obey Saber Jin Wanhao and Phantom Bear Xiong Wei, but no one would say no to money.
“So, you’re saying that Vice Gang Leader Su has great prestige in Golden Tooth Lair?” Meng Chao asked.
“Prestige…” Song Jinbo thought about it. “I would put it this way: There are three people in the gangs with the greatest presence. Everyone has respect for Mr. Jin, fear for Phantom Bear Xiong Wei, and love for Red Brows Su Lun.
“Everyone in the gangs loves Red Brows Su Lun, just like how everyone loves money and crystals.”
“Then, who is calling the shots in the lair now? Is it Red Brows Su Lun?”
“Right now, all the leaders of the gangs are gathered together and discuss the matters of the monster invasion in the lair, the Deification Capsules, and the full lockdown,” Song Jinbo said. “Vice Gang Leader is very smart and has a lot of plans. He also came from the outside world. His membership in the alumni association of Dragon City University is also something that normal gang members don’t have.
“He is the most informed person, and he has the most options available to solve the problem. He is also trusted by Mr. Jin, so it’s natural that his words hold the most weight.
“After all, while Phantom Bear Xiong Wei is strong, everyone knows that if we want to solve the current crisis, we can’t just fight our way through it.
“Even Xiong Wei himself knows that this isn’t the time to rush to the frontlines like fools. He’s willing to set aside the competition between the gangs and listen to Vice Gang Leader Su’s suggestions for the time being.”
“So let me make some conclusions,” Meng Chao said with an intense gaze. “Vice Gang Leader Su is Saber Jin Wanhao’s messenger. He has a close connection to the outside world, and he’s one of the few people who can get information from the world outside as well as send information from the lair to the outside.
“If he had ulterior motives, he could naturally do stuff behind Saber Jin Wanhao and the outside world’s back. He could even create fake orders from Jin Wanhao and the outside world, right?”
Song Jinbo’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re suspecting that our vice gang leader is a traitor?”
“Listen to my next question and judge yourself whether he is a traitor or not,” Meng Chao said. “Who gave the order for you and Rattlesnake Xiang Wei to kill me?”
“It’s Mr. Jin… No, Vice Gang Leader Su said that it’s Mr. Jin’s order,” Song Jinbo said.
Once he finished, he instantly widened his eyes.
“Didn’t you find it strange at that time?” Meng Chao asked. “If I had really betrayed Dragon City, I’d definitely have some monsters’ puppets beside me. How could you possibly kill me with just you and the heavily injured Rattlesnake Xiang Wei? You would just be sent to your deaths if that was the case.”
“Su Lun said that you’re cunning and wary of your surroundings. If we delay matters for even one second, you might figure out what’s going on and run away,” Song Jinbo muttered. “He told us to hold you at any cost and that he would soon send the major forces to reinforce us.”
“That’s right. You had reinforcements, but the commander wasn’t an elite like Phantom Bear Xiong Wei. Instead, it was his favorite son, the heir of Black Bone. Does this sound logical to you?” Meng Chao asked.
“Do you think that if Red Brows Su Lun was loyal to Golden Tooth and the lair and went to the leaders of the gangs through legal channels, they would just send the Black Bone heir as reinforcements?
“Let me ask you one more question. What is the relationship between Vice Gang Leader Su and the Black Bone heir who died in my hands? Are they business partners, competitors, or enemies?”
“Th-They have a good relationship in private!” Song Jinbo said in a quivering voice. “Xiong Ying and Su Lun didn’t just share similar personalities, but also had fun together, no matter what sort of entertainment it was. They also had a close relationship of economic interest.
“Last year, they invested in an online coliseum and streamed monster fights on a livestreaming platform in the deep web. It offered a donation and online reward service, and they earned loads from it. In truth, they earned even more than the physical coliseum that belongs to Black Bone.
“This business proved Xiong Ying’s abilities and helped him gain even more favor from Xiong Wei, thus solidifying his status as the Black Bone heir.
“Hence, Xiong Ying treated Su Lun as the God of Knowledge. He was ready to pay any cost to make Su Lun join Black Bone, and he showed his sincerity by listening to everything Su Lun said!”