On the following day, Lin Huai brought Dao Zi along to the restaurant reserved by Thunder God.
Lin Huai recalled that Thunder God used to have a fifty percent stake in the restaurant but due to his conflict with West Heavenly King, Thunder God gave up twenty percent of the shares. Thus, he was left with a thirty percent shareholding which was a huge loss to him. With that, it showed how determined and courageous Thunder God was as he could look beyond present losses and gains and focused on his long term vision. His long term vision was to unite the entire Chengbei District under his ruling.
The corridor of the second floor was packed and nobody else was allowed to enter other than the guests personally invited by Thunder God. There were a total of around fifty men standing guard at the corridor of the second floor and they exuded a very powerful vibe.
Lin Huai glanced at Dao Zi and saw he was unaffected by the crowd, he could look them right in the eyes. Lin Huai was pleased with his performance. Despite the need for an improvement in his skills, his mental toughness alone was at an extremely high level that many could never attain in their lives.
When they arrived at the entrance of the room, Lin Huai knocked on the door. He heard people chatting and laughing within the room and the voice that stood out the most was Tang Shi.
Upon hearing the sound of the knocking door, Tang Shi smiled and said, “Lin Huai you are here! Come on in!”
Lin Huai pushed the door open and walked in. With a smile, he nodded at Tang Shi and greeted, “Big Boss!” before taking a look around at the others around him.
Other than Tang Shi, there were five people seated at the dining table. The four of them should be Tang Shi’s Red Cane and the last one has to be his White Paper Fan.
Lin Huai walked and planned to take a seat with the lowest position. However, Tang Shi waved at him and said, “You are the star of the show tonight, come over and sit next to me.”
Lin Huai was surprised but he ultimately chose to walk over and take a seat. The person standing guard behind Tang Shi exuded an extremely dangerous aura similar to that of Luo Xing of the Observable Energy Stage despite not being as skilled as him.
Lin Huai took a seat next to Tang Shi and saw that Gong Zhenglong, one of the Red Cane stared at him angrily and resentfully. The other three Red Canes also had various expressions. One of them was a middle aged man with a rather horrifying and ugly look. He stared at Lin Huai as if he was a venomous snake looking at its prey. This man is slightly stronger than Gong Chenglong. There were multiple scars on his face that looked like earthworms which disgusted people. However, the look in his eyes would send a shiver down your spine.
Although he had a horrifying look in his eyes, it was merely child’s play to Lin Huai. However, Lin Huai pretended like he was afraid and shifted aside to avoid his gaze. The ugly middle aged man then snorted in a proud manner before looking elsewhere to display his contempt.
The other two middle aged men should be even more powerful. One of them looked burly and exuded a mighty aura which gave off the feeling that he’s not just a fighter but rather an overlord of a certain area. He gave off a majestic temperament and as he stared curiously at Lin Huai, it seemed like he was a big shot looking down on an ordinary person.
The last Red Cane on the other hand remained motionless and expressionless. He stayed still like a mountain and did not even bat an eye to take a look at Lin Huai.
Other than the four Red Canes, the last person present was a middle aged man that Lin Huai had already met before. He had a pointy mouth and puffy cheeks. Lin Huai believed that he was Tang Shi’s White Paper Fan.
Tang Shi, the Thunder God smiled and said, “Here, let me make an introduction, Lin Huai. This guy is Gong Zhenglong, which you have already met. He is my fourth Red Cane. That guy is Zhang Zeli or commonly known as Ghost Zhang. Although he looks a little scary, he is actually a perverted man and is constantly sleeping around with women.”
Ghost Zhang was the man that had the eyes of a viper and looked incredibly ugly.
Tang Shi continued with his introduction. He turned towards the man that looked like a general and said, “This is Kang Peng, my second Red Cane. You can address him as General Kang.”
Lin Huai nodded and greeted General Kang. In response, Kang Peng casually acknowledged his greeting.
Lastly, Tang Shi looked at the man who had been motionless for the whole time and said, “He is Miao Yuanxing, the leader of my Red Canes.”
Lin Huai greeted him as Brother Miao and in response Miao Yuanxing threw a sharp glance. Any casual glance by him was accompanied by immense threat. Thus, Lin Huai was certain that Miao Yuanxing was definitely the most powerful among the four Red Canes.
Based on Lin Huai’s observation, Gong Zhenglong should be a step away from the Observable Energy Stage. That meant that all four Red Canes were considered to be capable fighters of the Observable Energy Stage and a strong force to be reckoned with. In Chinese Martial Arts history, a fighter in the Observable Energy Stage is considered as someone that had passed the entrance exam of the Chinese Martial Arts world. In addition to that, Tang Shi may be more powerful than his four Red Canes. No wonder these people could dominate the entire Chengbei District.
Finally, Tang Shi looked at the middle aged man with a pointy mouth and puffy cheeks and said, “I am sure you have met him before. He is my White Paper Fan, Tan Zirui.”
Tan Zirui, such an artistic and meaningful name. A stark contrast to his ugly outer appearance.
Tang Shi then said, “Alright, now that all the upper management of Thunder Gang are here, I would like to make an announcement. From today onwards, Lin Huai will be my new Red Cane and I will delegate him to be the fifth Red Cane of the Thunder Gang.”
Gong Zhenglong furiously rebutted, “Big boss, I am reluctant to accept his position as a fifth Red Cane! He just became your follower and hasn’t even made any contributions yet. How could you directly promote him to be a Red Cane? There are so many senior members that have been your henchmen for so many years and yet they were not the ones promoted to be your new Red Cane. Instead, you allow this young and immature boy to take up that position! How do you expect the senior gang members to agree with you on this decision?”
Ghost Zhang burst out laughing. He gave off an extremely creepy vibe when he smiled and even Lin Huai was a little disgusted by it.
Ghost Zhang said, “Boss, I feel the same way as well. Isn’t this decision a little too hasty?”
On the other hand, Miao Yuanxing and Kang Peng, the two strongest Red Canes kept quiet. Tang Shi glanced at the both of them and asked, “What do you guys think?”
Kang Peng casually said, “I have no qualms with that, whatever you say boss. However, they got a point because the other gang members may not be convinced by him.”
Miao Yuanxing nodded his head and his reply was extremely concise. “That’s true.”
Tang Shi nodded and said, “Okay, that means you all don’t exactly agree with my decision right? I understand that you all are concerned about two things- one being he has yet to accomplish anything which would result in the senior gang members being upset and the second point being you all believe he is young and incapable. Am I right?”
Gong Zhenglong said, “That’s right.”
Tang Shi smiled and said, “Based on his capabilities alone, I feel he is more than qualified. Gong Zhenglong, don’t discriminate against him just because of his age. In fact,he might be as capable as you are. A few days ago, I saw with my very own eyes how he faced off against three of West Heavenly King’s elite henchmen and defeated them in an instant. That means that even if he is not currently at the Observable Energy State, he wouldn’t be far off from it right?”
Gong Zhenglong was astonished. “That’s impossible!”
Tang Shi’s expression turned gloomy and the smile he had on his face disappeared right away. At the same time, he coldly said, “So you think I am lying to you?”
Gong Zhenglong noticed the anger in Tang Shi’s voice and he was overwhelmed with fear. In a trembling voice, he quickly replied, “No way, Master, I would never dare to doubt what you said. However, even if he is capable, why is he qualified to be the fifth Red Cane considering how we have other senior gang members that are as capable?”
“By virtue of what, right? Just based on the fact that he could bring me fresh blood from Yulan College. In fact, all students in Yulan College are his followers. Haha, over the past few years, Yulan College had always produced exceptional talents but there has never been someone that could unite all the forces and take control over the college. Even your cousin that recently passed away couldn’t do so. Now that Lin Huai managed to achieve such a feat, do you still think he’s not qualified?”
When Zhou Menghu’s name was brought up, Gong Zhenglong clenched his fists. Even though Tang Shi noticed that, he pretended like he did not see it.
Tang Shi continued, “I understand that you all are not convinced by his abilities but that’s alright. Our next target is to dominate and rule the entire Chengbei District so we definitely need young people like Lin Huai. Therefore, I expect all of you to be more tolerating. After all, when we take over Chengbei District, your henchmen and territory would all increase by a significant amount. Naturally that would mean more income so don’t you think it’s a bit pointless to argue over such minor issues?”
As expected, upon bringing up the idea of uniting Chengbei District, all four Red Canes looked extremely excited. There is a reason why Tang Shi got to where he is today and is able to rule over so many capable people. There were not many people that could go up against his skills of manipulating people’s mind set and emotions. Despite looking like a tough guy, he is still very scheming and meticulous.
The more scheming a person is, the scarier that person could be. Lin Huai dared not act rashly as he had no idea if Tang Shi actually trusted him or was just putting on a front.
Tang Shi said, “Alright, that’s it for now. Gong Zhenglong, pass the Royal Family Gaming Center that you used to handle over to Lin Huai and then you can withdraw your men from that place anytime now.”
Gong Zhenglong was extremely surprised. “Big Boss, he just became your follower and yet you are letting him take over such a huge gaming center?”
Tang Shi shook his head and said, “Not only am I going to let him handle the operations of the gaming center, I am also going to give him fifty percent of the shareholdings of that place.”
Tang Shi had full ownership of the place and when Gong Zhenglong was managing it, he merely received some bonuses every month. In comparison, Tang Shi gave half of the shares over to Lin Huai which pissed Gong Zhenglong off. However, he dared not voice out his opinions as he had already rebutted Tang Shi a couple of times today. As such, he could only redirect his anger at Lin Huai and deep in his mind was already churning up ideas to deal with Lin Huai in the future.
Tang Shi said, “Okay. Lin Huai, how many people did you bring from Yulan College?”
Lin Huai replied, “Around eighty of them. There were more of them that wanted to come along but I chose quality over quantity.”
Tang Shi happily proclaimed, “Good, good. The important thing is quality and not the quantity of the people. Eighty people is enough for now and you can take time to grow your following. How about this, Gong Zhenglong, your men are still guarding the game center right? Don’t bring all of them back with you, instead leave some of them behind for Lin Huai. After all, Lin Huai is faced with a lack of manpower and your men are more familiar with the operations of the business.”
Gong Zhenglong’s eyes lit up and he said, “Sure thing!”
Lin Huai thought to himself. Tang Shi is just a cunning person. He is using Gong Zhenglong to check in on me!