Newark Airport.
A convoy of black Cadillacs stood neatly parked along the curb.
More than a dozen bodyguards in black surrounded the vehicles.
Their intimidating stares and powerful builds alone were enough to make nearby pedestrians instinctively keep their distance.
Anyone putting on this kind of show just to pick someone up from the airport had to be either a wealthy tycoon or a celebrity.
Pedestrians watched from afar, quietly speculating among themselves.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out near the arrivals exit.
A group of hulking men in black emerged, surrounding a man in a suit.
One particularly bold onlooker edged closer for a look.
A cold, square face.
An enormous bald head.
Nearly six and a half feet tall by visual estimate, with an immensely broad, heavy frame.
A fat man?
If some fearless idiot dared strip off his suit jacket, they’d discover that the bodybuilding champions on television looked like complete amateurs compared to him.
More than ninety percent of this man’s massive body was muscle.
A Cadillac door swung open.
Wesley stepped out, straightened his suit, and hurried forward.
His voice was filled with respect and admiration.
“Boss! Welcome back!”
The man in the suit was none other than the king of New York’s underworld—
Kingpin.
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The Cadillac convoy sped along the highway.
Kingpin and Wesley sat together in the back seat, both staring silently out their respective windows.
Wesley was nervous.
Before leaving, Kingpin had entrusted the organization to him.
And what had happened?
Kingpin’s woman had cheated on him, New York’s underworld had descended into complete chaos, and Jason, the man responsible for starting it all, was probably somewhere enjoying himself without a care in the world.
Worst of all, Wesley had personally contributed to the mess.
The thought filled him with guilt toward Kingpin, and he didn’t dare say a word.
After a long silence, Kingpin was the first to speak.
“I heard he stole a shipment from the Biker Gang last night.”
Wesley nodded.
“Yes. Twenty bikers were killed, and they lost four million dollars’ worth of merchandise. They’ve completely lost their minds. They’re riding all over the city looking for him.”
“Jason doesn’t have a distribution network. He must have sold the shipment to someone else.”
Kingpin considered the situation carefully.
“Investigate every black-market dealer in New York. Especially anyone who’s done business with Jason before.”
“Understood.”
The car fell silent again. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Wesley lowered his head.
After wrestling with himself for a moment, he finally summoned the courage to speak.
“I’m sorry, Boss. I was the one who gave Jason the information about the Biker Gang.”
Kingpin frowned and stared at him in surprise.
“Why?”
Wesley explained everything that had happened before, including his wife’s affair.
“So Jason had leverage over you.”
Kingpin quietly listened to the entire story, then said sarcastically, “The Biker Gang’s shipment was only worth four million dollars. Why didn’t you tell him where we keep our merchandise? Ours is worth far more.”
Wesley became visibly angry.
He replied with absolute seriousness, “Jason never asked. Even if he had, I wouldn’t have told him. I’d rather spend the rest of my life in prison.”
Kingpin suddenly burst into laughter.
“Then what’s the problem? What are you so worried about?”
He patted Wesley on the shoulder.
“As long as you don’t betray the organization and you don’t betray me, you’ll always be my finest protégé.”
“As for the Biker Gang, the Mafia families, and the rest of them, we’ll have to deal with them sooner or later anyway. Everything Jason is doing now amounts to working for us for free.”
Kingpin’s tolerance and generosity moved Wesley.
Once again, he felt certain that he’d chosen the right man to follow.
He quickly brought up another concern.
“Boss, because of Jason, the entire New York underworld is in chaos. I’m worried that if this continues, they’ll start fighting among themselves before Jason even gets around to them.”
Kingpin answered with supreme confidence.
“They’re all fools. Relax. As long as I’m in New York, this city will never descend into chaos.”
If anyone else had said those words, it would’ve sounded like shameless boasting.
When Kingpin said them, no one dared doubt him.
“Then what about Jason? The bounty has been out for days, and we still don’t have a single lead. Should we send everyone in the organization out looking for him?”
“Jason…” Kingpin gave a disdainful snort.
“He’s nothing but a stray dog. I could crush him whenever I please. Don’t concern yourself with him anymore. I’ll personally hunt him down.”
“Understood.” Wesley paused before continuing.
“Boss, Madame Gao wants to see you.”
“Gao?” The contempt immediately vanished from Kingpin’s face.
There were plenty of influential figures in New York’s underworld, but only a handful were capable of giving Kingpin a headache.
Even Jason, his former ace gunman, didn’t qualify.
Madame Gao did.
She was intelligent, and extremely dangerous.
She controlled more than eighty percent of New York’s marijuana distribution channels.
Despite being Chinese, she had deep ties with the Japanese underworld and could even obtain the highest-quality product directly from Mexico.
It was the vast and tangled network behind her that made Kingpin wary.
Kingpin sighed.
“Invite her to the house. And bring out that box of Chinese tea for her.”
“Understood.”
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The convoy continued through the city until it reached Kingpin’s mansion in Manhattan.
In the reception room on the top floor, Madame Gao sat with a cane beside her, her deeply wrinkled face peaceful as she slowly savored a cup of tea.
Kingpin’s men stood guard in every corner.
Heads lowered.
Hands clasped behind their backs.
Not one of them dared make a sound.
“Gao, hello!” Kingpin entered with a smile and greeted her in clumsy Mandarin.
“Wilson. It’s been a long time.” Madame Gao rose with a smile, casually addressing Kingpin by his real name.
After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat facing each other.
They drank tea and chatted like old friends who hadn’t seen one another in years.
“Wilson, I’m sorry about what happened with Vanessa. But from my perspective, Jason actually did you a favor.”
Kingpin’s pupils contracted.
A fire began building inside him.
Madame Gao seemed not to notice.
She continued calmly.
“Ever since Vanessa appeared, she practically stole your soul.”
“You stopped paying attention to the organization. You stopped paying attention to business. All you did was take her out to dinner, go on dates, and waste your days sitting in art galleries talking about art.”
“That was my mistake. I’ve corrected it.” In a rare display, Kingpin lowered his head and admitted fault.
Madame Gao nodded.
“I know. You had Vanessa killed. That proves you’ve come to your senses, and I’m pleased to see it.”
“But Vanessa isn’t why I came here today.”
“I’m here because of Jason.”
Kingpin looked puzzled.
“Has Jason crossed you?”
“Not yet.” Madame Gao took another sip of tea.
“But the drug trade requires a stable market. If Jason continues causing chaos like this, sooner or later it’ll hurt our business.”
“So I’ve sent someone to deal with him.”
Kingpin and Wesley both stared at her in astonishment.
The police and every gang in New York had been desperately searching for Jason, yet none of them had managed to find so much as his shadow.
Madame Gao had somehow located him with apparent ease.
“Gao! Thank you.” Kingpin immediately grew excited.
“Give me the address. I’ll send my men there right—”
“Wilson!” Madame Gao sharply cut him off without the slightest courtesy.
“What you need to do right now is stabilize New York. Not capture Jason just to satisfy that wounded pride of yours.”
Kingpin’s face flushed red from the rebuke, but he couldn’t find a single word with which to argue.
Madame Gao calmly set down her teacup and glanced at her watch.
“Judging by the time…”
“He should be there by now.”