Night fell.
When I followed the address given by Su Liuli and found the person from Que Men…
To be honest, for a moment, I doubted if I had the wrong address.
The reason for this feeling was that the person from Que Men gave me such an ordinary and common impression, with not a trace of martial world aura about him.
He was neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, sporting the most common buzz cut, and wearing a widely available fake Mizuno tracksuit.
He looked like an ordinary townsman, the kind who would instantly disappear into a vast crowd.
Just as I was harboring some doubts about his appearance, I suddenly heard him speak, "Are you a friend introduced by Boss Su? Come in and have a seat."
Hearing this, I immediately snapped back to reality.
I hadn't found the wrong person! This was the notorious Que Men, known for their unscrupulous deeds.
Although he didn't look like a man of the martial world from head to toe, perhaps this was the legendary "the truly wise hide in the marketplace, while the less wise hide in the mountains."
After a brief pause, I extended my hand to greet him and politely asked, "Hello, hello, I'm Chen Xiang, a friend of Miss Su. May I know how I should address you?"
"Just call me Camel," the man replied casually.
"Brother Camel!" I greeted him politely while taking out a cigarette from my pocket and offering it.
One of the essential social etiquettes for men in the underworld is offering cigarettes.
When facing someone of lower status, you would casually pass them around.
If the other person is of higher status, you would offer the cigarette respectfully, much like offering tea to an elder.
If the status is equal, you would maintain your usual demeanor while smoking and offer one to the other person.
Camel and I are both from the martial world. Although I needed his services, my request was not based on personal favors but a direct financial transaction, so treating each other as equals was appropriate.
Trying to curry favor with someone from Que Men, who only negotiates fixed prices, would be a futile effort.
Casually accepting the cigarette, Camel nodded and gestured for me to sit.
Seeing this, I politely followed suit.
Sitting face-to-face at close range, while using a lighter to ignite my cigarette, I took another look at Camel, my gaze quickly sweeping over him…
I could tell at a glance that the jacket was a fake Mizuno, a cheap street item costing fifty yuan, something only young people who cared about appearances and enjoyed showing off while also being stingy would buy.
If Camel hadn't first mentioned Su Liuli, the intermediary, I would have thought he was one of the workers from my factory.
Indeed, the old saying holds true: "You can't judge a book by its cover!"
Who would have imagined that Camel, who appeared so unremarkable, was actually the notorious Que Men, known for their unethical dealings.
Behind Camel stood another person, who looked about my age, perhaps in his early twenties.
He had an honest, simple appearance and was also wearing similar fake clothing.
…
As I withdrew my gaze, Camel had already asked the young man to pour a glass of water and bring it to me. His attitude and demeanor were quite polite.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, in the style of the martial world.
"Little brother Chen Xiang, Boss Su called me and said you're here to discuss business?"
Seeing Camel get straight to the point, I didn't beat around the bush either and continued in response to his question, "Yes, I have some business I'd like to discuss with you, Brother Camel!"
"By all means! May I ask what kind of business you'd like to discuss, little brother?"
Before coming, I had asked Su Liuli how to subtly and indirectly inquire about hiring someone from Que Men to kill someone.
Su Liuli had told me that when discussing business with someone from Que Men, there was no need for subtlety; one could be direct.
Therefore, without any hesitation or deliberation, I directly replied, "Today is Monday, and I'd like to hire Brother Camel to be my bodyguard on Sunday, to protect me throughout the entire day!"
"Kill anyone who stands in our way, crush anyone who opposes us!"
Upon hearing this, Camel neither accepted nor refused, but instead asked, "Little brother Chen Xiang, would you mind telling me the specifics?"
"The situation is this: I'm going to participate in a crucial gambling match this weekend, and at that time, it's possible…" I laid out everything in detail.
Su Liuli had specifically instructed me not to play coy to save money, but to be completely upfront.
After listening to my description, Camel asked again, "Does little brother Chen Xiang want me to proactively attack those who intend to kill you, or to act defensively?"
"Act defensively!"
This was something I had already decided on before coming.
What a joke! The difference between proactive and defensive action is immense!
If Xiao Tianyu doesn't resort to desperate measures, Camel only needs to protect me and ensure my safe departure after the gambling match. There's no need to risk his life in a full-blown confrontation.
As I pondered, Camel had already provided a quote for my request for defensive action.
"Bodyguard fee is a fixed price of one hundred thousand per day, providing 24-hour close protection!"
"Unless it's due to the employer's personal reasons, even if a single hair is plucked from you, I will not only refund the bodyguard fee in full but also pay you an additional one hundred thousand yuan!"
"As for defensive killing…"
"The fixed price for taking a life is five hundred thousand! For five lives or more, there's a twenty percent discount!"
Hearing this, I was completely stunned.
If I remembered correctly, Su Liuli had mentioned that the minimum price for taking a life started at one million, with no upper limit.
The price difference between proactive and defensive killing was too vast, almost halved!
Also, how could there be a discount for assassination jobs?
Judging by this, it seemed that people from Que Men had taken on such tasks frequently in private.
After a silent sigh, I nodded without hesitation and agreed, "Alright! No problem!"
"Little brother is straightforward!" After a meaningless compliment, Camel said directly, "According to the rules of my Que Zi Sect, the client should pay half the deposit upfront, but…"
"Considering your situation is somewhat special, and this business was introduced by Boss Su, I'll trouble you to pay the ten thousand yuan bodyguard fee as the deposit first?"
Unexpected, yet understandable.
To be honest, I had mentally prepared myself for a significant financial outlay when I came here, but reality had given me a pleasant surprise.
For the ten thousand yuan deposit, I didn't even think twice and simply said, "Card!"
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw Camel snap his fingers with a flourish. Then, the young man standing nearby led me to the counter, where I swiped my card and completed the transaction, sealing the deal.