Forge a path to success.

Chapter 18 Short-sighted
The smallest pearl in the safe is worth three hundred pearls, enough to reimburse the fare back to headquarters, and even enough to buy a decent bottle of wine.

The headquarters lights were always on, brightly lit year-round. Chu Hengkong carried a bottle of liquor into the break room. The shift change was long over; those off duty were resting in their dormitories, while those on night duty patrolled the streets. The little girl resented the police's incompetence, unaware that it was precisely because the thugs avoided the patrolling officers that her father was spared.

But what's the point of reasoning with a child? The child doesn't care about any of that; all they know is that no one came to their rescue when they were harmed.

Chu Hengkong sat down on the small sofa and poured himself a glass of wine. The purplish-red liquid was slightly astringent, with a sweet aftertaste and a faint floral fragrance. He squinted his eyes, wondering if he should go find a bag of peanuts.

"Stay up in the middle of the night, sneaking out to drink alone?"

A golden ponytail swayed by the doorway as Ji Huaisu strode in with a brisk pace and sat down on the sofa to the side. She reached for the wine bottle: "I'll have a drink too."

Chu Hengkong moved the wine bottle back an inch: "Drinking while on duty is against the rules."

"Don't give me that. You're the one who violated the rules first." Ji Huaisu's eyes darted around. "If you don't distribute the money, I'll report you internally!"

Chu Hengkong smiled helplessly and pushed the bottle of wine to the center of the table. The two temporary partners each took a glass and savored the poorly made wine, which looked decent. No one spoke, and the hands of the clock in the lounge ticked away.

"Have I ever told you that I used to be involved in organized crime?" Chu Hengkong asked.

“I mentioned it once,” Ji Huaisu glanced at him, “but it doesn’t seem like it.”

"It's true," Chu Hengkong said calmly. "In traditional underworld families, newcomers have to pass two major hurdles to join. The first hurdle is the initiation ceremony, which usually involves swearing an oath with blood handprints in the presence of senior members. After the ceremony, you become a member of the family, and everyone treats you like a brother."

But the family is large and has many different kinds of people. To gain recognition, you need to become a 'trustworthy person.' That's quite complicated. You have to start by helping the older generation with the smallest and most trivial tasks: collecting debts, extorting protection money, guarding the premises, and teaching a few tactless people a lesson... Gradually, you gain everyone's approval, and then the second hurdle comes. One day, an older generation member will send you a brown paper bag, saying that he has an urgent matter to attend to and can't spare the time, so he asks you to help him with a small matter.

Chu Hengkong raised his glass, the purple liquid under the lamplight turning a deep red like blood: "The newcomer hurriedly opened a brown paper bag on the way and found a gun. Only then did he realize he was going to kill someone. The chosen target must have crossed the organization's bottom line. Perhaps in society in broad daylight they wouldn't deserve to die, but in the rules of the underworld, they would certainly die."

Once a newcomer pulls the trigger, he will transform into a 'credible person,' because in a world of violence, only human life is the most credible covenant and curse.

Chu Hengkong shrugged: "In the past, the pass rate for this test was very low because people are all made of flesh and blood, and most people felt that the other party would not be worth their lives... However, in modern times, the test has become a mere formality because everyone already knows the tricks of the trade. As long as you fire a shot, you can advance, so no matter who the other party is, you can just kill them with one shot."

Whether things are handled well or poorly is secondary; the key is the choice made by the person involved. The person being held at gunpoint may have their own difficulties, may be elderly, weak, women, or children, or may simply be an innocent victim. But regardless of the true situation, you must pull the trigger yourself, because what the person who set up this test really wants to see is your attitude.

This applies to both the underworld and the legitimate world.

Ji Huaisu listened with great interest and asked, "What did you do back then?"

"Me?" Chu Hengkong chuckled softly. "I'm used to doing thorough research before taking on a job. My target is a poor waiter whose sister married an old member of the family. That man is a typical Puglia playboy, often beating his wife and gambling away her hard-earned money. In the end, he beat his pregnant wife until she miscarried, and the poor woman suffered a mental breakdown. After the waiter found out about this, he grabbed a knife and killed the old member."

When he saw me, he was terrified; this tall man of 1.8 meters was trembling. He begged me to spare his sister's life, saying he wouldn't resist. I told him to get lost! Take his sister to another city. If anyone tries to stop you, tell them my name and that I'll kill anyone who dares to touch Chu Hengkong!

Chu Hengkong downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. Ji Huaisu rolled her eyes: "Such a strong江湖气 (jianghu spirit)."

"On the way back, I bought a bottle of wine and went straight to the boss's office. The boss said, 'I'm sure of it today, Ah Kong, you'll never become a big shot.'" "I asked why?"

"The boss said you're smart and quick-witted, and no one can beat you in terms of skill, but you lack a forward-looking vision and have absolutely no patience. Great people always look to the future; they don't mind making temporary concessions or compromises because it will help them succeed in the future. But you just won't look up; your eyes are always fixed on the path in front of you. If you don't change your personality, you'll be a thug for life."

At this point, Chu Hengkong's eyes held a hint of nostalgia: "I must say, boss, you really have a good eye for people. I, Chu Hengkong, am a short-sighted fool! I only care about today and don't care about tomorrow. I'm unwilling to compromise even for a moment. No matter how much reason and benefit you offer, you can't make me do something against my conscience!"

He looked at Ji Huaisu: "Tell me, am I being very willful?"

“It’s very willful,” Ji Huaisu nodded. “It’s just like a child.”

Chu Hengkong burst into laughter. He wasn't usually a talkative person, but tonight he was talking non-stop. Perhaps he missed his time in the underworld, or perhaps these words had been bottled up inside him for a long time. He didn't care whether others were listening; he was just speaking wildly under the influence of alcohol. The more he talked, the happier he became, practically dancing with excitement: "That's why I can't make it anywhere, I deserve to be a henchman for life... But all in all, I'm happier than the big shots!"

Some children are stubborn because they don't understand reason, while others understand everything but still don't change, remaining stubborn their whole lives. Ji Huaisu thought this person was the latter; he probably had this bad temper since childhood, otherwise a person with feelings and righteousness wouldn't have ended up as an assassin.

She waited until Chu Hengkong's laughter stopped, then said softly, "Chu Hengkong, your hometown is very peaceful, isn't it?"

Chu Hengkong was stunned for a long time: "Most places are safe and sound."

“I think so too, otherwise your boss wouldn’t have said those things.” Ji Huaisu shrugged. “In times of peace and prosperity, everyone has enough to live on, so naturally they can look to the future. But when the world is in chaos, it’s not easy to even save your life. Too many people are focused on what will happen in a few years, but they overlook the danger of today’s knife.”

Seeing Chu Hengkong's confused expression, she suddenly laughed: "We're all just a worthless life left, so what's the difference between big and small! What's wrong with taking it one step at a time? If you can make it to the far reaches of the world step by step, you'll be a real big shot too."

She tossed Chu Hengkong a round object and leaned back casually on the sofa: "Congratulations, Detective Chu! Today you're officially promoted to senior detective. Remember to treat everyone to drinks sometime."

It was a badge-shaped white jade plaque, with a dragon carved on the warm, smooth jade base. Chu Heng glanced at the half-empty bottle of wine and began to doubt his own drinking capacity.

Just then, the door to the lounge opened, and the man with the paper fan reappeared as if by magic, followed by the shifty-eyed Jie An. Ji Qiufeng snapped the fan shut and chuckled, "Everyone's in such high spirits late at night, huh? Why are you celebrating before the ceremony even starts?"

"What ceremony?" Chu Hengkong was completely confused.

Jie An leaned closer, rubbing his hands together: "Hey, didn't Captain Huaisu tell you? There are strict requirements for promotions in our team. To become a senior detective, you need to be at the first-ranked level!"

The slight intoxication in Chu Hengkong's head instantly dissipated. He jumped to his feet, his face full of disbelief: "Wasn't it dismissal? How did it turn into a promotion?"

“We’re evaluating a senior detective, not a cold-blooded killer. You handled things brilliantly, who else should we promote if not you?” Ji Qiufeng tapped him. “But the final decision was still rash. In this situation, you could have consulted a senior before making a decision. From now on, the area around Gushui Street is your jurisdiction. Keep an eye on the little girl and the dog. If anything happens again, you’ll be held responsible.”

Chu Hengkong put the badge away and said seriously, "I will definitely keep a close eye on it."

"Alright, then let's solve another case with our Tentacle Detective." Ji Qiufeng shook his fan. "Since no one is too sleepy... let's strike while the iron is hot and hold the promotion ceremony for senior detectives before we go to sleep."

(End of this chapter)