Outnumbered? I'll conquer America with an unlimited number of suicide soldiers.

The group left Kearney Street, turned the corner, and entered the territory of Jackson Street.

Unlike Kearney Street, where Chinese people make up the vast majority of the population, Jackson Street is half white and half Chinese, so there is a more obvious sense of tension in the air, with shouts and arguments intertwined.

Every now and then you can see two or three white people shoving and verbally abusing lone Chinese people, or a group of Chinese people gathering together and casting wary or even hostile glances at passing white people.

Yuanfang Tower stands in the middle of this chaotic street, extremely eye-catching among the low-rise buildings.

With its flying eaves, red pillars, and green tile roof, the roof is adorned with a ceramic dragon-head ornament crouching at the ridge, its mouth open as if swallowing the ridge, exuding an imposing presence. The building has three stories high, and on the second floor, a black plaque with gold lettering hangs in the center, engraved with the three characters "Yuanfang Tower".

At this moment, the main entrance of the restaurant was wide open, but there were no ordinary diners coming in or out. Only two burly men in black short jackets with expressionless faces stood on the left and right sides of the door, their sharp eyes scanning the street.

The rapid sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, drawing their attention in that direction.

Su Song took the lead and reined in his horse a few feet in front of Yuanfang Tower. He looked up, his gaze calmly sweeping over the plaque and then over the two guards at the entrance who were clearly gang members.

"dismount!"

Jian Yuan landed silently behind him with twenty elite soldiers. Although they did not utter a word or make any provocative moves, their synchronized dismounting and the weapons on their bodies made the street quieter.

"Su Song has come to the banquet at the invitation of Director Chen of the San Yi Association."

"Mr. Su, Mr. Chen has been waiting for you on the second floor for quite some time."

The two men at the door exchanged a glance and automatically made way for the main entrance, saying politely, "However, Mr. Su's brothers behind him cannot go in, lest it damage the harmony."

"Oh? Then I dare not attend this banquet."

Su Song smiled, but his words were barbed. "If the banquet turns out to be a disaster, and you have dozens of axemen lying in ambush, smashing their cups as a signal when everyone is drunk, then I, Su, will lose my life in this foreign land."

The two men at the door frowned, about to say something, when a slightly hoarse but powerful voice came from inside: "Mr. Su is joking."

"Master Chen." The two men immediately bowed.

He was a lean, middle-aged man wearing a melon-shaped hat and a silk mandarin jacket, slowly twirling two walnuts in his hands.

He strode forward, his smile slick and ingratiating: "I, Chen, am a businessman who has traveled far and wide, and I value integrity above all else. I would never stoop to such a treacherous act as a trap."

Director Chen smiled as he sized up Su Song, then glanced at the silent, stoic entourage behind him. His smile widened. "But since Mr. Su has reservations, that's fine. Let the young men wait downstairs for the drinks, and you can come upstairs with me, accompanied by a guard."

"Since Director Chen has said so, then I, Su, will respectfully comply."

Su Song bowed to him and smiled slightly: "Jianyuan, come up with me. The rest of you brothers, sit down below."

"Yes."

The group entered the first floor of Yuanfang Building. The lobby was spacious, yet the atmosphere was equally oppressive. About a dozen men dressed in various short-sleeved shirts and with unfriendly eyes were scattered around, some sitting and some standing; they were clearly members of Xieyi Hall.

The twenty assassins Su Song brought went straight to several square tables near the entrance and quickly and orderly took up advantageous positions. They sat down on the benches in unison, backs straight, hands either hanging naturally at their sides or resting lightly on their knees, staring at the person opposite them without saying a word.

Su Song and Jian Yuan followed Director Chen up the wooden stairs to the second floor and entered a private room facing the street.

The private room was decorated with great care, and a round mahogany table was already set with a table full of exquisite Cantonese dishes.

Abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, roast goose, char siu, steamed sea fish, poached chicken, slow-cooked soup, stir-fried assorted dishes—it's clear the chef put in a lot of effort.

At this moment, a person was already sitting to the right of the main seat. He was short and stocky, wearing a dark gray silk shirt, and the most striking feature of his thin face was his pair of standard triangular eyes.

Behind him stood a burly guard, arms crossed, his demeanor calm and composed.

Director Chen introduced with a smile: "Mr. Su, come, let me introduce you. This is Sun Tianbao of Xieyi Hall. Mr. Sun is Bai Zhishan, who is in charge of accounts, documents and etiquette in the hall. He is very knowledgeable and reasonable."

"Mr. Su, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please have a seat."

Sun Tianbao stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled warmly: "I heard that you have rented land in San Francisco to build a factory. That's quite impressive."

Mr. Sun had long wanted to pay a visit, but feared it would be impolite. Therefore, he specially asked Director Chen to act as an intermediary and prepare this simple meal, firstly to welcome Mr. Su and secondly, to express his congratulations.

Director Chen naturally took the seat of honor, while Su Song sat down in the guest seat on the left as instructed.

"Mr. Sun, you're too kind. I'm new here and have been busy settling in, so I forgot to greet you all. I'm truly ashamed that you've gone to so much trouble to host this banquet." Su Song said with a gentle smile.

"Then you should visit each other more often in the future, after all, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative."

Director Chen smiled and said, "We're all Chinese who came across the ocean to make a living. If we don't help each other, how are we going to deal with those foreigners outside?"

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, Sun Tianbao put down his glass and casually asked, "Mr. Su, what kind of goods does your factory mainly deal in? Raw silk? Tea? Ceramics? Or opium?"

"To be honest, the San Francisco docks are rough, with lots of rules. Once the goods arrive, you need to find reliable porters and also take care of customs, the police, and the dock gangs."

If you miss any opportunity to offer incense, you might end up losing everything. Mr. Su, are you familiar with these connections since you're new here?

"Mr. Sun's guesses were all wrong. Besides, the things I sell don't need to be bothered with those complicated details."

Su Song smiled slightly, and after asking himself about the past, he revealed part of the truth: "What I run is the arms trade."

"Cough cough cough cough!"

Director Chen, who was sitting in the main seat and raising his glass to drink, choked on his drink upon hearing this and coughed violently, his face turning red.

He quickly put down his wine glass, covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve, and apologized repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This wine is too strong, I drank it too fast, and I lost my composure. Please continue drinking, I'll go wash my face and catch my breath."

As he spoke, he hastily got up, pushed open the side door of the private room, and walked out, leaving Su Song and Sun Tianbao behind.

Sun Tianbao, sitting opposite Su Song, felt a chill run down his spine and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Su, are you joking with us? Those foreigners hold onto guns like their lifeblood. How could the licenses to manufacture and sell weapons easily fall into the hands of us Chinese?"

"When you're out in the world, you rely on friends. I happen to have a few white friends who are well-connected with the San Francisco city government. This permit, while difficult to obtain, isn't impossible."

Su Song picked up a piece of goose meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed. "Boss Sun, we're both sensible people, no need to beat around the bush. This banquet today isn't just about finding out what I sell, is it?"

"Mr. Su is a man of few words. Since that's the case, then I'll speak frankly."

Sun Tianbao put down his wine glass and said slowly, "Our Xieyitang has actually been eyeing the land where Mr. Su built his factory for a long time."

Originally, several hot-tempered members of the gang wanted to bring their entire force to visit you, Mr. Su, and ask you to part with your membership. However, I persuaded them to stay for the time being.

Su Song remained expressionless, picked up another piece of tender fish with her chopsticks, and quietly watched his performance.

"We've all left our homes to seek wealth; why should we fight and damage our relationships over a little land?"

Sun Tianbao spoke earnestly, as if he were entirely considering the other party's interests. "That piece of land is at least three acres, while Mr. Su's factory and residence occupy at most one acre. Leaving it idle is just leaving it idle, and it's easy to attract trouble."

Therefore, I would like to lease one acre of the remaining two acres from Mr. Su. What is your opinion?

"Rent an acre? May I ask what Xieyi Hall intends to build on it?" Su Song asked, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

When Sun Tianbao heard Su Song ask this question, he was overjoyed, thinking there was room for negotiation, and immediately laughed loudly: "Of course, we'll build brothels."

"Mr. Su, you may not know this, but the pig-shaped boat from the gang will arrive at the San Francisco dock in about a month."

Unfortunately, all the decent spots in Chinatown are already taken, leaving nowhere for the new girls to go. So the brothers in the gang thought, "Let's build a bigger, more respectable brothel on your vacant lot. That way, we can accommodate the girls and also do business."

Those watching remotely suddenly realized what was going on. They wondered why this guy surnamed Sun had invited people to a banquet for no apparent reason. It turned out it was all for this reason.

"My lord, shall we agree?" Su Song picked up another piece of sea cucumber with his chopsticks.

"Agree my ass." Zeng rolled his eyes. "No matter what, we're compatriots. I'm not so heartless as to earn this kind of money."

At this moment, seeing Su Song hesitate, Sun Tianbao thought the price wasn't enough and offered to raise it further: "I see that Mr. Su's factory has many workers, all of whom are young and full of vigor. How about this, from now on, any worker from your factory who comes to my Xieyi Hall brothel will get a 10% discount."

In addition, our Xieyitang can also take care of the factory's security, requiring only a small monthly donation. A mutually beneficial arrangement, how about it?

"Not good."

Sun Tianbao's smile froze on his face: "Mr. Su, what did you say?"

"Hard of hearing? I said, no matter how hard you try, I won't rent it." Su Song said with a smile, "Do you understand now?"

Sun Tianbao's face darkened visibly, and the fierce glint in his triangular eyes could no longer be concealed: "Mr. Su, I advise you to reconsider this mutually beneficial business deal. Refusing a toast will only lead to consequences."

In San Francisco's Chinatown, very few people dare to disrespect the Xieyi Hall.

"Oh, a slap on the wrist? How does Boss Sun plan to punish me? Will he send people to burn down my factory in the middle of the night, or will he secretly stab my workers in the back?"

Su Song ignored his threat and scoffed, "Have you forgotten what I sell? Arms!"

"If things really come to a point of no return, I don't know how many brothers your Xieyitang can muster in San Francisco who are willing to fight, and I'm too lazy to ask."

But I really do have hundreds of weapons of various lengths here, waiting for anyone who's blind to run into them. I just don't know if every one of you brothers from the Xieyi Hall has developed an iron body, impervious to bullets?

After saying that, he stopped looking at Sun Tianbao's expression, calmly picked up the goose leg from the plate of roast goose on the table, casually wrapped it in oil paper, and handed it to Jianyuan behind him.

He stood up and casually cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Sun Tianbao: "Alright, we've had our fill of food and drink. Thank you for your hospitality, Boss Sun. I have other matters to attend to at the factory, so I won't bother you any longer. Farewell."

After saying that, he led Jianyuan out of the private room without looking back, and went downstairs with unhurried footsteps.

Snapped!

Inside the private room, Sun Tianbao could no longer contain his anger. He slammed his hand hard on the mahogany table, causing the cups, plates, and bowls to clang and splatter soup everywhere.

"You son of a bitch! You bastard! I treated you to a nice banquet and gave you all the face you deserved, and you dare to be so ungrateful! You don't know what's good for you!"

"Uncle Leopard," the guard behind him stepped forward, asking in a low voice, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, "the brothers downstairs are all here, should we...?"

"What do you want? Make a move? How?"

Sun Tianbao spat in his face, his anger blazing. "Didn't you see how many people they brought? Those bastards downstairs, every single one of them has a gun tucked in their belts. Are they trying to ruin the boss's business here and attract all the police?"

"I'll remember this for now, and when I get the chance, I'll crush them!"

He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then glanced at the empty seat in the main room: "Where is Director Chen?"

The guards behind him hurriedly went to ask, and after a while they returned and replied: "According to the underlings, Master Chen said that he suddenly remembered that there was an urgent matter at the guild hall, and he has already hurriedly taken a carriage back."

"Damn it, that old fox!"

Sun Tianbao immediately understood that the scoundrel's talk about the arms deal must have scared him, which was why he left in such a hurry.

He took another deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He straightened his silk robe and went up to the third floor.

The third floor is more private and quiet than the second floor, and the door to the largest room at the end of the corridor is ajar.

The room windows were wide open, and the afternoon breeze from San Francisco, carrying the scent of the sea, blew in, gently lifting the sheer curtains by the window.

A middle-aged man dressed in a simple gray long gown, with no braid at the back of his head, was sitting leisurely in a rosewood armchair. He held a brass monocular telescope in his hand, watching Su Song and his group leave through the window.

"Boss, your subordinate is incompetent; the negotiations have failed," Sun Tianbao said, bowing.

"You were arguing so loudly, I could hear you clearly from the third floor."

The dragon head put away his binoculars and said slowly, "Showing off your sharp edge reminds me of myself back then."

Sun Tianbao flattered, "That kid is indeed a bit troublesome, but he's still far inferior to you, Boss."

The leader smiled but didn't say anything.

Sun Tianbao hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Boss, since that guy surnamed Su won't listen to reason, shouldn't we look for another piece of land? We can always find a suitable place around Chinatown."