Forge a path to success

No, Vilbert thought. It was still just a facade. She hadn't reached the deepest level.

"What books did he read when he was a child?"

“Some local pirated comics, and martial arts novels,” Alita added, “mostly Jin Yong’s. ‘The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people.’”

Vilbert seemed to have grasped something. She suddenly asked, "What kind of person is Chu Tongchen?"

Alita paused for a moment; this question was beyond the scope of her investigation. She racked her brains to recall her interactions with the Chu family.

“I think he’s a very strange person,” Alita blurted out. “As you know, although the Baiyue Chu Clan is not a direct descendant of the Blood Alliance, they still have considerable influence on the inner side. They have always been at the forefront of the fight against the aliens and have produced many famous assassins.”

However, this influence was severed after Chu Tongchen took over. He was highly skilled in martial arts, but he forbade any of his family members from practicing it. He forced his children to go into business, become civil servants, or join the army, spending decades gradually shifting the family's influence from the inside out to the outside world…

"Is he the only one still living in the inner world?"

“Yes,” Alita nodded. “That’s why even his family thinks he’s extremely strange. He lives in a world where martial arts are most useful, yet he has an extreme pessimism about them. He often tells his family that it’s meaningless.”

Velvet stopped asking questions, and Alita retreated to the door, knowing that her boss was thinking.

Meaning. Chu Hengkong wasn't as pessimistic as his adoptive father, but he also liked the word. He always hoped that his every action had meaning… therefore, he never interfered with her work arrangements; on the contrary, he admired this morbidly extreme lifestyle…

Chu Tongchen's pessimism stems from his realization that he is meaningless. Chu Hengkong's stagnation must be for the same reason.

But what exactly is the meaning they are searching for? There has never been a shortage of opportunities to use one's skills on Earth. Chu Tongchen is not the head of the Blood Alliance; he is unaware of the secret, and therefore has no reason to fall into deep pessimism. Is he worried about his place in contemporary society? Do they believe that applications like acting or being an athlete are an insult to martial arts? Perhaps that's part of it, but it doesn't seem to be the whole story…

Ultimately, a person's circumstances are constrained by their environment. Living in the 21st century, no matter how capable you are, it's still the same.

She suddenly remembered what Chu Hengkong had said in the rented room a few years ago. That's about it for the 21st century.

What if he lived in the 11th century? Or even the 1st century? In such an era, what kind of person would Chu Hengkong become?

"Any other information about Chu Tongchen." The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. "Any information."

Alita was a little flustered: "He and his deputy have a very good relationship. He doesn't read much, but he'll take his deputy to see operas and read 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'..."

"Give me a copy. A Chinese version. As soon as possible."

Alita left in a hurry. Ten minutes later, a Chinese book with a yellow cover was placed on her desk.

Velbert hastily flipped through the first volume, and what she saw was Chapter Nine of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where Lü Bu, having fallen into a trap, uttered a boastful statement to Wang Yun:

—A true man is born between heaven and earth; how can he remain subservient to others for long!

For some reason, she felt a little flustered, and hurriedly skipped that section, flipping through a large section of the book. This time, she was on the Battle of Red Cliffs, where Kan Ze, ordered by Sun Quan, went to present a letter of feigned surrender, and generously said:

—A great man who cannot achieve great deeds and establish a career is no better than someone who rots away like grass and trees!

Wilbert closed the book, her heart filled with coldness.

She finally understood.

Chapter 311 Desires and Needs (3)

When Chu Hengkong returned to the old building, the Kolinf brothers were squatting in the stairwell smoking cigarettes.

The Collinf brothers were typical Black homeless people, abandoned at birth by some scoundrel of a father, and then half-adopted and half-raised by some kind relative. Not bold enough to join a gang, they took odd jobs to make a living. While smoking cigarette butts, they were sharing a garbage meal—a sticky, cold macaroni and cheese.

“Hey, Chu!” Collinf winked at him. “You really should try this, snotty pasta.”

“A caterpillar.” A suspicious caterpillar leg was hanging from the soft plastic fork of Collinf’s brother.

"Looks nutritious." Chu Heng tossed two cigarettes over, then lit one for himself. "How have you been lately?"

“Not a good day, buddy.” Collinf’s brother grabbed the cigarette but didn’t smoke it. “That damn little freight company ran off with our last month’s wages; my plants died; my aunt had another damn baby; and there are new cops.”

"Life is more like slop than macaroni and cheese, isn't it?" the younger brother chuckled.

Chu Hengkong caught the key point: "Old Lauder has been transferred?"

Old Lord was a rare good cop these days. He wasn't exactly a smooth talker, but he was conscientious and responsible. He accepted bribes, but he wouldn't let the real scoundrels get away with it, and he also knew how to turn a blind eye to those who were struggling to make ends meet. For people living in rented rooms, this kind old man was far better than those arrogant young people.

“He’s retired, Chu! He even invited you to his retirement party, but you were away on a business trip,” Collinf’s brother said. “The new guy…you know, very ‘new’! New pistol, new shoes, new achievements, everything is new, but that doesn’t stop him from bringing up old grievances.”

“He was convinced that someone was selling drugs in the building,” the brother added. “We’ve explained to him several times that you wouldn’t allow drug dealers to operate here. But he… he’s clueless.”

Chu Heng exhaled a puff of smoke: "I'll talk to him later."

"Heh heh, it's not that bad! Stay away from the cops." The older brother stood up, startled. "That's just how life is!"

"Chu, I'll show you something fun." The younger brother pulled out a transparent cube filled with white powder. He flicked it, and the powder changed color, turning into the shape of a snowman.

“Isn’t it pretty!” he boasted. “A little souvenir left by that bastard boss. I guarantee every girl would love it—you should buy one for your girlfriend, she’d absolutely adore it.”

"She's been in love with him for ages!" the brother exclaimed.

Chu Hengkong made a kicking motion, but the Collinf brothers ran away laughing and carrying the box of unfinished macaroni.

The guys who frequented the area around the building mostly knew the boss. They knew Chu was protecting her, and they also knew she was probably richer than the entire building combined. A perennial pastime in the rental building was betting on when Chu would be taken away by the rich young woman, and when the rich young woman would succumb to the pressure and buy the whole building to live in.

Chu Hengkong didn't care what others said. Everyone respected him and never spoke ill of him in front of him, and that was enough. He walked up the stairs and stopped on the fourth floor. There were fresh bullet holes in the wall.

He knocked on the door of apartment 401, where a so-called prostitute lived. The woman who opened the door had a bruise on her neck, a typical mark of being choked.

"A police officer?" Chu Hengkong asked.

"He was so arrogant, I wanted to scare him, but..." the prostitute smiled bitterly, "I'm sorry, Chu. We have no right to ask you for anything more, but..."

"I will talk to him," Chu Hengkong promised again.

He returned to his room and put down his backpack. The place was completely transformed compared to three years ago. The owner hadn't been able to move him out of the building, but he had gradually replaced his room and arranged for the family's butler to come and clean it regularly.

When he discovered it, his rented room had been transformed into a 20-square-meter presidential suite. He wanted to protest and have it changed, but deep down he knew he didn't want to live in his old, dilapidated place anymore.

That's how people change imperceptibly. When he first moved in, he never bothered with anything, but now he actively observes the changes around him, like a wild animal patrolling its territory. But isn't that right? Shouldn't the cops, criminals, and businessmen give him some basic respect?

"Of course there's no reason," Vilbert's voice echoed in her mind. "People will respect the law. Respect the government. Respect the rules. But why should people respect you? Just because of your power? And who gave you the power to carve out your territory? Do you think you're some kind of mob boss?"

Ah Kong, you really should think about why Verus receives basic respect everywhere, while you always have to prove yourself before you can earn the respect that rightfully belongs to you?

He certainly knew the reasons. Velus had power on the inside and money and status on the outside. The boss was at the top of this system, but he couldn't have it that way…

Chu Hengkong stood by the window, lost in thought, until the cigarette butt burned his fingers. He shook off the distractions and started thinking about other random things, whether he should keep his distance from Violet, whether he should reduce his part-time jobs...

There was a gunshot.

At the intersection three hundred meters away, Chu Hengkong jumped out of the window. His exceptional eyesight allowed him to see Kolinf's older brother rolling around in a vomit-like macaroni. A cop pointed a gun at him, his knee pressed against Kolinf's younger brother's neck. The young man screamed in terror. "Give it to me!" He clutched something tightly. The snowman toy.

He mistook it for heroin. Chu Hengkong immediately realized the truth.

“Brother!” “Cooperate with law enforcement, surrender!” the cop roared at him. Kolinf’s brother had been shot in the right lung. “You killed my brother!” the younger brother cried, completely losing control. The older brother reached out to Chu Hengkong.

"Call an ambulance," Chu Hengkong said. "Let him go. You've mistaken him."

Save lives first, then consider everything else. Chu Hengkong stepped forward, maintaining a distance he could react to. The cop's pupils constricted with tension. Chu Hengkong raised his hands to indicate he posed no threat.

"Let him go first—"

Another gunshot.

The bullet flew past Chu Hengkong's eyes, the muzzle pointed at his forehead, about to pierce his brain. But it was too slow. He even had a fleeting moment to think. He was as calm as before the killing. He was perfectly capable of handling this unexpected situation safely. He had that ability.

He caught the bullet.

Fuck you.

The bullet reversed its original trajectory and went back into the shooter's forehead.

A splash of blood erupted, red and white substances splattering everywhere. Kolinf's brother was terrified. Chu Hengkong pulled him away from the body and dialed an ambulance. An elderly person ran out of the building to provide first aid.

Chu Hengkong put down the phone and heard the piercing sound of police sirens. Another cop ran over, his hand gripping the gun trembling. He felt many unfamiliar gazes.

Of course, this is an intersection.

The pedestrians on the main road all stopped, dozens of eyes staring at the corpse.

Screams erupted in the sunlight.

·

"Ms. Alita!" A spy suddenly pushed open the door. "The deputy and the cops are fighting!"

Alita was knitting a sweater, and she froze for almost a second.

"How many cops died?"

Upon hearing the news, her first reaction was to worry about the cop, and the spy felt that this was only natural.

"Only one person died; the other side struck first."

Alita breathed a sigh of relief: "Then—"

"But the number of lightly injured exceeds 30," the informant said. "Thirteen police cars were damaged, and several cops have gone mad. Now they've started blocking the roads, and worst of all, there are many witnesses. Reporters..."

Alita leaped with the agility of an old antelope. "My God, boss!"

When she rushed into the office, the boss was already watching TV. The reporter on the scene acted like a rookie assassin encountering an outsider for the first time, almost incoherent. Behind him, the wrecked police car had a large fist-print on its hood.

They could easily picture the scene from not long ago: a police car with its siren blaring crashing into Chu Hengkong, who punched the hood of the car and slammed it into the asphalt like he was pinning down a child…

“We should have reached an agreement with the cops,” Vilbert said.

Alita nodded hastily. Of course they had talked about it; everyone knew that Chu Hengkong's temper couldn't be provoked. From fast food restaurants to dormitories, and even the shopping malls where he occasionally ate and the martial arts gyms where he sparred... wherever Chu Hengkong frequented, the local police were always informed in advance that he shouldn't cause trouble.

This peaceful coexistence lasted for three years, but today an unexpected incident occurred right at our doorstep.

"The previous officer retired the day before yesterday, so the new one probably hasn't arrived yet..."

“It was all planned,” Vilbert said. “Finally, someone couldn’t hold back anymore.”

Alita shut her mouth. The boss turned up the TV volume; the reporter said the suspect had occupied an office building but wasn't taking hostages. A police spokesperson said the SWAT team was on its way.

·

Before the main force arrived, Chu Hengkong still had some time. He helped get the Collinf brothers into the ambulance; the younger brother, though uninjured, needed psychological treatment. Afterward, he went to the pizzeria, returned his jacket, and told the manager he was going on a trip and had to resign.

The store manager didn't seem surprised at all. After all, he had been working as a bodyguard since he met the boss, and the delivery job had become more of a side job. After resigning, he left for about three minutes before the main group started arriving. He treated it as a challenge and tried his skills out, but wasn't particularly satisfied.

"Never mind," he said to the cops.

So now Chu Heng was sitting on the roof of the building, his legs dangling over the edge. The police had set up a perimeter, and the white-collar workers inside were rushing out in a panic, some even talking on the phone as they ran. He thought to himself how incredibly boring these people were; even a day off was too much for them.

If they enjoy their work so much, they might as well live in the building. Why bother going out at this time? For them, it's the same whether they're inside or outside the building.

Chu Hengkong's mind was blank; he wasn't thinking about anything. It seemed like it had been a long time since he'd felt this relaxed. When he came to his senses, he unconsciously took out his phone and opened the girl's contact information.

Their chat history was always very brief: what time to arrive, where to find you, etc. This text message exchange continued for three years; you had to flip through more than a dozen pages on your flip phone to find the first message. He hesitated for a moment, then typed the last paragraph as the end of this exchange.

Let's get a different bodyguard next time; I'm going on vacation.

【no. 】

He received a reply immediately, as if the other party had expected it. At the same time, the iron gate leading to the rooftop was pushed open, and Chu Hengkong turned around to see the girl's expressionless face.

Chapter 312 Desires and Pursuits (The End)

"How did you get here?" Chu Hengkong asked, somewhat surprised. "They actually let you in."

“They have no right to stop me,” Wilbert said.

"It's so great to be rich," Chu Hengkong chuckled. "As I just told you, I'm planning to go on a trip soon, so I'll find someone else for bodyguards..."

“It’s over,” Wilbert told him, just as she always told him after every negotiation that it was “over.”

Chu Hengkong looked downstairs upon hearing this. The sirens had stopped sometime earlier, the police tape that had just been put up had been removed, and the officers were getting into their cars, their steps marked by obvious hesitation. A man dressed as a police chief was yelling into his phone, but to no avail. He slammed the phone on the ground and angrily slammed the car door shut. The sound of a helicopter propeller drifted in and out; the helicopter, which was supposed to be bringing reporters and cameras to film his face, had turned back in the face of such a major news story.

Just like a viewer in front of a television set picking up the rewind button, the crowd flows backward, the machines rewind, and an unseen force reverses all the turmoil, instantly restoring the world to its usual calm.

Chu Hengkong stared blankly at the street beneath his feet, like a child stepping out of his home for the first time.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

“I told them you’re one of my people,” Vilbert replied. “So it’s over.”

"Why?" he demanded.

“The NYPD needs Vellus’s funding, the parties need Vellus’s seats, the president needs Vellus’s support, and the nation needs Vellus’s covenant,” Wilbert said. “Therefore, they have to choose to end it; they cannot afford the consequences of refusing. That’s the rule.”

Chu Hengkong stared blankly at her, as if looking at a complete stranger. That distant gaze made Violet's heart skip a beat, but she remained expressionless, just as she always did during negotiations.

After a long while, Chu Hengkong finally smiled and said, "So you're that amazing?"

“This is not my power.” Vilbert shook her head. “It is money, influence, status, power, the accumulation of resources carried by the group. What is powerful is my identity, the authority to control resources. Every head of the Verus family can do the same thing, and it has nothing to do with whether he is powerful or not.”

She paused for a moment, reluctant to add, "...Besides, from your perspective, you weren't wrong this time."