The old saying goes: A man's reputation precedes him, just as a tree's shadow follows it!
Ying Baolin, with his influence in both legitimate and illicit circles, was a dominant force in this prosperous and fertile land of Wenzhou, akin to a overlord.
He had threatened to deal with me, and he had undoubtedly alerted everyone in the circles beforehand.
If I were to seek help from anyone to escape Wenzhou, it would play right into his hands.
Therefore, he was pushing me into a corner!
Forcing me to walk into a trap and surrender willingly.
This tactic, "appear to yield before refusing," was truly despicable!
...
Seeing me standing there motionless, Cheng Minglang nudged me gently with his elbow and then asked, "What are you spacing out for?"
"Are we just going to endure and pretend we don't see them when they've already arrived at our doorstep?"
Upon hearing this, I immediately retorted irritably, "Are you an idiot?!"
"Have you forgotten how Ying Baolin ordered his subordinates to call the police earlier, claiming we three damaged the cruise ship's engine room equipment, with the estimated damage running into seven figures?"
"Whether it's legal, illegal, or gray, it's useless for us to act on our own or find help right now!"
Hearing this, Cheng Minglang's expression turned extremely grave, and he asked in a deep voice, "Then what should we do? Are we going to surrender?"
"No! Surrendering is definitely not an option!"
Shaking my head, I frowned and replied, "At this critical juncture, while it's inevitable that no one will dare to openly help us, however..."
"It doesn't necessarily mean there's no other way to get out of this!"
"Listen to me, you do this..."
Upon hearing my plan, Cheng Minglang didn't hesitate and immediately took out his phone to make a call.
Having been involved in the gambling scene in Wenzhou for so long, even if I hadn't made many friends due to Ying Baolin's influence.
There were still one or two people whose vital interests conflicted with Ying Baolin's.
As long as there were people whose interests clashed, then this predicament tonight... could still be resolved!
For example: Old Dog Zou!
The faster Ying Baolin swallowed up casinos, the smaller Zou's living space would become.
The call Cheng Minglang just made was directly to Old Dog Zou, at my silent instruction.
The reason I had Cheng Minglang make this call was that in previous instances of seeking help from Old Dog Zou, it was Cheng Minglang and his people who handled the communication.
Cheng Minglang might not be particularly professional at other tasks, but when it came to spending money and mobilizing people, unless I didn't care about the amount, he always handled it perfectly.
Never letting Old Dog Zou earn an extra penny easily!
I told Cheng Minglang not to waste too much time with Old Dog Zou. Just settle the price first, and then directly borrow troops from him.
Of course, the purpose of borrowing troops from Old Dog Zou was not to have them help me fight.
It was to have him deploy his men, disguised, to raid Ying Baolin's establishments!
To pacify the outside before dealing with the inside!
You, Ying Baolin, aren't you ambitious and thinking of unifying all the underground casinos in Wenzhou?
At the critical moment when you're trying to force me into a trap, I'll find people to smash all your establishments! See if you still dare to target me then!?
Only by making Ying Baolin truly feel that I am not a lone wolf, but have a group of powerful allies behind me, can I make him hesitate.
This is the best strategy to address both the symptoms and the root cause, a superior plan to break the deadlock!
With this in mind, I quickly gestured with my mouth for Cheng Minglang to make sure Old Dog Zou understood clearly.
Make sure those people smash Ying Baolin's establishments while ensuring their own safety.
And they must absolutely obey orders, and not get greedy for prolonged fights.
Hit and run, smash one place and immediately withdraw.
When Ying Baolin receives the call and hears from his subordinates that most of his casinos were smashed tonight, making business impossible and forcing them to close...
I'll see if he still dares to target me so unscrupulously?
...
After facing off across the distance for about half an hour.
Money makes the world go 'round!
This saying is indeed not wrong at all.
Just as I was about to urge Cheng Minglang to call Old Dog Zou to inquire about the situation...
Suddenly, I saw the swaggering punk at the front pull out his phone and start answering it.
After finishing the call.
The swaggering punk didn't say a word more, directly led his group back into their cars, and then drove away.
Seeing this, I breathed a sigh of relief.
To be honest, I wasn't afraid of fighting at all.
Although I wasn't as skilled a fighter as Cheng Minglang, I had been training with him and Shen Mengqing for some time.
What I truly feared was that tonight, with Ying Baolin resorting to all sorts of despicable tactics, if I clashed with those thugs...
He would unreservedly dispatch his subordinates to secretly film from the shadows and later post selectively edited content online.
What's more, he might even wait for me to make a move and then directly call the police.
If I accidentally fell into this pre-laid trap again, it would be very difficult to clear my name later.
Therefore, I had to guard against him.
Not long after, Cheng Minglang received a call from Old Dog Zou.
I knew why Old Dog Zou was so eager to call immediately after the incident.
First, it was to show off his strength, indirectly telling me that he, Old Dog Zou, still had power.
Second, it was to call and ask for money.
The speed and decisiveness of this operation were definitely influenced by money.
Because Cheng Minglang had already informed me in advance that given the tight schedule and heavy task, the cost this time would certainly not be low.
So, I didn't have Cheng Minglang haggle seriously with Old Dog Zou.
Instead, I instructed him that as long as Old Dog Zou didn't ask for an exorbitant price, there would be no bargaining this time. Just ask for his bank account number.
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Minglang briefly reported the results of the operation outside to me...
I must say, although Old Dog Zou was a greedy old fox, his mind was truly sharp.
Cheng Minglang asked him to raid Ying Baolin's establishments, and he did.
However, he didn't truly achieve the meaning of "smashing the establishment."
Instead, he directed his men to smash all the signs, windows, glass, and lighting equipment outside Ying Baolin's establishments!
In addition, he had his subordinates throw harmless toads, spiders, snakes, and other unpleasant creatures into those smashed windows, scaring away all the gamblers inside.
The scene and commotion were huge, but the actual losses to the casinos were very small.
At most, it was just the lights, glass, and equipment outside that served as a facade...
And most importantly, when the casino security rushed out to apprehend them, Old Dog Zou's subordinates had already disappeared without a trace.
To be fair, although the commotion caused by Old Dog Zou did not meet my expectations, the fact that he left no loose ends was a fortunate outcome!
No wonder Ying Baolin's men withdrew so decisively. It turns out he now has no idea which powerful entity is helping me!