Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
After three gunshots, only a deathly silence remained in the luxury suite on the second floor of the cruise ship.
Lee Jae-sung sat stiffly on the sofa, not daring to move an inch. Cold sweat trickled down his aged face and dripped onto the collar of his expensive suit.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Near his ear, on the leather back of the sofa, were three deep bullet holes, no more, no less, like three mocking eyes staring intently at him.
Suddenly, a burst of rapid fighting sounds came from the first floor of the cruise ship, accompanied by several muffled sounds of bones cracking and groans of someone falling to the ground. Everything returned to calm within ten seconds.
Less than a minute later, the door to the private room was pushed open, and Kirisawa Jin led the Amamiya brothers up from the first floor.
Kirisawa Jin frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the tense atmosphere in the room before turning to the figure in the main seat. He said in a deep voice, "Boss, all the bodyguards on the first floor have been dealt with."
Amamiya Masaki, on the other hand, looked relaxed. He rubbed his wrist and glanced contemptuously at the Li father and son: "None of these white guys can fight. Should we take care of these two as well?"
Ryuzaki Shin didn't say anything.
He slowly stood up from the sofa, lowering the still-smoking pistol in his right hand, and walked towards Li Zaicheng step by step.
Lee Jae-sung's pupils constricted instantly. He could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest, almost leaping out of his throat.
He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as he made a dry sound.
"President Ryuzaki..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ryuzaki Makoto had already walked up to him.
His young and cold face instantly changed; the taut lines relaxed, a playful smile appeared on his lips, and he burst into laughter.
"Kirizawa Jin, you guys can go downstairs. I was just joking around with Chief Li."
He laughed casually, as if the three shots that had just terrified people were just a harmless joke.
Ryuzaki turned the gun in his hand upside down, with the butt facing Lee Jae-sung, and gently handed it over.
"Chief Li, don't you agree?"
Lee Jae-sung is not a fool.
He looked at the young yet unfathomable face before him, his expression somewhat awkward, but he immediately forced a smile that was worse than a grimace, and repeatedly agreed, "You're right, that's right, Ryuzaki-kun was just testing the gun."
As Lee Jae-sung spoke, he took the gun with remarkable ease.
The cold, heavy touch entered his palm, and he finally felt a long-lost sense of security, and the muscles on his face relaxed a little.
Ryuzaki Shin gently shook his head and waved to Kirisawa Jin and the others.
"Kirizawa Jin, you can leave now. Oh, and take these two bodyguards who are upset with you too. Let them rest. Next, I need to have a good talk with Chief Li about business."
The three men, including Kirisawa Jin, nodded without saying a word. They stepped forward, one on each side, and dragged the two bodyguards who had fainted from fright to the ground like dead dogs. Then they turned and left the private room.
In the blink of an eye, only the Li father and son and Ryuzaki Makoto remained in the second-floor space.
Ryuzaki Makoto casually sat down on the sofa opposite him, crossed his legs, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a brass lighter with a "ding", took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled.
"Chief Li, now you should feel my sincerity. You know I'm just here to do business, right?"
Although Lee Jae-sung was still somewhat shaken, he did come to a realization about one thing.
If Ryuzaki and his group really wanted to harm me, they would have had countless opportunities to do so before, and wouldn't have had to wait until now.
Having been a big brother for decades, Lee Jae-sung quickly calmed himself down.
With such a show of force, there's no need for further empty pleasantries.
"My son has shown me the arms list that Chairman Ryuzaki requested. Although the quantity is large, and it's the largest transaction we've ever made since we entered the business, it's not something we can't handle."
Ryuzaki Makoto's face was shrouded in smoke, making his expression unreadable.
"So...should I congratulate us on a successful collaboration?"
Lee Jae-sung shook his head, a hint of shrewdness and seriousness appearing on his face.
"With such a large transaction, I believe Chairman Ryuzaki understands the risks better than I do. My son's previous transactions with your association were not large, so there was no advance payment, which I understand. But this time is different."
Ryuzaki Makoto nodded in understanding.
The other party is just worried that after they take the goods, they'll cheat them out of it and turn their backs on them.
Although that was indeed his intention, he still had to say the polite words.
"I know this stuff. It's just a matter of advance payment, no problem! Just tell me what percentage Mr. Li wants."
Lee Jae-sung looked at Ryuzaki Makoto without saying a word, but slowly extended five fingers.
"Fifty percent. The quantity of this batch of goods is too large. I can only feel at ease if there is a 50 percent deposit."
Is a 50% deposit required?
Lee Jae-sung's asking price is indeed quite steep.
According to the unwritten rules of the business world, a 30% deposit is already the limit for this kind of transaction.
A 50% down payment means that the buyer bears almost all of the risk.
However, Ryuzaki Makoto showed no hesitation whatsoever. He didn't even try to bargain. He simply smiled faintly, took out a black bank card from his suit pocket, held it between two fingers, and gently pushed it onto the coffee table in front of Lee Jae-sung.
"Chief Li, there should be enough money in this card to pay the deposit. You can check it at any time."
Lee Jae-sung raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes, and stared intently at Ryuzaki Makoto.
This kid isn't even going to haggle over the price?
You just agreed like that?
Lee Jae-sung himself couldn't quite explain why he quoted such an outrageous price.
Perhaps it was a test from a seasoned veteran, or perhaps it was an attempt to gain the last bit of initiative.
But the most fundamental reason is that Lee Jae-sung is getting old.
He started to think things through carefully before acting, losing the reckless and impulsive drive he had in his youth.
Seeing Ryuzaki's decisiveness and courage, Lee Jae-sung suddenly seemed to realize this as well.
He subconsciously glanced at his son, Li, who stood behind him, his body tense the entire time.
Perhaps Li is right.
I'm really getting old, and it's no longer suitable for me to take charge of the gang's future.
Once this deal is done, the gang will be handed over to him completely.
With Lee's ruthlessness, coupled with the style of a new-era tyrant like Ryuzaki Makoto, he might actually be able to return to South Korea and reclaim everything he has lost.
Thinking of this, Lee Jae-sung felt a sense of relief.
He smiled and reached into his pocket to put the bank card.
"President Ryuzaki, aren't you afraid I'll just take such a large sum of money and run away?"
Ryuzaki Makoto shrugged nonchalantly and flicked off his cigarette ash.
"Doing business is all about trust. You trust me, I trust you, it's that simple."
Of course, he also secretly sneered to himself.
run?
Where can you run to on this vast ocean?
My men have you under complete surveillance. If you and your son make any unusual moves, you're going to meet your maker.
Upon hearing Ryuzaki Makoto's words, Lee Jae-sung's opinion of the young man in front of him rose even higher.
He has the courage, the vision, and the strategic thinking.
If my son can associate more with people like this in the future, he will definitely grow up faster and stronger.
His last lingering doubts vanished, and he relaxed completely, laughing heartily.
"The business is done, how about we relax a bit? My cruise ship has beauties from all over the world. If Chairman Ryuzaki is interested, I can arrange for a few to come over and have some fun."
Ryuzaki Makoto waved his hand and stood up.
"No, I have a woman waiting for me at home. Chief Li told me to pick up the goods in a few days."
When Lee Jae-sung heard that Ryuzaki really wanted to leave, he didn't try to stop him.
To be honest, the trauma of being held at gunpoint was still lingering, and my instinct was that this young man was too dangerous, so it was better to stay away from him.
"Ryuzaki-kun, rest assured, this batch of goods will be received on time the day after tomorrow."
The reason he was able to prepare so quickly was that after leaving South Korea, he lost a stable supply channel, resulting in a large stockpile of weapons that he was worried about not being able to find buyers.
Ryuzaki's appearance was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.
Ryuzaki Makoto smiled meaningfully.
"See you the day after tomorrow then..."
...
The coast of Huya.
By the time Ryuzaki and his group were taken back to shore by speedboat, it was already late at night.
The sea breeze brought a biting chill.
On the shore, several black Mercedes-Benz cars were parked quietly, their lights all off, like giant beasts lurking in the darkness.
Beside the car stood more than thirty members of the True Dragon Society, all dressed in black suits, each with a straight back and solemn expression, like statues.
Kaoru Kazama stepped out from the crowd, holding a black coat in her hand. She quickly walked forward and gently draped it over Ryuzaki Makoto's shoulders.
After feeling his body warm up a bit, Ryuzaki turned his head and asked in an icy tone.
"Tatsumi Iemura, have you located her current position?"
Kaoru Kazama nodded, her voice devoid of any warmth.
"Found it."
Ryuzaki snorted coldly. He turned around and glanced at the thirty-odd elites selected from the True Dragon Society. They were the most capable and daring fighters in the society.
He looked at the fierce glint in their eyes and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"A dark and windy night..."
"Murder Night".