The night outside Golden Phoenix Nightclub was still young.
Inside the private room, the man on the floor groaned weakly while one of Chen Guoqiang's bodyguards dragged him away like a broken sack.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Only the faint bass of music from downstairs vibrated through the walls.
Li Wei stood still in the middle of the room.
His knuckles throbbed.
Tiny streaks of blood stained his skin.
He stared at his hands as if they belonged to someone else.
Just hours ago, he had arrived in the city as a desperate man searching for honest work.
Now he had beaten a stranger half to death.
Chen Guoqiang watched him carefully.
Many men showed fear after their first violent act.
Some ran.
Some cried.
Some begged to leave.
But Li Wei did none of those things.
Instead, he slowly wiped his hands on a cloth lying on the table.
Chen smiled faintly.
"Violence is unpleasant the first time," Chen said calmly. "But the city teaches you to get used to it."
Li Wei looked up.
"That man… will he live?"
Chen shrugged.
"That depends on whether he learns his lesson."
He poured another drink and slid a glass toward Li Wei.
"Drink."
Li Wei hesitated.
He had never tasted alcohol like this before.
But he took the glass anyway.
The liquid burned as it slid down his throat.
Chen chuckled.
"You'll get used to that too."
Later that night, Chen Guoqiang walked Li Wei through the nightclub.
The music was louder now.
The dance floor was packed with people moving beneath flashing lights.
Women laughed with wealthy businessmen.
Stacks of cash changed hands over bottles of expensive liquor.
To outsiders, it looked like luxury and excitement.
But Li Wei quickly noticed something else.
Men standing quietly in corners.
Watching.
Protecting.
Control.
"This place," Chen said as they walked down a hallway, "is just one of many businesses."
Li Wei glanced at him.
"Many?"
Chen nodded.
"Clubs. Gambling rooms. Transport companies."
His voice lowered slightly.
"And other things."
They entered a back office where several men sat around a table counting money.
The room smelled of cigarettes and paper currency.
Stacks of yuan were arranged in neat piles.
The men immediately stood when Chen entered.
"Boss Chen."
Chen gestured toward Li Wei.
"This is Li Wei."
The men studied him with curiosity.
One of them, a tall man with a scar across his cheek, crossed his arms.
"He's new?"
Chen nodded.
"For now."
The scarred man smirked.
"He doesn't look like much."
Li Wei met the man's gaze calmly.
The man stepped closer.
"What village are you from?"
"Qingshan."
The scarred man laughed.
"A farmer."
Chen spoke calmly.
"Even farmers can grow into something dangerous."
The scarred man shrugged.
"We'll see."
Chen turned to Li Wei.
"Your first real job is tomorrow."
The next evening, Li Wei stood beside the same scarred man outside a dimly lit gambling house.
The man's name was Zhang Qiang.
He was one of Chen Guoqiang's trusted enforcers.
A heavy metal door stood before them.
Inside, loud arguments could be heard.
Zhang Qiang cracked his neck.
"Guy inside owes money," he said casually.
"How much?" Li Wei asked.
"Eighty thousand."
Li Wei frowned.
"That's a lot."
Zhang Qiang grinned.
"That's why we're here."
He pushed the door open.
Inside, a group of men sat around a table covered in cards and chips.
The moment Zhang Qiang entered, the room went silent.
The dealer immediately stepped back.
A fat man sitting at the table froze.
Zhang Qiang walked directly toward him.
"Evening, Mr. Huang."
The fat man forced a smile.
"Brother Zhang… I was just about to contact Boss Chen."
Zhang Qiang leaned forward.
"You've said that before."
The man's hands began shaking.
"I just need a little more time."
Zhang Qiang grabbed the man's collar and pulled him out of his chair.
"You already had time."
The other gamblers quickly backed away.
Li Wei stood beside Zhang Qiang, watching everything.
Zhang Qiang suddenly looked at him.
"Your turn."
Li Wei understood immediately.
The room fell quiet.
All eyes turned toward him.
Li Wei stepped forward slowly.
The fat man looked terrified.
"Please… I'll pay soon...."
Li Wei grabbed the man and slammed him against the wall.
The impact rattled the pictures hanging nearby.
The man gasped for air.
Li Wei's voice was calm.
"Boss Chen is patient."
"But not forever."
The man's legs shook.
"I'll sell my car! I'll sell my shop!"
Li Wei studied him carefully.
Then he released him.
"Three days," Li Wei said.
"If you don't pay by then…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
The fear in the man's eyes said everything.
Zhang Qiang laughed loudly.
"Good!"
He slapped Li Wei's shoulder.
"Not bad for a farmer."
Later that night, they returned to Golden Phoenix.
Zhang Qiang poured two drinks.
"You handled that well," he said.
Li Wei sat quietly.
Zhang Qiang leaned back in his chair.
"You know what the city is, Li Wei?"
Li Wei looked at him.
"A jungle."
"Exactly."
Zhang Qiang raised his glass.
"In a jungle, there are only two kinds of animals."
"Predators…"
"…and prey."
He pointed toward Li Wei.
"Tonight, you stopped being prey."
Li Wei didn't answer.
But as he stared out the window at the endless lights of the city, something inside him slowly changed.
For the first time since arriving…
He no longer felt powerless.
The city was cruel.
The city was dangerous.
But if he played the game correctly, the city could belong to him.
And far away in a quiet village, Mei Lin still waited patiently for the man she loved to come home.
She had no way of knowing that the man she was waiting for…
Was slowly becoming someone she would never recognize again.