Chapter 158: Finalizing the Strategy

"Here is the key. Starting today, this villa belongs to you. As for how to arrange things, handle it however you see fit." With these words, the man in black tossed a set of keys to Song Nianqiang. From this moment onward, this villa belonged to Song Nianqiang.

That same afternoon, after a thorough discussion between Song Nianqiang and the Fatty, they decided to seek out Goshawk. Goshawk was a man of ambition, and his desires were certainly not small, yet Song Nianqiang possessed absolute confidence in making him follow him wholeheartedly and submissively.

Song Nianqiang gave Goshawk a call and asked him to come over to his place. Looking at Goshawk standing right before him, Song Nianqiang suddenly felt an indescribable urge. If Goshawk accepted his terms, then the underworld of Huaxia would inevitably have a place reserved for him in the future. For a youth of Song Nianqiang's age, this temptation was undoubtedly colossal.

"Sit down! What are you standing there for?"

Song Nianqiang poured a glass of plain water, handed it to Goshawk, and pointed to a stool. Goshawk's recent momentum had been overwhelming, and his influence was expanding at a rapid pace. However, his sphere of influence had already reached a state of saturation. If he wished to continue expanding, Goshawk would inevitably have to face pressures coming from all directions, though the primary reason remained his lack of sufficient funds.

As for Song Nianqiang, Goshawk admired him from the bottom of his heart. Whenever he stood before Song Nianqiang, he always felt as though Song Nianqiang was an imposing mountain, and he could only gaze up at his back. Therefore, even though Goshawk had already gained considerable renown in the underworld of this small county, whenever he faced Song Nianqiang, a lingering, silent reverence still arose within his heart.

Back when he and Song Nianqiang had fought that brawl, he had nearly been beaten to death by Song Nianqiang. Yet, that iron pipe had stopped just a few centimeters away from his eye. Song Nianqiang had spat onto the ground beside him, stood up from his body, and to this day, Goshawk clearly remembered the words Song Nianqiang had dropped: "If you don't want to die, behave yourself in front of me from now on," before striding away.

At that time, looking at Song Nianqiang's domineering retreating figure, Goshawk had instantly been conquered by him. Later on, through continued contact with Song Nianqiang, his admiration only grew, deeply captivated by his heroic spirit. Thus, from that time onward, Goshawk began to emulate Song Nianqiang's temperament. Gradually, he discovered that Song Nianqiang's disposition possessed the natural demeanor of a supreme boss, prompting him to slowly develop his own influence, step by step, all the way to the present.

However, what disappointed Goshawk was that Song Nianqiang held very little interest in being an underworld boss. Had Goshawk brought up this proposition earlier, perhaps Song Nianqiang would have agreed; but he had brought it up too late. By then, Song Nianqiang had already stepped into an entirely different industry—ghost-catching—and could only decline Goshawk's proposal.

Uncertain as to why Song Nianqiang had summoned him today, Goshawk sat down with lingering doubts. Looking at Song Nianqiang and the Fatty, both smiling broadly at him from across the table, he couldn't help feeling like a little red riding hood about to be lured away by the big bad wolf.

"Little Eagle! How about we discuss something?" Song Nianqiang spoke first. Anticipating the worst, Goshawk had come prepared, so hearing Song Nianqiang's proposal elicited no dramatic reaction. "Speak. Whatever trouble you've run into, just tell me. If I, your brother, even so much as frown, I'm not my mother's child!" Goshawk declared with utter conviction, though Song Nianqiang and the Fatty burst out laughing upon hearing it.

"I'm talking about benefits. How could a brother bring you bad news? Listen up!" Clearing his throat, Song Nianqiang adopted a serious expression and said, "Goshawk, I will give you a base plus one hundred million RMB. I want you to conquer a dynasty of our own within five years. Do you have the confidence for this?"

With that, Song Nianqiang stared intently at Goshawk. This was no joke; conquering a dynasty was no easy feat, especially nowadays. Socialism absolutely did not tolerate large-scale gunfights. If anyone grew tired of living, they could certainly try; but he could guarantee that before the fighting even finished, the military would surround and enclose them. Cooperate well, and you might survive; fail to cooperate, and your ultimate fate would simply be target practice for soldiers.

Therefore, after dropping these words, Song Nianqiang did not rush Goshawk for an answer. Instead, he leaned slowly back against the sofa, tilted his head up, closed his eyes, and quietly awaited Goshawk's reply.

For a moment, the room fell dreadfully silent, but it was quickly broken by Goshawk's heavy breathing. Apart from sheer disbelief, the expression on Goshawk's face carried a trace of fierce fanaticism. If what Song Nianqiang said was true, then within three years—let alone five—he could forge an entire dynasty.

One hundred million in startup capital was no child's play. For any faction like Goshawk's, this was an astronomical sum of wealth. Despite his renown in the county's underworld, if all his assets were pooled together, they wouldn't even amount to ten million, let alone a few million. Thus, one hundred million was absolute wealth to Goshawk at this moment.

"We won't need five years. In three years, I can build you an underworld kingdom, and within five years, I even have the confidence to unify the entire underworld of Huaxia!" After going through a series of mental struggles, Goshawk finally spoke. He phrased it very skillfully, vowing to forge an underworld empire for Song Nianqiang rather than for himself. Do not underestimate these few words; they held an essential distinction.

"Hehe, I knew you could do it. Once you establish the underworld empire, it will belong to both of us. However, I won't meddle in your day-to-day affairs. Even after the dynasty is built, I won't ask questions; I simply want to experience the thrill of it." Song Nianqiang spoke the truth. He was doing this purely for the thrill of playing the boss, yet he never expected that this casual idea would impact the global underworld for a full decade. Ten years later, no one could shake the underworld empire that spanned across the three continents of Asia, Europe, and America.

Hearing this, a trace of deeply moved emotion flashed across Goshawk's eyes. Ultimately, he made a decision he would never regret for the rest of his life. Right then and there, Goshawk dropped to one knee, raised his right hand, extended his middle three fingers, and swore to the heavens: "I, Cang Xiaoman, swear to the heavens that from this day forward, I acknowledge Song Nianqiang as my boss. May gods and men alike strike me down if I ever break this oath!" Goshawk spoke with absolute finality, finishing before Song Nianqiang could even stop him.

"Goshawk, you really didn't have to go this far." Seeing Goshawk take such an oath, Song Nianqiang couldn't help but reveal a wry smile. In today's society, how many people truly believed in oaths? Yet Goshawk indeed had no way to keep Song Nianqiang tethered to his lifeline. Given Song Nianqiang's temperament, he couldn't care less about keeping tabs on Goshawk's family all day long. Therefore, after much deliberation, Goshawk chose to make this vow. Even if few people believed in it now, he would never violate this oath for the rest of his life—just as he said, if he broke it, gods and men would destroy him together.

"Boss Strong, say no more. The help you've given me is simply too vast. As long as I draw breath, Boss Strong will be my boss for every single day I live. Hehe, and Master Fatty too!" Catching Fatty giving him a peculiar look out of the corner of his eye, Goshawk quickly added.

"Master Fatty and Boss Strong... aren't we mixing generations then?! Hahaha..."

Song Nianqiang joked, unable to stop himself from bursting into loud laughter afterward. His laughter was not because of his own words, but because Goshawk had agreed. Song Nianqiang had absolute confidence in Goshawk's capabilities; given capital and time, as Goshawk had claimed, building an underworld kingdom would definitely not be a problem.

"I'm in a great mood today. Come on, let's go drink!" Looking at Goshawk, whose face was flushed with excitement, Song Nianqiang pointed at him with a smile and said, "You're treating!"

"No problem! Today, I'll risk my life to accompany my gentlemen. As long as it doesn't kill me from drinking, I guarantee to let you both drink to your heart's content!" With that, the three of them walked out amidst loud, hearty laughter.

This brief conversation among the three today sparked an unprecedented upheaval in the future Huaxia underworld. Perhaps the Huaxia underworld had been tranquil for far too long, and those making a living on the streets lacked the bloodshed of the old days. Thus, it was time for Goshawk to wake them up, to teach them that complacency never brings progress.

The three arrived at the finest restaurant in the county, secured a private room, and ordered an untold amount of beer. Several of Goshawk's trusted subordinates were present, but Goshawk did not disclose his conversation with Song Nianqiang to them. To be a boss, one had to possess the political craft of a boss; if you told your subordinates everything, you would never even know how you died.

This drinking session raged on until the world blurred, and by the end, Song Nianqiang had no recollection of how he ended up slumped beneath the table.