Chapter 543: A Proper Businessman

The place Eguchi Toshinari went to was none other than the hospital—St. Luke's International Hospital, the first modern hospital in the history of Japanese medicine. With its excellent environment, superior facilities, and meticulous service, the price tag was correspondingly steep.

As Eguchi Toshinari's trusted aide and the head of his action personnel—a *wakagashira*, and a *o-wakagashira* at that, according to the hierarchy of the Japanese underworld—Nakajima Hiroshi, who had nearly been beaten to death, was qualified to enjoy top-tier medical resources, with the medical bills paid by his boss, Eguchi Toshinari.

Most of the hospital rooms here were single-occupancy. At this moment, in a surgical ward, Nakajima Hiroshi, who used to be imposing and defiant, had lost all his spirit. Because he had been lying in bed all day, eating and drinking well, his short, stocky frame had grown a circle fatter. His hair had grown out messily, and with the bandages wrapped around him and the plaster casts, he was a sight to behold. Most crucially, his once-thick black hair had been shorn into a buzz cut, and the exposed scalp was covered in scabs from several wounds—who knew whose shoe sole had caused them? He looked utterly miserable...

He was watching TV out of boredom. Seeing Eguchi Toshinari walk in, he greeted him with a "Chairman," then picked up the remote to turn off the TV. He told the subordinates accompanying him to leave before he began speaking to Eguchi. "Chairman, how did it go?"

The Japanese were the same; no one liked having a "Vice" in front of their title. On the other hand, it was uncomfortable for the person being addressed that way, too.

Eguchi Toshinari sat on the sofa to the side and shook his head. "Nakajima, the matter of you wanting to retaliate against Wang Yan and that group of Chinese will have to be put on hold for a while."

Nakajima Hiroshi frowned, baring his teeth as he pushed himself up with effort to find a more comfortable position against the headboard. He widened his eyes and questioned, "Why? Are you afraid of that group of Chinese pigs? Yes, you're afraid. You were already afraid when you gave up fifty percent of the profits. These years of peaceful life have cost you your fighting spirit. You are a coward."

Eguchi Toshinari didn't mind his subordinate's offense; he truly had let his subordinate down. On the other hand, given the power Nakajima Hiroshi commanded, he could actually speak to him as an equal. This was the most pathetic thing for a leader.

"Nakajima, you know the situation at the time. If I hadn't done that, both of us would have died there, and you wouldn't be lying in this hospital bed clamoring to get rid of Wang Yan. And I want revenge too, even more than you do. His humiliation of me was even greater than his humiliation of you."

He sighed and shook his head. "But now is truly not the time to get rid of them, because just half an hour ago, Wang Yan sent someone to find me and played a recorded conversation for me. Do you know what it was? Watagawa Kyōhei found Wang Yan and asked him to get rid of the two of us. They want to monopolize the Sanhe Society and subsequently control Tokyo. Nakajima, this is really not the time to clash with those Chinese again. You have witnessed Wang Yan's personal combat prowess. If we cannot kill him in one strike, it will be a huge problem for us. Do not let hatred blind your eyes."

"Where is the recording?"

"He just had someone come over to let me listen to it once. I remember that conversation very clearly. It was Watagawa Kyōhei finding..."

Even with the evidence in hand, Eguchi Toshinari wouldn't let Nakajima Hiroshi listen to it. After all, what was said was that he wanted to kill both of them, but the recording only had Wang Yan killing him alone. To a certain extent, this also showed that Nakajima Hiroshi could be won over in the eyes of the Watagawa-gumi. How could that be allowed? They had to be tied together.

After repeating it with some embellishments, he said, "Wang Yan's intentions are very sinister. He wants to incite infighting between us and the Watagawa-gumi so he can profit from it. But Nakajima, we have no choice but to deal with the Watagawa-gumi. They no longer respect the bonds of our brotherhood. If we don't act, we can only wait for death. Nakajima, don't you understand? We have no choice now. We must get rid of Watagawa Tarō and his son and take over the Watagawa-gumi's power. If Watagawa Tarō and his son don't die, then we will. Only after we pass this hurdle can we get rid of Wang Yan."

After a long silence, Nakajima Hiroshi nodded. "I'm still lying in this hospital bed. The doctor says it will take another two months to recover. I can't go to the front lines. Damn Chinese pigs."

"Nakajima, you don't need to do anything. As long as you stand on my side, as long as you trust me, the final winner will definitely be us. Just focus on recovering here. When this matter is over and you are discharged, I will let you kill Wang Yan with your own hands."

"What are you going to do?"

"We can't be the ones to get rid of Watagawa Tarō. I asked Wang Yan before, wanting him to do it, just as I told you—he wants to profit from our infighting. But he won't do it. There are others who will. You know, there is a group of people from Fujian, China. They are lawless; they steal, they rob, they do everything. They have been eyeing the Tainan Gang for a long time. As long as we agree to their conditions, we can get rid of the Watagawa-gumi, and at the same time, make those Chinese fight among themselves."

After hearing this, Nakajima Hiroshi laughed out loud. "Chairman, I wish you success."

"It will definitely be a success. Rest easy and heal. Have your men come to me for a meeting. I will make some arrangements and try to plan it as meticulously as possible so we can resolve these matters soon and stop living in fear." Eguchi Toshinari stood up and walked to the bedside, grabbing Nakajima Hiroshi's dirty hand, which smelled of medicine. "I will find some more people to protect your safety, lest the Watagawa-gumi people take a risk and come to the hospital to make a move."

Nakajima Hiroshi shook his head. "The Chairman should focus on dealing with the Watagawa-gumi. My own men are enough."

"Alright then, contact me anytime if anything happens. I'll be going now."

Having said that, Eguchi Toshinari patted Nakajima Hiroshi's hand to reassure him and give him strength, then turned and left the ward.

Nakajima Hiroshi ordered the subordinates who came in to call the others and report to Eguchi Toshinari. He also found subordinates to protect him, mobilizing a full ten people from outside the hospital to inside the ward. Only after doing all this did he let out a long breath, leaning against the headboard, feeling the pain brought to him by Wang Yan and his group, and thinking about the whole affair.

He wasn't a fool; he couldn't believe everything Eguchi Toshinari said. He said there was a recording, but he hadn't heard it; it was very likely he was lying to him. In this situation, Eguchi Toshinari's previous actions—having his men go over to listen to commands—were to sideline him, and finding people to protect him was actually to control him.

It was just that although he wasn't a fool, his information was limited, and he had no way to investigate the truth, so he could only ponder it himself. After all, it takes a hundred days to recover from broken bones and tendons; he had plenty of time.

But he wasn't left to ponder for long. Not long after Eguchi Toshinari left, a subordinate came to tell him, "Watagawa Kyōhei is at the hospital entrance with two people. Our men stopped them. He says he wants to see you."

A group of gangsters couldn't possibly have that much power to stop people at will at the entrance of such a hospital. They were just hiding to the side, watching the people coming and going, seeing which guy looked like a gangster. After all, they were all in the same circle; one look was enough to distinguish that gangster aura.

Nakajima Hiroshi couldn't help but frown. "What is he here for?"

"He says he has some things to discuss with you."

After thinking about it, Nakajima Hiroshi nodded. "Bring him over."

This was a hospital with many people and eyes; if Watagawa Kyōhei came in openly, he definitely wouldn't have any unfavorable intentions toward him. Moreover, he had already guessed Watagawa Kyōhei's intent, and he also wanted to hear what this kid had to say and what the facts really looked like.

Soon, Watagawa Kyōhei was led into the ward. Watching Nakajima Hiroshi's little brother go out and close the door, he looked at Nakajima Hiroshi's miserable state. Meeting Nakajima Hiroshi's gaze, he said, "You must be very unwilling."

"What do you want to say?"

"Nakajima, we've known each other for so many years; we can be considered old friends. What do you think of Eguchi?"

"Eguchi Toshinari is the Vice Chairman. Watagawa, I don't hear any respect for the Sanhe Society from you."

"Are you really going to be a dog for Eguchi?" Watagawa Kyōhei teased, looking at him. "You were beaten like this by those Chinese, and for the past month, Eguchi hasn't made a single move. Not only that, he readily processed the identities for those Chinese, and the day for you to reconcile your accounts is coming soon, yet he hasn't urged you. Let me guess, did he tell you that the person named Wang Yan has too much combat power and it's not easy to act if you can't kill him in one strike? Wake up, Nakajima. That's just an excuse he's using to deceive you.

Look at now. Hearing that I was going to find that Wang Yan to get rid of him, he immediately came to find you. Let me guess again: he must have given you a bunch of reasons, finally telling you to wait patiently, that the urgent matter is to deal with our Watagawa-gumi first, preferably killing me and my father, and then settle accounts with that group of Chinese later, right?"

Nakajima Hiroshi was really surprised. He didn't expect Watagawa Kyōhei to know so clearly, so he couldn't help but ask, "How do you know?"

"Eguchi should have told you the general content of my conversation with Wang Yan. The things that happened at Daji Bar that day were only known to those Chinese, Eguchi, you two, and a few other subordinates. Then why do I know? Nakajima, use your brain. Of course, I heard it from your subordinates who experienced that scene that day. I told Wang Yan at noon that I wanted him to help me get rid of Eguchi. After lunch, Wang Yan sent someone to Eguchi's company to find him, and immediately after, Eguchi came to find you. Doesn't this explain the problem?"

"The Chinese are really disappointing. If I had known they didn't keep their word, I shouldn't have looked for them. The Chinese have sinister intentions; they want to see us fight among ourselves so they can expand. But it doesn't matter if Eguchi knows. After all, our discord didn't start today; he was actually prepared long ago. This is also why I looked for Wang Yan—his combat power is indeed very strong; you wouldn't even have the chance to pull the trigger."

Watagawa Kyōhei looked at Nakajima Hiroshi playfully and shook his head. "So you should see clearly now, right? When Eguchi knew we were going to move against him, he immediately came over to stabilize you and ask you for men. And you were beaten into this state by the Chinese, yet he has been dragging it out..."

"If you get rid of Eguchi, how could you possibly keep me? Besides, this time, aren't you dealing with both of us? Didn't you see the people outside? That's to guard against you."

Since the cards were on the table, Nakajima Hiroshi naturally didn't hide anything. His tone was stiff, his eyes glared in anger, and the air was thick with gunpowder.

Watagawa Kyōhei was stunned for a moment, then reacted and shook his head. "Nakajima, I think you misunderstood. This must be Eguchi deliberately lying to you to get your support. If I really wanted to get rid of you, I wouldn't have come to find you now."

Seeing Nakajima Hiroshi fall into deep thought, he continued, "Nakajima, we are the same kind of people. Think about it: after following Eguchi for so many years, what have you gained? You respect him, but what about him? You were beaten half to death by the Chinese and he didn't care. Now that he has trouble himself, he wants you to provide men and effort. Why?"

After a round of output and fanning the flames, Nakajima Hiroshi couldn't hold on anymore, because what Watagawa Kyōhei said was indeed correct; it was a fact that had already happened. If nothing else, Eguchi Toshinari had promised him before that after dealing with the Watagawa-gumi, he would avenge him and kill Wang Yan and the others. But for the past month, Eguchi Toshinari had indeed made no moves. If they had attacked the day after the incident, while Wang Yan hadn't consolidated his power yet, wouldn't that have worked?

If they waited until after dealing with the Watagawa-gumi to act, what would be the difference from before? Wouldn't it still be an assassination? If an assassination didn't work, wouldn't it be hundreds of people attacking the door? Isn't it all the same?

This was something he had figured out when he was pondering it himself before. Now, listening to Watagawa Kyōhei's various logical analyses, bewitchment, and instigation, it was normal to have some thoughts.

He had a rebellious bone to begin with; he just needed something to make him dissatisfied enough to punish. Originally, it was Tie Tou who occupied the territory of Kabukichō and its surroundings, living a good life for many years. Now, it was he who was almost beaten to death, and his boss wouldn't avenge him. His boss encountered danger himself, yet immediately started studying his opponent. One concerned his own interests, the other concerned his own safety; both concerned the future.

But in reality, Eguchi Toshinari had his reasons. Because he didn't understand Wang Yan, but he understood the Watagawa-gumi. He wasn't sure about killing Wang Yan, but he had great confidence in killing the Watagawa-gumi. Moreover, Wang Yan wasn't urgent; there hadn't been a major conflict between the two sides, so there was time to study it slowly. But the Watagawa-gumi was different; they had already started trying to get rid of him, which was imminent and urgent.

It's a pity that people can never truly stand in others' shoes to look at problems. For Nakajima Hiroshi, who already had a rebellious bone, was already a bit reckless, and had been suppressing his anger for a long time, he was even less likely to think from another perspective. He only thought about what he had suffered. In this way, he went down a blind alley, reminding him of all sorts of things in the past, and he felt more and more that Eguchi Toshinari was unforgivable.

So he was silent for a long time before opening his mouth. "I can't take action now. If you want me to move to get rid of Eguchi, that's impossible. Even if I could do it, I couldn't bear the reputation of insubordination. What I can tell you is that he is going to find those Chinese from Fujian, China, to take action. I don't know anything else."

"That's enough. Nakajima, from now on, you will be the Vice Chairman of the Sanhe Society, and the whole of Shinjuku will be yours..."

Watagawa Kyōhei made a promise, as if he had already won...

The development of things, unsurprisingly, always had surprises. Perhaps it was a joke played by fate, or perhaps it was truly destiny, but the two families were destined to have a great battle.

Eguchi Toshinari's temporary response was indeed not as fierce as the Watagawa-gumi's premeditated plan. That night, when Eguchi Toshinari finished discussing matters with someone, he was ambushed. Fortunately, he was prepared in advance; he was only slashed once and shot in the shoulder. The subordinates protecting him suffered heavy losses.

Three days later, Watagawa Tarō was attacked. Two gunmen holding submachine guns strafed the street, firing two magazines of bullets... but didn't kill him. Although Watagawa Tarō was old, he ran quite fast. After all, he was prepared, so he was only hit by one bullet, which pierced his lung. After emergency treatment, his life was saved.

Thus, these two incidents became the fuse for chaos. The scene from the original drama where gangsters held knives and fought in the street also occurred. Who knew how many shops were smashed, and who knew how many people died. Because this kind of public safety incident would absolutely not report the real numbers. After all, Tokyo was an international metropolis; for gangsters to dare to fight in the street was too rampant and even more shameful.

So the riot only lasted for two days before the Watagawa-gumi and Eguchi-gumi, who were not convinced, were suppressed by pressure from above. They had politicians and financial groups involved behind them. However, when gangsters reached a certain level, they could still gain a certain amount of respect—even if they were just half a dog. After all, whether it was politicians or financial groups, they had the power to turn them into real dogs.

Although the internal turmoil of the Sanhe Society was suppressed, maintaining the superficial prosperity of Tokyo, behind the scenes, this matter did not stop. Because they really shouldn't have fought like this. Although it was only a two-day riot, the blow to both sides was huge, resulting in a decrease in the strength of the Sanhe Society.

This also allowed other ambitious gangster groups to see an opportunity. To sum it up in one sentence: Tokyo at night was both a gold-consuming cave and a gladiator arena. Some people were flirting with beauties in drunken dreams, while others were falling at nameless intersections with knives, their eyes filled with infinite attachment and regret...

The way things unfolded was a way Wang Yan hadn't expected. What he could control was that the Sanhe Society would definitely be in chaos, and Tokyo would definitely be in chaos, but he hadn't expected both sides to be so useless that neither could kill the other.

Actually, he could understand the Watagawa-gumi contacting him. After all, he was a new force with ambitions to expand, had a track record, and had a conflict with Eguchi Toshinari beforehand. It wasn't that Watagawa Tarō and his son didn't use their brains; it was precisely because they used their brains that they came to him, because in the eyes of outsiders, he had no reason to refuse. He could eliminate previous hidden dangers and logically expand his territory to earn more money. This was also something the father and son had observed and investigated for a month before coming to the door.

But he didn't cooperate. Not only did he not cooperate, but he also shamelessly betrayed them, ultimately leading to the current situation.

However, all in all, this father and son still had no brains. The Watagawa-gumi's intention was to let the Tongzhou Society kill Eguchi Toshinari first, and then they would borrow the momentum to take revenge, leading men to attack the Tongzhou Society. After all, external war transfers internal contradictions, right? At the same time, they could smoothly take over Eguchi Toshinari's power without any worries.

But since they were already gangsters, what evidence was there to talk about? Just send someone to kill Eguchi Toshinari directly, and then say the Tongzhou Society did it, and just attack the door. Where was the need to do those empty things?

Perhaps, they really had some persistence? Who knows...

Anyway, the current situation was extremely favorable for Wang Yan. Even if he still hadn't expanded, he still had a bountiful harvest. The previous industries now all belonged to the Tongzhou Society. In addition, the most critical point: the opponent's weakness was one's own strength.

Fighting a war, of course, one cannot ignore the individual quality of the people fighting for their lives on the front line, but logistics was also an important part of ensuring combat effectiveness. Medical treatment for injuries and disabilities cost money, cremation for deaths cost money, eating and drinking cost money; everything cost money. Coupled with the destruction of various money-making places, not earning was losing, and spending too much money.

So now, the status of the two sides was not exactly reversed, but even if there was some gap, it wasn't a big problem. And now the Sanhe Society was still fighting with other gangsters, and the situation was not good.

But even so, Wang Yan did not choose to join the ranks of beating the Sanhe Society; he was just cultivating his subordinates. Only when the outside fought until their dog brains came out could he develop.

Recently, what he had been doing was fulfilling his promises, sending all the previous people back, entering the country with proper visas, joining companies legally to work, and enjoying proper employee benefits. So, in fact, his subordinates had never been full. Recently, through various recommendations, he selectively supplemented some, which could be considered a slight expansion.

His main energy was still not in the gangster circle. After all, he was not a gangster, but a thorough businessman who did proper business...

From the beginning of VCD research to now, two months had passed, and the time had reached June. Wang Yan led Zhou Yi Xian and some others who joined later to successfully develop the VCD. And there were already lawyers going to register patents. At the same time, long before, the production line that Wang Yan had already started investing in had also been more than half built in the factory on the outskirts of Tokyo.

As for where the money came from, on one hand, it was the gift from the dead ghost Gao Hong, and on the other hand, it was that he mortgaged all the assets of the Tongzhou Society, and all the money he got was invested in the construction of the production line.

The time had come; it was time to make an appearance. Wang Yan spent money to find reporters from many business and entertainment newspapers. In the still simple company, he let a little Japanese subordinate he hired later come out to introduce the product, which was holding a product launch.

Although the current machine was hand-rubbed, it was actually very exquisite, looking square, simple, and generous. Compared to the machine that played video tapes, it was lighter, thinner, better looking, and used optical discs for storage, which also saved more space. Because Japan was an island country, it was quite sensitive to this sense of space. If nothing else, the reporters who came to interview were quite satisfied... ===== CHAPTER 544 =====