Chapter 546

On the Cambodia‑Thailand border, a manor with strong local character.

In the luxuriously decorated reception hall, a man with hair half gray, half white, meticulously groomed, and a very refined appearance.

He is standing before a mirror, while a tailor behind him is stitching and measuring his shoulder width and arm length to facilitate a new suit.

"Boss."

Someone outside called out, and the refined‑looking man instinctively turned his head.

But a needle hidden behind his collar pierced his neck.

"Sss!"

The man instinctively covered his neck, furrowed his brows, and said, "How careless!"

The terrified tailor knelt on the spot, repeatedly apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, General, I—I didn't mean to!"

"What do you call me?"

"General, General—no, it's boss!"

The man casually picked up a nearby ashtray, seemed dissatisfied, and pulled a golf ball from a bag beside him.

The terrified tailor turned pale, unable to speak, "B-boss, n-no, don't..."

The man hooked his finger downward, ordering him to lie on the ground, "Close your eyes, be good."

The tailor, trembling with fear, lay on the ground, praying silently in his heart.

The man aimed the golf club at the other's head, made a few simple gestures, then swung forcefully.

The tailor lying on the ground had his skull instantly shattered, blood spilling everywhere; it was clear he wouldn't survive.

"Nice shot, nice shot!"

Yuan Fengxiang clapped from outside, then flattered his way in: "Your ball skills are really improving; that swing, that strike—definitely a hole‑in‑one."

The man called boss removed his "board‑style coat," wiped his neck with a napkin, twisted open the wine bottle on the coffee table to pour a little, then poured some for the other.

"Sit down."

"Thanks, boss. Wow, is this the wine that costs over five hundred thousand a bottle?"

"Wrong, this one is over eight hundred thousand."

The boss pulled a cigar from the box and bit off the tip.

Yuan Fengxiang hurried over and lit it with a lighter.

The boss sucked a breath with a hiss, let it brew in his mouth, then slowly exhaled.

His lazy, comfortable, utterly content demeanor exuded an air of old‑money luxury—this is the ultimate pleasure.

"Speak, what's the matter?"

"Two shipments were intercepted at sea by Longguo military police, a factory in Phnom Penh was also raided; Jianpu Village and Longguo formed a special anti‑drug task force. If it weren't for an insider leaking information, Da Peng would probably have been caught."

Yuan Fengxiang recounted everything he had investigated and learned.

Including her maliciously withholding mercenaries' pay, which could cause them to slack off.

He also suspected that the factory's location was leaked by those two damned mercenaries.

Because the others were peripheral goons; only those two mercenaries had been to the factory, had served as bodyguards for Da Peng, and knew the factory's layout.

The boss slightly furrowed his brows and said helplessly, "I've long told him that if you make your subordinates risk their lives, you must be generous when you act, be magnanimous."

"At a price as low as three hundred dollars, and still deduct three days' pay, anyone would be unhappy."

"That's called being short‑sighted, lacking vision; as for the others, where did they die?"

Yuan Fengxiang: "I'm waiting outside the mansion, hoping to see you."

The boss, with an impatient expression, said, "I dislike people without vision; let them remember it in their next life. When you act, use your brain; money is meant to be spent—unspent, it's just wasteful paper."

"Otherwise, what's the point of doing business? It's obviously for the ultimate pleasure, right?"

Yuan Fengxiang replied, then turned back and made a throat‑slashing gesture toward a subordinate standing outside.

The subordinate left for a moment, and soon a few gunshots rang out outside, clearly indicating that the man named Da Peng had been killed.

On the ground, the tailor's corpse was dragged away by a few bodyguard‑type men, who also called another tailor to come for measurements.

The boss, seeing his hesitant expression, asked, "Anything else?"

Yuan Fengxiang said awkwardly, "Boss, they've also got their eyes on me. My people saw someone in Phnom Penh holding a photo, asking about me?"

"It's not a big issue; later I'll send you to the old den, which is currently expanding new business."

"... Thank you, boss, thank you, boss!"

Yuan Fengxiang was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure.

He pressed his palms together, repeatedly saying 'Sawasdee ka, Sawasdee ka.'

The boss waved his hand indifferently and said, "In this Southeast Asian region I still have some say; as long as you work under me, not even Longguo military police, not even the FBI would dare touch you."

Yuan Fengxiang nodded vigorously, expressing profound gratitude.

Back then, after escaping from Myanmar by phone, I was introduced to Mr. M, who is now the big boss.

With his outstanding fraud techniques and illegal fundraising ability, he helped the boss amass a great fortune in a short time.

Consequently, he rose quickly from an inconspicuous peripheral goon to management, becoming the big boss's right‑hand man.

He asked, "This incident has caused a big stir; the sea‑transport route probably can't operate soon. When you sent me to the old den, were you planning to go overland?"

The boss exhaled a puff of smoke, nodded, "We do have that plan, but this time we must be more cautious, carve out a new route. Have A Nan take a trip."

"Yes, boss."

Soon after, the young man named A Nan limped in.

"Brother Nan."

"No need for formalities, just call me A Nan."

A Nan is the boss's full‑time accountant and has been with him for a long time.

According to rumor, this leg was broken by someone solely to save the boss, showing absolute, unwavering loyalty.

Since all accounts and expenditures have to go through his side, Yuan Fengxiang has always been very courteous to him.

The boss, holding a cigarette between his fingers, pointed at him: "Sit down, we're all comrades; Da Peng's factory was swept away, the goods are gone, the waterways can't be used for a while, so we must go overland. A while back I asked you to arrange people to open a new route—how's the preparation going?"

A Nan: "We've already found one. Its concealment and safety are good, completely avoiding all border patrols. It passes through a stronghold midway, and the surrounding dozens of kilometers are barren."

"If we can get the people in the stronghold to cover us and transport the final stretch, that would be even more secure."

Yuan Fengxiang suggested: "That's easy. The mountain folk haven't seen the world; just go talk to their chieftain and give them more money, and that'll do."

A Nan shook his head: "We've already talked, but didn't reach an agreement."

"They won't even take more money?"

The boss frowned slightly, looking a bit displeased.

A Nan nodded: "No matter how much we add, they refuse."

The boss: "It has to be this stronghold? Aren't there any others willing to cooperate nearby?"

"Other strongholds are often patrolled by border forces; that spot is a vacuum zone. If we go overland and send the goods from the old hideout, that route is the most suitable."

Yuan Fengxiang, as if recalling something, raised a finger: "I've got a solution. Send people over to kill everyone in the stronghold, then replace them all with our men, and that'll work, right?"

The boss gave him a kick: "Do you think I'm a born killing maniac? If we slaughter a stronghold's people and some have relatives in the city, what will we do when they can't be reached to report it?"

"Uh…"

Yuan Fengxiang fell silent.

The boss exhaled a puff of smoke and said: "First go threaten their chieftain."

"We threatened them, but it had no effect."

"Even that doesn't work, is their bone that hard?"

"He says he went there, served as a militia, fought in wars."

"We'll discuss it one last time; money isn't the issue—anything solvable with money isn't a problem. Be friendlier, lower our stance, and tell them we're here to help them become prosperous."

The boss took a puff of his cigar, helplessly spread his hands: "If this still can't be settled, let Liang Hao lead men over there, kill the elders first, then the youngsters, and keep killing until they compromise and agree."

"Yuan Fengxiang, after you go to the old hideout, you're in charge of overseeing this; coincidentally Liang Hao is also there, you can go keep him company."