Since the moment Hai Long decided to become the leader of the group of young fishermen, he knew that the day would come when he would have to deal with Guan Dahai. Therefore, he specifically spent money to gather information about Guan Dahai.
In fact, Guan Dahai was not as formidable as imagined. Upon carefully reviewing his background, it turned out that he was just a thug, and at most, a relatively successful one. The reason he had the support of a gang in the past was because a distant relative of his had become a minor leader of a gang in Donghai City, with dozens of loyal and fearless followers. Guan Dahai had offered almost all his possessions, and only then did his distant relative step in to help him. Later, Guan Dahai continued to pay his distant relative a monthly sum, and seeing how obedient he was, the relative acknowledged Guan Dahai and was willing to help him resolve issues in the underworld.
Recently, it was heard that his distant relative had bought several large fishing boats to fish in international waters and would not return for at least six months after setting sail less than a month ago.
The group of thugs that Guan Dahai had gathered were only capable of bullying ordinary people. As long as Hai Long's followers were willing to stand together and fight back, they would be helpless.
With six months to prepare, Hai Long increased his fishing trips from twice a week to every day. In a week, he could earn several hundred thousand yuan. Considering the market capacity of Donghai City, Hai Long could sell the crabs to other cities, even at a slightly lower price. Several business owners from other cities had already come to him, hoping to buy his crabs in bulk, but he had not yet agreed.
With the money, Hai Long planned to hire mercenaries to train his followers. After six months, it was uncertain who would cause trouble for whom when Guan Dahai returned.
Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan took the lead in bringing the group to a street in Donghai City that specialized in selling controlled knives, where they bought machetes. Then, Hai Long rented several taxis to bring everyone back to the small fishing village to continue catching crabs at sea.
Hai Long was willing to help these young men because he had the idea of bringing them under his control. In the future, as his business grew, he would need manpower. It was better to use these familiar followers than to recruit new people. By sharing hardships and joys with them now, they would develop a sense of belonging and loyalty, making them more reliable and trustworthy.
Today, the buyers were all managers of various restaurants. Hai Long had already informed them to transfer the money directly to his account, without bringing cash. Having worked with him before, they trusted his credibility and had already transferred the money in advance.
This time, only Liu Yong'an's team was responsible for selling the crabs. To give Guan Dahai a shock, Hai Long deliberately had three other teams hide, creating the illusion that he had been abandoned by everyone.
Sure enough, after the restaurant managers left with their crabs, Guan Dahai stormed into the village with his followers and confronted Hai Long. Guan Dahai looked at Hai Long with a sinister smile and said, "Hai Long, I didn't expect you to dare come to the village so openly. Hand over the money, or you'll suffer."
Looking at Guan Dahai, Hai Long smiled and said, "Guan Dahai, you're not playing fair. You sent people to ambush my followers. Have you been a thug for so long that you've forgotten how to do things properly?" As he spoke, Hai Long secretly signaled to his followers.
Guan Dahai said arrogantly, "What can you do if I beat you? I beat you yesterday, and I'll beat you today. If you don't hand over the money, I'll take it myself."
Hai Long smiled and said, "I'll consider the money from last time as protection for the next six months. How about that? I just want to make money, not trouble."
Seeing Hai Long's willingness to negotiate, Guan Dahai laughed and said, "If you want to avoid trouble, that's fine. You have to pay me 200,000 yuan every time you go out to sea, and I'll let you do business here."
Hai Long said helplessly, "I can only give you 100,000 yuan as protection for the next six months. I won't give you more. I don't want to be your enemy. Let's make things easier for each other, okay?"
Seeing Hai Long's lack of cooperation, Guan Dahai looked at him with a sinister expression and said, "I have no problem with that, but have you asked my brothers?" Immediately, over 30 people surrounded Hai Long in a fan shape. Guan Dahai said with a sinister smile, "How about that? Do you still think 100,000 yuan is enough?"
Hai Long ignored Guan Dahai's words. Seeing that his followers had completed the包围, he patted Liu Yong'an's shoulder and said, "It's up to you now." He stepped back and said to Guan Dahai, "I still think 100,000 yuan is enough." Before the enraged Guan Dahai could order his followers, Liu Yong'an shouted, "Brothers, our future depends on this. Fight with all your might!" He led the charge with a machete, and his followers followed.
Guan Dahai watched in horror as Liu Yong'an and his followers, armed with machetes, charged at him. After Liu Yong'an's words, 20 more young men with machetes suddenly appeared from all directions and charged at Guan Dahai and his followers.
In the face of money, these young men erupted with a madness that even frightened Guan Dahai. When 20 people with half-meter-long machetes charge at you, few can remain calm. The people who came with Guan Dahai were thugs who usually bullied the weak and relied on their numbers. They had never been afraid of anyone before, but this was the first time they saw someone charge at them with machetes. Some of them climbed over the walls and fled, while the more timid ones knelt on the ground, trembling and protecting their heads, clearly used to being beaten and knowing how to protect themselves. This made Hai Long even more contemptuous of them.
In fact, Hai Long had instructed his followers not to use real force if the others fled or surrendered. After all, they were not a gang. Hai Long had guessed that these people were cowards; otherwise, they would have gone to the city to compete with real gangs for territory. Running KTVs and saunas was more profitable than extorting the public, but they lacked the courage.
In a moment, most of Guan Dahai's followers had fled, and the rest were kneeling on the ground, trembling. Guan Dahai was not much better, drenched in cold sweat, with more sweat still pouring down his face. Liu Yong'an's machete was less than two centimeters from his eyes.
Guan Dahai had never thought that the young men he had bullied since childhood would one day dare to attack him with knives. He tried to maintain his composure and said to Liu Yong'an, "What are you going to do? Do you know who my boss is? He's the leader of the biggest gang in Donghai City. If you kill me, they won't let you off."
Hai Long walked over, made Liu Yong'an put down his machete, and said to Guan Dahai, "Everyone has a backer. Do you think you're the only one? Guan Dahai, don't think my money is so easy to take."
Guan Dahai was filled with regret. He had never thought he would meet his match. He should have investigated Hai Long's background earlier. Drenched in cold sweat, he stammered, "What do you want? You can't kill me. It won't do you any good."
Hai Long smiled and said, "If we can negotiate, that's good. My demands are simple. I don't want the 100,000 yuan anymore. I'm a businessman, and I'll consider that as protection money. As long as you don't bother me, that's fine. Can you do that?" Guan Dahai nodded quickly.
Hai Long patted Guan Dahai's shoulder and said, "That's right. Can't we talk things out instead of fighting? Take your people and go. By the way, when you recruit followers, choose them carefully. Otherwise, every time you face a situation like this, your followers will abandon you and run away. How embarrassing is that? We all need to save face, don't we?" Everyone laughed.
Faced with Hai Long's ridicule, Guan Dahai's face turned purple, but he could only nod and lead his followers away in disgrace.
As Guan Dahai and his followers disappeared from sight, the small fishing village erupted in unprecedented cheers. Over 20 young men happily patted each other on the back, celebrating their victory over the thugs who had oppressed them for years and their continued prosperous life.
After everyone gradually calmed down, Hai Long smiled and said to the young men, "Do you feel good seeing the thugs who have oppressed our elders for so long in such a miserable state?" Everyone shouted, "Yes!"
Hai Long continued, "That's right, it feels good. Remember this feeling, this excitement. No one can deprive you of the right to enjoy life, and no one has the right to take away the fruits of your labor. When you face a strong enemy, don't be afraid. Use your advantages to show everyone your strength and make your voice heard. From now on, you 20 people are brothers and family. Stick together like a fist. If anyone tries to block your path to happiness, punch them."
Hai Long's words stirred everyone's blood. He continued, "Today, you have proven your loyalty to me. As your leader, I think it's time to raise your salaries. From now on, each of you will earn 200,000 yuan per year, and your bonuses and year-end bonuses will be doubled."
Hearing this, everyone's heads buzzed. A leisurely job now paid 200,000 yuan per year, and the year-end bonus, which was about 10,000 yuan per person, would now be 20,000 yuan. Last night, they were like dogs fleeing in fear, but now they were social elites earning 200,000 yuan per year. This dramatic change made everyone look at Hai Long differently. They realized that by following him, they could have a good life, which strengthened their resolve to follow him.
Hai Long knew that from today on, these people would become his loyal followers. Hai Long was not someone who liked to cause trouble, but that didn't mean he was afraid of it. In the future, there would be fewer people like Guan Dahai. Hai Long planned to start his own company in Donghai City, but doing business would inevitably infringe on others' interests. Ethical competitors would challenge him in business, which he was not afraid of, but unethical ones might hire gangs to attack him. Without capable followers, it would be hard for Hai Long to establish himself in Donghai City. These young men from the fishing village would be the foundation of his future in Donghai City.
Hai Long believed that by treating them sincerely, they would be willing to give their lives for him. He did not blame them for losing the money and even helped them get medical treatment for their injuries. With such high salaries, as long as they continued to build a strong bond, Hai Long believed that one day, they would be willing to die for him.
After driving away Guan Dahai and confirming their salaries, Hai Long told everyone that from the next day, they would go out to sea every morning to catch crabs, with weekends off, meaning 22 working days and 8 rest days each month, and only half a day of work each day, with an annual salary of 200,000 yuan. Everyone had no objections to Hai Long's requirements. Hai Long smiled and said, "Since you're all so happy, start working tomorrow. It's tiring to support you all. Go home and prepare to earn money with me tomorrow." Hearing this, everyone laughed and returned home to prepare for the next day's work.
While Hai Long and his followers were celebrating their victory, Guan Dahai was beating the followers who had come to cause trouble with a baseball bat. Guan Dahai, who was used to bullying others, had never thought he would be humiliated and forced to agree to Hai Long's demands. He thought that with 30 followers, bullying 20 unarmed villagers would be easy. He thought that since he paid them over 2,000 yuan per month, they would protect him in a crisis. But when he saw the villagers with machetes, not only did no one protect him, but they ran away faster than anyone else. Even those who didn't run knelt on the ground and surrendered, hands on their heads. It was a complete loss of face. He realized that the people he had raised were a bunch of cowards.
Guan Dahai thought that when he called these people back, they would cry and beg for forgiveness. Instead, they demanded that he seek help from his distant relative to avenge them. "Pure bullshit. Do you think I need to be told to seek help? Do you think it doesn't cost money? Do you think I can resolve this without spending hundreds of thousands of yuan?" Seeing their bravado, Guan Dahai became even angrier. He picked up a beer bottle and smashed it on the head of the fastest runner, who was now the loudest. The sound of the bottle breaking and the scream filled the room, and everyone fell silent, keeping their distance from Guan Dahai. They knew that fleeing and abandoning him was unrighteous, but facing the red-eyed villagers with machetes, they had no choice but to run. Why should they risk their lives for Guan Dahai? They called each other brothers, but only because he paid them and they could bully others. They just wanted to make a living, not risk their lives for 2,000 yuan. Although they thought this, they couldn't say it out loud because Guan Dahai's background was too powerful. His distant relative was the leader of one of the four major gangs in Donghai City. No one in the underworld dared to cross him. To avoid being hunted by the gang, they had to come when Guan Dahai called, even if it meant getting beaten, which was better than being hunted by real gangsters. They also relied on Guan Dahai's salary to live.
Seeing his bloodied follower lying on the ground, Guan Dahai was still not satisfied. He threw the broken beer bottle and picked up another one, smashing it on the same person's head. Seeing no reaction, he kicked the person and picked up a baseball bat, walking to the corner where his followers were hiding and beating them mercilessly, saying, "Whoever dares to run today, I'll have my cousin kill your whole family. Stand still, I'll beat you to death." They could only stand there helplessly until Guan Dahai was too tired to continue. He then pointed at them and said, "From today, all of you are dismissed. You're a bunch of useless trash, a waste of food. What good are you to me?" After driving them away, Guan Dahai felt a bit better.
Since it was already evening, Guan Dahai planned to buy a large gift and visit his distant cousin Guan Daqiu the next day, even if not for money, to show Hai Long the consequences of crossing him. However, when Guan Dahai brought a red envelope with hundreds of thousands of yuan to find Guan Daqiu, he was greeted by Guan Daqiu's henchman, Ah Xin. He learned that his cousin had bought several large fishing boats and gone to the high seas, and would not return for at least six months.
Seeing Guan Dahai's depressed look, Ah Xin asked, "What's wrong? You look upset. Is there anything I can help with?" As one of the twelve original followers of Guan Daqiu, Ah Xin was his trusted henchman. This time, he stayed behind to manage the business while Guan Daqiu was away, as the situation in Donghai City was unstable.
Guan Dahai thought that Ah Xin could help. Everyone knew that Ah Xin was Guan Daqiu's trusted henchman with dozens of murder cases, mostly gang-related, which Guan Daqiu had smoothed over with money. So, Guan Dahai told Ah Xin about how Liu Yong'an and Liu Yongquan had threatened him with knives when he tried to extort money from Hai Long. In his excitement, he may have left out some details, such as Hai Long's ability to catch crabs from the Devil's Sea, leading Ah Xin to mistakenly believe that Liu Yong'an was the leader.
Ah Xin initially thought it was a minor issue, but when he learned that there were over 20 people, each armed with a knife and willing to use them, he realized it was a significant force. Guan Daqiu had only 12 loyal followers when he started. It was impressive that Hai Long had 20 followers willing to fight for him. Despite being Guan Daqiu's top henchman, Ah Xin was not a mindless brute. With the other three major gangs in Donghai City watching, he had already ordered his followers to consolidate their territory and wait for the boss to return. He was not in a position to confront 20 people led by Liu Yong'an. He could only say helplessly, "I can't make a decision on this. We'll have to wait for the boss to return in six months." Hearing this, Guan Dahai became even more depressed and returned home dejectedly.