Even though he spent most of his time on the ship, Du Lai had heard no shortage of rumors about Fu Lisheng.
They said this man had made his fortune in Singapore, then steadily expanded his influence across all of Southeast Asia. At the height of his power, even government legislators in Singapore would step aside for him.
With such power came naturally enormous dealings. He had monopolized not only the local gambling industry and maritime shipping, but also every variety of shady, unsavory enterprise — arms smuggling and the like — leaving not a single thing untouched. Naturally he had many enemies as well — yet Fu Lisheng was almost supernaturally fortunate: he had escaped death on multiple occasions, each time completely unscathed.
And yet perhaps there was truly such a thing as cause and effect in this world. Fu Lisheng’s business grew ever larger, but his family line remained perpetually thin. Several wives all died of illness, and he had only a single son.
That only son was ultimately abducted by enemies. His daughter-in-law was taken too, and the couple were skinned and dismembered alive. Video footage was sent to the media, causing a sensation at the time.
After that, Fu Lisheng began to fade from public view.
Even though his influence remained substantial, it seemed as though he was deliberately whittling down his own presence. No one knew his health condition, no one knew where he was, no one knew whether he had remarried or had more children. He had become like a recluse — or perhaps a more accurate description would be a venomous snake lying in wait in the shadows, silently watching over his territory.
Du Lai had a clear-eyed view of himself: he knew a few tricks, and had a bit of cleverness — but to go poking a figure of this magnitude was a bit like being in a hurry to die, wasn’t it?
He had thought his Shifu was coming to him for some wealthy collector’s prized piece, or perhaps something from a museum exhibition. He hadn’t imagined it was a legendary figure like this one. How could he not be shaken?
Perhaps his reaction was too obvious. Shifu chuckled and said: “Don’t make that face, Du Lai. I don’t take on anything I’m not confident about. This time, someone very important is helping us oversee the plan — vehicles, manpower, weapons, and the route to get inside are all arranged. All we’re missing is someone with the right touch. You know how the old saying goes: everything is in place, all we need is the east wind.”
Du Lai lowered his voice and said hesitantly: “Shifu, if it were any other mark, the worst that could happen is a few years behind bars — but going after Fu Lisheng…”
One might well end up skinned and eviscerated, every bone broken, put through eighteen different kinds of torment in turn.
A man like that had every method imaginable to make you suffer.
“I know that too,” Shifu said. “If I didn’t have absolute confidence, I wouldn’t have taken this job either. I don’t mind telling you — we’ve already located Fu Lisheng’s base of operations. He has a vault. Ancient paintings, antiques, all manner of things — just a few pieces pulled from it would bring in hundreds of millions. To keep hackers out, he uses the oldest type of locks. As long as you’re willing to make the move, we’ll have someone on the inside working with you — arranged to get you in as a gardener or something of the sort. Your personal safety will be fully guaranteed — you can set your mind at ease.”
Du Lai furrowed his brow and said nothing.
Shifu watched him for a moment, then reached out and gave his shoulder a gentle pat. “No rush. You can take some time to think it over. This ship won’t dock for another seven days. If you’ve made up your mind by then, come with me when we go ashore.”
Du Lai gave a nod. “Shifu — if it were just me alone, this deal would be easy enough to take. But Xiao Dou and Xiao Miao are still young. And Fu Lisheng has a well-known reputation for being cruel and ruthless — anyone who crosses him suffers for it, and their family suffers too. He has wiped out entire clans before. I have to be careful.”
“I understand,” Shifu said. “But many things in life come with both opportunity and risk alongside each other. You’re not the only person with your particular skill set in this world — if you don’t go, someone else will. Think it over carefully, Du Lai.”
Du Lai nodded, tucked the clippings and magazines Shifu had given him into his prop box, and said: “I’ll think it over properly.”
—