Brian Carter disdainfully gave the two of them another punch and a kick, then went off to make a phone call. Damn, disturbing people’s dreams so early in the morning, messing with my mood, and you’re only offering two or three thousand?

He dialed 999 to call the police, and had just said, “I want to report a crime.”

Blondie A wailed, “Boss, I’ll pay thirty thousand, thirty thousand! I’ll have to borrow it from Boss, and I’ll have to pay a lot of interest just to get my hands on it.”

Brian Carter hung up the phone, looking suspicious. “Thirty thousand, huh? Not impossible to consider, but we’ll have to take it slow.”

After quickly sitting down, he found two ropes at home and tied up the two Blondie, then went out to buy some things. After all, it was only 1990, and digital cameras were still lab products or high-end, non-industrialized items just starting to hit the market.

He could only buy a film camera and some rolls of film.

When he got home, he had the two Blondie write confessions, admitting to crimes like illegal forced entry and armed assault, which had seriously disturbed the daily life and personal safety of resident Brian Carter. Under Brian Carter’s persuasion, they recognized their mistakes and crimes.

They willingly offered compensation to seek Little Brian’s forgiveness.

Once the confessions were written, signed, and fingerprinted, he took photos as evidence.

After that, Brian Carter had the two of them reenact the forced entry: after knocking and opening the door, they barged in without any conversation or questioning, representing Mingda Group’s thuggish pressure to force Brian Carter to leave immediately. Even with a lease in hand, Little Brian still had some of his furniture smashed by the two.

This performance involved walking around, stopping, and posing for photos.

Finally, Brian Carter put away the camera and recorder, waved happily at the two, and said, “Within seven days, thirty thousand each. After seven days, interest starts accruing. Take care, gentlemen, and you’re welcome to come again next time.”

He was basically dirt poor, and to have such visitors at his door early in the morning—well, with master-level Bajiquan and cooking skills, he could only say, “Come again next time.”

Scraping together from here and there, and with the ability to buy skills or even attribute points at any time, these were good days indeed.

……………………

Outside a six-story walk-up, the two Blondie, supporting each other, looked up at the fifth floor. Meeting each other’s eyes, they both felt like crying but had no tears.

What a mess. According to the investigation, only decent people lived in this old building—so how did they run into someone even more ruthless than themselves?

After a moment, Blondie A recovered, gritting his teeth. “Coward, are we really going to borrow money from Boss? Pay him? I’m not convinced!”

Coward frowned. “Mr. Turner told us not to go too far. The old man said Mingda Group is collecting on the building, but we can’t damage the company’s image. We’re only supposed to scare people a bit at the door—that’s the red line. If anyone calls the police, we have to stop…”

“Or mess with the water, electricity, or make some noise.”

“If we try to get people to snatch back those confessions and IOUs, and succeed, but he calls the police, it’ll be a big problem for us. If we fail, it’s even worse. If it affects Mingda’s image, Boss will have us buried at sea, right? Not worth risking our lives.”

These thugs might act tough and intimidating in front of ordinary citizens, but when facing top real estate companies like Mingda? They’re not even worth a chamber pot.

Even the top triads in Hong Kong have to kneel before big capital like Mingda.

Blondie A was so angry his liver hurt, but after thinking it over, he still felt Coward was right. It’s just tens of thousands—if things get out of hand, no matter what happens to Brian Carter, they’ll end up in a terrible situation.

Tens of thousands just isn’t worth risking your life.

Chapter 6: Let It Go, The Place Is Surrounded by Police

A few days later, Brian Carter was walking down the streets of Wan Chai eating an ice cream, gazing at the surroundings and feeling full of emotion.

These past few days were when he truly got to know the environment. Eric Bennett, John Clark, and Mark Foster had once again gone off to play the insulin trade in Macao, leaving him free and easy… He’d asked around about a few things on the street.

For example, in this world there was no Big Brother B from Causeway Bay, nor any figures like Handsome Kwan or Jiang Tiansheng.

Even in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, there weren’t many familiar faces. Instead, Michelle, who was kept by the tycoon Huo Jingliang, and Elaine, who often appeared in gossip magazines with Mingda Group’s third young master Henry Bennett, were among the most popular female stars.

After finishing his ice cream and looking around again, Brian Carter had just thrown the stick into the trash when he saw, not far away under the blazing sun, by the flowerbed in front of an office building plaza, a chubby guy in overalls and a white shirt, wearing old-fashioned glasses, eating a boxed lunch with his head down.

That chubby guy startled Little Brian.

“The world’s most agile fat man? I was just marveling at how different the entertainment industry is in this universe—who is this? Which story is he from?”

Seeing Peter Hall… Wait, this is the Genesis world, so that chubby guy must have another identity.

With nothing better to do, Brian Carter went to a convenience store by the road and bought a bottle of water, then watched the chubby guy from dozens of meters away. He wasn’t in a hurry to approach or talk—he’d observe the situation first.

Over the next while, he watched from a distance and found that the chubby guy worked at a jewelry store on the street level of a commercial shopping center in Wan Chai. He also followed him after work and discovered that the chubby guy lived in a very old, rundown walk-up building.

This walk-up was even more dilapidated than where Brian Carter was currently renting.

………………