Michael Bolton's narrow eyes flashed with a sharp glint, but it quickly disappeared. He nodded, pulled three stacks of bills from the drawer, tossed them onto the desk, and asked, "Is this enough this time?"

James Carter still shook his head and said seriously, "Brother Michael, I really don't know where Jin Er is right now..."

Michael Bolton sighed, picked up the cigarette box on the table, took out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.

He didn't need to say a word; the burly men around him all stood up in unison and started walking toward James Carter.

James Carter was so scared his blood nearly froze, but his expression didn't change at all. He continued, "However, I can arrange to meet him."

This sentence made the men who were approaching him all stop in their tracks and, without prior agreement, turn to look at Michael Bolton.

Michael Bolton exhaled a puff of smoke and asked with a slow smile, "You know Jin Er?"

"I've met him twice." Once at the police station, and once in front of the Tang Dynasty Grand Hotel.

"You've only met him twice, and you're confident you can get him to show up?" Michael Bolton shook his head and laughed.

"I have my ways."

"What ways?"

"I can't say yet, but I can tell Brother Michael the time and place to meet him. I just want to know, what does Brother Michael plan to do with him?"

"Heh heh." Michael Bolton grinned and asked in return, "Little brother, how do you want me to deal with him?"

"Brother Michael doesn't do things just because I want it that way. I just want to hear what's really on your mind."

"Kid." Michael Bolton shook his head with a smile, raised his chubby hand, pointed at James Carter, and said, "You've got guts, talking to me like this. But I like it. I'll kill him. Are you satisfied with that answer?"

"Deal." James Carter nodded with a smile, without even thinking.

"You have a grudge against him?"

"I don't want to know about the grievances between Brother Michael and him, and I hope Brother Michael won't ask about my relationship with him either."

"Haha." Michael Bolton laughed out loud. This young man looked only sixteen or seventeen, with delicate features, a thin build, and the clean-cut look of a good student, but he sure had guts, and he was quick-witted too. Now Michael Bolton was genuinely interested in James Carter.

He suddenly picked up a stack of bills and tossed it to James Carter. The latter caught it instinctively, looking at him in confusion.

"Consider this a deposit. Once it's done, I'll give you another hundred thousand."

James Carter looked at the bills in his hand and asked, "Brother Michael, aren't you afraid I'll just take your money and run?"

"If I dare to give you the money, I'm confident I can find you again. If you can hide somewhere I can't find you, then with your skills, you wouldn't care about this ten thousand anyway." Michael Bolton said cheerfully.

He really was a mafia boss—bold and confident. Even when he spoke kindly, he inspired a sense of fear.

James Carter put the stack of bills back on the table and shook his head. "Brother Michael, I'm not here for the money."

Money is a good thing; you can do a lot with it. But he didn't dare take Michael Bolton's money. He knew that once he accepted it, he'd never be able to cut ties with him for the rest of his life. After the Jin Er matter was settled, he didn't want anything more to do with Michael Bolton.

People from the underworld were the ones he despised most.

Michael Bolton stared at him for a long time. After a while, he grinned, no longer insisting he take the money. He picked up a business card with two fingers, handed it to James Carter, and said, "Little brother, once you arrange to meet Jin Er, call me. Remember, my promise still stands—once it's done, a hundred thousand."

"Thank you, Brother Michael, but as I said, I'm not doing this for the money."

Michael Bolton shrugged.

James Carter said, "I should go."

"Take care." Michael Bolton nodded at him.

He watched as James Carter walked out of the office. After a moment, the office erupted like a boiling pot. Everyone crowded around the desk, all talking at once: "Brother Michael, do you really think that kid can get Jin Er to show up?"

"Yeah, Jin Er is so scared of us he's like a startled bird. Would he really dare show his face now?"

Michael Bolton held his cigarette at an angle, looked around at everyone, snorted with a laugh, and asked, "Do you really think that kid just came here to mess with us?"

"Well..."

"Let's wait and see. Maybe he really does have a way to get Jin Er to show up. But we can't rely on him alone. You all keep looking. As long as Jin Er is still in D City, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you bring him to me."

By the end, Michael Bolton was gritting his teeth, all traces of kindness gone from his face, replaced by a fierce, menacing look.

"Understood, Brother Michael."

Chapter 7: Preparation

The next day, Saturday.

In the morning, James Carter attended tutoring. At noon, after school, he went home. He didn't stay at home long before heading out to Jane Harris's house.

James Carter, Samuel Thompson, and Jane Harris had been playmates since childhood. Their families lived in the same neighborhood, and since their parents' generation already knew each other, they often got together to chat and eat. Naturally, the three of them were as close as could be.