Brother Snake then asked Sun Neng and his group which village they had gone to today to get the money.
Sun Neng and the others didn't dare hide anything, answering honestly that it was Duan Village.
Hearing the words Duan Village, Brother Snake's heart skipped a beat. Especially when he heard them mention seeing a very elegant girl, he hurriedly asked, "What did you say that girl in Duan Village looked like?"
"Quite young, looks under twenty, wearing a beige overcoat, and extremely pretty. She had three or four women with her, all in black suits, looking like female bodyguards."
Brother Snake's heart sank completely, but he forced himself to stay calm, saying in a dismissive tone, "That might just be some boss bringing his bodyguards. Rich folks nowadays love that sort of thing, hiring a few women to keep up appearances."
"By the way, you guys didn't go up and talk to them, did you?"
Although Sun Neng and his crew thought Brother Snake was acting a bit strange, they shook their heads honestly. "No, no, we just took a look from a distance and didn't talk to them."
Brother Snake nodded, then suddenly changed the subject. "Here's the deal, you guys need to prepare another hundred thousand yuan."
Sun Neng and the others were momentarily stunned. "Brother... Brother Snake, why? Haven't we already given enough money?"
Brother Snake sighed, putting on a troubled expression. "I only just received the news from the syndicate today myself, and I forgot to tell you earlier. The rules of the syndicate have changed. If you want to join the Ten Thousand Dragons Syndicate, you have to show some real skills. I also want to recommend a few capable and reliable brothers, so I can look good in front of Brother Ma and the others."
"But besides scamming and deceiving, what else can you guys do? Do you have any presentable skills? Not a single one!"
"So, I have no choice but to take the brother in charge of recruitment out for a meal and grease some palms."
Sun Neng hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Snake, we still need to grease palms? But we've already handed over three hundred thousand!"
Brother Snake frowned. "Xiaosun, you just don't understand the rules. That three hundred thousand is at most my referral fee for recommending you. It's like buying a house. Is it enough to just pay for the house? Don't you still have to pay the agent a fee for their hard work? Don't you have to buy the bank loan officer a meal?"
"Also, do you know how many people are in the Ten Thousand Dragons Syndicate now? Over ten thousand! Yet, how many are actual core members, the ones who wear black suits? A little over a thousand. Do you think the remaining ten thousand people don't want to wear black suits? Of course they do, but the quota is very limited."
"You guys are still outsiders. If you fork out another hundred thousand now, you can directly put on the black suits. Is that too much?"
"If you still don't understand, let me do the math for you. Once you join, black-suit members get a base salary of around five thousand a month. A custom-tailored suit is worth two to three thousand. There are attendance subsidies, year-end dividends, bonuses for good performance, and you can drive company cars whenever you want... Do the math yourselves. Won't you make back this little initial investment in just a few months? Not to mention the tributes you'll get from outsiders."
"In short, are you going to pay or not? If not, take this seventy thousand back and don't come to me for favors ever again!"
Sun Neng and the others were just calculating Brother Snake's words in their heads, wondering if they could really make their money back in a few months. But before they could figure it out, they suddenly heard his last sentence and instantly panicked.
"Brother Snake, don't be angry. A hundred thousand it is. You're right, money that needs to be spent must be spent!"
"It's just, could you give us an exact time? It would be best if you could take us to see our Ten Thousand Dragons Syndicate, just so the brothers can have some peace of mind."
Brother Snake rolled his eyes around and suddenly smiled. "You've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve, kid. Fine! It just so happens I have to go to the Pearl City headquarters tomorrow for business. As long as you give me the money first, I'll take you to broaden your horizons, and let you witness the grandeur of the Ten Thousand Dragons Syndicate while we're at it!"
The five men immediately became excited.
"Can we really go?"
"When I, Brother Snake, speak, my word is gold. But be sharp when you go, don't go looking around everywhere. Once you join the Ten Thousand Dragons Syndicate and become one of our own brothers, then it won't matter."
Hearing Brother Snake's words, Sun Neng finally gritted his teeth and made up his mind. "Alright! Brother Snake, we trust you!"
Sun Neng then shot a glance at the other four. Although somewhat reluctant, they honestly took out all the money they had on them and placed it on the table. Adding the seventy thousand already on the table, they barely scraped together a hundred and twenty thousand.
"Brother Snake, this is our entire life savings right now. Could you take a look and see if you can give us a grace period for the rest? Once we join the Ten Thousand Dragons Syndicate, we'll definitely make it up to you!"
Brother Snake's face first showed a troubled expression, but ultimately he nodded. "Fine, I'll make an exception this one time. Tomorrow morning at six, gather here again, and I'll take you to Pearl City."
Then he added in his heart, "I'm slipping away tonight. You guys can just wait here slowly tomorrow."
Ever since he heard earlier that these blind fools had scammed people from the eldest miss's own village, Brother Snake knew he could no longer use the name of the Ten Thousand Dragons Syndicate to con people out of money. It was time to leave Wushui County and lie low for a while.
That was why he temporarily changed his tune and asked Sun Neng and his crew to cough up another hundred thousand yuan.
Of course, this price was just something he threw out casually; whatever Sun Neng and the others could scrape together would do.
"Thank you, Brother Snake! Thank you, Brother Snake!" The five men thanked him profusely once again.
"Alright, go back now. Get some good rest and be energetic tomorrow. Don't embarrass me." Brother Snake waved his hand.
The five men backed out of the chess and card room with a thousand thanks.
As soon as the door closed, Brother Snake eagerly lunged at the table, sweeping all the bills into his arms and shouting excitedly, "I'm rich, I'm rich! Now, even if I go out of town, this is enough to live it up for a while."
However, when he saw that there was still a subordinate in the room, he immediately reined in his excited expression and put on his big boss airs again.
"Um... Xiaojun."
The subordinate hurried forward, his eyes still fixed intently on the cash on the table, swallowing hard. "Brother, your orders."
He thought his boss was going to share some money with him, but the result left him terribly disappointed.
He watched as Brother Snake pulled a ten-yuan bill from his wallet and held it out to Xiaojun. "Go, buy your brother a pack of Chunghwa cigarettes, and then get me some late-night snacks. A roast leg of lamb would be best. I'm in a good mood today."
Xiaojun: "???"
No way? What do you mean?
A pack of Chunghwa and a roast leg of lamb for ten yuan? Did your family's money appreciate a hundred times? How does it go that far?
"Brother, isn't this money a little..."
Brother Snake interrupted him, saying magnanimously, "I know it's a bit small, but keep the change as your errand fee. No need to thank me."
Xiaojun's mouth twitched, and he reluctantly took the ten yuan and left.
Seeing his subordinate leave the room, Brother Snake immediately found a bag and started packing the money, preparing to pack up all the valuables in the chess and card room and take them with him.
He never expected his subordinate to actually buy him cigarettes and a roast leg of lamb; he purely wanted to send the guy away.
Just as he finished packing up his things and picked up his bag, ready to slip away...
Suddenly, with a loud bang!
The front door was violently kicked open from the outside!
