Chapter 1205 - 916: Transformation

Chapter 1205: Chapter 916: Transformation

"Yes, the first phase of the project, from here to Taifu Town, includes a total of six stops. There are plans for the second and third phases as well."

Takuma said, "Back when I hadn’t retired yet, I was in charge of the budget for this part of the project... Now the scale of our Huaizhi construction has multiplied several times, yet still, we don’t have enough manpower."

"It’s just temporary prosperity. Once the city’s renovation and construction are finished, keeping such a scale outside the inner environment is what truly holds ground."

Huai Shi shook his head, indifferent.

"Boss, don’t you like it?" Takuma was puzzled.

"Yeah, I don’t like it." Huai Shi walked ahead.

"Why?"

"You see, Tanbo Hydraulic, Tanbo Electric, Tanbo Logistics... Huaizhi Construction, Huaizhi Corporation... Aren’t they all the same entity?"

Huai Shi sighed helplessly: "Ultimately, the group’s growth is because Tanbo now is reviving from everything, without self-sufficiency. If left unchecked, continuous expansion, continuously squeezing other businesses’ room to survive, Tanbo will have no future."

It’s foreseeable that if things go on like this, no matter how good the initial intention was, under the continuous monopoly profits, it will sooner or later degenerate into a trash enterprise treating beastified characteristic beings as cash cows.

"Besides, how can I manage everything in this world alone? Others have to at least put in some effort."

Huai Shi paused and said seriously, "Takuma, relying on me alone, it’s impossible to rebuild Tanbo."

"Boss still thinks so far ahead, but if you weren’t here, this city wouldn’t be in this shape." Takuma shook his head to refute: "It’s already completely different from the past."

"Is it?" Huai Shi said, "Just built a few houses, doesn’t count as any achievement."

"It is." Takuma seriously refuted, "I’ve lived here for fifty years, I know exactly what it used to look like... Even if the alliance can maintain order, the Tanbo of the past was not a place where children could run and laugh on the streets."

He looked to the other side of the road, at the children lining up with little yellow flags under the traffic lights.

"Shootings, robberies, car accidents, murders used to be casual ’scenery’ here. Not beautiful, but it was engraved in everyone’s bones."

Takuma sighed softly, "When Hana was going to school in the past, I would ride my little scooter to drop and pick her up. Sometimes I had to find a few people from Long Village. If she was harassed by boys at school, I, as a father in the extreme path, would have a good talk with the boy’s parents.

Even so, I wouldn’t let her drink too much water at school, because the school toilets were littered with syringes... At that time in Tanbo, being in the extreme path, killing people, making others afraid, was the only way to live with dignity. Otherwise, you’d be stepped on."

"Sounds so sad."

"Yes, this is our hometown."

Takuma laughed softly, "No matter how much we despise it, we can’t leave, because after leaving here, we have nowhere to go... But now it’s different. At least when I tell people I live in Tanbo, I can hold my head high. When others talk about someone named Huai Shi, I can boast."

"Let’s not talk about this too much, there’s nothing good to discuss."

Huai Shi laughed, "I hope you talk more about other people."

"Now even your students, Boss, are quite famous." Takuma followed behind, "Not just Miss Yuan Yuan, even Mr. Lin is becoming well-known in the path."

"... So, can’t you discuss something good?" Huai Shi wanted to roll his eyes.

The students of the Prince of Paradise going dark, it’s really embarrassing.

Just couldn’t manage it for a while, how did it become the Dragon Head of the Triad?

Besides, ever since the Wood Cottage was sponsored by the dojo’s mistress, he’s more and more dependent on freeloading... Lin family’s new generation of scum devoured by a little girl, and even flaunting puppy love in front of the teacher, really outrageous.

Someday let him go to Hell for further training.

Unlearned students are mostly pretending, need to be tempered by cruel reality.

It’s time to find a ruler to open a training camp for him.

Huai Shi secretly plotted in his heart.

The two walked far, finally reaching their old ramen spot, only to find it had moved, the owner leveraging a stack of Huaizhi Gang’s unpaid old bills to rent a big space at a discounted price, business now thriving, planning to open a branch.

"How about having eel rice?" Takuma proposed.

Talking of fish, Huai Shi couldn’t help but remember the useless salted fish in his bag, a pang of sorrow.

In the end, they randomly chose a soba noodle place to settle.

Before the meal, the two held tea, casually chatting while watching the scenery outside the window.

"Is Yamashita still in the Huaizhi Gang?"

"Yes." Takuma nodded, "I heard he’s quite successful lately."

"What’s the use of success? Can’t he learn from Ueno? Rarely a chance to turn clean and rise." Huai Shi frowned, "Look at how Ueno built a freight company, isn’t it great?"

"Oh, he actually said privately..."

Takuma hesitated, then lowered his voice, "Though he’s somewhat guilty of your goodwill, not tarnishing your name is more important."

Huai Shi frowned, "How is it tarnishing?"

"That guy told me, mice can’t go out on the streets."

Takuma lowered his head, chewed on a slice of ginger, "Once in the extreme path, always in the extreme path, can’t wash clean.

That guy is just like that—holding a knife competing for survival since birth, can’t change... Besides, already determined long ago, right?

Unlike Ueno, that fool, does whatever people tell him, overly naïve, so everyone cherishes him, never wants him handling troublesome work, so when Boss Fujimoto was around, all the shady works went to Yamashita."

His chopsticks paused, sighed with melancholy, "Boss, you didn’t know? That guy Yamashita, though full of wickedness, is actually a Buddhist."

"Huh?" Huai Shi froze, "Him? Yamashita? A Buddhist?"

"His family originally came from a temple, but being illegitimate, and his mother a hybrid, he was sent to Tanbo. Until his mother passed away, he followed her vegetarian and chanting rituals before the age of fourteen, then he self-reported to the Fujimoto Group, and the next day he went and chopped off a rival’s head.

Knowing mercy and benevolence yet doing such things, he himself said he was beyond saving.

For the five big bosses, he cut off a finger, got a tattoo from the leader, couldn’t go to the bathhouse, and even convenience stores wouldn’t hire him for part-time work. Having been a rat for a day, he would never see the light of day in his lifetime.

Upon saying this, Takuma couldn’t help but smile bitterly, rubbing his face, and repeated his words: "Doing one major thing in this life, being able to proudly tell others that I am a member of the Huaizhi Gang, is already a great blessing.

Where is the sense in shamelessly attempting to start anew when a chance comes, by abandoning the past?"

That night, at the ramen stall on Tanbo Road, the man with a cigarette in his mouth looked up and downed the last drop of sake, muttering to himself:

"Debts of evil must be repaid in kind."

Life in the sunshine was too dazzling, too frightening, for the light would blind eyes accustomed to darkness.

Takuma sighed: "I can actually understand Yamashita’s perspective.

The leader gave everyone a chance to choose anew, but some people don’t want to choose... Tanbo people aren’t those who know how to show gratitude either, there are always shameless scoundrels, and if no one takes charge, wouldn’t it become chaotic?

Besides messing around in the underworld, that guy can’t do anything else, if that’s the case, perhaps he could at least repay this kindness?"

"Sounds so literary, how did I not know the people in the gang were so cultured?" Huai Shi stirred the soba in the dipping sauce, unable to hold back laughter.

Takuma said nothing.

"Why aren’t you speaking? I’m not likely to beat you up, right?" Huai Shi lifted his eyes to look over.

"No, it’s just... I don’t know how to respond," Takuma sighed: "Thinking back carefully, these few days of life feel almost like a beautiful dream.

Sometimes waking in the middle of the night, hearing the sirens outside the window, I still want to climb out and escape. It’s only when I can’t feel the gun under my pillow that I realize everyone can live on without guns now.

Sometimes I even wonder if all this is just a flashback before dying, an illusion... Or maybe the world has changed too fast, and everyone is still not quite used to it."

"You’ll get used to it, Takuma."

Huai Shi said: "You will... Today is different from yesterday, and tomorrow will be different from today. This is a natural change, the difference lies in whether it gets better or worse."

"Leader..."

Takuma hesitated to speak.

"Don’t worry, I’m not angry."

Huai Shi shook his head, "If I were really angry, I would’ve already been angered to death by that guy in the Wood Cottage...

If this is Yamashita’s choice, I won’t stop him. I also believe as long as he’s still around, he will do his best for Tanbo’s future.

Since he can calmly face the mistakes he once made, then he should do his best to repay them, this way is fine."

His chopsticks paused slightly, and he quietly said: "But, let’s not talk about repaying evil debts and ruining reputations anymore."

"Even if everyone else says I’m some kind of hero or a partner of justice, I never think of you as tarnishing my reputation or as burdens..."

Huai Shi lifted his gaze and seriously told him, "If you were to die, I would be very sad."

Opposite the table, the elderly man stood still, stunned.

After a while, lifting his hands, Takuma wiped his reddened eyes and with both hands on his knees, bowed in response: "Yes, Leader!!!"

"Hey, lower your voice, you’re disrupting the restaurant business..."

Huai Shi glared at him. Even the server bringing food nearby was too scared to approach, "Eat your noodles properly, and also, you’re paying for this meal, I didn’t bring any money."

"Yes, Leader!!!"

"I said it, keep it down... Why are you crying at your age... Ah, Miss, please don’t be afraid, my friend is just overacting... Could you please bring him a pack of tissues?"

In the end, the meal was tumultuous.

Before they finished eating, just as Takuma finally returned to normal, Yamashita suddenly appeared out of nowhere, kneeling outside the shop crying for forgiveness, and later Ueno joined in the ruckus.

The entire street knew the leader of the Huaizhi Gang was patrolling, causing Huai Shi’s head to ache like a drum.

In the end, they left in the car, without walking the street.

The pleasant half-day break was thus ruined.

You Yingzhou people, is there something wrong with your heads...?

Asking you to hold on feels like asking you to commit seppuku, can’t you learn something good?

Ridiculous!

By the time Huai Shi returned to the Stone Marrow Pavilion, it was nearly dinnertime.

And then, as he saw the old turtle chatting in the garden with Uncle Fang behind the fence, he was almost scared out of his wits.

It only felt like a bad day was coming to a fittingly unfortunate end.

What the hell!

"What are you doing at my house?" Huai Shi exclaimed in shock.

"Of course, it’s a home visit, Huai Shi."

Rolling up his pants, squatting next to the flower bed and discussing gardening tips with Uncle Fang, the man looked up and took off the straw hat on his head, revealing a full head of white hair.

He proudly raised his eyebrows at the young man.

"Surprise! It’s the teacher’s visit!"

Luo Su said, "Aren’t you surprised?"