Volume One: High School Days Chapter 70: The Power of One

Upon understanding the situation, Butler Jin ordered all the accompanying bodyguards to leave Liusheng’s house, then sat down on the sofa, cradling Husheng in his arms. At the same time, Liusheng learned that Husheng had come to Xinghai City with Butler Jin. Since the butler had matters to attend to, he had left Husheng in the care of the driver. Husheng wanted KFC, and while the driver went to buy it, he left the boy alone in the car. When he returned, Husheng was gone. In a panic, he contacted Butler Jin, who spent two days investigating. Eventually, the butler found footage from the KFC entrance, showing Liusheng with Husheng, which led to the dramatic door-kicking scene.

After recounting everything, Butler Jin announced his intention to personally wipe out the human trafficking ring. At this, Liusheng asked, “And how do you intend to do that?” Butler Jin replied viciously, “Kill them all!” Liusheng smiled and said, “I know the Hu family is powerful, and killing a few people is nothing to you. You could do it without leaving a trace. But that would only satisfy your family’s anger. Across the country, how many people suffer under their oppression, how many families are shattered by them? It would be better to deal with them openly, so not only your family but all the other victims and their relatives would have their justice too.”

“Then I’ll do as you say. I’ll contact the authorities and uproot their base!” Butler Jin said, pulling out his phone, ready to act. Seeing this, Liusheng quickly stopped him. Handling this matter was a mere word for them, but Liusheng wanted to cling tightly to the Hu family’s support—he had to make an impression. So he spoke again, “There’s no need for you to handle such a small matter yourself. Leave it entirely to me.”

“You?” Butler Jin asked in surprise. Liusheng looked like a student—how could he stand against a large trafficking syndicate? But then he remembered that it was Liusheng who had rescued the young master, so perhaps he was extraordinary after all. And if this young man was truly talented, he could be cultivated for Huayong Group’s use.

After a moment’s thought, Butler Jin laughed and said, “Young and capable—I admire your courage. Very well, I’ll leave it to you. Tell me, how many men do you need?”

Liusheng shook his head and raised a single finger.

“A hundred men?” Butler Jin guessed.

Liusheng still shook his head. “Just one!”

Butler Jin’s first thought was that Liusheng was being reckless. “Young man, one must be realistic. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Liusheng met his gaze with unwavering determination, his eyes revealing not only resolve, but a hint of deadly intent. Deeply moved by the young man’s aura, Butler Jin nodded and smiled, “Very well. I hope to see you again. The twelve bodyguards outside all have mercenary backgrounds, each one a battle-hardened warrior. You can pick any of them to protect you.”

Liusheng smiled again. He was doing all this to win the Hu family’s favor—and to do so, he needed to demonstrate his own unique abilities. Seeing Butler Jin had misunderstood, he clarified, “When I say one, I mean myself. Alone.”

At these words, Butler Jin was first incredulous, then reached into his pocket and produced a business card—his own. “As long as you haven’t flown off the planet, wherever you are, call my number and any problem you encounter will be solved.”

With that, Butler Jin left, carrying Husheng. As he reached the door, Liusheng stood up and said, “You broke my door—shouldn’t you get it fixed?”

“You dare go alone against a human trafficking ring—surely fixing a door is no trouble for you,” Butler Jin replied as he walked out.

Once in his car, Butler Jin addressed his twelve bodyguards: “Leave the six best men behind to protect Liusheng covertly. Young men like to boast—let him go alone if he wishes, perhaps it’ll temper his arrogance. But make sure he doesn’t die at the hands of those traffickers!”

“Yes, sir!” Six of the bodyguards split between two cars, front and rear, while Butler Jin’s vehicle stayed in the middle.

After Butler Jin left, one of the remaining bodyguards asked another, “Boss, why does Butler Jin want us to protect that Liusheng?”

The leader took off his sunglasses, wiped them, then put them back on and said, “The young aren’t afraid of anything. Butler Jin wants to temper Liusheng’s character. It seems our butler is very interested in this Liusheng.” He looked at the other five men. “Don’t let anything happen to him. Whoever Butler Jin values, Master Hu values as well. If anything goes wrong with Liusheng, all six of us will pay the price!”

Butler Jin did value Liusheng, but sending him alone against a trafficking syndicate seemed like a delusion. He wanted Liusheng to suffer a setback, to learn a lesson. The young need to experience hardship and failure to understand the road ahead.

Back in Liusheng’s home, Ren Xiadong picked up the phone. “Hello, is this the locksmith? ...No, not for unlocking—a lock replacement!”

Ren Xiadong went to the door and stared at the U-shaped dent in the security door—the bodyguards had simply kicked it into that shape and forced it open. She looked at the damage and said into the phone, “Never mind, don’t bother coming. We need to replace the whole door.”

She returned to the room and saw Liusheng grinning foolishly at the business card in his hand. “Are you crazy? How can you smile at just anything?”

“Is a life of wealth a happy one?” Liusheng asked, still gazing at the card.

“Of course!” Ren Xiadong replied without hesitation.

Liusheng continued, “Do you know what’s even more pleasurable than wealth?”

Ren Xiadong shook her head.

Liusheng saved the number from the gold business card into his phone. Then, using a nail clipper, he scraped off the name and number from the card, tossed it aside, stood up, and said to Ren Xiadong, “It’s power—supreme, unchallenged power!”

He strode out, paused at the door, and said, “I have some things to do. Change the door today.”

“You’re not really going to...” Ren Xiadong said, turning her head—only to see the doorway empty. Liusheng had already taken the elevator down.

As Liusheng drove out of the community, the six bodyguards followed discreetly in two cars, providing covert protection.

With the address provided by the old man from the trafficking ring, Liusheng soon found their headquarters in a suburban township. The village was slated for demolition, with locals moved into new developments. The remaining houses were all rented to migrant workers, making the area a chaotic mix and difficult to police—a perfect base for the traffickers, who hid both their key members and abducted women there.

Liusheng arrived at what they called their “Human Resources Department.” He knocked hard twice on the red front gate. When no one answered for a long time, he was about to climb over the wall when a woman opened the door and glanced out, asking, “Who are you looking for?”

“Oh, someone referred me. I want to buy a woman,” Liusheng replied.

The woman was cautious. “You must have the wrong place. Trafficking is a crime.”

Liusheng cut straight to the point. “In an abandoned factory warehouse, an old man told me to come here—said you had women for sale.”

She muttered under her breath, “Factory, warehouse, old man...” Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Come in.”

Inside, Liusheng noted seven rooms—three to the north, two to the east, and two to the west. As he entered, six men emerged from the northern rooms, all armed.

It was clear these six men and one woman were not the ones in charge. Not wanting to alert the real boss, Liusheng stated his purpose again: “I want to buy a woman.”

The woman whispered a few words to the men, which Liusheng ignored, not bothering to eavesdrop.

After their brief conversation, one man took out a key and opened a door to the west, signaling Liusheng to enter. Inside, he saw a group of young women huddled on the floor. At his entrance, they all shrank back into the corners in fear.

“Well? Any you like?” the man asked. Liusheng shook his head. They opened the opposite room and gestured him in—again, he shook his head. The third and fourth rooms met with the same response.

“Buddy, are you here to pick a girl or to cause trouble?” the man said impatiently, seeing that Liusheng had rejected every option.

Liusheng pulled out fifty thousand yuan in cash and tossed it on the ground. “Anyone else? That’s a deposit. If I find one I like, I’ll pay another fifty thousand.”

He did this to appear as a rich fool—an easy mark. That would surely attract the boss’s attention; no one would ignore such a windfall.

The woman hurried out, and after a while, she returned. “Second Brother wants to see you,” she said.

“Second Brother? Who’s that?” Liusheng wondered, but at least he was getting closer to someone in charge. He could only proceed step by step—eventually, he’d reach the top.

The woman led him to another house. Inside sat a fierce-looking man sporting a heavy gold chain—the “Second Brother.” He waved Liusheng to a seat and said, “Heard you’re looking for a woman, but none here caught your eye?”

“What’s your position in this group?” Liusheng asked impatiently, eager to finish the matter quickly—he still had to take Xiaoya to the airport that night.

Second Brother laughed, poured Liusheng a cup of tea, and said, “I brought you here because I couldn’t bear to let a fat sheep like you go. Since you ask, I’ll tell you straight—I’m the person in charge here. All our business in Xinghai City is under me. So, just tell me what kind of woman you want, and I’ll have one snatched for you. But the price won’t be the same.”

Liusheng’s eyes lit up. “You’re the boss?”

Second Brother waved him off. “Don’t joke. I’m not the real boss. There’s only one true boss, and none of us knows exactly who or where he is. Every city has a manager. You could say I’m Xinghai’s boss.”

Liusheng thought, “Damn, it’s this complicated. No matter, I’ll avenge Bianran first, and more importantly, settle the score for Huayong Group’s young master. Don’t blame me for being ruthless today—I need you as my stepping stone to secure the Hu family’s backing!”

With this thought, Liusheng sprang forward and kicked Second Brother in the face.

The woman ran out screaming, “Help! Somebody help!” Soon, a crowd of thugs rushed into the courtyard.

On the rooftop, the six Hu family bodyguards exchanged words: “Boss, should we help?”

“Wait. Butler Jin said to let him learn a lesson. We’ll move only if his life is in danger.”