Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

Sigh, all I can say is that in a foreign land, you really can only rely on your fellow countrymen!

"Oh, I see..."

Crocodile felt a little regretful, but quickly came to terms with it—he made a living with his brain, not his physical strength, so if he didn't want to learn, he didn't have to. As long as Li Xin could fight, that was enough.

After figuring it out, Crocodile rubbed his hands together happily and said to Li Xin, "Xin, let's go to the Treasure Island Club tomorrow and ask that kid Kao Chieh for money!"

Some time ago, after Gao Jie became suspicious of Crocodile's identity, his attitude towards him plummeted. Crocodile remembered this all along. However, he was also feeling guilty at the time, so he could only try to avoid contact with Gao Jie. Now that his luck has turned around, he naturally wants to show off and confront Gao Jie directly to see how ugly he looks!

The next afternoon (the club was closed in the morning), Crocodile excitedly led Li Xin to the Treasure Island Club. The two men in black suits were still there to greet them at the door. This time, they were very respectful to Crocodile and Li Xin. Before Crocodile could even speak, one of them said with a smile, "Brother Crocodile, Mr. Li Xin, the gang leader is waiting for you two in his office on the third floor!"

Crocodile was very satisfied with the two men's attitude. You see, before, even these two guys had started to look down on Crocodile and acted arrogantly towards him. Now, the tables have turned, and it's Crocodile's turn to show off again.

However, Crocodile Man didn't show his smugness. On the contrary, he pretended to be angry and said loudly, "How rude! When I came here, that kid Gao Jie didn't even come out to greet me personally. Does he not respect me? Quickly make Gao Jie come out to greet me personally!"

The two men in black suits were sweating profusely and could only bow and scrape to Crocodile, saying, "We are so sorry, Crocodile, our boss is currently entertaining very important guests, which is why he couldn't come to greet us in person. Please forgive us!"

"Guests? What guests? Could they be more important than me and Ashin?"

Crocodile Man raised his head and said.

With confidence in his heart, Crocodile speaks with conviction.

The two men in black suits were practically cursing under their breath. They already knew that Crocodile was just a low-level old swindler, but what could they do when Crocodile had climbed up the social ladder and had a master like Mr. Ah Xin willing to work for him? They could only continue to shamelessly say, "We are guests of the East Lake Gang."

"The Donghu Gang?"

Upon hearing the man in the black suit mention the Donghu Gang, Crocodile frowned immediately. Sensing a change in Crocodile's attitude, Li Xin asked in a low voice, "What is the Donghu Gang?"

Crocodile replied to Li Xin in a very low voice, "They are one of the largest gangs in Taiwan. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they have connections everywhere. We'd better not provoke them."

Hong Kong's triads and Taiwan's gangs have an inextricable relationship. Crocodile, being a con artist, is extremely well-informed and knows a great deal about the Donghu Gang. He knows this is not someone to be trifled with, so his attitude towards the two men in black suits softens. He no longer acts aloof and says, "Since you are guests of the Donghu Gang, I'll give you face and overlook the fact that Gao Jie didn't come to greet us. Please take us to a private room to rest. Gao Jie can come and see us after he finishes entertaining his guests."

The two men in black suits knew from Crocodile's words that the reputation of the East Lake Gang had intimidated him, and they couldn't help but feel secretly pleased. No matter how big your image is, you still have to back down when facing the East Lake Gang.

However, they dared not reveal their true intentions. Instead, they said, "No need to wait. The gang leader instructed that if Crocodile and Mr. Ah Xin come, we should go directly to them. That guest also wants to get to know Mr. Ah Xin... and Crocodile."

Want to get to know us? You're probably trying to poach Ashin, aren't you?

Crocodile was furious, but he couldn't show it too obviously, so he kicked the man in the black suit who had spoken and said, "Lead the way!"

The man in the black suit was furious after being kicked, but he didn't dare show it. He could only lead Li Xin and Crocodile to Gao Jie's office on the third floor of the club and knock on the door: "Boss, Mr. Xin and Crocodile are here."

"Let them in."

Kao Chieh's voice came from inside the door. The man in the black suit opened the door and then gestured for Li Xin and Crocodile to enter.

Crocodile pulled out his brown aviator sunglasses and put them on to add some imposing presence, then said to Li Xin, "Let's go in!"

Crocodile was prepared to enter Kao Chieh's office with the mindset of facing a fierce and ruthless gang leader, but as soon as he entered, he was stunned by the sexy woman sitting on the sofa.

Haitang, dressed in red, sat on the sofa. Her red trench coat covered her body completely, except for a pair of delicate, white legs that were exposed. She wasn't wearing stockings, and they were so white they were dazzling. Crocodile couldn't help but want to take a few more glances. Fortunately, Li Xin quietly pushed Crocodile from behind, which brought Crocodile back to his senses.

"Boss Gao, who is this...?"

When he was sober, Crocodile was quite observant. He noticed that the woman in red was sitting in the office, while Gao Jie, the owner of the place, was standing. He couldn't help but make some guesses about the woman's identity.

Kao Chieh revealed a frightening smile on his fierce face. He said, "This is Miss Haitang, the daughter of Mr. Hai'an, the leader of the Donghu Gang. She heard that our Tainan Gang was in trouble, so she came to Japan to help us."

This statement is clearly Kao Chieh trying to elevate his own status. What kind of underworld standing does the Tung-Hu Gang have? How could they possibly come to help the Tainan Gang? So the truth is that Kao Chieh had no choice but to turn to his hometown of Taiwan for help after failing to get help from the Triads. After begging and pleading, he finally made contact with the Tung-Hu Gang. The Tung-Hu Gang also seemed very interested in developing in Japan, which is why they sent their young mistress, Hai-Tang, to check out the underworld ecosystem in Tokyo to see if it was suitable for the Tung-Hu Gang to develop.

After all, Tokyo is now the undisputed number one city in Asia, and Japan is a country where organized crime is legal. Which gang wouldn't want to come to Tokyo to make money? Kaohsiung's request for help gave the Donghu Gang an opportunity to infiltrate Japan. Otherwise, how could a mere Tainan gang have alarmed Haitang, the daughter of the gang leader who holds a position second only to the gang leader?

Haitang didn't expose Gao Jie's boasting. Why would she do something that only brought temporary pleasure and no benefit? She simply gave a faint smile and said to Li Xin and Crocodile, "What happened at the Hillch Club last night, you were the ones who did it, weren't you?"

Crocodile pushed up his sunglasses. Since none of the people here had clean records, there was no need to be so secretive. He said directly, "That's right, we did it, Ashin!"

Li Xin threw the photo at Haitang. Although Gao Jie was the employer, Li Xin knew who was really in charge here.

When Li Xin threw the photo at her, Haitang reached out and caught it before it hit the ground. Li Xin's expression changed slightly, and he felt that this woman was not simple.

Haitang glanced at the photo, then handed it to Gao Jie. Gao Jie took the photo with both hands, looked at it, and nodded slightly to Haitang.

Although it was already almost certain that Li Xin was behind the Hillc Club incident, the appearance of this photo finally confirms it for Kao Chieh.

"Boss Gao, can we check the work results now? If so, please pay the payment."

Crocodile said to Gao Jie, but although he was talking to Gao Jie, Crocodile's eyes never left Haitang. This time it was not because he was blinded by lust, but because he sensed the danger of this woman, Haitang.

He was from Hong Kong, but he had also heard that Haitang, the daughter of the leader of the Donghu Gang in Taiwan, was a woman who was not inferior to men. At a young age, she had already made great contributions to the Donghu Gang and led the gang to seize a lot of territory. She was the undisputed second-in-command of the Donghu Gang. This was not because she was the daughter of the gang leader, but because she earned it by fighting her way up.

Indeed, the seemingly beautiful woman in front of him is actually a highly skilled expert, which is one of the reasons why Crocodile felt that Begonia was in danger.

Haitang smiled slightly, her smile charming and alluring: "Of course I will pay the fee, but I would still like to know how Mr. Ashin completed the work. I have heard that there are quite a few skilled people in the Hillchi Club."

Gao Jie and Haitang had mentioned the monster henchmen of the Theobe Alliance, and besides the BOSS's corpse, there were more than a dozen charred corpses with astonishing size at the scene of the fire at the Hillchi Club. These should be those monster henchmen. Li Xin's strength should not be underestimated if he can deal with so many monster henchmen, but Haitang still wanted to confirm just how strong Li Xin's strength was.

"Go in, kill people, it's that simple."

Li Xin said very coldly.

"Oh, it's that simple?"

Haitang spoke with great interest.

"It's that simple, what else?"

Li Xin countered with a question.

Haitang's smile remained unchanged, as if she had no dissatisfaction with Li Xin's perfunctory answer.

The Hillch Club was burned down last night. The Tainan gang could only find out how many bodies were inside and what they looked like. But to get a detailed autopsy report would be asking too much of them. So Haitang couldn't analyze Li Xin's strength from the bodies' appearance. She could only listen to Li Xin's account. The simpler Li Xin's account was, the higher Haitang's expectations for him became.

No empty boasting; that's what a truly skilled person should look like.

It should be noted that Haitang's purpose in coming to Tokyo was merely a pretext to help the Tainan boxing team; her real aim was to establish herself in Tokyo, and now was precisely the time for her to recruit more members.

Compared to the Japanese, or even the Tainan gang, Li Xin, who is powerful and has few connections, is undoubtedly a better choice. That's why Haitang wanted to recruit Li Xin.

As one of the largest gangs in Taiwan, the Donghu Gang naturally has some extraordinary individuals in charge. However, the main role of these individuals is to protect the Donghu Gang's headquarters, not to help the gang expand its territory.

Haitang's trip to Japan this time relied solely on some loyal subordinates. While they were certainly skilled, they were not quite enough to establish themselves in Tokyo, a city teeming with hidden talents.

Of course, if Haitang were willing to follow the example of the Tainan gang and attach herself to a local big gang like the Triads, she could make a living. But the problem is, did the Donghu gang come all the way to Tokyo just to beg for food? Of course not. The Donghu gang wants to establish its own base in Tokyo, so it must have strong fighting power.

Just then, Li Xin appeared in front of Haitang. How could Haitang let Li Xin go so easily?

"Boss Gao, give Mr. A-Xin his reward."

Haitang said to Gao Jie, then looked at Li Xin: "Mr. A-Xin, our Donghu Gang has just arrived in Tokyo and is in need of manpower. Would you be interested in joining the Donghu Gang? If you agree, you will receive 20 million yen every month without having to do anything. If there is anything that requires your help, we will pay you extra. In addition, I am willing to share all the revenue in Tokyo with you at the end of each year. What do you think of these terms, Mr. A-Xin?"

Crocodile looked at Li Xin anxiously, only to see Li Xin take the small box containing 30 million yen from Gao Jie and turn to walk towards the office door. Seeing Crocodile standing there, he asked, "Crocodile, why aren't you leaving?"

Crocodile was overjoyed, and his body trembled again. He smiled at Haitang and said, "Miss Haitang, if you want Ah Xin to help, you should come to me. I am Ah Xin's manager, and I can arrange everything for him. But if you want Ah Xin to join your East Lake Gang... tsk tsk tsk, this price is not enough!"

Haitang smiled slightly, showing no anger, and remained very amiable: "Is that so? That's a real pity. But personally, I'm very willing to wait for Ah Xin to change his mind. Let's meet again someday."

Li Xin didn't answer, but pushed the door open and left. Seeing how decisively Li Xin left, Crocodile stopped talking and immediately followed.

After the two left, Haitang wasn't furious; instead, she laughed and said, "Heh, he's quite an interesting person!"

Gao Jie approached Haitang and whispered to her, "Miss Haitang, they're so ungrateful, don't you think..."

Suddenly, Gao Jie felt a chill run through his body. He saw that Haitang was no longer the amiable person she had been when facing Li Xin and Crocodile Man. Her eyes were filled with icy murderous intent, which made Gao Jie involuntarily take two steps back.

"Chief Gao, mind your own business and don't worry about other things. This is a one-time exception."

Haitang said coldly.

Even if someone as skilled as Mr. Ashin can't be one of us, we should at least try to develop him into a friend. Turning him into an enemy? Am I out of my mind? This Kao Chieh is definitely not trustworthy. Once we're settled, I'll find a chance to get rid of him!

Haitang thought to herself.

Chapter Thirty Money Laundering

"Ah-Xin, with such great offers, aren't you really tempted?"

After leaving the Treasure Island Club, Crocodile kept asking Li Xin questions until Li Xin got annoyed and could only reply, "I don't make money from just any kind of money."

Join the underworld, and see if the village chief and village party secretary don't beat him to death!

Li Xin muttered to himself.

Now that he has a chance to live, Li Xin is unlikely to do anything that shows a lack of will to survive.

Upon hearing Li Xin's reply, Crocodile was overjoyed: "I knew you were the most loyal person, Ah Xin!"

No, I simply can't get involved in organized crime.

Li Xin thought to himself, if it were someone else who made the same request, he would have agreed immediately. It was only because Haitang was a gangster's daughter that Li Xin refused.

"By the way, Crocodile, could you transfer my money back to my village for me?"

Li Xin said to Crocodile Man.

Fifty percent of the thirty million yen, plus the two million yen saved up before (one million for Iwasaki Megumi and one million for protecting the Azuki sisters), that's seventeen million yen, which is more than one million seven hundred thousand yuan. That's enough money to build houses in Shibalipu Village. Although they might not be able to build very nice houses, the people of Shibalipu Village don't have that many demands. They used to live in mud-walled houses!

So, 1.7 million should be enough to solve their immediate problem. Li Xin can earn the rest slowly.

Crocodile knew about Li Xin's situation and hadn't taken it seriously before, but now he felt a little uneasy.

If Ashin knew I take such a huge cut, would he kill me?

To be honest, Crocodile regretted asking Li Xin for a share of the profits when he thought Li Xin was easy to fool. Given how much Li Xin cared about money, even if Crocodile and Li Xin got along well, once Li Xin knew the going rate in the assassin industry, he might just kill Crocodile. This made Crocodile a little scared.

Crocodile Man rolled his eyes and said to Li Xin, "Ah Xin, I am also heartbroken about what happened in your hometown. How about this, from now on, we will split our profits 30/70, you get 30% and I get 70%... no, I get 30% and you get 70%, it's my way of repaying your fellow villagers for giving me such a good partner."

"Crocodile!"

Li Xin said gratefully, "Thank you. So, will the profit sharing be changed starting from this deal?"

I'm telling you, Ashin, even if you're just going to pretend, you could at least politely decline...

Crocodile was heartbroken. If Li Xin said no, he would immediately go back on his word. Later, when Li Xin found out the real profit sharing in the industry, Crocodile would have a way to settle accounts with him. Crocodile could say that he had mentioned a 30/70 split to Li Xin before, but Li Xin refused. He never expected that Li Xin would not fall for the trap at all. Not only did he take the bait directly, but he also calculated the commission for this order as a 30/70 split. This was truly a case of losing both his wife and his army!

Although Li Xin didn't know why Crocodile had suddenly become so kind, he was very clear that even if Crocodile was kind, it would only be temporary. If he didn't seize this opportunity, Crocodile might change his mind the next second. Li Xin wasn't going to be so stupid as to gamble on Crocodile's character.

This battle was a victory for Li Xin!

After his heart ached for a while, Crocodile said to Li Xin, "Since you say you want to transfer the money back to the mainland, let's find an underground bank first, launder the money, and then transfer it back to the mainland cleanly."

"Money laundering? Is Japanese money so dirty that it needs to be laundered?"

A series of questions popped into Li Xin's mind. Not long ago, he was just a country boy who had just entered this industry. How would he know what money laundering was?

"Hey……"

Crocodile scratched his head, gestured for Li Xin to lean closer, and whispered, "Do you think this money can be spent so easily? What you and I received is legally called 'funds of unknown origin,' or 'large sums of funds of unknown origin.' Let me ask you, if the police ask where this money came from, how will you answer? Did you earn it by killing someone? If you're spending the cash little by little, that's fine, but if you want to transfer the money out, you have to go through a process and make sure the origin of this money is clean, otherwise your fellow villager will also get into trouble! Ah Xin, you don't want your fellow villager to be invited for tea by the police, do you?"

Li Xin swallowed hard and shook his head vigorously. Of course, he didn't want the villagers to be invited for questioning by the police for accepting "large sums of money from unknown sources," and he dared not let the villagers know that he was making money illegally.

"So, is there a service fee for money laundering? How much is it?"

Li Xin asked the crocodile man.

He wasn't a novice who had just left Shibali Village; he knew that no one in this world would help him for free, and the "service fee" for money laundering would probably be no small sum.

"Thirty or forty, I guess."

"That's what the crocodile man replied."

"Oh, that's alright..."

Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief.

It was only three or four hundred thousand yen, which was still within Li Xin's acceptable range.

Crocodile Man shook his head slightly, and Li Xin's eye twitched: "It can't be three or four hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars, can it?"

This made Li Xin want to hit someone.

Crocodile shook his head again and said, "It's thirty or forty percent. For every money laundered, the money launderers take at least thirty or forty percent. And if the amount is large and they need it urgently, fifty or sixty percent is possible."

"Where are they? I'm going to kill them!"

Li Xin gritted his teeth and said.

This was the first time Li Xin had spontaneously felt murderous intent towards anyone.

I worked my ass off to earn this money through blood and sweat, and these bastards dared to smoke so much of it! I'll make sure they get what's coming to me!

Crocodile Man hurriedly comforted Li Xin, saying, "Hey, Ah Xin, don't do this. If you kill them, you'll ruin your reputation in the industry, and no one will dare to do business with us in the future!"

Underground banks, as functional institutions within the underworld, are protected by the rules of the underworld because everyone will need them someday. If someone were to mess with an underground bank on a whim, it would be tantamount to incurring the wrath of the masses. Although they might not be besieged by the entire underworld, no one in the underworld would dare to do business with that person in the future.

Li Xin took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress his urge... Damn it, he couldn't suppress it at all, he really wanted to kill someone!