After leaving the Ming Mansion, Li Qiang went straight to the Paramount Ballroom on Yuyuan Road.
Today's Paramount, although it is only a dance hall in name, is more than just a dance hall. It has become Shanghai's largest intelligence black market and an excellent place to recruit dead soldiers.
Years of war and invasion by foreign enemies have already tortured the already miserable people to unspeakable misery. In order to survive, many people had to use their lives as bets, just to have a chance to survive.
Over time, an industry gradually formed, which in turn spawned a large number of middlemen like Li Qiang, who were responsible for accepting commissions from employers, recruiting dead soldiers, and liaising and communicating during the commissioning process.
However, there is an old saying that goes like this: There are a hundred people, and they come in all shapes and sizes.
Although this business is typically characterized by more monks and less meat, because those so-called dead men are usually either betraying the gang, being destitute, or being unsatisfactory gangsters.
Therefore, choosing the right candidate among such a large number of dead soldiers with varying quality levels and successfully completing the commission has naturally become a challenge that tests one's eyesight and judgment.
And this is precisely Li Qiang's strength.
"Hey! Isn't this Young Master Li? Why are you here free today?" As soon as he entered the door, the sharp-eyed Su Yuxiu immediately took the initiative to greet him.
"There is no other way, just take people's money and help them eliminate disasters!" As he said that, Li Qiang took out a silver badge from his arms.
"I didn't expect that Mr. Li is already a second-level intermediary at such a young age. He has a bright future!"
Li Qiang waved his hand, "Sister Xiu, let's stop talking! I'm in a hurry."
"Okay!" After saying that, Su Yuxiu took Li Qiang along the staff passage directly to a dressing room in the backstage, and found a hooded cloak and a silver-white mask of the right size according to his size.
.
"By the way, Sister Xiu, I almost forgot to ask, how much water do you need to pump for each order?" Li Qiang asked while changing clothes.
"10%!" Su Yuxiu's answer was very straightforward.
"Is it too expensive?"
"This is already a preferential price. You have to know that the third-level middleman here charges 15%!"
"Not negotiable?"
"Of course not, unless you have a gold badge." Su Yuxiu said in a businesslike manner.
"Forget it, you get what you pay for, as long as it's worth the money."
Su Yuxiu smiled and said nothing, and after Li Qiang finished changing his clothes, he took him to the tavern on the basement floor.
If the dance hall above is compared to the sunny spring and snow, then the tavern below can only be described as a lower-level person.
Under the dim light, the tavern, which was not small in terms of its size, was already packed with people, and even the sides of the iconic extended bar were full of seats.
People gathered together in twos and threes, noisy, or found a corner alone, observing the surroundings without saying a word, or shamelessly took the initiative to talk to the fierce-looking bartender in front of the bar. The only thing that was surprising
The same thing is that almost all of those people are holding the same style of wine glass.
Even if the cup is empty, no one will put it down, because only the person holding the cup is qualified to die.
This is the rule set by Paramount.
Li Qiang's arrival naturally attracted the attention of many people, who all cast longing glances.
If it were anyone else, being watched by so many eyes would inevitably feel a little uncomfortable, but Li Qiang still looked calm, as if he had been accustomed to this, slowly walked up to the fierce-faced bartender, and said word by word:
"Please, send me a commission."
…
At the same time, the small ancestral hall of Ming Mansion.
Ming Jing's whip was fast and fierce, catching Ming Lou off guard. Then a sharp pain shot up from his arm, which severely stimulated his brain and made him gasp.
The condescending Ming Jing subconsciously felt very distressed when he saw this, but he quickly controlled his emotions and swallowed back the concerned words that were about to come to his lips.
"Master Ming, are you awake?" Ming Jing took back his riding whip and asked with a cold face.
"Sister, I have something to say." Minglou said quickly.
Ming Jing then nodded slightly, "Okay! As long as you wake up, don't give a high-sounding speech here. I don't want to do that! It's okay for you to be arrogant and domineering outside. When you get home, you should behave yourself.
Speak humanly! Do you hear me?"
Minglou nodded quickly in agreement.
Ming Jing then reluctantly put the riding whip back on the altar and asked with a gloomy face: "Tell me, what are you doing back to Shanghai this time?"
"Do what Chinese people should do." Minglou replied sincerely.
"What's the proof?" Ming Jing asked again.
"Time, time can prove all this."
"how long?"
"It could be a long time."
"How long is long?"
"Maybe three to five years, maybe seven or eight years."
"Such a long time... gives you enough opportunity to change your mind." Ming Jing paused for a moment before finally introducing the topic of the conversation, "However, I do have a way to distinguish between loyal and traitorous people.
!”
"Sister, please speak."
"I plan to go to Hong Kong in a while."
"Going to Hong Kong?" Minglou couldn't help but be stunned after hearing this.
"Yes, firstly, I have two sums of money to transfer to a bank in Hong Kong; secondly, Mingtai is studying there alone, it's hard work and no one is taking care of him, I want to see him; thirdly,
Three... I want to take two boxes of goods out. But the problem is, my goods are all stuck at Wusongkou! I need two special inspection-free passes for goods entering and exiting from Wusongkou!"
Only then did Minglou suddenly realize that this third incident was the real purpose of the eldest sister calling him to the small ancestral hall, and all the previous ones were just foreshadowing!
But even though he figured out the key, Minglou suddenly felt that the whip he just received was really unfair.
"Sister, you told me earlier, you are asking for help..."
However, before Ming Lou could finish his words, Ming Jing glared back hard.
He quickly changed his words and asked, "When do you want it?"
Before he finished speaking, Ming Jing took out two passes he had prepared in advance and handed them to Ming Lou.
Minglou took it and took a look and found that the other contents on it had been filled in, except for the seal of the Special Agents Committee.
"Then...I'll go back and stamp it for you right now?"
"No need, I've asked Aqiang to ask for it for me. Even if there is no official seal of the Special Task Force, it will be fine if it has the signature of your Commander Ming." As he spoke, Ming Jing sat down slowly, took a deep look at Ming Lou, and said
He said word by word, "So, Sir Ming, do you want to sign or not?"
