#118 - Article 118
Cheng Yi's appearance was perfectly timed to alleviate some of Eight Hundred's pressure.
After all, a single robot can sometimes be overwhelmed by all the tasks.
He took Cheng Yi straight to the Hong Sect, disregarding the curious gazes of the Hong Sect disciples.
He summoned Eight Hundred, wanting to see what kind of reaction would occur when the two robots were together in the same room.
The result was quite dull; neither robot spoke, simply staring coldly at the other.
The coldness in their eyes seemed capable of freezing the surrounding air.
It wasn't until Cheng Feng introduced them that the two robots began to introduce themselves.
"I am Eight Hundred, a Honored Guardian of the Hong Sect," Eight Hundred's voice was as hard as steel, devoid of any emotion.
"I am Cheng Yi, I don't have any specific tasks," Cheng Yi's voice sounded somewhat awkward, as if still adjusting to the new environment.
Their conversation was brief and direct, without excessive pleasantries or superfluous questions. Watching the two robots communicate, Cheng Feng felt a bit of a headache.
Cheng Feng had no choice but to personally intervene: "Eight Hundred, can you copy the information you've collected to Cheng Yi?"
"Yes, Master," Eight Hundred replied.
"Then do it now," Cheng Feng waited quietly.
Eight Hundred pointed his finger at Cheng Yi, who turned around, lifted the skin on the back of his head, revealing a silver-white metal skull. Layers of protection were removed, and an interface on the back of his head was connected to Eight Hundred's fingertip transmission port.
The information transfer was very fast.
It ended in about ten seconds.
Watching the two robots complete this terrifying scene,
Cheng Feng wasn't afraid; instead, he saw the common ground between them. They were both robots, both existing to complete tasks.
Their lives had no emotions, no personal desires, only loyalty and obedience to commands.
"I hope you two can get along," Cheng Feng said with a smile, "Cheng Yi, you're new here, and like Eight Hundred, you'll be playing a cold, aloof persona. There may be many things you don't understand, and Eight Hundred will help you. Also, from now on, you are also a member of the Honored Guardian Hall, reporting directly to Eight Hundred. You don't need to listen to anyone else's orders except mine."
Eight Hundred didn't speak, but a hint of agreement flashed in his eyes.
Cheng Yi nodded and said, "I will work hard to learn."
Cheng Feng turned and left, still pondering their relationship in his mind. Perhaps they would become good friends, or perhaps they would maintain this cold relationship forever.
But it didn't matter; what Cheng Feng valued most was their invincible strength below the Blood Refinement Realm.
Looking at the current strength of the Hong Sect, it was time to expand after tomorrow.
A gang without the ambition to expand would be suspected.
After Sui Ran, Cheng Feng had Wang Hu secretly inquire about the information of the surrounding small gangs.
A true man stands between heaven and earth.
How can he remain subservient to others for long?
Moreover, Cheng Feng had consumed so many resources in the early stages; they had to be returned to Cheng Feng somehow.
It's not realistic to rely on Cheng Feng to keep providing resources.
Isn't the purpose of starting a business to obtain more benefits?
It's not that Cheng Feng was pretending; he just felt he wasn't prepared.
Now that he was fully prepared, he would seize as much territory as possible before those big bosses could react.
Although the matter of marrying Mei Niang was being put on the agenda,
there had to be people to cheer him on, right?
Previously, Cheng Feng wasn't an insider and wasn't very clear about the inside story of the gangs.
Now that he had Wang Hu, an old fox, Cheng Feng had a deep understanding of the gang situation.
The Blood Wolf Gang in the North City, the Black Snake Gang in the West City, the Red Star Gang in the East City, and the Green Bamboo Gang in the South City,
these were the major gangs that controlled the districts.
But there were also some loosely managed small gangs in the areas bordering the surrounding gangs,
creating buffer zones between the gangs.
Similar to small countries between large countries,
they wouldn't directly engage in warfare; they could still talk things over when something happened.
In addition, the government was unwilling to see a single local force become dominant, and some officials and captains were also collecting open tributes, so some superficial efforts were maintained.
But gang organizations always needed to make money.
So they would occupy some streets and markets and charge protection fees and stall fees.
Big gangs were different; they directly had profit sharing.
They even ran their own businesses: gambling dens, brothels, transportation, coolie labor, and incense sales. As long as there was money to be made, they were involved.
Cheng Feng's current operation was still small-scale. Ten or twenty catties were simply insignificant compared to the vast market.
And the route was outward, not within the county, otherwise, it would be discovered sooner or later.
But if he continued to grow, that wouldn't necessarily be the case.
Cheng Feng also wouldn't forget that there were martial arts schools that also had their own profit sharing in the county.
The intricate network of relationships made Cheng Feng a little dizzy. This was really not Cheng Feng's forte.
Getting involved in relationships was really too troublesome.
Fortunately, Wang Hu knew Cheng Feng's character and offered simple advice.
The buffer zones between the gangs provided Cheng Feng with rare living space. He could use the small gangs in these areas as his allies to jointly resist the oppression of the large gangs. Although these allies had limited strength, their existence would give Cheng Feng more bargaining chips and force the large gangs to think twice before acting.
He could also directly replace them. With the current strength of the Hong Sect, those mediocre small gangs could be captured easily, but the subsequent pressure from the large gangs would be difficult to handle. Sooner or later, there would be a fight, and the consequences of death and injury would naturally have to be borne by himself.
Cheng Feng directly chose the second option. He had raised these people for so long; without territory and money, what was the point!
The opportunity was given to them. If they wanted to stand out, they had to risk their lives to fight, snatch, and seize.
They were all martial artists in the Strength Training Realm. If they couldn't beat those mediocre guys, then they would really be ashamed of Cheng Feng's training.
Cheng Feng's goal was very clear: to truly gain a foothold, he must have enough strength. Now that he had the strength, how to take the next step, how to determine the strategy, and how to proceed were the current problems.
He began to consider expanding his sphere of influence, as well as the future manpower, income, and salaries of the gang.
The Hong Sect was built on the corpse of the Tiger Head Gang.
It took over the Tiger Head Gang's legacy.
The Tiger Head Gang started with freight transportation and also had two gambling dens and one brothel. As for business dealings, most of them were transactions with other gangs or merchants, including some shady deals.
In Cheng Feng's view, those shady deals were completely unnecessary, secretly cutting someone, the bounty, etc.
In Cheng Feng's view, it was just not presentable. After taking over, he stopped it.
Knocking people out with a sap, hitting them with black bricks, killing and burying people was a complete package.
How old-fashioned!
And there wasn't much profit.
A new gang must have new ideas.
The territory must be large, the subordinates must be numerous, the profits must be high, and the business must be stable.
Cheng Feng envisioned that the Hong Sect would not only increase its income through traditional protection fees and stall fees in the future but also begin to venture into some legitimate businesses.
Although these businesses didn't need to be large-scale at first, Cheng Feng believed that as long as he persisted, he would eventually accumulate enough wealth and resources.
At the same time, Cheng Feng also realized the importance of maintaining a good relationship with the government. He knew that although the government was unwilling to see a single local force become dominant, it would not sit idly by and watch small gangs be annexed by large gangs.
But this area needed someone to contact them. Whether it was giving money or using tricks, there had to be someone in the court who could speak up. This area was currently a blind spot. Nie Yuan had never thought of this before, and Wang Hu had thought of it, but he didn't have the strength to achieve it.
The martial arts schools and local clans all had their own stable businesses. As long as they didn't get involved or rely on each other, then these were not problems.
