Dou Yao shifted through the crowded dance floor full of drunken college students and desperate single guys who wanted some action. The atmosphere was lively, with everyone dancing to the booming bass and electric sound of the techno music. It contrasted with Dou Yao’s gloomy aura as he made a beeline for the back door. As he the back of the room, a guy doing a flashy robotic move shoved into him. Dou Yao, already irritated by recent news, pushed the guy back.

“F*** man!” The guy barked back. He almost tripped over and embarrassed himself in front of the girl he was trying to impress. He turned to look at Dou Yao, an angry, tall, and buffy guy with tattoos all over his arms. “Uh, whatever,” the dancing guy felt like Dou Yao was too big to take on, and hastily moved away.

Dou Yao sneered at the loser, and continued pushing his way toward the back. Standing in front of the door was a larger beefy guy guarding the door.

“What ya want?” asked the beefy guy.

“I want to talk to the boss,” Dou Yao replied. He wasn’t in the mood to talk.

“Boss in a meeting, you gotta come back later.”

“Come on Butcher, you know me, I have something important to discuss.”

Butcher eyed Dou Yao for a moment, trying to weigh his options. The boss didn’t like to be interrupted, but if it was important news, he could get in trouble if he didn’t warn the boss.

“What is it about?” Butcher knew the consequences for pissing off the boss.

“The Ebony Ice Bar, I want to take over it.”

“Geez, boss already made a decision. Taido is taking over it, end of discussion.”

“I have intel that Taido knows some of the police officers. He’s a serious liability.”

Butcher thought for a moment. If Taido had such a past, it was important to discuss it with the boss.

“You got proof?” Butcher asked with one raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, I have photobooks and an old web account,” Dou Yao was pissed in the beginning that the boss passed him over to manage the gambling den. Taido was from another rivaling gang that was absorbed when Shudi took over the underground. It took Dou Yao a few weeks, but he had managed to find some dirt on Taido.

Butch pulled his mouth back to consider, “Hold on.” He pulled out his phone and text something. “Okay, now we wait.”

Dou Yao impatiently waited for ten minutes, “Why couldn’t you just let me go back and wait?”

“You’re f****** kidding me? You think I’m going to go back there and risk my neck for you?”

“I did everything you help your gang get to Qinbei!” Dou Yao raised his voice to scream over the loud music.

The beefy man pushed Dou Yao away, who was screaming into his ear. Dou Yao was about to push back but someone got ahead of him.

“Yo! You're Butcher!?” Asked an ugly tall guy with a tattoo all over his face and arm. He walked toward the beefy guard name Butcher.

“Who the hell are you?” Butch glared at the newcomer.

“Name is Nimbo.”

Butcher quickly recalled the name, “Oh, boss is waiting for you in the back.”

Butcher stepped aside and allowed Nimbo to enter the door.

“Why the hell did you let that guy in!?” Dou Yao thought it was unfair that someone they had never seen before was allowed into the back room.

“That guy Nimbo has a bit of reputation in Yide, so the boss wants to check out the local gang scene and Nimbo was the guy people recommended.”

****

In the backroom of the club, Shudi, an average build guy with a sculpted face, sat on the couch with two women on either side of him. He wasn’t considered a handsome guy, but his demeanor made him attractive. Not to mention the amount of money that was coming in from all his side businesses.

Aside from Shudi, there were two bodyguards in the room. He was making out with the women when he received a message about Dou Yao. He ignored the message. Dou Yao was just a lackey from the Qinbei’s gang. Although the lackey had provided information in the beginning, there was little use for him afterward.

A few moments later, he received a message about Nimbo. According to his sources who were scoping out at the bar in Yide, Nimbo was a gang member involved in selling drugs and often bragged that he was in the top gang in Yide.

From what Shudi had heard about Yide, there wasn’t a centralized gang. It was quite difficult for gangs to survive in Yide, and one of the reasons was the police force, but there was a rumored underground gang that Shudi wanted to investigate.

“Boss, Nimbo is here,” said a voice from another bodyguard standing to guard the private room.

“Let him in,” Shudi ordered.

The door opened, and Shudi saw a tall man with tattoos all over his body walking into the room. The way he walked and carried himself was very much like the typical hoodlums in the street. As he passed by Shudi and took a seat on the otherside, there was a strong rancid odor that almost made the two girls almost puke.

Shudi studied the guy sitting across from him. Almost every single part of his bare skin was covered with tattoos.

“Gee, why are your men so touchy?” Nimbo asked as he reorganized his jacket after having his body checked by one of two guards. “It’s not like I’m going to bring a knife to a meeting.”

“You know our trades, it’s better to be safe,” Shudi said.

“You must be the boss here,” Nimbo said, casually crossing his feet over the coffee table.

“The name is Shudi,” Shudi said. “I heard you’re from a gang in Yide called the Xuwei gang?”

“Yep, I joined over a year ago,” Nimbo waved at one of the girls to pour him a drink.

The Shudi nodded at one of the girls to assist Nimbo. The girl reluctantly agreed, but she kept a bit of distance after handing Nimbo a glass of whisky.

“Hm... Yide is a relatively safe city, and gang activities are very limited," said Shudi after Nimbo settled in. "So I’m curious about the operation of your gang, how are you able to avoid the cops?”

Nimbo knew that Shudi was fishing for information.

“Mind if I smoke?” Nimbo asked, but slowly lifted his jacket, not waiting for Shudi to reply. The bodyguards were on guard when Nimbo lifted up his jacket to retrieve a small case, one of the guards was particularly on alert. Nimbo took a cigar from the case, and lit it up. Smoke rings appeared, and soon the room was filled with a strong herbal scent and misty atmosphere.

“So your name is Nimbo?” asked Shudi. “I saw a yearbook photo from your high school, you were quite skinny back then.”

Nimbo roared out a loud laugh. “Yeah, looks like the big boss of Qinbei has a lot of connections, being able to find my yearbook pictures.”

“You were in a high school gang?” asked Shudi. “After the leaders graduated, the gang dispersed. But the gang scene in Yide is quite sparse. I heard your police department is one of the best in the providence.”

“Yeah, the captain at Yide is quite an active cop, so it’s difficult to have gang activities in the area,” Nimbo replied, puffing out another ring of smoke. “The underground network doesn’t involve itself with too much activity to avoid detection.”

“If you don’t do many activities, how are you funding your members?” Shudi found drugs and women to be more profitable.

“Come on boss, you can’t be the only one asking questions,” said Nimbo. “You mentioned that you are willing to pay for information, how much are you offering?”

“I have 20,000 yuan.”

“20,000 yuan is a lot, but are you looking to expand into Yide? I heard your territory in Qinbei is relatively new.”

Shudi laughed. “I’m a simple businessman, I only run nightclubs. I’m just checking to see if it’s safe for me to enter the Yide market.”

“Yide has a lot of nightclubs. If you want to expand, whatever, it’s not like I know much about the business. I can provide you information, but you have the money?”

Shudi eyed his bodyguard, who took out a paper bag filled with cash. Nimbo eyed the cash with greed and smiled back at Shudi.

“Boss Shudi really knows how to do business,” Nimbo commented. “So, what’s your question again?”

Shudi sneered inside. Nimbo was the typical greedy bastard that could be found anywhere. He would sell his soul for the right price.