I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 97

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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097-Sold Out
97.
“Young Boss. Will this be alright?”
“What will be?”
After thoroughly beating Hanlin in Yingjie Xian’s office, Scott approached with worry etched across his face.
“That man Hanlin. He’s betrayed us once before. Are you certain it’s wise to simply leave him as is?”
“What else can we do? We’re the ones in a hurry right now.”
“···.”
“Honestly, I don’t like it either. That’s why I gave him a beating… but do we have anyone trustworthy here in China? If we cut him loose and recruit from elsewhere, can you guarantee that person won’t betray us? From what I’ve seen, betrayal is just part of daily life here.”
“Still, something feels off about this.”
“I understand your concern, but let’s just think of it as business. When you’re working, can you only deal with people you like and do good work? Sometimes you have to muddle through even shitty situations and make it work.”
“···..”
“Since he already betrayed us, entrusting him again doesn’t make sense. But we don’t know anyone else here either. So let’s place some hope in the people he brings in. That’s why the next two days are so important. We need to sell the drug.”
“Understood.”
“If things fall apart in the next two days, we’ll think of another approach then. For now, let’s focus on what’s right in front of us.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“By the way, your acting was pretty good back there.”
“Pardon? Acting?”
“Yeah, when we were beating up Hanlin earlier—that good cop, bad cop routine we did. The timing was perfect.”
“Ah… yes… that’s right. Good cop, bad cop. Ahahaha. Ahahaha.”
Scott could never reveal that none of it was acting—it was all genuine.
Such was the fate of an employee.
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.
.
“Hello, friends.”
Three days later.
A hotel in Guangzhou.
Roughly one hundred gangsters from across the nation had gathered.
One might think that’s a large number, but in South Korea alone, even a cursory sweep of the underworld would reveal over a hundred organizations. The fact that only one hundred Chinese gangsters showed up indicated extremely poor turnout.
Probably just street thugs and small-time punks.
Or organizations already crumbling and on their last legs.
It was evidence that Yingjie Xian itself was that weak,
and proof that Assand wasn’t yet that famous.
There’s a lot of work ahead.
But it doesn’t matter.
I’m not here to become the chairman of some Chinese gangster association.
I’m not here to flaunt power either.
I just need to sell Assand.
The only reason I gathered these gangsters today was to sell Assand.
I gripped the microphone and stepped onto the stage.
I despise this sort of thing, but it’s unavoidable if I want to sell the drug.
I couldn’t very well put Scott up there, could I?
As expected, no one on stage looks at me with kind eyes.
What the hell does this bastard do that he’s gathered all these people?
Their expressions ask why he’s brought them all the way here—what does he intend to say?
But I’ve seen far too many of these types.
Treat these bastards well, and they think they’ve become something—they crawl up even higher.
I skip all the unnecessary pleasantries and cut straight to the point.
“Thanks for coming. Let’s skip the formalities—they’re embarrassing for both of us anyway. Straight to business.”
“I’m not curious at all about what’s on your minds or why you’re sitting here. You all have your own circumstances.”
“But I can tell you this with certainty: I can make you all rich.”
“You’re probably thinking this is absurd… but take a look at this.”
I hoisted a large bag onto the table.
Then I flipped it upside down.
Assand tumbled from the bag onto the floor.
“You know what this is? Assand. Assand!”
The gangsters’ eyes changed at the mention of Assand.
They’d never seen it, but they’d heard of it.
A precious commodity impossible to obtain even if you wanted it.
A drug so scarce that dealers can’t sell enough of it.
The hottest item right now.
A drug whose distribution channels are completely unknown.
I’d heard it circulated only in small quantities through drops.
And yet here it is, piled right in front of them.
They came with no real expectations,
sat down because they were promised food and gifts,
came because they were offered a chance to make money—but they had no idea the item was Assand.
Those who’d shown no interest suddenly shifted in their seats.
They pulled their chairs closer, and greed kindled in their eyes.
“Whoa, whoa—don’t pick up what’s fallen. I’ll give each of you a bag when you leave. So let’s not touch what’s spilled.”
“I intend to distribute Assand throughout China. I’d appreciate it if you all helped us in that process.”
“I’ll bring the product to China, and you sell it. That’s all.”
“I provide the goods, you sell them. How’s that? Simple, right?”
“I can’t give all of this vast China to a single organization. So I’m thinking of dividing it by city. What do you think—not a bad idea, is it?”
“If anyone’s confident about a particular city, raise your hand.”
“What if multiple organizations overlap in the same region?”
Someone posed a question.
“Ooh—sharp. You’re hitting the core issue. In that case, we hold an auction. Whoever offers the highest price gets the distribution rights for that region.”
“But there’s a condition. This condition applies equally to all regions, not just one.”
“I’d prefer the selling price not to exceed 50 yuan—that’s about 10,000 won.”
“I understand the desire for profit, but we’re in the distribution phase right now, so bear with us. We won’t take more than 25 yuan—5,000 won—ourselves.”
“You need to keep something for yourselves too. This is truly a gift package from us.”
“In exchange, our marketing strategy is absolutely flawless.”
“I guarantee that in just one year, all of you will become xinxing guizu—newly wealthy elites who’ve ascended into the upper echelons of society.”
“This seems like a pretty solid deal, doesn’t it? What do you all think?”
“Are there any other conditions?”
A voice echoed from somewhere.
“You mean I have to protect my own territory? If I claim Guangzhou but then go sell in Shanghai, that wouldn’t work, right?”
“Isn’t that basic?”
“The problem is there are plenty of people who can’t manage even that.”
I glanced at Hanlin once.
“I prefer people who keep their promises.”
“So the price is frozen at 50 yuan—10,000 won?”
“Selling below that is fine, but I’d prefer you not exceed 50 yuan.”
“Forever?”
“For a while, at least. But don’t worry—once Assand is firmly established, I’ll raise it. For now, let’s focus on distribution. We need to grow the pie. The barrier to entry can’t be too high.”
“Then we’ll take Beijing.”
“Good. Is there anyone else who wants Beijing? Hey, you with your hand up? Beijing, right? How much are you willing to pay for Assand?”
“15 yuan.”
“We’ll give 17 yuan.”
“20 yuan.”
“22 yuan.”
“23 yuan.”
“25 yuan.”
“26 yuan.”
“28 yuan.”
“30 yuan.”
In an instant, a bidding war for Beijing had erupted.
Before I knew it, they’d already surpassed the 25-yuan threshold I’d set—my line in the sand.
This wasn’t good.
If they buy expensive, they’ll have to sell expensive.
Right now, distribution comes before profit.
People need to taste Assand first.
But I couldn’t release more samples either.
Production capacity was already insufficient.
I stopped their bidding war.
“Look, do you really need to push this hard? The price is already set at 50 yuan—10,000 won anyway.”
“It just feels like an item we absolutely have to secure.”
“Since Beijing is such a large territory, what if you split it in half? Or alternatively, you two could form a partnership for this opportunity. Go over there and discuss it between yourselves, then come back. If you still can’t reach an agreement, we’ll hold another auction then.”
“Look, it’s the same for other regions. Let’s negotiate first. Don’t try to turn me into Xingkui through pointless competitive bleeding—I’m already wealthy enough. So now it’s your turn to become rich.”
“It’s not me who needs to make money. It’s all of you.”
“We’ll head to Shanghai.”
“Chongqing.”
“Chengdu.”
“Wuhan.”
“Hangzhou.”
“Qingdao.”
“Tianjin.”
While I was still matching cities with gangster organizations, Scott quietly approached and whispered in my ear.
“The container Jason sent has arrived safely.”
“Yes!”
Thank goodness.
Absolutely thank goodness.
I won’t have to worry about flying for a while.
I smiled, now able to sell Assand to far more locations.
“How much initial stock do you need? What? Pay in cryptocurrency? Other coins won’t work? Absolutely possible, no problem at all.”
“Can you wholesale it to other places? It’s yours now, so do whatever you want. As long as you maintain a 50 yuan difference in distribution to other regions, anything goes.”
“After all, we’re one family bound together by Assand. Let’s help each other out. If you need anything, just say so.”
“Let’s eat here first before we go. I’ve already ordered. Enjoy your meal. Let’s have fun.”
“Oh! Before we really start having fun, I’ll distribute the bags. Come forward in order from the front.”
The people sitting at the front came forward one by one.
Unusually for Chinese, they lined up in an orderly fashion.
It seems gangsters are the best at maintaining public order.
They don’t even litter on the ground.
“Where are you from?”
“I’m Liu Zhuanhua from the Dark Shadow Gang in Shanghai.”
“Nice to meet you. Let’s get along well.”
“I’m Wu Delin from the Poison Snake Gang in Chongqing.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
“I’m Hu Xiaoming from the Flying Eagle Gang in Wuhan.”
“Let’s get along well.”
“I’m Han Ruichang from the Black Dragon Gang in Beijing.”
“Thank you for coming. If you have any difficulties, contact me.”
After distributing the bags, the joyful party began.
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Hanlin watched intently from the stage—the man selling drugs,
or rather, the man selling Assand.
I really can’t figure that man out.
He appears strong, yet he’s flexible.
Flexible, yet he doesn’t break.
He seems infinitely light, yet I sense an invisible weight to him.
He appears scattered, but everything feels calculated.
He’s truly an enigmatic man.
Hanlin decided to become strong.
To learn strength, he needed to stand beside a strong person.
So he resolved to stake his remaining life on that man.
He’d earned some money, but Hanlin’s life remained unstable.
A life that could scatter at any moment.
This time, he felt it acutely.
If that man had chosen differently then, Hanlin might have been buried in cold earth instead of lying in a Hotel.
Perhaps it was a reckless challenge.
Still, he wanted to attempt it once.
He wanted to possess the composure that man displayed.
Even with roughly a hundred Gangsters from across the nation gathered here, he showed no intimidation or fear.
He wanted that kind of fortitude.
It wasn’t recklessness.
It was action born from meticulous calculation.
The drinking session was reaching its peak.
Hanlin approached that man’s table.
And he knelt beside the man and spoke.
His knees bent automatically, as if from having knelt before that man so many times.
“Please accept me.”
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.
.
It seems to have ended well.
I was worried deep down.
What if people didn’t come?
Or what if Assand didn’t sell? I had so many worries, but thankfully it worked out.
I was even worried that someone might suddenly dislike me mid-speech and come running with a blade.
That’s why I prepared a gun in my inventory.
So I could draw it anytime,
so I could take down anyone who rushed at me.
But the response was excellent.
Sold out completely.
Is this how a shopping host who achieved a complete sellout feels? It was truly gratifying.
The alcohol tastes sweet.
Once I return to the Philippines, I’ll need to expand the factory immediately.
I’ve instructed Scott to prepare for the factory expansion.
I’ll have a few drinks here, sleep in my hotel room, and then head back—but suddenly Hanlin drops to his knees beside me and asks me to take him in.
“What are you talking about? Why would I take you in? Besides, my tastes are different from yours. I prefer women.”
“Pfft.”
Huh?
What was that?
I could’ve sworn I just heard Scott laughing.
I’ll deal with Scott later—first, let me handle this guy in front of me.
“No, that’s not it… I want to become stronger.”
“What kind of crazy talk is that? If you want to get stronger, go to an MMA gym. Why are you doing this here?”
“Boss. Or rather, I want to learn under you and become stronger.”
“Hey Scott. Where the hell did you hit this bastard? He’s lost his mind.”
Scott protested indignantly.
“I really hit him gently. Look at his face—the swelling’s already gone down.”
“This guy’s got good recovery, I guess.”
“I’m really being wronged here.”
“So what? Is he just naturally crazy? Though looking at how he smuggled out Assand, he does seem like a lunatic.”
“I apologize for that. But now I want to live sincerely under your guidance. I really do.”
“Scott. What do you think? Should I get fooled again?”
“They say if you get fooled twice, the fool is the idiot, right?”
Scott’s really good at this back-and-forth.
******
Li Guoqing, who had closed his eyes briefly after consuming Assand, shed tears.
His Secretary, finding this strange, asked.
“What’s wrong? Has something happened?”
“I had a dream.”
“Was it a frightening dream?”
“No.”
“Was it a sad dream?”
“No.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“I’ve thought of a way for our China to become the greatest nation in the world, and these are tears of joy.”
After consuming Assand, Li Guoqing had dreamed of China becoming the world’s greatest superpower.
It was an arduous and exhausting path, but through it, China could become the world’s greatest nation.
It was within the realm of feasibility.
If only this were executed, China could become overwhelmingly the greatest nation in the world.
Li Guoqing wiped away his tears and began to draft a roadmap for China to become the world’s greatest.
Wait.
What was it again?
I can’t remember.
The path to becoming the strongest in China, which had been so vivid before my eyes just moments ago, has slipped from my memory.
My mind is blank, and all I feel is hunger.
I’m craving something sweet intensely.
This shouldn’t be happening.
No matter how hard I try to recall that method, the memory simply refuses to surface.
The candy?!
Is that it?
I frantically searched my pockets.
Fortunately, the wrapper was still there.
I quickly summoned the Ministry of State Security director.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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