172: Chapter 169 Open Cards

As for whether the FBI here in the US would investigate, it was clear they wouldn't.

Most of these Mexicans were undocumented immigrants who had snuck into the country; nobody would care if they died here.

Unless you committed a crime right in front of the FBI, they wouldn't bother—unless they were idiots, though of course, if there was money involved, that might be a different story.

Glancing over, Li Changsheng noticed quite a few people crowded near Third Master's office. Looking inside, he saw several people lying on the ground, covered with white cloths.

They stood around them in silence.

Li Changsheng consciously softened his footsteps. These people might have committed many illegal acts, but they always held a Chinese heart.

They did not harm their own countrymen; they were protecting the people here in their own way.

Li Changsheng didn't disturb them, nor did he go to pay his respects. After all, he was an outsider. He had helped where he needed to; he didn't want to get involved in other matters, and he didn't have the time to, either.

"Brother Li, can we talk? Just the two of us?"

Just as Li Changsheng turned to head upstairs, Third Master was pushed out of the crowd by Old Seven.

He was sitting in his wheelchair as always, looking up at Li Changsheng with a sincere expression.

Li Changsheng silently glanced at the group of mechanics behind him, then back at the old man, nodding after a long silence.

"Sure."

"Hmm, Brother Li, shall we go over there to talk?"

Third Master patted Old Seven's hand, signaling him toward a streetlight outside the repair shop.

The three of them walked under the streetlight. It was very bright, casting their shadows clearly on the ground, and many insects could be seen swarming around the lampshade.

Above them, the sky was pitch black, yet filled with the light pollution created by the bustling area.

"Old Seven, you go back first."

Third Master didn't rush to say anything, simply giving the quiet instruction.

Old Seven hesitated slightly, nodded, and turned to walk away.

Seeing this, Li Changsheng looked thoughtful. He didn't know what this old man wanted with him, but he sensed it must be something important, something involving their group.

"I was among the first to come to this overseas land with the big shots back in the day. I'm eighty-five years old this year. I went out to make my way with fellow villagers when I was very young. I went to Guangdong Province at the time, and heard that the US was short on labor and that you could make a lot of money."

"My family was poor back then, so when people said to go work overseas to make money, I just followed them. I didn't know anything at the time. Oh, right, I'm from Sichuan. It's just that after all these years of mixing with people from Guangdong Province and Fujian, I've forgotten how to speak my hometown dialect. Sigh, I..."

"Get to the point. I'm not here to listen to your reminiscences."

Li Changsheng hurriedly cut off the rambling. He felt that if he let this old man keep reminiscing, he wouldn't finish by the end of the night.

Third Master nodded with a smile, but he remained unhurried. He used a vintage diesel lighter to light his pipe, took a deep drag, and then sighed:

"Back then, every day was endless, back-breaking labor. The fellow villagers who came with me felt sorry for me and would fight to help me with my work. But it was already so exhausting; how could they possibly help enough?"

"We built railroads for the Americans, dug mines, built houses, paved roads and bridges; there was endless work every day. Many people died. I was lucky; I survived. Later, when the Americans didn't have as much work, we began to have our own lives."

"But it was miserable back then. No matter where we went, we were discriminated against and bullied. Black people bullied us, the local Indians bullied us, and even the Vietnamese and Koreans who came later bullied us."

"Later, I followed my boss and learned that our countrymen had already been here for a long time, and they could protect us. So, my boss and I joined the Three Dots Society."

"Three Dots Society?"

Hearing this name, Li Changsheng was taken aback. Although he had long suspected that Third Master was a Gang member, and had wondered if they belonged to some well-known Gang, he had never heard of the Three Dots Society.

"Heh heh, Brother Li, it's normal that you haven't heard of this name."

Third Master smiled, tapped his pipe lightly, and explained:

"Many people might not be familiar with the Three Dots Society, but you certainly know its other name: Hongmen."

Upon hearing this name, Li Changsheng's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure. This name was indeed thunderous; there was hardly any Chinese person who didn't know this organization. It was an entity that had spanned two dynasties and still remained robust today. It was said that it still held great influence globally.

"The Three Dots Society was the name used when Hongmen established its overseas branches. Hongmen has different names in different places, such as the Triad, the Three Dots Society, the Heaven and Earth Society, and even the Gelaohui."

"So you are currently the largest Chinese Gang here?"

Li Changsheng asked.

"No!"

Third Master shook his head, a look of sorrow flashing across his face. He took a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaled wisps of blue smoke, and then sighed:

"Strictly speaking, we don't belong to Hongmen anymore."

"Not part of Hongmen? What do you mean?"

Li Changsheng frowned.

"I remember that your Gangs are all very particular about rules. Leaving a Gang rashly—the punishment for that must be quite severe, right?"

"In short, my boss, that is... uh... Elder Zhang's son, has already made some cuts with Hongmen. We still have some contact daily, but we aren't deeply involved."

"As for what impact it has? None, really. Things aren't like they were back in the day. Hongmen is spread all over the world, dispersed into various different Gangs. It's hard for there to be direct connections between them; it's a situation of mutual checks and balances while still being of the same branch."

Third Master's words truly surprised Li Changsheng. Although he had vaguely known that Elder Zhang's son was no simple character, he hadn't expected him to be doing business like this. Working at a foreign enterprise? Who are you trying to kid! Wait!

Suddenly, Li Changsheng was startled and hurriedly asked:

"Third Master, I remember Elder Zhang had a pair of children born after the war ended, right? You call this boss..."

Before, Li Changsheng hadn't thought much of it, but after calculating carefully, he found the timing didn't quite add up. If the children were born after the war ended, logically, when Third Master went abroad, that son would still have been a baby, maybe only a few years old. He went abroad just like that?

"Oh, you're not talking about those two little ones, Yunyun and Youcai, are you? That's not who I'm talking about. Elder Zhang had an eldest son before them, born during the war. Later, to avoid disaster, he was sent abroad."

Third Master shook his head, revealing the hidden truth, and Li Changsheng understood. However, the old man must have been a wealthy person back then; to be able to send offspring abroad during such times, he must have possessed either money or power.

"Hongmen is famous, but it doesn't look like you guys are doing very well. Given the scale of the Mexicans here, they shouldn't be able to do anything to you, right?"

Li Changsheng was still a bit confused.

"Hmph! A bunch of wolf pups! If it were the Hongmen of the past, we would have driven them out long ago. Daring to double-cross us? They must be tired of living!"

Third Master snorted coldly, a fierce look appearing on his face, revealing the aura of a Jianghu outlaw.

"It's just that our branch is now independent, and we have far fewer brothers. The place I manage has few people, but there are a few other locations that add up to about five hundred people. As for why we parted ways with Hongmen, the reason... is simple: because it is no longer the Hongmen of the past."

By the end, Third Master seemed to have had his bones removed; his whole body slumped like a deflated ball.