The End of the Legend

Afterwards, developments unfolded just as Zhang San had imagined.

That new assassin used means to establish himself that were much the same as Zhang San's - nothing more than "money" and "gentle negotiation", plus the backdrop of the easygoing underworld in this country. Before long the new assassin had made a great name for himself, and his professional skills weren't much different from Zhang San's either.

The new assassin even copied Zhang San's policy of "If the mission fails, the full deposit will be returned".

In just a few months, the new assassin even developed an organization faster than Zhang San, recruiting not just local hoodlums, but some colleagues from Dawu Country as well.

Doing this allowed the new assassin organization to expand at a breakneck, celestial-tier speed.

But as Zhang San had predicted early on, where there was one, there would be a second, and a third...

More and more underworld professionals from Dawu Country swarmed into this little nation - not just assassins, but people from the underworld's other big three industries too. Especially those from smaller Dawu Country gangs who hadn't done so well back home - they rushed into this growing market like they'd discovered a new continent.

Zhang San had sparked a trend of the times, and could also see its eventual end point.

So Zhang San very sensibly seized the last opportunity within this wave to strike it rich.

He sold off the underworld assassin organization he had founded less than four months ago, the "Third Brother Assassin Group"!

Incidentally, don't think it's too lame for an assassin group to use a name like this - in Zhang San's eyes, such a down-to-earth name actually made it easier to get jobs from the street stalls and neighbors.

In short, since the new entrants were no longer lone operators like Zhang San, but domestic underworld groups with some standing, Zhang San was able to get a decent price for his little organization in the end.

As for those small-time hoodlums who used to work under him?

Zhang San, who was just about to become a capitalist, uh, underworld businessman, was hardly so righteous. As soon as he got the money he headed straight home, and the pies he'd once painted for them inevitably remained just pies he'd painted.

But why didn't Zhang San struggle on a bit longer?

The reason was simple - because Zhang San saw things very clearly.

So when exactly would things come to a head?

Actually, it would be when the real heavyweight underworld organizations of Dawu Country, like the current #1 group Black Heaven Gate, and the #2 group Dark Building, noticed that those much weaker Dawu Country gangs were making an absolute fortune overseas.

True terror was about to descend.

Events proved Zhang San's thinking correct: no matter the industry, unless you've genuinely put down deep roots in a place, the moment top dogs in the industry move in, you're finished.

Take the underworld for example - when true heavyweights and capital powers like Black Heaven Gate and Dark Building came on the scene, the small fry who'd carved out a little market share previously could only abandon their claims and scurry back home with their tails between their legs.

Against Zhang San's expectations, he didn't find any reports of violent conflicts between Dawu Country gang members overseas.

This was puzzling - when did our underworld become so benevolent?

But Zhang San quickly realized the real reason why there had been no conflicts.

The reason was simple.

The advanced, civilized underworld bosses of Dawu Country and the extremely backwards, easygoing foreign underworld were beings on completely different levels. Up until brute force became absolutely necessary, Dawu Country's underworld bosses would not, and did not want to, come into conflict with their domestic colleagues.

Simply put - wherever discussion and wisdom could resolve things, they would absolutely avoid violence. This was practically a symbol of the civilized underworld!

The first thing Dawu Country underworld bosses did when they went abroad was to "discuss business" with officials, thereby gaining formal state backing. With their financial resources, this was no difficulty.

And anyone could understand how state assistance represented a massive advantage for the underworld.

In contrast, while the small domestic groups had the advantage of first-mover status, "discussing business" with officials was something they could do too, but at too great a cost for them.

Yet some small groups still decided to gamble against the odds!

However, heavyweights like Black Heaven Gate and Dark Building who could crush these small groups back home certainly wouldn't rely on just one tactic abroad.

What followed next was the simplest, most ruthless price war!

In the reports Zhang San received, there was data on competition in gambling and assassin work.

Reading it, Zhang San exclaimed directly: "Who can withstand this?!"

To resolve problems in a civilized fashion, without bloodshed or sacrifice...

The gambling underworld heavyweight Dark Building declared outright that for every hundred taels won at their casinos, they would provide an extra 10% of gambling funds.

That meant if you won 100 taels at the tables, the casino would give you an extra 10 taels.

The assassin trade heavyweights Black Heaven Gate did even more simply and directly - if an intermediate-ranked assassination cost 200 taels, I'll do it for 150.

What, you'll do it for 150 too?

Then I'll do it for 100.

They were set on bleeding each other dry.

Of course both the heavyweights and smaller groups understood that whoever could withstand it to the end, driving their opponent away, could immediately cease these "promotions" and "price cuts".

Then prices could even be raised again to recoup losses. With no competitors left, clients would have no other choice, and the same clients who had been treated like deities originally would instantly become leeks to be sliced however one pleased.

But it was still a contest of who had the greater capital reserves.

How could the small groups possibly compete with the underworld heavyweights? And taking the initiative to attack their foreign branches wasn't impossible, but would certainly incur retaliation.

Because of the war against the White Sect in previous years, the major Dawu Country underworld groups had formed a "United Underworld Alliance". It was because of this alliance that the domestic heavyweights were unwilling to take the initiative to stir up disputes, for fear of giving other big bosses a pretext to attack them. But if other groups took the initiative to provoke them, that would be a different story.

So taking the initiative to use force to resolve problems was basically an impossible choice for the smaller groups to actively make.

They couldn't match the capital reserves in a price war, and they couldn't attack.

The market was naturally gradually swallowed up by the heavyweights.

So why would there be violent conflicts?

There was simply no need!

This is how a civilized, powerful underworld organization calmly and elegantly swallowed you up.