In the evening, Aoyama Xiu Xin arrived at the bar where he had arranged to meet James and knocked on the door of Room 525.

"Come in." It seemed that his company had already arrived.

Aoyama Xiu Xin pushed the door open; inside the room was just one person—a man in his thirties, dressed in a black shirt, blonde and blue-eyed, looking very sturdy with obvious signs of intensive training.

"Oh, Minister Aoyama, I've long looked forward to meeting you." The Caucasian young man smiled, standing up to greet him.

Aoyama Xiu Xin closed the door, walked forward, and shook hands with him, smiling as he spoke, "So you are Major James?"

"Haha, of course, if you're unsure, here's my ID." James took out his military ID.

Aoyama Xiu Xin quickly glanced at it and burst into laughter after confirming it was authentic, "Why would I doubt? I can't imagine anyone daring to impersonate a US Army officer to deceive me; if scammers were that foolish, they wouldn't be scammers anymore."

In fact, he had already had Ueda Hikoshu check through his connections during the day. The US Army Command stationed in Japan indeed had a Major named James who served as a deputy battalion commander. Unfortunately, due to the lack of time, they couldn't provide a photo, but the description generally matched this man.

"Minister Aoyama is really humorous." James put away his officer's ID, gestured towards the sofa, and said, "Please take a seat."

Aoyama Xiu Xin sat down on the sofa opposite him.

"I wonder what you meant on the phone about being asked for a favor?" he asked directly.

"Oh, I like your straightforwardness." James laughed and complimented, pouring a drink for Aoyama Xiu Xin, "But let's not rush, the friend who asked me is in the restroom and will be back soon."

Upon hearing this, Aoyama Xiu Xin narrowed his eyes slightly and took a sip from the glass, wondering who that person might be.

Just then, the door to the room opened and Jack walked in. On seeing Aoyama Xiu Xin, he was momentarily startled and then smiled, "I didn't realize Minister Aoyama had already arrived."

"Who is this…" Aoyama Xiu Xin actually recognized Jack immediately since he had seen the information provided by Nozaki Cang Jian, but he pretended not to know him at the moment.

"Minister Aoyama has accepted quite the sum from me, yet doesn't recognize me, tsk, quite disappointing," Jack said with double meaning, closing the door behind him and then introducing himself, "I am Jack, head of the Titan Gang's Japan division. Your subordinate, Detective Nakamura, has had more dealings with me."

"Oh, so it's Mr. Jack. I've heard about you from Shinichi," exclaimed Aoyama Xiu Xin with a feigned realization.

"I'm honored," Jack shrugged, sat down next to James, and poured himself a drink, "I toast to Minister Aoyama."

"Thank you," Aoyama Xiu Xin returned the toast.

Wrapping his arm around Jack's shoulder, James smiled at Aoyama Xiu Xin, "Minister Aoyama, Jack is my friend. Doing business in Japan from across the sea isn't easy; you should take good care of him."

"'Take care' is a bit vague; can you be more specific? After all, as I know, we've already looked after Mr. Jack quite well, otherwise his business wouldn't be thriving," Aoyama Xiu Xin said with a smile.

"I know, I surely do," James nodded repeatedly, taking another drink, "I just hope for a bit more of your care. For instance, he recently lost some goods, which I heard are in the hands of someone named Yatada Haojie. Since your police are about to deal with this Yatada Haojie, why not just conveniently retrieve the goods for Jack?"

A realization dawned on Aoyama Xiu Xin; Jack didn't want to pay more but still wanted his goods back, so he had brought a stationed army officer to pressure him—an act of using one danger to ward off another.

Thinking this, he looked at Jack with a nearly smiling gaze.

Jack responded with a slight smile, raising his glass to signify his backing from James, whom he seemed more confident with.

"I'll leave the matter of the goods to Minister Aoyama."

Aoyama Xiu Xin just smiled, not offering a reply. Obviously, he couldn't agree; if Jack tasted the sweetness, he'd never pay the police again in the future, and other American gangs entering the Hokkaido market might follow suit.

He had to manipulate the situation, which meant he wouldn't deal with the Titan Gang for a while. But how could he allow the Titan Gang to make a fortune during this time without contributing financially?

"How come, Minister Aoyama, you can't grant me this favor? Seeing that he didn't respond, James's expression gradually darkened, and he pressed harder in a less friendly manner.

Aoyama Xiu Xin exhaled, looked at James, and said, "Major, let's have a word in private."

Major James furrowed his brow, looked at Jack, and said, "Jack, would you mind stepping out for a moment?"

He wanted to hear what the other had to say.

"Major…" Jack seemed to want to say something.

Hearing this title, Aoyama Xiu Xin figured it out—the relationship between these two wasn't deep; mostly, Jack had just paid James to make a show of force.

James interrupted Jack, "It's just a few words, nothing serious. Don't worry, Jack, we're friends; I will help you."

Reluctantly, Jack stood up and left.

"Alright, Minister Aoyama, now you can speak freely," James said as the room door closed, gesturing invitingly to Aoyama Xiu Xin.

"How much did he pay you?" Aoyama Xiu Xin asked.

"Huh?" James was taken aback.

Aoyama Xiu Xin slightly smiled, "I'm asking how much he paid you to come to Sapporo."

There's no US military base here, just a training ground. US forces only come here during training exercises; normally, there's no sign of their presence.

"Hey, I think you misunderstood. Jack and I are friends! We met in the United States! We're brothers!" James stressed earnestly.

"He gave me three million dollars; surely he wouldn't have given you as much?" Aoyama Xiu Xin said.

"What? Three million dollars!" James stood up instantly, his face incredulous, before he burst into curse, "Shit, that bastard! He gave me three hundred thousand dollars to handle a situation involving three million dollars!"

Three hundred thousand dollars wasn't a small sum, or else a major wouldn't be specifically sent to deal with it.

But compared to three million dollars,

it seemed very insignificant.

"Major James, I have an idea," Aoyama Xiu Xin played with his wine glass, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth, "How about this, from now on, I'll share with you a part of the money Titan Gang pays me, and you can consider this trip to Hokkaido as a vacation?"

"Every time?" James asked.

Aoyama Xiu Xin nodded calmly.

"How much?" James pursed his lips.

"No less than thirty thousand dollars every month."

James's heart was tempted, but then he said suspiciously, "You earn much more than me, don't you?"

"Major James, I hope you understand something, you don't need to do anything and can still get thirty thousand dollars a month. I'm willing to spend this money just to make friends with you, but that doesn't mean I'm really afraid of you." Aoyama Xiu Xin's smile gradually faded, becoming stern, as he leaned forward, overwhelming in tone, "I control the Hokkaido Police network! My brother is a National Member of Parliament! My grandfather is a Cabinet Minister! Mr. Richard, head of the CIA's Japan section, is my close friend! Do you understand now?"

James swallowed, nodding mechanically. He understood now, really understood - the man across from him was a powerful second-generation official, not an ordinary Japanese, and was not someone a mere major could handle.

Plus, doing nothing and making an extra thirty thousand dollars every month seemed satisfying enough.

And it was a steady flow of money.

Over time, it would amount to much more than three hundred thousand dollars, and he didn't plan on returning the three hundred thousand to Jack.

"Very well, Major James, I like making friends with smart people. As long as you are smart enough, you could become a good friend of mine just like Mr. Richard, and I never shortchange my friends. Right now, it's thirty thousand dollars, but maybe in the future it could be three hundred thousand," Aoyama Xiu Xin sketched a tempting picture.

Expenditures of thirty thousand dollars a month were trivial for him, but they could keep James from troubling him while also establishing a long-term close relationship. Who knows when he might need it?

Don't underestimate the youth for being poor, James is just a major now, but who knows, he might become a five-star general one day.

James took a deep breath and raised his glass, "I will definitely strive to become a close friend of Minister Aoyama! Thank you for this opportunity!"

As he finished speaking, he tilted his head back and drained his glass.

"Hahaha, what a drinker, Major," Aoyama Xiu Xin laughed heartily and clapped a couple of times, "We can let our poor Jack come in now to hear the bad news."

"James, Minister Aoyama calls me James, and my friends call me that too," James corrected him, then lifted his head and shouted towards the door, "Hey Jack, you can come in now."

Jack, who had been anxiously waiting and feeling uneasy outside, immediately pushed the door open, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two, sensing a different atmosphere.

"Major, how did it go?" He dared not ask Aoyama Xiu Xin, instead he asked James, who had taken his money.

Before James could answer, Aoyama Xiu Xin said with a half-smiling, half-mocking tone, "I've agreed to allocate thirty thousand dollars every month from the money you pay to James, so he can't help you with your issue, Jack."

"If you want that batch, you'll have to pay more. Otherwise, don't think about it. Also, I'm officially notifying you that you'll need to pay an extra thirty thousand dollars every month. You should know what I mean."

Boom!

Upon hearing this, Jack reacted as if struck by thunder.

"What?" He exclaimed, turning his head in disbelief and staring at James, hoping for a negative answer.

But he was disappointed, as James shrugged without any guilt, "Sorry, Jack, but there's nothing I can do. I've been won over by the outstanding character of Minister Aoyama, and I'm powerless regarding your issue."

Shit! Dog food! You were won over by his money! You rudderless weed!

"Major, you can't do this to me, I can still pay more!" Jack said, suppressing his anger.

James shook his head, "Like I said, it's not about the money, it's about charisma. You don't have Minister Aoyama's charisma. Oh, and, by the way, you should listen to Minister Aoyama and not affect my earnings."

Jack: "......"

In his heart, a brigade of emotive horses stampeded across.

Initially wanting to use a tactic to chase away the wolf but end up in the tiger's mouth, he didn't expect the tiger and wolf to unite and devour him instead.

Not only did he fail to achieve his goal, but he also offended Aoyama Xiu Xin, inevitably costing him money to rectify his mistake, and besides, he would have to pay an additional thirty thousand dollars each month from now on.

Damn this world! Damn these corrupt officials!

"Are you alright, Jack? Your face doesn't look very good," Aoyama Xiu Xin said considerately.

Jack's mouth twitched, producing a smile more painful than crying, "I'm fine, fine, thank you for your concern, Minister Aoyama. I'll pay more for that batch."

Paying more was not just for the goods,

but also for Aoyama Xiu Xin's forgiveness.

He was disillusioned, resigned to his fate, and honestly accepted the local bureaucracy's exploitation, toiling to earn some hard-earned money

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.