Interest rate
I was trembling, my body going berserk, utterly paralyzed with inaction. Suddenly, an idea flashed in my mind: "How about we just charge in and beat them up? If we beat every last one of them, the problem is solved."
I began to gather momentum, but a hand stopped me. Cam signaled with his index finger to his lips, silently ordering me to keep quiet and not act. I glanced over at Octopus and saw Owl clinging tightly, not letting Octopus budge an inch.
"We need to test them first. Avoiding a full-on fight is the best solution," Cam murmured. "I handed Crocodile 300,000 VND to see if they'd accept that amount."
I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. Cam was right—if we fought now, we might not win. Dũng Châu's gang numbers up to 30 people; facing them head-on would be a 10 versus 30 situation, meaning each of our company's members would have to fight three guys. I looked back at Crocodile, gritting my teeth at the thought of watching my own crew get beaten and humiliated.
According to the plan, Crocodile handed over 300,000 VND to one of them. The thug roared in anger:
"You stupid fuck, are you deaf or what?!"
Crocodile, shaking and stammering, replied:
"I…I only have 300,000 VND left..."
SMACK!
A vicious slap exploded across Crocodile's left cheek.
"I told you to go back and get more! If you don't pay enough today, tomorrow it'll be 3 million VND, you dumbass!"
Crocodile collapsed to the ground, unable to move. I clenched my fists, teeth grinding, seething with rage, ready to pounce. I glanced at Octopus—his face was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion. I knew that when Octopus looked like that, he was incredibly furious. And then, he lost it.
Octopus broke free from Owl's grip and dashed out of the bushes. Cam and I were too far away to stop him. Damn it!
"What the hell are you taking so long?!" a voice bellowed from behind the warehouse.
Owl quickly grabbed hold of Octopus's ankle, causing him to tumble across the ground. Cam and I let out a sigh of relief. I looked in the direction of the voice. That silhouette… it was him! The boss from the photo! I glared at Cam, who gave a slight nod of confirmation.
Without hesitating, we charged from multiple directions—emerging from the bushes and the abandoned buildings. I screamed:
"Dũng Châu! I'm coming for you!"
As I shouted, I charged straight at him, ignoring the gaggle of whining idiots on the side. He, unfazed, continued puffing on his cigarette in a calm manner. I swung a straight punch. He immediately spun his leg and leaned away to dodge, causing my fist to slice through empty air. We surrounded him in a tight circle—he had nowhere left to run.
Octopus had already grabbed the head of the slimy thug who'd slapped Crocodile and tossed him toward Dũng Châu. But the leader simply raised his hand in a mocking gesture, then sneered:
"Who the fuck are you? Friends with this kid?"
I stepped forward, eyes blazing as I glared at him:
"I'm the Chairman of this company. I advise you either to clear your debt or accept 150,000 VND. I've already given you 50,000 VND in interest. Don't go sucking the life out of people with sky-high interest rates!"
He burst into loud laughter:
"Ha ha! Chairman? A company? And employees too? Are you all shooting a movie or what? Ha ha ha!"
He wiped away his tears, then glared straight at me:
"I said 2 million. If you don't pay, we'll hunt you down until you do."
I clenched my fists even tighter. Enough! I couldn't let these bastards continue their reign.
I charged forward and unleashed a roundhouse kick to his left side. But unexpectedly, he easily grabbed my leg! In panic, before I could retract it, he used his strength to hurl me sideways. I lost my balance and tumbled wildly to the ground.
He roared with delighted laughter:
"You kick like a girl! Ha ha!"
But immediately after, his laughter ceased, and his eyes turned alert. Cam whistled a signal. Suddenly, the whole group surged from every direction—east, west, south. The only escape for him was to the north, toward the warehouse. And just as predicted, he ran in that direction.
One of Cam's men had grabbed his jacket, but was instantly met with an elbow to the face, forcing him to release his grip. I chased after him, realizing he was trapped. I sneered:
"You idiot! This warehouse only has a front door—there's no back exit! You're done for!"
But Dũng Châu just laughed. He waved at us like a madman. I scowled, sensing something was off. Then, he roared:
"It's time! Take them down!"
From the darkness of the warehouse, about ten men suddenly charged out. They had been waiting! I signaled everyone to retreat, but before we could turn around, another dozen men blocked the door.
We… were trapped!