About the gossip Ren Yan shared on the North American underworld, only the sub-personalities Deadshot and Livebearer seemed interested.
Even Kuro, who usually liked to show off how clever he was, didn't join in.
But Raymond was really enjoying the conversation.
Even though he wasn't interested in joining the underworld, like most people, he still found these kinds of stories fascinating.
"Besides the Kingpin, there are also gangs like the 'Russian Brotherhood,' 'Hell's Angels,' 'Blood Hand Society,' and 'The Hand.' We usually avoid them when we see them," Ren Yan said, sounding more and more upset. His chubby face basically said, "I'm having a hard time." "Even the North American Mafia, which lost three of its five families to the Kingpin, is still not someone we can mess with…"
"Aren't there a lot of Chinese in North America? Why can't you stand up to them?" Raymond asked, confused.
"What's the use of having more people? This isn't the old days when numbers meant power. For a gang to do well now, they need money and powerful support, or they have to be ruthless."
"The Kingpin has both, so they rose quickly and crushed the North American Mafia. The Hand and Blood Hand Society do terrible things too. They're even crueler than the Kingpin, which is why they've survived."
"Our Hongmen is the opposite. We have neither money nor connections. We just do hard work. If it weren't for a few businesses passed down from earlier generations, we'd have broken up a long time ago." Ren Yan let out a deep sigh.
Raymond could tell Ren Yan was telling the truth. He didn't seem to be acting pitiful on purpose.
Besides, Ren Yan didn't know much about who Raymond really was—just that he was a friend of Vincent and a psychology Ph.D. That was all. He had no reason to lie or beg for sympathy.
This showed just how hard things were for overseas Chinese in this world—probably even worse than on Earth in his last life.
Raymond couldn't say he felt nothing after hearing all that.
Even if this life's body didn't have much Chinese blood, deep inside he still felt a connection to being Chinese. Not to mention, the original body's owner was half Chinese too.
Although he wasn't planning to start a gang, if he had a chance to help Hongmen in the future, he wouldn't mind lending a hand.
But he didn't plan to say this for now. He would wait for the right moment later.
"By the way, how did you meet Vincent?" Raymond noticed the mood getting heavy and decided to change the topic.
"Oh that, it's kind of a coincidence… Vincent once came to eat at the restaurant. One time he overheard me talking about some trouble I was in and asked if I needed help. I didn't think much of it since it had something to do with Homeland Security."
"I didn't expect him to solve it with just one phone call. That's when I found out he actually works in a government department. I was really blind not to notice before."
Ren Yan said with a bit of embarrassment, "After that time, our group ran into a few more government-related problems that were hard to handle. Each time, Mr. Vincent helped me out. I really don't have anything to repay him with, so I just run errands for him when I can, to show my thanks…"
"Vincent has a lot of connections. You definitely went to the right person," Raymond said with a smile.
Although S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't directly under the North American government, it still works closely with them. As long as it doesn't involve major national interests, most government departments are happy to cooperate.
Vincent is the head of the Communications Division at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, and he's trained many students. His former students are now spread across S.H.I.E.L.D.'s departments—and some have even joined top-secret government agencies.
That means there are plenty of his students working in the CIA and Homeland Security, some even holding important positions.
Of course, they're still professionals. They won't betray their agencies just because Vincent taught them. But small favors? That's no big deal.
Especially since many of them still need to deal with Vincent—for example, if they want to recruit new talent from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, they need the approval of department heads like him.
If they don't show some basic respect now, they can forget about future cooperation.
That's exactly why Raymond thought of asking Vincent for help in the first place—because he knew about his connections.
"No matter what, I'll never be able to repay Mr. Vincent fully. So, Dr. Raymond, if there's ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask. I'd be happy to help, and it gives me more chances to repay some of the favor I owe," Ren Yan said with a cheerful smile.
"Don't worry. I won't be shy about it," Raymond replied with a grin.
"Come on, let's eat before the food gets cold…"
Ren Yan turned out to be even more efficient than Raymond expected.
The next morning, just after Raymond woke up, he got a text from Ren Yan asking him to call back.
When Raymond called, he found out Ren Yan had already found an office space that matched his needs and told him to stop by and see if he liked it.
Since Raymond didn't have anything planned that morning, he drove over right after breakfast.
By the time he arrived, Ren Yan was already there waiting for him.
"You really work fast, Jan. I just asked you yesterday, and you already found a good spot?" Raymond said.
"You're giving me too much credit, Doc. I didn't expect it to be this quick either," Ren Yan chuckled. "After you left yesterday, I had a dinner meeting. While drinking, I casually mentioned to a few friends that I was looking for an office space for you…"
"Guess what? One of them said right there that he had three floors available for rent. I checked them out and thought they'd be a good fit for you."
"I actually wanted to tell you last night, but it was already around 2 or 3 AM after we finished drinking, so I figured it was too late to bother you. That's why I messaged you early this morning instead."
Raymond pointed at the office building they were standing in front of. "This building belongs to your friend?"
Ren Yan quickly shook his head. "No way, don't joke with me. Buildings in this area aren't something regular people can afford… My friend owns a real estate agency and knows the landlord pretty well. He handles all the rental stuff for this building."
While they talked, the two of them walked into the sixth floor.