Chapter 2313 — Meeting the Boss
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"That's right, did I steer you wrong, brother? I told you the purity would be high!" Hammer was proud, yet also a little disappointed. So Wei Zhao's gang overseas dealt in this too? Didn't that mean today was a one-off deal? He felt rather unwilling to let it go.
But just as Hammer was stewing in his reluctance, Wei Zhao spoke again: "The price, though—for retail it counts as cheap, but for buying in bulk it's a bit steep."
"You're thinking of buying, Brother Cannon?" Hammer's heart leaped with joy, and he could not help asking.
"I've thought about it, but I certainly can't buy from you." Wei Zhao deliberately played hard to get: "Your prices here are too high!"
"Oh? What prices did you used to get, Brother Cannon?" Hammer asked hurriedly.
"In the past, I bought from an overseas drug lord called Otedi, at around four or five dollars, I think," Wei Zhao said. "Only, Otedi suddenly vanished and I can't reach him anymore, so I've had to start looking for a new source."
"And have you found one, Brother Cannon?" A surge of wild joy rose in Hammer's chest, and he pressed on with his questions.
"Not yet. I heard there was a source over in Ruileida Town, so I thought I'd go and take a look. But I'm a stranger there, completely in the dark, and I couldn't find the source either. I plan to go back and look again when I have time." Wei Zhao feigned frustration.
Hearing this, Hammer almost laughed aloud. What a heaven-sent opportunity! He had been wondering how to do long-term business with Wei Zhao, and now it had simply walked in the door. Four or five dollars—that was a high price indeed. Hammer knew that the people around him, when they supplied drug lords, sometimes made their deals right inside the Conch Bar and did not handle delivery across the border, and their prices were pressed very low—two or three dollars was generally workable. Even the bulk deals delivered to the border only fetched three or four dollars. The price Wei Zhao had named was enough to set his heart racing.
"Brother Cannon, if you're interested, I can talk to the boss. I don't know if we can get it as low as four dollars, but five should be no problem. And if your volume is large and you have your own channels for moving it out, I can put in an application for you and see if we can go a little lower still," Hammer said.
"Oh? You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Wei Zhao looked at Hammer with some disbelief. "You're just a bar, a small retail outlet. How could you possibly have that much stock? And how could you offer such a cheap price?"
"Heh heh, to be honest with you, Brother Cannon, behind our boss is an international drug trafficking syndicate. If you're truly interested, I can take you to meet the boss," Hammer said.
Wei Zhao eyed Hammer warily, sizing him up from head to toe. In the end, as though he had made up his mind, he gritted his teeth and said: "All right. Lead the way!"
"Brother Cannon, you'll never lose out working with us, don't worry!" Hammer was overjoyed and hurriedly led Wei Zhao out of the bar's private room. "This way—it's in the basement!"
Wei Zhao nodded. Together with Hammer he came to a stairwell beneath a sign reading "Staff Only, No Customers," and Hammer pushed open the door and led Wei Zhao down.
The first basement level really was a staff passage. Wei Zhao could see busy waiters carrying out plates of Western food and snacks, so the first basement level was evidently the kitchen.
The second basement level was a storeroom holding things like red wine, and waiters moved back and forth there as well.
Farther down, the third basement level was rather empty. There was no one about; it seemed to be a junk room, with wine bottles and beverage bottles and food cartons piled about at random.