My Milf Conqueror System novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198: The Routine

[Jake’s POV]

The morning sun in Macau didn’t rise; it bled through the smog, casting a sickly, pale yellow light over the city. The heat was already oppressive by eight a.m., baking the damp pavement and drawing the smell of stale beer and garbage up from the gutters.

Ethan and I stood in the back office of the Golden Koi, the heavy steel door locked securely behind us. The air conditioning was running at full blast, a stark contrast to the sweltering streets outside.

Madam Bai sat behind her mahogany desk, wearing a pristine white silk blouse that made her dark hair and sharp features stand out with striking intensity. She hadn’t offered us a seat. She simply sat there, her manicured fingers resting lightly on the black leather ledger I had placed on her desk ten minutes ago.

She had been reading it in absolute silence.

Ethan shifted nervously beside me, the dried blood on his chin a stark reminder of the previous night’s violence. I stood perfectly still, my posture relaxed but respectful, playing the role of the competent, reliable older brother.

Finally, Madam Bai closed the ledger. The soft *thud* of the leather cover echoed loudly in the quiet room.

She looked up, her dark eyes locking onto mine. The predatory amusement she had shown last night was gone. In its place was a cold, calculating respect.

"You left the cash," she said softly. "My sources at the docks tell me Chen’s safe was opened, the ledger was taken, but the fifty thousand dollars in American currency and the uncut diamonds were left untouched."

"We were hired to retrieve a book, Madam Bai," I replied, my voice steady and calm. "We aren’t thieves. We’re businessmen paying off a debt."

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of her lips. "Businessmen. Yes. It seems I underestimated you, Noah Reed. You bypassed military-grade security, cracked a floor safe, and incapacitated one of Chen’s elite guards without firing a single shot or raising an alarm."

She tapped her fingers against the ledger. "And you brought me this. Do you know what is in this book?"

"I know Chen is paying a massive percentage of his profits to a faction called the Black Lotus," I said, holding her gaze. "I know the Black Lotus is part of the Four Dragons. And I know that a local lieutenant paying tribute to the ruling syndicate behind his boss’s back usually means he’s buying permission to take her territory."

Madam Bai’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of genuine danger crossing her face. "You are very observant for a tourist."

"I told you," I said smoothly. "I clean up messes. You have to be observant to survive in my line of work."

She leaned back in her leather chair, studying me for a long, tense moment. The silence stretched out, heavy with unspoken threats and calculations. She was deciding whether we were more useful to her alive or dead. We knew too much, but we had also proven ourselves to be incredibly capable.

"Your brother’s debt is forgiven," Madam Bai finally said, her voice ringing with absolute authority. "The ten thousand dollars is wiped from the books. You are free to leave Macau."

Ethan let out a massive, shuddering breath of relief. "Thank God. Jake—Noah, let’s go. Let’s get to the airport right now."

I didn’t move. I kept my eyes locked on Madam Bai.

"We aren’t leaving," I said.

Ethan stared at me like I had lost my mind. "What? Are you insane? She just said we’re clear!"

"We came to Macau to make money," I said, ignoring Ethan and speaking directly to the Matriarch. "My brother lost our capital, but we still have our skills. You have a war coming, Madam Bai. Chen is going to make a move, and he has the backing of the Black Lotus. You need people who can operate off the books. People who don’t exist in the local triad databases. Ghosts."

Madam Bai tilted her head, her dark eyes glittering with intrigue. "You are offering me your services? After I threatened to take your hands?"

"Business is business," I said, offering a cold, professional smile. "You need reliable operators. We need cash. It seems like a mutually beneficial arrangement."

She picked up her dark cigarette from the jade ashtray, taking a slow drag. She exhaled the smoke, watching it curl toward the ceiling.

"Very well, Noah Reed," she murmured. "You want to work for the Golden Koi? You will start at the bottom. I do not hand out elite assignments to men I have known for less than twenty-four hours. You will be runners. You will collect the weekly protection envelopes from the street vendors, the noodle shops, and the massage parlors in my territory. You will bring the cash to my floor manager. You will take a five percent cut of whatever you collect."

"Runners?" Ethan blurted out, his pride momentarily overriding his fear. "We just infiltrated a heavily guarded warehouse and handed you the keys to your rival’s kingdom, and you want us shaking down noodle stands?"

"Liam," I snapped, my voice sharp enough to make him flinch. I looked back at Madam Bai and bowed my head slightly. "We accept the terms. Thank you, Madam Bai."

"Do not thank me yet," she said coldly. "The streets of the Outer Harbour are unforgiving. If you lose my money, or if you cause a scene that draws the attention of the police, I will not be as forgiving as I was last night. Dismissed."

We turned and walked out of the office, the heavy steel door locking behind us.

As we descended the red-lit staircase and stepped back out into the sweltering heat of the alleyway, Ethan grabbed my shoulder.

The butcher, a heavy-set man with a stained apron, wiped his forehead with a towel and handed me a thick envelope. "Business is slow, Noah. The tourists aren’t coming down this far anymore."

"I’ll mention it to the manager," I said, slipping the envelope into my jacket. "Keep your head down, Zhang."

As we walked away, Ethan bumped my shoulder. "That’s twenty grand today. Not bad for a couple of ghosts."

"It’s pocket change," I murmured, my eyes scanning the crowded street. "But it’s buying us trust."

And it was. Every time we handed the cash over to the floor manager at the Golden Koi without a single dollar missing, I could feel Madam Bai’s invisible grip on us loosening. She was starting to view us as reliable assets.

But the routine was taking a psychological toll.

At night, lying on the hard, lumpy mattress in our safehouse, my mind would drift back to New York. I thought of Victoria, sitting in my penthouse, her icy blue eyes scanning financial reports, ruling my empire with the ruthless efficiency I had taught her. I thought of Isabella Vane, the Sovereign, pacing the deck of her rebuilt yacht, waiting for her King to return.

They were powerful, brilliant women, and they were mine. The contrast between the absolute power I wielded in the West and the pathetic, street-level existence I was living in the East was jarring.

But every time the frustration threatened to boil over, I thought of the Empress.

Song Mei.

The whispers on the street painted her as a myth. A woman of unimaginable wealth and power, ruling the Imperial Song Dynasty from a fortified compound high in the hills above the city. She was untouchable. A goddess among mortals.

The System had chosen her as my ultimate target. And the System didn’t make mistakes.

I closed my eyes, listening to the distant wail of police sirens echoing through the Macau night. The slow burn was agonizing, but it was necessary. I was building the foundation. I was laying the groundwork.

When the time came to strike, the Golden Koi, the Black Lotus, and the Four Dragons wouldn’t even see me coming.

I would rise from the gutters, and I would take the throne.