The Way of Restraint

“I understand, Father.” Zhang Kaitai nodded. “We live on land that was taken from the people who were here first. The ones who took it received help from those people, then slaughtered them. On this ground, notions of righteousness, honesty, and kept promises are ornaments — useful for impressing others. If you actually abide by them yourself, you die badly.”

“Good that you see it.” Zhang Hongqing’s expression held a trace of approval.

The exchange was brief — no more than a minute, voices barely above a murmur. The people around them heard nothing intelligible.

Zhang Kaitai walked back to where Zhang Manman was standing and raised his voice to its normal register.

“Little sister — I’ll honor what I said. I’ve just spoken with Father. The family does need reform, and what you’ve raised today has merit. We can address it. That said, reform of this scale can’t be completed in a single afternoon. Submit a proposal — something detailed, with room for discussion, so that everyone’s interests can be properly considered.”

“Is that right.” Zhang Manman’s eyes held doubt, but there was nothing in Zhang Kaitai’s words she could directly refute.

“I made this promise in front of everyone here,” Zhang Kaitai added, deploying warmth with precision. “Of course I’ll keep it. You’re my sister — whether it’s you or me running Honey Badger Security, from Father’s perspective the outcome is essentially the same. I have other things to focus on right now anyway. I need time in seclusion — today requires a response. I hope you’ll do the role justice.” He paused. “The assembly should continue — if this goes on any further we’ll be giving our guests a show they didn’t pay for. Take your people and rest. Tomorrow we convene internally to work through the reform agenda. How does that sound?”

“You’ve said enough. I’ll take you at your word this once.” Zhang Manman recognized that pressing further now would only undermine her position. She caught Zhang Lie’s eye.

Zhang Lie read the signal. He and the others quietly returned to their seats or withdrew from the hall.

Zhang Kaitai watched them move at Zhang Manman’s signal. Something crossed his expression — not quite concealed. Recognition that her hold over these people was real.

*****

The disturbance passed. The family assembly continued.

What followed was straightforward: Zhang Hongyuan, representing the Zhang family, concluded a series of agreements with the attending guests. Even Larry signed a data-sharing protocol with the Zhang family.

Su Jie observed the proceedings and revised his assessment upward. What was visible here was the surface layer. The real resources — the Honey Badger Training Camp’s internal capabilities — were something else entirely, and they were why every capable person in the Zhang family’s younger generation was fighting this hard for a single board seat.

What Larry wanted, specifically, was access to the camp’s human performance research data.

The assembly ended. Su Jie accompanied Larry out.

Throughout the entire event, Zhang Hongqing had not directed a single word toward Su Jie. The attention had never left him.

The more time Su Jie spent in proximity to this man, the more clearly he saw that the overwhelming dominance was only the surface presentation. Underneath it was something that felt like the strategists of the Warring States period — a mind that operated without reference to conventional rules or social constraints, not out of ignorance of them but out of a position beyond them. He made the rules. Others lived inside them. Nothing could bind him that he hadn’t chosen to accept.

There were two kinds of people who operated outside rules. The first were the completely degraded — petty criminals with no future, easily killed in street violence. The second were those powerful enough that the rules existed for others, not for them. Zhang Hongqing was unambiguously the second kind.

You didn’t build what he had built through gentleness.

*****

That evening, in an office space Zhang Manman had arranged, a tense meeting was underway.

The same people who had staged the public challenge at the assembly: Zhang Manman presiding, Zhang Lie and Zhang Xian at her sides.

“When Zhang Kaitai says the family will reform — is that the Dragon Head speaking? Can his promise be trusted? He made it in front of everyone. Surely he can’t simply reverse it.”

“The problem is that any real reform hurts people who currently benefit from the way things are. We do the most work — the dirtiest and hardest jobs. They live comfortably at the top. Zhang Xian — you’ve been running the family’s operation in that conflict zone for years, under fire every day. After all that time, what have you managed to save? A million US dollars? Less than that, isn’t it?”

Zhang Xian nodded. “My total assets right now are thirty thousand US dollars. No property. No prospect of marriage — I can’t justify bringing anyone into that life. Since I was fifteen years old in that place, every day has been about staying alive. I’ve dreamed more than once of a shell collapsing the building on top of me. It’s actually happened — more than ten times I’ve been in structures that took hits. That I’m alive isn’t skill. It’s luck. The sky simply hasn’t been ready to take me yet.”

“Zhang Xian — it’s been hard on you. It’s been the same for all of us.” Zhang Manman let them speak, then nodded. “The Zhang family is large and prosperous, but the distribution is genuinely wrong. The ones who produce the most end up with the least. That has to change, or the rot will deepen. My brother said what he said today, but don’t count on it being real. I’m telling you that plainly.”

“Agreed.”

The door opened.

Su Jie walked in. He spoke immediately.

“Your Dragon Head has already designated Zhang Kaitai as the successor. That decision won’t change — too much of the family’s stability depends on it. What your brother promised you today is worth nothing. More than that — the moves are already being prepared. He’ll work to weaken you, fracture your coalition by approaching individuals separately, peel off whoever can be bought, and once your alliance breaks apart, settle accounts one by one.”

“Won’t that hollow out the family’s actual capabilities?” Zhang Lie’s voice carried genuine anger. “We don’t earn much, but we do the work no one else will touch. Without us grinding away in those positions, the family loses real operational capacity in a lot of places.”

“The people at the top don’t think in those terms.” Su Jie’s assessment was clear. “Their logic is: neutralize the unstable elements before anything else. And this situation actually serves Zhang Kaitai well. He needs to demonstrate he can suppress internal disorder decisively — that’s how he consolidates the heir position. Your Dragon Head is permitting this. He may even be encouraging it quietly. When you stood up today, you became practice targets.”

“My father actually thinks this way?” Zhang Manman frowned.

“As Dragon Head, his view has to take in the whole picture. If I were in his position, thinking across the full board, I would reach the same conclusion. The Zhang family’s priority is not internal reform — it’s producing a figure like your father who can hold everything together. Among the current younger generation, only your brother comes close.” He paused. “Manman — if you could reach the state of Divine Enlightenment, everything changes.”

“You make it sound straightforward.” Zhang Manman shook her head. “If it were that simple, my brother would have gotten there already. Honestly, even for him I don’t see strong odds.”

“Mr. Su Jie,” Zhang Lie said — his tone toward Su Jie had shifted completely since the afternoon — “what should we actually do from here?”

The respect was genuine. Empty hands against ten military blades, and Zhang Kaitai hadn’t landed a touch.

“You don’t need to worry,” Su Jie said. “Manman has been prepared for the worst outcome for some time — going independent. As long as you’re decided, and you hold against the pressure to defect, the collective force you represent is significant. A unified bloc is something Zhang Kaitai can’t easily break. If he mishandles this, he loses standing with the Dragon Head, and the Dragon Head may reconsider. When that happens, your moment comes. Right now is the coldest part — staying warm together is what matters.” He paused. “Practically: if Zhang Kaitai approaches any of you individually, don’t go. Refuse outright. Put down whatever work you’re currently holding for the family and follow Manman out. That’s the only clean path. Anyone who wavers gets picked off separately.”

“Exactly — tonight’s meeting is about fixing our resolve.” Zhang Manman looked around the room. “You saw what you saw today. Mr. Su Jie’s attainment is at the same level as my father’s. And he’s eighteen years old. Think about what that trajectory looks like.” She continued. “I’ve already registered a new company. We have a bounty hunter license, security and protection services. With your capabilities — do you really think we can’t build something serious without the Zhang family name?”

“Of course we can.” Zhang Lie had no hesitation.

“And I’ve already received a substantial investment. Each of you will receive a cash payment to establish your footing. You won’t be left to struggle.”

The tension in the room visibly eased at the concrete commitment.

Su Jie noted it without surprise. Ultimately, what held people together was material security. That was simply how human nature worked.

Zhang Manman had brought him here in part for exactly this reason — his presence added weight that money alone couldn’t provide. The Zhang family’s cohesion centered on Zhang Hongqing. For this group, Su Jie could serve a comparable function.

*****

The meeting concluded. Su Jie left the office and headed back toward Larry’s building — more than ten kilometers away.

Late at night, the streets here were not safe. Most people drove or stayed inside after dark.

Su Jie ran.

Running had become a central part of his training recently. Speed was a dimension of combat that most people undervalued — no matter how refined your technique, if an opponent chose to flee, you had to be faster to matter. If they couldn’t outrun you, every other calculation became simpler.

He was moving through a deserted stretch when he stopped.

He turned toward a narrow alley at the side of the street.

“Mr. Hongqing,” he said. “I know you’re waiting there for me.”

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