Republican Era: With a Few Too Many Underlings, I Rule Shanghai

He transmigrated to Republican-era Shanghai and pulled rickshaws for six years, saving up 230 silver dollars. When a fake foreign devil beat him with a walking stick, he didn't dare so much as fart. Then his System activated: the Slightly More Henchmen System. From the start, he summoned four burly green-skinned brutes with the traits "double stamina for street brawls and running away." He sat down for a bowl of plain noodles, and the four hulking men took their seats behind him. The owner went weak in the knees. "This one's on the house!"

Nie Li set his sights on the "carriage company" icon on the System screen. Unlocking it cost 200 silver dollars and came with the perk "Runs like the wind, steady as a mountain." He then turned his attention to Wu San's casino, where loansharking was the business. His thirty henchmen took turns going in to borrow money, and together they conned Wu San out of 5,000 silver dollars. Wu San slumped in his grand chair. "What the hell, you're tearing my place apart!"

Nie Li bought six run-down courtyards overnight and knocked through the walls to make one sprawling 800-square-meter compound. Eight brick houses sprang up, and thirty henchmen filled the courtyard. Crouching on the threshold and gnawing on a steamed bun, he stared at the newly unlocked "blacksmith's workshop" and narrowed his eyes:

"I've got a carriage company and a workshop. The docks of Shanghai should bear the Nie name next."

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.