Bull in a China Shop

Bull in a China Shop is the first mission in Grand Theft Auto IV given to Niko Bellic by Vladimir Glebov to collect some overdue protection money. It introduces hailing and using taxis and throwing objects.

Opening Scene
After receiving a phone call from Vlad to work for him, Niko meets Vlad at the Comrades Bar over on Mohawk Ave (across the street from the Hove Beach safehouse). During a cutscene, Niko and Vlad converse. Vlad, despite repeated insults, actually seems to like Niko, and trusts him enough to send him out on a mission. Vlad asks Niko to deal with a china shop owner who owes Vlad protection money. Vlad asks Niko to not hurt the man, but to get the money. Vlad offers Niko a baseball bat to intimidate the shop owner, but Niko declines it, arguing that he has other ways of going about it.

Scaring the shop owner

 * Go to the shop .
 * Waypoint: J J China Limited, along Huntington Street in Cerveza Heights, Dukes

After the cutscene has finished, the player will head over to the China shop in Cerveza Heights, located on Huntington Street. The mission offers the player the opportunity to take a taxi ride instead (with a Taxi appropriately appearing in front of the player), but the player can also drive there by themselves. When the player arrives at the yellow marker, the door is locked and the owner is refusing to pay up.


 * Find something to throw through the shop window.


 * Throw the object through the window to show the owner you're serious.

The player is then required to intimidate the owner by destroying the shop windows by any means. An object can be found in a small yard on Thornton Street. The player may throw may throw a brick that can be found in a small yard on Thornton Street through one of the shop windows, or shoot at them with any weapon, or simply smash it with Niko's fist.

Closing Scene

 * Take the money back to Vlad .
 * Waypoint: Comrades Bar, along Mohawk Avenue in Hove Beach, Broker

The man will soon agree to pay out in fear. Niko then takes the money to Vlad who is in Comrades Bar. The GPS will, once again, get the player to the location easily. Vlad will reveal that the shop owner is dealing in illegal businesses back in the East of Asia, when he states: "Stupid jerk made a mistake telling me how much he gets that shit for back east. He's the biggest crook in the whole neighborhood. Luckily I don't tell his customers what they're paying for."

Glitches

 * The PlayStation 3 version contains a variation of the recurring "disappearing vehicle glitch" - after breaking the shop window, whatever vehicle the player arrived in will vanish, forcing them to steal another vehicle or take a taxi to return to Vlad.

Trivia

 * The shop is accessible by either jumping through the door, or through the window at any time. This is only confirmed in the PS3 and PC versions.
 * The Korean Hangul written in the shop contain grammatical errors, which makes them difficult to interpret.
 * The mission's name comes from the phrase "Like a bull in a china shop", meaning a clumsy or careless person. It can also be used to describe recklessness, highlighted by Niko throwing a brick through the shop's window.
 * The mission's opening cutscene marks the introduction of two minor characters that may appear as random characters later in the storyline: Mel, who leaves the bar drunk, and Ivan Bytchkov, who is also seen leaving after ending a meeting with Vlad.
 * If the player breaks the shop's window before going to the marker, the shop owner will have different dialogue in the game.
 * The in-game tutorial explains how to hail and use taxis to travel around town, but using a cab in this mission is completely optional. However, because of the tutorial, when Niko exits Comrades Bar, there will be a scripted empty taxi driving outside very slowly.
 * Certain other items can be picked up and thrown at the window, such as soda cans or even hamburger patties from the nearby street vendor (picking up any items from the vendor's cart requires the vendor to be removed from the shop, either by causing him to flee or pushing him away from it) however these items are too light to break the window, and will simply disappear after hitting the window. Use one of the bricks marked on the map, located about a half block away from the premises (behind as the player faces the shop).
 * If the player succeeds in entering the shop through jumping through the window and walk forward into the shop, there is a risk of going into Blue Hell, sometimes Niko will fall and will respawn outside the shop.
 * If the player throws a grenade to the window, it will break but the grenade will not explode. This could be a developer oversight.
 * The shop's door appears to be working incorrectly, when the shop owner runs outside the door will only be half-open, but when the owner shouts "Shit Brain" or "Crazy Man" the door will suddenly be fully open. When the shopkeeper gives the player Vlad's protection money, the shop door closes.
 * The player does not have to use the provided brick to break the window, and can instead use a gun, a melee weapons, or even Niko's fists to break the window.

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