Chapter 26

Xie Wendong returned to Guiwu and saw that everyone was there; hundreds of people were causing some chaos in the area. Xie Wendong stepped into the center and shouted, “Everyone, go back and rest! There’s nothing to worry about today!” Hearing this, the crowd hesitated for a moment before heading outside. Zhang Yanjiang and He Haoran stayed behind.

Zhang Yanjiang went over to Xie Wendong and asked, “Brother Dong, how is Shuangge now?”

Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “Not well. He hasn’t passed the critical stage yet.” Zhang Yanjiang lowered his head and said, “Brother Dong, I’ve thought about what you said. I suspect one person might be a traitor!”

Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who?” Zhang Yanjiang glanced around to ensure no one else was nearby before whispering, “Sister Shui!”

“Why do you think so?”

“Brother Dong, I’ve thought through everything from start to finish. Right now is the time for the brothers in the gang to unite. They wouldn’t betray the gang—frankly, they wouldn’t even have the chance. Since everyone was together at the time, no one left. So the most likely candidate is Sister Shui! After we left Guiwu, she had plenty of time to inform the people from the Scythe Gang. But I still don’t know why she would do that.”

After listening carefully to his explanation, Xie Wendong found it reasonable. He nodded and said, “Don’t spread rumors without solid evidence. By the way, where’s Brother Zhang?”

Zhang Yanjiang replied, “He went out to get money and gather information!”

Xie Wendong nodded and went into a single room, lying down on the sofa with his eyes closed, thinking about his next move. Zhang Yanjiang and the others didn’t disturb him and waited quietly outside. In the evening, Sanyan returned with a paper bag. Seeing that Zhang Yanjiang and He Haoran were still there, he asked, “Has Brother Dong come back?”

He Haoran nodded and pointed to the room, saying, “He’s back. He’s inside!” Sanyan walked over, knocked on the door, and heard Xie Wendong’s voice say, “Come in!” Sanyan pushed the door open and entered.

“Brother Dong, I’ve finished all the tasks you assigned me. Here’s 100,000 yuan,” he said, placing the paper bag on the table before taking out a note from his jacket pocket. “This is the address of the city bureau chief’s house!”

Xie Wendong checked his watch—it was almost 7 p.m. He stood up, picked up the money and the note, and said to Sanyan, “I’m going to the bureau chief’s house to try and get Qiangzi and ten of our brothers released first. You and the others stay put. Without my orders, no one is allowed to cause trouble for the Scythe Gang!”

Sanyan nodded in agreement and then said to Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, shall I go with you?”

Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “No, it’s not good for you to go. Besides, more people going won’t help either.” With that, Xie Wendong headed outside and followed the plan he had in mind. The members of the Sickle Gang would sooner or later have to pay with their blood for their mistakes.

Following the address on the note, Xie Wendong quickly found the residential area where the director lived. This place was known as the “Directors’ Complex” in City J. It was inhabited by either city leaders or wealthy individuals. Xie Wendong arrived at the director’s door and pressed the bell. A woman’s voice came from inside, “Who is it?”

Xie Wendong tried to speak in a low voice, “Hello, I’m here to see Director Chen!”

The voice inside asked, “What do you want from him?”

“I have some matters that need Director Chen’s attention. It’s urgent!”

The woman immediately understood what he meant—most likely he was there to bring a gift, a common occurrence. Without asking further, she opened the door and said, “Then please come in!”

Xie Wendong glanced at the woman who opened the door. She was around forty years old and dressed very nicely. He politely nodded and said, “Hello, auntie!”

The woman was surprised by his youth and good-looking appearance. She was momentarily stunned but, seeing that Xie Wendong seemed polite, smiled and said, “Young man, come in. Don’t stand outside.”

Xie Wendong took off his shoes and entered the living room. Seeing no one there, he asked, “Auntie, isn’t Director Chen at home?”

The woman replied, “He is at home. He’s in the bathroom and will be out soon. Please sit here and wait.” Xie Wendong thanked her and sat on the sofa. The woman poured him a cup of tea and placed it on the coffee table.

Soon, a middle-aged man in his forties, with thinning hair but still energetic, came out of the bathroom. Seeing Xie Wendong, he turned to the woman and asked, “Xiao Hui, who is he…?”

The woman smiled and said, “He’s here to see you about some business. He’s young. If you can help, please do!” It was clear she had a good first impression of Xie Wendong and spoke in his favor. Director Chen nodded and sat down across from Xie Wendong, asking, “Young man, what brings you to see me? Go ahead and tell me.”

Xie Wendong hesitated for a moment, glancing at the woman before staying silent. Director Chen, being sensible, said to the woman, “Xiao Hui, go inside and watch TV. I need to talk to this young man.”

The woman wasn’t very happy but still went back inside and closed the door. After his wife left, Director Chen leaned back on the sofa and said, “Now, tell me what you have to say.”

Xie Wendong didn’t want to waste time and got straight to the point, “Director Chen must already be aware of the gunfight that happened at Bashen last night, right?!”

Director Chen was momentarily stunned and asked, “Did you come here for this matter?” Xie Wendong nodded and said, “I hope Director Chen can release all the people captured by Hakushin and declare them innocent!”
Director Chen’s expression darkened as he said, “It seems you overestimate my abilities. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with this!”
Xie Wendong replied, “I know you can. Otherwise, I’d go to someone else.” With that, he took out a paper bag from his pocket and poured all the money inside onto the coffee table. Director Chen was shocked—he hadn’t expected such a young man to bring so much money. His eyes lit up as he stared at the stacks of hundred-dollar bills, tempted. But then he thought of the situation within the bureau and the impact of the Hakushin incident, and his greed subsided. Shaking his head at Xie Wendong, he said, “I’m sorry, I really can’t help you with this. Please go back!” Then Director Chen stood up, ready to return to his office.
“Is there really no room for negotiation?”
“I really can’t help. Besides, it’s still a strict crackdown period. If your friend dares to defy the rules… well, he’s just unlucky!”
Xie Wendong’s gaze turned cold as he asked, “How many years will my friend spend in prison?”
Director Chen thought for a moment before saying, “To be honest, your friend has no chance of going to prison. If everything goes wrong, he might even be sentenced to death!” Xie Wendong was shocked and said, “That’s impossible! He just got into a fight—how could he be sentenced to death?”
Director Chen sighed and said, “It’s not just a fight. Your friend is also accused of robbery and serious injury. Even under normal circumstances, he’d get life imprisonment, let alone now during the crackdown. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to you.”
Xie Wendong rubbed his temples and said, “I don’t understand, which is why I’m asking you for help. I hope to see my friend safe back by tomorrow!”
Director Chen grew displeased upon hearing this and said, “I’ve already told you I can’t help. Take your money and leave!”
Xie Wendong didn’t move. With a cold smile, he said, “So far, Director Chen, you still haven’t given me a satisfactory answer! With just one word from you, I’ll give you all this money, and you’ll benefit from me in the future. If you refuse, it’s simple—I’ll think you look down on me, and I’ll immediately take this hundred thousand yuan to hire a killer to deal with you! You decide! Oh, and don’t take my words as a joke. I never joke with people who aren’t my friends!” With that, Xie Wendong stared at Director Chen with icy eyes.

“He’s not trying to scare me!” Director Chen shuddered. Looking at Xie Wendong’s icy gaze, which seemed beyond what a human could possess, Director Chen truly felt afraid. He sat back down and said, “I really find this very difficult to handle. There’s pressure from the municipal party committee above, and several deputy directors watching me from below. Sigh!”
Xie Wendong said expressionlessly, “Whether it’s difficult or not is your problem. I don’t care about that. I just want to see my brother back by tomorrow!”
Director Chen remained silent, took a cigarette from his pocket, and began smoking in silence. He pondered back and forth, hesitant.
Xie Wendong didn’t rush him either; he sat on the sofa, waiting for Director Chen to make a decision. Time passed by second by second, and the room became utterly silent. Director Chen smoked five cigarettes in a row. After extinguishing the last one, he made up his mind. He looked at Xie Wendong and said, “You can go! I’ll take the money.” With that, he closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa, saying nothing more.
Xie Wendong thanked him and didn’t say much else before turning to leave.
Only after leaving Director Chen’s house did Xie Wendong finally breathe a sigh of relief. His back was already drenched in sweat. In truth, he wasn’t sure whether the director would agree. Things had gone fairly smoothly, and he felt much more relaxed, knowing that Gao Qiang should be fine. He silently prayed that Li Shuang could also get through this ordeal safely. Xie Wendong took a car back to Guiwo. In the car, he felt dizzy, extremely tired, and sleepy, but he couldn’t rest—there were too many things he needed to handle now.
Upon returning to Guiwo, Sanyan rushed over and asked, “How is Qiangzi?” Sanyan felt guilty, thinking that if he hadn’t been reckless and listened to Zhang Yanjiang back then, Li Shuang, Gao Qiang, and dozens of their brothers wouldn’t have been in trouble.
Suppressing his dizziness, Xie Wendong said softly, “Don’t worry. Qiangzi is fine!” Seeing Xie Wendong’s grim expression, Sanyan quickly asked, “Brother Dong, are you okay? Your health…” Xie Wendong interrupted him with a smile, “Don’t worry. I’m fine!”
Sanyan still looked at Xie Wendong worriedly, and the latter said, “Brother Zhang, these next few days will be busy. It seems I’ll have to rely on you for a lot of things!”
Sanyan replied, “Brother Dong, what are you saying? That’s what I’m supposed to do. What do you want me to do?”

Xie Wendong pondered for a moment before saying, “First, go buy me a mobile phone tomorrow.” He paused and added, “Buy a few more—one for each key member of the group, so it’ll be easier for us to stay in touch. Second, the deal with Ma Wu has been finalized; the goods will arrive in a few days. I plan to have him deliver them to No. 1 Middle School, as it’s a school, and the police generally won’t suspect that place.” Then, Xie Wendong turned to He Haoran and said, “Haoran, this is your responsibility. Once the goods arrive, you’ll direct the guys at No. 1 Middle School to pick them up.”
He Haoran nodded in agreement.
Xie Wendong paused again, a cold glint in his eyes, before continuing, “Third, find out everything about the Sickle Gang—who the leader is, how many members they have, how many hideouts they have, and when they usually operate. Bring me a clear report of all this. Brother Zhang, this is assigned to you. I want them to pay double for their mistakes! I also want other gangs around here to see what happens if they mess with us!”
After hearing Xie Wendong’s words, Sanyan gradually regained his confidence and said loudly, “Brother Dong, don’t worry. Leave this to me!”
Xie Wendong nodded and asked, “Isn’t Sister Shui here today?”
Sanyan was surprised and shook his head, wondering why Xie Wendong mentioned her. Sanyan had been absent during Xie Wendong’s conversation with Zhang Yanjiang after returning from the hospital, so he didn’t know that Xie Wendong and the others already suspected Sister Shui. Seeing Sanyan’s puzzled look, Zhang Yanjiang explained, “Brother Sanyan, we suspect Sister Shui is the one who betrayed us!”
Sanyan thought deeply but still couldn’t figure out why. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Don’t let anyone else know this, or it’ll be troublesome if Sister Shui hears about it.” Sanyan nodded in understanding.
Xie Wendong said, “Well then, everyone’s been tired all day. Go home and rest properly. If nothing goes wrong, Qiangzi will be back tomorrow!”
Sanyan and the other two were overjoyed. Xie Wendong bid them farewell and drove home. When he reached his doorstep and was about to enter, he suddenly slapped his own head and muttered, “How could I forget her!” He remembered that he had brought a girl back from Ma Wu. With so many things happening today, he had completely forgotten about her. Shaking his head, Xie Wendong looked at his door and sighed. He stepped out of the alley and took a ride to Xinxin.
A few brothers were still in Xinxin Billiards Hall and hadn’t gone home. Xie Wendong went in and asked, “Is the girl I brought here doing well?”

One of the brothers said, “It’s fine. Not long after Brother Dong left, she went to sleep and has been sleeping ever since.” Xie Wendong nodded and walked into the inner room. Gently pushing the door open, he saw the little girl still asleep. Smiling slightly, Xie Wendong thought to himself, What a child—she can fall asleep even in a strange place. He walked over to the bed and thought to himself, He can’t leave the little girl with Xin Xin alone, but where can he take her to sleep at night? Take her back to his own home…?! Xie Wendong gently pushed her, “Get up, get up!”