Chapter 67

The two of them each had their own ulterior motives and discussed for a long time before coming to an end.
Before leaving, Xie Wendong said, “Brother Wang, it’s best to draw the sketch by tomorrow. I’ll come over then to study it together! Also, brother Wang, you must not let anyone else know about this—don’t tell anyone, or… if the plan leaks, none of us will survive. Lastly, you need to secretly select some loyal and capable people. Don’t tell them about the plan yet; just inform them before we set off. We must be careful!”
Wang Guohua nodded repeatedly and praised, “Your thinking is truly thorough, brother. Don’t worry; I understand. No one will know until the day we act!”
Xie Wendong nodded in relief and turned to leave with Sanyan and the others.
After he left, Wang Guohua got to work. First, he sent a trusted subordinate to thoroughly investigate the terrain and surroundings of the abandoned factory in the western suburbs, ensuring it went unnoticed by those inside. Then he approached acquaintances to buy a batch of weapons, adding to his own private stock, resulting in a considerable amount. Throughout this time, Wang Guohua kept thinking about whom among his subordinates was loyal to him, even taking out a small notebook to list the names of those he could trust.
Xie Wendong was also busy. He first returned to the school and then went straight to the university guesthouse to hold a small meeting with Sanyan and Jiang Sen to share his ideas. After hearing them, Sanyan praised the plan highly. Jiang Sen carefully reviewed Xie Wendong’s plan, pointed out any issues, and discussed improvements with him. By evening, the three of them finally left the room and went downstairs to the restaurant for a big meal—partly to welcome Sanyan and partly to wish the plan success.
The next day, Wang Guohua called Xie Wendong and asked him to come over immediately. After meeting, Wang Guohua took out a large folder from the drawer of his desk. Inside was a detailed hand-drawn map.
Xie Wendong smiled secretly as he took the folder and examined it closely. He noted every detail on the paper and memorized it. After a while, he closed his eyes, reviewed it in his mind, and only returned the folder to Wang Guohua after confirming it matched the map.
Wang Guohua assumed Xie Wendong was planning based on the terrain and didn’t disturb him. When Xie Wendong returned the map, he quickly asked, “Brother, do you have any good ideas?”
Xie Wendong asked, “Brother Wang, how many people can you gather? And how many does ‘Old Ghost’ have under him?”
Wang Guohua thought for a moment and said, “The enemy’s force won’t exceed six people. I can find fifteen or sixteen brothers who are skilled and loyal to me! Brother, how many people can you bring? It doesn’t need to be many—just reliable ones, so we can have a better chance!”

Xie Wendong nodded and said, “There’s no problem. Ten people from me should be enough!”
Wang Guohua nodded repeatedly. Out of self-interest, he didn’t want Xie Wendong to bring too many people, fearing that Xie might exploit the situation after success. Ten people should be within his handling capacity. Xie Wendong had already anticipated Wang Guohua’s thoughts and pretended to be embarrassed, saying, “I just arrived in City H and didn’t bring many people. Ten is my limit. Brother Wang, you won’t blame me, right?”
Wang Guohua felt relieved and said, “So it’s not awkward then! Twenty or so of us should be enough. Besides, it’s a surprise attack—even gods can’t escape! Haha!”
Xie Wendong nodded in agreement.
Then the two began making arrangements according to the map. Wang Guohua’s men would attack from the front, while Xie Wendong’s men would strike from behind, blocking both entrances of the abandoned factory so that no one inside could escape. They discussed the details again and found no flaws. Worried about unforeseen issues, Wang Guohua decided to act with Xie Wendong the next night. Xie had no objections but suggested to Wang Guohua, “It’s better to act in the early morning. That’s when people are least vigilant, making it easier to succeed!”
Wang Guohua agreed and said, “Good, let’s do it at three in the morning!”
“Okay!” Xie Wendong replied. “Brother Wang, it’s best to let my men rest during the day so they’ll be energetic at night!”
“Right, what you say makes sense!”
After chatting a while more, Xie Wendong got up to leave.
There was no conversation that night. Early the next morning, Xie Wendong and Sanyan took a car straight to the western suburbs. Xie Wendong had already memorized the address of the old factory Wang Guohua mentioned. Upon arriving in the western suburbs, Xie felt they were almost there and told the driver to stop; he and Sanyan got out. After the taxi drove away, they hurried toward the factory.
It used to be a food processing plant, and the building wasn’t large. Sanyan pushed the broken factory door—it wasn’t locked. The two went inside. Sanyan scanned the surroundings; perhaps because no one had been there for a long time, the yard was overgrown with weeds. Abandoned machines were placed in the corners of the yard, covered in deep red rust, telling of their long history.
Sanyan turned and whispered, “Brother Dong, it seems like someone is watching us! Be careful!” Sanyan hadn’t actually seen anyone watching but sensed it instinctively.
Xie Wendong chuckled and shouted, “They must be friends from the Golden Triangle! We’re here to make a big deal!” After his words, there was no reaction in the yard—only silence. Xie kept his hand close to his leg, ready to pull out the silver spear at his back at the slightest sign of trouble.

The two of them walked toward the factory building. The door was closed. Just as they reached it, a loud thud came from inside. Xie Wendong and the other man stopped in their tracks, exchanged a glance, then stepped forward quickly and pushed the door hard.
The door creaked noisily as it opened. Halfway open, two guns appeared from inside, pointed at Sanyan’s head.
Sanyan was momentarily stunned. He looked up and saw two burly men, bare-chested with patches of tanned skin. One of them sized Sanyan up from head to toe, then glanced at Xie Wendong behind him and raised the gun slightly. Sanyan understood what he meant and slowly raised his hands. At that moment, another big man came out, thoroughly searched Sanyan, and took away the two pistols. Then he walked over to Xie Wendong. Seeing him still standing there in shock, the man tilted his head back.
Xie Wendong sighed. Since they were already here, he might as well give in. He raised his hands. The man also carefully searched Xie Wendong for his silver pistols. Examining them closely, he showed surprise and thought to himself, “Good guns!” He gave Xie Wendong a deep look before turning and entering the factory.
The atmosphere was tense. No one had said a word throughout, and their guns had been taken away. Sanyan grew worried. He turned to look at Xie Wendong, pouted, and conveyed with his eyes, “They’re not going to kill us, are they?”
Xie Wendong understood Sanyan’s gaze, chuckled, and shook his head. Sanyan had never doubted Xie Wendong, so he relaxed a bit.
After waiting nearly ten minutes, the man who had searched them came out and said to Xie Wendong and the other man, “You can come in now.” With that, he turned and went back inside.
Seeing his attitude, Sanyan cursed under his breath, “What a jerk!” He entered the factory with Xie Wendong, with the two big men at the door following behind them with guns. The inside was empty; most of the machines had been sold, and the rest that no one wanted had been moved to the yard. A few mats were laid on the ground in a corner, with blankets on top. Xie Wendong guessed that must be where they slept. In the center of the factory stood a chair, with a middle-aged man in his forties, his face covered in fleshy wrinkles, sitting on it. Behind him stood three men with their hands behind their backs, including the man who had searched them for guns.
Xie Wendong stepped forward. The middle-aged man stared at him intently. Not wanting to fall behind, Xie Wendong looked up fearlessly. The middle-aged man thought to himself, “Not bad! What courage!”
Xie Wendong spoke first, “Are you ‘Lao Gui’?”
“Hehe!” the middle-aged man laughed. “That’s right. That’s how my friends call me! Who are you? What are you doing here? I hope you’re not a police officer!”
Xie Wendong replied, “My name is Xie Wendong!”

“Xie Wendong?” The middle-aged man shook his head and said loudly, “That name sounds unfamiliar. I’ve never heard of it!”
“Haha!” Xie Wendong laughed heartily. “Now you’ve heard it. I hope you’ll remember it, because this name will be very important to you in the future!”
“Oh?” The middle-aged man looked at him with a smile and said, “Why is it important to me? Give me a reason!”
“Because the person with that name will bring you a lot of money—and even save your life!” Xie Wendong declared proudly.
The middle-aged man stood up, stepped closer to Xie Wendong, and stared at him. “Although you don’t seem like a police officer to me, I really dislike the way you speak! If it weren’t for the fact that you’re also part of the underworld, I would have shot you long ago!”
Xie Wendong smiled and leaned closer to the middle-aged man. “You can’t! Because I’ve said I can bring you a lot of money and save your life. Don’t take my words as a joke—I never joke with those who aren’t my friends. Whether now or in the future, I will definitely be a very important person to you!”
The middle-aged man stared at Xie Wendong for a long time before finally bursting into laughter. Trembling, he said, “Explain then! How are you important to me? How can you bring me money? How can you save my life? If you can’t give a reasonable explanation, then you won’t be able to leave alive today! ‘Young man’!” He emphasized the last three words deliberately.
Xie Wendong remained unfazed and said slowly, “Wait until you hear what I have to say before making a decision!”
“……”
Night fell—a restless night for both Wang Guohua and Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong and over twenty others were in the New Youth Disco, finalizing their plans. Wang Guohua’s subordinates didn’t even know what was going on. They were summoned here in the middle of the night by their boss, along with a dozen strangers, leaving them completely confused.
After talking, Wang Guohua said loudly to his men, “At three in the morning tomorrow, we’re going to make a big deal. If it succeeds, each of you will get a bonus of 50,000 yuan. If it fails, you might not even keep your lives. Do you want to come with me?”
The men looked at each other. 50,000 yuan wasn’t a small amount for these hooligans. Besides, they were usually Wang Guohua’s trusted men, used to relying on him. After a brief hesitation, they all said in unison, “We’re willing to follow our boss!”