Chapter 90

“It’s not as simple as you think. We don’t have solid evidence of the Soul Group’s crimes, so it’s difficult to deal with them!”
“Heh, is evidence really needed? Does the Central Committee need a reason to take action against someone?”
Xie Wendong’s words stunned Dong Fang Yi, who turned to look at him and said, “I don’t know why you say that, but it’s not as simple as you think. The members of the Soul Group all have legitimate identities in China, using their status as full-time employees of Japanese multinational companies as cover. If we investigate them without evidence, it will cause a big uproar. This not only affects political and economic relations between China and Japan but also impacts other countries’ enthusiasm for investing in China. In this regard, we must abide by the law and prevent other countries from misunderstanding China as a lawless nation, as that would greatly dampen their interest in investing in large Chinese companies! So, dealing with the Soul Group is a matter related to the country’s economic development. Without solid evidence, the Central Committee can’t intervene!”
“Oh!” Xie Wendong now understood roughly. Although the other party hadn’t made it clear, it was highly likely they wanted to use him to contain the Soul Group—essentially using him as a scapegoat to fight a life-and-death battle with them before the Central Committee stepped in to resolve it. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Since the Central Committee can’t interfere with the Soul Group, you plan to use force against force, thus removing any connection to the state, right?”
Dong Fang Yi nodded and said, “Of course. Our Political Department will also provide you with support, but one thing—you must follow our Political Department’s orders!”
“Still have to follow your orders? If that’s the case, won’t I just become part of the state apparatus? Sorry, I can’t do that!”
“Xie Wendong, remember—right now I’m not negotiating with you. Don’t forget your life is in our hands. If you want to stay alive, cooperating with us is your only option!”
Xie Wendong sneered, “After we finish cooperating, you’ll kick me aside, produce evidence of my crimes to put me on trial, and then shoot me in the back of the head, right? Just like they did to Q Si back then! His fate is a warning to me. Do you think I should agree to you?!”

“You…” Dong Fang Yi looked at him speechlessly, inwardly sighing that Xie Wendong was exceptionally intelligent—he had guessed most of his plans. Since he was such a smart man, there was no need to hide anything anymore. So he simply said frankly, “You’re very smart. I indeed had such plans back then! The state will never support the existence of organized crime, nor will it allow criminal forces to grow stronger, as that would directly affect social stability. But if you can make significant contributions, the state will relax its policies toward you—provided that… you completely leave the criminal world by then!”

Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and asked, “You mean I should ‘rehabilitate’ myself?”

“That’s right. Only if you leave the criminal world can we’t touch you, and if possible, we might even continue to support you. It depends on what you do from now on!”

Xie Wendong pondered. He had already planned to rehabilitate himself, and now was the perfect opportunity. But by working with these people, his fate would be entirely in their hands. Being controlled by others was the last thing Xie Wendong wanted, but right now, there was no better option than agreeing to their terms. With a sigh, he deliberately made things difficult: “That sounds good, but I’m worried the police might not let me go so easily. After all, the incident at Fire Red Nightclub was serious! And who knows if they might cause me trouble in the future?”

Dong Fang Yi said, “Don’t worry about that. With our Political Department’s support, the police can’t do anything to you. Moreover, we’ve covered up the incident at Fire Red Nightclub, so no one outside will ever know. How about it? Agreeing will benefit both you and the country—why not?”

After hesitating for a moment, Xie Wendong asked, “Since I’m to be used to hold back the Soul Group, fights are likely to occur during that time. I’ll need weapons too. I wonder if you’ll help me get them or if I have to handle it myself. There might also be casualties, and situations similar to what happened at Fire Red…”

Dong Fang Yi interrupted him and said sternly, “The state won’t provide you with any weapons. Our only support is allowing everything you do to go unpunished, and the police won’t bother you—as long as you don’t go too far! But one thing I must make clear upfront: our tolerance applies only to the Soul Group. If you try to use our Political Department’s power to strengthen yourself or even aim to dominate the criminal world, then you’re mistaken. Again, the state will never support organized crime!”

Hmph! Xie Wendong sneered inwardly. As long as the police didn’t cause trouble, everything would be fine. As for what to do in the future, he would think about it later. The priority was to stay alive and secure as many benefits as possible for himself. With a look of difficulty on his face, Xie Wendong said, “It’s hard for me to change my image all at once. First, I have no experience in business, and second, I don’t have the right kind of talent. It takes time to leave the underworld!”
“I understand. I’ll give you plenty of time—two years should be enough, right?”
“Enough!” Xie Wendong replied promptly. Two years was almost sufficient for him. “I have one last question: How can you guarantee that what you said today will become reality?” Seeing Dong Fangyi’s puzzled expression, Xie Wendong explained, “In other words, I want to know if you have the authority to fulfill your promises!”
“Haha!” Dong Fangyi laughed loudly. “No one has ever doubted the authority of our Central Security and Political Department. We are directly accountable to the central leaders. In terms of procedures, our authority exceeds that of the military, public security department, security bureau, and other agencies.”
“What’s your position in the Political Department…?”
“I’m the person in charge of the Political Department in the Northeast region! Is that enough to reassure you?”
Xie Wendong let out a sigh and murmured, “Why me?”
Dong Fangyi smiled at him and said, “It took a long time to decide. We’ve been watching you for a while—actually, since that unprecedented upheaval in City J. Although City J is far away, do you really think the country wouldn’t know about such a big incident? From then on, we planned to use you to deal with the Soul Group, but we just hadn’t found the right opportunity! Hehe!”
The “upheaval” Dong Fangyi referred to was the gang unrest secretly instigated by Xie Wendong, which led to mass protests involving tens of thousands of people. There was another reason for choosing Xie Wendong—one he didn’t mention: Xie was still young and not yet established, making it easier to control him in the future.
Looking at Dong Fangyi’s smiling face, Xie Wendong felt like a fool. He thought to himself, “Don’t laugh so happily now. I’ll definitely show you my skills someday!” Though resentful, Xie Wendong forced a smile and said, “Alright, I don’t have any more questions. I hope we can work together happily in the future! One thing though—I’ll deal with the Soul Group, but I don’t want to follow anyone’s orders. I hate it when others try to tell me what to do. If you insist on giving me orders, it will only make things worse!”

Dong Fangyi pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, “I’ll consider this and get back to you later.” Then he took out a folder and said, “This contains all the information we have on the Soul Group. Take a look; it might be helpful to you. Actually, the person you assassinated in Fiery Red wasn’t the top leader of the Soul Group in H City, nor even a core member—just someone in charge of communication.”

Xie Wendong was shocked upon hearing this. He took the folder and examined it carefully. It contained a large amount of information and documents about various individuals. Dong Fangyi explained, “Only the people listed here can be considered the core of the Soul Group. Those marked with a line under their photos are the key figures of the Soul Group in China. But our information isn’t complete, so this is just for your reference!”

Xie Wendong nodded while looking at the documents and asked doubtfully, “How powerful is the Soul Group really in China? How many provinces have they infiltrated already?”

“As far as we know, they have strongholds in six provinces. Among them, DL City, with the busiest trade, can be considered their base!”

“DL City?” Xie Wendong blurted out. That was exactly where Gao Huimei and her sister went to school! Huh, interesting…

On December 20th, as New Year’s Day approached, joy was evident on everyone’s face, and the festive atmosphere grew stronger.

The New Century Disco on the side of H University had been closed for several days, yet it was packed with people. Most of them were young adults in their twenties, but their faces showed no trace of festive joy—only anxiety.

In the conference room on the second floor, six or seven people were gathered, all key members of Wendong’s group. Li Shuang paced anxiously back and forth, muttering, “What should we do? What will happen to us if we can’t save Brother Dong? What’s the solution…?”

Watching Li Shuang fidgeting in front of him, Sanyan snapped irritably, “Hey, Fat Guy, can you stop walking around? It’s driving me crazy!”

Li Shuang frowned and said, “Brother Sanyan, make a decision! If nothing else works, we might have to take it by force. It’s highly likely we can’t rely on the Hongmen elders anymore…” He glanced at Dong Xinlei beside him, who was deep in thought.

“Take it by force? Why should we do that? With just a few old guns? If Brother Dong can’t be saved, we’ll all end up in trouble too!” At this moment, Sanyan was much clearer-headed than Li Shuang. Though anxious, he managed to stay calm.

Li Shuang urged, “Then what do you suggest? Is there really no way to save Brother Dong?”

“I don’t know!” Sanyan said dejectedly. “According to the news brought back by Lao Sen, Dong Ge has been taken to the military district. All we can do now is wait and see. Trying to rescue him from there is like seeking death!”
Jiang Sen added, “Sanyan is right. There’s a whole division stationed there—full-scale regular troops. We’re nowhere near strong enough!”
Li Shuang, still not giving up, asked Dong Xinlei, “Lao Lei, isn’t there any way your old man can do anything??”
Dong Xinlei shook his head. “I only know that he’s doing his best. I can’t even guarantee whether he can save Dong Ge!”
Li Shuang opened his mouth to say more when chaos erupted in the hallway outside, with cries echoing. Everyone in the meeting room was stunned. Thinking another incident had happened, Li Shuang instinctively reached back to pull out his gun, but only found a dagger. Then he remembered that the gang had hidden all the guns recently!
It turned out that after the Huohong incident, although the police hadn’t arrested anyone from Wen Dong’s gang, they still showed up every two or three days. Several police officers monitored the area 24/7. Fearing more trouble, Sanyan had taken all the guns and hidden them in secret places.
Li Shuang pulled out the dagger and cursed as he headed for the door, “Damn it! I’ll find out who dares cause trouble again—I’ll take care of them first!”
Seeing this, Sanyan snapped, “Fatty, put away that knife! What if it’s the police?!”
“Hmph! I’m not afraid of those worthless cops!” Though he said that, Li Shuang still hid the dagger in his sleeve.
At that moment, the door was opened, and someone came in shouting, “Xie Wen Dong is dead!”