Chapter 106

Xie Wendong had already seen him. Seeing him raise his gun, he rolled away instantly on reflex and fired back, shouting at Golden Eye, who was about to raise his gun, “Run!”
“Brother Dong…”
“Go!” Xie Wendong ordered sharply.
Golden Eye glanced at Xie Wendong, gritted his teeth—there was no time to think—and followed his orders, climbing onto the wall by stepping on Gao Qiang’s shoulders.
Seeing another person run away, Yevgeny broke into sweat. Fortunately, Xie Wendong hadn’t run away. He shouted loudly, “Kill him! Kill Xie Wendong!” More people came up behind Yevgeny. Golden Eye, who was on top of the wall, raised his gun and fired twice. The two people at the front fell to the ground. Yevgeny, who was watching closely, shrank back in fear and quickly sought cover. The others weren’t much braver either and darted to the sides. Golden Eye wanted to shoot again but found he had no bullets left. He threw the gun aside and jumped off the wall.
Taking advantage of the enemy’s distraction, Gao Qiang shouted, “Brother Dong, go!”
This time, Xie Wendong didn’t hesitate. He stepped on Gao Qiang’s raised thigh, used his foot to push off, leaped up, and stepped onto Gao Qiang’s shoulders to climb onto the wall. He reached down and said, “Qiangzi, go!”
“Bang~” A bullet flew past Xie Wendong’s cheek, and blood immediately flowed. It was Yevgeny who had fired. Not having hit a vital spot, he prepared to shoot again. Gao Qiang reacted quickly, drew his gun, and fired back. Enraged, Yevgeny screamed and retreated to cover. Gao Qiang fired several more shots until his gun was empty. Then he turned and grabbed Xie Wendong’s hand. With a strong pull, Xie Wendong helped Gao Qiang climb up. Just as they were about to cross over, gunshots rang out again, and he felt a sharp pain in his back.
Yevgeny screamed frantically, “Kill them! Kill them! You pigs!”
Although the members of the Tiger Gang didn’t understand what their boss was shouting, it seemed he was extremely angry. Not daring to be careless, they fired wildly at Gao Qiang, who was clinging to the wall. Instantly, several bullets hit Gao Qiang’s back, causing him to sink downward.
Xie Wendong lay on the wall and saw several clouds of blood rising from Gao Qiang’s back. His heart clenched. Shouting, “Qiangzi!” he grabbed Gao Qiang’s collar to prevent him from falling. Drawing on some unknown strength, Xie Wendong pulled the dazed Gao Qiang over the wall.

Outside the wall, Xie Wendong didn’t have time to check his own injuries. He picked him up and shouted at the others, “Go!” Then he ran back down the road they had come from. At the same time, he felt the clothes on his arm soaked through by something hot—he knew it was his brother’s blood! Every second of delay increased Gao Qiang’s danger.

Xie Wendong pushed his body to itslimit. Despite carrying someone, he still ran to the front. The scalding blood dripped from his arm onto the ground, shocking the others. San Yan was on the verge of crying.

Gao Qiang, Li Shuang, and San Yan had been together the longest and got along well, though their bond was that of brothers ready to risk their lives for each other. San Yan cried as he ran, catching up with Xie Wendong. Seeing Gao Qiang, pale and lying in his arms, his heart shattered. He grabbed Gao Qiang’s hand and said, “Qiangzi, hold on! We’ve faced so many hardships—you can’t die here, understand? We still have big things to do together…” His throat felt blocked, so painful he couldn’t speak.

Gao Qiang’s pupils were dilated as he stared at the sky. “Brother Dong, do people see everything as black when they’re about to die?”

A drop of water fell on Gao Qiang’s face. Xie Wendong said calmly, “Don’t talk nonsense! My brother will never die!”

His voice remained as calm as ever. He could control his voice but not the tears in his eyes.

Xie Wendong had only cried once since establishing his authority at No. 2 Middle School. That was when Li Shuang was stabbed dozens of times, and Xie Wendong cried when he arrived at the hospital. This was the second time, and the pain in his heart was far more intense than years ago—mostly self-reproach. This ambush was due to his own carelessness. Otherwise, Gao Qiang wouldn’t have been hurt.

At that moment, gunshots, shouts, and car engines came from behind.

San Yan stopped abruptly, gripping his gun tightly, biting his lower lip. A furious, bloodthirsty glow shone in his eyes, yet deep within lay endless sorrow. How could Xie Wendong not understand his feelings? He also stopped, turned around, and said gravely, “I don’t want to lose two brothers in one day!”

Seeing the sadness in Xie Wendong’s eyes, San Yan was shocked. He clenched his fist so hard his nails dug into his flesh, blood flowing from his fingers. The pain in his hand paled in comparison to the pain in his heart!

Xie Wendong shouted, “Follow me!” After saying that, he gave Sanyan a deep look before rushing forward again. Jinyan ran past Sanyan. Though he didn’t share the same deep bond with Sanyan and Gao Qiang, he could understand his feelings. With a somber expression, he said, “Let’s go! Reckoning will come sooner or later, but only if we’re still alive to do it!”

Sanyan unclenched his fist, nodded silently, and strode after Xie Wendong.

The distance from the recycling site to the main road was only a thousand meters, but for the people there now, it seemed too far. After running less than five hundred meters, their pursuers, in cars, were almost catching up, with gunshots ringing out from time to time.

Luo Gang, nearly forty years old, wasn’t as strong as Xie Wendong and the others. He gradually fell behind. Mu Zi pulled him aside and urged, “Can you hurry up?”

Luo Gang gasped for breath. “I… I can’t run anymore! You guys go first. I’ll hold them off for a while!”

Hearing this, Xie Wendong cursed under his breath and shouted, “Mu Zi, hold him and run!”

“Okay!” Mu Zi replied, grabbing Luo Gang’s sleeve and pulling him forward, with the latter instinctively following.

A car led the pursuit, getting closer and closer. With a bang, a bullet flew past Jinyan’s neck, scraping off a piece of skin. Sweat appeared on Jinyan’s face as he turned to Shui Jing beside him and said urgently, “Give me your gun!”

The two often joked around, but now, in this critical situation, Shui Jing looked tense as she quickly handed him the gun, saying worriedly, “There are five bullets left. Be careful!”

Jinyan felt warmth in his heart. As he took the gun, he also grabbed Shui Jing’s hand and said softly, “Don’t worry! I’m fine!” Jinyan stopped in the middle of the path, raised his gun at the approaching car. The people inside also saw him. The driver shouted harshly, “Quick! Kill him! Kill him!”

One person stuck his upper body out of the car window, took a quick aim, and fired several shots at Jinyan.

Bullets whizzed past him, but Jinyan stood firm like a towering mountain, unmoved. He was a killer who never fired without certainty. He was waiting, waiting for his mind to calm down.

Bang! A stray bullet hit his shoulder, but Jinyan seemed unaffected. At the same time, he pulled the trigger. The driver’s head was shot through by Jinyan’s bullet. Blood splattered on the car window. The driverless car crashed into a tree by the path. After the crash, the people inside stumbled out, disoriented.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Golden Eye fired three more shots, taking out the three people who had crawled out. Only then did he cover the wound on his shoulder, staggered slightly, and turned to chase after the others.
Xie Wendong and the others ran onto the main road leading to the city. Just then, a truck was coming from the direction of the city. Xie Wendong handed Gao Qiang to Tu Shan, who was standing nearby, then stood in the middle of the road with his arms outstretched to stop the truck. The driver, seeing a bloodied man in the middle of the road, thought something bad had happened and quickly stopped the vehicle, leaning out to ask, “Hey? Brother, what happened?”
Three-Eyes rushed to the side of the truck, opened the door, and sat in the passenger seat. Holding a gun against the driver’s waist, he snapped, “Some damn trouble! Don’t ask anything. If you talk nonsense, I’ll kill you!” Then he waved and said, “Brother Dong, get in quickly!”
Xie Wendong and the others climbed into the cargo area at the back of the truck, which contained some miscellaneous items. Tu Shan pulled off his jacket and used it as a cushion on the truck, then gently laid Gao Qiang on it. Xie Wendong sat next to Gao Qiang, letting his head rest on his lap, and held his hand while murmuring, “Qiangzi, hold on a little longer! We’ll be at the hospital soon!”
Three-Eyes used the gun to threaten the driver, who was terrified, sweating profusely with his hands trembling on the steering wheel. Seeing Xie Wendong and the others inside, Three-Eyes shouted at Golden Eye, who was running toward them, “Golden Eye, hurry up!”
Golden Eye, clutching his shoulder wound, groaned in pain. Now he finally understood what it felt like to be shot. The wound didn’t hurt much, but his entire body was numb. His left shoulder and arm, hit by the bullet, couldn’t exert any strength, and his running speed slowed down. The pursuers were getting closer and closer. Three-Eyes yelled at the driver, “Drive!”
The driver was already terrified and, hearing Three-Eyes’ shout, stared at him blankly without reacting. Annoyed, Three-Eyes cursed loudly, opened the driver’s side door, and kicked the driver out. Then he sat in the driver’s seat and started the car.
The truck drove on the main road for a while before suddenly turning onto a side road and speeding toward Golden Eye. When it got close to him, Three-Eyes quickly raised his head, while Shui Jing and Tu Shan pulled at Golden Eye’s clothes and dragged him onto the truck. Mu Zi took the opportunity to shoot at the pursuers behind them.
The truck turned and sped toward the city, with several cars closely in pursuit. Yevgeny was determined—Xie Wendong must not get away alive.
One after another, the two sides engaged in a thrilling chase on the main road. Gunshots rang out, scaring the cars on the road into pulling over to both sides.

Xie Wendong and the others behind the truck tried their best to press themselves against the vehicle to avoid the flying bullets. Luo Gang also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that they were now safe and relaxing. Noticing the urgency on Xie Wendong’s face, he said concerningly, “Brother Xie, don’t be too sad. Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth depends on heaven. You’re a real man—I think you’ll be fine!”
Luo Gang’s words shocked Xie Wendong, who lowered his head in deep thought. After a while, he took a deep breath and sighed, “I hope so!”
Luo Gang said, “You’ll be fine! I remember there’s a hospital not far ahead.” His tense nerves relaxed as he thought of the other bosses and asked, “I wonder how the others are doing. Did they manage to escape?”
Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Them? Do you really want to know?”
Luo Gang was stunned and nodded. Xie Wendong pointed backward and said with a laugh, “Aren’t they coming here?” Luo Gang and the others were shocked and turned to look in the direction Xie Wendong indicated. Behind them were nothing but pursuers. “Brother, are you joking…” Luo Gang didn’t finish his sentence before suddenly feeling a chill in his chest, followed by numbness throughout his body. In disbelief, he looked down at his chest— a golden knife was embedded in his heart, with blood flowing rapidly down its groove.