Chapter 108

More than an hour passed. Jin Yan, who was lying in bed, was pulled out. Due to the anesthesia, he had fallen asleep. Xie Wendong hurried over and asked the nurse, “How is my friend? Is he okay?!”
The nurse nodded and said, “This one is fine, but the other is still under emergency treatment. Please wait a bit longer!”
“Is my friend in danger? Can he survive?”
“I don’t know. They’re giving him first aid now! Please wait a bit longer.”
Xie Wendong let out a sigh of disappointment. After the nurse took Jin Yan away, he saw Shui Jing’s face filled with concern. Understanding her feelings, he said thoughtfully, “Jing, go keep company with Jin Yan. Don’t leave him alone in the ward. It’s good to have someone to take care of him!”
Shui Jing’s face turned red. She looked at Xie Wendong gratefully and nodded lightly, “Okay, Brother Dong!” With that, she rushed after him.
Even assassins can fall in love! Xie Wendong couldn’t help but reflect on Shui Jing’s blushing face, wondering about himself—could he really love someone? In this world full of dangers, who isn’t at risk? Today, Gao Qiang was in the emergency room, his fate uncertain, but it could be him tomorrow. What can I offer those I love? What can I offer those who love me? Xie Wendong sighed deeply.
After what seemed like a long time, Xie Wendong finally felt exhausted and sat down in a chair. Seeing that the others were still standing, he waved and said, “Everyone is tired too. Let’s sit down and rest for a while!”
San Yan kept smoking one cigarette after another, anxiously asking, “Could Qiangzi really die here? Why hasn’t the doctor come out yet?”
Xie Wendong lowered his head, rubbing his temples as he prayed silently. He didn’t believe in gods, but now he wished there were ones who could hear his prayers and help his brother get through this. Five minutes later, Xie Wendong remembered there was still one important thing to do. He said to San Yan, “Brother Zhang, go back right now and contact the others. Spread the news about today’s incident as quickly as possible. It’s best if all the gangs in the city know about the Tigers Gang’s plot by nightfall!”
San Yan looked troubled, worried about Gao Qiang and reluctant to leave. Understanding his feelings, Xie Wendong added, “I’ll take care of this. I’ll call you if there’s any news. We still need to deal with this matter. We must avenge this!”
San Yan sighed inwardly. Brother Dong was right—this revenge had to be avenged! Nodding, he said goodbye to everyone and left.
Another two hours passed before the doors of the emergency room finally opened. A tired-looking doctor stepped out.

Xie Wendong and the others hurried forward and asked, “Doctor, how is my friend? Is he in danger?”
The doctor took a breath and reassured them, “The surgery was fairly successful, but his injuries are too severe. We removed six bullets from his back. It’s already a miracle he made it to the hospital alive. Whether he can survive depends on his own will. As long as he gets through the first three days of danger, your friend will be fine!”
Xie Wendong asked, “Can I see him now?”
The doctor shook his head. “Not yet. Come back when his condition stabilizes a bit more.”
Xie Wendong nodded, his lips slowly curling into a smile. “Doctor, I really have to thank you this time! But I hope my friend is okay. Please do your best. If he survives, I’ll give you anything you want. If he doesn’t…” Xie Wendong patted the doctor’s shoulder. His smile vanished instantly, and his narrow eyes shot a cold glare at him. “I’ll have you pay for this!”
The doctor shuddered. The pressure emanating from Xie Wendong made it hard for him to breathe. Such pressure wasn’t something ordinary people could exert—it only came from those who were extremely confident and powerful. Although the doctor didn’t know Xie Wendong’s background, he guessed he was definitely not someone he could afford to provoke. Stammering, he said, “Okay! Okay! I’ll do my best!”
“Just doing your best isn’t enough. Listen carefully—I want him alive! No matter how much it costs or what methods you use, I just want him alive! Make sure a few of your men stay here to watch over him. We still have important things to do!”
The others agreed that staying behind wouldn’t help much. In the end, five or six clever underlings were left to watch over him, while the rest followed Xie Wendong out of the hospital.
After leaving the hospital, they went straight back to the New Century Disco. Xie Wendong called his brothers in City J. He was brief—he needed people. As many as there were in their families should be sent to City H, and quickly. At 1 p.m., Jiang Sen and Dong Xinlei returned from completing their mission. Hearing that something had happened at the party organized by Xia Kui that morning, they were shocked. After listening to Xie Wendong’s explanation, Dong Xinlei said thoughtfully, “It seems the underworld in City H is about to fall into chaos!”
Xie Wendong asked, “How’s progress with the Soul Group?”

Jiang Sen had originally been quite happy to return, but the moment he thought of Gao Qiang, all his excitement vanished. Forcing a smile, he said, “The attack was successful. Fifty-seven people in total, not a single survivor. But one thing is clear—these people were indeed part of the secret group, and there might be some innocent Japanese among them…” As he spoke, Jiang Sen handed a stack of blank papers to Xie Wendong, saying, “We also found some materials in the apartment. Hopefully, they’ll be useful to us.”

Xie Wendong took them but had no mood to look at them right away, so he tossed them onto the desk and muttered to himself, “One crisis after another! Battle Axe can’t tolerate us, and we can’t tolerate Battle Axe either. It’s time for the Tigers Gang to fight back!” After a moment of silence, Xie Wendong stood up and said, “I need to see someone!”

Everyone was stunned and couldn’t help asking, “Who?”

“Liu Dexin!” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes. “The public security bureau needs its own people! Liu Dexin has a good impression of me; I can train him to be one of us. This is our chance—to help him rise and have him work for us!”

Li Shuang asked in confusion, “Brother Dong, what do you mean?”

“Use the old trick from three years ago. Overthrow the current leadership and then install a new one who obeys us! Liu Dexin is a good candidate.” With a cold smile, Xie Wendong left the meeting room, thinking to himself, Tigers Gang! Battle Axe! You want me dead? I’ll see who dies first!

Xie Wendong called J City around noon, and by around 4 p.m., his team in J City arrived. Jiang Sen had arranged for them to stay in various hotels, ready for deployment at any time. Meanwhile, Xie Wendong was in secret talks with Liu Dexin.

It was New Year’s Eve, and the entire H City underworld was in chaos—dozens of gang leaders had been killed. At first, most people doubted the news. In the afternoon, the reports were confirmed. Although the police kept the matter under tight control, they couldn’t hide it from the well-informed underworld. All gangs were outraged and pointed their fingers at the Tigers Gang.

By night, the chaos truly began. The police were prepared for this. Given such a serious incident, they anticipated possible trouble from the gangs and issued an emergency order for all police officers in the city to work overtime on New Year’s Eve to maintain order. Even so, Peng Shulin, the deputy director of the provincial police department, still underestimated the severity of the situation.

Various gangs mobilized all their members to attack the Tigers Gang’s territories. Hundreds of people armed with knives and sticks rampaged through the streets, beating anyone they saw who resembled a member of the Tigers Gang, and destroying one by one the businesses under their control. The tyranny of these gangs caused traffic jams on several major streets in City H. Police, riot control units, and the gangs engaged in an unprecedented fierce battle on the streets. This was also the most serious direct confrontation between “police batons” and “knives” in City H.

Chen Zhongwen, the secretary of the provincial party committee, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in his office. He called the military stationed in City H several times; the troops were on their way to the city, but he still felt his life was in danger. Another person equally anxious was Peng Shulin. As the special envoy from the central government in charge of maintaining order in City H, he bore direct responsibility for any problems that arose, yet he couldn’t think of a solution. If guns were used, it might suppress the gangs, but it could also anger them further and alert the central government sooner. Like Chen Zhongwen, Peng Shulin also placed all his hopes on the military.

Soon, the military entered the city, but this time the gangs showed rare courage, driven by one goal: to eliminate the Tigers Gang and avenge their leader. In the world of crime, loyalty is paramount—no matter whether one can fulfill it or not, one must maintain face. The leader’s death through betrayal was no trivial matter, and the subordinates, regardless of their motives, had the responsibility to avenge him. Otherwise, they would not only be looked down upon by their own members but also despised by other gangs. With as many as twenty gang leaders killed this time, they felt justified and confident enough to even confront the military bravely.

The arrival of the military not only failed to bring any effect but also intensified the gangs’ resistance and caused panic among the citizens.

By 10 p.m., the chaos continued. While Chen Zhongwen was anxious in his office, he received a call from Liu Dexin. Alarmed, he thought some major incident had occurred again. “Secretary Chen, I think the situation is getting out of control. If this chaos continues, it will be difficult if the central government finds out!”

Chen Zhongwen knew this all too well, but he was at a loss for now. Still, he kept his tone calm. “Liu, do you have any ideas?”
“I think we need to bring in someone influential in the criminal world to calm down the gangs. That might help restore order!”

“Then who do you think is suitable? Right now, all the gangs are evenly matched. Who has enough influence to make other gangs listen?”
Liu Dexin laughed and said, “Secretary Chen, how could you forget someone? He’s quite familiar with you too.”
“Oh? Who is it?” “Xie Wendong!”
“Him? He won’t do. He’s only been in City H for a few days. He still isn’t influential here; no one will listen to him.” Chen Zhongwen shook his head.
“Maybe he wasn’t before, but don’t forget—he’s the only gang leader who survived theHuaihui gathering. That shows his strength. The leaders of various gangs must give him some face! Besides, he has people under his control. Using brute force might be an old method, but it’s still a good idea.”
“Hmm… Even so, Xie Wendong won’t listen to us for no reason. There must be some conditions, right?”
“Don’t worry, Secretary. I’m quite familiar with him. Talking to him might persuade him.”
“Alright, then I’m counting on you this time. I hope we can keep this under control and avoid alerting the authorities in Beijing!”
Liu Dexin hung up the phone, laughed heartily, and gave Xie Wendong a thumbs up. “Wendong, just as you said—Chen Zhongwen is extremely anxious now. Do you have any way to get these people under control?”
Xie Wendong smiled and said, “There’s no way. Those causing trouble are troublemakers and hooligans. It’s the government’s responsibility to arrest them, and they can use a bit more force. Haha!”
Liu Dexin looked troubled. “With so many people, it’s hard for our police to handle. Even if we could catch them all, there’s no place to lock them up!”