Chapter 110

That day, Xie Wendong went to the hospital with everyone else to visit Gao Qiang. Qiangzi had recovered quite quickly, which brought great relief to Xie Wendong and the others. Sanyan even joked with Gao Qiang, “Qiangzi, do you know how worried Dongge was when you were injured? It was the first time I saw him cry!”
Gao Qiang looked at Xie Wendong excitedly, with many words in his heart but unable to speak them. Xie Wendong was such a person—he would stop at nothing against his enemies, being extremely ruthless. Anyone who became his target never had a good ending. But at the same time, he treated his own people like brothers, never putting on an airs of a boss, nor ever beating or scolding any of them. He was generous to his people, while he himself rarely spent money. It was because of Xie Wendong that, no matter how evil or cruel he was, his subordinates were willing to follow him and fight together to take over the world. As long as Xie Wendong gave an order, even if it meant dying immediately, they would believe there must be a reason for him to ask them to do so and would die without hesitation.
Seeing Gao Qiang’s slightly moist eyes, Xie Wendong stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and patted it lightly twice. “Qiangzi, recover quickly. I need to go fight for the world with you!” Then he said to the people around him, “As long as I’m alive, as long as Xie Wendong is alive, the lives of all of you here belong to me. No one is allowed to die! Since I brought everyone out of City J and made you leave your loved ones to follow me, it’s my responsibility to bring you all back safely! Do you understand?”
These words warmed everyone’s hearts, filling them with passion and making their eyes moist. They all replied in unison, “We understand!”
Xie Wendong and the others chatted with Gao Qiang for a while longer before leaving. Fearing that the Tiger Gang might take the opportunity to retaliate, Xie Wendong deliberately left seven or eight elite members of the gang to protect Gao Qiang. He also made sure the doctors in the hospital would take good care of him. Once everything was arranged, Xie Wendong led everyone back to New Century to discuss how to deal with the Tiger Gang.
Sitting in the meeting room, Xie Wendong spoke first, “The Tiger Gang has been growing for many years. Although they’ve suffered some blows this time, their strength hasn’t diminished much. Does anyone have any good ideas?”
Li Shuang rushed to speak, “The Tiger Gang is strong, but we’re not weak either! With so many gangs joining us, plus the weapons we bought from Hei Dai, our strength is now much greater than theirs. There’s no need to fear them anymore. I think we can just confront them head-on. Have a decisive battle with the Tiger Gang and wipe them out completely!”

Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “That’s not good. The gangs that have just joined us can be considered opportunists—they’re unreliable. If a real fight breaks out, they might not go all out. Relying only on ourselves, even if we win, we’ll be severely weakened, and those allied gangs might turn on us.”

Jiang Sen nodded and said, “Brother Dong is right. Few of those people are good—seem honest on the surface, but who knows what they’re really planning?”

Li Shuang shouted, “Just them? What tricks can they come up with? Let’s just wipe them out now!”

Sanyan snapped, “If you don’t understand, stay quiet and listen to Brother Dong!”

Xie Wendong pondered for a while before nodding and smiling. “Actually, what Little Shuang said is also worth considering!”

“What? Really, Brother Dong?” Almost everyone, except Li Shuang, looked at Xie Wendong in surprise. A direct confrontation wasn’t Xie Wendong’s style, and it was also the lowest-level tactic—Brother Dong surely understood that. Everyone was puzzled.

Li Shuang shook his head, glanced around at everyone, and grinned triumphantly. “Well? Stop looking down on me. This time, Brother Dong even says my idea works. Our Wen Dong Gang will fight a tough battle this time and show the entire underworld what we’re made of, haha!”

Sanyan stared at Li Shuang, rubbing the ground with the sole of his shoe again, feeling an itch in his foot. Hearing the friction between the shoe and the ground, Li Shuang trembled and moved his chair in the opposite direction from Sanyan. Xie Wendong just smiled and shook his head. “Besides Little Shuang’s method, we need to do one more thing at the same time.”

Everyone asked, “What is it?”

Xie Wendong stood up, took out several printed maps from the drawer of his desk, and spread them on the conference table for everyone to see. “Our secret team has already located the headquarters of the Tiger Gang. We thought it was in the city area, but that’s not the case. What’s there is just a front. The real headquarters is in the Erlong Mountain area, not far from City H. It’s marked on the map—take a look!”

Everyone examined the map and indeed saw a red circle marked there. Xie Wendong continued, “Not only does Qin Songjun, the leader of the Tiger Gang, live there, but that Russian named Yevgeny also lives there. They reside in a remote large villa with strict security. But if we’re well-prepared, a surprise attack might succeed—of course, provided we can distract them first.”

Zhang Yanjiang understood and smiled. “Brother Dong means we should engage the Tiger Gang in a public battle while secretly attacking their headquarters?!”

“Mm! Yanjiang is right. With a good plan, one strike can be fatal!” Xie Wendong’s eyes gleamed viciously as his lips curled upward. The others thought for a moment before exclaiming, “Good idea! Brother Dong, this plan works. We’re already experts at ambushes, and since the enemy isn’t prepared, it will definitely succeed!” As they spoke, Xie Wendong’s phone rang. He waved at everyone and left the meeting room with the phone. It was Peng Ling calling, her voice cold. “Wendong, tell me, where have you been these days? Why haven’t you come to see me?” Xie Wendong sighed inwardly. He had been busy absorbing other gangs these days and had indeed neglected Peng Ling. He apologized with a smile, “Xiaoling, I’ve been swamped with company matters these days. I’m exhausted and haven’t had time to see you. I’m really sorry! I’ll take you out for dinner to make it up to you later.” “Are you just being perfunctory? There’s chaos in City H these days due to a new gang called the Wen Bang. Could it be related to you?” The Wen Bang was the name Xie Wendong’s gang used these days. Xie Wendong’s heart trembled. Had Peng Ling discovered something? Though nervous, he kept his tone calm. “How could that be? I’ve stopped dealing in gang affairs and left the underworld. Anything that happens in the underworld has nothing to do with me. Xiaoling, can you trust me?” Peng Ling felt a bit relieved but didn’t soften her tone. “Can you really make me trust you? I know what the underworld is like. Can you really leave so quickly?! Besides, the leader of the Wen Bang is Zhang Zhidong, who used to be one of your top lieutenants—Sanyan. How can you say he has nothing to do with you now?” “I disbanded the gang when I left the underworld. I can no longer control those people I used to have around. Xiaoling, if you love me, you should trust me! If you keep doubting me, I’ll be very sad!” There was a long silence on the other end. Peng Ling didn’t want the newly risen Wen Bang to be connected to Xie Wendong, but with so many ties, she couldn’t help but think of him. With a sigh, she said, “Alright! I hope not! I like you, but if you’re still involved with the underworld, I’ll still catch you!” Different paths don’t lead to the same destination! Xie Wendong’s eyes turned icy as he thought to himself. A direct conflict with Peng Ling was only a matter of time. He wasn’t ready yet. He was waiting—for the right opportunity! For an opportunity to retaliate…! “Xiaoling, let’s stop talking for now. I’m in a meeting. I’ll pick you up tonight. I hope you can have a little faith in me!”

“…” Peng Ling remained silent. In fact, she still hadn’t figured out what kind of person Xie Wendong was. He was like a mist—unreachable and intangible. Only when she was with him could Peng Ling sense his true nature. Once separated from him, Xie Wendong seemed ready to vanish at any moment. Peng Ling felt no sense of security. She always felt he was hiding many secrets from her, and she didn’t know what they were; she couldn’t reach the depths of his heart. Was this how lovers were? Peng Ling often asked herself this question.

Xie Wendong returned to the meeting room and saw everyone staring at him strangely. He smiled at them and said, “It’s nothing. It was Peng Ling who called. She suspects I have connections with the Wen Gang!”

Jiang Sen opened his mouth but said nothing, his gaze drifting toward San Yan. The latter understood what he meant immediately and frowned, saying, “Brother Dong, I think you shouldn’t get too close to Peng Ling. She’s a principled police officer, while we’re a gang stained with blood. Forcing a relationship between us won’t bring happiness. Brother Dong, you’re smart—how can you not understand this? I think you’d better get rid of Peng Ling soon.”

Xie Wendong’s smile froze as he narrowed his eyes at San Yan. The latter felt a chill run down his back, realizing Brother Dong was angry. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look into Xie Wendong’s eyes. Xie Wendong sat down and said coldly, “I know my own affairs well. Everyone shouldn’t worry too much. As for Peng Ling, she won’t affect me. Don’t worry about that!”

Hearing Xie Wendong say this, San Yan and Jiang Sen exchanged a glance and shook their heads, staying silent. Seeing the tense atmosphere, Xie Wendong clapped his hands and said, “Alright, let’s discuss our plan to deal with the Tiger Gang!”

“A surprise attack is good. The most important thing is that I should take the lead, so the chances of success will be at least a bit higher…” Li Shuang’s loud voice rang out in the meeting room.

In the afternoon, Xie Wendong went to the city police station to pick up Peng Ling. Instead of sitting in the car, the two strolled along the streets. Dong Xinlei drove slowly behind them.

As they walked, Peng Ling said, “Wendong, do you have many secrets from me? I always feel like you’re hiding something!”

Xie Wendong shook his head and smiled, “How could that be? I don’t hide any secrets from you.”

Peng Ling sighed inwardly, knowing he wasn’t telling the truth. She felt a pang of sadness but didn’t want to push him too hard. She asked casually, “Then tell me about your childhood.”

Xie Wendong lowered his head, recalling his childhood with a smile. He said with emotion, “I was a very well-behaved child back then. I obeyed my parents at home and my teachers at school. Hehe, my academic performance was always among the best. It was such a happy time—no pressure, just carefree and innocent days!”
Peng Ling had never heard Xie Wendong talk about his past, but she knew he was good at studying. She joked, “Were you really that good at academics?”
Xie Wendong laughed and said, “Of course! I’m smart enough. Even if I didn’t study much, I could still get into university. I remember you know about this too, right?!”
Peng Ling pouted and said unhappily, “Yeah! Some people are really great—they don’t even go to regular universities but choose adult education instead. They claim to support it, but really, it’s just because they can’t study well on their own.”
Xie Wendong wanted to explain, but then thought better of it. Otherwise, he’d face more questions from Peng Ling—too much trouble! He joked, “Yeah, yeah! I’m just someone who doesn’t know how to strive, right? Haha!”