Chapter 111

“You have no shame! By the way, how did you get involved with the gang, and even become the leader of the largest underground gang in City J?”
Xie Wendong sighed and replied calmly, “Perhaps this is just fate! Many things are beyond our control; it’s more often the environment that changes people. I don’t want to be someone controlled by fate. I hope to use my strength to change the environment.”
Peng Ling looked at him in confusion, not understanding his words, and asked, “How can you change the environment?”
Xie Wendong sighed inwardly. Yes! How could a thug change the environment? Could a thug change China’s current situation? The answer was no. After being lost in thought for a long time, he suddenly laughed and said, “Maybe villains can change the environment! I might be a villain, and I want to be one too, haha!”
“What strange things you’re saying today!” Peng Ling stared at Xie Wendong and asked, “Are you acting like a villain now?”
Xie Wendong gave a sad smile, his gaze fixed on the distance, and replied irrelevantly, “The longer you stay in society, the more you realize its darkness. The government is like a battlefield—full of scheming, deception, and corruption. Pick any official above the section level—who can guarantee they’ve never taken bribes?” He then remembered the scene when Yevgeny killedXia Kui, that look of contempt and disdain, which shattered his deepest sense of pride. This pride wasn’t personal but stemmed from the pride of a nation and a people, the dignity of being Chinese. That was the first time he had such an experience. “If one day I have enough power, I’ll send those corrupt officials to the execution ground!”
Peng Ling was astonished, unable to believe these words came from Xie Wendong. A gangster who could say such things? She asked, “You… do you plan to enter politics? Your alone can’t change China!”
Xie Wendong shook his head. “No, I’m not suited for being an official. I’m a businessman, and a shrewd one at that. Villains may not be able to save China, but they can change its environment!”
Peng Ling was stunned. “You seem different today. Did something happen?”
Xie Wendong replied, “I don’t know why I’m saying these things, but they’re from the bottom of my heart. Maybe I was marked with China’s identity from birth. Who wouldn’t want their country to be strong? Who would want to see their country despised by others? I… might also be a patriot!” Xie Wendong felt a shock inside. He realized he had said too much today. Pulling Peng Ling along, he said with a smile, “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat quickly!”

Peng Ling followed behind Xie Wendong, feeling that what he had said earlier wasn’t a lie, and she couldn’t hide her joy. Looking at his thin back, she realized she knew too little about Xie Wendong. After eating at a restaurant, Xie Wendong and Peng Ling returned to her place. They watched TV and chatted. By 11 p.m., Xie Wendong still showed no sign of leaving. Peng Ling couldn’t help but say, “Wendong, it’s almost midnight. Go back and rest. You’ve been very busy lately, right?” Xie Wendong put his arm around Peng Ling’s shoulders and said seriously, “I’m not leaving today. I’m not at ease leaving such a big house unattended; I want to stay and protect you!” Peng Ling lightly punched his chest and said, “I’m a police officer. What’s there for you to worry about? On the contrary, I’m the one who’s worried if you stay! Go now!” Hearing this, Xie Wendong instead unbuttoned his shirt and whispered, “You have to stay with me today!” With that, he pulled Peng Ling toward the bedroom. She protested softly, “No! What if my father calls…” Before she could finish, Xie Wendong silenced her with a passionate kiss on her red lips. Under his fierce assault, Peng Ling’s body became as soft as water, unable to muster any strength, and she leaned entirely against him. The two collapsed on the pink soft bed, with Xie Wendong pressing down on her, kissing her passionately. The warm light from inside didn’t reach outside, where Dong Xinlei and Jin Yan, who had just recovered from their injuries, sat bored in the car. Dong Xinlei checked his watch and peeked through Peng Ling’s window—it was pitch black. He said to Jin Yan, with experience, “Lao Jin, it seems Brother Dong has entered the land of romance. He won’t be leaving tonight!” Jin Yan laughed and said, “I was prepared for this, haha!” Then he took out a novel from his side. Dong Xinlei asked curiously, “What’s that book?” “Hehe, a fantasy novel!” “Hm? What’s a fantasy novel? What’s its title?” “A fantasy novel is… never mind, I can’t explain it to you right now. The title is 《Holy Path, Unrivaled Power》.” “Oh, that sounds like a good title!” “Yeah, it’s also very well written!” “Then let me see it.” “No, I haven’t finished it yet… Hey? Are you trying to steal it?”

After a passionate night, Xie Wendong was awakened by the sunlight streaming into the room. He sat up and stretched, only to find Peng Ling gone. On the table by the bed were milk, bread, and a note. Reading it, he learned that Peng Ling had gone to work. Xie Wendong checked his watch—it was almost ten o’clock. Oh, it was already so late; perhaps it was because he hadn’t gotten enough sleep these past few days, he reasoned. He finished the breakfast Peng Ling had prepared in a few bites, then quickly got dressed and went downstairs.

Once in the car, Xie Wendong asked, “Lao Lei, why didn’t you call me when Xiao Ling left?”
Dong Xinlei laughed and said, “Peng Ling came and told me you were too tired and shouldn’t be disturbed.”
Xie Wendong saw the sly smiles on their faces and knew they were thinking something improper. With a grunt, he closed his eyes and said, “Let’s head back to the company first!”

In the days that followed, City H remained calm for a long time. A clear pattern had emerged: Wen Donghui, who called themselves the Wen Gang, and the Tiger Gang stood as two rival forces. On the surface, neither side seemed willing to start a war, but secretly they prepared for a decisive battle that would see one side destroyed. Publicly, Xie Wendong took care of his legitimate business, while secretly he expanded Wen Donghui’s forces and used drugs to exchange for large amounts of weapons and military equipment from the Black Gang.

In early May of 1999, just a couple of days after Gao Qiang was discharged from the hospital, several branches of Wen Donghui launched simultaneous attacks on the Tiger Gang’s territories.

Li Shuang, dressed in black clothes, wearing black gloves, with a large bag slung over his shoulder and a silver pistol in hand, led a group of a hundred armed members of the Tiger Gang into a luxury nightclub. They started shooting at everyone they saw, scaring the guests into fleeing in all directions. After a short time of chaos, dozens of people rushed down from the second floor. One of them stepped forward and demanded, “What the hell are you doing? How dare you cause trouble here!? Do you know who we are?” Clearly, he hadn’t expected Wen Donghui to launch an attack so quickly. In fact, not only him but also Yevgeny and the leader of the Tiger Gang hadn’t anticipated it.

Li Shuang hid the pistol behind his back and smiled, showing his white teeth. “I know! You’re just some worthless members of the Tiger Gang!”
The man’s face turned pale as he snapped, “Fatty, be careful with what you say. If you already know we’re from the Tiger Gang, it’s better not to provoke me, or else…” Before he could finish, Li Shuang stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and said, “Damn you, I’m exactly here to fight you!” Then he fired a shot at the man’s head. Due to the close distance, the man’s skull was blown apart, and blood splattered all over Li Shuang and those around him.

Without pause, Li Shuang shouted, “Kill them!” He raised his gun and fired at the dozens of members of the Tiger Gang coming down the stairs. At such close range, there was no need for aiming—each shot hit its target, with bullets passing through the bodies of those in front and hitting those behind.

Li Shuang’s men were all armed, and as the battle began, they pulled out their pre-prepared guns and fired in unison. Gunfire rang out like firecrackers. The leaders of the Tiger Gang were killed by Li Shuang right away, leaving them without a leader. With no proper preparation, the men in front were quickly overwhelmed. Those behind scattered in all directions trying to find cover.

Li Shuang’s eyes were red as his gun kept firing, unleashing a massacre on those before him. In just a short while, his pistol was empty. He threw it aside and took out an AK-47 from his backpack, shooting wildly at his enemies while laughing maniacally.

A young man from the Tiger Gang with glasses had been hiding behind a crowd but was still hit in the thigh by a stray bullet. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Looking around, he saw that the attackers weren’t just there to cause trouble—they were there to slaughter them. His own men kept collapsing from injuries, and the smell of gunpowder and blood filled the nightclub. For him, the psychological shock was far greater than the physical pain. The young man managed to crawl under a table and took out his phone to inform Yevgeny.

“Mr. Yevgeny, this is Red Sun Nightclub. Something terrible has happened—we’ve been attacked by hundreds of people! Please send help!” (Russian)

Yevgeny, who was in a villa in the suburbs, was shocked upon hearing this. He, who had been lying on a prostitute, jumped up instantly and shouted, “What? Are you saying Wen Dong is attacking us?” (Russian) He couldn’t believe that Xie Wendong would act so quickly. He had just conquered dozens of gangs and hadn’t yet stabilized his own forces—how could he suddenly attack his own side? Unless he was crazy.

The young man with glasses was lying under the table, holding his head. Due to the intense and constant gunfire around him, he couldn’t hear what Yevgeny was saying. He kept shouting, “Send help! We can’t hold on! Please come quickly!” (Russian)

“Damn it!” Yevgeny cursed and said urgently, “Don’t panic! Hold off the attackers while I get help here right away!” (Russian) After saying that, he quickly put on his clothes and shouted outside, “Someone come here!” (Russian)

Hearing his loud shout, two old Russians rushed in from outside, staring at him with confused expressions. Yevgeny cursed, “What the hell are you two standing around for? Go tell that idiot Qin Songjun that we’ve been ambushed by the Wendong Gang! Hurry up and have him contact the others for help!”
“Yes!” Realizing something serious had happened, the two old Russians rushed out immediately.
The prostitute on the bed was annoyed and reached out to stop him, saying, “Hey, pay me after this is over!”
Yevgeny stepped forward and slapped her, “Bitch! I’m not in the mood to give you money today!” With that, he strode out of the room.
Back at the nightclub, the battle was almost over. Corpses lay scattered everywhere on the floor. Li Shuang looked around, saw the shaking table, and smirked. He stepped forward, kicked it over, revealing a young man with glasses who still held the phone he had just hung up. Li Shuang grinned darkly, grabbed his hair, lifted him up, and pressed the tip of his AK47 against the young man’s head, asking with a laugh, “Have you sent the message?”
The man’s heart sank as he thought, “Oh no!” He tried to bluff, saying, “What… what are you talking about? I don’t understand!”
“Don’t try to fool me!” Li Shuang swung the gun and hit the young man on the head, laughing cruelly. “But this outcome is exactly what I wanted. I should actually thank you!”