Chapter 115

Dongxing Hotel in City H. Originally named Datang Hotel, it was later purchased by Xie Wendong and renamed Dongxing, becoming part of the Dongxing Group. Five days after eliminating the Tiger Gang, Xie Wendong held a large gang gathering here. All gangs, whether led by a boss or not, as long as they were significant enough, were invited by Xie Wendong. Nowadays, Xie Wendong holds absolute power in City H, and no gang dares to refuse his invitation. There was heavy traffic in front of Dongxing Hotel, and finding a parking spot was a problem.

A large meeting room on the third floor of the hotel was converted into a temporary venue. Seven large conference tables were arranged side by side in the middle, with people seated on both sides. Xie Wendong took his seat at the center without hesitation. After a while, Jiang Sen came over to Xie Wendong’s side and whispered, “Brother Dong, everyone is here.” “Mm!” Xie Wendong nodded slightly and tapped the table with his finger. The leaders of various gangs knew he was about to speak, so they stopped talking and turned to look at him. The room fell silent, with only the sound of his fingers tapping on the table heard from time to time.

Xie Wendong scanned the crowd. Everyone sat there cautiously, and he felt a sense of accomplishment. He cleared his throat lightly and smiled, saying, “Recently, the underworld has been in chaos due to traitors like Hui Kui, who killed over twenty top gang leaders. This is a shame for our underworld in City H. But now that the main culprit, the Tiger Gang, is gone, let’s discuss our plans for the future! In which direction should our underworld in City H develop?” Before Xie Wendong could finish speaking, a gang leader named Chen Baicheng quickly stood up and said, “It was all thanks to Brother Dong that this chaos could be resolved. He avenged us all and used his connections to free our brothers who were arrested by the police. We will never forget that. If the underworld remains fragmented, we won’t be able to survive. Only by uniting can we gain strength, and only then will the government give us some respect. Before, we followed the Fourth Boss; he led us with great authority. Now I submit to Brother Dong. I believe that under his leadership, we will be even more prosperous and have a brighter future!”

Xie Wendong showed no expression on his face, but was inwardly overjoyed. What Chen Baicheng said was exactly what he wanted, though he himself couldn’t bring himself to say it. Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “Brother Chen, you’re being too polite. I’m the youngest here, with the lowest status—how could I possibly lead everyone?! It’s better to find someone else who’s more suitable. What do you all think?” With a smile, Xie Wendong glanced around. Seeing the determination in his eyes, everyone instinctively lowered their heads, too afraid to make eye contact. Strength represented dominance, and dominance could overwhelm everything. Even if they wanted to object, they swallowed their words at the sight of Xie Wendong’s gaze and weighed their own strength.

Chen Baicheng had actually already been bribed by Xie Wendong and was told to say such things. Seeing that no one spoke, he seized the opportunity to say, “It’s Brother Dong who’s being polite! In our underworld, it’s ability that matters, not age; strength that matters, not status. The fact that Brother Dong was able to single-handedly eliminate the Menger Bang—a major threat—proves his strength. At such a young age, his abilities are far beyond ordinary people’s. The position of underworld boss clearly belongs to Brother Dong! Right?”
“Yes! We believe in Brother Dong’s strength!” “Old Chen is right. If not him, then who else? If it were someone else, I’d be the first to disagree!” “……”
Another seven or eight bosses stood up at Xie Wendong’s subtle hint, firmly supporting his claim to be the underworld boss of City H. There were also some opportunists who, seeing that the situation was settled, decided to curry favor with Xie Wendong for future benefits, and they too stood up to express their “strong support” for him taking charge.
The people present were all smart enough to understand the situation. Although Xie Wendong hadn’t explicitly said he wanted to become the leader of the underworld, it was already settled. Why risk offending him and creating future problems? Moreover, most of these bosses knew something about Xie Wendong—though young, he was ruthless, cunning, and full of schemes. Most importantly, his strength was unmatched in City H, so it was only natural for him to take charge. With that in mind, more bosses stood up to support him.

At that moment, only five people in the meeting room remained seated, none of them moving. One of them was Xie Wendong, while the other four wore solemn expressions and remained silent. An older, overweight man rubbed his forehead and frowned, saying, “Can Old Xie let me speak a few words?” When Xie Wendong nodded, he continued, “Merging was originally a good idea, but our Huo Bang has been around for a hundred years. Though not a large gang, we’ve always run things on our own. Even when Lao Si was alive, we didn’t follow his orders, let alone you… I don’t want Huo Bang’s century-long legacy to be ruined in my hands. So I won’t take a stance on the merger, nor will I participate.” The man’s name was Guan Delin. The gang he led—Huo Bang—had a century-long history and was one of the established criminal organizations in City H, though it wasn’t very large and had always been mid-tier.

Everyone’s expression changed upon hearing this. They thought to themselves, What a stubborn old man! Not giving Xie Wendong face in front of so many people is just asking for trouble!

Xie Wendong’s smile remained unchanged. He tapped his head and chuckled, saying, “Since that’s the case, I won’t force you, old man. But merging is an inevitable trend. I hope you’ll think it over carefully. Of course, I won’t force anyone either. If anyone has any opinions, feel free to speak up!”

Before Xie Wendong could finish, Chen Baicheng came over to Guan Delin with an unhappy look, complaining, “I say, Old Guan, one must know when to act wisely. Everyone agrees to the merger except you. Look, whose gang is smaller than yours here? It’s only a matter of time before our criminal gangs unite—just as Brother Dong said, it’s an inevitable trend!”

Guan Delin sneered, “Chen Baicheng, it’s not your place to interfere in Huo Bang’s affairs! Others may not care or be able to interfere, but as long as I, Guan Delin, am still alive, I won’t hand over the legacy built by our ancestors!”

Chen Baicheng’s expression changed. He glared at Guan Delin and said harshly, “Maybe I’m not a big shot, but be careful with what you say. If we start fighting, it won’t be good for anyone!”

Guan Delin snorted coldly and said nothing, clearly not taking Chen Baicheng seriously at all.

Feeling embarrassed, Chen Baicheng bent down closer to him and softened his voice, “So you’re firmly set on your old ideas?! You’re absolutely against the merger, right?”

Guan Delin replied gravely, “I’ve said it—Huo Bang won’t join, but that doesn’t mean I’m against it!”

“Very good! Very good!” Chen Baicheng looked up at Xie Wendong, who was fiddling with a pen in his hand, his tightly closed lips slightly raised into a crescent shape. The pen spun between Xie Wendong’s fingers for a while before he stopped, gripped the body of the pen tightly, and with a push from his thumb, it snapped in two with a click.

After seeing this, Chen Baicheng bit his lip, reached out to grab Guan Delin’s back of the head, and pressed his head down on the conference table with force. An dagger over half a foot long appeared in his other hand. With a low growl, he thrust the dagger into Guan Delin’s neck, the tip sticking out beneath the table. Guan Delin’s entire body was pinned to the table, trembling violently as gurgling sounds came from his throat. Chen Baicheng released his grip and said through gritted teeth, “You had the audacity to refuse! Damn it, he really thinks he’s someone special! Those who don’t join the merger are enemies, and if they’re enemies, I won’t let them off easy! Is there anyone else who objects?”

This sudden action shocked the bosses present, leaving them speechless in astonishment. Guan Delin’s men were the first to react, about to pull out their guns, but were immediately restrained by Chen Baicheng’s men who were ready ahead of time, preventing them from moving.

Xie Wendong was the first to stand up and demanded loudly, “Brother Chen, what does this mean?”

Chen Baicheng laughedhehely and said, “I’m sorry, Brother Dong. I was rude in your presence. But this stubborn old man has gone too far. By not giving Brother Dong face, he’s refusing to give face to our entire underworld. It’s betrayal. If we don’t get rid of such people, there might be another scumbag like ‘Hua Kui’!”

Xie Wendong pretended to be deep in thought before finally looking up at everyone and nodding. “Brother Chen’s methods might be extreme, but there’s some truth to what he says. Our underworld must unite to survive and thrive. If there are those with ulterior motives…” Xie Wendong deliberately paused, and soon a few people chimed in, “Brother Dong is right. If there are traitors, we should eliminate them early. Unity is key!”

“Mm!” Xie Wendong nodded, his gaze fixed on the remaining three, implying, “Is there anyone else who objects to the merger? If not, say so now. I won’t make things difficult for you either—after all, everyone has their own ambitions!”

The three were too scared to move. It took them a while after Xie Wendong finished speaking before they snapped out of it and jumped up, saying, “I also support the merger! Under Brother Dong’s leadership, we’ll surely overcome all obstacles. No one can stop us from moving forward…”

“Hehe, good!” Xie Wendong waved his hand smilingly, cutting off the three’s nonsense, and turned to Chen Baicheng, saying, “Since the merger is now a fait accompli, I won’t hold back any longer. But every country has its laws, and every family has its rules. Brother Chen killed Guan Delin without my permission—this is unacceptable in every sense!”
Chen Baicheng felt a stir in his heart, realizing Xie Wendong had other intentions, and nodded, saying, “Brother Dong, I was indeed overstepping my bounds. I accept my punishment!”
Well done! I wasn’t wrong about you! Xie Wendong thought to himself in admiration, then hesitated before saying, “Since Brother Chen acted out of loyalty, and since it’s only just been merged and everyone isn’t yet familiar with the rules, I’ll punish you with ten lashes as a warning. Don’t do it again next time! Someone, apply the family law!”