Chapter 129

Everyone wants to be a hero and has dreamed of it. But I don’t—I don’t want to be a hero. The path I’ve chosen ensures I can never become one. It’s a path I chose myself. I don’t care what others say, but I will definitely stick to it, even if no one is left by my side in the end.

“Oh!” Xie Wendong saw it was Sanyan and gestured for him to sit down. He asked, “What about this guy?”

Sanyan thought for a moment and said, “He’s not ordinary. At least a hundred times better than his father.”

Xie Wendong asked skeptically, “Not ordinary? How so?”

Sanyan replied, “When Brother Dong was in the hospital, many gangs were itching to take action, like Lei Jun, that traitor. But after Guan Pei took over, the Fire Gang showed no signs of activity. We have a vendetta against him for killing his father, yet he managed to hold back. Brother Dong, don’t you think Guan Pei is extraordinary?”

“Mm!” Xie Wendong’s lips curled into a smile. “Not bad. Interesting!” Then he turned to Li Shuang and asked, “Xiaoshuang, what do you think we should do?”

Li Shuang thought for a while and said, “I think he might have given up on us! Since he’s not acting against us, we should give him a chance to live.”

“Mm!” Xie Wendong nodded seriously after listening. Seeing Chen Baicheng, who was standing next to Sanyan, about to speak, he asked, “Baicheng, if you have any thoughts, go ahead. You’re not an outsider anymore.”

“Yes, Brother Dong!” Chen Baicheng replied respectfully. “I don’t agree with what Brother Shuang just said.” He then nodded at Li Shuang and said, “Sorry, Brother Shuang. I’m just being practical; I’m not targeting you!”

Li Shuang, being a rough guy, didn’t care at all. Instead, Chen Baicheng blushed slightly and hurriedly said, “It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re all on the same side!”

Xie Wendong observed this, still smiling on the surface, but inwardly thought, How smooth-talking this guy is!

Chen Baicheng continued, “Brother Dong, as the saying goes, a vendetta for killing a father is unforgivable! The fact that Guan Pei can hold back shows his cunning is beyond ordinary people’s. If we don’t take him out now while he’s still weak, we might not be able to control him later.” After a pause, seeing Xie Wendong nodding, Chen Baicheng seized the chance to show himself and whispered, “If you don’t root out the weeds, they’ll grow back when the spring breeze blows! Giving someone like him a chance only creates trouble for us. So my suggestion is—kill him!”

Xie Wendong was still smiling and nodding, saying, “Good, good—cutting the grass but not removing the roots means it will grow back when the spring breeze blows. Hehe!” Then he turned to Sanyan and said, “Brother Zhang, what do you think? Isn’t this helper I gave you pretty good?”
“Not bad. Chen Baicheng is indeed very capable!” Sanyan agreed. He was telling the truth; Sanyan really admired Chen Baicheng, trusting him both in handling tasks and coming up with strategies.
Li Shuang, anxious, interjected, “Since they’re not against us, why go to such extreme measures?!”
Xie Wendong chuckled and narrowed his eyes, saying, “Any potential threat to the gang is deadly. Do as Baicheng suggests.” With that, he got up and went upstairs.
Sanyan playfully patted Li Shuang’s shoulders, then put on a serious expression and said, “Giving the enemy a chance only brings trouble to yourself. You still need to learn more, Little Shuang!” Then he imitated Xie Wendong’s tone, saying, “What a headache!” Li Shuang shook off Sanyan’s hand and muttered, “It wasn’t your idea—why be so proud?” “Hehe,” Sanyan said, grabbing Li Shuang’s chubby face and smiling sweetly, “Are you talking about me? I didn’t hear clearly. Could you say that again?” Seeing Sanyan’s unfriendly expression, Li Shuang quickly said, “No, no! I was talking about… myself! Hehe!”
The chaos in H City’s underworld gradually subsided with Xie Wendong’s safe discharge from the hospital, but it wasn’t over yet. The Wendong Gang began to carry out brutal revenge against those gangs that had been plotting against them and whom Xie Wendong called “unstable factors.” With the covert support of Mayor Liu Dexin, the Wendong Gang advanced like a runaway train. Soon, all the organizations that had planned to unite against them during Xie Wendong’s injury were wiped out one by one. Xie Wendong assigned the task of eliminating the Fire Gang to Sanyan, who used ruthless methods to destroy them overnight—without any warning and giving them no chance at all. The only thing that annoyed him was that Guan Pei had managed to escape.
Sanyan rarely made mistakes. This time, he suspected someone within the gang had betrayed them, but he had no evidence. He didn’t mention this suspicion to Xie Wendong when explaining the situation, as he wasn’t the kind to shift blame. Xie Wendong didn’t delve too deep either, only saying to be more careful in the future. But this was enough to make Sanyan blush with embarrassment, reminding himself silently to catch the traitor.
Ten days later, in a villa in the suburbs. This place, originally given to Xie Wendong by Old Master Jin as a residence, had now become the headquarters of the Wendong Gang.

After a period of careful recovery, Xie Wendong’s injuries improved rapidly, and he was almost fully healed. He then proposed to the key members of his gang a series of trips he had long planned. The first stop was DL City, as the Gao sisters were there. He had wanted to go there for a long time, but the gang had been extremely busy, leaving him no time. The next stop was the capital, where he could use his position in the political department to investigate the Red Army and the Soul Group, hoping to uncover something unexpected. The next stop was City T, not far from the capital, at the invitation of Old Man Jin, allowing him to take the opportunity to address a matter on his mind. The final stop, and the one Xie Wendong valued most, was the legendary drug hub—the Golden Triangle! He had already contacted Lao Gui in advance, expressing his intention to visit personally. Soon after, Lao Gui replied, extending a welcome on behalf of the Golden Triangle’s leadership. Even if Xie Wendong were braver, he wouldn’t dare to go there recklessly.

Xie Wendong outlined his plans, and the dozen or so key gang members in the hall all lowered their heads in thought, with none offering any opinions. Sitting on the sofa in the center, Xie Wendong tapped his fingers lightly on the coffee table. Seeing his brothers’ serious expressions, he felt amused and asked, “Why is no one speaking? Do you agree or disagree? You need to say something!”

Everyone looked up at Xie Wendong, moved their lips, then lowered their heads again. Only Li Shuang muttered softly, “You’ve already made up your mind. Even if we object, will you listen?” Li Shuang and Xie Wendong had a special relationship; he could say things others wouldn’t dare.

Xie Wendong smiled inwardly. This little Shuang… He said with a laugh, “What, does Little Shuang have any objections? If so, speak up louder. Don’t just speak so only you can hear. Isn’t your voice always the loudest?!”

Li Shuang’s face turned red as he mumbled, “When has my voice ever been the loudest? Besides, I’m just telling the truth. Who can change what Brother Dong has decided? Right?!” He shook his big head from side to side, looking at the others as if seeking their approval.

“Mm!” This time, everyone agreed unanimously, nodding in consent. The hall fell silent again, with no one speaking.

Finally, Jiang Sen broke the silence first, saying, “Since Brother Dong has made up his mind, it must be for a good reason. I just wonder how many people he plans to take along?”

Xie Wendong thought for a moment and said, “We don’t need many people. Old Lei accompanying me will be enough.”

“This…” Everyone took a sharp breath again. Four destinations—the first three were manageable, but the last, the Golden Triangle, was far too dangerous. What kind of people lived there? A single wrong word could lead to brutal retaliation. How could anyone be confident sending just one person there? Sanyan shook his head and said, “Brother Dong, this is too reckless! That’s not China, let alone the Northeast. You’re unfamiliar with the place. If things go wrong and violence breaks out, you won’t even have anyone to turn to for help. So no matter what others think, I disagree.”

“Oh!” Xie Wendong nodded without saying anything, resting his hand on his chin in thought. After a long while, he raised his head and asked, “What do the others think?”

Jiang Sen glanced around at the others, exchanged glances with them, and spoke up, “We all agree with Brother Sanyan’s opinion. It’s too dangerous for Brother Dong to go alone. It’s better if…”

“Bang!” Before Jiang Sen could finish speaking, Xie Wendong suddenly stood up, startling everyone. Glancing around at them, he slowly narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, “What? Is no one listening to me now? Do you want to rebel?”

No one had ever seen Xie Wendong lose his temper like this with his own people, especially not at so many of the gang’s key members. They dared not say another word and just stared at their feet in silence.

Seeing that no one spoke, Xie Wendong put on his clothes and headed outside, saying, “Well then, let’s go with that!” As his personal bodyguard, Dong Xinlei didn’t dare delay and followed Xie Wendong out of the hall. Outside, Xie Wendong looked up at the sky and stretched. Turning back, Dong Xinlei saw a bright, cheerful smile on his face. Xie Wendong said, “Don’t be surprised. I did that on purpose. Sometimes it’s interesting to lose my temper at everyone and see their reactions! Haha!”

Dong Xinlei looked at Xie Wendong’s childlike smile, shook his head, and sighed inwardly. Despite being a powerful figure, this man was still just a twenty-year-old kid at heart, full of schemes yet retaining a sense of innocence.