Chapter 179

Blood Kill arrived faster than Xie Wendong had expected. There weren’t many of them—only twenty—but each was an elite. They came without the cover of Xie Wendong’s political department and couldn’t bring weapons through the airport. Xie Wendong made a call to Lao Gui, who was in Luoyang at the time, and asked him to come to Kunming.

When they met, Lao Gui looked worried and said, “There’s surely no good reason for you to call me!” Xie Wendong smiled. Their relationship didn’t require formalities, so he got straight to the point: “I need guns! A lot of guns!” Lao Gui swallowed hard. His eyes turned red at the mention of arms, and he said loudly, “Brother, are you kidding me? You want guns from me? We still rely on you to supply us with arms!” Xie Wendong chuckled and said, “I came to Kunming in such a hurry that I didn’t have time to take the road, so I couldn’t bring the arms. Besides, I’m just borrowing them—I’ll return twice as many later. Surely you’ll do me this favor?”

Lao Gui sighed and said, “I told you there’d be no good coming from meeting you! By the way, what do you plan to do with those arms? Aren’t you trying to pull off some ‘big deal’ in Kunming?”

Xie Wendong’s lips curled slightly, his gaze turning sharp. He said, “I want one person’s life!”

Lao Gui shuddered. He had never seen Xie Wendong with such an expression before and was puzzled. He quickly asked, “Whose life?”

Xie Wendong said slowly, “Ma Feng!” Lao Gui nodded and said seriously, “Come with me!” Then he stopped a taxi, and Xie Wendong followed. The Five Elements Gang and Blood Kill also stopped cars and followed closely behind. Seeing Lao Gui’s expression change upon hearing Ma Feng’s name, Xie Wendong asked, “What? Does Ma Feng have a grudge against you?”

“No!” Lao Gui replied coldly. “But he has a grudge against the Golden Triangle and the drug lords in Southeast Asia. At the last gathering, he killed several big bosses and their men in one go. They blamed us in the Golden Triangle and the gangs from seven regions pooled together $5 million as a bounty for Ma Feng’s head!”

Xie Wendong sneered and said, “So his head is that valuable!”

The taxi followed Lao Gui’s directions, winding its way to a remote area of bungalows. It turned left and right before finally stopping in front of a house. The door was made of iron, painted black, with two door gods stuck on it—looking quite imposing. Lao Gui knocked on the door rhythmically. After a while, a hoarse voice came from inside, “Who is it?”

The old ghost said, “Lao Xu, it’s me!” As soon as he finished speaking, the iron door creaked open. Inside stood an old man in his sixties, thin and hunched, with a sallow complexion and gray hair, seemingly ready to be blown over by the slightest wind. The man referred to as Lao Xu by the old ghost saw over twenty people outside, all strangers except for the old ghost, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Seeing this, the old ghost said, “It’s okay, they’re all on our side. Come in and talk!”

The old ghost led Xie Wendong and the others into the yard and said, “Lao Xu is an elder from our Golden Triangle, in charge of weapons. Don’t be fooled by his age; he’s extremely powerful! Even three or four strong young men can’t get close to him.” Xie Wendong knew he wasn’t exaggerating—being praised by the old ghost was no small feat—and couldn’t help but take another look at the old man. He then noticed that although the old man was frail, his steps were light, showing no signs of old age. Most notably, his eyes sparkled with intelligence as they moved. Despite his age, Lao Xu had excellent hearing; he could still hear the old ghost’s soft voice. Smiling, he said, “Don’t listen to Ah Gui’s nonsense. He might have been good in his youth, but now he’s old and not what he used to be. It’s your young people’s era now!”

Xie Wendong loved hearing those last words the most. Laughing, he said, “Old ginger is still the spiciest, and old people are still the wisest!” The old man’s eyes lit up as he smiled and said, “Young people really know how to speak.”

As they talked, the three of them entered the house. Due to limited space, the others waited in the yard. The inside of the house was very simple; it was hard to find even a decent electrical appliance. There was only a bed and a set of table and chairs in the inner room. Lao Xu walked to the bed, grabbed the railing, and without much effort, pulled the heavy iron bed aside. There was a secret door under the bed floor; Lao Xu pulled it open and looked down—everything was pitch black. The old ghost seemed very familiar with the place and jumped in right away. Soon, he pulled up a large box with a grunt. Lao Xu grabbed the box and, using all his strength, pulled it up as well. After a while, the old ghost pulled up another box. Ten minutes later, five boxes were placed on the floor. Xie Wendong opened them and found guns and ammunition inside—pistols, submachine guns, rifles, shotguns, everything. There were also grenades and bullets of all kinds.

Xie Wendong patted the old ghost’s shoulder and sighed with a laugh, “What do you need all this military equipment for? Are you planning to rebel?”

Lao Gui smiled mysteriously and said, “That’s what you said. I never said it!” Xie Wendong smiled calmly. He didn’t care why Lao Gui had prepared those weapons; all he wanted now was Ma Feng’s blood. He picked up a pistol at random—the handle felt smooth, and when he pulled the bolt, it made a crisp sound. He praised, “Not bad!”
Lao Gui said, “How can one be careless with a weapon meant for killing?” Xie Wendong chuckled, called over a few of his men, and moved the weapons into the courtyard. He said to everyone, “Choose the guns that feel most comfortable to use. We’re about to engage in a fierce battle!” Jin Yan fiddled with a gun while asking, “Brother Dong, we don’t know where Ma Feng is now. How are we going to confront him?”
Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and sneered, “What do you think Ma Feng wants to do most right now?” Jin Yan pondered for a moment, glanced at Xie Wendong, and lowered his head carefully, saying, “Kill you!” Xie Wendong nodded and laughed, “Since he wants to kill me, he must first find me. We don’t need to go looking for him; he’ll come to us eventually. After all, he has far more spies in Kunming than we do!” Jin Yan sighed. Anyone who crossed paths with Xie Wendong and became his enemy would surely suffer greatly.
Xie Wendong was right. As soon as they checked into a hotel, Ma Feng’s spies promptly reported the news to him accurately.
At three in the morning, everything was silent. The sun lingered behind the horizon, and only a faint glow appeared on the sky, leaving the world in darkness. It might be the most peaceful time in the world, yet also the most exhausting, as both day and night creatures had fallen asleep.
Xie Wendong wasn’t sleeping. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He was waiting—for Ma Feng to come and kill him. Although he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days and still felt a dull pain in his chest, he ordered himself to stay awake. That night, he thought about many things—Qiu Ningshui. Because of him, she had suffered so much. The fault lay with him. If someone really had to take responsibility, Xie Wendong was willing to bear it, even marrying her, as it was a debt he owed. He thought of Peng Ling, recalling the moments they spent together. He had once hated her and wanted to retaliate, but over time, his hatred faded, replaced by love. People say love can encompass everything. Xie Wendong smiled bitterly—he believed that. He thought of his gang. Sometimes he felt selfish, dragging thousands of people along for his ideals, making them go through life and death with him on this dark path with no return. Now, the Wendong Gang had grown into a vast organization, but its foundation was built on bones and tears.

Xie Wendong sighed, sat up from the bed, and just as he took out a cigarette, the phone rang. It was Golden Eye, who was hiding in the shadows. “Brother Dong, three men have entered the hotel. They’re likely assassins.” “Oh!” Xie Wendong trusted Golden Eye’s judgment, as he himself came from an assassin background. Assassins are mysterious, always hiding in dark corners. If anyone could understand assassins, it would be freelance killers themselves. Xie Wendong asked, “Has Ma Feng not come?” Golden Eye replied, “No! There are only three people. I can’t be wrong!” Xie Wendong frowned, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes for a while, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what Ma Feng was up to. After a long while, he slowly said, “Let them in first!” Golden Eye agreed and informed the other brothers waiting outside. Twenty members of the Blood Killers gang had already hidden inside the hotel, waiting for Ma Feng to take action. Unexpectedly, instead of a big catch, they only caught three small ones. The three men made their way unimpeded to Xie Wendong’s room door, but their faces showed no sign of joy, instead revealing a serious expression. They exchanged glances, and the man in the middle slowly pulled out a pistol with a silencer attached, signaled to his companions, and fired at the door lock. With a soft thud, the lock was blown open, and the three men rushed in. They rushed to the bed in two strides and started shooting at it without hesitation. But there was no one on the bed—the sheets were spread out, but nothing was underneath. The three men, seemingly prepared for this, rushed out of the room almost at the same time. The first two made it out successfully, but the third wasn’t so lucky. As he passed through the entrance, the door to the bathroom next to him suddenly opened. Before the assassin could react, a foot shot out from inside and kicked him in the abdomen. The kick was powerful, sending the assassin flying into the wall. Before he could get up, a flash of golden light appeared, and a three-inch-long golden knife was pressed against his carotid artery. The room indeed belonged to Xie Wendong, and he was indeed inside—only he had hidden in the bathroom after receiving the call. If the three assassins hadn’t been careless and searched the room thoroughly, it wouldn’t have been hard for them to find him. Unfortunately, they didn’t, and Xie Wendong had anticipated that they wouldn’t, so he calmly smoked in the bathroom.

The other two killers weren’t much better. As soon as they left the room, they split up and ran in opposite directions. The one who ran left reached the corridor corner when a arm suddenly appeared and struck him hard in the throat. With a crisp crack, the killer was flung backward, landing two meters away. His head tilted to the side as his body convulsed uncontrollably. Golden Eye leaned against the wall at the corner—he had thrown that strike. He slowly walked over to the killer, looked down, and saw the killer’s eyes wide open, saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth. His tibia had been broken by his strike; clearly, he was exhaling more air than inhaling and was on the verge of death. Golden Eye spat out and sneered, “Tch! With just those two moves, you still dare to come kill people?”
The killer who ran right was slightly better off. He was stopped by a member of Blood Killers, and as soon as they made eye contact, the killer’s pistol was kicked away. But he still wanted to resist to the end. Fearless, with a fierce expression, he threw punches and kicks, shouting loudly with each move, making a loud spectacle. Blood Killers initially wanted to play around with him, but they hated his shouting and didn’t want to attract other guests, so they decided to end it quickly. One of them dodged his punch, raised his arm, and shot him in the forehead. With a muffled thud, the killer fell silent and collapsed into a coma.
Three killers came, and in no time, one was dead and two were captured. Xie Wendong ordered his men to drag the corpses and the unconscious man into his room. Then he pulled a chair to the center of the room, sat down, and stared at the captured killer, who was forced to kneel on the ground with a deathly pale face. Xie Wendong smiled and asked, “Aren’t you one of Ma Feng’s men?”
The man blinked at Xie Wendong, sighed, and lowered his head again, staying silent.
Xie Wendong gave Golden Eye a signal. Understanding his intent, Golden Eye stepped forward and pulled the killer’s sleeve, revealing the tattoo of the character “soul” on his arm. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “The people from the Soul Group I’ve met are all bold and unafraid!” The man’s expression changed. He straightened up and shouted, “That’s right! I’m from the Soul Group. What can you do to me?!” His Chinese was a bit awkward and strange in tone, but still understandable. “Hmm!” Xie Wendong nodded in approval. “That’s more like a person from the Soul Group—speaking with confidence and an air of superiority!” Hearing Xie Wendong praise him, the killer was confused and stared at him in bewilderment. Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said, “Then you must know where Ma Feng is, right?”

The assassin nodded and said, “I know.” Xie Wendong took a drag from his cigarette, crossed his legs, and said calmly, “Then tell me where he is!” The assassin glanced around before fixing his gaze on his companion and remained silent. Xie Wendong understood what he meant and pointed at the unconscious assassin, smiling. “Are you afraid he’ll find out? It’s simple!” With that, he snapped his fingers. The members of Blood Kill were quick-witted and immediately understood Xie Wendong’s intention; one of them stepped forward and shot the assassin in the head.