Chapter 222

Xie Wendong failed to hit his vital points with his blade, muttering an exclamation of regret as he quickly drew his gun and chased after him. The two moved back and forth at great speed; what seemed like a prolonged process was actually just an instant. By the time they reached the corridor, Xiao Fang was already near the corner. Without hesitation, Xie Wendong fired two shots.

“Bang, bang!” The gunshots shattered the silence of the night, sounding extremely harsh. Xiao Fang’s running pace faltered as a bullet pierced his thigh, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. Unable to stay upright, he tumbled down the stairs. This made things easier for Xie Wendong, who rolled and crawled down even faster than he had run.

Just as Xie Wendong was about to chase after him, the door to his right suddenly opened, and a burly man stepped out, dressed in clothes, with a puzzled expression. He happened to meet Xie Wendong’s gaze. The man was stunned, his face showing surprise, and he blurted out, “Who are you?” Xie Wendong raised the corner of his mouth but didn’t answer. Without warning, he quickly kicked the man in the abdomen. The man let out a cry, clutching his stomach and stepping back. Before he could steady himself, another gunshot rang out, followed by a dull thud as his massive body trembled before collapsing to the ground with a bloody hole in his head. Xie Wendong wasn’t very good with a gun, but at such close range, he wouldn’t miss.

Having killed the man with one shot, he glanced at Xiao Fang, who had already reached the bottom of the stairs. Not daring to delay, he hurried after him. By now, chaos had erupted outside. Ren Changfeng and the others had drawn their knives and guns as soon as they heard the gunshots. The guards at the door were no match for them, and without any preparation, they were quickly taken care of. Ren Changfeng led his men through the main entrance.

Xiao Fang didn’t head for the main entrance but limped toward the back door. Passing through the hall, where a fierce battle was underway, Ren Changfeng and dozens of members of the Nan Hong Men were fighting fiercely, with the sounds of swords and guns and continuous screams. Xiao Fang’s heart trembled. As he thought, “I told you Xie Wendong wouldn’t come alone!” But it was strange—how had they gotten here? As he pondered, he hurried toward the back door. A red-faced, burly man appeared silently in front of him, sized him up, and said coldly, “Are you injured?!”

Xiao Fang was startled at first. When he looked up to see who it was, he felt reassured and no longer rushed to flee. With a bitter smile, he said, “It’s a minor injury; nothing serious.” The man with the red face was the leader of the dozen or so people Red Leaf had left in Nanjing, named Wang Xi. He was extremely skilled in combat and marksmanship. Wang Xi asked expressionlessly, “Who hurt you?” Xiao Fang sighed and simply replied, “Xie Wendong.” Upon hearing this, Wang Xi’s expression changed; his red face turned purple. He said nothing more, quickly drew his gun, and said coldly, “I’ll handle it.” He snapped his fingers, and more than a dozen men, all members of Red Leaf, rushed out from behind him and followed him toward the main hall. Xiao Fang wanted to stop them. He reached out, paused his hand in the air for a while, then slowly lowered it. With a thought, he decided it was better to let Red Leaf take care of it—killing Xie Wendong would be ideal. If he were killed by Xie Wendong instead, that would also be fine. After all, Red Leaf wasn’t fully committed to helping his side; most of the time, they acted as onlookers. Claiming to come to Nanjing to help, they actually seemed more like spectators to the battle. If a few of their men died at Xie Wendong’s hands, even Red Leaf’s leader, Marquis Hou Xiaoyun, would likely become restless. With that thought, Xiao Fang sneered, watched Wang Xi and his men leave, and said coldly, “Good luck!” He flicked his sleeve, ignored the others, pushed open the back door, and ran out. At the same time, he took out his phone and called Zhan Long for help.

Zhan Long was currently leading many of his men slowly toward the branch of the South Hongmen. He didn’t dare move too fast, fearing he might fall into Xie Wendong’s trap. As he struggled with what to do, Xiao Fang called urgently, saying the headquarters had been attacked by Xie Wendong and asking him to bring his men back immediately. Hearing this, Zhan Long laughed loudly but silently. He agreed readily, saying, “Don’t worry, Brother Xiao. I’ll bring my men back right away to provide support.” After hanging up, he turned to his trusted subordinates and said with a smile, “See? Even staying behind isn’t safe!” With a wide gesture, he stretched out his voice and ordered, “Retreat!” At his command, the members of the South Hongmen, still confused about what was going on, followed Zhan Long back without understanding.

Zhan Long didn’t walk fast. He was still resentful that Xiao Fang had asked him to probe whether Xie Wendong had set an ambush, so he deliberately slowed down to make Xiao Fang suffer more.

Once they left the city and entered the southern suburbs, they saw flames soaring into the sky and loud noises in the distance. Zhan Long was stunned, thinking, “We haven’t even reached the headquarters yet—why is it already in such chaos?” He led his men to move quickly. As they got closer, they saw a huge crowd surrounding a solitary two-story building. Many people were throwing gasoline-soaked clothes into the building, from which thick smoke billowed and flames emerged. After observing carefully, Zhan Long finally understood: this building was the base of the Soul Group. Undoubtedly, those who set the fire were disciples of the Northern Hongmen.

He was right—the building was indeed the Soul Group’s residence, and those outside were the four leaders sent by Xie Wendong along with their followers. These four thought that Xie Wendong had given them a great opportunity by ordering them to attack the Soul Group, but once they arrived, they realized that although the Soul Group consisted of only a few dozen people, they were no easy opponents. The Soul Group had the advantage of being well-located, while the four leaders, despite having thousands of men, suffered from not knowing the terrain. Most of their men were armed only with knives, unable to withstand the Soul Group’s real guns and ammunition. After one round of attack, the Soul Group’s defenses held, while the attackers lost dozens of men. One of the four leaders, Wu Yekai, grew frustrated. He pulled up his shirt to reveal his muscular chest, threw his cigarette on the ground, and shouted, “Damn it! Thousands of people are being held back by just a few dozen! Keep charging! There will be rewards for those who move forward—those who retreat better not blame me for turning against them!” At Wu Yekai’s shout, his subordinates trembled. This leader was notorious for his temper, and he truly meant what he said.

Under his threat, the others charged several more times but were all driven back, suffering heavy losses. Fang Guodong realized this approach wouldn’t work; even if they managed to capture the Soul Group in the end, their side would also suffer significant casualties. He gathered the other three and discussed the situation, coming up with a good idea: since the Soul Group was hiding inside the building and had the advantage of location, they could use fire to force them out. The other three agreed immediately. Fang Guodong ordered the gasoline from their cars to be poured out, had his men take off their coats, douse them in gasoline, and throw them into the building after lighting them. This tactic caught the Soul Group off guard—they never expected them to be so bold as to commit arson. The building was already old and in poor condition, mostly made of wood, which caught fire easily. Once the fire started, it became uncontrollable. With the wind fanning the flames, the two-story building instantly turned into a inferno, scaring the Soul Group to the brink of panic. Of the twenty or so members of the Soul Group, only a few managed to escape; most were burned to death inside. Even those who escaped were met by thousands of steel knives. The men of the Four Great Chiefs hated the Soul Group deeply, and this time they wouldn’t show mercy. They rushed at them, slashing wildly, turning those who luckily escaped the fire into bloody messes with wounds all over their bodies.

The three chiefs watched from behind. Wu Yekai raised his thumb and sighed, “Brilliant! Truly a brilliant tactic! Brother Fang is incredibly clever—I’m completely convinced now.” Fang Guodong smiled modestly, saying, “It’s just a trivial trick. Brother Wu, you flatter me.” As the four were basking in their success, Zhan Long led his men from behind. Neither side expected to encounter the other here. Fang Guodong wondered why Zhan Long, who had gone to the city area, had suddenly returned. Zhan Long realized why he hadn’t encountered any disciples of the North Hongmen in the city—they must have secretly left to attack his headquarters and the Soul Group. With nothing left to say, fighting was inevitable once they met. In close combat, the brave prevail. Thousands of people from both sides immediately engaged in a chaotic battle. At first, the Four Great Chiefs held their own, fighting fiercely against Zhan Long’s men. But soon, Zhan Long figured out their strength and learned that Xie Wendong wasn’t among them. He stopped holding back and ordered his men to launch a full-scale attack. He himself also took action, using his two pistols like flags to summon death—with each gunshot, someone fell to the ground.

The very existence of the Battle Dragon was a form of deterrence. Wherever it went, the disciples of the North Hongmen would back down, too afraid to confront its might. The four leaders fled even faster, stepping aside at the slightest sign that the Battle Dragon’s allies were approaching, fearing any chance of facing it. With the leaders acting in this manner, it was easy to imagine the outcome—although the numbers on both sides were roughly equal, the North Hongmen’s defeat was already evident; it was only a matter of time.

Neither side in the fierce battle noticed a group hidden in the nearby bushes. A dozen burly men lay concealed beneath the withered grass, silently watching the “spectacular” scene before them. All of them were dressed in black, and one of them, tall and muscular with sharply defined features as if cut by a knife, had piercing eyes that glowed coldly even in the darkness. He crouched at the front, a withered straw in his mouth, nodding as he watched. Someone beside him rubbed his numb legs and asked, “Brother Liu, should we help?”

The burly man smiled and said softly, “Why help them? Let them fend for themselves. Brother Dong said it’s better to deal with unreliable people early.”

“Oh!” The man nodded and stepped back. This burly man was Liu Bo. He had led his secret team for some time, having witnessed clearly how the four leaders, along with thousands of their subordinates, were defeated by just over a dozen members of the Soul Group outside the building, as well as how they set the building on fire. Yet he had remained hidden. Xie Wendong had anticipated that when the four leaders attacked the Soul Group, they would surely encounter the Battle Dragon. Sure enough, as Xiao Fang was attacked, the Battle Dragon he had sent to the city area retreated and happened to encounter the four leaders besieging the Soul Group. Xie Wendong knew very well what kind of figures those four were—combined, they were not even comparable to one Battle Dragon. He instructed Liu Bo to stay hidden, only to observe and not to intervene.

Xie Wendong chased after Xiao Fang, who was fleeing injured. Xiao Fang failed to catch up and instead drew out Hongye. Xie Wendong didn’t know Hongye personally, but this group was far too unusual, and the murderous aura they carried wasn’t something ordinary people had. Despite the chaos of hundreds fighting in the hall, Xie Wendong still noticed the appearance of these dozen or so people and became more cautious. Just as he was on high alert, Wang Xi, leading Hongye’s group, also saw him. Wang Xi had never met Xie Wendong in person but had seen many photos of him. Seeing a young man running down the stairs—ordinary in appearance, medium build, but with long, shiny eyes—was unmistakably Xie Wendong. To be sure, Wang Xi shouted loudly, “Xie Wendong!” The loud, resonant cry startled Xie Wendong. Why shout his name so loudly? He looked up at Wang Xi, the source of the voice. Now convinced it was indeed Xie Wendong, Wang Xi raised his arm and pulled the trigger almost simultaneously.

“Bang!” Xie Wendong inwardly exclaimed, “Fast!” But his evasion skills were no match for gunfire. When Wang Xi’s shoulder moved, he knew something was wrong and darted sideways. The bullet grazed his clothes, leaving a burning sensation on his skin. He leaped more than a meter away and, as soon as his feet touched the ground, saw figures moving ahead. He grabbed one of them and used them as a shield. Sure enough, gunfire erupted, and the person Xie Wendong had grabbed had more than a dozen holes in their chest. They were already dead, but their bodies didn’t fall. Xie Wendong used one hand to support the corpse while holding the gun in the other and firing continuously in the direction of Hongye and the others.

The hall was already small, and with so many people packed in, Xie Wendong’s random shots hit quite a few people—some from Hongye’s group and others from the Nan Hongmen sect. Ren Changfeng also noticed Hongye’s appearance and was charging over with his sword. Fortunately, the crowd slowed him down; otherwise, he too would have been hit by Xie Wendong’s random shots. Even so, a stray bullet left a cut on his face.

Xie Wendong fired all twenty bullets without missing a single one. Seeing the people around him scrambling away, he drew his second gun from his pocket. Ren Changfeng shuddered and shouted, “Brother Dong, let me do it!” Before his words faded, he swung his sword at Wang Xi.