Chapter 226

Xie Wendong waved his hand and said, “No need. I’ll take care of everything that needs to be arranged! I’ll also send your family with you. If there are any other trivial matters, I’ll handle them.” Even if Lin Qingshan wanted to rebel, Xie Wendong wouldn’t give him such a chance. Xie Wendong was meticulous in his actions; he knew full well what consequences would arise from each decision. Since he had decided to get rid of these troublemakers, he would go all the way and not give them any chance to return and cause trouble—that wasn’t Xie Wendong’s style. With Xie Wendong saying that, Lin Qingshan, despite having countless words to say, could only force a laugh and say bitterly, “Thank you, Senior Brother, for your care. I’ll never forget it!” Xie Wendong replied, “Some things should be kept in mind. If you really act on them, the consequences will be beyond your bearing.” He paused, leaned forward, and said pointedly, “I’m sending you abroad for your own good. I hope you can understand my intentions!” “Huh!” Lin Qingshan nodded, head bowed low, shoulders slumped, like a frostbitten eggplant. In fact, what Xie Wendong said next was true. If he let Lin Qingshan return to Shanxi, he would definitely rebel, but with his limited intelligence, he had no chance against Xie Wendong. Once he rebelled, he would surely die. Xie Wendong didn’t want to see that happen, nor could he allow it, so he simply sent him abroad to keep himself at ease. With three of the four troublemakers dead and two retired, the remaining one, no matter how stupid, understood what was going on. He was reluctant to give up his career, but his life was more important. Without Xie Wendong having to say anything, this troublemaker volunteered to step down and return home to retire. This saved Xie Wendong the trouble of having to talk further. He nodded and waved his hand in agreement! In this great battle against the Nan Hongmen, Xie Wendong not only defeated Xiao Fang and took control of Nanjing but also took the opportunity to carry out a major reshuffle within the Hongmen, expelling all four regional leaders from the Jinpeng era. He did this not targeting Jinpeng nor aiming to monopolize the Hongmen. As the saying goes, each era has its own rulers, and whoever holds this position wants their subordinates to be both loyal and capable. This can’t be seen with the eyes alone—only those trained by oneself are the most reliable. Just as Xie Wendong said, he preferred young people who didn’t need experience but only vigor.

The next day, Xie Wendong held a small memorial service in Nanjing to express his respect for Wu Yekai, who had died in battle. The ceremony was simple and took only half a day. Afterward, Xie Wendong ordered Wu Yekai’s body to be transported to City T. He didn’t want to waste too much time on this matter. Although Nan Hongmen had suffered a heavy defeat, its strength still couldn’t be underestimated. Xie Wendong wanted to take this opportunity to strike hard, penetrate deep into Nan Hongmen’s territory, and shift from defense to offense. The best defense in the world was merely passively enduring attacks; only by taking the initiative could one gain control, and with control came the chance to win. In his view, Xiang Wentian was busy putting out fires in Guangxi and couldn’t spare troops, Xiao Fang was seriously injured and needed time to recover, and the remaining three Heavenly Kings were missing. Nan Hongmen was temporarily leaderless—a perfect time for an attack. If everything went well, he was confident he could seize Shanghai, the key to Nan Hongmen’s economic strength. But times were unpredictable, and there were things Xie Wendong couldn’t imagine.

Just after the memorial service in the morning, Xie Wendong gathered all his officers to discuss the next offensive plan. Once everyone was present and he had drafted a preliminary plan, he stood up ready to speak, but before he could open his mouth, the phone rang at an inopportune moment. “Dinglingling…” The ringtone was pleasant (there weren’t many phones with ringtones in 2000), but Xie Wendong had no time to appreciate it. He rolled his eyes and shouted, “We’re in a meeting! If it’s urgent, wait until we’re done. Turn off your phones—I don’t want to hear that noise anymore!”

The officers quickly tucked their phones away, checking them whether they were turned off or not. After a moment, seeing everyone seated properly, Xie Wendong nodded, cleared his throat, and said, “Now, Nan…” “Dinglingling…” Before he could finish speaking, the phone rang again. Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife as it swept over the faces of the officers. Those around him lowered their heads, too afraid to look up. The conference room fell silent, with only the ringing of phones continuing.

Xie Wendong scratched his head helplessly and asked softly, “Whose is it?”

Ren Changfeng, sitting next to him, heard clearly. Covering his mouth with his hand, he coughed lightly and said in a low voice, “Brother Dong, it seems to be yours!”

“Huh?” Xie Wendong was stunned. He searched every pocket before finding his phone. Upon checking it, sure enough, it was his own. He wanted to hang up right away, but the number displayed on the caller ID was familiar—to Lao Gui. Lao Gui hadn’t called before, so what could he possibly want now? Confused, Xie Wendong nodded apologetically at the others and said, “I’ll be right back!” Then he turned and quickly left the conference room.

In the hallway, Xie Wendong answered the call in a harsh tone, “Give me a good reason!” It was indeed Lao Gui on the other end, and his tone was even more hostile. He shouted into the phone, “Damn it! Our goods were seized—is that not a good reason?!” “What?” Xie Wendong was utterly baffled and asked suspiciously, “Which goods were seized? Be clear!” Lao Gui tried to suppress his anger and said, “Yesterday, we shipped a batch of goods into the country. Before we even left Kunming, the police seized them. If I hadn’t run fast, I’d be calling you from the police station right now!” Xie Wendong almost laughed and shook his head. “I mean, Brother Gui, you guys in the Golden Triangle must have some connections in Yunnan and probably deal with the Kunming police regularly. Everything was fine before—why did the police seize your goods this time?”

Lao Gui gritted his teeth and said, “That’s all thanks to ‘your friend’!” “My friend?” “Yeah! That female police officer—whose name is something like Qiu Ning Shui.”

Xie Wendong asked, “Qiu Ning Shui?” Lao Gui replied, “That’s right! Anyway, whatever her name is, she’s the one who seized our goods! The city chief and I are acquaintances, but she insisted on going after us. Damn it! I’m warning you first—General already knows about this. If anything happens to your friend, be prepared.”

Ah! Xie Wendong gasped in shock. The tactics of the Golden Triangle were beyond what ordinary people could counter. Not to mention Qiu Ning Shui—even he would have to tread carefully. Moreover, why would Qiu Ning Shui get involved with the Golden Triangle? She must have known about his connection to them after he saved her last time; Lao Gui had helped a lot back then. Xie Wendong was puzzled and said, “Lao Gui, Ning Shui is my friend. I don’t want anything to happen to her. You should know well enough what kind of person I am.”

The old ghost said, “This isn’t something that can be decided right away. The general is in a hurry now. If she can seize our goods this time, she can do the same next time, and the time after that as well. She’s holding onto this issue, while the general is eager to ship the goods. Brother Wen Dong, what do you think I should do? What do you suggest?”
Xie Wendong understood the old ghost’s dilemma. After thinking for a while, he said, “Let me call Qiu Shui first. I’ll get back to you after finding out the reason.” “Okay! I’ll wait for you!” Xie Wendong hung up the phone and paced back and forth by the window in the corridor. After a while, he stopped, sighed softly, and dialed Qiu Ningshui’s mobile phone. He always felt guilty toward Qiu Ningshui, or rather, a sense of remorse. If there was anyone in the world who scared Xie Wendong, it was definitely Qiu Ningshui. He didn’t know what identity he should use when facing her.
The call was connected quickly. It seemed the other party knew who was calling and also understood the purpose of the call. She said nothing, and Xie Wendong didn’t know what to say either. Two people separated by distance held the phone, silent.
It was Xie Wendong who first broke the awkward silence. He spoke up first, “Is it Ningshui?” There was a brief silence on the other end, then her clear and straightforward voice came through, “It’s me! You must be Wen Dong, right?!” “Yeah!” Xie Wendong gave a bitter smile and said, “Have you been okay lately?” Qiu Ningshui replied, “Same as always. Nothing special. How about you?” Xie Wendong said, “I’m the same! Just a bit more tired these days.” “Oh!” After that, they fell silent again, not knowing what to say. After several months apart, a sense of estrangement arose between them. Xie Wendong knew they would never experience the closeness they had when they first met. This made him sad; he had thought the two of them could become best friends, soulmates. “I heard you seized a shipment from the Golden Triangle?”
Qiu Ningshui sighed. “That’s probably why you called, right?!” Xie Wendong wanted to say no but couldn’t bring himself to speak. He chose to remain silent. Qiu Ningshui continued, “If it weren’t for this, you probably would never have called!”

“No!” Xie Wendong said urgently, “I’m worried about you. You must know what kind of people they are in the Golden Triangle. If you seize their goods, how will they let you go? Please don’t risk your life, okay?” Qiu Ningshui replied, “I’m not joking. Cracking down on drugs is what a police officer should do. I believe I’m doing the right thing!” Xie Wendong sighed, “What you’re doing is right, but you might lose your life because of it.” Qiu Ningshui said firmly, “I don’t care! If you called just to say this, then we have nothing more to talk about!” With that, she hung up quickly. Listening to the ringing tone, Xie Wendong murmured, “But I do care!”

As he was still deep in thought, the phone rang again. Startled, Xie Wendong picked it up, only to be disappointed—it was Lao Gui. Lao Gui said, “I just spoke with the general. He said if Qiu Ningshui doesn’t hand over the goods in three days, they’ll pay two million as a ‘reward’ for her head! Bro, this isn’t a joke. Look…”

Xie Wendong remained silent for a moment before saying, “I’m going to Kunming.” “What?” Lao Gui was surprised. “You’re going to Kunming? No way, it’s just a woman.” Xie Wendong replied, “I’ve said she’s my friend. If anything happens to her before I get there, I’ll hold you accountable.” Lao Gui complained, “If she still refuses after three days, the general will hold me accountable too. I feel like I’m the filling in a pie, stuck between two choices.” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “You’re Lao Gui—what can trouble you?” Lao Gui replied, “I just don’t want to become a real ghost.”

Xie Wendong hung up, his expression calm and unchanged, and returned to the conference room. The people inside were growing impatient, whispering among themselves, wondering if something had gone wrong. When they saw Xie Wendong return, they quickly sat up straight, and the room fell silent. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Nothing. It was just a call from an old friend. Let’s continue.” After a pause, he began discussing the plan to attack the Nan Hongmen with everyone.

Others might not have noticed anything, but Jiang Sen sensed something was off. Although Xie Wendong appeared calm on the surface, his words revealed anxiety. Having known him for years, Jiang Sen could easily tell. Besides, he knew almost all of Xie Wendong’s friends—they were mostly from the Wendong Gang. If anything happened, Xie Wendong would surely know. So what could it be? Even Jiang Sen, the most well-informed leader of the secret group, couldn’t figure it out.

After the hasty meeting, Xie Wendong told everyone to go rest. Jiang Sen didn’t leave right away but instead walked around the corridor before sneaking back into the meeting room, with two “little tails” following—Dong Xinlei and Ren Changfeng. These two didn’t notice anything wrong with Xie Wendong but saw that Jiang Sen was distracted. He stayed behind instead of leaving at the end of the meeting, deliberately moving slowly. Dong Xinlei and Ren Changfeng were smart; they exchanged a glance, nodded at each other, and followed Jiang Sen back into the meeting room.

Jiang Sen glanced at the two behind him, rolled his eyes, ignored them, and went straight to Xie Wendong’s side, asking softly, “Brother Dong, is there something going on?”

Xie Wendong turned to look at him, as well as Dong Xinlei and Ren Changfeng who were leaning in with attentive ears, and chuckled. “There is! I’m planning to go to Kunming.”

“Go to Kunming?” Ren Changfeng, with his ears perked up, walked over and shook his head. “Brother Dong, why go to Kunming? It’s the stronghold of the South Hongmen. It’s too dangerous for you to go.”