Chapter 241

Lao San also shook his head gently at this moment; he hadn’t heard Xie Wendong’s words at all. He threw the girl sitting next to him onto the sofa and slipped his hands into her clothes. Suddenly, screams and whistling erupted around them. He glanced over and saw a young woman dancing wildly on a half-meter-high stage, seemingly insane. She had taken off her coat, leaving only her bra, which swayed up and down with her movements, almost falling off. The crowd below—men and women—shouted loudly, with some even crying, “Take it off more! Take it off more!” The young woman seemed influenced by the crowd as well; she turned around, pulled down her bra, and threw it into the crowd. Chaos ensued as everyone scrambled for it. The entire dance hall seemed to be in a state of madness. Xie Wendong felt suffocated, his chest tight and uncomfortable. He looked at his brothers—some were already taking the girls to dark corners, while others were hugging them on the sofa. He sighed, realizing he might indeed be falling behind. Without saying goodbye, he got up and left the dance hall.

Outside, the snow continued, even heavier. Feathery snowflakes drifted down from the sky, stinging his face. Xie Wendong picked up a handful of snow—it was very white, truly pure and flawless. He put it in his mouth; the snow melted into ice water that flowed into his body, bringing a refreshing coolness that made him feel refreshed. “Brother Dong!” Gao Qiang appeared like a shadow, somewhere in a dark corner not far behind Xie Wendong. “Qiangzi!” Xie Wendong slapped his head and said, “It seems I really drank too much today. I didn’t even notice you come up behind me.”

Gao Qiang smiled, revealing his pale, bloodless teeth. “I’ve been standing here the whole time. It’s just that Brother Dong didn’t notice.” Only then did Xie Wendong realize that a thick layer of snow had accumulated on Gao Qiang’s shoulders. Feeling apologetic, he said, “Qiangzi, I’m sorry to have made you wait!”

Gao Qiang’s shoulders trembled as the snow slid off. He adjusted his hair and walked over to Xie Wendong, asking, “Brother Dong, where are we going?” Xie Wendong replied indifferently, “Just walk around with me!” He paused for a moment before adding, “Qiangzi, what do you think the gang will do if we stop dealing in drugs?” Gao Qiang was stunned for a second before relaxing. Wendong had started out in the drug business, but Xie Wendong had long ago proposed changing their source of income by combining drug trafficking with legitimate business and smuggling. However, after getting involved with the Golden Triangle and other criminal groups, they became addicted to it, and the leaders like Sanyan seemed determined not to give up the drug business they were so familiar with. Gao Qiang looked troubled and said, “I’m afraid some people in the gang will object.” Xie Wendong understood who he meant, nodded, and sighed, “Yes! Deeply ingrained habits are hard to change overnight.”

The two walked along the riverbank. The Songhua River flowed slowly, without any dramatic waves, but it kept moving steadily. Both banks were already frozen, with only a narrow strip in the middle where the water could still be seen flowing. Although it was night, looking out at the river from the embankment, many fishermen could be seen breaking through the ice to fish. From time to time, cheers could be heard, and Xie Wendong could even hear the sound of fish tails slapping against the ice. Gao Qiang stood up and looked into the distance. Moved by this sight, Xie Wendong said, “In different environments, there are naturally different kinds of satisfaction!”

Gao Qiang smiled and said, “I wonder when we’ll catch the big fish we’re after.” Xie Wendong didn’t speak, his face still smiling. What he wanted was more than just a fish.

The wind by the river was bitterly cold. After standing there for a while, Xie Wendong shivered. Just as he wanted to head back with Gao Qiang, a group of people approached from afar. At first, the two didn’t pay much attention, but these people were moving very fast, straight toward them. Only when they got closer did Xie Wendong see that they were armed with knives and sticks, their faces fierce. His heart trembled as he slowly reached for his waist, becoming more cautious. Gao Qiang was also puzzled but still unsure if these people were after him. In City H, no one dared to confront Wendong. He pulled Xie Wendong aside and said, “Brother Dong, these people might not be after us!” Xie Wendong remained silent, staring intently at the approaching crowd.

In the blink of an eye, those men reached them, not slowing down as they ran past the two of them. Gao Qiang let out a long sigh and was about to speak when a burly man passed by him silently, swinging a knife at the back of his head. Gao Qiang, experienced from many battles, sensed something was wrong the moment the man passed by him and reflexively bent down, allowing the knife to whiz past his head. The cold swing of the man’s knife served as a signal—before his own knife could fall, the others raised their knives and clubs and attacked Xie Wendong and the other man. None of them spoke; they just attacked right away. Xie Wendong and Gao Qiang were confused, but their opponents clearly didn’t give them a chance to ask questions. More than a dozen men surrounded them, aiming their knives at their vital points. “Damn it!” Gao Qiang growled, pulling out his battle axe from his clothes and placing it in front of Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong wasn’t idle either; he moved skillfully to avoid attacks while calmly drawing his own knife from his waist. Both he and Gao Qiang were seasoned warriors, and they dismissed those dozen men as insignificant. But they never expected these men to be so fierce, with slashing angles and strength far beyond ordinary thugs. After a while of fighting, Xie Wendong and Gao Qiang hadn’t gained any advantage, which only fueled their competitive spirit. Gao Qiang roared and swung his knife with all his strength, sending a man flying, then kicked another off the dam. Gao Qiang’s sword, like San Yan’s, was honed through actual combat—simple in style, but deadly if struck. Seeing his bravery, the men began to retreat and turned their attacks on Xie Wendong. He might not be very strong in combat, but his evasion skills were unmatched. Perhaps spending time with Ren Changfeng had made his swordsmanship more intricate. After a few exchanges, three men had been struck and fell to the ground. Though not fatal, they couldn’t get up for a while. The number of the enemy men kept decreasing, but they showed no sign of retreating, instead fighting desperately with their knives. Seizing the opportunity, Xie Wendong grabbed one man’s neck and pushed him forward. The man cried out in pain as he fell backward. Xie Wendong then asked, “Who are you guys? Why did you come to kill me?”

The man’s eyes widened, revealing bloodshot whites. With a fierce voice, he said, “Today, you must die!” Xie Wendong replied coldly, “Do you know who I am?” Before the man could speak, three steel knives were swung at Xie Wendong’s back at once. He sneered, used his palm to grab the man’s neck, lifted him up, and pushed him backward—all three knives struck the man without missing. With a scream, the man knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach as blood and pale intestines spilled out from between his fingers.

The three men, having accidentally killed their companion, became enraged. Shouting, they rushed at Xie Wendong. How could he care about those driven mad by anger? Xie Wendong smiled coldly, shifted slightly to dodge one of their attacks, then swung his knife at the man’s back. Before the man could fall, he rushed forward, grabbed the man’s hair with one hand and his belt with the other, and with a strong push, flung the man at another man. This wasn’t due to Xie Wendong’s strength alone, but rather his precise control and extraordinary explosive power. Xie Wendong was a wise man; in battle, he knew exactly when to exert force and when to fight tactically.

The man didn’t stop in time and was hit full in the chest by his injured companion. With a cry, they both fell. Before they could get up, Xie Wendong was already in front of him, saying coldly, “Lie down!” Then he slashed the man’s head with his knife. He held back, not using the full edge of the blade—otherwise, with its sharpness, half of the man’s head could have been cut off. The weight of the axe was too much for the man’s head to withstand, and he collapsed instantly, unconscious.

Xie Wendong and Gao Qiang barely managed to clear out the group of uninvited guests in front of them before catching their breath, only to see another group attack from the side. Dressed similarly to the previous group, they carried knives and clubs and started attacking without hesitation. At this point, Xie Wendong had to seriously consider that this wasn’t an unexpected incident—the opponents were clearly prepared, and their mastermind was quite clever, not sending in all their men at once. One reason was to prevent him and Gao Qiang from escaping, and the other was that too many people fighting together might attract attention and lead to an alarm. He narrowed his eyes; in his memory, there were no enemies left in City H, let alone ones with such strength. Xie Wendong didn’t have much time to think, as the attackers quickly closed in again. Xie Wendong and Gao Qiang fought fiercely once more, back to back. After knocking them down, both were out of breath, with white vapor rising from their heads and their undergarments soaked with sweat. But before they could catch their breath, more attackers arrived. This time, there were at least twenty of them, looking fierce, as if determined to devour the two of them. Xie Wendong knew holding on wasn’t an option. He pulled Gao Qiang and said urgently, “Qiangzi, we have to go!”
Gao Qiang was reluctant, but there was indeed no other choice. He felt increasingly weak, and if they continued fighting, neither he nor Brother Dong could escape. He nodded, and the two ran in the opposite direction. Xie Wendong’s guess was correct—someone here had indeed made preparations, and escaping wasn’t easy. If they hadn’t run, it might have been fine, but as soon as they did, the hidden attackers rushed out from all sides. At a glance, there were at least a hundred of them, surrounding Xie Wendong and Gao Qiang. Still, no one said a word. With a shout from one of them, the attack began. At first, Xie Wendong and Gao Qiang could still back each other up, but eventually, the number of opponents was too great, separating them and surrounding them in two groups. It was impossible to fight against four hands with just two fists, especially since Xie Wendong was facing dozens of knives. With so many people surrounding him, he had almost no space to move. In no time, his clothes were torn with seven or eight cuts. Someone in the crowd shouted, “Hit him on the head!”

These words put even more pressure on Xie Wendong. A blow to the body could be endured if protected, but the head was different—a single cut could be fatal. Anxious, Xie Wendong shouted loudly. The bright light from his axe formed a crescent shape, moving fast and fiercely. The opponents dared not face it head-on and retreated one after another. Seeing their enemies pushed back, Xie Wendong seized an opening and dashed forward. To their surprise, he didn’t run away but headed toward the dam. He was always fast, and by the time the others reacted, he had reached the edge of the dam. Without hesitation, he leaped down. Though the dam was steep, the thick layer of snow at the bottom provided good protection. He rolled down the dam and plunged into a snowdrift. Many fishermen gathered below to watch. When they saw someone suddenly roll down, they rushed to help him up. Xie Wendong stood up, feeling dizzy and nauseous. While he was rolling down, those burly men also didn’t idle away; with determination, they rolled down the dam as well. “These damned flies!” Xie Wendong spat out some snow he had swallowed while in the snowdrift. He thanked the fishermen and ran quickly along the river.

Xie Wendong had always thought his running skills were unmatched, but now he realized he was wrong—at least those dozen men chasing him could keep up with him. After running for unknown lengths of time, his legs felt as heavy as lead. When he turned back, those men weren’t much better off; dozens of them had dwindled to a few, gasping for breath. Suddenly, one of the men screamed. No one saw what happened—the man vanished in an instant. Xie Wendong, who had been watching secretly, saw this clearly and couldn’t help but stop to look. The other men also stopped to search for their companion. Looking down, there was a dark hole where the man had disappeared, with water gurgling out. It turned out that during his frantic run, Xie Wendong had unknowingly reached near the center of the river. The ice there was thin and brittle; even a slight force could cause it to collapse. It was only fair that the man met such misfortune. Xie Wendong and several of the men ran there without incident, but the ice gave way beneath him, causing him to fall in.

People in the Northeast knew well how dangerous ice holes were. Those who fell in almost always died, and it was rare for anyone to be rescued alive. The man only let out a scream; a few bubbles rose from the ice hole before everything returned to calm. A half-meter-wide hole had instantly claimed a life, shocking everyone, including Xie Wendong.

This didn’t happen, and Xie Wendong could have continued running forward. But at that moment, he hesitated, unsure whether to put his lifted leg down. It wasn’t that Xie Wendong was timid; who could run forward without hesitation at that point? Such a person would be either crazy or foolish. Xie Wendong wasn’t crazy—he was smarter than anyone. Since he didn’t dare take another step forward, those dozen or so strong men also didn’t dare move forward easily. Neither side knew whether to advance or retreat, and they remained stuck in this deadlock.