Chapter 304

Mu Zi sadly rubbed his chest and looked at the burly man who had taken in more energy than he released after being pierced by the silver needle, saying regretfully, “Brother, haven’t you heard the saying that a woman’s heart is the most poisonous in the world? You even dared to hug her—this is what you get for being so unlucky…” Before Mu Zi could finish, a sword slashed through the air, scaring him into retreating far away. It turned out the attack didn’t come from the Loyalty Gang but was an angry strike from Shui Jing. Even after retreating far away, Mu Zi didn’t forget to mock him a bit more: “Look, what did I say just now?”

Jin Yan wasn’t as lucky as Mu Zi. He rushed to the stairwell, fighting off enemies while also protecting Jiang Lin. As the number of enemies increased and casualties on his side grew, he felt the pressure around him mounting. Eventually, with no other choice, he turned around and shouted, “Jiang Lin, retreat upstairs!” He knew well that the upper floor was a dead end, but he also understood that if he didn’t go up now, he might be killed by those enemies right away. Not wanting to die so young, he chose the last option he wanted to use. Once he reached the stairwell and was no longer under pressure from both sides, he felt much more relieved. The members of the Loyalty Gang were trapped below; despite their large numbers, they couldn’t move freely.

Jin Yan’s relief didn’t last long. The members of the Loyalty Gang quickly climbed up to the second floor from outside the hotel and then attacked from there, putting Jin Yan in a situation where he was attacked from both front and back, making it impossible for him to defend himself, let alone protect Jiang Lin. If Bo Zhanhui hadn’t given instructions in advance not to harm Jiang Lin, she likely wouldn’t have survived even with ten lives.

Mu Zi and the others saw that Golden Eye was in extreme danger, struggling fiercely in the fight. Worried for his safety, they rushed toward him with all their might. After much effort, they finally reached his side, and Golden Eye could finally breathe a sigh of relief. With these four holding off the attackers, the pressure around them diminished significantly. Mu Zi’s knife had long disappeared; he was now wielding a chair, swinging it wildly at the advancing enemies with astonishing force. The chair whistled through the air, and due to the narrow space in the stairwell, the opponents dared not approach too closely. After swinging for a while, Mu Zi’s arm muscles began to ache, and his strength waned considerably, losing its initial intensity. Seeing him weaken, the members of the Loyalty Gang thought they had an opportunity and intensified their attack. One of them charged forward shouting, but before he could get close, Mu Zi kicked him down the stairs, sending him tumbling and crushing several others beneath him. Without stopping, Mu Zi swung the chair back and smacked it hard against one man’s head. With a crisp crack, the chair shattered, splinters flying everywhere, and the man collapsed silently, his head covered in blood. Mu Zi grabbed a chair leg, waving it as he said, “Boss, think of something! I can’t hold on much longer.”

Golden Eye took two deep breaths, blocking the occasional slashes from the knife while scanning around. After a while, he reluctantly said, “There are two options: either fight our way upstairs and escape through the window, or charge straight out from the first floor.” “Damn! Jumping? That’s too humiliating!” Mu Zi shook his head vigorously. Just as he was about to suggest the second option, he glanced down and saw no less than a hundred enraged men armed with knives, guns, and sticks gathered below. The crowd was overwhelming, so he swallowed his words and nodded repeatedly. “Damn it! Even dogs jump over walls when cornered—humans are even better. Let’s just jump!” The dozen or so members of the Loyalty Gang on the second floor couldn’t withstand Golden Eye and his four companions’ punches and kicks. After a few token resistances, they scattered and fled far away. The second floor of the Fresh Flower Hotel wasn’t very high, roughly half the height of a regular residential building, so it posed no threat to Golden Eye and his group. But Jiang Lin was different. Throwing her, a weak woman, from such a great height could be dangerous. Shui Jing had an idea—she yanked down the curtain, tied one end around her waist regardless of Jiang Lin’s objections, and the other end to the window frame. Then she nodded at Golden Eye, Mu Zi, and the others, signaling her plan. Golden Eye led the way and jumped out of the window. Before Jiang Lin could understand what was happening, she felt the world spin around her as Shui Jing lifted her up and threw her out without hesitation.

“Ah…” Even Jiang Lin, who was usually so calm, let out a startled cry and instinctively closed her eyes. The moment she flew out, Shui Jing bent down and jumped onto the windowsill, waving cheerfully at the members of the Loyalty and Righteousness Gang who had rushed upstairs. Taking advantage of their brief hesitation, she suddenly leaned backward and, with the agility of a swift swallow, gracefully flipped down the building. Mid-air, she wasted no time and swung her knife with all her strength; the blade traced a beautiful arc in the moonlight, cutting through the curtain tied around Jiang Lin.

With the length of the curtain, Jiang Lin was already not very high above the ground, and with Jin Yan Mu Zi and others below to catch her, she landed unharmed. Jin Yan gave Shui Jing a thumbs up as she fell, who smiled proudly, accepting her lover’s praise without hesitation.

The dozen or so disciples left behind by the Northern Hongmen were either dead or injured, with none able to stand. Having eliminated just a few insignificant people, the Loyalty and Righteousness Gang naturally wasn’t satisfied. Seeing Jin Yan and the other six leap from the building to escape, they refused to let them go. Moreover, their leader Bo Zhanhui had already ordered that no one be spared. With their numerical advantage, they all fought desperately to get out, each trying to claim credit for themselves. The biggest problem with a large crowd is chaos. If the members of the Loyalty and Righteousness Gang had exited in an orderly manner, their speed wouldn’t have been slow, but now there was complete disorder—countless people crowded at the doors and windows, pushing and shoving, shouting loudly, yet few actually managed to get out.

Xuan Zi Dan was furious, stomping his feet and shouting, “Don’t panic! Don’t panic!” His cries were insignificant in the noisy hall, heard by few. Jin Yan glanced back while running and sneered, “A mob is just a mob. Loyalty and Righteousness Gang, the green mountains remain, the clear waters flow on—just wait and see!”

By the time Bo Zhanhui and Xuan Zi Dan finally managed to get out of the hall, the Five Elements Group and Jiang Lin had already run far away. Jiang Lin gritted her teeth and waved, “Get in the car and chase after them!”

The members of the Loyalty and Righteousness Gang hadn’t even gotten into the car yet when they saw Jin Yan and the others running back from the end of the street. Bo Zhanhui was also stunned, thinking to himself that those people must be crazy! Otherwise, why would they not run away but instead come back to seek death? Unfortunately, this thought lasted only five seconds before he realized their minds were perfectly fine. Behind Jin Yan and the others, a hazy black shadow gradually appeared. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be countless men in black, so dark that their numbers couldn’t be counted, each holding a gleaming knife. The man at the front was nearly two meters tall, with broad shoulders, a thick back, and a muscular waist. His clothes were covered in blood, obscuring their original color. He held a serrated axe that emitted a sinister green glow. His eyes were wide, with bloodshot pupils. Standing there, he resembled an ancient armored war god. Even from such a distance, Bo Zhanhui couldn’t help but shiver and instinctively asked, “Who’s that tall guy ahead?” Xuan Zidan observed for a while before tremblingly saying, “It seems… it seems to be the top fighter of the Northern Hongmen, Dong Xinlei!”

Ah! Bo Zhanhui had already guessed roughly, but hearing Xuan Zidan’s confirmation still made him take a deep breath. “Sigh!” He stomped his foot in frustration, gritted his teeth, and seemed to make up his mind, saying, “Get in the car!” Xuan Zidan was shocked and quickly asked, “Brother, are we going to fight them?” Bo Zhanhui glared and said, “Retreat!”

Military orders are unyielding. In fact, even without his words, the members of the Loyalty and Righteousness Gang, seeing the large force of the Northern Hongmen returning, had long lost their earlier arrogance. Especially with Dong Xinlei, covered in blood and seemingly emerging straight from hell, standing in the road, his domineering presence terrified the gang members. Bo Zhanhui and Xuan Zidan got into the car and fled first. The others didn’t even bother helping their injured comrades; they all rushed into the cars and escaped.

“Damn it, what the hell is that?” Jin Yan cursed, persistently firing two shots that shattered the tires of the last car. The group of Northern Hongmen disciples led by Dong Xinlei had forced Xiao Fang into a desperate chase, leaving him frustrated. Returning home only to find his base under attack filled him with rage. Seeing one of the fleeing cars with flat tires, he roared and charged forward. Before the members of the Loyalty and Righteousness Gang could get out, knives and clubs struck the car, making a clanging noise. The people inside screamed in terror—quite a lively scene. Jin Yan sighed in relief and said to Dong Xinlei with a wry smile, “Thanks to you for coming back early!”

“Early? I was fucking beaten back by them! If Brother Dong hadn’t called the police, I doubt I could have even made it back alive!” Dong Xinlei said angrily, his face dark. “Who are those guys? Sent by Xiang Wentian?” Mu Zi sneered, “How could people from the Nan Hongmen be scared away? Those are scumbags from the Zhongyi Gang, taking advantage of our weakness to launch a sneak attack.” “Zhongyi Gang?! It seems their leader thinks he’s immortal!” Dong Xinlei asked, “How many vehicles do we still have that can be used?”
“What for?” Jin Yan asked in confusion. “I’m going to destroy their lair!” Dong Xinlei’s face grew even darker, his already blood-streaked face becoming even more ferocious.
“You should rest!” Jin Yan shook his head, looking at him from head to toe, then scanning the brothers below, all of whom were disheveled and exhausted. He sighed, “Even if you can fight again, the others don’t have the strength. The Zhongyi Gang is cowardly. If they really fought us head-on earlier, it’s uncertain who would have won! And our priority is to defend our base. What if the Nan Hongmen send more people?” Dong Xinlei remained silent for a long time before sighing and saying, “I’ll endure it!”
Dong Xinlei organized people to clean up the mess. More than half of the twenty-plus disciples guarding the North Hongmen were dead, and the rest were severely injured. Looking at the Fresh Flowers Hotel, it was in ruins—windows shattered, doors broken, furniture and decorations destroyed in the fight, with bloodstains everywhere on the walls and floors. Jin Yan sighed deeply, “I really don’t know how to explain this to Brother Dong!” Dong Xinlei said grimly, “Whoever did this, we’ll settle accounts with them! The blood of the Hongmen won’t be shed in vain.”

After Dong Xinlei was taken away by the police in a large convoy, Xiao Fang led his people straight to Yongsheng Mall. Halfway there, they saw a bright red glow in the sky in the direction of the mall. Realizing something was wrong, he urgently told the driver, “Hurry! Drive faster!” It was after 11 p.m., and there were few cars on the road, so the driver drove at full speed without hesitation. By the time they reached near the mall, it was already 11:30. At that moment, Xiao Fang saw clearly what was happening, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Flames were shooting into the sky outside Yongsheng Mall, thick smoke billowing high into the clouds, with explosions heard from inside from time to time. The intensity of the fire was such that even people a hundred meters away could feel the heat waves. The entire building was rapidly collapsing in the flames, with sounds of frames breaking. It took at least five minutes for Xiao Fang to recover from his shock. Seeing that the people in the car were still staring in awe, he snapped, “What are you waiting for? Call the police! Call the fire trucks!” Then he closed his eyes, breathed deeply five times to calm himself down, and tremblingly picked up his phone. He really didn’t know how or feel embarrassed to ask President Xiang Wentian for help. After making up his mind, he finally dialed the number. After it connected, he hesitated for half a minute before saying, “Brother Tian, Yongsheng is gone.” Xiang Wentian already knew that Yongsheng Mall had been attacked by Xie Wendong, but he hadn’t expected him to go so far and be so bold. He was slightly stunned and asked, “Gone? What do you mean, gone?” Xiao Fang was on the verge of crying, his voice strained, “Yongsheng was completely burned to ashes by Xie Wendong!” “What?” Even Xiang Wentian, who usually remained calm, couldn’t bear such a blow. He jumped up, his eyes wide open. Everyone around was shocked, except Xie Wendong, who remained calm, fiddling with his lighter. Burning down Yongsheng Mall was just an impulsive act by Xie Wendong to intimidate Xiang Wentian. Perhaps even he didn’t realize the extent of the damage this act would cause. Not including the interior decorations and merchandise, the cost alone of bidding for and building Yongsheng Mall had exceeded 100 million yuan, most of which came from bank loans and investments from other large companies. If Yongsheng were truly destroyed by fire, the loss would not be just financial—it would also be a loss of reputation. 100 million yuan—Xiang Wentian gritted his teeth. With some compensation from the insurance company, it might be manageable, but once reputation was lost, it could never be recovered. With a sigh, Xiang Wentian held the phone in front of Xie Wendong’s face and asked, “Did you do this?”

Xie Wendong kept his eyes closed and head lowered, responding indifferently, “Maybe!” Xiang Wentian’s gaze was icy cold as he stared intently at Xie Wendong for a long time before slowly saying, “Brother Xie, don’t you think you’ve gone too far?” “You hit me, I hit you—that’s what ‘competition’ is all about!” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes to meet Xiang Wentian’s gaze.