Chapter 341

This man was none other than the disguised Anonymous. He harbored deep hatred for the Soul Group. The Red Army was an anarchist organization, while the Soul Group was supported by the right-wing factions of the Japanese government. The conflict between the two had a long history, but due to various considerations, both sides held back from direct confrontation, preventing the simmering tension from erupting. The previous attempt by the Red Army, led by Anonymous, to assassinate the visiting Japanese Prime Minister in Beijing had failed, and he was convinced it was the Soul Group that had betrayed them. This undoubtedly became the catalyst that turned their hidden rivalry into an open conflict. Angered, the Red Army launched successive attacks on the Soul Group’s overseas branches, leading to a fierce struggle with increasing casualties and deepening hatred, to the point where they could no longer tolerate each other’s existence. That’s why Xie Wendong sought Anonymous’s help this time, and he agreed without hesitation.

Anonymous stepped out of the building. Inside, chaos reigned—crowds were shouting loudly. He carried a pistol, loaded a new magazine, and walked forward calmly. As the glass doors of the building behind him opened, three burly men rushed out, shouting at him, “Stop!” Anonymous turned around, glanced at them indifferently, said nothing, and fired a burst of bullets. The three men didn’t even have time to scream before they were hit multiple times and collapsed dead. The thick glass doors were shattered into pieces. Hearing the gunshots, pedestrians on the street were terrified and fled in all directions, turning the entire street in front of the building into a mess. This was exactly the effect Anonymous wanted—the more chaos, the greater his chances of escaping safely. He took off his work clothes, threw them into a trash can by the side of the road, and calmly mixed in with the crowd, acting as if the three dead men had nothing to do with him. Everyone was too busy trying to survive to notice the assassin among them. As security guards and Soul Group members continued to rush out of the building, finding him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack—the street was filled with people running frantically everywhere.

Wuming walked far away and stopped at a street corner. He glanced back at the building, raised the corner of his mouth, and said coldly, “Good—bye.” Somehow, a slender, bright silver-colored metal remote control appeared in his hand. With a light press of his thumb on the black button at the top, a deafening explosion erupted, shaking the entire ground. Within hundreds of meters around the Yamaguchi Technology Building, all the glass windows in high-rise buildings and cars shattered instantly. Powerful gusts lifted cars parked near the building several meters into the air, while pedestrians were thrown against walls by the wind. The brief vacuum caused by the explosion was unbearable for humans, who burst apart like bombs, their flesh scattered everywhere. Even Wuming, who was at a distant street corner, was affected by the blast wave, which sent him flying four or five meters before he rolled another dozen meters before finally stopping. His bones felt like they were scattered, and he couldn’t get up for a long time. He seemed unprepared for such a powerful explosion—far stronger than any ordinary missile he had seen before, several times even.

The explosion started on the 15th floor of the Yamaguchi Technology Building. In an instant, the entire 15th floor was reduced to dust, causing the upper floors to collapse. Unfortunately, those inside didn’t even have time to escape. Within two minutes, the entire building was split in half, with massive staircases crashing down from above. The scene was terrifying, as if the end of the world had arrived.

“Boom…” As half of the building hit the ground, another loud explosion occurred, followed by thick smoke. The ground trembled, and the streets were filled with cries, screams, pleas for help, and car alarms, creating a heart-wrenching cacophony. Wuming finally managed to stand up, brushed off the dust from his clothes, and exclaimed in astonishment, “I never thought this guy could have such power?! Soul Squad, hehe, you’re in for a tough time now.”

Xie Wendong provided the bomb to Wu Ming, who in turn acquired it at a high price from Russia’s largest mafia organization, ‘Black Belt’. Named ‘Destruction S2’, it was extremely powerful and lethal. As Wu Ming left, explosions and collapses continued to be heard near the building. The headquarters of the Soul Group was instantly reduced to rubble, shocking everyone in Japan. It was impossible to count how many people were killed or injured in this massive explosion, but insiders knew that the elite members and top leaders of the Soul Group had been almost completely wiped out. Although the group still had branches, it existed in name only. It’s true that Japan’s far-right factions had long opposed the Soul Group, but when it faced such devastation, Japan’s government officials could remain indifferent no longer. The National Security Agency took over the investigation to uncover the truth. In the end, two groups were suspected: the Red Army, already considered a terrorist organization by the government, and Xie Wendong, who harbored deep hatred for the Soul Group and was in China. The Red Army seemed more likely to be responsible, but the possibility of them colluding to commit the crime couldn’t be ruled out. In fact, no investigation was needed—anyone with common sense could see that this incident was related to both Xie Wendong and the Red Army. The two groups had always maintained good relations and shared grudges against the Soul Group. The Japanese government turned its attention to Xie Wendong and used diplomacy to pressure China to arrest him, uncover the truth, and extradite him to Japan to account for the hundreds of “innocent” lives lost. Since the Japanese authorities couldn’t provide convincing evidence, the Chinese government used this pretext to temporarily suppress the issue, maneuvering with Japan through diplomats. Japanese media heavily reported that terrorists from China had attacked innocent Japanese civilians, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries. Chinese media didn’t lag behind, with front-page headlines taking up half the page: “Japan Attacked—Unjust Accusations Against Legitimate Chinese Citizens.” Already strained, Sino-Japanese relations dropped to an all-time low, with citizens from both countries holding demonstrations to express their dissatisfaction. With the Soul Group’s headquarters destroyed, Xie Wendong was in high spirits. He knew this matter wouldn’t end easily, but with the Soul Group gone, the weight on his heart was lifted, and the pent-up frustration disappeared. Leaning back in his hospital bed, he put down the newspaper and said with a smile, “It seems this incident has blown up.”

Sanyan lowered his head, cutting an apple, and said with a light laugh, “It’s not just a big deal—it’s completely revolutionary! Fortunately, we’re with the Red Army; Japan can’t find any weakness in us. Otherwise, even though we’ve dealt with the Soul Group issue for the sake of our country and government, who knows if the government wouldn’t still sell us out to ease Sino-Japanese relations?”
“There’s no evidence…” Xie Wendong said with a bitter smile. “Even without evidence, if those in power deem it necessary, I still can’t escape.”
“Huh?” Sanyan was shocked, stopping what he was doing and staring at Xie Wendong with wide eyes. The latter smiled upward and said, “A single person’s life is insignificant compared to the interests of the country. It’s understandable if they really capture me and hand me over to Japan.” “Would the government do that?” “Only heaven knows,” Xie Wendong shook his head.
As they were talking, the phone rang—Xie Wendong’s mobile. Not many people knew his number, and most of them were now in the hospital. He was slightly surprised and answered it. It was Dongfang Yi, his direct superior in the Political Department. This guy still hadn’t been “taken care of.” Xie Wendong smirked inwardly but politely said, “Brother Dongfang, why did you suddenly think of calling me?”
Dongfang Yi spoke in a hostile tone, “Kid, you’ve gone too far this time, haven’t you? You’re the one who blew up the Soul Group, right?!”
Xie Wendong knew he couldn’t hide it and pretended helplessness, saying, “Someone’s been constantly plotting to harm you, not even able to sleep in peace. Shouldn’t I get rid of the source of trouble?”
“But,” Dongfang Yi said coldly, “the method was too extreme. There were hundreds of people in that entire building—do you know that? The pressure Japan is putting on us now is beyond your imagination.”
Xie Wendong sneered, “I know there were many people in there. I also know they deserved to die. Moreover, I know this is exactly what the country and government wanted. Wasn’t it for this purpose that you forced me into the Political Department and gave me unlimited privileges?!”
After a while, Dongfang Yi on the other end finally said, “I’m not saying whether what you did was right or wrong. I’m just… out of concern for a subordinate, I suppose. You’re smart—you should know to leave a backdoor. Once you go too far, you’ll be in trouble too.”
“Yes!” Xie Wendong said with a bitter smile. “Now that the Soul Group is gone, I guess I have no value left to offer.”

“Since you know this, why didn’t you think things through first?” Dong Fang Yi and Xie Wendong weren’t close friends, but after all, it was he who brought Xie Wendong into the Political Department. Deep down, he didn’t want anything to happen to him. Moreover, his position wasn’t secure—his superiors were dissatisfied with him, and below him, Zhang Fanyou was eyeing his position. If anything happened to Xie Wendong, he might be implicated as well. “Are you saying the state already wants to get rid of me?” Xie Wendong raised his eyebrows and asked slowly.

Dong Fang Yi sighed and said, “I haven’t heard any rumors yet, but if Japan really presses hard, you’re likely to become a victim.”

Xie Wendong rubbed his forehead in pain—this was exactly what he had been worried about. Though deeply concerned, he remained calm on the surface and said with a smile, “It doesn’t matter. I’m alone anyway. I’ve already sacrificed hundreds of lives for the Soul Group—I’m satisfied.” “What kind of talk is that?!” Dong Fang Yi snapped. “Do you think you’ve had enough of life?” After a pause, he added, “Let me tell you something. I don’t know how you got involved with the Du family, but Du Tingwei is in Shanghai now, and it’s very likely he’s targeting you. Be careful.”

“Oh?” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes. Now he understood why the Soul Group could infiltrate the military and why the military would help them—it was Du Tingwei behind it. He asked, “Who exactly is Du Tingwei? How can he control the military?” “Hmph!” Dong Fang Yi snorted. “He may not be that important, but he has a very powerful father.” “Who is it?” “You better not ask. I can only tell you that his father controls all military power in the country.”

After thinking for a while, Xie Wendong exhaled and said with a laugh, “Heh, forget it. Since I’m already in trouble, I don’t care how big it gets.”

“What do you plan to do? Don’t do anything stupid. If you… you’ll really be saying goodbye to this world.” Dong Fang Yi sensed the danger in Xie Wendong’s words.

“Some things have to be dealt with. Well, thank you, Brother Dong Fang, for your concern, and for giving me time to rest. Really.” Xie Wendong said half sincerely.

“Sigh! I’ve always treated you as one of my own. I’m glad you’re fine.” Dong Fang Yi spoke sincerely, though only he knew if it was genuine.

After hanging up, Xie Wendong rubbed his throbbing temples tiredly and said softly, “Brother Zhang, do you still remember Du Tingwei?”

Sanyan was stunned, not understanding why Dongge suddenly brought up this person. He said, “Of course I remember, Dongge. Why…?”
“He’s in Shanghai,” Xie Wendong replied. “And last time, the Soul Squad was able to infiltrate the military successfully—very likely thanks to him.”
“Oh!” Sanyan let out a long sigh, his lips curling to reveal his stark, gleaming teeth. He said coldly, “So it’s him! We couldn’t even find him, and now he’s come to us.”
Xie Wendong picked up the fruit knife on the table and fiddled with it, saying, “This man must be eliminated.” Sanyan nodded and stood up, adding, “It’s best to get rid of him as soon as possible.” He walked over to the door and said, “Let me and Lao Lei handle this. Dongge, you can rest with peace of mind.”
“Hmm…” Xie Wendong pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “After all, the military isn’t just any ordinary place. It’s different from those various gangs in the underworld. Let’s wait and see.”