Chapter 151

“Thirty-five years!” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and murmured, “Thirty-five years isn’t short—enough time to gain considerable experience. But how did you let the assassins drive in?”
“This…” Wang Jianting’s face turned red with embarrassment. “This… it was my mistake.”
“A mistake? Haha, a mistake!” Xie Wendong nodded, leaning forward with a smile. “Do you realize that because of your mistake, my life, Jin Rong’s life, and even the old master’s life were all at risk? All because of your single mistake!”
Wang Jianting lowered his head. “I admit my fault.” Though he said so verbally, he was seething inwardly. After all, he had served the gang for over thirty years, and now he was being scolded in front of so many people by a mere twenty-something kid just because of one mistake. His face was utterly lost in shame.
Xie Wendong shook his head. “Admitting fault is useless. I just want to know how the assassins got in. Why wasn’t there even any alarm? Did they fly in? Or did you let them in secretly?” Wang Jianting shuddered and hurriedly said, “How could I let them in secretly? I’ve been loyal to the gang all these thirty-odd years!”
Xie Wendong understood that as a head of the guard team, he couldn’t possibly have the audacity to let assassins in. Moreover, even if he were assassinated, it wouldn’t benefit him at all. But that didn’t mean he was innocent—there might be someone behind this. He asked, “I don’t doubt your loyalty to the gang. Then how do you explain the assassins getting in?”
Sweat appeared on Wang Jianting’s forehead. “At that time, the assassins pretended to be officials from his branch and carried fake Hongmen passes. My subordinates lacked experience and couldn’t tell the difference. As a result…” Xie Wendong interrupted him, asking with a smile, “I can understand your subordinates lacking experience. But what about you? Where’s your thirty-five years of experience?”
Wang Jianting stammered, “I wasn’t at the scene at the time. I was playing cards with a few other gang officials…” He glanced secretly at Xie Wendong’s reaction.
Xie Wendong clapped his hands and sighed with a smile. “Playing cards! Hmm, playing cards! Anyone who was playing cards with Brother Wang, step forward!”

Three more people stepped out of the crowd, heads bowed and silent. Xie Wendong’s gaze sliced through their faces like a knife, his clenched fists trembling slightly. He slowly stood up, paced back and forth a few times, then suddenly kicked over the coffee table in front of the sofa, sending cups and trays crashing to the ground. Pointing at the four of them, he demanded, “What kind of gang officials are you even? While in office, you indulged in fun, abandoning all responsibilities of the gang, didn’t you?!”
The four men shuddered, not daring to breathe. They had never seen Xie Wendong so angry before; even when killing the Wan family, he had remained calm and conversational.
Xie Wendong pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag before asking, “Lao Lei, according to the gang rules, how should these people be dealt with?”
Dong Xinlei’s heart sank. He was familiar with Wang Jianting and their relationship had always been good, but he knew Xie Wendong’s temper all too well. Stammering, he said, “According to the rules, Wang Jianting neglected his duties, committing a serious offense—he should be executed. The other three also deserve severe punishment.” After saying that, Dong Xinlei stepped forward and pleaded, “Brother Dong, give him one more chance!”
“One more chance to let assassins in?” Xie Wendong snapped angrily. “Lao Lei, what are you waiting for? Punish him according to the rules!” With that, he pulled out his gun and threw it on the ground. This time, Wang Jianting was truly terrified. He never expected Xie Wendong to be so determined to kill him. Panicked, he cried out, “Master, you can’t kill me! I’ve been with the gang for 35 years. Even if I’ve done nothing, I’ve still worked hard. Please show mercy, Master! Give me one more chance. I guarantee with my life that such things won’t happen again.”
“Your life?” Xie Wendong laughed in anger and sighed. “If something happens to Jin Rong, even if you had ten heads, you couldn’t make it up for it.” He narrowed his eyes at Dong Xinlei and asked mockingly, “What? Lao Lei, does my word no longer count now?”
Sighing inwardly, Dong Xinlei knew it was useless to argue. He waved his hand at the burly men below and said in a hoarse voice, “Drag Wang Jianting out.”
Two men seized Wang Jianting and dragged him away. Realizing he might truly lose his life this time, tears and snot streamed down his face as he shouted, “I want to see the old master! I’ve been with him for 35 years—he won’t kill me! I want to see the old master…”

At that moment, five elders entered from outside—precisely the five senior leaders of the Northern Hongmen. They had just heard the news that their leader had been assassinated in the headquarters, and they rushed over in their vehicles. As soon as they reached the gate, they heard Wang Jianting screaming frantically. Upon seeing the five elders arrive and realizing he had found someone to rely on, Wang Jianting burst into tears and said, “Elders, save me! I’ve fought for the gang for over thirty years. Out of consideration for all my hard work, please forgive me this time, elders!”

Thunder’s expression darkened as he tapped Wang Jianting’s head and said, “Look at yourself. You’re quite old and hold a high position. Crying like this is utterly disgraceful!” The old man took a breath before asking again, “Hm? Who did you say tried to kill you?” Thunder was asking deliberately; no one else in the gang could be responsible for executing Wang Jianting. Before Wang Jianting could reply, Xie Wendong in the hall spoke in a stern voice, “It was me! The assassin shot recklessly in the headquarters. Just for that alone, Wang Jianting, as the head of security, deserves to die a hundred times! A country must have rules, and the same goes for a gang. If we spare him today, ten or a hundred others might neglect their duties tomorrow. Will the Hongmen still be able to survive or grow?! I believe all the elders understand this principle, so there’s no need for pleas!”

Xie Wendong’s words silenced the five elders. The five old men exchanged glances, and eventually, four of them looked at Thunder. He sighed—once again, he was always the first to be sacrificed in critical moments. With thick skin, he stepped forward to Xie Wendong and said awkwardly with a smile, “Leader, the gang’s rules were made by humans, so they can certainly be relaxed. Brother Wang Jianting has also gone through decades of hardships to reach his current position. Please spare him this time just because of his age!”

Xie Wendong sat on the sofa with closed eyes and said softly, “Old Lei, enforce the rules!” Thunder waved his hand at Xing Dongxinlei, signaling him to wait, then added, “Now that the old man is in the hospital, the gang is already unstable. Executing Wang Jianting, an elder of the Hongmen, at such a critical time might cause unrest among the gang members. Why not let him atone for his crimes? It might even have a positive effect.”

Xie Wendong smiled. Seeing Thunder, an old man, groveling before him, he felt unable to say anything more. He said calmly, “Imprison Wang Jianting for now, and let Zhan Feng take over his position!” Seeing that Xie Wendong had finally relented, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Jianting cried and shouted, “Thank you, Leader Xie, for sparing my life! Thank you, elders, for interceding for me! Thank you…”

Xie Wendong waved his hand irritably and said, “I’m tired. Let me be left alone for a while.” Everyone left the hall except Dong Xinlei and Zhan Feng. The former knew that Brother Dong must have something to say, while the latter wanted to talk to Brother Dong as well. Sure enough, after everyone left, Xie Wendong glanced at the two who remained and said, “If I don’t establish my authority this time, I’ll lose all credibility in the Hongmen. It would also set a precedent of ignoring violations, a responsibility I can’t bear. So, tomorrow, Wang Jianting, realizing his grave mistakes, will commit suicide out of fear of punishment. Old Lei, do you understand?”
Dong Xinlei nodded, sighing inwardly. No one could change a decision made by Xie Wendong—at least not someone like him. He had no choice but to agree.
Upon hearing this, Zhan Feng’s lips twitched. Xie Wendong asked with a smile, “If you have anything to say, go ahead.” Zhan Feng frowned and said, “I feel this assassination is very similar to the one on the old master last time. At least the assassin knew our Hongmen’s internal situation well. I suspect there might be a traitor among us.”
“GOOD!” Xie Wendong snapped his fingers and laughed. “I thought the same. Do you have any suspects?”
Zhan Feng replied urgently, “I’ve only been in the Hongmen for a few years and am not yet familiar with the main leaders. I dare not make unfounded guesses.”
“Hmm!” Xie Wendong nodded, stood up, and murmured to himself, “As long as the traitor remains, the Hongmen won’t know peace. What a thorn in our side! An annoying guy.”
Zhan Feng left. Dong Xinlei sent someone to clean the hall. At that moment, the female doctor, whom Nie Tianxing called ‘Ice Sister,’ entered the hall with a medical kit in her hand. She glanced at Xie Wendong and said calmly, “You’re injured again.” Xie Wendong sighed helplessly, “Yes. The Hongmen is really strange. I’ve been here for not long, yet it seems I’m constantly bleeding.”
The doctor said, “That’s the price of being the leader of the Hongmen. Nothing in the world comes for free. To gain unlimited power, one must pay a price.”
Xie Wendong tilted his head and looked at the cold beauty, smiling. “I suddenly realize you could be a philosopher instead of a doctor.” The doctor took out cotton and gently wiped the blood from his face, saying coldly, “You can’t buy humor even if you spend all your money.” Xie Wendong laughed heartily and said to her, “Heaven was fair to you—creating you as a beautiful lady. Otherwise, with your mouth, who knows how many punches you’d get.”

The doctor’s expression darkened as he took out needles and thread from the medical kit and said coldly, “I see your wound is quite long and needs to be stitched.” Xie Wendong was stunned and asked, “I heard that stitching leaves scars.” The doctor replied, “It doesn’t matter. You’re not a woman anyway—why care about scars on your face?” Xie Wendong sighed, realizing a truth: you should never provoke doctors, especially those with narrow minds! He said, “I take back what I said earlier.”

“Oh!” The doctor put away the needles and thread and said indifferently, “I’ve also realized your wound can heal without stitching and won’t leave any scars at all.” “Thank you!”

Two minutes later, Xie Wendong looked at himself in the mirror. There was only a faint red mark left on his face. He praised, “Anyway, you’re indeed an excellent doctor.” The doctor, packing up his things, said, “Actually, you’re quite a decent guy too.”

“Oh!” Xie Wendong sighed. “It’s truly delightful to hear praise from you. It deserves a drink!” He took out red wine and two glasses from the wine cabinet and filled them. The doctor took one, took a small sip, said it tasted good, then got up to leave. To Xie Wendong, who was about to drink, he said, “I forgot to tell you—drinking is not good for wound healing.” Xie Wendong put down the glass he had brought to his lips and, watching the doctor’s retreating figure, muttered, “What a heartless guy!”

Xie Wendong lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He felt he had underestimated the Hongmen organization—there were many hidden things he still didn’t understand, even the old master might not be clear about them. It seemed as if in the darkest depths of the Hongmen, there were hidden hands that would tightly clamp around your neck at the slightest carelessness, suffocating you. But who owned these hands? Xie Wendong racked his brains but couldn’t figure it out. However, one thing was clear to him—and it was something he must do: he had to send Jin Rong back to City H as soon as possible. After all, that was his stronghold, a place even the powerful Hongmen couldn’t reach.

On the second day, Xie Wendong rushed to the hospital and talked with Jin Peng for over an hour before leaving. He had originally planned to settle matters related to the Hongmen gang before heading to the Golden Triangle, but a call from Lao Gui in the morning forced him to set off earlier. This year, governments across Southeast Asia have stepped up their efforts to combat drugs, and the Golden Triangle, as a major source, has been under pressure from its own government and those of neighboring countries. Drug production has dropped repeatedly to historic lows, failing to meet the market demands of drug lords in Southeast Asia. As a result, General Sang, the interim leader of the Golden Triangle, plans to gather drug lords from various regions to sell drugs in a tiered manner. Upon learning of this, Lao Gui, fearing that Xie Wendong might not make it in time, revealed the information to him first.