Chapter 220

Ren Changfeng said urgently, “Whether it’s the Red Leaves or the Soul Group, we need to come up with a plan.” Xie Wendong replied, “There are two options. That explosion just now is enough to attract the police, but it will be hard for us to explain once they arrive. Another option is to take care of them or drive them away before the police get here.” Ren Changfeng said, “The latter option seems better. But what will we use to fight them?” Xie Wendong glanced at the two pistols in his hand and said, “These will do.” Ren Changfeng asked doubtfully, “Just two pistols?” Xie Wendong shook his head. “Wait for Blood Kill.”

As soon as Xie Wendong finished speaking, Jiang Sen took out his phone and started dialing. At that moment, several people entered from outside. Seeing the situation inside, they were all shocked. One of them was of medium height and slightly thin, but his eyes were extremely sharp. Although his clothes were the same as everyone else’s, it was obvious to anyone that he was the leader. Upon entering, he smelled the burnt odor, frowned, and waved his hand at the people on either side. They understood his intention, split up to the left and right, and moved forward cautiously.

Hearing the noise, the three of them, including Xie Wendong, listened closely. Jiang Sen whispered, “Old hands have returned. They’re not easy to deal with.” Xie Wendong nodded, took off his coat, pointed with his hand, then pointed at Jiang Sen. Jiang Sen nodded in understanding, wiped the sweat from his palms, and firmly grasped the gun handle. Xie Wendong gave a signal, threw his coat casually, and it flew toward the corner. Jiang Sen remained prepared. Seeing Xie Wendong throw the coat, he almost rushed outside but stopped abruptly, shaking his head with a bitter smile.

Originally, Xie Wendong wanted to throw his clothes to draw the opponent’s attention so that Jiang Sen could take the chance to jump out. But to their surprise, the opponent wasn’t affected at all—no shots were fired despite the clothes being thrown. In such a dark environment in the hall and with such tense atmosphere, the fact that they didn’t shoot despite seeing shadows moving meant only one thing: either the opponent was an extremely experienced expert or they had something similar to night vision gear. Judging from the footsteps, there were quite a few people, but not all of them would be experts. Jiang Sen pointed at his eyes, and Xie Wendong understood, nodding. He couldn’t think of any better plan right now and could only rely on direct confrontation. He stood against the wall, holding his gun with both hands. The clothes he threw also attracted the opponent’s attention. The leader pointed at the corner and slowly moved toward it. When he got close to the corner, he stopped and stood still. The distance between Xie Wendong and him was less than a meter. Both were standing against the wall, separated only by the corner, and they could even hear each other’s breathing. Yet neither dared to make a move. They both knew that any exposure would result in a barrage of bullets. As long as they stayed still, the people below couldn’t move either. Although neither side could see the other, the oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.

Time passed slowly as both sides remained in silent confrontation. Xie Wendong’s side consisted of only three people, and attacking first would be suicide. As for the assassins, they didn’t know how many people were on the other side of the wall. Five of their men had been sent in earlier and instantly blown to pieces, so they too were cautious. Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said softly, “Soul Group?” His voice wasn’t loud, but the hall was eerily quiet, allowing everyone present to hear him. The leader of the assassins was shocked and said in stiff Mandarin, “Xie Wendong!”

Xie Wendong said nothing more; he had nothing left to say. The other man also remained silent—both had found the answer they wanted. Confirming that it was indeed Xie Wendong, the man clenched his fists, his palms sweating. The name Xie Wendong meant disaster and terror to the Soul Group—filled with hatred and fear. Every member of the group, including this man, wanted to kill Xie Wendong. But hearing that it was really him made him nervous again, his breathing gradually becoming uneven and rapid.

Xie Wendong heard it clearly. A thought crossed his mind, and his lips curled upward as he said confidently, “In the past, some of you tried to kill me too, but in the end, those people died.”

The man said nothing; only sweat streamed down his cheeks from his forehead. Xie Wendong asked again, “Do you believe in fate? This is fate—heaven has decreed that your team cannot defeat me. You shouldn’t have come to China, let alone to kill me.” The man replied, “You’re not a god, and I don’t believe in fate.” Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “That’s a shame.” As he spoke, he snapped his wrist, and the golden knife fell into his palm. “You should believe in it!” he added. Then, with a shake of his shoulder, the knife was thrown out. He and the man stood at opposite corners of the room, unable to see each other directly, so the man naturally didn’t notice Xie Wendong’s quick movement. The knife flew out, and Xie Wendong suddenly pulled back his wrist; a silver thread tightened, causing the knife to spin in the air before flying back. But instead of returning to Xie Wendong, it shot straight at the man’s face on the other side of the wall.

By now, Xie Wendong had mastered the use of his golden knife with perfect skill. Knowing his own marksmanship was inferior, he relied on the knife as his last resort in critical moments, practicing hard in his free time. Earlier, while talking to the man, he had already determined his position. As for whether this strike would work, Xie Wendong had no idea—he was just taking a chance.

The man had focused all his attention on Xie Wendong, so he wasn’t prepared for the sudden attack from an unexpected angle. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge. The strike hit him squarely in the left eye. Since it was a returning strike, its force wasn’t great, but still, the man cried out in pain, clutching his eye as blood seeped through his fingers. Hearing the cry, Xie Wendong felt pleased. He pulled back his arm forcefully, and the knife flew out of the man’s eye, still streaked with blood.

The members of the Soul Team were confused. Seeing their leader in agony, they rushed forward. They saw his face covered in blood, one eye swollen badly, with blood flowing continuously. The man screamed, “Ignore me! Kill Xie Wendong!”

Before the team could respond, chaos erupted outside—cries and screams filled the air. The members were alarmed and didn’t understand what was going on. Suddenly, one of them rushed over, panting, “E… enemies are attacking!” Hearing this, the team leader let out a low groan. With his bloodshot eye, he glanced at the corner, gritted his teeth, covered his eye, and ordered, “Retreat!” At his command, the members left the hall. After a few more cries, it gradually became quiet outside. Moments later, another group of people entered—all dressed in black, with red armbands. Someone called out softly, “Brother Dong? Brother Sen?”

Xie Wendong and Jiang Sen exchanged a glance behind the wall and said in unison, “One of us!” Indeed, it was the Blood Killers who had come to provide support after receiving Jiang Sen’s call. Xie Wendong and the other two emerged from the corner. Due to the darkness in the hall, the Blood Killers, seeing moving figures and not knowing whether they were friends or enemies, raised their guns. Jiang Sen said firmly, “It’s me!”
When the Blood Killers saw it was Jiang Sen and also noticed Xie Wendong there, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief, lowered their guns, and asked, “Brother Dong, Brother Sen, are you okay?”
Xie Wendong shook his head and smiled, then asked back, “Did they run?” The Blood Killers knew whom he meant and nodded, “Eight of them stayed behind; the rest fled. Judging from their appearance and skills, they must be from the Soul Group.” Xie Wendong nodded. “That’s right, the Soul Group—those persistent Soul Group members!” The Soul Group arrived suddenly and left even faster, hardly engaging in a fight with the Blood Killers. They fled by car, but five of them were killed in the chaos, and three were injured and captured by the Blood Killers. Xie Wendong ordered everyone to search inside and outside the hall. Jiang Sen pointed at the three captured men and asked, “Brother Dong, what should we do with these three?” Xie Wendong replied without hesitation, “Keeping them is too much trouble.” Jiang Sen nodded understandingly and gave a signal to his men.
Before long, the police arrived. They patrolled the area in front of the hall, with one of them entering the North Hongmen hall. Although the hall had been cleaned, the walls were covered in bullet holes. The police officer was shocked and wanted to call for backup using his walkie-talkie. Ren Changfeng suddenly stepped out from a corner, patted the officer’s shoulder, and said with a smile, “Brother, it’s better to avoid trouble.” Then he took out a stack of bills from his pocket and stuffed them into the officer’s pocket, saying, “Go home and buy some liquor. Be a bit less cautious.”
No matter how smart the police officer was, when he felt the bills in his pocket, he was shocked—there was quite a lot! He put the walkie-talkie back in his pocket, pointed at the walls, and said with a laugh, “It seems this place needs a new renovation. I won’t disturb you any longer.” With that, he turned and left. After stepping outside, he waved and shouted, “There’s nothing wrong with this building; the problem isn’t here.”

Xie Wendong was pacing back and forth in his room. He called Lingmin and asked, “Has Qian Xixi’s body been dealt with?” “Not yet!” “That’s good. Cut off his head and send it to Xiao Fang. If he can surprise me, I’ll give him a surprise too.” As he spoke, the leader of the East Heart Thunder group arrived. Before long, the four men returned to the hall, disheveled and out of breath. When Ren Changfeng asked what had happened, they revealed that they had been driven back by Xiao Fang, and the four major routes had all fallen. Too afraid to see Xie Wendong, they asked Ren Changfeng to go see the leader and plead on their behalf. Xie Wendong said nothing; he had expected this. Since Xiao Fang wasn’t interested in Qian Xixi, his target must be Nanjing. To attack Nanjing on a large scale, those four routes were essential, and smart as Xiao Fang was, he wouldn’t miss them. The four men were no match for him, so it was only natural they were defeated. “What a clever Xiao Fang!” Xie Wendong murmured. “It seems I really underestimated him.”

Jiang Sen cautiously asked, “So what should we do now?” Xie Wendong frowned, his mind racing. He muttered to himself, “Nanjing? Nanjing!” He walked to the window, rested his hands on the frame, and gazed into the distance. After a while, he asked, “Where’s Lao Liu? Why hasn’t he returned yet?” Jiang Sen replied, “He’s probably still out gathering information.” Xie Wendong nodded, staring into the distance with a bitter smile. “The roads from the city to the southern suburbs are now fully open. If I’m not wrong, Xiao Fang will launch a major attack soon after adjusting his plans for a day. The South Hongmen has just won a big battle and is high in morale; he won’t miss this opportunity, especially with the Soul Group supporting him in secret.”

Ren Changfeng frowned and said, “Then why not take the initiative first?” Jiang Sen shook his head. “That’s not wise. Xiao Fang is smart—he must have made preparations.” Ren Changfeng pressed, “We can’t fight, and we can’t stay idle either. What should we do?” Jiang Sen shook his head again. “I don’t know.” Then he looked at Xie Wendong.

Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said, “Tonight, he’ll attack us, and we have a chance to deal him a fatal blow as well.”

Jiang Sen and Ren Changfeng asked in unison, “How can we deal him a fatal blow?” Xie Wendong smiled. “Xiao Fang is cautious, right?! He won’t lead his troops personally; he’s likely staying in his base.” Ren Changfeng asked, “So what if he stays in his base?” Xie Wendong ran his hand through his hair and said, “Changfeng, you need to use your brain more.”

Liu Bo didn’t return to the branch office until the early morning. By then, most people had already gone to bed, but Xie Wendong was still awake, lying in bed thinking about how to deal with Xiao Fang and that troublesome Soul Group. Just then, Liu Bo knocked on the door. Without waiting for Xie Wendong to speak, he said, “Brother Dong, I’ve found out where the Soul Group is based.” “Oh?” Xie Wendong perked up and asked, “Where?” Liu Bo replied, “It’s near the South Hongmen headquarters. There are about twenty of them, and they all seem to be experienced professionals—hard to deal with. Plus, South Hongmen is backing them up.” Xie Wendong had fought against the Soul Group many times, usually winning through ambushes. This time, Liu Bo was giving him a heads up.

Xie Wendong smiled, understanding what he meant, and nodded. “It is tough to fight them, but after all, there are only about twenty of them. Do we still need to use an ambush?” Liu Bo was stunned and asked, “So what do you mean, Brother Dong…?” Xie Wendong got up from the bed, walked back and forth a few times, and said, “Be flexible. When it’s time to launch a frontal attack, do it.” He stopped and asked, “How far is it between the Soul Group’s base and South Hongmen?” Liu Bo replied, “It’s very close—less than a mile. The route from the city to South Hongmen’s headquarters must pass through their base.” Hearing this, Xie Wendong’s eyes lit up as he smiled slightly. “Not bad. That’s great!” Liu Bo stuck out his tongue, thinking he heard wrong, and asked loudly, “Brother Dong, is this really great?” Xie Wendong laughed heartily and said, “There’s nothing better than this.”

Just as Xie Wendong had predicted, the Soul Group was driven away by the Blood Killers and didn’t dare to act again that night. Xiao Fang seized control of the key routes leading to the city, his morale soaring. But after a whole night of fighting, he wasn’t tired, but his men couldn’t take it anymore. Xiao Fang sent people to guard the roads and ordered most of his men to go back and rest to regain their strength, planning to settle things with Xie Wendong the next night.

His plans worked well, but Xie Wendong wasn’t idle either. The entire North Hongmen functioned like a massive machine in slow motion—only the rusty nails needed to be removed.