Chapter 258

A young man of medium build, around thirty years old, with slanted eyes and a hooked nose, stood up trembling and asked, “Brother Dong, I just want to ask—why do we have to help the Northern Hongmen?”
His name was Pang Ting, and Xie Wendong remembered his name. Smiling, he said, “The old man of the Northern Hongmen has been kind to me and to the Wendong Gang. Logically and morally, there’s no reason not to help them.” “Oh…” Pang Ting pondered for a moment before saying, “We should repay the kindness, and I’m not opposed to it, but there’s no need to commit such large resources. Brother Dong and several gang leaders heading south will also deal a significant blow to our gang. Unless…” He hesitated, not daring to finish his sentence. “Unless what?” Xie Wendong asked, nodding in approval.
Pang Ting mustered his courage and said, “Unless it directly benefits our Wendong Gang, there’s really no need to do this. But so far, I don’t see any benefits for us. Maybe all the hard work Brother Dong puts in to seize territory could be taken away with just one word from them. Wouldn’t that be all in vain?”
Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow. This Pang Ting was quite sharp—his words were tricky, but not without reason. Of course, he knew the old man wouldn’t do such a thing, but the lower-ranking members hadn’t met Jin Peng, so it made sense they had such concerns. He nodded and smiled, scanning the crowd before asking, “What do you all think?”
Everyone expressed their opinions—some agreed, some disagreed, and some even suggested that after the Northern Hongmen eliminated the Southern Hongmen, the Wendong Gang could take over them in turn. With such varied views, Xie Wendong found it difficult to decide. He turned to Sanyan and asked, “Brother Zhang, what’s your opinion?”
Sanyan was smart enough to understand Xie Wendong’s intent. He chuckled and said, “If the Northern Hongmen eliminate the Southern Hongmen, it will also benefit our Wendong Gang. Our main source of business is in the Golden Triangle, and Yunnan, which is next to it, is under the control of the Southern Hongmen. This has always restricted our operations. If the Northern Hongmen take their place, given the relationship between the two gangs, our business could flourish—probably doubling in size compared to now. Do you think this isn’t in our interest?”

Within the Wendong Gang, Three-Eyes’ voice carried great weight, especially lately. While the gang’s extensive expansion was indeed tied to the solid foundation laid by Xie Wendong, Three-Eyes’ contributions in various battles were also indispensable. Xie Wendong rarely appeared in public within the gang; although it had thousands of members, few had actually seen his face. In the eyes of his brothers, he was like a myth, an unattainable figure, as if he didn’t exist at all—a vague idol. In contrast, Three-Eyes was seen as an invincible war god who could conquer any fortress; he was a real person with flesh and blood. Everyone had to take his words seriously.

There were always those who sought to promote others, and Chen Baicheng was undoubtedly the best at it. When Xie Wendong first returned to City H, Chen was in DL. After Three-Eyes left, all responsibilities fell on him. But when he heard that Xie Wendong had been assassinated upon returning to City H and disappeared after falling into an ice cave, he jumped up in shock. Falling into an ice cave meant certain death—no matter how skilled Xie Wendong was, he stood little chance against such forces beyond human control. His first thought was that Xie Wendong was dead. Then he realized that without him, the Wendong Gang would fall into chaos. Unable to stay in DL for another minute, he made an excuse and rushed back to City H, hoping to use this opportunity to push Three-Eyes to the position of gang leader. With that, his own future would be boundless. More importantly, in his eyes, Three-Eyes weighed far less than Xie Wendong—overthrowing him would be easy, and when the time was right, it might even be possible for him to take over as the leader of the Wendong Gang. His plans worked well, but things didn’t go as expected. As soon as he returned to City H, he heard that Xie Wendong had returned safely, instantly chilling his enthusiasm to the core. Now, he had no choice but to continue playing the role of a flatterer. He stood up, bowed respectfully to both Xie Wendong and Three-Eyes, then turned around and said loudly, “I fully agree with Brother Dong’s proposal. And Brother Three-Eyes has clearly explained the pros and cons—helping the Northern Hongmen unify all Hongmen factions will bring us only benefits, none of harm. Besides, who else has helped the Wendong Gang grow so rapidly? What more is there for you not to believe?”

With his words, everyone fell silent even more. Even if some were dissatisfied, they couldn’t voice their opinions now. Speaking further would be equivalent to openly challenging the two giants, Xie Wendong and Sanyan. Xie Wendong smiled slightly at Chen Baicheng, who was speaking so fluently. Under certain circumstances, someone like him was indeed needed. He looked at the others and asked, “Does anyone have any other opinions?” They exchanged glances, shook their heads, and said in unison, “Let’s do as Brother Dong suggests!”
Xie Wendong nodded and said, “Good! Then it’s settled. We might set off in a few days. The leaders who will come with me should arrange everything in their respective factions in advance so there are no worries later.” “Understood!” Li Shuang and the others replied in unison. Next, Xie Wendong planned to discuss matters related to the Red Army with everyone, but suddenly the phone rang. The sudden ringing in the otherwise quiet hall was particularly abrupt and jarring. Frowning, he nodded at Li Shuang. Li Shuang quickly went to the coffee table, answered the phone, and whispered to Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, it’s for you.” Who could it be? Xie Wendong wondered, taking the phone skeptically. After listening for half a minute without saying a word, he finally said, “Be careful yourself!” Then he hung up. His expression remained unchanged as he returned to his seat and calmly said, “That’s enough for today’s meeting. Everyone may leave.” Hearing this, everyone relaxed, stood up to stretch, and left the room in groups.
Only a few people really noticed that something was wrong with Xie Wendong. Jiang Sen was one of them. After most people left and only Li Shuang and the others remained in the hall, he asked, “Brother Dong, what’s going on?” At that moment, Xie Wendong’s expression darkened as he said coldly, “There’s news that Peng Shulin has been kidnapped.”
Everyone almost spat blood upon hearing this, wondering if they had misheard the name. Would Peng Shulin be kidnapped? He was the head of the provincial department! Who would dare kidnap such an important figure? Even the Wen Dong Gang would have to think twice before taking action against him. In City H, in the Northeast, there were countless other criminal gangs even more powerful than the Wen Dong Gang. Sanyan’s expression suddenly changed as he worriedly said, “If something happens to Peng Shulin, who do you think the authorities will suspect?”

“Huh?” Li Shuang widened his eyes and said, “It can’t be us, right?” Jiang Sen replied helplessly, “If it’s not us, then who else? Peng Shulin is a big shot—few people in the entire Northeast dare to mess with him, and our Wendong Club is definitely the most prominent among them. Besides, he just investigated several of our dance halls and casinos, and there are signs he’ll continue. In every sense, we have both the motive and the reason.” “Damn it!” Li Shuang slapped his head in frustration. “There’s no way we can clean this up, no matter what we do.” Jiang Sen shook his head and looked at Xie Wendong, wondering to himself, “I just doubt whether this news is true.” Seeing that Xie Wendong remained silent, Sanyan stepped forward and asked, “Brother Dong, what are you thinking?” Xie Wendong replied calmly, “Peng Ling.” Peng Shulin had indeed been kidnapped. Xie Wendong learned about it later; Peng Ling was the first to find out, and she quickly figured out who the kidnappers were. As soon as she got up that morning, the phone at home rang. It was her father calling, but when she answered, it was Du Tingwei speaking. His tone was strange and sinister. “Xiaoling, how have you been these days?” Upon hearing his voice, Peng Ling didn’t want to say anything and prepared to hang up. Du Tingwei had called her frequently lately. At first, she wouldn’t even answer when it was him, but later he got smarter and called from different numbers. Still, as soon as she heard his voice, she hung up right away. This time was no different. Just as she was about to hang up, Du Tingwei’s words froze her in place. “If you don’t care about your father’s fate, then go ahead and hang up!” “What do you mean?” Peng Ling was shocked, thinking he was just trying to scare her. Her father was a special envoy sent by the central government—who would dare touch him?! Du Tingwei chuckled and said, “It means nothing. I just wanted to talk to you a bit more.” Peng Ling frowned tightly and demanded loudly, “I’m asking what happened to my father!” “Nothing much!” Du Tingwei said with a smirk. “He dismissed my words as nonsense and even teamed up with Xie Wendong to frame me. Naturally, I’m not happy. I wanted to have a proper talk with him, but whether it’s a gentle or intense conversation depends on your behavior. Hehe!”

Peng Ling panicked immediately. He knew Du Tingwei’s background—he had a highly influential father in power at the central government, whose status was far higher than Peng Shulin’s; strictly speaking, he should be considered Peng Shulin’s former superior. However, their relationship was ordinary, and both had left-leaning personalities, so they rarely interacted. It was only after Du Tingwei used his father’s authority to investigate Peng Ling’s background that he learned she was Peng Shulin’s daughter, a former subordinate of his father. Taking advantage of this connection, he first got in touch with Peng Shulin and then used him to approach Peng Ling. As the son of his former leader, Peng Shulin treated Du Tingwei favorably. When Du Tingwei, after being severely beaten by Jiang Sen, proposed cracking down on the criminal forces in City H, Peng Shulin, after much consideration, still ordered the closure of several venues belonging to the Wendong Gang. But Du Tingwei wasn’t grateful at all, thinking it was his duty to do so. Later, after having a unpleasant encounter with Xie Wendong at Peng Shulin’s house, he learned that Xie Wendong had returned, and even the old man himself came out to greet him, which made Du Tingwei furious—his hatred for Peng Shulin nearly surpassed his hatred for Xie Wendong. This time, he orchestrated the kidnapping of Peng Shulin, aiming both to force Peng Ling to comply and to shift the blame onto Xie Wendong, achieving two goals at once.

Peng Ling said anxiously, “Du Tingwei, I’m warning you—don’t do anything reckless!” Du Tingwei replied with a smile, “Don’t worry. I’m not interested in the old man. I’ll only mess with you.” Saying that, he glanced at his watch and laughed, “I’ll be waiting for you in the Shangri-La Hall. I give you an hour. If I don’t see you by then, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Oh, and don’t call the police—it won’t help me. Also, don’t tell Xie Wendong; it will only speed up your father’s death!” With that, he hung up the phone.

“Hello? Hello?” Peng Ling called frantically, but all she heard was the busy signal.

After all, Peng Ling was a woman. The suddenness of the situation left her at a loss. She really wanted to call Xie Wendong, but she was afraid it might harm her father instead. She hugged her head and slumped weakly on the sofa. It took some time before her chaotic mind gradually calmed down. She opened the closet door and took out all the clothes hanging inside. Without the clothes blocking it, a small hidden compartment became visible. Opening it, she pulled out a brand-new, shiny silver pistol. This gun had been given to her by Xie Wendong, and she had kept it carefully—never expecting to need it. Although Peng Ling was a police officer, she didn’t carry a service gun. By then, the police had strict regulations regarding firearms; they had to be handed in after work or during breaks, and it was strictly forbidden to take them home. She slipped the gun into the back of her waistband. With the gun there, her anxious heart felt a bit more at ease, and her fear lessened. She tidied herself up, went downstairs, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the Shangri-La Hotel.

Shangri-La meant paradise. Any hotel that didn’t bear this name couldn’t be considered paradise in City H—well, at least not for the rich and officials. Here, as long as you had money, you could buy anything you wanted.

When Peng Ling entered the lobby, she didn’t have to look for Du Tingwei—he came to her right away. His fake smile and his oncehandsome face now gave Peng Ling the urge to vomit at the sight of him. “Xiao Ling, you came so early?! I thought I’d have to wait longer for you.” As he spoke, his hand naturally rested on Peng Ling’s shoulder. She frowned and quickly pushed him away. Du Tingwei wasn’t angry. He wasn’t in a hurry; he knew Peng Ling couldn’t escape him today—sooner or later, she would be his. He chuckled and said, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Come on, I’ve already reserved a table.”