Chapter 30

Xie Wendong said, “What am I compared to Brother Gao? There’s a world of difference!”
Gao Zhen sighed and said, “The Qing Bang is also going through tough times right now. Being their leader isn’t as easy as it seems on the surface!”
Xie Wendong looked at Gao Zhen and said, “I think Brother Gao is referring to the Menghu Bang! With the Qing Bang’s strength, I don’t think they’d fear them.”
Gao Zhen shook his head and said, “There are many outsiders who don’t know the full situation. Tell me about your Wendong Club. Don’t you plan to expand outward?”
Xie Wendong thought to himself, Here comes the main topic! He smiled and said, “We do have such plans, but we’re just a small gang. We don’t have the strength to expand further. The underworld is in chaos right now; one wrong move could lead to disaster.”
Gao Zhen looked at Xie Wendong and said slowly, “You’re being too modest! I’ve heard about the strength of the Wendong Club. You have hundreds of members, and your drug trade is growing bigger by the day. With your current strength, you’re no longer a small gang!”
Xie Wendong said, “Brother Gao, you overestimate me!”
Gao Zhen asked directly, “If your Wendong Club joined the Qing Bang, would you be willing?”
Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “I haven’t considered that yet. Besides, this is a major decision—I can’t make it alone!”
Gao Zhen understood Xie Wendong’s meaning. He had heard that the Brothers’ Alliance had also tried to recruit the Wendong Club, but to no avail. The Qing Bang and the Brothers’ Alliance had always been at odds, but their strengths were equal, so neither could move the other. The Wendong Club was a newly risen gang with considerable strength. Whether it was the Qing Bang or the Brothers’ Alliance, if they could bring the Wendong Club on their side, their strength would surpass that of the other. Gao Zhen understood this and didn’t want to be too pushy. He stepped back and said, “Since Brother Wendong doesn’t want to join the Qing Bang, I won’t force you. But I hope our two gangs can form an alliance and help each other! What do you think?”
Xie Wendong was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected Gao Zhen to say that. If he really allied with the Qing Bang, it would be extremely beneficial for him—at least he’d have one less enemy and one more friend when expanding. Thinking this, Xie Wendong said, “Brother Gao, your words make me very happy, but I’m worried it might hold back the Qing Bang!”
Seeing that Xie Wendong seemed inclined to agree, Gao Zhen smiled and said, “How could that be? Brother Wendong is a young hero. In just a few months, he’s already been able to control the border region. In the future, the Qing Bang might even need your help more!”
Xie Wendong chuckled and said, “Brother Gao, your words make me feel ashamed. I’m really overestimating myself!”

Gao Zhen was overjoyed. He stood up and said, “Very well. Starting from today, the Qing Bang will formally form an alliance with the Wen Dong Hui. We will cooperate with each other from now on and never go back on our word!” With that, he extended his hand to Xie Wendong. Seeing this, Xie Wendong also stood up and shook hands with Gao Zhen to swear an alliance. Though the form of the alliance seemed simple, it carried strong binding force. The underworld placed the greatest emphasis on loyalty; those who broke their word were despised in the underworld, as such people could never achieve greatness. This was especially true for the leaders of major gangs, whose word was worth its weight in gold.

Gao Zhen’s decision to form an alliance with the Wen Dong Hui was out of necessity. The underworld in City J faced pressure from the Mighty Tiger Gang externally, while internal conflicts were rampant. Although the Qing Bang was one of the three major gangs, it too felt pressured—the Axe Gang was a prime example. As the leader of the Qing Bang, Gao Zhen’s position was unstable. With strong enemies outside and internal troubles, the elders in the gang looked down on him for being young and eyed his position covetously. Now, Gao Zhen was eager to build his own power base to strengthen his position, and the person he valued the most was the newly rising Xie Wendong. Of course, there was also the factor of Xiao Yu.

After forming the alliance, their relationship grew much closer. Gao Zhen pulled Xie Wendong aside and asked, “Brother, do you really have no plans to expand?” Xie Wendong replied frankly, “To lie would be wrong. I plan to expand into the territory of the Axe Gang!”

Gao Zhen thought for a moment before saying, “There are five factions there, and their relationships are even more complicated. Moreover, external forces are also involved. Brother, to put it bluntly, expanding there could get you into trouble. Even with the Qing Bang’s strength, we shouldn’t rashly confront them!”

Xie Wendong was shocked. It seemed the territory of the Axe Gang wasn’t as simple as he had thought. He needed to consider it carefully upon returning. He asked, “Brother Gao, which factions are secretly supporting the Axe Gang?”

Gao Zhen chuckled and said, “Liu Qing’s faction is secretly supported by the Qing Bang! The Mighty Tiger Gang and the Brother Alliance also have influence there.” Hearing this, Xie Wendong was stunned. He realized the information he had was inaccurate and grew afraid of his own plans. If he rushed in recklessly, the Wen Dong Hui would be on the verge of destruction. Seeing that Xie Wendong was silent, Gao Zhen continued, “Right now, the various factions in the Axe Gang’s territory are in complete chaos. Even major gangs dare not interfere lightly. Brother, it’s better to be cautious!”

Xie Wendong nodded in thanks. Though so, he still hadn’t given up. He planned to discuss it with his brothers before making a decision.

The two talked for a while longer. Gao Zhen felt that although Xie Wendong was young, he understood far more than himself and had his own unique perspectives on things. Gao Zhen admired Xie Wendong greatly and secretly resolved to secure him as an ally; otherwise, having him as an enemy would make him a formidable rival.

As they were engrossed in their conversation, Gao Huiyu came out of the kitchen and shouted, “Stop chatting! It’s time to eat!”

Xie Wendong and Gao Zhen exchanged smiles, stood up, and walked over to the dining table. Gao Huiyu said to Xie Wendong, “Wendong, help me carry the dishes!” Xie Wendong agreed and headed to the kitchen. Once inside, Gao Huiyu pulled him aside and asked concerningly, “How was it? How did your talk with my brother go?”

Xie Wendong replied with a smile, “It was great!”

Still worried, Gao Huiyu pressed further, “What did you talk about? My brother didn’t give you any trouble, did he?!” Seeing Gao Huiyu’s concerned expression, Xie Wendong felt a touch of warmth in his heart and told the truth, “No. Your brother invited me to join the Qingbang Alliance!”

Gao Huiyu was stunned and asked urgently, “Did you agree?” Only after seeing Xie Wendong nod did she relax and say happily, “You’re lucky! To be able to ally with my brother—others even offering money won’t get him to agree!”

Xie Wendong laughed, “Yeah, I really got a huge advantage this time!”

“Is that so?” Seeing Xie Wendong teasing her, Gao Huiyu secretly placed her small hand on his arm and began to “caress” it gently.

Gao Huiyu and Xie Wendong came out of the kitchen—Gao Huiyu with a flushed face and a bright smile, while Xie Wendong had a pale face and a grim expression. Seeing this, Gao Zhen burst into laughter. It was obvious that Xie Wendong had been teased by his sister. Smiling, he said to Gao Huiyu, “Xiaoyu, Wendong is a guest. You should be more polite!”

Gao Huiyu wrapped her arm around Gao Zhen’s and said, “Big brother, I was very nice to Wendong. If you don’t believe me, ask him! Right, Wendong?” Xie Wendong sighed, endured the pain in his arm, and nodded with a smile, “Yes, Big Brother Gao. Xiaoyu was very… nice to me!”

Xie Wendong’s words made Gao Zhen laugh even harder. He thought to himself that although Xie Wendong was a dominant figure outside and the leader of the entire Biannan region, in front of Xiaoyu he seemed like a completely different person—it seemed he really liked her!

The three of them then sat down happily. Of course, Xie Wendong was an exception. Watching Gao Zhen gobble up the dark-colored dishes prepared by Gao Huiyu while constantly praising them as delicious, Xie Wendong was secretly amazed. He admired Gao Zhen—truly worthy of being the leader of the Qingbang, with the composure to remain unfazed under immense pressure!

By the time Xie Wendong got up to leave, it was almost eight o’clock. Gao Zhen escorted him to the door, talked for a while longer, and finally gave Xie Wendong a business card, saying seriously, “If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can call me!” Xie Wendong nodded and also left his own phone number with Gao Zhen. Just as he turned to leave, Gao Zhen called him back, “If you need guns, I can help you. The Triad has quite a supply of arms!”
Xie Wendong was intrigued and smiled, saying, “Thank you, Brother Gao. Wendong’s group really does need some arms right now. I wonder how much the Triad can provide?”
Gao Zhen thought for a moment and said, “I can provide fifty AKs, and there are plenty of Type 54s too!” Xie Wendong nodded and said, “Okay, Brother Gao. I’ll reach out to you when I need them!”
Gao Zhen nodded in agreement. After bidding farewell to Gao Zhen once more, Xie Wendong left. On his way home, he reflected on his conversation with Gao Zhen, thinking that the man was generous and honest, so forming an alliance with him should be reliable. However, given Gao Zhen’s personality, he wasn’t suitable to be the leader of a gang, as he lacked the necessary dominance.
The next day, Xie Wendong gathered all the gang leaders and took them to Xinxin. Everyone sat neatly in the inner room waiting for Xie Wendong to speak.
Xie Wendong first turned to Sanyan and said, “Brother Zhang, please give an account of this month’s income.”
Upon hearing this, Sanyan took out a small black leather briefcase from behind him, opened it, and pulled out a stack of documents. After looking through them, he said, “Brother Dong, the income from gambling is one hundred thousand, and from heroin… it’s three million. The expenses include… two hundred thousand given to Commissioner Chen, five hundred thousand distributed to the brothers, and… oh, right, a few smaller gangs gave us thirty thousand…” Sanyan frantically flipped through the documents, talking intermittently.
Seeing this, Xie Wendong shook his head. By the time Sanyan finished, he was sweating profusely and let out a sigh of relief. When Wendong’s group was still small, managing the gang’s finances was relatively simple, and Sanyan hadn’t faced much pressure. But now that the group’s income and expenses were growing larger and more complex, Sanyan truly felt overwhelmed. Sighing, he said, “Brother Dong, please don’t let me handle the finances anymore. I’m not cut out for this! I’m not afraid to fight, but this…”
Li Shuang laughed heartily, “What? The money lover is giving up financial control! Haha, if you won’t do it, I will!”
“Tch,” Gao Qiang pushed Li Shuang aside and said dismissively, “You?! If you manage the finances, the gang will go bankrupt in less than a month!”
“Hey, am I that stupid?” Li Shuang retorted indignantly.
Sanyan and Gao Qiang nodded simultaneously, looking at Li Shuang firmly and saying in unison, “You didn’t realize this until now, did you?!” “You two…”

Xie Wendong interrupted the three and said, “It seems the gang needs someone who knows how to manage finances! From now on, keep an eye out for such people and let me know if you find any!” Everyone agreed in unison.
Xie Wendong continued, “Yesterday I met the leader of the Qing Gang, Gao Zhen, and formed an alliance with him. From now on, our Wendong Gang and the Qing Gang will be allied gangs. If anyone has any opinions, please share them!”
Everyone was delighted upon hearing this. Forming an alliance with a powerhouse like the Qing Gang was beyond ideal. Sanyan said, “Brother Dong, with the Qing Gang as our backing, who do we need to fear anymore? Now we can easily take on the Axe Gang’s territory!”
Zhang Yanjiang spoke up, “Everyone knows how strong the Qing Gang is—they’re far more powerful than us. They must have their own motives for allying with us, so we’d better be cautious!”
Xie Wendong nodded and said, “Right. The Qing Gang wants to bring us in just like the Brothers’ Alliance; they both want to strengthen their own power. But they’re more tactful than the Brothers’ Alliance—they don’t intend to swallow up the entire Wendong Gang, just form an alliance. That’s the main reason I agreed to Gao Zhen’s request. But we can’t rely on the Qing Gang to help us much; we still have to take action ourselves to take over the Axe Gang!” After a pause, Xie Wendong sighed and said, “The Axe Gang’s territory is much more complicated than we thought. The Qing Gang and the Tiger Gang are both involved. It seems impossible to resolve this easily!”
Sanyan thought for a moment and said, “If we can stir up conflicts among those five factions, we might get a chance.”
Xie Wendong replied, “It sounds simple, but it’s hard to do. Most importantly, we lack information and don’t fully understand the dynamics there.” Then he turned to Gao Qiang and said, “Qiangzi, you’re in charge of covert operations in the gang. Leave intelligence gathering to you—give me a detailed report within three days!” Although Gao Zhen had promised to provide information to Xie Wendong, he was still worried. This was a critical matter, and even the slightest mistake could put the Wendong Gang in danger.
Gao Qiang stood up and said, “Brother Dong, don’t worry. I’ll dig deep to figure out everything about the Axe Gang.” Xie Wendong nodded and said, “From now on, you’ll be in charge of the girls in the gang. It’ll be easier for them to gather information.”
Gao Qiang agreed. Xie Wendong added, “Tomorrow, Ma Wu’s shipment will arrive again. Yanjiang and Haoran, you two take some brothers to pick it up.” The two nodded.
“Tomorrow, I plan to trade weapons with the Qing Gang. Brother Zhang and Li Shuang will accompany me!” After saying that, Li Shuang asked curiously, “What about the weapons we stole last time?” Xie Wendong replied, “There’s no need to rush. We’ll deal with that later; we’ll need them sooner or later!”

After speaking, Xie Wendong asked, “Does anyone have any more questions? If not, let’s call it a day!” Hearing Xie Wendong’s words, everyone stood up and went about their own affairs. Gao Qiang was the most anxious; as soon as he heard that the meeting was over, he rushed out to find Xinxin’s underlings to discuss a plan.

No further communication took place for a day. The next day, Xie Wendong called Gao Zhen to arrange the purchase of a batch of weapons. Gao Zhen agreed without hesitation. During the transaction, he drove down the price of the firearms significantly. He also wanted to take this opportunity to gain Xie Wendong’s favor and nurture the Wen Dong Group.

Xie Wendong spent 200,000 yuan to buy 30 AKs, 50 Type 54 rifles, and a considerable amount of ammunition. Sitting in the Great Liberation, Sanyan held the newly purchased Type 54 rifle and said, “Brother Dong, the quality is really poor. It can’t even compare to the guns we stole last time!”

Li Shuang, fiddling with an AK, added, “Yeah, look at this so-called AK—it’s not the same as the ones we stole! Could it be made by the Qing Gang themselves?!”

Hearing Li Shuang’s words, Sanyan took the AK from Li Shuang’s hands and examined it closely, saying, “Brother Dong, it is indeed a bit different.”