Chapter 342

The Japanese government made a big deal out of it, targeting Xie Wendong, with consequences he never expected. Major domestic news media paid close attention to the matter, especially focusing on Xie Wendong as the main figure. The power of the media cannot be underestimated; sometimes it even surpasses that of a country’s government intelligence agencies. It’s amazing how much effort they put in to uncover every detail about Xie Wendong. Although he had always kept a low profile, especially after moving into the hospital and blowing up the headquarters of the Hunmen gang, staying out of the public eye, the relentless journalists still seized the opportunity to publish photos of him obtained from unknown sources in the newspapers. This incident caused a huge stir, and soon Xie Wendong became the most talked-about person. People wanted to know who this man was, accused “maliciously” by the entire Japanese government, and what he looked like.

Even a clever and cunning man like Xie Wendong was now troubled. In just a few months, his identity was exposed to the public, and every move of his was under close scrutiny. Worst of all, some media outlets had revealed his status as a gang leader and a high-ranking member of the Hongmen gang. People became increasingly curious about this young man who appeared to be a student. Countless people gathered outside the hospital every day, eager to see his true face. Some young people admired him greatly, treating him like an idol, sitting in long queues in front of the hospital gate to show support for Xie Wendong and protest against the Japanese government’s unfounded provocations and accusations.

Xie Wendong’s injuries were no longer serious, so he didn’t need to stay in the hospital. Yet he was at a loss, with no place to hide from the media and crowds flocking in from all over the country. “Sigh!” Xie Wendong paced back and forth in the room, accidentally glancing out the window at the sea of people and letting out a long sigh.

There was more than just him in the room—there were also Sanyan, Dongxinlei, Jiang Sen who had almost recovered from his injuries, Ren Changfeng, Gao Qiang, and others. Seeing Dongge at a loss, Sanyan scratched his head and joked, “Before, Dongge was a star in the underworld. Now he’s a star across China, even the whole world. He should be happy!”

Xie Wendong wasn’t in the mood for jokes at this moment. He narrowed his eyes and said, “Brother Zhang, this joke isn’t funny at all.” After a pause, he added helplessly, “If I had known this would lead to today’s situation, I would have stayed with the Soul-Killing Team for a while longer. Unfortunately, there’s a remedy for everything in this world except regret. The top priority now is that I hope Brother Zhang can make a trip back to City J.” “Oh?” Sanyan was stunned. “Back to City J? Why? How can I leave in this situation?” “You must go back,” Xie Wendong said seriously. “With all the reports on TV and in the newspapers, I think my parents must already know about my identity. And worst of all, my enemies also know where my family is. Relying solely on those brothers to protect us isn’t enough. I hope Brother Zhang can take my parents abroad through Black Belt, no matter where it is.” “Ah!” Everyone nodded, finally understanding his meaning and thinking it made sense. After hearing this, Sanyan also nodded in understanding and said, “I see. Okay, no problem. I’ll set off early tomorrow morning.” Xie Wendong insisted, “That’s not enough. Every second wasted increases the risk. We need to leave now.” Sanyan understood Xie Wendong’s feelings. Their relationship wasn’t just one of superior and subordinate, but also of friendship and brotherhood. With a nod, he said nothing more and turned to leave. Xie Wendong waved him back and said, “Take the families of all the brothers with you as well. Take as many as you can. I’m afraid…” His expression darkened as he turned to look out the window, not finishing his sentence. Confused, Sanyan asked, “Brother Dong, are you worried about something?” Xie Wendong looked up at the sky and said with a bitter smile, “The country won’t allow a well-known criminal organization to exist, especially one as exposed as ours, known throughout the country.” “Ah!” This was something no one had thought of. With constant media coverage, they had only found it amusing and thought it was great to be in the newspapers and news, without considering as much as Xie Wendong had. Indeed! The whole country was cracking down on crime, and their criminal identities had been exposed by the media—national media at that. How could the country ignore such a well-known criminal organization? Even if they wanted to ignore it, public pressure would make it impossible.

Sanyan finally realized the seriousness of the situation and understood why Dongge, who was always full of schemes, kept sighing and looking worried. He looked at everyone anxiously, unsure of what might have happened during his absence. Hopefully, it wasn’t a forever goodbye?! He didn’t know why he suddenly thought of “forever goodbye”; shaking his head to get the thought out of his mind, he nodded deeply and said, “Brothers, please take care of yourselves.”

Jiang Sen stepped forward with a smile and said, “Don’t be so sad. There’s nothing to fear. We’ve faced many challenges before.”

“Hehe!” Gao Qiang, still with bandages wrapped around his arm, sneered, “If things get too tough, we can just leave. The world is big enough for us to find a place to live.”

Leave? It wasn’t that easy! Sanyan glanced at Xie Wendong, said nothing more, turned, and left the hospital, ordering his men to book flights to Beijing at the same time.

Sanyan rushed back to City J. Xie Wendong also couldn’t stay in the hospital anymore—he still had one matter unresolved.

At the back door of the hospital, several young men were gathered, talking animatedly, their expressions full of excitement. “Do you know? Xie Wendong is the boss of the Northeast crime syndicate. I heard he has a feud with the Japanese. His ancestors died at the hands of the Japanese. Maybe it was he who blew up the Yamaguchi Building in Japan.” One of the young men with slanted eyes spoke vividly, as if he had seen it with his own eyes. Another young man with yellowish hair said, “So what if it was Xie Wendong who blew it up? He deserves it! If he kills all those Japanese, he’ll become a national hero.” “Right! Those little Japanese deserve to die.” “Xie Wendong is just in his twenties already and has become the boss of a crime syndicate. He even dares to attack Japan. I really wish I could join him!” “Damn! Forget it. With your physique, how would they even accept you?! I’m more qualified.”

As several people were expressing their indignation, a group of people came out through the back door. There were no less than twenty or thirty of them, all dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses, walking out quickly. At the same time, a convoy of cars arrived from the street and stopped in front of the back door. The doors opened simultaneously, and one person stepped out of each car, also dressed in black suits, who all bowed to the group that had come out. The scene was utterly silent; not a single person spoke. Then, a young man of medium build and slightly thin appeared from the crowd, with slightly long hair covering his eyebrows. Despite wearing sunglasses, the dark lenses couldn’t hide his sharp, piercing gaze as he scanned around, making others feel compelled to look down to avoid it. He nodded slightly as a signal and got into the car first, with the others following one after another.

A few young people had only seen such a scene in TV dramas and were momentarily stunned, staring in shock. Only after everyone who came out through the back door had gotten into the cars and driven away did the young man with arched eyebrows exclaim in alarm, “Xie Wendong! That group is Xie Wendong!” Perhaps too excited, he spoke incoherently. “Really? Is it really Xie Wendong? Which one?” asked the blond young man anxiously. “There’s no doubt about it. It must be Xie Wendong, him.”

The young man was right; indeed, it was Xie Wendong who had come out. Inside the car, Liu Bo’s phone kept ringing, with messages arriving one after another. “Brother Dong, there are five cars following us.” “Brother Dong, we’re pretty sure three of them are reporters.” “Brother Dong…” Liu Bo kept passing on the messages from the undercover team to Xie Wendong. He closed his eyes, concentrating, without looking back, and simply said coldly, “Get rid of them. I want to see Xiang Wentian.”

Jiang Sen drove himself. Coming from a background as a scout, tracking and evading tracking were his strengths, so shedding a few reporters was no problem at all. He turned the steering wheel and drove into a side street alongside the main road. After a few skillful turns, the “tails” behind them disappeared without a trace. Dong Xinlei called Xiang Wentian and briefly explained his intentions, to which the latter readily agreed. Perhaps Xiang Wentian was indeed tired of the endless strife between the Northern and Southern Hongmen. There is no hatred that cannot be resolved—it depends only on whether you want to resolve it or not. Xie Wendong wasn’t tired. He genuinely admired the other man’s character, but if given the chance, he still hoped to continue fighting against Xiang Wentian to determine a winner and loser. He remained passionate and fascinated by the struggle for dominance. Unfortunately, the external circumstances no longer allowed him to do so. Under the watchful eyes of the media and the public, he had to be extremely cautious in every move. Not to mention engaging in a large-scale confrontation with the Southern Hongmen—even maintaining the status quo was extremely difficult.

The place where Xiang Wentian and Xie Wendong met was a relatively quiet bar. There weren’t many customers, and the bar was filled with relaxed jazz music—melodic, soothing, yet very pleasant to listen to. No one would have guessed that the young men sitting in the far corner of the bar, chatting cheerfully, were two of the most influential figures in the underworld today.

Xiang Wentian picked up his glass and signaled to Xie Wendong, saying, “Brother Xie’s injury isn’t fully healed yet. We can use tea instead of wine.” They talked a lot, but never got to the point, nor did he ask why Xie Wendong had invited him out. Anyway, Xie Wendong must have had a reason for inviting him, and if he did, he would surely tell him.

Xie Wendong poured himself a glass of wine and shook his head with a smile. “Using tea instead of wine is so artificial. It’s better not to drink at all. Cheers.”

The two drank it all in one gulp. Xie Wendong lowered his head and pondered for a while before softly saying, “I think it’s meaningless to continue fighting between the North and South. What do you think, Brother Xiang?”

Xiang Wentian shook his head. “It only leads to more casualties and bloodshed among our own people. It’s truly meaningless.” In fact, Xie Wendong wasn’t willing to end things like this, but he really had no other choice. With a bitter smile, he said, “After fighting against Brother Xiang for so long, in the end, it’s still me who lost.” “Why say that?” Xiang Wentian shook his head and smiled. “Brother Xie has always had the upper hand.”

Xie Wendong said softly, “If Brother Xiang wasn’t such an upright person, I doubt I’d have been able to gain any advantage.” That was Xie Wendong’s true feelings. If there was anyone who could impress him, Xiang Wentian was definitely one of them. Though he didn’t agree with Xiang Wentian’s ways—after all, in matters of action, only the outcome matters, not the process, and often, using any means necessary is the fastest path to success—once you achieve fame and success, people only see the glory that follows. Who would pay attention to the despicable methods you used to get there? Even if someone did notice, they’d probably just say the person was quick-witted and unpredictable. He didn’t approve of Xiang Wentian’s firmness and integrity, but that didn’t mean he didn’t admire him. Xiang Wentian, in turn, despised Xie Wendong’s cunning, deceitfulness, and heartlessness, yet he also admired his extraordinary intelligence and early success.

“Brother Xie has truly made a stunning comeback lately. Now, you’re definitely a celebrity—every newspaper has your photo,” Xiang Wentian said with a smile.

Xie Wendong replied with a bitter smile and shook his head. “Fame brings trouble; even pigs fear becoming too strong. For those of us who live on the edge, fame means destruction.”

Xiang Wentian felt a pang of pain and put aside his smile, speaking seriously, “But I really admire Brother Xie’s courage. To clean out the Soul Group on Japanese soil—at least I couldn’t do that.” Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, “You doubt it was me?” Xiang Wentian smiled knowingly and said, “If it wasn’t you, then who else?!”

The two talked for a long time in the bar, drinking a lot. In some aspects, they even reached an agreement and were in a good mood, so they drank more and more. But in the end, it was Xiang Wentian who got drunk. Xie Wendong was a man of principles. Once he reached about 70% intoxication, no one could make him drink another sip. Unlike Xiang Wentian, he had fought his way up from the bottom, constantly on the brink of life and death, which taught him one thing: he must always keep a clear head, no matter when or where, because only then could he survive longer.

When they prepared to leave the bar, Xiang Wentian was already staggering. Seeing him in a daze, Xie Wendong had an idea. Right now, with just a wave of his hand, he could end the life of his former greatest rival. But… He stepped forward to steady Xiang Wentian and said, “Brother Xiang, you’re drunk.”

Xiang Wentian waved his arm and laughed. “I can still drink an entire bottle of red wine right now. Do you believe it?”

For a drunk person, the only thing you can do is go along with what they say. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “I believe that.”