Chapter 259: Super Strategy

The news of Xiao Ran being attacked by a gunman spread quickly throughout Hong Kong. Lin Qingxia, who was filming on set, rushed to the hospital after receiving a call from Yang Guang. Upon arriving, she saw that Xiao Ran was only injured in his arm and shoulder, and her worried heart immediately settled.

She scolded him affectionately, “You always do this—I’m always the last to know about anything. What happened this time?”
“It’s nothing serious. The doctor has already removed the bullet for me!” Xiao Ran moved his hand slightly to reach for his wife, and Lin Qingxia quickly handed her hand to him. He took a deep breath and began to recount everything that had happened that day.

“That’s really troublesome. Do you really plan to join others to fight against the British government? That’s probably…” Lin Qingxia was quite worried; not many people who fought against the authorities ended up well.

Xiao Ran smiled broadly, holding Lin Qingxia’s hand tightly. “With you by my side, I’m not afraid of any trouble. Besides, it’s just a small Hong Kong government!”

Though they were married for a long time, Lin Qingxia still blushed at such sweet words from Xiao Ran. He asked her to sit by the bed, then looked thoughtful. “I’m thinking that by trying to bring me down, they probably want to take advantage of the chaos to make money or do their own things. In that case, maybe we can gain other benefits as well.”

Lin Qingxia glared at him playfully, her face filled with tenderness. “Stop thinking about it. You’re overworking your brain—you might age prematurely! Rest first. We can talk about anything tomorrow.”

Xiao Ran seemed to have heard those words somewhere before and suddenly remembered they were similar to a line from “Dark Flower.” He murmured to himself, “Yes, tomorrow is important. After tomorrow, nothing else will matter.”

Just as the couple was enjoying this rare moment of peace, someone who should have been in Britain appeared. Guan Xin glanced at Lin Qingxia, sat down on the chair by the bed, and looked around. Xiao Ran stopped him jokingly, “It’s fine. Yang Guang and Monkey have already checked! Master, when did you arrive?”

Guan Xin, who rarely blushed, turned red. He was used to checking everywhere to see if he was being eavesdropped on or monitored. He tried to hide his embarrassment and said slowly, “I just came from the airport. When I heard you were injured, I came straight here. I don’t know how those guys managed to let a killer get so close to you.”

“Never mind, Master. Xiao Ran isn’t seriously hurt anyway!” Lin Qingxia had been worried at first, but now that Xiao Ran was fine, she felt like joking.

“Now that I’m back, when do you think we can start?” Guan Xin’s question confused Lin Qingxia, but seeing Xiao Ran’s smile, she knew it must be another plan concocted by her husband.

Xiao Ran pondered for a moment. The situation was chaotic, even extremely chaotic. Deciding when to take action against the underworld was crucial. He quickly organized his thoughts—every part of his plan was vital.

There are ordinary citizens, all the gangs in Hong Kong, and everyone directly or indirectly related to the film industry—these are the most basic elements, as well as the easiest and hardest parts. In addition, there’s Leung Kun and his men, film companies and record labels, as well as preparations in the UK. In short, it’s extremely complicated; this will be a massive plan.

What must be understood here is that this entire plan was by no means planned by Xiao Ran in advance. It was conceived under pressure. Of course, there might be some elements from previous plans, but everything that’s happening now is definitely beyond his imagination. He must complete this task alone, as Wei Dongling has many other things to attend to and won’t be able to help him in the short term.

What is his own goal? Xiao Ran silently asked himself. He didn’t want much, but it was hard to achieve. Most importantly, targeting the entire Hong Kong-British government, Xiao Ran not only wanted to overthrow Peng Dingkang but also ruin the reputation of the Hong Kong-British government. He wanted to send a loud warning to the British government, warning them not to use any tactics in Hong Kong, at least not against him.

Second, what was the second goal? Xiao Ran quickly came up with an answer: the second goal was to suppress the various policies already implemented or about to be implemented by the Hong Kong-British government—policies that would turn Hong Kong into a mess for over a decade. The third goal was related to anti-monopoly laws and licenses, and the fourth was to deal with Leung Kun and reorganize the underworld.

If everything was arranged properly, these goals could be achieved. Once all this was done, Hong Kong could at least enjoy stability in the short term. Then, what would be left for the mainland would certainly not be a mess. This was the only thing Xiao Ran could do for the people of Hong Kong and the mainland government after achieving success.

Perhaps combining them would yield even better results! After pondering silently for a while, Xiao Ran finally finalized the enormous plan capable of toppling the current leadership of the Hong Kong-British government. However, he still had some concerns about whether to carry it out, because if it were implemented, Hong Kong might plunge into extreme chaos.

After calculating and confirming that the plan was definitely worth executing and that the harm and losses to all citizens in Hong Kong wouldn’t be severe, Xiao Ran finally made up his mind. He raised his eyes and said to Guan Xin, “Master, it’s 4:17 p.m. Can you capture Leung Kun and his men by 5 p.m. and restore order by 7 p.m.?”

Guan Xin thought silently about the information he had gathered on the way from the airport, calculated it, and nodded after confirming it was correct. “No problem. What do you want me to do?”

“It’s simple. Capture Leung Kun and his forces by 5 p.m., and gather the leaders of all gangs in one place. You decide on the specifics.” At this point, Xiao Ran glanced at Lin Qingxia, fearing her disapproval of what he was about to say. After hesitating for a moment, he added, “Order must be restored by 7 p.m. I want all the gangs to mobilize everyone they have!”

“At 7:30, all associations controlling bus routes or taxis must cease operations, creating chaos and traffic jams at every major intersection in the city. As for the others, they should go out and cause trouble, but remember—no harm to innocent citizens, and no destruction!” As Xiao Ran spoke, Lin Qingxia widened her eyes, ready to say something. Xiao Ran waved at her and asked Guan Xin, “Master, are there any problems?”
“This won’t be easy to control…” Guan Xin pondered for a moment before coming up with a plan quickly. “It’s fine. I know you want to spread fear and chaos. Just make them bring out everything they dare not expose under normal circumstances!”
“Great!” Xiao Ran approved before continuing, “By 8 o’clock, I want all land transportation in the city to be completely paralyzed for one hour. Those from Preservation Company or the mainland must not participate in this operation.”
“Tonight, Shuxiang Media and ATV Group will cooperate with your actions, reporting everything promptly and quickly.” Suddenly feeling that the chaos was going too far, Xiao Ran hesitated for a while before continuing, “Tomorrow, during the morning and afternoon rush hours, do the same thing for half an hour. After that, make sure they all stay put. If anyone causes trouble, you deal with it yourself!”
“Wait, Xiao Ran, what exactly do you want to do?” Lin Qingxia finally couldn’t hold back anymore. She glared at him angrily, thinking his plan seemed like an uprising. “Do you want to start a riot or what?”
Xiao Ran sighed. He knew his wife would doubt him. He gave Guan Xin a sorry smile before waving at Lin Qingxia. “Come here. Let me explain. I don’t want to start a riot. I’ve already instructed those gangsters not to hurt or destroy anything. I just want to put pressure onPeng Dingkang!”
“You don’t need to do this either!” Lin Qingxia’s expression softened. She knew Xiao Ran’s methods could be extreme sometimes, but she still knew he wasn’t a bad person. “This will cause great harm to ordinary people!”
Hearing Lin Qingxia’s words, Xiao Ran realized he shouldn’t make things too chaotic. At least he needed to maintain a good impression outside, otherwise it might harm Hong Kong’s tourism industry in the future. After hesitating for a while, he added to Guan Xin, “Cancel those shady activities. Just cause traffic chaos!”
Then he said to Lin Qingxia with a forced smile, “Are you satisfied now? The British Hong Kong government has pushed me to this point. If I don’t fight back, they’ll swallow Phantom directly next time!”
Lin Qingxia snorted lightly but said nothing more. In fact, she understood Xiao Ran’s current situation, or rather, Phantom’s situation. If it wasn’t resolved, the British Hong Kong government would have more and more tactics at their disposal. If it could be resolved in advance, those tactics wouldn’t be used.

Guan Xin shrugged indifferently. To him, nothing mattered; he was someone who only cared about results. After further consideration, Xiao Ran still decided to change his plans for the next day: “Let’s rearrange tomorrow’s schedule. Tomorrow morning, I want all 400,000 gangsters in Hong Kong to go on strike, especially those in transportation and other related industries. But remember, I don’t need riots or anything like that—just enough chaos and disruption. Master, you need to keep things under control.”

“No problem!” Guan Xin seemed emotionless; it didn’t matter what he said or did.

“Before that, I need to confirm one thing. Wife, go get the phone from Huang Ling!” Xiao Ran thought of the mainland government and suddenly broke into sweat. If he didn’t inform them, his life would be difficult in the future.

Lin Qingxia, still annoyed, brought the phone to Xiao Ran. He dialed Huang Qun’s number, and it was quickly connected. “Lao Huang, you know what’s happening in Hong Kong now, right?”

“I have a rough idea!” Huang Qun somewhat understood why Xiao Ran was calling. He said gravely, “What do you mean?”

“It’s simple. I’m about to take action. I don’t know what the higher-ups think! So…” Xiao Ran smiled calmly, “I was just ambushed by gunmen, and I suspect it’s related to Peng Dingkang. So, I want to make a big move!”

His calm tone made it seem like nothing bothered him. As Huang Qun listened, his palms became sweaty. He quickly replied gravely, “Wait an hour. I’ll go consult them!”

Actually, Huang Qun knew there wouldn’t be any problems. After being reminded by Xiao Ran, they had paid attention to the Hong Kong-British government, especially Peng Dingkang’s anti-China remarks and various unfavorable policies since he took office. If they could use this opportunity to deal with Peng Dingkang and get out of this predicament at the same time, the higher-ups definitely wouldn’t mind.

Moreover, with the gangs under Xiao Ran’s control, they could be easily managed after the handover. By then, the government could take control of the underworld and gradually suppress it. There were clearly many such advantages, so there was no reason to object.

Huang Qun didn’t return to his office. Instead, he found another phone and called Xiao Ran: “It’s approved. Don’t cause chaos or harm the economy!”

Xiao Ran hung up the phone and nodded at Guan Xin. Guan Xin stood up, understanding the signal, and smiled slightly. “Don’t be too reckless next time. You’re not that lucky every time!”

Xiao Ran chuckled, scratching his head with his right hand, just like the Xiao Ran who first met Guan Xin back then. “It was pure luck. No one expected that Liang Kun would actually send gunmen to shoot at me head-on!”

“I heard about what happened back then. There were gunmen in three places, but only sniper rifles, and they weren’t professionals. Judging from the location and angle, if you were in the car, it would be impossible for them to shoot you!” Guan Xin explained it in great detail. “So, there must have been people on the ground forcing you to get out of the car. With three guns pointed at you, it would be hard not to die!”

Xiao Ran was instantly confused. If he had been familiar with this kind of situation, he wouldn’t have been injured. Thinking about it, he felt somewhat depressed. Guan Xin clearly understood Xiao Ran’s feelings. He nodded and said to take care of himself before leaving.

When Dai Guanxin left, Xiao Ran finally began to apologize to his wife: “Okay, Qingxia, I was wrong. You weren’t even angry just now, so why are you ignoring me now? Ah, ah!” But his movement caused the wound to hurt again.
Lin Qingxia immediately rushed over worriedly to check his injury and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw nothing serious. Xiao Ran chuckled, grabbed his wife’s hand, and refused to let go, saying, “This trick really works. I’ll use it again next time!”
“There won’t be a next time, jinx!” Lin Qingxia grew anxious immediately, glaring at him with her beautiful eyes. “And since you caused such a fuss this time, let’s see how you’ll handle it!”
Xiao Ran could only smile helplessly. If he could choose, he wouldn’t want to use such a method to achieve his goal. “I’m sorry, but I think there won’t be any problems this time. At least I can control it, that’s why I dared to do it, right?”
Lin Qingxia hummed softly but gradually leaned her head against Xiao Ran’s chest. She knew he was telling the truth. Over the years, she had never seen him do anything he wasn’t confident about. But what about tomorrow? Imagining the chaos ahead, Lin Qingxia hugged Xiao Ran tightly, as if seeking comfort from him.