The night was moonless, the streets devoid of pedestrians, and a chilling wind howled, presaging an unusual night.
The silence of the street was broken by the sound of footsteps. A group of mobsters, armed with firearms and dressed in suits, emerged under the streetlights.
The light fell upon one of them, revealing several brown stains on his black suit, the dried remnants of blood.
The leader surveyed the two alleys nearby with growing impatience. He barked orders to his subordinates, "You guys search the first one. The rest of you follow me. We absolutely cannot let Tie Tou escape."
On a dim side street, a man in a blue suit stumbled along, leaning heavily against the wall. A closer look revealed a distinctive appearance: a square head, and features that suggested he was not from the 'Old America' but rather from the 'Bear Country'.
Indeed, this man with such a unique look was Tie Tou, an immigrant from the Bear Country, and the one being pursued.
Tie Tou's situation was dire. He was riddled with gunshot wounds, his blue suit now a crimson mess. The profuse bleeding had begun to blur his vision.
"No, I can't die here," he muttered to himself, repeatedly slapping his head in a desperate attempt to clear his fading consciousness.
Tie Tou knew full well that if he fell, it would be his anniversary of death next year. His distinctive head might even be lopped off by Jin Bing and made into a drinking goblet.
He had thought that sacrificing his daughter and a third of his territory would be enough, but Jin Bing’s greed knew no bounds.
Just two hours ago, Jin Bing's men had raided a bar owned by Tie Tou, and Tie Tou had happened to be there.
While the timing seemed coincidental, Tie Tou didn't believe it for a moment. He suspected betrayal from within his own ranks.
As expected, when Jin Bing's men attacked, seven or eight of his own men in the bar immediately turned their guns on Tie Tou.
Fortunately, Tie Tou reacted quickly, flipping a table to shield himself from the bullets.
However, this alone wouldn't have reduced Tie Tou to such a sorry state.
The reason for his predicament was that the person Tie Tou believed would never betray him had stabbed him in the back – literally and figuratively.
That person was Tie Tou's own brother.
After Tie Tou had established himself in this city, he brought his brother over to join him. He had hoped for brotherly unity, but his brother proved to be useless, soon succumbing to a life of decadence and even developing a drug addiction.
Reluctantly, Tie Tou, being his own flesh and blood, couldn't abandon him. He gave his brother a sinecure job as a small manager at the bar, providing him with a substantial monthly allowance, ensuring his comfort.
The bar in question was the very one Tie Tou had put his brother in charge of.
Yet, it was Tie Tou's good-for-nothing, drug-addicted elder brother who had betrayed him.
Some might ask if the American police would ignore such a gangland shootout.
Surprisingly, the American police largely did.
The American police's role was to ensure the city's stable operation. Unlike the people's police of China, American police were more like a profession focused on profit, prioritizing their own safety above all else. They wouldn't risk their lives for others.
Furthermore, gang shootouts inevitably led to many deaths. These were gang members, and from another perspective, this helped weaken the city's criminal element.
And finally, the most crucial point.
Let's not forget who initiated this shootout. It was Jin Bing.
As the emperor of the underworld, Jin Bing was a figure with immense influence in this city. The American police's meager firearms were no match for Jin Bing's gang members, who possessed heavy machine guns, submachine guns, and even RPGs. Their firepower far surpassed that of the police.
Moreover, it was unclear how many in the police department had taken Jin Bing's dirty money. In fact, the question was how many *hadn't*.
Whether through coercion or personal greed, almost every police officer had received money from Jin Bing at some point, and their secrets were held by him. When new officers joined, their first duty wasn't to swear allegiance under the flag but to be taken to a small room for a 'discussion'.
New officers were presented with two options: either take the money and work for Jin Bing, becoming his dog, or be unceremoniously dumped into the river that night.
Therefore, the American police in this city, knowing that Jin Bing's forces were involved in the shootout, mostly chose to turn a blind eye. Some even actively assisted Jin Bing's side.
The fact that the American police were merely looking the other way and not actively helping Tie Tou was already considered a significant concession.
"I never imagined that after a lifetime of brilliance, I, Tie Tou, would end up like this," he mused.
At that moment, shouts echoed from the mouth of the alley behind Tie Tou. "Quick, I see him! Tie Tou, he's here!"
Without a doubt, the voice belonged to Jin Bing's pursuing lackeys.
Knowing his own dire condition, Tie Tou saw no point in running. He slumped against a large garbage bin by the wall, his right hand trembling as he pulled a pistol from his coat.
There were eight bullets left in the chamber. The best outcome would be for Tie Tou to take out seven of the approaching thugs and then use the last bullet for himself.
This was the best and most dignified option for Tie Tou.
After all, Tie Tou had once been a formidable gang boss. How could he possibly endure humiliation at the hands of such riff-raff?
Just as Tie Tou prepared to pull the trigger, the approaching thugs suddenly froze as if under a spell.
"Could I be hallucinating from all the blood loss?"
Immediately after, figures clad in black ninja attire emerged from the shadows of the surrounding walls. Their ninjato gleamed as they swiftly dispatched all the thugs.
As a former gang boss, Tie Tou immediately recognized these ninjas and the power behind them.
Two ninjas approached Tie Tou, one on each side, and helped him up.
Tie Tou was too weak to resist and was carried away by the ninjas into the darkness.
When he opened his eyes again, Tie Tou was astonished to find his wounds completely healed, not a single scar left on his body.
Soon, Tie Tou realized that although he had survived, he was in an unfamiliar room. In the shadows surrounding him, a pair of crimson eyes watched him.
Seated directly opposite him was a man of Eastern descent. From him, Tie Tou felt a terrifying pressure he had never experienced before.
"May I ask, sir, what business do you have with me?"