Chapter 132 Anxious Situation

Tianhong Port, inside an upscale seafood restaurant, Xu Hu stood alone by the window, squinting at the night view of the harbor, his mind in turmoil.

After Wei Xiangzuo and the Yu family fled together, Xu Hu had reacted as quickly as possible by "pacifying" the Zhanan wharf gang, Wei Xiangzuo's faction.

To achieve this goal, Xu Hu used his connections in the port's customs, accumulated over many years, to have the coast guard and customs anti-smuggling departments come forward and arrest Wei Xiangzuo's core members on a large scale within the port.

For the customs enforcement departments, doing this kind of thing was not difficult at all, because Wei Xiangzuo and others were engaged in maritime smuggling. If the higher-ups wanted to investigate them, it would be easy.

If there were existing cases, they would pursue those; if not, they could use interrogation to create divisions. First, they would arrest a large number of people, then interrogate them separately. As long as one person confessed and implicated others, the number of people involved would naturally increase layer by layer. So, there would be no shortage of evidence, because not everyone was willing to die for Wei Xiangzuo.

The customs connections supporting Xu Hu began to clear obstacles for him openly, while Xu Hu's own people, as well as those from Changqing Company and Longkou, were secretly dealing with Wei Xiangzuo's core members.

Since the police department had already warned the dockworkers' association, Xu Hu and his people didn't dare to make any big moves, but they could still secretly eliminate Wei Xiangzuo's subordinates.

Thugs were searching for the whereabouts of Wei Xiangzuo's henchmen. Once they found someone, they would call their superiors, and Xu Hu would decide whether to send official personnel or his own men to control and deal with the target.

That night, Tianhong Port seemed calm, but a large number of Wei Xiangzuo's core members were arrested, detained, crippled, killed, or thrown into the sea.

Xu Hu was ruthless towards "his own people," but he had no choice. He was now completely on the spot, and the more people supported him, the faster he needed to stabilize Zhanan.

By the window, Xu Hu smoked, feeling uneasy. Although he was currently clearing out Wei Xiangzuo's people in Zhanan, and everything seemed to be going in the direction he hoped, Xu Hu knew that Wei Xiangzuo's escape was the biggest threat to him.

Xu Hu's unease stemmed from the fact that he didn't know how Wei Xiangzuo was secretly controlling Zhanan, nor did he know what other cards Wei Xiangzuo had up his sleeve. The only thing he could do now was to eliminate Wei Xiangzuo's influence in Zhanan as much as possible, so that even if he returned to Dragon City one day, he wouldn't pose a threat to him.

While Xu Hu was deep in thought, his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Boss, the Xue family is here, but they... don't want to eat. They want you to go back to the hall and talk."

"...Okay, I understand." Xu Hu nodded.

After speaking, Xu Hu turned his head and shouted, "Let's go back."

...

District One, Huadu.

Su Tianyu, reeking of alcohol, walked out of the entertainment city, got into Yu Mingyuan's car, and saw Wei Xiangzuo.

"...I want money. I can't stay here. I have to go back," Wei Xiangzuo said, frowning.

Yu Mingyuan turned to look at him. "What's the use of going back now?!"

"My brothers are being targeted! The coast guard and the anti-smuggling bureau are arresting people openly, while Xu Hu, Li Hongze, and Bao Cheng's men from Longkou are secretly dealing with my brothers," Wei Xiangzuo said with a grim expression. "They're all following me because I got them involved in this. If I don't go back, they'll suffer terribly."

Yu Mingyuan squinted at him. "Can you solve the problem by going back now?"

"Whether I can solve the problem is not important. What's important is the attitude," Wei Xiangzuo said sharply. "Something happened, and I hid, letting my brothers suffer, while I didn't even dare to show my face. What kind of behavior is that?!"

"If you go back, you'll lose your life if Xu Hu catches you! What's the use of attitude then?!" Yu Mingyuan argued with him. "You have to ensure your own safety first..."

"I'm safe, but if I do that, no one in Zhanan will recognize me when I return to Dragon City," Wei Xiangzuo interrupted, waving his hand. "That's not how things are done. I have to go back."

Hearing this, Yu Mingyuan's blood surged. "How much effort did we spend to save you? If you go back now, what's the point of what we did before?! The situation in Zhanan is already the worst..."

"Don't make it sound so nice. You saved me for your own purposes!" Wei Xiangzuo roared, interrupting him.

As soon as he finished speaking, the car fell silent. Yu Mingyuan and Wei Xiangzuo stared at each other, deadlocked.

"...I don't want to argue with you too much. The way the wharf gang operates is different from yours," Wei Xiangzuo said concisely. "Without the people below, I can't be the boss. I caused the trouble, so I have to take responsibility. I can't betray my teammates and not even show my face."

Yu Mingyuan was silent.

"If you want to cooperate, give me money. I'll go back and take care of things," Wei Xiangzuo said in a low voice. "If you don't think it's worth it, then we'll stop here. I'll leave now."

After speaking, Wei Xiangzuo pushed the door to leave, but Su Tianyu hiccuped and patted him on the shoulder, saying in a low voice, "Brother Wei, don't rush to leave. Let's talk more."

Yu Mingyuan remained silent for a long time, then adjusted his emotions and said, "Lao Wei, I know you're in a difficult situation, but we have to be rational about this."

Su Tianyu turned to look at Yu Mingyuan and said softly, "Brother, Zhou Tonghui and the others are upstairs. Why don't you go up and sit for a while? I'll chat with Brother Wei."

Yu Mingyuan knew what Su Tianyu meant. He had already argued with Wei Xiangzuo, and it would be a bit awkward to continue talking, so he nodded and left, giving Su Tianyu time and space.

Su Tianyu sat in the car, lit two cigarettes, and handed one to Wei Xiangzuo. The latter hesitated, then took it and took a deep drag.

"Brother Wei, when Xu Hu showed his knife, your brothers were scared, right?" Su Tianyu asked calmly.

Wei Xiangzuo turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"Xu Hu can only do this once, because no one is a fool. The higher-ups have already raised the knife. Those who can run have definitely run, and those who can't have already been arrested. Even if you go back now, you definitely wouldn't dare to snatch people from the coast guard or break into prison, right?" Su Tianyu asked.

"If I go back, everyone will feel more secure."

"...Brother Wei, the way to solve a problem doesn't necessarily have to be the center of the conflict," Su Tianyu said, waving his hand. "Xu Hu is targeting your subordinates for two purposes. First, to eliminate your forces and quickly seize the power of the Zhanan gang, so that you won't be able to make a comeback even if you return. Second, to target your people and force you to return to Dragon City, where he can find a chance to kill you and be done with it once and for all. If you let him control the situation, the result will be the same: failure."

Wei Xiangzuo was silent.

"I can give you the money, because I already asked Mingyuan for five million. You can go back if you want, but I have to go back with you," Su Tianyu said, frowning. "How the money is spent and how things are done, you have to listen to me. Believe me, Xu Hu is in a more difficult situation than you are now! Changqing, the Xue family, Longkou, the Elders' Council, so many parties are supporting him. Why? It's so that one day, when Xu Hu rises to power, he can bring them benefits. And that benefit will suffocate Xu Hu!"

Wei Xiangzuo fell into deep thought.

"Also, since we're cooperating, you have to tell me your cards in the wharf gang first," Su Tianyu said directly. "Only when I know the information can I know how to set up this game."

"Why should I trust you?!" Wei Xiangzuo suddenly asked.

"...My entire Su family has run to this godforsaken place," Su Tianyu said softly. "I can't afford to lose more than you can."

Wei Xiangzuo was silent for a long time. "I do have a few cards..."