Chapter 1 Inside the Dragon City Wharf Gang's Headquarters

Inside the Dragon City, in a room at the Wharf Gang's headquarters.

Nick, with a beaming smile, looked at Xu Hu and, spreading his hands, replied, "My friend, you're too agitated. This isn't..."

"Slap!"

Xu Hu was truly enraged. He grabbed Nick by the collar and growled in a low voice, "When did it become your place to interfere in the Wharf Gang's internal affairs? Huh?!"

Nick looked at him, shrugged, and didn't reply.

From a chair across the sofa, Gu Tongshan interjected, "I asked Nick to do it."

Hearing this, Xu Hu abruptly turned to look at his master. "You...!"

"Don't get excited. Sit down," Gu Tongshan said expressionlessly.

Xu Hu gritted his teeth and hesitated for a moment before releasing Nick's collar and sitting down on the sofa. "Master, we clearly already had the upper hand. We just needed to keep pressuring the Yu family. I really don't understand why you would move against Yu Jinrong in District One. This way..."

Gu Tongshan calmly looked at him. "If Yu Jinrong were truly compliant, he wouldn't be protecting those three companies below him and choosing to take sick leave to avoid trouble."

Xu Hu fell silent.

"Do you know what Yu Jinrong went back to District One to do?" Gu Tongshan asked.

Xu Hu shook his head.

"He went back to find money, attract investment, and start an association," Gu Tongshan said softly. "The concessions he showed before were just a facade. He hasn't given up, understand?"

Xu Hu frowned, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

"If you don't thoroughly deal with Yu Jinrong, we'll have to constantly guard against him." Gu Tongshan sighed. "If this stalemate continues, the goods on the sea can't move, the higher-ups at the harbor won't be satisfied, and the brothers below won't make money, which will lead to complaints. Since we've started a war, we have to fight until one side yields."

Adjusting his mindset, Xu Hu ignored Nick and proactively asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"You don't need to get involved in anything bloody." Gu Tongshan pointed at Nick. "Lao Mo's side has kidnapped Yu Jinrong's nephew and has made demands. Yu Jinrong is applying to the higher-ups to leave Dragon City. We'll exchange hostages with them."

"Exchange for who?" Xu Hu asked.

"Bai Dabiao." Gu Tongshan looked at him. "If Yu Jinrong chooses to hand him over, he'll inevitably have internal conflicts with those three companies below him. If he's not in Dragon City, his subordinates won't risk their lives for him anymore, and the conflict will be completely over."

Xu Hu frowned. "You mean, you want to get rid of Bai Dabiao?"

"Of course!" Gu Tongshan slowly stood up, walked to Xu Hu, and patted him on the shoulder. "You're my disciple, and your brother died, so I naturally have to take charge for you. I'll handle this for you!"

Xu Hu looked at Gu Tongshan with some surprise. After a long silence, he replied, "Thank you, Master."

"Let Nick handle the negotiations, and you handle the hostage exchange." Gu Tongshan raised his hand. "Resolve this matter as quickly as possible. Getting Zhanan back to work is the top priority."

"I understand," Xu Hu said, standing up and nodding.

"Okay."

"Then I'll leave first, Master."

"Alright, go ahead," Gu Tongshan nodded.

Hearing this, Xu Hu and one of his lieutenants turned and walked out.

"Goodbye, friend!" Nick said with a smile.

Xu Hu glared at him coldly without saying a word.

...

Ten minutes later, three cars were heading towards Zhanan.

On the way, the lieutenant driving said softly, "The old man is still shrewd!"

Xu Hu turned to look at him. "How so?"

"Hehe, Brother, do you really think the old man wants Bai Dabiao to avenge you?" the lieutenant asked with a sneer.

Xu Hu was silent.

"Nick's people in District One kidnapped Yu Jinrong's nephew and demanded that they hand over Bai Dabiao, and before that, Second Brother just died at Bai Dabiao's hands." The lieutenant frowned. "Isn't the logic between these events clear enough?"

Xu Hu looked out the window, not saying a word.

"The old man says it so nicely, you're his disciple, he has to take charge for you, avenge you." The lieutenant continued, "But if we really get Bai Dabiao back and kill him, who will the Bai family hate the most? It'll definitely be you, Xu Hu! Even the Yu family will think we orchestrated this."

Xu Hu looked at him again. "You're overthinking it."

"I hope I am," the lieutenant sighed. "But the facts are right here. Nick is eager to sell goods, so he's willing to be the pawn, and when things get going, we step in to take Bai Dabiao and continue to fight the Yu family. No matter what the final outcome is, it's a win-win for the old man. He can even take the time to be a good guy and mediate from the middle."

"Alright, stop talking!" Xu Hu reprimanded impatiently. "You're making things too complicated."

The lieutenant looked at the windshield and said nothing more.

Xu Hu was indeed annoyed, but was his annoyance really because Nick made a move in District One? Not entirely, because what Gu Tongshan said made sense. Yu Jinrong hadn't yielded, so the stalemate wasn't benefiting anyone.

Since a war had started, one side had to back down and admit defeat for it to end.

But why was Xu Hu annoyed? Thinking about it carefully, it was quite simple. The higher-ups were doing something so big, but they didn't even inform the head of the Zhanan Wharf Gang beforehand. That was a bit much.

Xu Hu was annoyed, but he didn't show any emotion on the surface.

The car continued forward. Xu Hu lit another cigarette and sighed. "It's good to chop up Bai Dabiao. Even if Master doesn't move against him, I'll kill him sooner or later."

The lieutenant laughed and replied, "You're still the smartest. No matter how upset you are inside, you always smile on the surface."

...

District One, Hua Du.

The lawless Lao Mo gang members were still unaware that they were being targeted by the regional security department.

Inside the Zhou family manor, An Qiqi's mother held a phone and said politely, "I'm troubling you with this matter. I hope the children of our two families can be rescued as soon as possible."

"It's nothing, Councilor Yu. I've already called the branch bureau, and there should be results soon," the other party replied just as politely.

A little after two in the morning.

A tall black man, drunkenly left a den that sold gold bricks. Driving with impaired senses, he drove straight to another entertainment city in the Pulei New District.

At three thirty in the morning, Yu Mingyuan held a walkie-talkie in a hidden place, looking at the real-time capture feedback screen and shouted, "Move on him!"

"Screech, screech!"

Four cars appeared on the street, quickly sandwiching the black man's car. Inside the lead car, a white man with a tranquilizer gun shattered the car window with one shot and hit the black man's neck with extreme precision.

Inside the city, Yu Mingyuan turned to look at Su Tianyu and said, "It's been done."