Chapter 1 A Family United

Although the Su family couldn't be considered a wealthy or influential clan in Dragon City, and their business was in a low-level industry, the Su family members had one notable characteristic: they were exceptionally united, no matter what happened. This might be related to the military experience of the previous generation of Su family members, or perhaps it was due to the family rules, but more likely it was because the family lived in an era where disunity meant being bullied and having their interests seized.

Su Tianbei had never been an easy person to deal with since he was young, perfectly inheriting the warmongering genes of Su's second uncle. With him leading the charge in such a frenzied way, the Su family members were filled with anger and their blood was boiling.

Two seven-meter-long trucks transporting garbage drove out of the courtyard, and the Su family members, armed with various tools, climbed into the vehicles in a chaotic swarm. Except for the elderly and young children, almost all the men and women in the family were in battle mode.

Su Tianyu got into an off-road vehicle with his third cousin, who immediately said with concern, "Liuzi, you don't need to come along. Just wait at home. We'll go take a look."

"It's okay, I'll go too," Su Tianyu said, closing the car door.

"Miao Miao, call Wang He and Dong Gang and tell them to bring the workers over too," Su Tianbei said while driving.

Following her second brother's instructions, the third cousin dialed the phone numbers of the family's foreman.

The convoy set off, heading straight for the Su family's storage area in the suburbs of Zha Nan District.

...

Half an hour later, outside the garbage storage area on the northern outskirts of Zha Nan District, more than a dozen cars were parked, and seventy or so people were gathered at the entrance of the landfill. They were all wearing white T-shirts printed with the Changqing Company's font and logo, loose black cotton sweatpants, and black cloth shoes.

Although these people were also part of Changqing, working in urban waste disposal, they were uniformly dressed at this moment, looking very organized.

In the distance, two off-road vehicles and two trucks were rushing from the south.

At the entrance of the landfill, next to a large European off-road vehicle, a burly man with a buzz cut, about thirty-five or six years old, stood with his hands behind his back and said, "Su Laoer (Su the Second) is here."

The cars stopped, and Su Tianbei was the first to push open the door and get out. He raised his head and shouted, "Lu Feng, what do you mean by surrounding my stockyard with so many people?"

The Su family members all got out of the vehicles, their faces solemn and filled with hatred, standing behind Su Tianbei in a chaotic swarm.

In the crowd, Su Tianyu sized up the man named Lu Feng and whispered to his cousin, "What does he do?"

"He's one of Li Hongze's top lieutenants at Changqing Company, Lu Feng," the third cousin explained softly. "He's in charge of the area south of Liuyuan Street, quite a figure around here."

"Oh," Su Tianyu said, looking at Lu Feng and nodding slightly.

At the entrance of the landfill, the Su family had about thirty-odd members from the clan, plus a dozen or so direct workers from the courtyard, totaling more than forty people. On the other side, Changqing Company had more than seventy people.

The two sides gathered at the entrance of the landfill, their eyes meeting with grim expressions, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Lu Feng walked up to Su Tianbei with his hands behind his back, smiling, and said, "I'm here to take over your turf."

"What qualifications do you have to take over my turf?" Su Tianbei retorted coldly. "Our company is under the leadership of the Management Committee. What does it have to do with your Changqing Company?"

"Hey, you've really hit the nail on the head," Lu Feng said slowly, raising his right arm and taking a document from a worker. "Your father smuggled arms and hid them in the storage area. The police department is now conducting a full investigation, and even the Management Committee has been implicated. In addition to the criminal issues, you've also violated the contract. The Management Committee has issued a document for our Changqing Company to take over. Let's not waste any time. Clear out the things in the courtyard, and I'll take over the place today."

After Lu Feng finished speaking, he directly handed the Management Committee's document to Su Tianbei, who tore it up on the spot after only one glance. "Don't make trouble! Let's not even talk about the fact that my father's case hasn't been decided yet. Even if he really did hide arms, it has nothing to do with our company. Personal behavior, violating the contract my ass!"

"Su Laoer, are you out of your mind? You dare to tear up the Management Committee's document?!" Lu Feng said in astonishment.

"Whoever touches my business, I'll fight them to the death!" Su Tianbei roared, his eyes bulging.

Not far away, Su Tianyu, listening to the conversation between the two, felt that Tianbei was completely being led by the nose. He asked his third cousin with some concern, "Is the negotiation breaking down? Are they going to start fighting?"

The third cousin gritted her teeth and said fiercely, "Fight if they want to. I'll scratch them to death!"

Su Tianyu was a little puzzled. "The other side was able to bring more than seventy people over. What about our own workers? Why aren't they coming to help?"

"Workers can help you with work, but they won't help you fight. What's more, with your second uncle's incident, many people think the Su family is going to fall, and those who should hide have already hidden," the third cousin replied matter-of-factly. "When the fight starts later, you just...!"

Before she could finish speaking, Su Tianyu directly took off his glasses and placed them into his jacket pocket in a very refined manner.

"You don't need to join the fight. The people from Changqing are ruthless. You're so thin, don't get hurt," the third cousin assumed Su Tianyu was also going to join the fight.

Su Tianyu was stunned for a moment, then immediately replied, "I wasn't planning on fighting. I took off my glasses so it's easier to run."

"...!" The third cousin was dumbfounded. "Xiao Liuzi (Little Sixth), you really haven't changed at all. You're the most cowardly one in our Su family!"

"This fight is meaningless, elder sister...!" Su Tianyu turned his head to look around, already observing the escape routes.

At the entrance of the stockyard, Lu Feng cracked his neck and pointed his finger at Su Tianbei's chest, saying, word by word, "You and your father are the same. You won't turn back until you hit a wall. Fine, I'll admit it today. You insist on playing the old-school game. I'll beat you until you owe me a hundred thousand in compensation!"

Su Tianbei pulled out a military dagger from his lower back, and the Su family members all revealed their weapons.

"Whoosh!"

More than seventy men from Changqing Company all swarmed up.

"Third sister, I'm going home first. You guys be careful and don't cause any trouble..." Su Tianyu looked in the direction of home, already preparing for a track sprint.

"Knock those guys down for me. Throw the equipment in the stockyard out," Lu Feng roared, pointing at Su Tianbei and the others. "Beat them to death, I'll take responsibility if anything happens."

"Go!"

Su Tianbei charged towards Lu Feng with the military dagger.

"Vroom!"

Just then, the sound of car engines rang out, and two off-road vehicles rushed into the crowd from a distance, stopping in the middle of everyone.

The car doors opened, and a man with a jade-like face and a slender figure, about thirty years old, pushed open the door and got out of the car, raising his head and shouting, "Everyone from the Su family, stop!"

At the entrance of the stockyard, Su Tianyu looked at the man who came out of the car and breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Tiannan, the eldest brother of the Su family, had arrived.

"Brother, they want to seize our turf," Su Tianbei said, looking back at his eldest brother.

Su Tiannan turned his head and glanced around, not answering his younger brother's words, but instead walking up to Lu Feng and saying concisely, "Give me a week for the stockyard."

"No, the company wants us to take over the turf now," Lu Feng refused. "I can't explain it to the higher-ups if this matter isn't resolved today."

"A械斗 (xièdòu, armed brawl) with more than a hundred people; if a few are crippled or killed, it won't be easy for you to explain it to the higher-ups either, right? You want the turf for profit; fighting is just an unnecessary process. What do you say?" Su Tiannan retorted.

"You don't need to play mind games with me..."

"I, Su Tiannan, have never gone back on my word in Zha Nan. Give me a week. If my father's case is completely defined, then I will unconditionally hand over the stockyard and the territory and accept the punishment. I mean what I say." Su Tiannan paused. "Is that okay?"

Lu Feng was obviously hesitant.

Su Tiannan directly took out his phone. "I went to the city this morning and talked with Wang Jingsi (Chief Wang) of the police department for a while. How about you have a call with him?"

"Heh." Lu Feng considered it again and again, feeling that he didn't need to talk to the police department, as it would only cause more trouble. "Too long, I'll give you five days. Five days later, at the same time, at the same place, I'll come to take over the territory."

Su Tiannan was also decisive. "Okay, it's settled then."

Lu Feng turned his head to look at Su Tianbei, pointing at him and saying, "Learn from your big brother, use your head when doing things. If it were in the past, our Changqing Gang wouldn't even give you a chance to talk, understand? Little brat!"

"Go f*** your mother!" Su Tianbei immediately cursed.

Lu Feng grinned. "Let's go, brothers."

The Changqing Company people got into their cars to leave, and Su Tianbei said to his eldest brother, "What's the use of these five days? With the police department..."

"Let's talk about it when we get back," Su Tiannan replied dismissively, walking up to Su Tianyu and smiling as he patted him on the shoulder. "Little brother is back?"

"Big brother!" Su Tianyu called out respectfully.

"Okay, it's good that you're back." Su Tiannan nodded heavily and called out to the crowd, "Everyone, go home!"

...

A bloody brawl was temporarily suppressed after Su Tiannan returned.

The Su family members returned to the courtyard by car. Without mentioning the concerns and exhortations of the older generation, after the crowd exchanged greetings in the living room, Su Tiannan dismissed the family members and took only Su Tianbei, the third cousin Su Miao Miao, and the newly returned Su Tianyu upstairs.

This detail showed that after the incident involving Su's second uncle, everything in the family was being managed by Su Tiannan and the younger generation, and even the older generation, such as the second aunt, would not participate too much.

In the dining room on the second floor, the third cousin brought Su Tianyu some hot dishes and some white wine. "We originally planned to have a dinner party tonight when you came back, but who would have thought that Lu Feng, that bastard, would come and make trouble, and the food has all gone cold. I'll heat up a few dishes first. Eat a little bit, and we'll hold a welcome banquet tomorrow."

"Third sister, you don't need to be busy," Su Tianyu said, eating the food. "You guys talk about serious matters."

Su Tiannan sat in the main seat, smoking and looking at Tianyu. "Little brother, you eat first, we'll talk about some things."

"Okay," Su Tianyu nodded.

The atmosphere in the room was slightly heavy, and Su Tianbei spoke first. "Will the old Wang (Wang, the police chief) from the police department help us?"

"No," Su Tiannan shook his head. "I gave him fifty thousand yuan. He promised to help us delay for a few days, that's all. This is only because he and our father are old comrades-in-arms."

"What does he think about Dad's case?" The third cousin asked eagerly.

"It's not easy to deal with. Old Wang is willing to accept money to delay, but he's not willing to accept money to speak up for our father." Su Tiannan said with a slight frown, "Personally, I think Changqing Company has been planning this for more than just a day or two. They're well-prepared. This time, not only will we suffer, but the Bai family in Chaozhou, the Liu family from the Shanghai Gang, and the Kong family will all have a hard time getting through this. The worst-case scenario is that we hand over our turf, spit out the profits we've made over the years, and then save the old man's life."

"They're trying to kill us!" Su Tianbei gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with hatred.

"The only chance now is for the Su family, the Bai family, the Liu family, and the Kong family to pool their money and bribe the police department. As long as they can help us speak up, there's still a chance to ease things." Su Tiannan paused here. "But the other three families are all panicking now, single-mindedly thinking about clearing themselves of any involvement and rescuing the people in charge of their families, so not only can they not sit down and talk together, but they're also throwing the blame for hiding arms on the other three families. I not only have to defend against Changqing Company's attacks, but I also have to defend against the infighting of these three pig teammates."

The people in the room were silent for a while, and Su Tianbei suddenly said, "Since they're not giving us a way out and playing so dirty, then let's not fight according to the rules either. I'll call two *Da Quan* (big circle gang members) to airdrop in, and directly...!"

Su Tiannan directly waved his hand halfway through his sentence. "Don't think about crooked paths. Stay put and let me handle the operation with the higher-ups."

At the dinner table, Su Tianyu, listening to the conversation, had a general understanding of what was happening, but he felt that the Su family's current way of breaking the situation was off track, but he didn't want to make it clear at the table.

"It's getting late, everyone should rest. Tomorrow, Miao Miao and I will go to the city again to see if we can find any of Dad's old connections in the army to help say a few words and delay things a bit." Su Tiannan stood up and patted Tianyu on the shoulder. "Little brother, you came back at a bad time. The family has encountered some troubles. I won't be able to accompany you these few days. Let the second brother take you around to get used to the environment first."

"Okay, big brother," Su Tianyu nodded.

...

Around nine o'clock in the evening.

Su Tianbei took Tianyu to his room, pointing to the spacious bed on the left and saying, "There are a lot of people in the family, and your room hasn't been cleaned up yet, so you'll have to stay with me for now."

Su Tianyu looked at his clean bed, as well as the brand-new bedding and private cabinet, and immediately asked with a smile, "Did you buy this for me?"

"Where would I have the time? Miao Miao bought it for you. She heard you were coming back and went shopping for two days straight," Su Tianbei said, pointing to the bed. "You should sleep first, I have something to do, I'll go out first."

Su Tianyu blinked his eyes, then suddenly reached out and touched Su Tianbei's waist. The latter reacted strongly and took a step back, frowning and asking, "What are you doing?"

"Why are you hiding a gun on your body?" Su Tianyu asked.

Su Tianbei replied in a low voice, "There are so many things happening at home, I got a gun for self-defense."

"Don't mess around, it's best to listen to big brother," Su Tianyu exhorted.

"I know," Su Tianbei nodded. "I'm going out for a bit, to meet with a few foremen."

"Okay."

After speaking, Su Tianbei walked away, while Tianyu sat on the bed and slowly packed his luggage. In fact, he had some ideas about the Su family's situation, but before, he thought his elder brother and others could handle it well, so he didn't say much. But now that he saw that Su Tianbei was already carrying a gun, it was enough to show that the Su family's current situation was very difficult.

After Su Tianyu suffered changes in his family, on the surface, he had been studying at the Army Staff College, but during these four years, his family was unaware of many of his experiences. His views on things had also changed a long time ago.

After Su Tianyu finished packing his personal belongings, after careful consideration, he decided to talk to his eldest brother.

...

Outside the Su family's courtyard, Su Tianbei sat in the car and said to a young man, "Contact the *Da Quan Zai* (big circle members), only you and I know about this..."