As these men charged closer, Zhang Liunian immediately recognized them. They were none other than the brothers of the Hong Gang. He had remembered a few distinctive faces from when he’d previously challenged their turf, which was why he was so certain of their identities.
Seeing them appear, Zhang Liunian couldn’t help but recall the information he’d found in Hong Fei’s drawer yesterday.
However, they wouldn’t necessarily believe what he had to say now, so his only option was to resort to brute force.
A brawl erupted, but it quickly subsided.
“Your leader is gone, why are you here attacking me? It seems Hong Fei wasn't your true leader; the Tang family is.” Zhang Liunian was bluffing. He didn’t believe the Tang family would be in contact with people at this level.
As expected, the moment Zhang Liunian spoke, the captain leading them stepped forward to retort, “Our boss may be gone, but we still have the second boss. Who sent us is none of your concern.”
After the captain spoke, he stood up and began to lead his dejected comrades away.
But before they could leave, Zhang Liunian’s voice echoed behind them, “Who permitted you to leave.”
Upon hearing this voice, the twenty men from the Hong Gang involuntarily trembled. In truth, they had known they couldn’t win when they came out to stop Zhang Liunian today, but they had been ordered by the second boss and had no choice but to press on and complete their mission.
Now that the fight was over, they naturally wanted to leave. Did they want to wait for Zhang Liunian to send them to jail?
They had heard that their boss had already been sent to jail. If it weren't for the second boss holding down the fort, the Hong Gang would have already disbanded.
“We were forced to come out this time; we weren’t intentionally seeking trouble with you. The second boss commanded us, and we dared not disobey. We implore you to be magnanimous and not hold this against us.” The leading captain was a smooth-talking youth with a small mustache, making him look a bit older than he was.
“It seems the Hong Gang is just a lapdog for the Tang family, doing whatever they tell you. How much do you little brothers like yourselves get paid a month in the Hong Gang?” Zhang Liunian walked up to the captain, suddenly showing concern for their personnel treatment.
The captain was taken aback, unsure of Zhang Liunian’s intentions. He looked at him curiously and asked, “Why do you care about that? It has nothing to do with you.”
“A defeated opponent still acting tough? Answer when Brother Liunian asks questions. If you don’t, we’ll send all of you to jail.” Du Ziteng couldn’t stand seeing anyone act arrogantly in front of Zhang Liunian, so he stepped forward to confront them.
The captain, having Du Ziteng’s saliva sprayed on his face, wiped his mouth. “Guys like us only get around two to three hundred a month. What’s so curious about that? Alright, I’ve answered. Can we leave now?”
Zhang Liunian, however, smiled and then whispered a few words into Du Ziteng’s ear.
Du Ziteng’s eyes immediately lit up, and he gave Zhang Liunian a thumbs-up.
Half an hour later, Zhang Liunian and Du Ziteng walked amongst these men, one after the other.
The leading captain, walking at the front, had a dark expression. Zhang Liunian had actually threatened them earlier, not only treating them as bodyguards but also demanding they escort him personally to the South City.
This was outrageous. If the Tang family found out, they’d all be finished.
“Don’t try any tricks. If anything goes wrong, we brothers won’t let you off.” On the way, the leading captain couldn’t resist coming up beside Zhang Liunian and reminding him through gritted teeth.
Zhang Liunian said with a poker face, “Why are you so loyal to the Hong Gang? Oh, right. You probably don’t know, but your boss has thoroughly investigated all of your backgrounds and found your weaknesses. If anyone disobeys, he’ll immediately exploit your weaknesses, using methods like poisoning and assassination. That’s enough to deal with.
I’m truly impressed that you’re still so devoted to such a boss.”
Such tactics, used by someone like Hong Fei, would be employed by many people in later generations, though most wouldn’t see it.
“Nonsense! The boss isn’t that kind of person. We won’t believe a single word you say. Your scheme won’t succeed.” The leading captain genuinely didn't believe a word he heard.
In the eyes of these subordinates, Hong Fei was indeed a good boss. He ate and lived with them, and he would personally handle matters, rarely sending them out as cannon fodder.
Seeing this, Zhang Liunian knew that a few words wouldn’t change anything, so he stopped wasting his breath.
However, his silence made the leading captain even more restless, curious why he had stopped talking.
If Zhang Liunian wanted to sow discord, he should continue, but why only say one sentence and then stop?
“Why aren’t you saying anything else?” After waiting for a long time and not hearing Zhang Liunian’s next words, the leading captain couldn’t help but ask.
Zhang Liunian raised an eyebrow, looked at him askance, and said faintly, “All of you combined are no match for me. Do I need to sow discord among you? Since you don’t believe me, why bother talking more? It doesn’t concern me anyway.”
Zhang Liunian’s detached attitude of “it has nothing to do with me” instantly made the leading captain’s heart begin to panic.
Yes, just as Zhang Liunian said, all of them combined couldn’t possibly defeat Zhang Liunian. Why would he bother with such tactics against them?
Then, could it be possible that what he said was true?
But it was impossible. Their boss was their brother, their leader. How could he possibly do such a thing?
“We’ve arrived.” Just as the leading captain was lost in thought, Zhang Liunian suddenly spoke, interrupting his reverie. He then kicked aside a few thugs in front of him and pulled Du Ziteng, sprinting away.
“Chase them! Don’t let them escape!” The leading captain was quick to get into character. Seeing this, he raised his arm and roared, charging towards Zhang Liunian and the other man.
But for some reason, they chased them all the way without recapturing them, and instead, Zhang Liunian and Du Ziteng rushed into the police station.
“These are the correspondence files between the Tang family and the Hong Gang, containing many letters detailing their secret communications. Can these serve as evidence?”
Upon arriving at the station, Zhang Liunian found the police officer handling his case and pushed the evidence he had obtained yesterday towards him.
The officer on the other side immediately began to examine the documents upon hearing that the Tang family was actually involved with the Hong Gang. As he read, his astonishment grew, and he eventually called in many people to discuss it.
“If all of this is true, then there’s a chance to find the missing persons in our South City over the years.”
“I don’t think there’s much hope. They’re likely dead. After so many years, if they were still alive, they would have returned by now.”
“What did they want these people for?”
“Do you think it might be related to that research back then?”
“You mean the drug proposed by the Tang family to enhance intelligence? Impossible. They only proposed the idea back then; they were just talking, and didn’t actually research it. The authorities wouldn’t allow it.”
“…”
Listening to their conversation, Zhang Liunian’s heart sank. So, the Tang family had such an idea back then?
Then, was it possible that they not only did it but also found people to research it?
Thinking about it this way, it would explain why there were lunatics appearing in the Chinese medicine stores in South City.