Somewhere away from a congested residential area, a huge villa stood alone. In front of the villa stood a pond with stone seats nearby to facilitate leisure time.
A man sat down on one of them, fishing calmly near the pond. His eyes stared through the water, preparing to pull as soon as the string on the rod moved.
The fish in the pond were not meant to be eaten. They were raised for recreational purposes or social gatherings to talk with similar level of people who came to visit him.
Silence hung in the air, except for the occasional breeze and the rustling of leaves. The man watched intently at the fish playing around the bait and testing if there was any danger.
His lips curled up but his eyes weren't smiling. After all, he had lost his son and his wife was giving him headaches, always nagging him to find the culprits.
He wanted to curse if not for her extra doting, how could his boy become so spineless and face troubles?
His fault was also included and that was the reason why he escaped to a quieter place to regenerate clearer thought. He was waiting for an opportunity to strike. He was in the dark, the enemy was in the light.
Footsteps shuffled behind and the sound disturbed the fish in the water, causing them to immediately disperse. His patience was all for naught.
He turned his glance over to the oncoming visitor with cold eyes. The other man who was about to report slumped, his legs shaking in trepidation.
The man snorted. "What's the matter?"
"B-Bo-oss!" The frightened one stuttered. "I'm here to report the situation you've requested."
"Oh." The man withdrew his gaze and gestured his subordinate to continue.
The other man felt relieved without any pressure exerted. "Boss Hu, when will we start? The boys are already in place and eager to prove themselves. Some even want revenge."
The man fishing was Boss Hu. The leader of renowned one of the top four gangs, who threatened Ling Qingyu a week ago.
He lost his son and his men when the unfilial son sought death. The retaliation from Ling Qingyu came quick, and caught him off-guard. The reason included his son trying to hide what he did.
To avenge the dead souls, Boss Hu didn't care if his men were in the wrong, his group must show force so that Tiger gang's reputation still held. His hands were tied and useless when fighting with Ling Qingyu head-on.
Something which couldn't be solved should be solved by fist. But nope, Ling Qingyu also had dramatically increased her protection and the options was no longer viable. The clash would likely be drawn to attribution and elongated war.
And hence, when a powerful one showed up to make a deal with him, Boss Hu accepted despite the risk so that he obtained more leeway for his plan against Ling Qingyu. The results?
He lost several capable men in a firefight. His faction was targeted by the authorities and had to stay low for a while. His group had been in the limelight these days and police were looking out for his members. Luckily, the upper echelon of the government focused more on the allies of the powerful one who requested his action.
Province N was thrown upside down in a few days. He thought he might exploit the power vacuum situation but to his dismay, the government was wary in its steps.
Boss Hu had nowhere to go. Behind there were colleagues from other gangs who were searching for his weakness and his men might just be planning to backstab him. At the front, because of his attack on the police force, his gang was on the other's radar.
"Revenge?" Boss Hu muttered. "Do you think I don't want to tear that girl into pieces?!"
The man being scolded lowered his head, expressing apology in silence. Whether he was sincere or pretending to cope, Boss Hu didn't care.
"It's important to care about the overall situation. What's the plan?" Boss Hu asked.
The man answered according to many brothers' ideas. Boss Hu frowned more as he listened. His face darkened at the thought of his gang being wiped out soon after these bastards under him played.
The man's voice became smaller and smaller, seeing his boss's expression. "But don't worry, boss. It's just an idea; we're waiting for your words."
"As always stay low. We can kidnap them and threaten them but we must release them back. The goal is to pressure to prove to these people, Ling Qingyu couldn't protect her own men and women." Boss Hu said. "Now that we have waited for a week, how's the situation?"
The man scratched his head. "It's hard if we want to avoid official radar, especially police vehicles patrol over the route Ling Qingyu's employees took. We even suspect the police are escorting them. However, the presence had surely dropped a bit these days."
"Then why are my men so eager when they understand what's at stake." Boss Hu chided. "It's like I guess. The new prefect-level police chief and Ling Qingyu indeed have a relationship. The police presence has proven my worries; I'm afraid what we do next is definitely challenging. I can wait till the vigilance drops to the lowest but I can't afford it. My heart felt stuck that I wanted to vent.
Tell me what should I do?"
"Give me a moment, boss." The man rubbed his chin and stared at the ground. "There's a way. Ling Qingyu can guard her subordinates against us. But can she take caution and security measures for the relatives of her employees?"
Boss Hu beamed and laughed sonorously, patting his thigh in satisfaction. He beckoned the man to come close and patted his shoulder when the man bowed a little. Boss Hu squeezed the man's arm as if to express support. The man meekly smiled.
"How many years have you been with the group?" Boss Hu inquired.
The man's eyes brightened, thinking the opportunity to ladder had come. "4 years, Sir."
"4 years? Not short, not long. You've the brain and that is the key in our line of work. I'm optimistic about you." Boss Hu chuckled.
"It's all thanks to Boss's good deeds and teaching. How dare I disappoint my boss." The man flattered.
"Hmph! You, kid, know how to sprout sugar." Boss Hu showed no change of mood on his face; inside, he was delighted. No one would refuse someone saying good about you. Not even the disciplined and strong one. "If we can make a deadly blow to Ling Qingyu's company's economy, her status will plummet and she'll be in trouble. As long as she weakens, there'll be other sharks that'll chew her completely.
Now, order your men to do as you have told me, I'll be waiting for good news. Haha."
"Yes, Boss. I'll tell the boy, the good news."
"Good." Boss Hu nodded and gestured him to go away.
One would think Boss Hu was a businessman, planning to deal with his opponent despite fierce methods. People wouldn't be surprised by the businessperson's ruthlessness, however, they didn't know Boss Hu belonged to a gangster.
His care for the talented man seemed like an old man searching for an inheritor but this man's true identity was involved in many crimes—sex trafficking ring, kidnapping, drug sales, homicides, and many more.
Many lives had been affected. Many families were broken. The bones built for this man's real estate business were uncountable. The throne filled with piles of bodies. In short, regarding Boss Hu as evil Satan wasn't wrong. He was worse than the devil.
It would be wrong to regard him lightly.
"Ling Qingyu. Ling Qingyu. Haha. I didn't want to offend you. I can accept compromises even if you touch my men but you should never harm my son. My flesh and blood." Boss Hu sneered as he stared at his reflection until the fish sent ripples, dissipating the image.
Afterward, the gangster boss released evil waves of laughter in the air, scaring away fishes and birds.