The southwestern area of Yanjing, also known as the Western Suburb, is the base of the Liger Gang, known as Liger City, lying dormant in the first light of dawn. The deserted streets are swept by the wind, and the fallen leaves drift to every corner of the city, free and at ease, adapting to circumstances.
As one of the gangs in Yanjing capable of keeping pace with Poison Dragon, the Liger Gang is successful in relation to Poison Dragon’s notoriety. Successfully cleaning up their act, they turned this commercial street into one of the most prosperous areas in Yanjing, thus securing a significant foothold for the Liger Gang in the city.
However, no matter how thorough the façade is, the darkness behind cannot be concealed.
The thirty-three-story Liger Building lay sprawling in the dawn, yet in the middle of this floor, no one was sleeping, more accurately, no one had slept the whole night.
The leader of the Liger Gang, Lion, reclined on a couch, bent his right leg, and smoked a long pipe. He remained silent facing the person sitting in front of him, while the tea on the coffee table had long gone cold; he hadn’t touched it since it was brewed.
Lion was a tea lover, eager to explore any type of tea, and this new tea from Yun Nan, according to these two, indeed aroused his desire to indulge. Yet, because of these uninvited guests, he was guarded.
Behind Lion was Tiger’s shrine, a small arrangement that had been there for quite some time. Tiger’s death, though not a blow, left a layer of resentment within him.
The Qu Family was nominally seeking a favor, but essentially, they had no connections with the Wang Family, and that person named Xiao Lin happened to step on the Qu Family’s head, making it seem like the Qu Family’s revenge, who was the mastermind, he didn’t care. However, Tiger’s death couldn’t let him feel at ease about having another capable person in Yanjing. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelFɪre.net
Since its cleanup, the Liger Gang rarely strayed outside the Western Suburb. Their subordinates managed various entertainment venues, and less of those murderous and incendiary acts, unless it was a significant deal, Lion wouldn’t be interested. Earlier, helping the Qu Family was considered repaying a debt, but now it required careful consideration.
Lion took a drag of his cigarette, allowing the gray smoke to waft upward with the exhaust above.
Poison Dragon had been dead for months, and all territories had been replaced by a new organization called Fei Feng Gang. Not exactly new, they were heard of before, a few women messing around, possibly involved in a few major murders, but those were just rumors.
However, easily replacing the Poison Dragon Gang post-extermination, could not be underestimated. Xiao Lin had already become a frequently mentioned figure in Yanjing. If not removed, sooner or later, they would deal with him, so preemptive action seemed justifiable.
Lion was used to acting independently. With his current capabilities, he didn’t need anyone else’s help, so the proposal from the two people before him hardly interested him.
Lion put down the cigarette holder and sat up from the couch. Approaching seventy, he looked only around fifty, his eyes sparkled, and his well-toned body was the result of regular exercise, muscles evenly wrapped under his clothes.
"Lion, would you not reconsider?" Poison Dragon’s face twitched. His embarrassment and anger were glared back by an old man beside him, "You should know, the Poison Dragon Gang is your tomorrow, although we’ve always been of mutual respect, as comrades on this path, I wouldn’t want to see you end up like me."
Poison Dragon’s words were indeed filled with genuine sentiment; perhaps the extermination of the Poison Dragon Gang left a thorn in his heart.
Lion squinted his eyes to focus on Poison Dragon, his half-smiling expression further ignited the suppressed rage within Poison Dragon.
"Poison Dragon, you should know, we, the Liger Gang, no longer engage in those activities. Now, what we conduct are all legitimate businesses, good citizens, how can we be mentioned alongside your Poison Dragon Gang? It’s best to steer clear of illegal dealings."
"That’s true, but the police might not think the same. Tiger is dead, Lion, do you dare say you don’t care at all?" Poison Dragon gritted his teeth, forcing each word out through tightly clenched lips: "The person on Financial Street is one of your Liger Gang people, this is undoubted, do you believe the police will let you go?"
"If the police suspect there’s a problem here, I will open the doors for them to come investigate. I, Lion, will not scuttle around like a rat. Besides, with such a big organization like Liger Gang, I can’t keep tabs on everything; if someone has committed an offense, let the police take them, so long as there’s evidence, the Liger Gang will absolutely adhere to the law."
"Damn it, who are you calling a rat?" For Poison Dragon to hold his patience till now was quite remarkable given his temper. After all, as the boss of a gang, being pointed at and insulted was a first.
The ever-observant person gave a gentle laugh, slowly descending from the chair to stand by Poison Dragon, Lion’s gaze transitioned to him. Initially indifferent to this person accompanying Poison Dragon, assuming he was just a follower or another henchman brought by Poison Dragon. But from his swift, wind-breaking steps, he appeared to be a skilled fighter, which made Lion wary of him being so close to Poison Dragon.
"Aren’t both of you distinguished figures? Isn’t it too childish to bicker ?"
The old man placed a hand firmly on Poison Dragon’s shoulder, forcing him down onto the chair, his slightly drooping eyelids lifting as though he was looking at Poison Dragon, but actually, he was observing Lion’s every move.
"Who is this?" Seeing Poison Dragon being forced back into the chair was indeed rare; generally regarded as a ruthless figure in Yanjing, no one dared trample on him, yet this unimposing old man subdued him with one move, a mystery indeed.
"The folks in this line of work respectfully call me Elder Guo." The old man slowly approached Lion, exuding a hint of menace with each step. Elder Guo? The name sounded familiar, prompting Lion to sit back down.
"Long have I heard of the Liger Gang’s leader singlehandedly transforming the entire gang from black to white, eliminating rivals to firmly hold power, and today’s encounter lives up to the reputation."
"Get straight to the point!" Lion suddenly grew interested, guessing that this Elder Guo was likely from Southeast Asia. He should have earlier realized who the person was, as when Tiger died, a person named Li Fei appeared... Lion slanted his eyes to scrutinize Poison Dragon. (To be continued. If you liked this piece, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote, your support is my greatest motivation.)