At the Cloudy Sky Gang Headquarters, the senior members were gathered in the second-floor conference room. Li Xiaofei's face was as dark as a storm.
"What exactly happened?" asked Li Xiaofei. His gaze was sharp as he looked around the room. "We had arranged for people to protect them secretly. How did Little Jie and the other six still get kidnapped? Where is Yang Cheng?"
"Hall Master Yang is also missing," Li Junjie quickly replied. "Boss, this is the footage from our surveillance system."
In the footage, Li Jie and the other six students from the slum were seen approaching the exit of the slum. In the distance, a girl of similar age waved at them. The group happily walked over, laughing and chatting, gradually moving out of the surveillance camera's range.
Then, a few Cloudy Sky Gang warriors seemed to notice something and rushed out, shouting. Soon after, Yang Cheng appeared with some men as he ran out of the frame. That was the whole sequence.
"The brothers who chased after them, along with Hall Master Yang Cheng, are all missing," Li Junjie said, his face filled with guilt. "We questioned the witnesses in the area. We confirmed that Little Jie and the others were taken by people in an unmarked truck. Hall Master Yang and the others pursued them, but they vanished after turning the corner on Harmony Road....Boss, I'm sorry. It's our fault. We couldn't even protect Little Jie."
The so-called rise of the slum was actually a situation that their boss had done single-handedly. Every member of the Cloudy Sky Gang was well aware of this and they felt deeply guilty.
Li Xiaofei didn't speak. He watched the footage replay over and over as he calmed down. This was clearly a premeditated kidnapping. The attackers had a clear objective. They were specifically targeting Little Jie. Such a meticulously planned surprise attack was inherently difficult to prevent.
"It's not your fault." Li Xiaofei took a deep breath and asked, "How many brothers did we lose?"
A man named Zheng Haonan, an Incense Master, quickly responded, "President, there were four guards with Little Jie. They were the first to react, but they were all killed. Later, Hall Master Yang Cheng led twelve men to pursue them, and all of them went missing."
"Make sure to properly console the families of those four brothers," Li Xiaofei said.
Four men lost meant four families were now suffering. Without proper support, these families would fall into ruin.
"Boss, rest assured. No one would dare withhold any benefits under your policies. Every brother in the gang is willing to fight for you. It's an honor for us to die for you," Li Junjie said, filled with fervor.
Li Xiaofei smacked the impulsive man’s head.
"Idiot, fool!" He couldn't help but scold, "Why talk about dying when you can live well? Every brother's life is extremely precious. You have men under your command now. In the future, think more about your brothers to protect them, and stop talking about death all the time."
"Yes, yes, you're right, boss," Li Junjie quickly bowed his head.
However, everyone in the meeting room felt a surge of warmth in their hearts. They knew that Li Xiaofei wasn't just making empty statements. He had always acted this way. He was always the first to face danger. He was an unprecedented kind of leader in the slum's history of hundreds of years.
"Boss, it must be the Dragon Claw Gang," Li Junjie said through gritted teeth. "Give the order, and we'll fight them to the end."
"We need to drown the Dragon Claw Gang in blood!"
"Kill all those bastards!"
The meeting room was filled with fervent calls for action.
"Pass my order. The gang is on highest alert; no one is to step out of the slum."
Li Xiaofei stood up slowly, his tone sharp. "Suspend our outside operations for now. Have all our brothers return, and the hunting teams should stay in the city... I have my own plans for the rest."
"Boss, are you going to take on the risk alone again?" Li Junjie asked anxiously. "This time, let us fight alongside you."
"Yes, boss, we're not afraid of dying. We just want to fight with you."
"Boss, we don't want you to be the only one carrying the burden of the slum."
"Yes, boss, we're willing to fight and risk our lives."
The other senior members of the gang also fervently volunteered.
"Don't worry," Li Xiaofei said with a confident smile. "There will be a time when I need you, but before that, you have another task to handle."
As he spoke, he distributed a set of documents to the gang's middle and senior members.
They were excerpts from the simplified version of the Medicine King Divine Manual, focusing on the sections about poison and medicine.
"Study these and see if any of our brothers have a talent for medicine or poison," Li Xiaofei said, his gaze sweeping over the room with a serious expression. "Identify those with potential. I want to establish a Tongren Hall to train them. They will be a great asset to the Cloudy Sky Gang in the future."
"Don't worry, boss, we'll make sure everyone gets a copy."
"I'll have even my seventy-year-old mother study it."
"I'll beat up anyone who doesn't train."
The middle and senior members pounded their chests, promising to carry out his orders.
Li Xiaofei was speechless.
Truly, can’t the tough guys forged in the slum's brutal gang battles speak more civilly?
"Meeting adjourned." With a wave of his hand, he added, "No one is to take any action on their own."
The moment he stepped out of the building, Li Xiaofei sent a copy of the simplified version of the Medicine King Divine Manual to Chen Fei. He trusted that the sharp eyes of Principal Peach Blossom would know who to hand it to. Then, Li Xiaofei dialed the number of Tan Qingying, the city leader's daughter.
"Ha, Mr. Busy, finally decided to contact me?" The girl's voice was filled with delight.
"You were right; this weekend has been extraordinarily busy," Li Xiaofei replied. "And it’s not over yet. I need you to do me one more favor."
"You must be really busy then," Tan Qingying responded. "What is it?"
"Help me find someone's address," Li Xiaofei said, providing the name, identity, and age.
"No problem, you'll have it on your light core in ten minutes," Tan Qingying replied.
At ten o'clock in the morning. Li Xiaofei appeared outside the Guang'an neighborhood on Congtai Road in the rule-of-law district. He was in disguise, wearing a black tracksuit, a black baseball cap, and large sunglasses.
He glanced at the name of the neighborhood, avoided the surveillance cameras, and easily scaled the wall, arriving outside Unit 3 of Building 18.
He was here to find someone. The girl who had lured Little Jie and the others out of the slum in the surveillance footage was Kong Xinyue, who had been involved in the altercation at the hot pot restaurant.
Li Xiaofei had recognized her immediately from the footage. This mother-daughter duo was connected to the Dragon Claw Gang. So, they were very likely participants in the kidnapping. Tan Qingying had sent him the address a few minutes after he’d asked.
The Guang'an neighborhood was part of a government housing project, with each building being six stories high with no elevators, and open unit entrances. Li Xiaofei easily reached the door of Room 402 on the fourth floor.
He reached out, grasped the door handle, and gently applied pressure. Before he could forcefully break the lock, the door unexpectedly opened.
Li Xiaofei was startled. The door wasn't locked. He opened the door and went inside. But a strong, pungent smell of blood assaulted his senses. A bad feeling surged in Li Xiaofei's heart.