The few people in the living room all looked astounded at the sudden appearance of Ding Fan.
"How did you get in here?" asked the previously speaking chubby man, his tone full of disbelief.
It's important to note that the villa was heavily guarded by armed personnel, making it extremely difficult for anyone to enter, even a mouse.
Not only the chubby man, but the others too couldn't understand how Ding Fan had appeared so silently before everyone.
"You all certainly have some nerve, but I advise you to stop coveting what belongs to Haji," said Ding Fan, ignoring the chubby man's question and speaking in an even tone.
"Who are you?" General Hezhe slowly stood up, his gaze becoming more grave.
"I am the man who killed Haji," Ding Fan said casually, as if chatting.
The man who killed Haji?!
The complexions of everyone present turned sour.
In Mali, Haji was once the greatest Tusi, with the most powerful influence, and the man in front of them capable of toppling such a potent figure was certainly no ordinary person.
Clang... At that moment, the door was kicked open, and a dozen armed militants rushed in, all aiming their guns at Ding Fan.
Ding Fan, however, responded calmly, as if the unfolding event had nothing to do with him.
General Hezhe coldly stared at Ding Fan. "You've got some nerve to come here alone. I could have you killed in a minute."
Ding Fan glanced at the assembled armed militants. Then he coolly said to General Hezhe, "Well, you might try it."
As soon as Ding Fan finished speaking, the chubby man snorted coldly, "Kid, although you killed Haji, you're not so effective here. Killing you would be as easy as squashing an ant."
"With so many guns pointing at you, killing you would only take a word from General Hezhe."...
Ding Fan glanced at General Hezhe, then suddenly his figure blurred.
Everyone only felt a blur before their eyes, and then Ding Fan had mysteriously vanished from their sight.
Just as everyone present was dumbfounded, Ding Fan was already standing next to General Hezhe, pressing a fruit knife against the general's throat.
"Now, shall we talk?" Ding Fan said calmly to General Hezhe.
General Hezhe could distinctly feel the chill of the blade on his neck. "Yes... we can..." he managed to say.
At that moment, Ding Fan pressed the fruit knife slightly harder into General Hezhe's flesh, and blood began to flow from his neck.
"Don't you think that this room is a bit overcrowded?" Ding Fan said, looking at the armed men around them.
"Everyone... leave..." With the knife at his throat, General Hezhe had lost all his earlier defiance and hastily ordered his subordinates.
Once General Hezhe gave the command, his subordinates would not dare to disobey, and they quickly retreated.
After the armed personnel left, the room was once again left with only Ding Fan and General Hezhe and his four close aides.
Ding Fan then took the knife from General Hezhe's neck. "Now, let's talk."
With a casual flick, the fruit knife that had been against General Hezhe's throat stuck firmly into a solid wood coffee table in front of them.
The strength in Ding Fan's throw was remarkable, embedding the fruit knife entirely into the coffee table, leaving only the handle shaking.
General Hezhe and his aides exchanged glances and each swallowed.
The mere flick of his wrist displayed such power; had the knife been aimed at their heads instead of the coffee table, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Please, sit down. Let's talk," Ding Fan said naturally, taking the seat originally occupied by General Hezhe.
Seeing Ding Fan sit down, the others shakily took their seats...
Mali, Peach Blossom Garden.
Peach Blossom Garden was originally under Haji's control, about the size of a small town in Huaxia Country.
During the time Haji managed it, nearly all arable land was planted with opium; it was currently the season when the opium poppies bloomed, and the area was indeed spectacular with its vibrant colors.
And right in the middle of this expanse of opium, there stood a villa which had been Haji's residence.
At this time, the villa was bustling.
"I am Haji's Guard Captain. General Haji has been killed, and now not only are we not avenging him, we are even supporting his murderer... We can't do this."
The speaker was a man from Japan in his thirties.
This man, named Sang Tian, had been convicted in Japan for molesting dozens of young girls and later fled to Mali to escape punishment.
Because Sang Tian was somewhat clever and had given good advice on several matters, General Haji eventually made him his guard captain.
Huang Can was looking at Sang Tian with a solemn expression at this moment.
Since returning from Ding Fan, Huang Can had gathered all the major leaders here.
Huang Can's intention was to reorganize internally, but before that could begin, Sang Tian had already made his move.
"Sang Tian, are you saying you want to continue following General Haji?" Huang Can said with an icy tone.
Sang Tian snorted coldly. "Huang Can, I understand what you mean. Do you want to execute me to establish your authority?" Follow current novᴇls on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
"If you want to follow General Haji, I indeed won't keep you," said Huang Can coldly.
"Huang Can, you really think that starting today, you are the boss here. You think you can kill me now?" Sang Tian said and then slammed the table.
Right after Sang Tian slammed the table, a dozen people burst in. They stood behind Huang Can and pointed their guns at him.
After Sang Tian's men rushed in, Huang Can's men also burst into the room, a dozen of them standing behind Huang Can, pointing their guns at Sang Tian.
All of a sudden, the whole scene turned very tense.
With Huang Can and Sang Tian facing off , the other leaders stepped aside, clearly adopting a wait-and-see attitude, with no intention of helping either side.
"Everyone, I need to mention something first," Sang Tian raised his voice and addressed the crowd. "I believe you've all heard. Many of our brothers have switched over to General Hezhe. What you do not know is, in three days, General Hezhe will launch an attack on Peach Blossom Garden, and his forces will number five hundred...
"You all know how many men we have here, just under two hundred. I'm not hiding this from you: I've already made contact with General Hezhe. If we join General Hezhe, he will ensure our benefits..."
As Sang Tian finished speaking, the leaders present started whispering among themselves.
Five hundred versus two hundred—the odds were off by half. If it came down to a fight, they stood no real chance.
Moreover, and most importantly, these people usually gathered around Haji just for show, using his influence to bolster their image. They were unwilling to actually fight when it mattered.
Suddenly, everyone's balance tilted heavily in favor of Sang Tian.
Huang Can's expression turned ugly. "So you've already sided with Hezhe..."
Sang Tian's lips slightly curled in a smirk. He then introduced someone beside him to the crowd. "Let me introduce someone to you."
The leaders present all looked over.
"This is General Hezhe's nephew, Li Ma. Mr. Li Ma has come to Peach Blossom Garden for a simple reason: he hopes you all clearly understand the situation and not follow Huang Can to your ruin..."
Huang Can didn't wait for Sang Tian to finish, but interrupted. "Everyone, please don't believe a word Sang Tian says. Before I came here, General Ding went to deal with the issue between him and Hezhe..."
Sang Tian snorted coldly. "Huang Can, do you believe what you just said? Do you really think that Ding Fan alone can resolve the situation with Hezhe?... If Ding Fan were so capable, we would not hesitate to follow him, but unfortunately... it's likely that Ding Fan has already fled after deceiving you."
"General Ding Fan would not run away," Huang Can said.
Sang Tian paid no more attention to Huang Can and turned directly to Li Ma. "Mr. Li Ma, the next steps should be handled by you. I believe everyone wants to hear what you have to say, as General Haji's subordinate."
Li Ma nodded at Sang Tian. Just as he was about to speak, a phone call came through directly.
Li Ma glanced at his mobile and picked up the call without hesitation.
Sang Tian acted like a servant behind him. Since Li Ma was speaking Myanmar, Sang Tian couldn't understand a word.
The phone call lasted a full five minutes before it ended. Throughout, Sang Tian followed closely behind Li Ma.
"Mr. Li Ma, please go ahead and announce General Hezhe's message to everyone," Sang Tian gestured for Li Ma to proceed.
At this moment, Huang Can's brow was tightly furrowed.
The current situation was delicate: as soon as Li Ma made an offer, many of his own people would likely switch sides, which would mean a complete loss for him.
Even though Huang Can knew that letting Li Ma speak was highly disadvantageous to him, he couldn't intervene. Both sides had their guns trained on each other, and any disruption could lead to a bloody confrontation.
As Huang Can was out of options, Li Ma had already stepped forward, facing the gathered leaders who were intently watching him.
At that moment, Sang Tian looked triumphantly at Huang Can, as if he had already won.
"I am speaking on behalf of General Hezhe. You can take what I say as directly from General Hezhe," Li Ma said to the crowd. "General Hezhe just called me. He acknowledges General Ding Fan's authority over Peach Blossom Garden and is willing to ally with General Ding Fan. The personnel that previously defected to us will be dispersed, and should there be any coup within General Ding Fan's ranks, General Hezhe said we will fully assist General Ding Fan in suppressing it..."
Silence… after Li Ma finished speaking, the room fell completely silent.
Sang Tian was completely taken aback; this was not the outcome he had expected...