The Real Viper

After a long while, Shen Leman stared at the bloodstain on her chest. Her mind, jolted by the impact, failed to process what had happened for a moment.

Could a woman bleed from her chest the first time too?

She had never learned about that in school!

Why didn't it hurt? How amazing!

She looked around for something to wipe away the blood, then suddenly noticed fresh blood slowly flowing from Wang Xuan's left arm. Only then did she realize that the wound he had suffered earlier had started bleeding again.

All right, she had no idea what she had been thinking earlier. She had actually forgotten to bandage it.

Feeling a little distressed, she lifted Wang Xuan's arm and struggled to get up to fetch the medicine chest. But the moment she sat up, she couldn't help crying out in pain. "Ah!"

While the two of them slept, Hong Kong Island was once again thrown into an uproar. A murder had occurred in the underground parking lot of a shopping mall in a busy district. All six people at the scene had died. One had died from having his testicles crushed, while the other five had been killed when sharp blades pierced their vital organs.

In broad daylight, under a clear sky, something like this had actually happened in a busy district. Although public security had been deteriorating over the past two years, this was still a major case that caused a sensation.

The Hong Kong British government ordered the police to solve the case within a deadline. Pressure passed down from one level to the next, and the station in charge was left with a massive headache.

After an investigation, it was determined that five of the victims had been killed by the same weapon. The initial judgment was that it had been a dagger.

Photographs of the victims circulated among the various police stations. In the end, they were identified as members of the Hong Yi Society—the Viper's underlings.

This was also where the Viper had miscalculated. When he received word that Wang Xuan was shopping at the mall, he had been unable to suppress the urge to kill him. Time was tight, and in order to ambush Wang Xuan in the parking lot, the Viper had not had time to make adequate preparations. He could only choose the best from among the available options. But as far as he was concerned, eight people dealing with one person—this wasn't a movie. There was no way they could fail.

Reality, however, was often stranger than fiction. Those eight men were ultimately not professional enough. They were not full-time enforcers of the society, and whether in combat experience, reaction speed, or mental fortitude, they were all lacking. As a result, Wang Xuan had killed six of them in return, while the remaining two had been scared out of their wits by the time they ran back.

Only then did the Viper realize that hatred and fear had clouded his mind. He had actually done something so reckless, completely abandoning his usual style.

Now look what had happened!

If you failed to kill a tiger, you would inevitably suffer its retaliation!

He had sent such a bunch of useless trash, and now they had dragged him into the mess!

As he watched the two trembling underlings in front of him, a vicious glint flashed through the Viper's eyes. He put on an expression of overwhelming grief and said, "That bastard Blood Dragon, that son of a bitch, actually killed six of my brothers! We must tear him limb from limb, offer his head to my dead brothers, and avenge them!"

At that moment, the Viper appeared extremely agitated. His lips trembled, and his face flushed red with anger. "I will never let my brothers die in vain. I will definitely give their families a sum of money and bury them properly."

"Boss...!" Seeing how loyal and righteous their boss was, the two underlings wept bitterly and said that they had failed in their duty.

"Stop crying for now. We can settle things properly with Blood Dragon later." He helped them both up from the floor, one with each hand, then patted them on the shoulders and said with concern, "The urgent matter is avoiding the cops' investigation. I'll put you two on a boat to Taiwan so you can hide there. Come back after things have blown over, and then we'll deal with Blood Dragon!"

With that, he turned and walked behind his desk. Taking two thick bundles of cash from a drawer, he stuffed one into each man's hands. "Take this. Although someone will arrange things for you over there, it's good to keep some money on hand for protection. Follow your big brother, and your big brother won't treat you unfairly."

"Big Mouth." The Viper shouted toward the outside, and a short, sturdy man pushed open the door and entered.

"Take them to Taiwan. I've already made the arrangements there. Make sure they arrive safely!" The Viper emphasized each word while the two underlings looked at him gratefully.

"I understand. I'll make sure they arrive safely." The sturdy man showed no change in expression, as if he were already accustomed to this. He understood the Viper's meaning and led the two men away.

Two hours later, the telephone on the desk rang. When the Viper answered, a rough voice came from the other end. "It's done."

Only then did the Viper let out a heavy sigh of relief. But immediately afterward, a nameless fury erupted in his chest. He grabbed the ashtray and smashed it onto the floor, sending glass shards flying everywhere.

Still unsatisfied, he slammed his palm hard onto the desk.

"Bang!"

"Ow!"

A shard of glass had pierced his hand. Watching the blood continuously flow, he felt as if his lungs were about to explode from anger and kicked the desk viciously.

"Boom!"

"Ow!"

This time, it wasn't just his foot that hurt. The wound Wang Xuan had inflicted on him before also began to ache faintly. Although it had already healed, an occasional stab of pain reminded him of his former humiliation.

Sitting in his office chair, the Viper flushed red and roared several times. "Damn it, you're all useless! Eight of you couldn't handle one man. What use are you? Are you here to cause trouble for me?"

They deserved to die!

He did not think for a moment that hastily arranging for people to assassinate Wang Xuan had been a mistake. The opportunity had been rare. Wang Xuan hardly ever left Portland Street, and when he did make a brief trip out, the Viper had no time to react. As for attacking Portland Street directly—heh, after last time, he no longer had the guts.

Not long after the call ended, before he had even had time to treat the wound on his hand, a group of police officers charged in aggressively.

The Viper glared viciously at the underling who had failed to stop them, then asked the officers with a false smile, "What does this mean, officers?"

A stern-faced police officer strode up to him and slammed a stack of photographs onto the desk. "These six underlings of yours are dead. We suspect that you were involved in a murder case. Come with us for questioning."

"Officer, what does this have to do with me? I'm not their father or mother. They just ate here. What does their death have to do with me? Don't frame an innocent man!" The Viper looked completely unconcerned. This matter couldn't be traced back to him. The last two men involved had just been fed to the fish as well, so the police had no evidence at all.

As for reporting that Wang Xuan had killed them, he wouldn't dare unless he had lost his mind.

If he did, he would be exposed as the mastermind, while Wang Xuan had merely acted in self-defense. After all, it had been one against eight, and the others had all been armed. With a good lawyer, Wang Xuan might not even be convicted of excessive self-defense.