Pushing open the door and entering the hospital room, he saw that Jackals was deathly pale and listless. It was obvious he had lost too much blood.
A nurse was hooking Jackals up to an IV. When she turned and saw the two men entering the room, she shouted, "This is a hospital room! How can you just walk in? And you're even smoking!"
Viper turned his head and glared at the young nurse, his eyes filled with coldness and viciousness.
The young nurse shrank her neck in fright and immediately fell silent. After honestly hooking Viper up to an IV, she hurried out.
Hearing the commotion, Jackals opened his eyes as well. When he saw Dragon Head and Viper, he excitedly tried to sit up, but the empty sleeve where one arm should have been threw off his balance. His body toppled to one side, and the wound at his severed arm struck the hospital bed, eliciting a heart-rending scream.
"Ahhh! It hurts like hell!"
"Boss! We got hacked! They chopped off my arm! It was all those damn Dongxingzai! Four people are dead! Yougui is dead too, and more than a dozen others are seriously injured. One 49er from Dongxing did it all! Boss, you have to avenge us!"
Jackals shouted loudly, the muscles on his face twitching nonstop. Even now, thinking of that madman still made him feel a lingering fear.
Yan Tze Tak's face darkened. He had brought this disaster upon himself, and he had to resolve it.
"Do you know what his name is?"
Jackals froze, then gnashed his teeth. "No! He was a madman. I was talking to Baki when he suddenly charged out. Without saying a word, he took a Japanese War Blade and hacked at my head. If I hadn't dodged quickly, he would've killed me right there!"
Yan Tze Tak forcibly suppressed his anger, barely stopping himself from cursing him as a useless fool. There had been hundreds of them—couldn't they defeat one man?!
Four people had been killed, and they had still been chased through the streets by a single man. They had completely disgraced the Hong Yi Society. How were they supposed to survive in Hong Kong in the future?!
"Don't worry. I've already spread the word. Once we find him, we absolutely won't let him off. Does he really think he can withstand our entire Hong Yi Society?" Yan Tze Tak narrowed his eyes, and each icy word bounced from his mouth. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
After telling Jackals to rest and recover, Yan Tze Tak pushed open the door and left the hospital room. He had not gone far when he saw a group of police officers approaching. He muttered, "What rotten luck. I walk out the door and immediately see a bunch of damn cops."
Several officers stopped in front of Yan Tze Tak and flashed their police badges. "Hello. We're with the O Group."
Putting on a smile, Yan Tze Tak spread his hands. "Officers, what can I do for you?"
The leading officer looked Yan Tze Tak up and down. "We received a report about a serious fight that took place on Portland Street. Someone was seriously injured. We're here to find out whether it's true."
"Did it? How come I don't know anything about it?" Yan Tze Tak looked surprised. "My brothers were injured accidentally while working. They definitely weren't involved in any kind of fight."
Four people are dead, and you still call this fighting and injury? Yet I don't see you arresting anyone from Dongxing!
However, he did not dare say that aloud. If things really escalated, it would do no one any good.
Besides, the underworld had its own rules. You bore responsibility for your own affairs. Anyone who went running to the cops would be despised by everyone and could forget about staying in the game.
"You're sure?" The leading officer looked at Yan Tze Tak.
"I'm sure!"
"Then there's nothing to worry about. Treat your own injuries yourself!" the officer said sarcastically, his tone revealing his schadenfreude.
The police certainly knew what had happened. They probably even knew about the deaths. So many people had been involved at the scene, and there had also been onlookers in the surrounding shops. But if the people involved did not report it, the authorities did not bother to investigate.
"Of course we'll pay for our own treatment. What, is the Social Welfare Department going to reimburse our medical expenses?"
"Tsk!" The leading officer gave a disdainful laugh. Without another word, he turned and left. When it came to gang warfare and mutual slaughter, as long as civilians were not endangered and nobody reported it, the police could not be bothered. It was poison fighting poison. The more of them that died, the better—Hong Kong would be peaceful once they were all gone.
That was also why the police always arrived last whenever gangs fought. They only guarded the perimeter and waited until the fighting was over before cleaning up. The police department probably wished it could open a dedicated fighting arena and let the gangs kill each other inside. Maybe it could even make a profit!
While Wang Xuan was recuperating, Baki took advantage of the moment when Jackals's defeated underlings had scattered and immediately mobilized a large force. He directly seized all of Portland Street in Mong Kok, expanding his territory and greatly boosting his reputation.
Although Yan Tze Tak's Hong Yi Society was reluctant to give up Mong Kok, Dongxing's people were also eyeing their other two territories hungrily. It gave the impression that the moment they revealed another weakness, Dongxing would swallow them whole.
When the wall fell, everyone pushed; when the drum broke, everyone beat it. The Hong Yi Society was now in a precarious position. Besides Dongxing, Hung Hing and several smaller societies were also coveting its territory.
A week later, Wang Xuan had his stitches removed, and his wounds were nearly healed. His recovery had been much faster than he expected, thanks to Shen Leman coming every day to change his dressings and take good care of him. Their relationship had also progressed somewhat. Compared with the little gangsters she had dealt with before, this man from the year 9102, Wang Xuan, was far more cultured.
He joked around and told amusing stories, always managing to make Shen Leman smile from the heart.
Of course, things would have been even better if Ah Wai had not arrived punctually every day.
With most of his body recovered, Wang Xuan was no longer hindered in his movements. Dongxing happened to be holding a Fragrant Hall ceremony, so as a great contributor, Wang Xuan followed Baki to Dongxing's headquarters.
When they reached the headquarters entrance, Baki said to Wang Xuan before getting out of the car, "We took over this territory on Portland Street in Mong Kok. Today is the day rewards are handed out. Once we go in, answer whatever the boss asks you. Other than that, keep quiet."
"I understand."
Dongxing's Fragrant Hall was not very large, because few people were allowed to come here. They were all important figures in the society. Either you were a boss in charge of a district, or you were a retired elder.
Some were also people like Wang Xuan, who had rendered great service to the society, or trusted underlings of district bosses.
A large, rectangular table stood in the middle of the Fragrant Hall. There was a row of chairs on either side of it, as well as two more rows along the walls. A statue of Guan Gong stood in the center of the back wall.
In Hong Kong, Lord Guan was a very busy man. The police worshiped Guan Gong, the triads worshiped Guan Gong, and businessmen worshiped Guan Gong too. Who knew whether the old man could keep up with all of it?!
When the two entered, many bosses had already arrived. Baki told Wang Xuan to sit to one side while he walked over to a blond-haired man seated beside the long table.
The man's nickname was Golden-Haired Tiger Sandhopper. He was one of the East Star Five Tigers and the district boss in Sham Shui Po. He was arrogant and domineering, held a prominent position in Dongxing, and did not even take Hung Hing's leader seriously.
Baki followed him and managed several streets near Mong Kok in Sham Shui Po.
The two spoke in low voices for a few moments. Then Baki turned back and beckoned to Wang Xuan.
Before you continue