Framed

"Yes!"

The two elite gang members sneered coldly, picked up their leather whips, and lashed out viciously.

"Snap..."

"Ah..."

A Shun had never eaten much meat in his life; after a few lashes from the two men, he was served a full plate of "whip-fried meat" to satisfy his hunger.

"I, I confess, I know who the spy is..."

After ten lashes, A Shun could no longer hold out and was coerced into a false confession.

Liu Gang waved his hand to stop them. "Stop. Tell me, who is the spy?"

"It's the cook, Wang Dawei, and the assistant cook, and... and the newcomer, the prep cook Zhao Han."

A Shun made random accusations, throwing everyone in the kitchen under the bus.

Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well drag a few people down with him.

He didn't know the other gang members well, but he knew everyone in the kitchen, including the prep cook who had once screwed him over. They could all go to the grave with him.

He harbored deep resentment toward most of the people in the kitchen.

"Heh, do you take me for a fool?" Liu Gang sneered coldly. "You claim they are all spies. If they were poisoning the food, the Hall Master and I would have been drugged to death long ago. Do you think we'd still be alive today?"

"It seems you still haven't confessed honestly. You two, get out. I'll show him a thing or two myself." Liu Gang waved his hand at the two men.

"Yes!"

Once they had left, Liu Gang lashed A Shun a few more times.

"Ah..."

"Just kill me..."

Under the intense pain, A Shun nearly fainted.

After a few more lashes, Liu Gang stopped. He leaned in close to A Shun's ear and whispered, "You spineless coward. If you don't want to die such an ugly death, I can give you a chance."

"Ch-chief, wh-what chance?" A Shun asked, his consciousness fading.

"The spy is clearly Wang Bao, and it was Wang Bao who gave you the Black Wolf Fist Manual."

Liu Gang smiled broadly.

Wang Bao was the younger brother of another leader, Wang Hu. His martial arts were on par with his own, second only to Wang Hu.

Wang Hu often worked against him, vying for the Hall Master's favor. The two had clashed many times, both openly and in the shadows, and Liu Gang had always come up just short.

Seizing this golden opportunity, Liu Gang wanted to eliminate Wang Bao and cut off one of Wang Hu's arms.

As for why he didn't just point the finger directly at Wang Hu, Liu Gang knew it would be useless.

The Hall Master was well aware that the two of them were constantly bickering, sabotaging and undermining each other. He would certainly never believe such a one-sided accusation.

But Wang Bao was different. His status was not as high as Wang Hu's. As long as he held onto this accusation firmly, he would surely be able to damage him.

"Wang Bao? You mean Leader Wang's own brother?" A Shun's expression shifted. If he offended Wang Hu, he feared he would die an even more miserable death.

Liu Gang continued to tempt him:

"That's right. Wang Bao is the spy for the Black Wolf Gang. He's the one who gave you the Black Wolf Fist Manual, and the previous riot was caused by information Wang Bao leaked."

"If you don't want to keep suffering, do as I say and point the finger at Wang Bao."

"Gulp..."

"I, I am willing to testify against Wang Bao..."

A Shun sighed. He knew his life was forfeit, but it was better to do as Liu Gang said than to suffer a fate worse than death.

"It's not testifying against Wang Bao; it's the truth. Wang Bao gave you the Black Wolf Fist Manual, and he caused the riot."

"Hold out for a while tonight, and confess tomorrow morning."

Having settled things with A Shun, Liu Gang continued to put on a show by cracking the whip a few more times, while A Shun continued to "refuse to crack."

"You two, get in here!"

"Keep whipping him. This guy's mouth is too tough." Liu Gang ordered the two to continue while he watched from the side.

After a while, A Shun still refused to give in.

"Forget it. Starve him for a meal and we'll come back tomorrow morning."

After one night.

As the sky began to brighten, Liu Gang brought Zhang Long and Zhao Hu along to drag the wooden frame A Shun was tied to outside, continuing the whipping in full view of everyone.

By this time, many people were awake; not just gang members, but the mine slaves saw it too.

After a round of whipping, A Shun finally confessed, his voice ringing out clearly: "It was Wang Bao! He is the real spy! I was just bewitched by him..."

Liu Gang's goal had been achieved. A Shun had confessed, and the target was pointed directly at Wang Bao.

With this confession in hand, Liu Gang immediately took A Shun to Hall Master Li Dalong's tent.

Following closely behind were Wang Hu and Wang Bao, both glaring daggers at Liu Gang.

If a gang member hadn't tipped them off, Liu Gang would likely have slipped one past them.

"Hall Master, this is the spy from the Black Wolf Gang we caught last night. He only just confessed," Liu Gang said, casting a glance at the two men before cupping his hands in a report.

Li Dalong sat in his chair, with the fair-skinned Zhang San by his side, serving him breakfast.

"I am already aware of the matter. A'gang, I know how to handle this. You go into the forest and hunt some game first," Li Dalong said, waving his hand at Liu Gang without even glancing at A Shun.

"You... you already know?" Liu Gang froze, his mouth slightly agape, his expression one of disbelief.

Li Dalong nodded. "Mm, this is just a scheme by the Black Wolf Gang to sow discord within my Poison Dragon Hall. A'hu, this spy is yours to deal with."

Wang Hu sneered upon hearing this, his peripheral vision sweeping over Liu Gang, while Wang Bao behind him wore a look of triumph.

You, Liu Gang, really thought we didn't know about your little tricks.

Your petty schemes are nothing in front of the Hall Master.

Liu Gang was left speechless, turning around and slinking away in defeat.

He already knew he couldn't compete with Wang Hu.

There was a deeper connection between Wang Hu and the Hall Master—a connection he was aware of, but dared not speak of openly.

Otherwise, his life would be forfeit.

Framing Wang Bao had been his final struggle for the position of squad leader, but unfortunately, it had failed.

"Baozi!"

Wang Hu shook his head at Wang Bao. Wang Bao stepped forward with a sinister grin, grabbed A Shun's head, and snapped his neck amidst the man's pleas for mercy.

"Hall Master, this is the medicinal pill distributed by the Holy Cult this month. Please keep it safe."

Wang Hu smiled as he took a wooden box from his bosom and presented it with both hands.

"Mm, you two go to the county town again and urge the Main Sect to send more mine slaves. We don't have enough manpower."

"Yes!" the two replied with smiles.

"Take the corpse with you when you leave; it's an eyesore."

"Yes!"

Compared to Wang Hu and Wang Bao, who enjoyed the Hall Master's favor, there was an unspoken, ambiguous relationship at play.

Liu Gang was feeling much more depressed.

He was currently in the eastern forest with five ordinary gang members skilled in hunting, tasked with catching game for Li Dalong.

Li Dalong had a passion for eating wild game, and he always made Liu Gang go out to catch it.

"Damn those Wang Hu and Wang Bao, I will definitely find dirt on you two." Liu Gang punched a tree trunk, his face twisted with hatred.

"Boss, there seems to be someone over there," a sharp-eyed gang member said, pointing to a spot over two hundred meters away.

"Someone? Go, catch him for me. I need to kill someone to vent my anger," Liu Gang said, his dull eyes lifting as he barked the order.

The gang member explained, "Boss, that person looks a bit familiar. I think he's the new guy from the kitchen."

"The new guy? You mean that dark, skinny kid named Zhao Han? Is he out here chopping wood? But this place is crawling with wild beasts; coming here to chop wood is just asking for death," Liu Gang wondered aloud.

He did have a slight impression of Zhao Han.

After all, everyone else had such rustic names like Zhao Da, Li Er, or Zhang San.

Only Li Fei and Zhao Han had names that stood out slightly.

"Wait, no, he seems to be hunting," the sharp-eyed gang member said in surprise.

"Hunting?" Liu Gang exclaimed.

Hunting here? He must have a death wish.

Even Liu Gang himself wouldn't dare stay here to hunt alone for any extended period.

Wild wolves were one thing, but encountering tigers or leopards was just as dangerous.