The Iron Tiger Gang's compound.
Two men stood guard at the front courtyard.
"Damn Cao Yan. He's really like a rat, hiding everywhere. It took us forever to find him!"
Triangular Eyes, who had previously recruited Li Chuan, cursed.
Another man with thick eyebrows sighed repeatedly:
"The gang leader has already cast a wide net, but we still haven't found a thing. We can't even find a kitten..."
Suddenly, a cold gust of wind swept by.
Triangular Eyes shivered. When he looked down, he saw a ball of paper at his feet!
He rubbed his eyes. Once he was sure he hadn't imagined it, he warily raised his head and scanned the area.
But after looking all around, he didn't find a trace of anyone.
It was as if the ball of paper had always been there.
Triangular Eyes picked it up and unfolded it, examining it carefully in the lamplight.
The thick-browed man leaned over and read it word by word:
"Where the Black Bear Gang leader Cao Yan is hiding?"
He snatched the paper over and carefully smoothed it out, only to discover a crude map drawn underneath.
"Cao Yan's hiding in one of the two houses beside us?!" The thick-browed man twitched his lips. "Who's pulling this prank?"
"Brother A-San, do you think it's possible? We've searched the nearby shops countless times already. We could've found a fly in there."
Triangular Eyes looked thoughtful.
"We really have searched them many times. We didn't even find a single Black Bear Gang fly."
The thick-browed man sneered.
"If you ask me, the Black Bear Gang might've sent someone to distract us!"
"If we believe this and report it without checking, won't the gang leader hold us responsible?"
"Just throw it away!"
The thick-browed man moved to tear up the paper.
Triangular Eyes hurriedly stopped him, alarmed.
"What are you doing? Whether it's true or not, how can we decide something this important on our own?"
"Here's a tip: when you can't be sure about something, don't decide for yourself. Report it and let the gang leader decide. Then he can't blame you."
Triangular Eyes gave the thick-browed man a long look.
"These are the ways to stay alive. You'll learn in time."
There was one thing he didn't say.
What if... it was true?
Song Jin took the crumpled ball of paper and examined it closely.
"Impossible."
The thick-browed man let out a breath of relief. He was about to take the paper and throw it away.
"Wait. You're saying someone slipped this paper in without anyone noticing?" Song Jin asked, furrowing his brow.
Triangular Eyes quickly nodded in confirmation.
Song Jin muttered to himself:
"Then it must've been a Bright Force expert. We haven't had much luck searching for the Black Bear Gang outside the city lately."
"Lying low right beside us does fit Cao Yan's taste for adventure."
Song Jin thought for a moment, then made his decision.
Even if they weren't sure it was true, they didn't have any better leads right now.
It was worth a try!
Even if they failed, they wouldn't suffer any additional losses.
"Gather the men and bring the weapons. We leave at once. Don't let word get out!" Song Jin rose and strode out with commanding strides.
The Black Bear Gang's compound.
A-Liang was taking over a shift from another man, standing guard at the entrance.
He lowered his head and watched the moonlight spilling through the crack in the door, but his thoughts had long since wandered from his post.
"Tomorrow, I'll wipe out the whole Li family. What should I use? Poison? No, poisoning would be too conspicuous. It'd be easy to find clues, and hard to cover up..."
"Then an assassination? Slip in under cover of night, give each of them one punch, then set the shop on fire. No one could find fault with that. A big shot will take care of things for me afterward!"
The more A-Liang thought about it, the more excited he became. His last trace of drowsiness vanished.
That's what I'll do!
"What's that sound?!" A-Liang heard dense footsteps suddenly coming from outside the door.
It had been quiet just moments ago, yet now they were right at the entrance.
That meant they'd been waiting nearby for a long time!
"Bang!"
The heavy wooden door was kicked apart, sending splinters flying everywhere.
Song Jin saw A-Liang and bared a vicious grin.
"We finally found you!"
Alarm bells rang in A-Liang's mind. He was so frightened that even his breathing slowed.
How? How had they suddenly found their way here?!
"Bang!"
Song Jin threw a fierce punch straight into A-Liang's head, caving in his skull!
A-Liang's eyes widened. He tried to force out a few words, but no sound came.
He fell straight to the ground.
Killed in one punch!
Shouts of battle suddenly erupted as a large group of men poured in through the front entrance and the rear courtyard.
Cao Yan's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
"Who sold me out?!"
He looked at the shifty-eyed man beside him.
"You!"
The man hurriedly waved his hands, terrified.
"Boss, you've got the wrong man! It wasn't me. I only dared to think about it. I never acted!"
Killing intent flashed in Cao Yan's eyes. With a sharp crack, he crushed the man's neck!
In that instant, two Bright Force experts and several other skilled fighters had already surrounded him.
Cao Yan spat.
"You little curs think you can stop me!"
Li Chuan lay in wait on the road leading to the suburbs, the only way out.
If Cao Yan didn't die today, Li Chuan wouldn't be able to rest easy.
Even though he was using someone else to kill Cao Yan, Cao Yan was still a veteran Bright Force fighter. He was injured, but who knew how much strength he had left?
He might escape.
Li Chuan wouldn't allow that risk to remain.
If Cao Yan died, that would be for the best.
If he survived and managed to escape, Li Chuan would finish him himself.
As time passed, the distant sounds of fighting drew in many constables, who gradually converged on the area.
Li Chuan's heart began to race.
If Cao Yan tried to escape, it could only be now.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
Cao Yan appeared!
His black clothes had been dyed red with blood. His left arm hung limp, and his steps were unsteady.
"These damn bastards are hard to shake. Good thing my fists are hard enough! If I get out of here, every last one of them will die!" Cao Yan spat out a mouthful of blood and steeled himself.
He looked down the empty street ahead. He'd already dealt with the pursuers behind him, and let out a sigh of relief.
After a bloody battle, he'd finally gotten away.
He was safe!
As long as he escaped the city, there was still hope!
Just then, Cao Yan suddenly noticed a shadow standing right in his path.
The shadow's face was hidden by a mask, and the dim moonlight made it impossible to see clearly.
Cao Yan gave a sycophantic laugh.
"Which great hero are you? Would you mind letting me pass?"
The shadow didn't answer. Instead, they dug their feet into the ground and shot forward.
In a blink, they were right in front of Cao Yan!
And with them came a handful of quicklime!
Cao Yan reacted quickly, instinctively flapping his arms to blow the lime powder away.
But his injuries had slowed him down, and some of it still got into his eyes.
A fierce burning sensation erupted in his pupils, making him open his mouth and cry out.
"Ah!"
As soon as he opened his mouth, the shadow flung another handful of powder.
This time, he inhaled every bit of it!
The searing sensation in his mouth nearly drove Cao Yan out of his mind.
"Underhanded!" Cao Yan summoned the blood and energy throughout his body and threw an enraged punch.
"Hm?!"
The impact felt completely wrong. It wasn't fist meeting fist at all!
Through his blurred vision, Cao Yan saw the shadow had brought out a dagger and was using it to meet his fist!
The dagger plunged into Cao Yan's palm, making him grimace in pain.
"I—!"
The shadow pressed in close, their right hand darting up like a poisonous snake, straight toward Cao Yan's eyes.
If that blow landed, Cao Yan would have no chance of turning things around!
But he was a veteran of countless battles. Even in dire straits, he managed to react.
In the blink of an eye, Cao Yan dropped into a crouch and dodged the deadly strike.
But to his surprise, the shadow suddenly changed moves, reaching down with two fingers and clamping onto his throat!
"This is... Through-Arm Fist?!"
In his final moments, Cao Yan thought of many things.
He couldn't remember when he'd ever offended anyone from Pine Wind Martial Hall.
He was cautious and never provoked anyone with a powerful family or great potential.
The only person he had any connection with was Li Nian's useless grandson!
Could it be him?
"Crack!" The shadow snapped Cao Yan's neck without a word.
Then they searched Cao Yan's body.
A cloth pouch, and a manual.
After that, the shadow stomped on Cao Yan more than a dozen times.
They didn't stop until his body was a bloody mess, leaving no trace of who he was.
Then the shadow vanished, as if they had never been there.
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