Two days later, the Three Lakes Gang's remaining men returned from White Dragon Marsh.
But neither their leader nor most of their powerful elites were among those who returned.
The gang members left on the surface to provide support had waited in Southern White Dragon Marsh for two full days, but there had been no movement underwater.
The remaining men did not dare dive into White Dragon Marsh to investigate. Of the twenty-two men who had gone down, along with Deputy Leader Qian Yue, not one of those powerful fighters had surfaced.
At first, they thought their leader was battling that giant snake underwater, and that it was only natural for the fight to take some time.
The first day passed. No one came up.
The second day passed. Still no one.
Not until dawn on the third day did a few scraps of cloth float up onto the dark surface of Blackwater Whirlpool in White Dragon Marsh.
A closer look revealed that they came from the clothes of the experts who had gone underwater.
When the gang members aboard the boats fished the scraps out, their hands were shaking.
Only after seeing those scraps of clothing were they finally certain.
Three Lakes Gang Leader Chen Tao, Deputy Leader Qian Yue, and twenty-two elite gang members.
They had all been wiped out.
The Three Lakes Gang's own men leaked the news after returning to White Fish City.
They returned utterly distraught. Some got drunk and wailed in taverns, while others sought out familiar friends to discuss a way out.
With so many mouths, all it took was one loose tongue, and the news ran through the city as though it had grown legs.
In less than half a day, all of White Fish City erupted.
"The Three Lakes Gang's leader