The day I first came across the Ecstasy Holiday Entertainment City, I passed right by its entrance. It was only four stories high, but a glance through the glass doors revealed its high-class décor. I didn't go back to explain things to Fang Yanmeng and the others. Perhaps this task wouldn't take more than a few minutes; speed has always been my style. I figured they could just assume I’d stepped out to use the restroom, especially since Fang Yanmeng even handed me a few tissues, as if she somehow knew what I was up to.

The entertainment city was close by, just a couple of steps away. Head down, I ignored the guard's scrutinizing gaze and stepped into the lobby. The cavernous hall didn't immediately suggest entertainment, but that was just the surface. I was certain there’d be spectacular action on the second, third, and fourth floors; otherwise, why would the wealthy elite of Liangshan frequent this place?

Consumption was certainly not my objective. My powerful clairvoyance quickly scouted the entire premises. The first floor hosted typical diversions, including a basement disco and lounge. But the atmosphere started to sour on the second floor, which was filled with various gambling rooms. There, corpulent magnates were attended by scantily clad girls—it seemed Liang Kuan had diligently absorbed advanced foreign practices. The third floor had completely devolved into an upscale brothel. I had no interest in watching those people toss and turn, so I looked further up to the fourth floor, where the real players were gathered. I only recognized the one they called 'Beard'; the others were total strangers.

There was no elevator in the city, so I headed for the stairs to the fourth floor. I was stopped at the stairwell entrance to the third floor by two bald men who barked at me, "What are you doing! The fourth floor isn't for general entertainment. If you’re looking for ⅶ, it’s on the third. If you want to gamble, go to the second. If you want to dance, go to the first."

My voice was low. "I'm looking for Liang Kuan. Does that mean I have to go to the fourth floor?"

The bald man asked, "That’s right. But why are you looking for Brother Kuan? Do you have an appointment? You look unfamiliar. What’s your name?"

"I'm looking for Liang Kuan to kill him!" With that, I moved before the two thugs could react.

These enforcers weren't high-level; two punches and three kicks dispatched them. Guided by my earlier X-ray vision, I swiftly arrived before the fourth-floor conference room. Two large men stood guard outside—clearly, the death of the long-haired man had made them heighten their security.

"Who are you? How did you get up here!" they both demanded.

I didn't waste time revealing my intentions. In a blur of movement, I struck the first man's throat and simultaneously slammed the second into the wall. The whole sequence took less than two seconds. Before the two men could process the blinding speed of my counter-attack, their lights had gone out. A brief, subtle movement of my hand had ensured they wouldn't raise any alarm.

The people inside didn't even see the process unfold. By then, I was already seated in the center chair of the conference room. It seemed the guy named Liang Kuan hadn't arrived yet, otherwise, his seat of honor wouldn't be left empty. Finally, someone reacted, shouting and yelling. To panic like this—these gangsters clearly had no genuine quality.

Whoosh, whoosh—several guns immediately pointed at me. "Who are you! How did you get in here! What do you want? Do you know whose turf this is? Are you tired of living?"

Ignoring the muzzles, I knocked twice on the table. "Who is Ma Liu?"

No one spoke, but several pairs of eyes clearly shifted toward a thin, horse-faced man. The gun in his hand trembled twice. He spat out, "I don't know you, but I have no need to know a dead man!"

Bang! Ma Liu fired. Infected by his action, the others blindly opened fire too—bang, bang, bang—the sound of gunfire filled the air. But they soon realized that the person sitting in the leader's seat had vanished. Then came a sharp scream. A large, fat man flinched in shock at the dead body beside him.

"Ma Liu! Who killed Ma Liu!" Ma Liu’s own gun was pressed against his forehead, blood bubbling thickly at his temple. The shot he had just fired had inexplicably turned on himself, even though everyone clearly saw the muzzle aimed straight ahead!

Tap, tap. I knocked twice more on the table. I had moved with lightning speed, diverting his gun barrel and killing him before he could fire, then instantly returning to Liang Kuan’s seat. "Who is 'Traitor'?"

The same fat man who had screamed beside Ma Liu cursed, "Damn it, you think you're going to kill me too? I'll plug you first!" He raised his gun to shoot, but a sudden sharp pain shot through his hand, and the weapon was wrenched away. Bang! He clutched his stomach in disbelief, collapsing to the floor.

Seeing the man nicknamed 'Traitor' half-dead, I looked at Beard, whose face had gone pale. "And you, come along with them!"

"Wait, wait, wait! If you’re going to kill me, you should at least give me a reason. Who are you? What grudge do we have? And by doing this, you show no respect for Brother Kuan! If you can’t kill us all, you will die!"

I said coldly, "Liang Kuan is going to die too! I might as well tell you, this girl is my wife. Now you understand why you have to die." As I spoke, I held up Yun Yao’s photo on my phone. With her beauty and striking resemblance to her mother, Beard wouldn't need to be told the reason.

To save time, I gave Beard no chance for repentance and shot him directly in the forehead. The remaining four men were stunned. Though they held guns, they seemed utterly incapable of dealing with the situation before them. To call them gangsters—what kind of profitable life could gangsters in this small corner of Liangshan possibly lead? Their grip on the guns suggested they were novices; they had surely never experienced such a bloody scene. Watching Beard’s brains splatter out, two of them couldn't help but start throwing up.

I addressed the four. "I can spare your lives, all four of you. But get lost—get far away. Don't let me see you again, or it's death!"

"We’re going, we’re going, don't kill us!" the four shouted, dropping their weapons and fleeing out the door.

I grabbed one of them. "Where is Liang Kuan? Where is he?"

The man stammered, "He left on urgent business shortly after the meeting started. We subordinates don’t dare pry into Big Brother's privacy."

It seemed I had let the big fish, Liang Kuan, slip away this time. But with me in Liangshan, I doubted he’d have an easy time surviving for long. I let the four men, who were terrified enough to wet themselves, go and started taking pictures of the three corpses on the floor. I needed to report back to Yun Yao; perhaps if she was pleased, she might even spend the night with me tonight in a threesome.

After taking photos, I surveyed the conference room. This building would be my territory soon; it needed a thorough renovation. Gambling could continue, and the young women willing to sell themselves, provided they were healthy, could stay. A real triad needed to look the part, but I wouldn't deal in drugs, coercion, or forcing decent women into prostitution. I was, after all, a government employee; I couldn't afford to disgrace myself too much. I wondered what Zhu Da had been running—I truly didn't seem cut out to be a triad boss.

Bang! The conference room door was kicked open, and the muzzle of a submachine gun poked in, spitting a relentless spray of bullets over my head. It seemed those four guys weren't afraid of death and had brought backup. Fearing the bullets would ruin my clothes, I dodged several times, leaping onto the roof, then dove toward the man firing the submachine gun, snapping his neck with one palm strike. I snatched up his weapon and sprayed the crowd behind me.

It wasn't that I intended to do this; they forced me to take their lives. The immediate area was quickly cleared. Dropping the submachine gun, I called Scarface, instructing him to bring men to clean up the mess. After my slaughter, Liang Kuan probably wouldn't have any usable subordinates left. I just wondered if Xie Sen would investigate tonight's events; I’d need to subtly hint to him about it.

The gunfire from the fourth floor had disturbed the business on the second and third floors. By the time Scarface and his men arrived, few people remained in the Ecstasy Holiday Entertainment City—mostly just the hostesses and low-level staff. Scarface’s face went white when he saw the corpses littering the floor.

I comforted him. "It’s fine, don't be scared. Arrange for someone to clean it up; best to burn the whole place down and be done with it. Since Liang Kuan escaped, you need to be extra vigilant from now on. The moment you spot a trace of him, notify me immediately."

Scarface nodded, then asked worriedly, "We killed so many people—will the police come looking for us?"

"I’ll handle the police matters. You guys get the entertainment city back up and running quickly. Let the hostesses who want to stay remain. Those who are sick should be sent for treatment promptly. For any young men willing to join us, warn them: we don't deal drugs, we don't seize property by force, and we don't force respectable women into prostitution. I am, after all, a government official; don't let me lose face."

Scarface replied, "I understand, Brother Qian. I'll arrange for men to handle this right away."

As I left, I added one last instruction: "Liang Kuan will surely seek revenge. If you can't beat him, retreat, and notify me immediately so I can deal with him."

I jumped from the fourth-floor windowsill and called Hu Qing, telling him to find a way to subtly hint to Xie Sen not to press the matter of tonight’s events. I trusted Xie Sen wouldn't dare defy Hu Qing's wishes.

When I returned to the wonton stall, Fang Yanmeng sounded displeased. "Didn't you strain yourself? Do you need me to get you some medicine?"

I glanced at the time. "It was only about ten minutes. But honestly, I do feel much lighter after using the washroom. Come on, let's keep drinking. See who passes out first tonight."

Fang Yanmeng and Hua Qingqing were delighted to have me by their side, so they didn't refuse the drinks. Ning Shixuan deliberately provoked Lan Feng, causing her to drink quite a bit too. The three girls seemed to hit it off immediately, and once the alcohol started taking effect, they began chatting animatedly.

I quietly pulled Yun Yao aside and showed her the gruesome state of the three dead men. Yun Yao first gasped in shock, but she quickly understood that I had killed three more enemies for her family. "Brother Zhao, you... you are too good to me. Yun Yao truly doesn't know how to repay you."

I grinned suggestively. "Repaying Brother Zhao is actually very simple. Come to my room tonight."

Yun Yao blushed. "Brother Zhao, it’s not that I don’t want to, but Mama is here, and I wouldn't dare. Besides, I’m only seventeen; Mama wouldn't agree to you treating me like that. But I promise to find a way to repay you, okay?"

I pinched Yun Yao’s cheek. "Of course, that’s fine. Liang Kuan isn’t here tonight, but he can't escape forever. Sooner or later, we'll kill him to avenge your father!"

Yun Yao’s mood instantly brightened. She stopped talking about revenge. "Brother Zhao, what is your relationship with Sister Fang and Sister Hua? Please tell me. I promise I'll keep my word about what I said before; I won't get angry."

I asked, "Then what does our relationship look like to you?"

Yun Yao nervously twisted the corner of her dress. "You’ve definitely been intimate with all of them. I can tell. The two sisters are very good to you, and they are both beautiful and capable. Yun Yao doesn't deserve Brother Zhao."

I comforted her. "You have your own unique qualities. Your beauty is no less than theirs. Also, I heard rumors from classmates at Longteng University that your dancing is supernatural. I must see it if I get the chance."

Yun Yao whispered near my ear, "Do you mean the two kinds you mentioned? I've never done them before and I’m afraid you’ll laugh at me."

Yun Yao was referring to [CENSORED WORD 1] and pole dancing. If she had danced those before, it would be a much bigger hassle. "Don't be afraid. I have recordings of these dances downloaded from the internet on my phone. You’ll know them as soon as you watch."

Yun Yao murmured, "I'll listen to whatever Brother Zhao says. Arrange a time."

My heart soared—another one secured. As for Ning Shixuan, she required almost no effort. It seemed my trip to Liangshan had been highly rewarding; worth celebrating with a few more drinks tonight.

Hua Qingqing and Fang Yanmeng were seated on my left and right, while Ning Shixuan and Yun Yao sat across the small table. The girls' faces were flushed crimson from drinking, which only highlighted their exquisite beauty.

Hua Qingqing’s figure wasn't as slender as Yun Yao’s; she appeared more ample, and paired with her physician's uniform, which she hadn't changed out of, she was the sexiest highlight of the night market. Beside her, Fang Yanmeng was petite and refined; her un-stuffy business attire made her even more charming. Yun Yao was the most buxom of the four; her beautiful figure combined with her innocent, lovely face was truly eye-catching. Ning Shixuan, aware of my unusual connection with Fang Yanmeng and Hua Qingqing, kept winking at me, much to my delight and Lan Feng’s utter agony.

When I drank too much, my mind became muddled. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to take all of them to bed.