The slaughter of the underworld, while perhaps not as fierce as the ancient battlefields of clashing swords and myriad generals, still carried an equal capacity for devastation. Zheng Shen was dead. Of the four great hall masters of the Hungry Wolf Gang, one was captured, another rendered useless, and two already deceased. All that remained was for the Black God Syndicate to decide how to absorb the remainder of the Hungry Wolf Gang. In the span of a single afternoon and one night, the two major forces of A City—the Eagle Gang and the Hungry Wolf Gang—had been completely annihilated.

This was a myth, a miracle; a legend forged in a single afternoon and night, bringing two major powers under control. To be more precise, the Black God Syndicate had fully revealed itself. It had vanished twenty years prior, and now, two decades later, it did not reappear with grand fanfare or booming drums. Instead, it proved its existence purely through strength—the kind of strength capable of ruling the entire national underworld, perhaps even the global one.

At this moment, Yang Yi stood tall, his face pale and cold as he surveyed the blood-soaked headquarters of the Hungry Wolf Gang. “Stop!” His voice was faint, almost a whisper, yet it carried clearly to every ear in the vast hall. Hearing the sound, the fighting instantly ceased. Everyone paused, staring blankly at Yang Yi.

“It is over. The leader of the Hungry Wolf Gang is dead. If you surrender and join my Black God Syndicate, I will forgive all past grievances!” Yang Yi said, his eyes closed.

“Clang—Clang!” Instantly, all the remaining subordinates of the Hungry Wolf Gang dropped their weapons. Sometimes, when an end is due, it must be accepted, lest one needlessly waste their life.

“Uncle Han, I leave this place to you. Remember, indoctrinate as many as you can. I do not wish to face traitors later. Quality over quantity is the key!” Yang Yi knew he needed to attend to his own body soon, lest the residual poison spread further within him.

“Yes! Dragon Lord!” Han Zhong replied in salute.

And in another location, to the East:

Long Yi and the others had already concluded their work. Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou had sustained only minor injuries—scratches to their clothes and arms. This was inevitable; in the underworld, one seldom escapes without scars. Such is the nature of the Jianghu, a realm of indelible marks, a life where one’s path is rarely their own choosing.

To the South:

Long Wu and his contingent had employed brutal and merciless methods, slaughtering nearly every member of the Hungry Wolf Gang’s southern branch before swiftly seizing control. Their speed and ruthlessness were absolute. Deploying the Ten Army Generals for this task inevitably resulted in a scene of carnage.

To the North:

Long Er and his group had also moved with swift efficiency. After all, the leader here had already been captured by the Black God Syndicate early on. The one filling in for Lin Bai was nothing but a weakling; he surrendered within moments, promptly handing over all northern data, territories, and assets to Long Er’s crew.

To the West:

The collaboration between Fatty Lin and Feng Shi was nothing short of ghostly. Their objective upon breaching the western branch was not murder, but control. One couldn't help but note that despite his usual simple demeanor, Fatty Lin executed official tasks with sharp, decisive competence.

However, the forces positioned on the periphery of A City seemed caught off guard by the suddenness of the events and the blinding speed of the Black God Syndicate’s actions. They couldn't muster a response. Consequently, the three hundred Black God Guards stationed on the perimeter waited an entire night. Yet, every gain demands a loss. The entirety of A City was subtly trembling. Few people noticed any grand upheaval, but in the shadows, in the hidden corners, one could sense a beautiful shift taking place. The Eagle Gang? Gone. The Hungry Wolf Gang? Also erased.

The Ice Mirror Society? Currently, this remained the only unknown variable—!

Yang Yi now sat inside a room at the Hungry Wolf Gang headquarters—no, more accurately, the Black God Syndicate’s headquarters now. Whether this room would serve as the central hub remained undecided. Setting that aside for the moment, the room was pitch black. Yang Yi sat cross-legged before the floor-to-ceiling window, his face deathly pale, wisps of smoke rising from his head, and cold sweat beading on his forehead. It was unclear why Yang Yi looked so ravaged.

“Pfft!” Yang Yi’s lips moved, and a stream of black blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Moments later, he managed to open his eyes. “I didn't expect it, didn't expect that Zheng Shen’s martial arts would involve poison. Such a wicked discipline—where on earth did he learn such a technique?” Yang Yi seemed somewhat recovered. He glanced at his left hand, which had returned to normal, and then at his now soaked clothes, letting out a bitter, wry smile.

The Next Day:

The sun shone brightly today, showing no sign of abnormality, just like any ordinary morning. The only difference was that the entire structure of A City had been irrevocably altered.

“Mmm!” Yang Yi stretched lazily, groaning with a detached air.

“Boss, let’s go eat!” Xu Ming said to Yang Yi.

“Good!” Yang Yi rose to comply. Just as his words fell, a figure suddenly materialized before him. In the span of a second, the newcomer’s forehead seemed to sweat slightly. “Uh! Li-classmate, is something wrong?”

“Nothing at all. Let’s go eat together!” Li Qian said with a cheerful smile, then took Yang Yi’s hand and led him away, feigning an air of casual indifference.

This immediately provoked a chorus of glares from the surrounding crew, their eyes filled with resentment as they muttered amongst themselves, “That bastard—!”

“Haha! Haha!” Xu Ming chuckled softly, clearly amused by Yang Yi’s flustered expression and cold sweat.

Fatty Lin walked over, rolled his eyes at Xu Ming, and snapped, “Hurry up and go, damn it. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Brother Hai, this kid…”

“Hmph. Since he declared war on me yesterday, why should I show any fear?” In a nearby corner, Lin Hai spoke quietly to a student beside him.

“Exactly. That kid dared to issue such harsh words yesterday; he clearly doesn't respect Brother Hai at all,” the student agreed.

“Just a petty Yang Yi. I am the one who doesn’t respect him, hmph!” Lin Hai glared hatefully at Yang Yi, who was currently being tugged along by Li Qian with an awkward look, and sneered.

“It seems it’s time to have a proper talk with him!” Principal Li stood by the railing at the entrance of the principal’s office, looking in the direction of the cafeteria. Just as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man emerged from the office.

“Heh heh. A City will eventually fall under his control. I truly hadn’t imagined that the entire structure of A City would change overnight,” the middle-aged man chuckled wryly.

“Stop bragging. If you hadn't given the A City police the night off yesterday, how could that kid have settled things so quickly?” Principal Li countered.

“I merely did a few trivial things. Haven't you noticed? To seize the assets, data, and everything belonging to two factions in a single night, and to extensively brainwash those who surrendered—to accomplish all this in just one night. I ask you, in this world, who else possesses such terrifying capability?” the middle-aged man said with a smile.

“Sigh—let’s just hope he doesn't get carried away by his success,” Principal Li said with profound meaning.

A flicker of hesitation crossed the middle-aged man’s face before he simply smiled faintly and remained silent.

[Due to being exceptionally busy today, coupled with intermittent power outages because the electrical wiring at home is being fixed, if today’s update is insufficient, I will make it up tomorrow. Thank you.]