Inside the gang of four’s dormitory, Fatty Lin woke Yang Yi with a call bright and early, only to hang up after dropping a line that left Yang Yi with a serious headache.
“Second Bro, who was that, calling so early?” Xu Ming murmured, cracking open an eye and glancing down at Fatty Lin on the bunk below him.
“Uh, it was Brother Yi; he needs me to call in sick for him.” Fatty Lin rubbed his eyes, then suddenly seemed to notice something, letting out a sharp yell, “Damn it, Third Bro, can you stop sticking your head out while you’re sleeping? Look at that drool—man, that’s disgusting.”
Apparently startled by Fatty Lin’s sudden outcry, Ye Xiaohou, who was nearby, also bolted awake, struggling to sit up and asking, “What the hell are you yelling about so early in the morning?”
“Uh… Second Bro, you heard? Boss is taking another leave today. What’s going on?” Xu Ming asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s about the Black Society thing!” Fatty Lin gave a sharp jolt, suddenly appearing much more alert.
“Crap, is the Boss going to leave us behind again?” Xu Ming pushed himself up with one hand and jumped down without even bothering to put on pants, much to Fatty Lin’s irritation; after all, Xu Ming was on the top bunk, and even the slightest movement above was unbearable below.
“Forget it, I have to go find the Boss. Gwa-gwa, I really don't want to miss out on this,” Ye Xiaohou quickly got up as well.
“I suggest you two don't bother. Brother Yi is probably already in Jiangsu; he told me he was already in the car when he called,” Fatty Lin shot them a look.
“Damn…” Ye Xiaohou and Xu Ming exclaimed simultaneously.
And indeed, on the other side, just as Fatty Lin had said, Yang Yi was already seated in a vehicle that was steadily making its way toward Jiangsu.
Following behind him were no fewer than twenty white vans—a formation that looked both shocking and strangely synchronized. Fortunately, they were all the same model of van, differing only in color.
“Young Master, according to the intelligence relayed by the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits, the Black Society is fully prepared. In just one night, they have mobilized fifty thousand personnel concentrated in the Jiangsu area, and a major disturbance is already brewing throughout the city,” Feng Shi said, his brow furrowed.
“It seems we’ve certainly caused quite a stir. Once we take over the Black Society, it's tantamount to positioning ourselves at the very apex of China’s underworld. Things are only going to get more complicated from here,” Yang Yi stated. After a night of deep reflection, he understood much more; the real, hard fight was now at hand.
That was right. If the Black God Gang were to assume control of the Black Society now, they would not only face resistance from a faction within the Black Society itself but also contend with rival gangs lurking and eyeing them from all four directions. Furthermore, there was the Black Dragon Society, which had always operated in the shadows.
“The Black Dragon Society?” Yang Yi murmured to himself, a cold smile flashing across his mind. He glanced at the passing scenery, speaking aloud to no one in particular, “The view looks magnificent today. It’s a perfect setting to kick off the ceremony of ‘killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.’”
“The beginning day? Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys?” Han Zhong, who was driving, muttered the phrases under his breath. He glanced at Yang Yi, who was focused on the view outside, via the rearview mirror, a slight curl on his lip, but he held his tongue.
Meanwhile, back at the Black Society headquarters conference room, Zhou Hu stared grimly at more than a dozen middle-aged men. One was Zhao Qing, and the others were the highest-ranking members—outside of the Boss himself—along with several management personnel.
Everyone present was deeply puzzled, not only because Zhou Hu had summoned all the high-ranking officials of the Black Society but also because they noticed four or five unfamiliar faces accompanying Zhou Hu.
However, the person most astonished and bewildered among them was Zhao Qing. Given his own strength, simply observing the four or five middle-aged men in black following Zhou Hu revealed them to be absolute masters. While they weren't vastly superior to him, a one-on-five confrontation would prove extremely taxing.
“I’ve gathered you all here today, and I assume you’re all curious as to why?” Zhou Hu took a deep breath, knowing the moment had arrived.
“We are…!” The assembled group responded.
“Good. Actually, I’m curious too, because I didn’t summon you all here!” Zhou Hu looked coldly at these brothers who had followed him through years of shared life and death, but who were now effectively someone else’s pawns. A cold laugh was unavoidable.
“What…?” Hearing Zhou Hu’s words, the group exchanged bewildered looks, seemingly unable to grasp his meaning.
“Boss, what exactly are you implying?” Zhao Qing, clearly losing patience, immediately demanded.
“Heh heh, don't be hasty, Old Zhao. You’ll know soon enough,” Zhou Hu chuckled.
While they waited here, poised for action, across town, at the Chinese branch of the Black Dragon Society—
“I see. I see. I truly underestimated you, Zhou Hu!” A middle-aged man coldly slammed a stack of documents onto the table with a distinct snap.
The man standing nearby shuddered, saying, “Black Master, Shadow reported last night that Yamamoto-kun wanted him to inform you that Zhou Hu intends to betray us!”
“Baka! I don’t need you to remind me of that,” the middle-aged man called Black Master snapped angrily.
“Yes! Yes!” The attendant quickly agreed, seeming slightly intimidated.
“How is Yamamoto-kun’s situation right now?” Black Master asked.
“According to our spies, the Black Society has mobilized all its forces today, but their objective is likely no longer…”
“Baka! Do I need to warn you again?” Black Master sounded unusually patient with this attendant.
“I apologize, Black Master!” The attendant responded, a cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Indeed, the Black Master had already gathered a rough picture of the Black Society’s current status and suspected something was amiss today—wasn't that why he had just reviewed those files? Furthermore, the attendant had been standing there the entire time, and it should have been obvious. If he couldn't grasp that, he must truly be an idiot.
“Immediately summon a few Shadows for me,” Black Master commanded.
“Yes!” The attendant breathed a quiet sigh of relief and hurried out.
In less than a minute, more than ten figures, masked, clad entirely in black, and dressed like ninjas, materialized.
“We greet the Black Master!”
“Good. You will now proceed to protect Yamamoto-kun and simultaneously scout and monitor the Black Society’s current movements. Remember, you must keep Yamamoto-kun safe. If anything happens to him, that responsibility will be more than you can bear,” Black Master stated sternly.
“Yes!” The Shadows acknowledged and vanished into thin air.
“Hmph, Zhou Hu, I’d like to see exactly what you intend to pull off!?” Black Master’s voice suddenly took on a strange quality, and his square face began to contort, making him look terrifying in that moment.
#####################
Time ticked by—two minutes, one minute, three seconds, one second. Just as some of the men were about to break the silence and question Zhou Hu, the conference room door flew open.
“Bang…!”
“Boss, there’s a group outside demanding to see you. The leader says his name is Yang Yi,” a subordinate burst in urgently.
“Good. Wait here for me a moment; I’ll be right out,” Zhou Hu said with a slight smile to the group of confused Black Society members standing there.
“Yes!”
Zhou Hu nodded and walked toward the door, still accompanied by five men. After he left, the remaining members began to murmur among themselves.
One member asked, “Vice Boss, what is the Boss trying to do today? Weren’t we supposed to attack the Black God Gang in City A last night? Why gather everyone here instead?”
“I’m not sure myself. The Boss must have his reasons,” Zhao Qing replied thoughtfully. He was thoroughly perplexed about what game Zhou Hu was playing; ever since he returned yesterday, Zhao Qing felt something was fundamentally wrong.
“Young Master, Zhou Hu has arrived,” Feng Shi called out from beside Yang Yi.
“Mm,” Yang Yi responded, turning his head to see Zhou Hu and several members of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits approaching.
“Dragon Lord, you’ve arrived at the perfect time!” Zhou Hu said courteously, stepping forward to shake Yang Yi’s hand.
“It’s adequate. How are things? Have all arrangements been made?” Yang Yi cut the pleasantries short and got straight to the point.
“Everything is ready, waiting in the conference room,” Zhou Hu paused briefly before replying.
“Excellent. Then let’s go,” Yang Yi said with a casual smile.
“Right!” Zhou Hu was inwardly thrilled; this was the first step of his plan beginning to materialize.
Led by Zhou Hu, Yang Yi and his entourage arrived at the entrance of the conference room. Noticing the way the entire group inside turned their gazes toward him the instant he stepped across the threshold, Yang Yi gave a cold smile and said, “A pleasure to meet you all.”
“Hello!” The assembled men were momentarily stunned. They returned the greeting out of respect for Zhou Hu, as he was the one who had led Yang Yi inside.
“Alright, everyone take a seat. The reason I gathered you here today is for this man: he is Yang Yi, the Dragon Lord of the Black God Gang!” Zhou Hu announced after taking the main seat.