Those two words perfectly described Zheng Shen and Hong Gang, though perhaps not Zhou Tian, with his face twisted in resentment and fury.

Yang Yi smiled faintly and said, “You only need to decide whether you are willing to cooperate with me; you don’t need to worry about anything else.”

“What else can we say now? Our very lives are in your hands.” Both Zheng Shen and Hong Gang were beginning to feel regret, yet were equally afraid to fully embrace it.

Regretful that they hadn't allied with the Green Gang or the Dragon Gang. If they had, perhaps things wouldn't have escalated to this point, where the entire Hong Kong underworld fell under the control of the Black God Gang. But, conversely, they dared not regret, because if they had chosen the Green Gang or the Dragon Gang, even if the outcome hadn't been this drastic, wouldn't they have ultimately just been preparing the ground for those other factions?

Events proved it: Man proposes, Heaven disposes. Every situation held variables; no person, no matter the circumstance, could dictate terms absolutely, nor could destiny be set in stone with an unbreakable promise. Even Yang Yi dared not guarantee he could completely control all of Hong Kong tonight, let alone the deeper, darker purpose lurking within his mind.

“I require a precise answer!” Yang Yi’s voice suddenly dropped, turning bone-chillingly cold.

No one enjoys a response delivered with such icy disdain, much less this group whose lives were currently held captive by Yang Yi’s will.

“Fine, I am willing to cooperate with you.” Hong Gang took a deep breath, as if making a final, irrevocable decision. After all, he had been utterly defeated today, yet so long as the grandfather of the Hong Kong triads, the Hung Hing Society, was not extinguished, there was room for negotiation—that was his sole objective now.

Zheng Shen also looked at Yang Yi and stated, “I am willing as well.”

“Big Brother.” Zhou Tian looked at Zheng Shen, his face grim. The man truly seemed stubborn this time.

“Second Brother, we’ve truly lost this time, and lost completely,” Zheng Shen said, seemingly understanding what Zhou Tian was thinking.

“No, I do not agree.” Zhou Tian’s expression abruptly contorted into something fierce. He looked coldly at Yang Yi and snarled, “Don’t think that I, the Fourteenth, will bow down under your tyranny. Hmph, at worst, I’ll drag you down with me in mutual destruction.”

“Second Brother!” Zheng Shen stared at Zhou Tian in utter shock. He couldn't fathom why the usually calm and composed Zhou Tian was suddenly acting like a completely different person today.

“Hahahaha!” Zhou Tian erupted in maniacal laughter, and in a sudden flash, “Bang!” He pulled out a handgun and fired at Yang Yi.

“Whoosh!” A sound of uncanny speed. Yang Yi dodged the bullet in that critical millisecond, but it struck Liu Xin, who was standing not far behind him. “Thwack!” A wet sound of impact; Liu Xin fell without uttering a word, his face frozen in disbelief.

The violence did not cease there. A series of cracks followed immediately: “Bang! Bang! Bang!”

“Whoosh!” One figure weaved away from the bullets, while several others scattered. However, the air itself froze solid in that instant, halting Yang Yi and Fatty Lin in their tracks as they surged forward.

“Ah, ah...” Zhou Tian spat out sounds between clenched teeth, looking down at his own hands and feet with disbelief—pale white skin emitting a chilling, icy vapor.

“Second Brother!” Zheng Shen cried out.

Yang Yi’s face hardened. He waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t kill him yet.”

“I have only frozen his limbs; I haven’t taken his life.” Xuanyuan Bing had not only unleashed her extraordinary ability but her voice itself pulsed with the frequency of her power, causing the surrounding air to grow steadily colder. Everyone standing nearby shivered involuntarily; had Xuanyuan Bing not reined in the output slightly, they might all have become ice sculptures.

“I sense a deep hatred from you. Tell me, did we have a history of enmity before this?” Yang Yi’s aura turned sharply sinister and arrogant, spreading outwards without restraint, seemingly amplifying the pervasive chill.

“Hahahaha, a major figure like you naturally wouldn't remember me,” Zhou Tian sneered, his face twisted with profound resentment. “Do you remember the Japanese man you captured when you ruled Jiangsu—Yamamoto Keiichi? Do you recall?”

“Yamamoto Keiichi?” Yang Yi frowned upon hearing the name, his eyes scrutinizing Zhou Tian intensely. “I don’t think you’re Japanese. What is your connection to Yamamoto Keiichi?”

“Hmph! I am certainly not Japanese, but my girlfriend is. And her name is Yamamoto Reiko!”

As Zhou Tian spoke, Yang Yi, Feng Shi, and even Fatty Lin’s expressions shifted violently. Yamamoto Keiichi had been captured when Yang Yi attacked the Black Dragon Society in Jiangsu, apprehended personally by Feng Shi. At the time, Yang Yi had ordered Han Zhong not to execute him immediately, hoping to extract information regarding the Black Dragon Society and the Miyamoto family. Unfortunately, even under the severe interrogation methods of the Black God Guards, Yamamoto Keiichi yielded nothing, eventually biting through his own tongue and committing suicide to escape further torment.

(Author's Note: Phew, don't call me shameless or unscrupulous. Damn, uncovering a plot point feels incredibly satisfying. The pits I dug will all be filled in soon. Go, go!)

“You couldn’t possibly mean that your girlfriend’s father was Yamamoto Keiichi, could you?” Although Yang Yi was inwardly certain that Zhou Tian’s girlfriend’s father was indeed Yamamoto Keiichi, he needed confirmation, desiring to draw the absolute truth from Zhou Tian’s lips.

“Precisely. You killed my prospective father-in-law. As a result, my girlfriend’s entire family suffered immense hardship in Japan, and both branches of the family perished amidst your conflict with the Miyamoto clan. You... are the sworn enemy of me, Zhou Tian!” Zhou Tian spat these words out with grinding teeth, sparks of hatred nearly flying from his eyes.

“Hahahaha! Hahahaha!”

Upon hearing this, Yang Yi unexpectedly burst into loud laughter, devoid of any pity, showing only boundless cold mockery and scorn. “Do you realize how ignorant you are?”

“Hmph, say what you will. She was my only girlfriend. The moment she died, it was sealed: your Black God Gang and I, the Fourteenth, were destined to be enemies.” Zhou Tian snorted coldly.

“Second Brother, did you really come here solely for this purpose?” Zheng Shen looked at Zhou Tian with profound disbelief.

Zhou Tian had entered the Fourteenth faction as a strategist. He lacked overwhelming backing or power, possessing only a cunning and ruthless mind. Had he not encountered such a formidable enemy as Yang Yi, and had his vision not been clouded by vengeance, perhaps things wouldn't have spiraled this way. It had to be admitted, however, that Zhou Tian was a talent; in just a year and a half, he had risen spectacularly within the Fourteenth, earning Zheng Shen’s high regard, which is why he was addressed as Second Brother, holding the second-highest seat in the Fourteenth.

“That’s right. I came to make the Fourteenth strong enough to destroy this damned thing.”

“Smack!” A figure moved swiftly, accompanied by a slap. Fatty Lin stood before Zhou Tian, cursing with murderous intent, “Damn your mother, watch your mouth! Killing you would be as easy as crushing an ant.”

“You!” Zhou Tian was struck speechless by Fatty Lin’s aggressive killing aura; the heat on his face felt searingly painful.

Zheng Shen remained silent, observing Zhou Tian coldly. No matter Zhou Tian’s ambition to strengthen the Fourteenth, he had no desire to be used as a pawn in someone else’s revenge—that was undeniable. No one who navigated the underworld would willingly allow an organization they commanded to be approached or exploited for someone else’s agenda.

“Now that you’ve admitted all this, aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” Yang Yi wasn’t foolish enough to believe Zhou Tian was acting without a safety net.

“Hahahaha.” Zhou Tian could still manage a laugh, but in that instant, his expression turned icy. He chuckled grimly, “As expected of the Dragon Lord of the Black God Gang; you saw through it?”

“I knew it!” Yang Yi jolted at the confirmation and immediately roared at everyone, “Quickly! Everyone, get at least a hundred meters away from me, now!”

“Hahahaha.” Zhou Tian let out a long, wild laugh. “Interesting, very interesting. It’s quite meaningful to have the Dragon Lord of the Black God Gang accompany me in death.”

“Brother Yi, what on earth is happening?” Fatty Lin didn't move immediately, pressing for an answer.

“Damn you, get out of here, you brat! Quickly, everyone fall back!” Yang Yi roared furiously at the group, then fixed his gaze deadly on Zhou Tian. “How many seconds until detonation?”

“Tsk tsk, I didn’t think you’d figure it out. My pistol has been specially modified. It’s a WG series bomb-gun produced in the secret Chinese channels. Although each bullet is small, they are all fitted with an explosive device, making each one a miniature bomb. Their power is only 0.6 times less than a grenade. I fired six shots, all near you. If you move even slightly now, the bullets will detonate even faster.” Zhou Tian’s ferocious smile distorted his entire face; he didn't realize at that moment how much uglier his grin looked compared to crying.

Hearing Zhou Tian’s words, the entire group scrambled to flee. The burly man who had intended to retrieve Liu Xin’s body instantly abandoned the corpse and ran for his life. Indeed, this illustrates the principle: when a person dies, the warmth leaves, and when people depart, the tea turns cold.

“Get out of here, I told you!” Yang Yi spotted Fatty Lin, Feng Shi, and Xuanyuan Bing still lingering. He shouted sternly, “Go! If you don’t leave now, you will face disciplinary action according to gang rules afterward.”

“Brother Yi!” Fatty Lin looked at Yang Yi with deep concern, then called out to Feng Shi and the others, “Let’s go.”

“Whoosh, whoosh!” Figures moved rapidly, densely packed like disturbed bees over the desolate ground, creating a scene of stark irony.

Yang Yi frowned, spotting Xuanyuan Bing approaching him. He glared and demanded, “Why aren’t you leaving?”

“It’s too late for me to leave now. I’ve calculated that there are bullets within ten meters of you. Behind this man, there were several scattered when he first moved. There are also several bullets within fifty meters. Calculating the time, we have at most five seconds left! We can’t run. Having me die alongside you—that’s not a bad outcome for either of us, is it?” Xuanyuan Bing’s expression was placid. For the first time since Yang Yi had known her, he saw such utter calmness on her face.