The situation escalated, and upon hearing this, Qing Long surveyed the surrounding terrain. Before them, three imposing mountains stood starkly, separated by continuous ranges of smaller hills, making passage utterly impossible. Setting aside the fact that it was nighttime, the mountain paths themselves were treacherous.

Just as Liu Xinbei had predicted—helicopters would bomb them, tunnels would be blown up—moving horizontally or vertically meant certain death. The more Qing Long considered it, the more boundless his rage became.

"Boss!" Several Black God Guards carrying an A-model weapon saw their leader emerge and immediately shouted.

"En, leave five men here. As soon as they enter the tunnel, detonate it immediately. Don't worry about the life or death of the Green Gang leader," said the leading Black God Guard.

In truth, Yang Yi's orders made no concessions for the Green Gang members; there was no call for surrender. The command was simple: anyone passing through this route must be eliminated, no exceptions. The death of the Green Gang leader would certainly be beneficial, as it would save Yang Yi considerable trouble later by avoiding the need to systematically cleanse the Green Gang's remaining influence.

Evidently, the leading Black God Guard harbored his own agenda: taking this opportunity to eliminate Qing Long. However, getting rid of Qing Long, who had navigated the underworld for many years, was not so straightforward; he was certainly not foolish enough to walk willingly into a deadly trap.

Qing Long stood by the tunnel entrance for a long time, his expression growing colder and darker. He commanded, "Send a few men in to scout!"

"Yes!"

Liu Xinbei beckoned behind him, and instantly five or six Green Gang members appeared, clutching submachine guns, slowly advancing into the tunnel.

A moment later...

"Boss, look!" Liu Xinbei frowned, pointing towards the tunnel. "Our men have been inside for quite a while, but there’s been no sound."

"Sigh!" Qing Long sighed mournfully, his gaze sweeping coldly over the top of the tunnel. He shook his head with a hint of resignation. "They are clearly waiting for me to step inside!"

"Boss, this is out of the question. If something were to happen to you..."

"Relax, I understand the gravity of the situation, and I have no intention of going in," Qing Long waved his hand, adding, "This time, the Dragon Lord of the Black God Gang has won. Alas, let's return."

"Yes! Boss!" Liu Xinbei sounded deflated.

"Call Long Tian and tell him the Black God Gang has surrounded all of Hainan; we can't get out!" Qing Long instructed.

"Understood!" Liu Xinbei confirmed.

Thus, Qing Long, a hegemon of his generation, spent this night deeply frustrated, even bordering on helpless. The Green Gang members were completely sealed within Hainan, and the other regional powers were under the menacing scrutiny of the Black God Gang, leaving them paralyzed. Any move would immediately invite a full-scale battle.

Meanwhile, over in the North, within a certain villa.

Three young men sat on a sofa, their expressions utterly composed, listening to the music playing softly through the sound system, radiating an air of perfect contentment.

"Boss, the chaos in South China will likely spill over to us soon."

Suddenly, upon hearing Fang Kai’s words, the smiles on Ling Tian and Mo Leng, who had been relaxing casually, broadened even further. They each took a sip of the red wine placed on the table, their demeanor exceptionally self-possessed.

"Third Brother, what is your assessment of the Black God Gang right now?" Ling Tian set down his glass, his eyes slightly closed, a faint smile playing on his lips as he inquired.

Hearing this, Fang Kai smiled calmly. "Unifying the South is the ambition of the Black God Gang, and it reflects the strength they’ve built to reach this point. However, I have one minor uncertainty."

"Second Brother, are you suggesting that after the Black God Gang unifies the South, the next move will be toward us?" Mo Leng had a strange, dark cigarette holder clamped between his lips. He exhaled a plume of smoke, and seeing that Fang Kai offered no rebuttal, it was clear he agreed with the statement.

Ling Tian opened his eyes, glancing at the other two. He chuckled, "The time for us to act is also approaching. I estimate the Black God Gang will unify South China within a month, and then their focus will surely turn to us."

"Then, Boss, what is your plan? Are we truly going to allow the Black God Gang to dominate the entire underworld so easily?" Mo Leng asked doubtfully.

"Jinghua is not as simple as the Black God Gang's Dragon Lord imagines," Ling Tian replied to Mo Leng, offering only this brief statement without addressing the core issue directly.

Yet, Fang Kai, who had been silent for a while, seemed to grasp something significant. He chimed in with a smile, "It seems the Boss anticipated the Black God Gang's ambition long ago. Two years they have fought across the regions, unifying two, and their influence even stretches to Japan and Britain. The situation feels almost settled."

"Whether it’s settled or not, I dare not say. I stated long ago that we hold no ambition to rule the entire national underworld. But if others wish to seize control of our North, that is something I absolutely forbid—unless..."

"Unless?"

Fang Kai and Mo Leng exchanged a look, instantly seeming to understand each other's meaning. They turned toward Ling Tian with expressions of affirmation.

"Heh heh!" Ling Tian gave a faint smile, stood up, and walked to the window, gazing out at the night. He murmured, "Unless the Black God Gang's Dragon Lord has the strength to bring us down, it is utterly impossible for him to unify the national underworld, especially in a place like Jinghua."

"Haha!" Fang Kai and Mo Leng burst into hearty laughter. Whatever Ling Tian meant by those words, it was clear that no one present misunderstood.

"Therefore, we do nothing right now. We just wait...!"

"Exactly, we follow the Boss’s lead. We wait until the Black God Gang has finished unifying the South, and then we see how they dare advance on Jinghua! Haha!"

The group spoke words that seemed cryptic, laughing in a way that invited confusion. What exactly was Jinghua, and what kind of caliber of person was required to truly establish a foothold there? These questions seemed intensely intriguing.

########################### At the Dragon Gang headquarters, aside from the twelve Fiends dispatched by Long Tian, the remaining ten Fiends were guarding the base.

The heads of the Dragon Fiend Hall and the Tiger Fiend Hall were both drenched in sweat. They had been busy in their offices preparing documents regarding their initial foray into the Macau casinos when this critical situation suddenly erupted.

About five hundred men, all armed with submachine guns, charged into the Dragon Gang headquarters, catching them completely off guard. Simultaneously, their expressions were no better; sweat mingled with looks of fury, creating a terrifying sight.

"Quick! Bring out all our weapons immediately and hit them hard!" roared the Head of the Tiger Fiend Hall, filled with extreme rage.

"Yes! Hall Master!" the group responded in unison.

"Tiger!" A middle-aged man, the Head of the Dragon Fiend Hall, walked in and called out anxiously, "This is bad; our communications have been completely cut off. We can't notify Young Master Long at all."

"What should we do then?" The Head of the Tiger Fiend Hall was naturally hot-tempered, and hearing his good brother say this, he was momentarily stunned, completely unsure of the next step.

The Head of the Dragon Fiend Hall maintained a grim expression. After a moment of thought, he suddenly recalled something and asked, "Tiger, isn't Uncle still here?"

"Uncle?" The Head of the Tiger Fiend Hall started, quickly responding, "Uncle is still here; he didn't leave after today's meeting. Let's go and ask Uncle for advice."

"Good!"

The two nodded and immediately headed toward the main entrance. As they reached the doorway, they saw an elderly man leaning on a cane. He was touching his chin with one hand and clearing his throat artificially. "No need to look for me; I’ve already arrived."

"Uncle!" The two Hall Masters immediately cried out upon seeing the old man.

"Enough, let's talk inside first," the old man waved his hand, speaking as he walked. "You two are always so single-minded. Just because Xiao Tian isn't here, everything falls into disarray."

"Uncle!" The two Hall Masters flushed with embarrassment and quickly helped the elder to the main seat.

"Uncle, what do we do now? Very few of the men stationed here are capable fighters, and we still don't even know the enemy's exact numbers," the Head of the Tiger Fiend Hall inquired.

The Head of the Dragon Fiend Hall added anxiously, "Yes, Uncle, give us the order. What should we do?"

"Hmph, are you ashamed? You still don't know the enemy's strength?" The old man snorted coldly. Truthfully, he was starting to worry; if things went badly, he might not survive the day.

"How many men do we have left?"

"Over seven hundred, though quite a few have already died," the Head of the Tiger Fiend Hall said, his face turning grim. "Of those seven hundred, five hundred are not fighters; they are completely ordinary people with zero combat capability!"

"What? Knowing we were expecting a clash with the Black God Gang tonight, why didn't you leave more combat personnel here?" Hearing this, the old man's face changed drastically with anger.

Indeed, the Dragon Gang headquarters was established as a developmental center. It managed all the Dragon Gang's assets, industry data, and everything pertaining to the gang. It was, essentially, a corporation, a recreational hub, and the former British Consulate, now serving as the supreme headquarters of the Dragon Gang.

They were thrown into utter chaos by the sudden intrusion. These assailants were undeniably Yang Yi's men—five hundred Black God Guards surrounding the Dragon Gang HQ, attacking and killing anyone in sight, displaying a degree of unrestrained brutality.