Chapter Thirty-Three: The Rising Storm (Part Four)

Chen Hongxu listened carefully to the footsteps outside. The chaotic clatter made it obvious that the crowd was a disorderly rabble with no organization or discipline, yet the tumult was so intense that he couldn’t tell how many people there actually were. All he could be sure of was that there were a lot of them, likely split into several groups.

After a while, the noise subsided, and then suddenly a wave of cheering broke out. The wide-open factory gates began to pour forth an unending stream of people, so dense they seemed to stretch on forever, a black tide with no end in sight.

“Fight your way out, don’t get bogged down. We can always reclaim this place later. Whoever escapes, escapes,” the man with the dagger suddenly stood up, muttered in a low voice, and darted swiftly to Chen Hongxu’s side. With a flick of his wrist, he sliced through Chen Hongxu’s restraints. Without so much as a backward glance, he said, “This time, brother, we’ve wronged you. It’s a bit sentimental to say you’re free to go now, but fate decides life and death. If you can escape, do so. We’ll help you settle the score one day.”

Though the dagger man had never truly figured Chen Hongxu out, he still clung to his original judgment: Chen Hongxu must have some kind of background or support, but wasn’t particularly strong himself. Yet now, with the situation as it was, their opponent clearly intended to silence everyone involved to prevent any leaks. If even they were doomed, what hope was there for the main target?

The dagger man spared Chen Hongxu no further attention, leading his companions from the shadows like moths to a flame, to be swallowed by the surging crowd.

Chen Hongxu shook out his arms and legs, loosening his joints, but didn’t rush to fight his way out. He already had a good idea of the type of people surrounding the factory. If his guess was correct, they were Wang Bingcai’s backup. After all, if the aim was only to deal with Scarface and his men, there would have been no need to mobilize every thug in the city.

At that moment, Chen Hongxu felt a strong urge to kill Wang Bingcai. Although, in a head-on confrontation, Wang Bingcai wouldn’t even be able to scratch him, this ordeal had shown Chen Hongxu just how deranged and unscrupulous the man was.

Right now, Wang Bingcai still believed he had Chen Hongxu under control, so all his schemes were focused on him alone. But if he ever realized Chen Hongxu’s true strength—strength he could never match—such a man might immediately turn his sights on Xue Xi. Though the Xue family’s bodyguards were competent, Chen Hongxu didn’t want to give Wang Bingcai the chance.

His gaze cold, Chen Hongxu leapt backward into the shadows. His methods of concealment were far beyond those of the dagger man and his companions. In a dilapidated place like this, only someone of equal skill might notice him.

Watching the crowd’s frenzy slowly ebb, Chen Hongxu knew the dagger man’s breakout attempt had ended, and most likely failed. When Wang Bingcai recruited them, he must have already had a measure of their abilities. Turning against them now, he would be utterly confident in the outcome.

Indeed, as the mob quieted, they split to either side, and Wang Bingcai reappeared after his brief absence, flanked by a dozen burly men who seemed to be his bodyguards.

“Bring them over,” Wang Bingcai ordered, stooping to pick up the neatly severed nylon rope where Chen Hongxu had been held, his tone dark as he addressed his men.

Moments later, three blood-soaked men were dragged over like dead dogs.

Clutching the nylon rope, Wang Bingcai turned to the dagger man, whose forehead was dripping with blood, and sneered, “We could have negotiated this whole thing, but look what you’ve done.”

“Bah!” The dagger man spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm onto Wang Bingcai’s face, glancing up with disdain. “Don’t give me that fake sympathy. With all this backup you prepared, you clearly intended to get rid of us from the start. If I hadn’t gotten greedy, my brothers wouldn’t have fallen into your hands, you bastard.”

“No, no, no.” Wang Bingcai shook his head, wiping his face, not the least bit angry. He looked at the dagger man and said, “Don’t try to pin my success on your mistakes, Liu Yixian.”

The dagger man’s body trembled. He looked up in disbelief, unable to fathom how Wang Bingcai knew his name. People like him lived only by their aliases—he hadn’t used his real name in years.

Wang Bingcai, apparently confident Chen Hongxu couldn’t escape, was in no hurry. Pleased with the dagger man’s reaction, he smiled and said, “Don’t doubt my abilities. I sought you out because I’d already investigated you. You charge a high price, but your reputation is solid and your completion rate is high. Of course, the main reason I agreed to your fee is that I never intended to pay. No matter how much you asked, I would have agreed.”

The dagger man’s body quivered as he shot Wang Bingcai a venomous glare. Crestfallen, he muttered, “To the victor go the spoils. I lost, that’s all there is to it. Just kill me.”

“A soldier to the end, eh?” Wang Bingcai clapped his hands, then suddenly leaned in close, his face inches from the dagger man’s. “All your teammates are dead. What about your dear old mother, I wonder?”

At these words, the dagger man struggled violently, but a burly man behind him seized his head and slammed it hard against the ground, forcing him to quiet.

After a moment, the dagger man lifted his head, his voice trembling, “Family is off-limits. Would you really go that far?”

Wang Bingcai laughed heartily, full of contempt. “I’m just a businessman. Don’t talk to me about your underworld codes. Since I haven’t killed you yet, you should know you’re still useful to me. I’ll be blunt—too many people died tonight. I need someone to take the fall. In return, I’ll let your mother live out her days in peace.”

The dagger man lay on the ground, his body shaking with fury. He clenched his fists, hesitated for a long while, then rasped, “Let my two teammates go first. Only then will I believe you.”

Wang Bingcai nodded, signaling to his bodyguards with a glance.

Without hesitation, the dozen burly men drew their pistols and fired at the dagger man’s two companions.

The two men, still being held, grunted and collapsed, lifeless.

The dagger man’s eyes bulged with rage, as if he would tear Wang Bingcai apart with his bare hands.

Wang Bingcai, seemingly a bit shaken, took two cautious steps back and said, “I’m not about to release a tiger back into the mountains. You and your friends were dead men anyway. Only one person needs to take the blame. Think of the mother who raised you.”

The dagger man was silent for a while, then smashed his fist into the ground with all his strength, the skin on his palm splitting open. Tears streamed down his face as he hoarsely cried, “How can I trust you?”

“You have no choice. You can only trust me,” Wang Bingcai declared, knowing he had broken the man’s will. He laughed arrogantly.

With the dagger man silent, Wang Bingcai knew he had acquiesced. Maintaining his grin, he swept his gaze across the darkness and announced, “Chen Hongxu, my men have surrounded this place. You can’t escape. You’re still in this factory, aren’t you? Will you come out on your own, or do I have to send my men to fetch you?”

“What difference does it make?” Chen Hongxu asked, his tone curious.

Wang Bingcai burst out laughing, pointing in the direction of the voice. “Idiot.”

Before he could order his men forward, a young boy emerged from the shadows. He looked like an ordinary high school student, his head lowered and his face obscured by the poor light. To those present, he seemed strangely at ease, oddly out of place in such an environment. None noticed the sly smirk at the corner of his lips.

The one who stepped out was, of course, Chen Hongxu. He took a deep breath and raised his head to meet Wang Bingcai’s gaze. “You’ve put on quite the show for yourself. Amusing, perhaps, but a waste of time. I’m going home. I’m tired.”

Author’s Note:
The update schedule around Qingming Festival has been a bit unstable. My apologies to all the readers. But I’ll still make sure to post two chapters a day. I hope you’ll continue to support the story—every two hundred flowers left will add an extra chapter!