Chapter 121: A First Display of Skill

"Over the past few years, Hu Yinghe has directed his subordinates to open underground casinos within their respective jurisdictions to reap significant profits, and then laundered the money through their companies. This is the reason why Hu Yinghe's influence has grown so rapidly. What’s more, there are even casinos they’ve secretly opened within your own jurisdictions."

Upon hearing Secretary Zhao’s words, Liu Sheng thought for a moment and said, "Since these harmful places exist even within my own territory without my knowledge, I have a plan—currently, it is the most effective one."

Hearing that Liu Sheng had a solution, everyone looked at him with eager eyes, as he was their only lifeline.

Liu Sheng continued, "We cannot control other cities, but we have authority over our own. Everyone should return to the city they govern, locate Hu Yinghe’s underground casinos, and use your authority as administrators to shut them down."

Liu Sheng then looked at Secretary Zhao and asked, "Does this violate the Peace Treaty?"

"The Peace Treaty was established for enterprises of the same rank. Since they opened casinos without authorization and without the consent of the Huayong headquarters, they are technically in violation. This will significantly diminish Hu Yinghe’s influence, though the gap between us and him remains substantial," Secretary Zhao replied.

The Peace Treaty was designed for entities outside of Huayong, though it is also observed internally. If both Hu Ying and Hu Yinghe were Huayong personnel, they would have to follow the treaty while competing. However, since Huayong controls external companies and Hu Yinghe’s casinos were never registered with Huayong, they are considered private and unauthorized. As local administrators, they have the right to regulate these illicit operations within their boundaries.

Furthermore, Huayong does not allow loopholes. While Huayong does have legitimate casino businesses, they are only operated in places where the law permits. They strictly forbid such operations in areas where they are prohibited. Thus, the casinos Hu Yinghe opened in the interior were against Huayong’s rules, forcing him to keep them secret.

"Hey! I brought you here to solve the shipyard issue, and instead, you’ve started plotting against Hu Yinghe’s casinos. This won’t be enough to deal a fatal blow," Hu Ying remarked. His goal today was to find a way to surpass Hu Yinghe’s shipyard; even if the casinos were gone, a shipyard could recover in no time, potentially leaving him even further behind.

Secretary Zhao added, "Exactly. The casinos aren't registered, so shutting them down is fine, but the shipyard is registered under transport—we cannot touch that."

Liu Sheng stood up and said, "I will handle my own jurisdiction first; I’ll take care of the shipyard!"

"How?" Hu Ying asked.

Liu Sheng said firmly, "Success requires taking risks. I will do it my way—by taking an unconventional path."

As he walked out, Liu Sheng added, "Don’t worry, I will make it clean and swift."

Ren Xiadong hurried after him.

The next morning, the administrators returned to their respective cities, and Hu Ying left Chongqing with Secretary Zhao.

That day, Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong rose very early, intending to personally dismantle the casinos in Chongqing. Excited by the prospect of smashing the venues themselves, they could barely sleep. Furthermore, Liu Sheng summoned ten bodyguards from the company to join them.

Just as Liu Sheng was about to take Ren Xiadong to sweep through all the casinos in the city, his phone rang. It was Xiao Ya.

"Liu Sheng, Liu Sheng... save me!!"

Hearing Xiao Ya’s voice, Liu Sheng’s scalp went numb; he knew she was in danger.

Before Liu Sheng could speak, a man’s voice came from the other end: "If you don’t want this woman to lose an arm or a leg, bring 400,000 to her house immediately!"

The man hung up. Fueled by rage, Liu Sheng went to his room, retrieved two guns, loaded them fully, and grabbed a handful of extra ammunition for his pockets.

He walked out, tossed a gun to Ren Xiadong, and said, his hair practically standing on end with fury, "I’m going to kill someone today!"

"Fine, I’ll kill with you!" Ren Xiadong replied. At the entrance of the villa complex, a scene unfolded: three black Mercedes-Benz cars, one R8 sports car, and twelve men in black suits and sunglasses. Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong led the group, while the ten bodyguards carried collapsible batons.

Not all bodyguards are permitted to carry firearms; while Huayong’s personal security can, those of subsidiary companies cannot—which is why it had been so difficult for Liu Sheng to procure the two guns.

Liu Sheng drove the R8, leading the way. The four black cars sped down the road in a line, becoming a striking sight in the city—a display of arrogance and decadence.

Xiao Ya’s home was in a village on the mountain, with houses far apart, though the mountain roads made it accessible.

The road was narrow, and Liu Sheng drove at breakneck speeds. After navigating two sharp turns, he managed to master the art of drifting. With no guardrails and steep cliffs lining the road, Ren Xiadong was terrified.

"Slow... down!!!" he managed to choke out, his nerves frayed.

Liu Sheng ignored him completely. The three Mercedes-Benz cars were far behind; if Liu Sheng hadn't sent them his location, they might never have found him. Ren Xiadong stared at the road, clutching the bag containing the 400,000.

At Xiao Ya’s house, a two-story building, Xiao Ya was tied to a tree. Seven or eight men surrounded her, showing no regard for her pregnancy.

"Either pay us the 400,000 today, or find Yang He for us!"

"Is Yang He even a man? We’re treating his wife like this, and he won’t even show his face!"

Yang He’s creditors had come knocking, and unable to find him, they had tied up Xiao Ya. Yang He’s parents were inside, doors locked, too terrified to do anything but ignore Xiao Ya’s plight.

"This woman is beautiful. Why don't we strip her, record a video, and send it to Yang He’s friends? Let everyone have a laugh, what do you think?"

"Don't rush. Someone is coming with the money soon. If they don't show up in a while, we’ll do as you said."

A man walked up to Xiao Ya and grabbed her chest. Xiao Ya spat in his face, and in a rage, he slapped her. She was terrified, but she refused to show it, knowing that any sign of weakness would only embolden them.

The man slapped her again. This time, Xiao Ya could no longer hold back her fear and sorrow. Tears streamed down her face as she thought of Yang He’s coldness and his family’s constant harassment. If not for the child in her womb, she would have left long ago. She thought of Liu Sheng; if he didn't mind her, she would willingly serve him for a lifetime. He was the only one who came to her rescue whenever she was in trouble.

"Oh, look, the little lady is crying."

Another man approached, smirking, "Don't cry, don't cry, big brother will take care of you." He reached out to touch her again.

Just then, the roar of the R8’s engine echoed from afar, growing rapidly closer. Xiao Ya heard it and finally broke down, sobbing loudly as all her pent-up frustration poured out.

With a screech of tires, the R8 skidded to a halt. The men turned to look, and Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong leaped out.

Seeing the scene, Liu Sheng lost his mind. Ignoring the men, he rushed toward the crying Xiao Ya. The men blocked his path, raining blows upon him, but Liu Sheng didn't even fight back; he only wanted to reach her.

Ren Xiadong stepped in, fighting off the men to clear a path.

Liu Sheng reached Xiao Ya, untied her, and pulled her tightly into his arms. Xiao Ya wept harder, and Liu Sheng began to cry as well—a release of years of longing and the agony of seeing her hurt.

The men, realizing they were no match for Ren Xiadong, pulled out machetes.

"Stop!" Liu Sheng shouted. He turned and asked, "Who sent you?!"

One man said dismissively, "Her husband owes our casino 400,000. We couldn't find him, so we came for her! If you don't pay up, we’ll burn this house to the ground!"

Liu Sheng signaled Ren Xiadong, who threw the bag of money to the men. One of them checked it and told the others, "Let’s go. It’s settled for today. As long as Yang He doesn’t owe us money, we won’t come back. But since you’re so rich, we’ll be happy to lend him more next time."

As they turned to leave, the three Mercedes-Benz cars blocked their path. The bodyguards emerged, surrounding the men with batons.

"Did I say you could leave?" Liu Sheng said coldly.

The men gripped their machetes, ready for a fight, glaring at Liu Sheng.

"Where are your casinos?" Liu Sheng demanded. "And is Hu Yinghe your boss?!"

"If we don't walk out of here today, others will come for revenge. Who knows what will happen to Yang He’s family then!"

Liu Sheng pulled out his gun, cocked it, and pointed it at the man’s head. "Are you threatening me?"

"Don't put on an act. In broad daylight, I don't believe you’d dare—"

Before the man could finish, a gunshot rang out. He collapsed to the ground.

Xiao Ya shuddered, collapsing in fear. She stared at Liu Sheng’s back, unable to believe he would go this far, yet deeply moved that he had done it for her.

The remaining men dropped their machetes, terrified. "We don't know who the boss is, but we can tell you where the casinos are. Can you let us go?"

After getting the locations, Liu Sheng called Zhou Jin, the head of his company, and instructed her to use all their connections to bury the incident.