Prologue: No Rest Even in Death

Xiang Ri held his breath, crouching in a trash-filled alley.

He tightened his grip on the machete and let out a bitter laugh. This weapon seemed to be the only thing he could trust now. He never would have dreamed that the brother he trusted most would betray him—and so thoroughly at that.

His body still burned with pain. He had been slashed more than fifty times. If it weren't for his thick skin and sturdy frame, he'd be dead already. But he wasn't invincible. The blood kept flowing, and even the toughest body couldn't withstand such a loss. He needed to stop the bleeding soon, or he wouldn't last much longer.

After resting a little longer, Xiang Ri decided to leave.

But the moment he stepped out of the alley, his pupils contracted, and he rolled to the ground, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. There was a sharp "clang" behind him. When he turned his head, he saw a trembling katana embedded in the wall where his head had just been.

"Impressive, truly impressive!" A figure emerged from the shadows—seven men in total. Two stood at the front, both under thirty. One wore frameless glasses, scholarly in appearance, exuding an air of intellect. Beside him stood a burly man with rugged features, a centipede-like scar running down his right cheek. Behind them, five thugs, each holding a machete, their hair dyed bright red, dressed like street punks.

Xiang Ri's gaze sharpened. "You knew I was inside?" His right hand subtly gripped the knife hilt as he took a slow step forward.

"Brother Ri, it's better if we keep our distance," the scholarly young man said calmly. He knew all too well how dangerous Xiang Ri could be, even though his greatest ally had been removed. Nonetheless, he cautiously pulled out a handgun and aimed it at Xiang Ri, then held up a small matchbox-sized device. "Brother Ri, you really are behind the times. Ever heard of high-tech?"

Xiang Ri halted, coldly glaring at the disciple he had trained himself. "You put a tracker on me?"

"That's right! With someone like you, Brother Ri, we couldn't afford to be careless. If we weren't fully prepared, we'd be the ones dead!" The young man ignored Xiang Ri's murderous stare and continued confidently.

Staring at the gun's black muzzle, Xiang Ri felt a surge of helplessness. If only he still had his old strength... These few men and their pathetic gun wouldn't have been a threat. But now, it was useless to dwell on such thoughts. He steeled his gaze. "I want to know, which bastard ordered my death?" He refused to believe his underlings would have the courage to betray him without someone backing them.

The young man's eyes gleamed with mockery. "Brother Ri, for all your smarts, you don't even know who's trying to kill you. I used to wonder if betraying you was worth it. Now, I see I made the right choice. Let me jog your memory—three days ago, someone approached you about a 'business deal'..."

"You sold me out for a few kilos of heroin?" Xiang Ri's fury surged, wishing he could hack the young man into pieces. A few days ago, a man named Ma had indeed tried to set up some "private business" in his territory, but he'd refused and threatened, "As long as I'm alive, no one's doing side deals here." Now it seemed his stance had cost him dearly.

The young man ignored Xiang Ri's ferocious glare and continued leisurely, "Brother Ri, heroin is big money. A single shipment can make millions. Following you, we were scraping by on protection fees. The brothers had enough of it long ago. This was a golden opportunity, but you missed it. Too bad for you."

"Well, whether or not it's bad luck is not for you to decide..." Xiang Ri shot him a glance, estimating the distance between them. Suddenly, he accelerated and charged forward.

The young man's face changed dramatically as he pulled the trigger without hesitation. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three shots rang out. As he aimed for a fourth, a flash of steel sliced through the air, and his gun-wielding hand was reduced to a bloody stump. Pain ripped through his abdomen as he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

Xiang Ri had aimed to stab, but the other men closed in, forcing him to kick instead. His blade diverted to fend off the advancing machetes. Even so, his powerful kick was enough to render the young man impotent.

Despite his swift defense, the strength he once relied on had long faded. Facing opponents many times his number, he couldn't hold out for more than a few seconds before accumulating over ten fresh wounds. Worst of all, blood gushed from the bullet hole in his chest like a fountain. Unable to support himself any longer, he collapsed...

So tired... So sleepy...

Xiang Ri lay on his back, his eyelids heavy. He struggled to keep his eyes open, staring at the night sky with a look of defiance as his pupils gradually dimmed...

"Brother Hu!" At some point, the young man had stood up again, and the thugs quickly gathered around him. The scarred man stood still, smirking at the dark red stain spreading beneath his crotch.

"Get away!" The young man roared, his face twisted in rage as he stormed over to Xiang Ri's corpse. Staring at the body, riddled with three bullet holes and impaled by five long blades, he cursed viciously, "You made me a eunuch, so I'll make sure you can't rest in peace!" With his remaining good hand, he yanked out one of the machetes and stabbed it in again. And again. And again...

The scene grew too gruesome for the thugs to bear, and they turned away. Even the scarred man closed his eyes.

Before long, the intact body was reduced to a heap of shredded flesh, blood painting the ground in a radius of several meters.

The young man threw down the machete and called over a thug. "Get a trash bag and pack it up."

"Huh?" The thug hesitated.

"Huh, my ass! Do what I said, or I'll chop you up too!" The young man snapped, turning away from him. He called another thug over, "Go get some dogs!"

The scarred man and the other thugs trembled, knowing all too well what this meant.