Chapter 121: The White Tiger

"I swear, I will exterminate your entire family, I will slaughter them all," Xiang Ri muttered, no longer able to care about the venomous curses of the indistinguishable young woman behind him. It was best to leave as quickly as possible.

His earlier impulsive action had been reckless—how could he have shoved his tongue into her mouth? It was akin to courting death. Thankfully, the young woman had been stunned by his "turtle-like" audacity; otherwise, if she'd bitten down, he probably would never speak again for the rest of his life.

With a deep exhale, Xiang Ri felt a wave of relief and quickened his steps to escape the scene.

...

"Big Brother, you're here?" The Monkey grinned obsequiously as he ushered Xiang Ri into the bar and led him to the seat reserved just for him.

"Yes, I came to see how things were going. Business still good?" Xiang Ri asked, sprawling in his seat, his eyes sweeping across the bulky figure nearby. "Fatty, get me a Blaze of the Red Lips."

"Sure thing, Big Brother," the Fatty scurried off eagerly.

The Monkey began to boast, "Big Brother, business here is the best in the area. Just look around—packed to the brim. This is all thanks to you, Big Brother."

"Oh? My doing?" Xiang Ri raised an eyebrow, surveying the full house, with even some groups sharing tables. He was somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, Big Brother. You don't know, but these past few days, the cops have shut down a lot of places. But my bar? Not only is it untouched, but any troublemakers have been taken away by the cops who mysteriously showed up. Now, who doesn't know that this bar has police protection? Anyone who dares cause trouble has already been dealt with, and now all the curious cats come running."

Listening to the Monkey's rapid-fire praises, Xiang Ri could nearly confirm that his "fiancé"—the director of the department—had something to do with this. Those troublemakers were likely just trying to curry favor, hoping to flatter him into making some noise in their direction.

As a result, the Monkey benefitted, while other bars, troubled by the police, had their peace shattered. But his place was calm, a haven for office workers done for the day or young punks out looking for trouble as night fell.

Xiang Ri didn't respond but listened as the Monkey continued, "This is all thanks to you, Big Brother. Without you, I'm sure the cops would've raided the place by now."

"Enough... stop with the nonsense," Xiang Ri interrupted, his gaze inadvertently falling upon a familiar group of people. "Those guys over there..."

The Monkey followed his gaze, noticing a group of conspicuous individuals laughing boisterously, seated several tables away.

In the center was a young man, about twenty-four or twenty-five, with a refined appearance and impeccably dressed. His glasses perched delicately on his nose, giving him the look of an ungraduated university student.

The others around him, however, seemed out of place. They wore tight muscle-revealing tank tops, their exposed arms covered in grotesque tattoos, their faces bearing a hint of menace that defied any image of a law-abiding citizen.

The Monkey sneered, "Those are the members of the White Tiger Gang, South City's largest gang."

"Why are they here?" A cold gleam flickered in Xiang Ri's eyes, though the dim light concealed his expression. The Monkey didn't notice the change.

"Word is, they've come looking for backup."

"Backup? What's going on?" Xiang Ri narrowed his eyes. Was a fight with those "rats" about to erupt?

"I'm not entirely sure, but I heard the Flying Rats are aiming to take over as the top gang in South City. They're probably here looking for help."

"I see," Xiang Ri's lips curled into a cold smile. "Ah, the fox has its day. I didn't think you'd fall to this. Without me here to control the situation, let's see how you plan to deal with those tunnel-digging rats."

A thought suddenly struck Xiang Ri's mind. What about the shadowy organization behind the betrayal of those rebels? They should intervene, surely. It wouldn't make sense for them to stay out of it. With their involvement, the "rats" would be nothing to worry about. But now, seeing his most trusted man sent out to seek help, it was clear the mysterious organization had no intention of acting... or perhaps...

With a sharp "pop," a chunk of wood the size of a palm was torn off the edge of the table Xiang Ri had been gripping with his left hand, wrenched off with brute force.

"Big Brother, what's wrong?" The Monkey gawked, taken aback by the sudden change in Xiang Ri's expression. The shifts on his face suggested something extraordinary had occurred—he had never seen Big Brother so stirred before.

Xiang Ri paid no attention to the Monkey's question, his mind consumed with the shock of his own realization.

Poisonous... it was too poisonous! This was a classic "drive the tiger to swallow the wolf" tactic.

A clear and devious conspiracy began to take shape in Xiang Ri's mind. First, they removed him—his most formidable obstacle—and then, step by step, they would dismantle and eventually devour the other forces.

From the way they were now backing the "Flying Rats" in suppressing their former allies, the "White Tiger Gang," it was evident they had already prepared to seize control of the entire South City. Once the two major gangs clashed, the inevitable outcome would be mutual destruction, leaving the way clear for them to take all of South City's territory with minimal effort.

After all, rather than controlling a single gang to manage a territory, it was far more efficient to take control directly. Not only would this enhance their own strength, but it would also save substantial costs.

From the very beginning, they had no intention of engaging in any real "business" with the "White Tiger Gang." Xiang Ri had merely been a convenient pawn. As the leader of the "White Tiger Gang," his rather peculiar influence had likely been thoroughly investigated by them. In order to avoid any unpredictable factors arising from his presence during the upcoming conflict between the two gangs, they had taken action against him first.

Coincidentally, his subordinates were already dissatisfied with the lack of "dues" to spend, and in this perfect storm of mutual discontent, a plan to eliminate him had come to fruition.

As this realization sank in, Xiang Ri's fist tightened, the bones cracking under the pressure. He had never been so thoroughly outmaneuvered. Fortunately, he had survived, and those who had been so confident in their calculated schemes could never have anticipated that someone thought to be dead could rise again—becoming their greatest obstacle, even erasing them completely.

A cold sneer spread across Xiang Ri's face.

"Big Brother, here's your drink!" The Fatty approached with a glass of blood-red liquor, snapping Xiang Ri out of his reverie.

"Give it to me." Xiang Ri grabbed the drink from the Fatty's hand and downed it in one gulp.

"Big Brother, your drinking capacity is incredible!" The Fatty flattered, "Should I bring another one?"

Unfortunately, he was barking up the wrong tree. Xiang Ri shook his head. "No need." He then turned to the Monkey and pointed toward the young man in the distance wearing frameless glasses. "Monkey, do you know him?"

"Him?" Though the Monkey didn't know why Big Brother asked, he clearly sensed that the recent shift in Xiang Ri's demeanor had something to do with this person. He answered seriously, "I haven't interacted with him, but I know a bit about him. Apparently, he's the younger brother of the current leader of the White Tiger Gang, Tian Hu. He has another nickname—Di Hu. He often tries to imitate his brother, even copying his style, but unfortunately, he's a real fool—only good for womanizing and fighting. He's nowhere near as capable as his brother."

Xiang Ri nodded in agreement. The Monkey's assessment was spot on, though he had understated it.

Xiang Ri had never been fond of this guy. He often relied on his brother's status within the gang to cause trouble. If it hadn't been for his brother's seniority in the gang, Xiang Ri would have already dealt with him. Now that his brother was the leader, it was likely that this guy would only become more reckless.

An idea began to form in Xiang Ri's mind. "By the way, Monkey, if the Flying Rats and the White Tiger Gang clash, which side do you think has the upper hand?"

The Monkey pondered for a moment. "It should be a mutual destruction."

"Why do you think that?"

"Although the Flying Rats are ranked second, their strength isn't much weaker than the White Tiger Gang's. The only reason the White Tiger Gang is ahead is because of the former leader, the one with the White Tiger title." The Monkey paused, then added mysteriously, "But that leader, the one with the White Tiger title, was reportedly taken out by his subordinates, Tian Hu and Scar Wolf, a while back. So, it's certain their strength has diminished. Otherwise, the Flying Rats wouldn't dare act so recklessly!"

"White Tiger?" A strange flicker passed through Xiang Ri's mind, a touch of bitterness. White Tiger? That name no longer existed. The only one left was a student named "Xiang Kui."

"Yes, Big Brother!" The Monkey's eyes gleamed with fanaticism. "He's my idol! No! He's the idol of everyone like us in Beihai City!"