Chapter 143: The Law of Survival

Ye Sanxiao was deep in thought in the hall. In just over twenty minutes, he seemed to have aged a lot. He hadn't even wiped the proud smile off his face when one piece of bad news after another came pouring in. Three hall masters and the manager Zhao Dalong were brutally killed almost at the same time, and several places that served as economic sources and the main halls of the gang had also been attacked by other gangs. At this moment, besides anger, he also felt fear.

Ye Sanxiao didn't know who was behind these attacks. At first, he thought it was Chu Tian, but then he shook his head. Perhaps Chu Tian could have led Tian Yangsheng, Haizi, and Guangzi to kill his three hall masters and manager Zhao Dalong, but how could Chu Tian mobilize so many people to attack the Axe Gang? After all, the Shuai Jun only had a little over a hundred people, and many of them were still injured. Could it be that Chu Tian had invited other helpers? But even if we added the more than eighty disciples of the Qing Gang under Master Ba, there would only be about two hundred people in total. However, according to the reports from various places, the total number of attackers added up to nearly eight hundred. Who had such great strength?

Could it be the Jiang Bang? Could it be the doing of that old fox Zhangsun Jincheng? Ye Sanxiao was shocked. Had he underestimated Zhangsun Jincheng? Did that old guy first use the promise of cooperation to lull him into a false sense of security, and then lead people to attack him when he least expected it?

Uncle Wang brewed a cup of top-grade oolong tea for Ye Sanxiao and stood quietly beside him, waiting. He knew that Ye Sanxiao would say something to him and then ask for his opinion. This had been their habit for many years.

Ye Sanxiao absent-mindedly took a few sips of the tea and frowned, saying, "Uncle Wang, do you think that Haizi and the others leaving the Jiang Bang with nothing could also be part of Zhangsun Jincheng's conspiracy?"

Uncle Wang took a step forward and didn't directly answer Ye Sanxiao's question. He said in a calm tone, "Zhangsun Jincheng was able to establish and develop the Jiang Bang in Shanghai back then. He is by no means a man who is only brave but lacks strategy."

Uncle Wang's words seemed to remind Ye Sanxiao of something. Ye Sanxiao stood up, took a few steps, and laughed three times, as if he had figured something out. He said, "That old fox Zhangsun Jincheng spread the false news of Haizi leaving the Jiang Bang with nothing first, pretended to cooperate with me in the middle, and then launched an attack when I wasn't prepared. He's really cunning! He actually tricked me, Ye Sanxiao. This is simply outrageous, outrageous!"

Uncle Wang nodded and refilled Ye Sanxiao's cup with water. He said lightly, "Master Ye, the best way to minimize losses now is to take the initiative and launch an offensive instead of just defending."

Ye Sanxiao nodded and laughed twice. His cunning expression was clearly visible as he said, "Uncle Wang, give the order. Since the hall masters are dead, the deputy hall masters will take their places. Organize three groups of effective forces, abandon the defense, and give the Longtang, Hutang, and Baotang Halls of the Jiang Bang a good beating."

Uncle Wang's eyes lit up slightly. He was about to leave but then stopped and hesitated, saying, "Master Ye, if Haizi and the others leaving the Jiang Bang is a fake, then won't we face support from them if we attack the halls of the Jiang Bang?"

Ye Sanxiao laughed heartily and regained his former shrewdness. He said cunningly, "It's simple. Send people to cut the telephone lines of Shui Xie Hua Du, and then have our people inside find a way to block the signal within a two-kilometer radius of Shui Xie Hua Du. In this way, Haizi and the others will only think that Shui Xie Hua Du will be attacked again. So those more than a hundred injured loyal subordinates of Haizi will only hold their ground at Shui Xie Hua Du and won't dare to send people to rescue the halls. Moreover, after the battle at Shui Xie Hua Du, the conflict between Haizi and the halls has deepened. We'll just give Haizi a good reason not to come to the rescue."

Uncle Wang couldn't help but admire Ye Sanxiao. He was truly a crafty old fox, coming up with so many tricks with just a turn of his mind. Seeing that Ye Sanxiao had no more instructions, he slowly stepped back to arrange the tasks according to Ye Sanxiao's orders.

There were no less than a hundred people inside and outside Tianyue Longting. Despite his distress, Ye Sanxiao remained clear-headed. Although he felt that it was unlikely for the opponent to attack Tianyue Longting directly, as someone who had been in the underworld for a long time, he preferred to play it safe. So, on one hand, he called his backer for help, asking for some experts to be sent over, and on the other hand, he transferred nearly a hundred brothers into the villa for defense. He set up both obvious and hidden sentries, and even arranged several well-trained snipers on the rooftop. Looking at the villa filled with people, Ye Sanxiao didn't feel crowded; instead, he felt relieved. No matter how powerful the experts were, it was impossible for them to break in like this. Moreover, some of the close bodyguards had guns in their hands. As long as he could get through the night safely, once the experts sent by the old master arrived tomorrow, he could finally sleep peacefully. Ye Sanxiao trusted the old master more than his own life.

All the lights in Tianyue Longting were turned on, illuminating the entire villa as bright as day. Nearly a hundred elite members of the Axe Gang patrolled around with wide eyes. Despite being sleepy in the late night, they didn't dare to doze off. Ye Sanxiao had already given the order that anyone who dared to doze off or fall asleep would be punished according to the gang's rules. The gang rules of the Axe Gang were always strict, and the punishment could be as severe as having their limbs broken or being剖腹 and bleeding to death.

Ye Sanxiao stood at the door and looked at his brothers moving around. He felt very relieved, thinking to himself that even if someone came with a mortar, they couldn't reach him, Ye Sanxiao.

However, Chu Tian was sitting in front of him.

After patrolling at the door, Ye Sanxiao returned to the study with peace of mind to think about all the strange things that had happened tonight and figure out how to deal with Zhangsun Jincheng. But he just couldn't calm down. Ye Sanxiao could only take out the four treasures of the study (writing brush, inkstick, inkstone, and paper) and tried hard to write the character "忍" (endure) on the desk. But he always felt that something was missing. Then he wrote several characters of "杀" (kill), but it still didn't give him the same sense of satisfaction as before. Perhaps he was really restless tonight. So, Ye Sanxiao threw the brush aside, held a cup of tea, and sat down on the armchair, trying to calm himself down for a while.

But Chu Tian sat down at an inopportune moment. Ye Sanxiao suddenly wanted to call for help, but then he closed his mouth. This room was soundproof, and no matter how much commotion there was inside, no one outside would hear it. Unless Uncle Wang had something urgent, he wouldn't enter without permission. Moreover, he felt that there were other people in the room, hiding in places where he couldn't see them.

Ye Sanxiao suddenly laughed and looked at Chu Tian, who he had met once before and who had disrupted his plan to unify the underworld of Shanghai. Without showing any signs of panic, he said calmly, "Did you kill my three hall masters and Zhao Dalong?"

Chu Tian also secretly admired Ye Sanxiao's courage. He had appeared so mysteriously in front of him, yet Ye Sanxiao could still ask him such a question calmly. Looking at Ye Sanxiao's eyes that were eager for an answer, Chu Tian shook his head, touched his nose, and sighed, "I didn't kill them personally. To be precise, I arranged for others to do it."

Ye Sanxiao shook his head, and there was a hint of loneliness in his eyes. He said lightly, "You young people are really something. The waves behind drive on those before. I, Ye Sanxiao, have never admired anyone in my life, but you, Chu Tian, are the first. However, you're too aggressive, and that's not good. Killing three of my hall masters and one manager is even worse."

There was a determined look in Chu Tian's eyes as he said, "Thank you for the compliment, Leader Ye." Then he changed the subject and said, "Being too aggressive is indeed not good. But Leader Ye should know that if my Shuai Jun doesn't eliminate the Axe Gang, the Axe Gang will eliminate the Shuai Jun. In this Shanghai underworld, it's always a matter of either you live or I die. It's the law of the jungle. Leader Ye surely knows this."

Ye Sanxiao nodded. He had always followed the law of the jungle, which was the basic understanding for surviving in Shanghai. Ye Sanxiao calmly took two sips of tea and then put forward a tempting proposal. He said, "Actually, our two gangs don't have to fight to the death. With our courage and wisdom, if we cooperate, why should we be afraid that the big cake of Shanghai's underworld won't be enough for us?"

Chu Tian smiled slightly, touched his nose, and his eyes showed that he didn't believe Ye Sanxiao's words at all. He said, "Leader Ye, you wouldn't really share the cake with us. Otherwise, you wouldn't have cooperated with Zhangsun Jincheng and threatened to eliminate the Shuai Jun."

Ye Sanxiao's face twitched, and he felt an inexplicable unease in his heart. How did Chu Tian know all this? He asked, "Could it be that you leaving the Jiang Bang with nothing was all fake? Was it all a play arranged by Zhangsun Jincheng? Otherwise, how could you know about our cooperation?"

Chu Tian smiled noncommittally and said an ambiguous sentence, "If you don't want others to know something, the only way is not to do it."

Ye Sanxiao looked at Chu Tian, who had a calm expression but was extremely intelligent. He finally felt afraid. He said, "Could it be that you're going to kill me tonight? If you kill me, you won't be able to escape either. The Axe Gang will definitely seek revenge for me, and my backer will also send people to hunt you down. In that case, you'll be doomed to live your life in fear and on the run. Is it worth it?"

Chu Tian looked at Ye Sanxiao and let out a sigh. He said, "Ye Sanxiao, you've been smart all your life but are being foolish now. Since I'm able to sit in front of you, it means that I've already made all the arrangements. Don't worry. Even if you die tonight, I'll still be able to walk on the Bund calmly tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and in the future."

Ye Sanxiao's hand trembled slightly, and the tea in the cup rippled gently, then returned to calm.

At this moment, the door suddenly opened. Ye Sanxiao suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. As long as the person who came in noticed the situation inside and shouted, his chances of survival would increase significantly. Uncle Wang came in with the four trusted bodyguards beside Ye Sanxiao, and then gently closed the door. Chu Tian flashed out. The faces of Ye Sanxiao's trusted bodyguards froze immediately. When did this person come in? They had seen Chu Tian at Shui Xie Hua Du and also witnessed his martial arts skills. Naturally, they knew what it meant for Chu Tian to be here.

After Uncle Wang came in, he nodded to Chu Tian and said, "These four are in charge of nearly a hundred members of the Axe Gang guarding Tianyue Longting. They must be eliminated. I'm sorry to trouble you, Young Marshal."

Chu Tian showed a handsome smile and said friendly, "You're welcome. It's just a piece of cake."

The four trusted bodyguards suddenly looked at Uncle Wang angrily. Just as they were about to pounce on Uncle Wang, they suddenly found that there were two more people beside them. These two people looked ordinary, dressed plainly, and were wearing masks, but they gave off an extremely dangerous aura. So, they didn't dare to act.

Ye Sanxiao suddenly seemed to have aged a lot. He looked at the two people who had suddenly appeared, shook his head, and then looked at Uncle Wang with a pale and痛苦的 face. He asked in great grief and indignation, "Uncle Wang, I've treated you well. I trusted you like family, let you participate in the gang's decisions, and ensured you a life of wealth and comfort. Why did you betray me?"

Uncle Wang's tone remained calm, and he didn't show any signs of excitement. He said lightly, "Ye Sanxiao, you've been lustful all your life and don't know how many innocent women's reputations you've destroyed. Do you remember the female college student you met by the Huangpu River five years ago, who was walking home late at night? You lusted after her beauty and actually ordered your subordinates to drag her into the car and rape her. Then you even took pornographic photos of her and forced her to come and accompany you willingly every week. That female student couldn't bear it and jumped into the Huangpu River as soon as she got out of the car."

When Uncle Wang said this, his tone was still calm, but there was anger in his eyes. He said, "Ye Sanxiao, do you know who that female college student was? She was my daughter, Wang Yanyan. Her mother, my wife, went crazy overnight when she found out that Wang Yanyan was dead and then hanged herself. Don't you think you've done something unforgivable? What's even more heinous is that you actually spread the story of that night everywhere and even distributed the pornographic photos to your trusted subordinates. I was risking my life for the Axe Gang at that time, and it was only because of that that I found out the real reason why my daughter died."

Ye Sanxiao seemed to recall the pleasure of that night, but then he shook his head in pain.

Uncle Wang still didn't show any signs of excitement, as if he was telling someone else's story. Anyone could see how strong Uncle Wang's patience had been over the years. He could even eat and sleep peacefully beside his enemy and take care of the gang's trivial matters for him. So, it was natural that he wouldn't be excited when narrating this now.

Uncle Wang let out a long sigh, and a fierce hatred flashed in his eyes. He said lightly, "I've been by your side for so many years, just waiting for this opportunity, waiting for the person who could be your nemesis to appear. Heaven has eyes, and finally, I've waited for the Young Marshal. So, I went to Shui Xie Hua Du that night wearing a mask to cooperate with the Young Marshal and find the right opportunity to kill you. In fact, it's easy to kill you, and it's also easy to poison you. But what I want is to watch your capable subordinates die one by one, and then watch you become exhausted and die in pain. Then I'll let the members of the Axe Gang fight among themselves until the gang is completely destroyed. I've even called your daughter back from Italy, so that you'll die with your eyes wide open and pay a heavy price for the mistakes you've made."

Ye Sanxiao didn't say a word. He knew that tonight might be his last night. He was just worried about what might happen to his daughter who was coming back from Italy. He never expected that the person he trusted the most would betray him. No wonder Chu Tian knew everything, and no wonder Chu Tian could easily enter his study. It was all Uncle Wang's doing.

Ye Sanxiao's four bodyguards were no pushovers either. Taking advantage of a moment when everyone was slightly distracted, they looked at each other and quickly drew the pistols from their waists. Years of training had enabled them to draw the gun, load it, and fire in just two seconds with a hundred percent hit rate. That was why Ye Sanxiao had appointed them as his trusted bodyguards and captains of the guard team. As long as they could hold a gun, they could control the life and death of people within a few hundred meters around, not to mention this study of over sixty square meters.

However, for Chu Tian and the others, two seconds was more than enough time. It was too long.

Before the four trusted bodyguards could fire their guns, two hands and a knife shot towards them, so fast that no one knew where they came from.