Inside a luxury five-star hotel suite.
Seven or eight men sat together in a circle, smoke hanging thick in the air.
Every one of them was a well-known figure in Dongguan's underworld—the top leaders of various regional gangs.
She Zhishan and Liu Zhenhu were also present. The two glared at each other with open hostility, looking as if they wished they could tear the other apart right on the spot.
"Old She, Old Liu, isn't everything clear now? That kid named Caoyang plotted the whole thing. Why are you two still at each other's throats?"Sichuan gang boss Liu Changling chuckled as he spoke. This meeting had been organized by him and the Guangxi gang boss, and they'd invited the Jiangxi, Guizhou, and Shaanxi bosses as well.
They were all happy to watch the chaos and would've loved to see She and Liu fight each other to mutual destruction.
But that was only their private wish. They couldn't truly let the two continue fighting.
Last night, the entire city had been turned upside down. The authorities were furious. If the fighting continued, a harsh city-wide crackdown would be unavoidable—and none of the men present would escape unscathed. So they reluctantly gathered She and Liu here to mediate.
"Yes, yes," the others chimed in. "It was all that Caoyang kid stirring things up. You two got played."
They had already exchanged information. According to the injured members of the Henan gang, when they entered the room, Tiexiong was already dead. Immediately after, the Hunan gang rushed up and attacked without saying a word.
The coroner's report confirmed Tiexiong had been killed by blunt force to the face and his neck violently twisted.
The Henan men carried knives and guns—but none of them had a hammer. The wounds didn't match their weapons.
Bar staff also testified that Yingshan had indeed taken Caoyang upstairs earlier. Then the Henan gang went up, and fighting broke out immediately. Nobody saw where Caoyang went afterward.
Thus, they all suspected Caoyang had masterminded everything, manipulating the two gangs into fighting each other.
They were giving Caoyang far too much credit. The guy didn't even have that kind of brains. He hadn't even known the Henan gang was coming—it was all pure coincidence.
Although the truth was now clear, and both sides knew they'd misunderstood each other, the fact remained: they had truly fought last night. Their venues were smashed, their brothers injured, some even dead.The losses were massive.
Asking them to shake hands and make peace was humiliating. Neither wanted to lose face.
"Mr. She, Mr. Liu. The boss asked me to tell you this: he has instructed the police to capture Caoyang at all costs. Hotels, inns, rental rooms—everything will be thoroughly searched. He'll be found soon enough."
The speaker was a young man wearing a white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses. His scholarly appearance contrasted sharply with the hardened gang leaders around him. Everyone called him Secretary Chen, and they treated him with noticeable respect.
"The boss also said Dongguan is too complicated. Too many out-of-town drifters. Those small guesthouses and shady internet cafés—you'll have to search those yourselves."
She Zhishan and Liu Zhenhu both nodded, expressing full cooperation.
The Sichuan boss asked, "What if he already left Dongguan?"
Secretary Chen pushed his glasses up and smiled calmly."He's still in the city. This morning he showed up at the train station. Police there confiscated his ID, but he escaped. We've already contacted his hometown police. They'll put pressure on his family."
After speaking, his expression darkened as he looked at She and Liu.
"The boss is extremely displeased with your behavior last night! He told me to bring you two a message: if there's a next time, you can both go back to your hometowns and farm—one can grow chili peppers, the other wheat!"
Their faces turned ugly.They had ruled the streets for years—who dared speak to them like that?
But Secretary Chen could. He was only relaying orders anyway.
"…Understood."The two reluctantly nodded, then ordered their men to find Caoyang—capture him and grind him into paste.
Caoyang found a small hostel that didn't require ID. He had no luggage, but he had cash. Eating and sleeping weren't problems for now.
He lay on the stiff wooden bed, listening to the moans from the room next door, staring at the ceiling without a clue what he was thinking.
He finally drifted off—only to be awakened less than two hours later.
Hearing multiple voices outside, he grew alert. He quietly cracked open the door.
Five or six young men were standing by the front desk, their arms covered in tattoos, faces fierce and nasty.
"Boss, have you seen this man?" one asked, holding out a photo of Caoyang.
The owner pushed up his glasses. The face looked familiar. His eyes instinctively drifted toward Caoyang's room.
The men followed his gaze—and saw Caoyang's door slightly ajar, one eye staring right at them.
"F**k! You scared me to death!"
The leader cursed and marched toward him, kicking the door open.
"You little—"
He froze.Wasn't this exactly the guy they were looking for?
"Bang!"
Before he could shout, Caoyang kicked him across the hallway. The man slammed into the opposite room, knocking the door open.
Inside, a naked couple screamed and scrambled to cover themselves.
The remaining thugs rushed forward.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"All six were knocked flat on the floor, groaning in pain, unable to stand.
Caoyang stared coldly at them, bent down, and picked up his own photo to examine it.
It was his ID photo—enlarged.How the hell did they get this?
His heart sank. It was almost certainly from the police. Both the underworld and the authorities were hunting him.
He walked out, kicking each one again on his way. None of them would be getting out of bed for the next ten days at least.
Then he headed into a shady internet café, chose a corner by the window, turned on a movie, and dozed.
Before long, another group of thugs entered—some questioning the front desk, some searching the rows.
"He's here!" one shouted upon spotting him.
"Bang!"He was sent flying before he finished the shout.
The café instantly erupted into chaos. Tables and computers went flying. Several men were beaten half to death.
By the time reinforcements arrived, Caoyang had vanished.
Situations like this happened everywhere. Those who couldn't find him were lucky. Those who did… ended up in the hospital.
The underlings grew terrified.What began as excitement—catch Caoyang and earn big credit—had become silent prayers:Please don't let me run into that monster.
Hearing their reports, She Zhishan and Liu Zhenhu exploded in rage.
"A bunch of useless trash! So many of you, and you can't stop one man?!"
The truth was embarrassing, but unavoidable—five or six men simply stood no chance against Caoyang.
And they couldn't send out groups of dozens or hundreds—that would be too inefficient and still might not find him.
"Issue the guns."Both men reached the same conclusion.
Sure, Caoyang could fight.
But he couldn't outrun bullets.
They all had guns—just rarely used them.Now the situation qualified.