"Wanlong Society?" Jiang Bing frowned. In the past, he might not have paid much attention to this name, but now it was all anyone in the gang could talk about. The young mistress of Wanlong Society was very likely the biological daughter of the late Yilian Society boss, Liu Lei—making her their own gang's rightful heiress.
Moreover, this young mistress's background was nothing short of legendary—so much so that even the gang's elders had begun to reconsider their stance, wondering if supporting Pan Xing's rise to power had been a mistake.
A few days ago, news had suddenly broken about a young woman who built a company worth billions in just half a year. Those in the underworld had taken notice, especially since they had always kept tabs on Liu Yutong.
Whether or not Liu Yutong was truly Liu Lei's daughter, her sheer capability alone had already made many consider bringing her back to claim her birthright.
The reason was simple.
Yilian Society's main business still revolved around underground operations like gambling dens.
But with the authorities cracking down harder than ever, their profits had been steadily declining. Raids were becoming more frequent, and the future looked bleak.
It wasn’t as if no one had thought about going legitimate—but how easy was that?
A bunch of hardened thugs, used to violence and intimidation, suddenly running a legitimate business? Impossible.
And then there was the issue of redistributing profits.
Sticking to the status quo—each faction guarding its own turf and paying monthly dues—was far simpler.
Besides, getting their lazy, street-hardened underlings to actually work honest jobs? That was harder than climbing to the heavens.
Habits, once formed, were hard to break.
Unless someone could single-handedly reform the entire organization while keeping it profitable, there might be a slim chance of slowly steering the gang toward legitimacy.
But that was nearly impossible.
Just when everyone had given up hope, Liu Yutong appeared—and suddenly, they saw a glimmer of possibility.
This woman was terrifyingly capable.
Billions in wealth, created in just six months!
If she took over Yilian Society's finances, wouldn’t they not only go legitimate but also secure a lifetime of riches?
No more worrying about getting stabbed in an alley or being dragged away by the cops.
Of course, this line of thinking mostly came from the older, more experienced elders.
They knew what their endgame should be.
The younger, hot-blooded members, however, were the opposite. Most of them couldn’t stand the idea of a woman ruling over them.
Even if they had confirmed the young mistress’s identity right after Liu Lei’s death and brought her back, the result would’ve been the same.
To put it bluntly, aside from a handful of Liu Lei’s most loyal followers, no one—not even the elders—would’ve supported her.
The gang belonged to everyone. A hereditary system was already questionable, let alone handing power to a woman.
They’d never accept it.
That was why, out of Yilian Society’s thousand-plus members, only a dozen or so from Yuncheng had bothered searching for the young mistress.
Some hesitated, some doubted, but the vast majority outright rejected the idea of succession.
Of course, that was the mindset back then.
Now, things were different.
Liu Yutong had single-handedly dominated Wushui County, then expanded into Bright Pearl City. Her own Wanlong Society now numbered in the hundreds.
Though still smaller than Yilian Society, her rapid growth from nothing was nothing short of terrifying.
At this rate, surpassing Yilian Society was only a matter of time.
Meanwhile, under Pan Xing’s leadership, the gang had stagnated—if not regressed.
Rumors spread like wildfire within the ranks, and more people began clamoring for the young mistress’s return.
Of course, when they called her that in private, it wasn’t out of genuine respect—it was because they believed she could make them rich.
At the end of the day, it was all about profit.
Pan Xing was losing his grip. Between the upcoming underground fight tournament and the internal unrest, he no longer had the resources to deal with Liu Yutong.
That was part of the reason.
Otherwise, given his ruthlessness, he wouldn’t have given up so easily on targeting her—nor would he have suddenly invited her to dinner to discuss a truce.
.............
At the mention of Wanlong Society—especially the woman behind it—Jiang Bing’s mind flashed with memories, his eyes burning with a cold fury.
Some things, he had only learned by chance while in prison.
During his time behind bars, he had overheard a fellow inmate talking about an incident from years ago—one that immediately caught his attention.
After digging deeper and piecing together details—including the faces of those involved—he was 80% certain he had been betrayed.
The realization nearly drove him mad.
He had gone to prison for the gang—for the boss himself.
Yet the one who had truly sent him and his brothers to jail was none other than the boss!
The betrayal was devastating.
If Liu Lei hadn’t already been dead by the time Jiang Bing got out, he would’ve hunted him down with a blade, demanding to know why he had turned on his own men.
But since the boss was gone, he had planned to let the past stay buried—until Liu Lei’s daughter came after him.
How could he not be furious?
"Take these two away—we’ll deal with them later. First, we’re going back to crush those Wanlong Society scum!" Jiang Bing snarled through gritted teeth.
"Yes, Brother Bing!" his men shouted in unison.
"Wait—how many of them are there?" Though burning with rage, Jiang Bing hadn’t completely lost his head.
If they were outnumbered, he’d call for reinforcements, wipe out the bastards who dared raid his bar, and force Liu Yutong to come personally to retrieve her people.
"About twenty," Little Dao quickly answered.
Jiang Bing glanced at his men—fifty or sixty strong. More than enough.
Without another word, he barked, "Move out!"
"Charge!"
The gangsters raised their weapons and rushed at Gao Min and the other girl.
Gao Min shoved the girl in white aside. "Run!"
Then she lunged forward to meet them head-on.
The girl in white panicked. "Sis Min—!"
But seeing Gao Min take down two thugs in seconds, she knew staying would only be a burden. Gritting her teeth, she turned and fled.
Of course, Jiang Bing wasn’t about to let her escape. He signaled a few men to chase after her.
Then, a thrilling scene unfolded on the dam: a group of people were surrounding a girl with short black hair, while another group chased after a girl in a white down jacket.
However, women’s physical strength is indeed at a disadvantage in such situations.
Though Gao Min was quite agile, she couldn’t dodge the attack in time—a steel pipe struck her arm with a solid thud, sending waves of pain through her limb. It trembled uncontrollably, to the point where she could barely lift it.
"Min Jie!" The girl in white turned back at the sight, her heart pounding with worry.
But just then, a thug from behind grabbed the hood of her down jacket and yanked her to the ground.
"Ah!" The sharp pain brought tears to her eyes.
"Run! Why aren’t you running now?" The thug sneered, stepping forward to teach her a proper lesson.
At this critical moment—
Vroom—!
A blinding pair of high beams suddenly pierced through from the far end of the dam, instantly dazzling the gang of thugs.
