A nightclub.
Zhao Tianxing and his group had been waiting in the private room for a long time when the news finally arrived.
—The operation had failed.
Hearing this, everyone’s expressions darkened.
"According to the latest report, Liu Yutong seemed prepared. She had people ready in advance and caught the assassin red-handed."
Zhao Tianxing swept his gaze across the room, his eyes filled with hostility. "I suspect there’s a traitor among us!"
The moment these words were spoken, the room erupted in chaos.
"A traitor?!"
"How is that possible?"
"Who? Who did it?!"
"........."
Most of the men were shocked and furious, eyeing each other with suspicion.
However, a few remained calm.
They had never supported such an extreme move in the first place. But since the majority had voted in favor, their objections were overruled, and they were dragged into this mess.
In their eyes, even if they had succeeded in killing Liu Yutong and Lin Muyang, what then?
Could they guarantee no traces would be left behind?
Forget about the joint retaliation from the Ten Thousand Dragons Society and the Righteous Union—just the wrath of Lin Muyang’s father alone was something none of them could withstand.
To these few, Zhao Tianxing and his followers were simply blinded by rage, acting without considering the consequences.
Besides, while they had loosely banded together, there was no clear hierarchy among them. It wouldn’t be surprising if one or two cowards had leaked the plan out of fear.
As the group grew increasingly anxious—some even pointing fingers and shouting at each other—the more neutral gang leaders exchanged glances and stood up in unison.
They had clearly decided it was time to cut ties. Staying with this ragtag bunch would only lead to disaster.
Or rather, disaster had already struck.
With the assassin captured, there was no telling if he would spill the names of his employers.
Their priority now was to apologize and shift all the blame onto Zhao Tianxing and his loyalists.
"I don’t see any point in dragging this out any longer."
"The plan’s blown, and the leak is obvious. Sitting here pointing fingers and yelling won’t do squat. We should all go home and figure out how to clean up this mess."
"Fatty Jin’s got a point. Right now, damage control is what matters. No use arguing when we’re already screwed."
With these two leading the charge, the others quickly joined in with complaints.
"I told you we shouldn’t have acted so recklessly against Young Master Lin and Liu Yutong. Now look what happened!"
"Yeah, what do we do now? Boss Zhao, this was your idea—you take responsibility!"
"That’s right, Zhao Tianxing, this was your plan. You deal with it!"
Some of Zhao Tianxing’s supporters immediately fired back.
"Come on, that’s not fair. You all voted for it too!"
"I voted, but only because I had no choice!"
"Same here! We were forced into it!"
"......"
"Shut the hell up!" Zhao Tianxing roared, slamming his glass onto the table.
The sudden outburst silenced the room.
"Anyone who wants to leave can get the hell out now—I won’t stop you! But if any of you dare blab outside, don’t expect me to show any mercy. Past ties mean nothing then!"
He had finally seen the truth—this was nothing but a pack of useless cowards.
For now, he had no choice but to let them go.
Some of the gang bosses quickly recovered and assured him,
"We won’t say a word."
"Right, we’ll keep our mouths shut."
"........"
Zhao Tianxing’s face remained grim as he turned to a trusted subordinate. "Drive these gentlemen home. Make sure they arrive… safely."
"Yes, boss!" The underling nodded and left to carry out the order.
The remaining bosses thanked him hastily and hurried out of the room.
In an instant, four of the seven prominent gang leaders had vanished, leaving only Zhao Tianxing, Liao Dapao, and one hesitant figure—Liu Songxia, the boss of West Bar Street, nicknamed "The Hero."
The reason he hadn’t left with the others was simple.
Earlier, when he had secretly tipped off the other side, he received a four-word reply:
[Wait and see.]
It was a clear warning—don’t act rashly, don’t pick sides yet.
Because of those four words, he hadn’t rushed to follow Fatty Jin and the others.
And sure enough, just after the four bosses were escorted out, new intel arrived:
Liu Yutong was leading over a hundred men straight to Lakeside Hotel!
At first, Zhao Tianxing was puzzled. Why there?
Lakeside Hotel belonged to Yu Corporation, not any of the men present. Even for revenge, it made no sense.
But then, realization struck—his face twisted in horror.
His son, Zhao Junjie, was at Lakeside Hotel right now!
The boy had mentioned yesterday that he was networking with some big names in the entertainment industry, hoping to break into that circle. To protect him and ensure the plan’s secrecy, Zhao Tianxing hadn’t told his son about tonight’s operation.
Zhao Junjie knew nothing.
Now, Liu Yutong was heading there with an army. What did that mean?
Zhao Tianxing couldn’t stay calm if he tried.
Zhao Junjie was his only son!
"Boss Zhao, what’s wrong?" Liao Dapao asked, noticing his agitation.
Of course, his first thought was that the assassin had indeed talked, and his own panic deepened.
Zhao Tianxing didn’t have time to explain. He frantically dialed his son’s number—but no answer. The phone was off.
Despair flooded his heart.
He immediately called over another subordinate and whispered urgent instructions, his eyes burning with murderous intent.
The man nodded solemnly and left.
Once that was settled, Zhao Tianxing took a deep breath and turned to the two men who remained—Liao Dapao and Liu Songxia.
"Brothers, the fact that you’ve chosen to stay means you trust me, Zhao Tianxing. You’re willing to stand by me through thick and thin. So I’ll make this clear—from now on, you’re my sworn brothers! Whatever I have, you’ll have your share!"
Then, his tone shifted as he brought up the four who had left.
"You think Fatty Jin and those traitors can just walk away and wash their hands clean?"
"This mess is their fault. Only we knew the plan, yet the assassin was caught the moment he made his move. One of them must’ve tipped Liu Yutong off."
Liao Dapao was the first to stand. "Boss Zhao, so what’s your plan...?"
Zhao Tianxing's tone instantly turned icy and bone-chilling: "Now that we're all truly on the same side, I’ll be straight with you—I’ve already sent men to ‘deliver’ them."
The moment these words were spoken, Liao Dapao and Liu Songxia felt as if they’d been plunged into an icy abyss.
Neither had expected Zhao Tianxing to be so ruthless—actually planning to eliminate those bosses outright.
Liu Songxia, in particular, secretly wiped away a cold sweat, grateful he hadn’t followed Fatty Jin and the others when they left. Otherwise, he might have ended up in the same dire straits.
As a seasoned leader in his own right, Liu Songxia reacted swiftly.
"I stand with Brother Zhao! When dealing with traitors, there’s no room for mercy! Drowning them in the river would be too kind. Brother Zhao, do you have enough men? Should I bring a few of my boys to help send them off for good?!"
Zhao Tianxing was pleased with his response, convinced now that this man was genuinely committed to standing by him—even volunteering to get his hands dirty.
If someone like this wasn’t trustworthy, who was?
"Brother Songxia, as it happens, there is something I could use your help with..."
