Liu Hao had no idea how long he had been staring at his phone. His eyelids grew heavy, so he simply found a corner and dozed off like the other underlings.
He wasn't foolishly waiting here out of stubbornness; he genuinely couldn't leave.
This arcade was the only turf he had managed to secure since arriving in Da Nan City. If it got snatched away today, he would lose his very foothold.
So, no matter what, he had to wait it out.
If he could just hold on until dawn without Brother Pao showing up, he could claim to the outside world that the other guy had chickened out. He might even use this chance to recruit more men and expand his territory.
But if he lost his nerve and pulled out first, and Brother Pao really did come back with his crew later, not only would he lose the arcade, but if word got out that "Heaven's Eye" Liu Hao had fled the scene, his reputation on the streets would be utterly ruined.
He had worked hard to learn the essence of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society and had reformed his own Heaven's Eye Gang. He naturally didn't want to die before achieving anything.
Although he had heard this Brother Pao was quite powerful locally, he still had to gamble.
Time ticked by, and a faint hint of white appeared on the horizon.
Liu Hao, leaning against the arcade's rolling shutter door, was sleeping soundly, drool nearly dripping to the ground.
Just then, an underling rushed over, shouting excitedly, "Boss! Boss! Huge news! Brother Pao came, but not really!"
Liu Hao jolted awake, nearly wrenching his neck.
"Ouch!" he cried out in pain, rubbing his neck while snapping, "Speak plainly!"
The underling hurriedly explained, "I just got the scoop. Brother Pao really did come out last night with over a hundred guys, saying he was gonna flatten our arcade. But guess what happened?"
A group of green-haired underlings, now awake, gathered around, curious.
"What happened? What exactly went down?"
"Spit it out! Stop with the suspense!"
"..."
"Hold on, I'm getting to it! Boss, Brother Pao and his crew first went to the southern suburbs. Right after they got there, they got wiped out in one go. Word is a mysterious big shot made the move. Brother Pao's hundred-plus men didn't even make a splash; they were just completely steamrolled. Now, Brother Pao himself is said to have been taken away by them. Whereabouts unknown. I figure they're gonna..." As he spoke, the messenger made a slicing motion across his own throat.
The air suddenly went quiet.
Brother Pao... got whacked?
For real?
Liu Hao asked, half-believing, "Are you sure?"
The underling nodded. "Pretty much sure. I have a friend who works as a server at one of Brother Pao's joints. He said Brother Pao never went back, and he's not in the hospital either. If he's not at his own turf or in the hospital, where else could he be, boss?"
"Gone to fetch scriptures?"
"Most likely."
"Hiss~~~"
"Who the hell has that kind of backing, to act so ruthlessly?"
They weren't inexperienced street punks; they knew how things worked on the streets.
Normally, if two sides had beef, even if a fight broke out, they'd keep some measure of control. The losers would admit defeat and go to the hospital themselves. Actually killing someone was rare.
After all, once you got blood on your hands, the whole nature of things changed. Unless you had truly sky-high connections, you'd eventually get taken down.
That's why most bosses usually focused on teaching a lesson and intimidation, never going for the kill.
But now, here was someone who acted so viciously, not only wiping out Brother Pao's whole crew but taking out Brother Pao himself too.
Actually, it was no wonder they thought that.
If Brother Pao wasn't dead, then where was he?
Missing?
Was there any real difference between missing and dead?
Not really.
Soon, one underling suddenly caught on, looking at Liu Hao with worship in his eyes.
"Boss! You're a legend!!!"
"Did you have this planned all along?"
Prompted by this shout, the others instantly had an 'epiphany'.
"Holy shit! So it was you, boss! When did you arrange this?"
"I knew it! That bastard Brother Pao didn't dare show up because you had it all set up, boss!"
"Boss is mighty! Heaven's Eye Gang is mighty! You really made a powerful enemy vanish into thin air while chatting and laughing!"
"Boss, you kept us in the dark! You know such a powerful big shot and didn't tell us, had us all worried sick."
"I always said our boss was no ordinary fish in a pond. Following the boss definitely leads to a bright future..."
"..."
The underlings instantly erupted, heaping extravagant praise on Liu Hao.
They talked about his masterful strategies, his unfathomable depth, etc., almost claiming the painted "heaven's eye" on Liu Hao's forehead could shoot death rays.
Liu Hao himself was dumbfounded.
Over a hundred guys, gone just like that?
Maybe many people don't grasp what over a hundred guys means.
Put it this way: in many places, having twenty or thirty brothers willing to fight is enough to throw your weight around.
Being able to muster over a hundred guys? That's definitely being a local tyrant.
When Liu Hao heard Brother Pao had brought over a hundred men, his heart had sunk.
After all, he only had about twenty or thirty men himself.
Then, hearing this hundred-plus crew was easily wiped out turned into sheer shock!
What kind of person, what kind of power was this?
To casually wipe out over a hundred guys... how could such a big shot possibly be connected to him?
If he had that kind of ability, would he still be stuck watching over this little arcade?
Suddenly!
A figure flashed across his mind like lightning.
— Liu Yutong!
She was the only person he had ever truly witnessed, and was certain possessed the power to easily eliminate over a hundred men, in all his time on the streets.
"Could the Ten Thousand Dragons Society have come to Da Nan City?"
Maybe it was a sixth sense, but the more Liu Hao thought about it, the more it fit the Ten Thousand Dragons Society's style.
He asked the underling who had gone to gather intel again and, upon learning the other side indeed wore black clothes, he nearly collapsed on the spot.
"My dear mother, it really is them."
"What are they doing in Da Nan City? Could it be that their turf in Mingzhu City isn't enough for them anymore?"
"And that idiot Brother Pao, really didn't know his limits, daring to provoke that living King of Hell. She dealt with him in the blink of an eye."
Amidst the shock, he also felt a wave of relief.
"What kind of dumb luck did I stumble into? Otherwise, the one getting dealt with would have been me..."
Looking at the group of blood-boiling underlings before him, eager to follow him and conquer the underworld, Liu Hao felt panicked inside, but his face still wore an expression of being completely in control.
Since a meat pie had fallen from the sky, he naturally wouldn't miss this chance to ride the wave.
He then pretended to be nonchalant and waved his hand. "Keep it low-key, low-key. Originally, I wanted to lead everyone in a fair fight with Brother Pao. Who knew he'd be so dishonorable, bringing so many extra men? I had no choice but to ask a friend for a little help. It's a small matter, not worth mentioning. Everyone disperse, go about your business."
The more humble he acted, the more the underlings felt their boss was unfathomably deep, praising him even more extravagantly.
"See that? Boss's mindset is on another level!"
"This is what you call the demeanor of a true big shot!"
"Boss, from now on, in life I am a man of the Sky Eye Gang, in death I am a ghost of the Sky Eye Gang!"
"Following the boss, we're sure to feast. Taking over the whole of South City won't be a problem in the future."
".........."
Liu Hao once again put on an air and nodded: "Of course, following Sky Eye will lead to the good life, that goes without saying."
"Alright, alright, that's enough. Everyone head back and rest, dismissed."
After his underlings had all left, yawning, Liu Hao watched the gradually brightening sky. The profound and inscrutable expression he had worn earlier faded from his face as he murmured to himself.
"Madam, I truly owe you a huge favor this time. I, Liu Hao, will remember it."
