The commotion at the Sky Club naturally did not escape the notice of certain interested parties.
Months ago, when members of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society first appeared in Danan City, they had already caught the attention of some local power players.
At that time, these observers weren't quite sure of their purpose, thinking they were just there to pick a fight with Master Jiu.
In the underworld of Danan City, Master Jiu was undoubtedly one of the most senior figures. He commanded the largest number of men, controlled the most entertainment venues, underground gambling dens, and gray-market territories, and his network of connections was vast and complex. Calling him the local overlord was no exaggeration.
Although in recent years he had become somewhat overconfident, growing increasingly greedy and offending many people, his foundation was solid. Everyone believed that even if the Ten Thousand Dragons Society, coming from Pearl City, wanted to move against him, it would be a pyrrhic victory for both sides, with neither gaining much.
But the scene unfolding before them completely shattered that perception.
What era was this? How could anyone dare to gather such a large crowd to cause trouble?
Of course, setting aside the sheer audacity of it, the scale of this mobilization was undoubtedly the largest and most intimidating spectacle they had witnessed since entering this world.
Neither Master Jiu nor they themselves could easily muster such a force.
In a hotel not far from the Sky Club.
Several of Danan City's prominent figures were sitting by a window, drinking tea.
From their floor, looking down a few hundred meters away, was the dense crowd of Ten Thousand Dragons Society members, though from their angle, all they could see was a continuous sea of black umbrellas.
After their underlings spotted the Ten Thousand Dragons Society mobilizing earlier that day, they had come to this restaurant diagonally opposite the Sky Club and booked this window-side private room specifically to see for themselves what the Ten Thousand Dragons Society was really made of.
Naturally, most of them didn't believe the Ten Thousand Dragons Society would actually dare to cause trouble directly at someone else's establishment.
As the saying goes, this was the 21st century, and they were on the mainland.
Unless your backing was powerful enough to ignore the rules, causing a major incident would never end well.
They also believed that the young lady who had built the Ten Thousand Dragons Society to such a size while remaining unscathed should have that awareness.
However, when they actually saw the dense crowd of black-clad figures surrounding the Sky Club, they all fell silent.
Had they grown old?
Or did the young people nowadays simply not know the meaning of the word "fear"?
What they didn't know was that scenes like this had happened countless times before in Pearl City.
"Old Chen, it seems we all misjudged the situation," a man in an elegant suit and glasses couldn't help but sigh. "We thought it would be a fierce clash of titans, but it turns out to be a crushing force."
The man called Old Chen stared at the black mass of people below and said slowly, "It's not that we misjudged. It's that this young lady of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society never intended to play by the usual rules from the start. I feel this isn't just about seizing territory; she's here to set down the law."
Another slightly portly man nearby clicked his tongue upon hearing this. "Set down the law? For Old Geezer Jiu? Or for us locals here in Danan City?"
"I think it's for both."
"I think so too."
"They say a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake, but this bunch seems to have never taken that saying to heart. How arrogant!"
"They have the capital to be arrogant. You try gathering five or six hundred people. Can you do it?"
"I certainly can't. I'd be afraid of getting rounded up by the authorities."
"Hahaha... You two cowards, with such timid hearts, and you used to be part of this world."
"Lao Song, don't laugh at us. If you had this many people, and in this day and age, would you dare to so brazenly bring them out to smash someone else's place? Would you dare?!"
"I wouldn't! So what? Am I proud of it? Am I boasting?"
"Damn, you really have no shame!"
"Is it that we've gotten old? Or are the younger generation regressing? I really don't understand it anymore."
"Tsk tsk... What a display, what a show of force! Old Geezer Jiu is probably done for this time!"
"Master Jiu has overreached in recent years, his appetite too big, offending many people. The Ten Thousand Dragons Society's move probably suits a lot of people's wishes. I just never imagined she'd use the most direct, most domineering method."
"That's exactly what's most frightening about these young people nowadays. They pay no heed to social niceties or conventions; they just charge in headfirst. If this battle truly finishes off Master Jiu, who in Danan City would dare defy the Ten Thousand Dragons Society?"
"Exactly! Having such an overbearing ruler come to Danan City isn't good news for us either."
"Ah, the new generation replaces the old. From now on, Danan City will be the Ten Thousand Dragons Society's domain. We'll all have to learn to keep our heads down."
"Who cares? I've long since washed my hands of that life anyway. I just won't provoke them in the future."
"Right now, I just want to know what expression Old Geezer Jiu has on his face in his office. It must be priceless! Hahaha!"
"..."
Top floor of the Sky Club.
Master Jiu was currently in his office with the club's general manager, also his top confidant, discussing how to deal with the potential threat from the Ten Thousand Dragons Society.
He was especially alarmed after learning that the couple who had been in his office earlier had been so brazen as to target Liu Yutong's sister—he only found out later that the Ten Thousand Dragons Society's young lady had an older sister.
This terrified him.
He had just reconciled with her through the city's richest man's mediation, and now another incident had occurred.
Almost all the setbacks he had suffered in recent years were caused by the Ten Thousand Dragons Society. He would love nothing more than for Liu Yutong herself to meet misfortune. If those two could have taken care of Liu Yutong, he'd probably be so happy he'd run naked in the streets.
But if only Liu Yutong's sister came to harm, that would be the absolute worst outcome for him.
That woman would surely go mad.
In any case, why cause trouble now of all times? At least wait until he had transferred his assets and gotten hold of that thing from Green Hair before stirring things up, right?
After getting the news, Master Jiu immediately sent men to capture the man and woman, intending to give Liu Yutong an explanation. But he was a step too late; they had already boarded a plane and left the country.
No need to guess, he would definitely face Liu Yutong's wrath.
Master Jiu had just finished listening to the general manager's report on the status of asset consolidation and plans to placate the woman who might come knocking.
BANG!
A subordinate stumbled into the office in a panic.
"Boss! Boss! It's bad! The... the building... it's surrounded!"
Interrupted abruptly, Master Jiu's temper flared. "What's all the panic? Get a hold of yourself! Who dares to cause trouble at my place? Take a few men and send them packing! Why bother me with such a trivial matter?!"
Having been in the underworld for over a decade, he had seen all sorts of storms. The occasional drunk causing a scene or some foolhardy punk coming to pick a fight was commonplace.
Just deal with it.
"But Boss... it's not like that!"
The younger brother stammered, "Not a few! It's... it's so many! A huge crowd of people! A dense, black mass of them! They've blocked the front door, the back door, every exit of our club! All dressed in black!"
"Is it the Ten Thousand Dragons Society?"
Master Jiu sprang to his feet, asking with a hint of panic, "Is it that woman from the Ten Thousand Dragons Society? She actually dares to come? How many did she bring?"
He still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking the other side wouldn't dare be too brazen, wouldn't bring too many people.
After all, these days, large-scale gatherings are a major taboo.
And if you gather a large crowd to smash someone else's establishment, that's a taboo within a taboo.
Unless your backing reaches the heavens, there's absolutely no escaping the iron fist from above.
In all his years in the underworld, he himself had rarely gathered over a hundred people.
Too many people make you a big target, and even if you send out a lot, you have to split them up, making it easier to scatter if needed.
Just like when they grabbed those Green Hair guys before, they acted in batches too.
Of course, doing it this way has its downsides—it's easier for people to slip away.
The younger brother was on the verge of tears, holding up two fingers, then thinking better of it, just frantically gesturing with his hands.
"There are so many people! At least... at least this many! No, no, you can't even count them all, boss, we should run!"
