"Are there a lot of people?"
Master Jiu's eyelid twitched violently. He walked silently to the window and looked down. His heart instantly sank to the pit of his stomach.
The street was eerily silent, not a single car in sight. Of course, even if there were cars, no one would dare drive onto this street now. Who wouldn't be terrified by a spectacle like this?
Below, a dense mass of black umbrellas spread across the entire street like a dark cloud.
Underneath each umbrella stood a figure clad in a uniform black suit.
Not a sound was made, yet the sense of oppression was overwhelming.
"This... this is fucking..."
Master Jiu's voice trembled as he spoke. "Has Liu Yutong gone mad? What does she think she's doing with so many people? Didn't I already settle things with her?!"
After the initial shock, a surge of rage instantly flooded his heart.
He had dominated the South City for decades. When had anyone ever dared to bully him like this, right at his doorstep?
"Damn it! This is too much!"
"This is going too far!"
Master Jiu turned around and kicked over the coffee table in front of him. "Do they really think I, Master Jiu, am made of clay? Call the men! Now! Immediately! Get all our brothers here! Let's see if her Ten Thousand Dragons Society men are tougher, or if my blades are sharper!"
"Today, I'll fight her to the death!"
"Boss, we... we called!"
"We contacted everyone we could! But... but our men are scattered across all the different venues. We can't possibly gather this many on such short notice! And... and with the rain so heavy outside, the phones aren't getting through..."
Master Jiu: "???"
"Phones aren't getting through? What does that have to do with the rain?"
Underling: "I think they either don't dare to come, or they've been... been taken down."
Of course, he didn't voice the other thought: a lot of their brothers were currently sitting behind bars. Their manpower was nowhere near what it used to be.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
After cursing, Master Jiu calmed down again.
He was, after all, a seasoned player. Anger hadn't completely clouded his judgment.
A head-on confrontation would definitely be a losing proposition right now.
After adjusting his emotions, he began to mobilize the network of connections he had built up over more than a decade.
"Phone! Get me my phone!" Master Jiu roared.
The general manager immediately handed over his private cell phone.
Master Jiu quickly dialed the first number—a certain deputy director in charge of security for this district.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.
"Hello? Old Jiu, what is it?"
"Director Wang! Save me, Director Wang!"
"My club is surrounded by a gang of thugs! Hundreds of them! It's complete lawlessness! You have to send men over immediately! Otherwise, something terrible is going to happen!"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, followed by an apologetic voice.
"Old Jiu, we've received some reports about this situation as well. But you see, with this weather, mobilizing police force is quite difficult. And currently, the other side is merely gathered; there hasn't been any substantive conflict. It's not appropriate for us to intervene rashly. How about you keep observing the situation? Stay calm, don't do anything impulsive. Wait until daylight, then we'll see..."
"Wait until daylight?"
"By daylight, my place will be torn down! Director Wang, you can't just..."
"Ah, my phone's running out of battery, I can't hear you clearly. Let's leave it at that. I'll contact you later after I charge it a bit."
Before he could finish, the other party hung up directly.
Listening to the busy tone from his phone, Master Jiu was stunned.
What?
He just hung up like that?
Such blatantly illegal activity, and they won't even do anything about it?
Unwilling to give up, Master Jiu dialed several numbers of guys he usually called brothers, who hadn't taken few benefits from him.
Without exception, these calls were either busy, had poor signal and were inaudible, or were just like Director Wang—full of various excuses and evasions. They spouted bureaucratic nonsense about the other side having permits, gatherings not being illegal, needing to follow procedures, waiting until he was done for before they could act, and so on.
If he was done for, how would he even call the police then?
Wouldn't it be far too late by then?
Could it be that this is what they mean by 'brothers in heart, but the phone never connects'?
When he finally processed this, a chill ran through his heart.
What kind of background did this Liu Yutong have, to so easily neutralize all his connections?
But he still refused to give up. He dialed the last number—Huang Yu, the city's richest man.
Huang Yu, hearing of Master Jiu's predicament on the other end of the line, was also furious.
Not furious that Master Jiu's venue was about to be raided, but furious that he, himself, had been ignored by a mere young woman. He had just mediated a settlement not long ago, and now she was turning around to move against his business partner. Wasn't this a slap in his face?
Moreover, if something really happened to Master Jiu, he would be affected too, especially financially. He had already been summoned for a talk by the leadership once.
"This girl has no idea how high the sky is or how thick the earth is. Hold on, I'll contact someone to resolve this."
The influence of the richest man was not to be underestimated either. He knew plenty of connections, and his relationships were far beyond what someone like Master Jiu could compare to.
Hearing this, Master Jiu was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he suddenly heard a huge commotion from downstairs. He panicked instantly.
"Mr. Huang, how long do I need to hold on for?"
"Hmm... tomorrow at the latest. People need their rest too, you know."
"???"
Master Jiu, phone in hand, rushed back to the window and stared down intently.
Finally, he uttered three words into the phone: "Fuck your mother!"
..............
The rain continued to fall.
The cold raindrops hammered against the countless black umbrella canopies, producing a dull, thudding sound.
The originally dense crowd of black-clad figures began to lean and part towards a central point, clearing a passage wide enough for a person to walk through.
Then, the gazes of all the black-clad figures snapped in unison towards the black Maybach that had just come to a stop.
As a woman stepped out of the car, everyone immediately bowed in greeting.
"Young Mistress!"
In that instant, only one thought remained in Master Jiu's mind.
This woman... is terrifying!
This wasn't his first time dealing with Liu Yutong's Ten Thousand Dragons Society, but he had never been as shaken as he was today, with her forces literally at his gates.
He had never imagined that someone could run the underworld so formally, with such discipline, such cohesion.
More organized than the organized crime!
Perhaps sensing his gaze.
Liu Yutong happened to look up towards the upper floor. Master Jiu's heart constricted violently.
Did she notice him peeking?
Before he could think further, he saw the woman raise her hand, pointing in the direction of his club. Her red lips parted slightly, uttering two icy words.
"Smash it."
