Chapter 42: Support from the Triad Elder

[You led your team to a glorious victory in battle.]
[Due to the impact of the battle, your reputation has spread locally. Prestige +180.]
[Current Prestige: 505/975 (Emerging Talent)]

Name: Wang Yaotang
Height: 175
Prestige: 505/975 (Emerging Talent)
Faction: Wo Shing Yee
Rank: Four-Nine Boy
Skills: Driving (LV1), Sanda (LV1), Muay Thai (LV1), Fine Arts (LV1), Photography (LV1)
Assets: Novelty Lingerie Stalls (x16), Adult Toy Stores (x4), Brothels (x2)

Taking a quick glance at the system interface, Wang Yaotang felt a surge of heat in his chest. He was only 25 prestige points away from achieving "Jianghu Hero," and with his remaining prestige pool hitting 505 points, he could finally unlock LV2 skills.

Once he finished dealing with current matters, he would immediately upgrade his skills!

After forcing down some small doses of Jin Chuang Yao, the complexions of the three injured men improved visibly. Wang Yaotang stopped worrying; they could go get stitches and bandages at the hospital later.

"Brother Yao, what should we do with those bastards from the Tung Luen Shing?" Ah Ji asked in a low voice.

Wang Yaotang hopped down from the truck and looked around. The men from Tung Luen Shing had either been hacked down or were squatting with their heads in their hands, glancing over stealthily.

Ah Jie walked out of the warehouse, covered in blood. Seeing Wang Yaotang, he jogged over, wiped the blood from his face, and said in a low voice, "Fat Ying that bastard has been chopped to death by me."

"Load the corpse into a vehicle and take it away. Find an oil drum, pour concrete into it, and dump it in the sea. As for the rest..." Wang Yaotang stepped back a few paces and looked into the car. "Ah Wei, did the Tung Luen Shing guys beat you after they captured you?"

"Got kicked a few times," Ah Wei said with a grin.

Wang Yaotang nodded. "Leave them be. Drive our truck out."

"We're pulling back."

"Brother Yao, aren't we going to loot their goods?" Ah Jie asked, somewhat anxiously.

"We don't have time to deal with his merchandise right now. Hacking Fat Ying to death is just the beginning. Either don't do it, or go all the way. I want Shark Kun dead!" Wang Yaotang said coldly.

"Right, that whole family of bastards! That son of a bitch Shark Kun is mine, I'm going to chop him into eight pieces!" Ah Jie was already covered in blood, and when he pulled his lips back, revealing that his mouth was full of blood as well, he looked all the more ferocious.

Wang Yaotang nodded. "Time is tight. Shark Kun will get the news soon. We need to head back immediately before he goes into hiding."

"Four-Eyes, Shark Kun did all this simply to block our goods from hitting the market. The momentum of our sales cannot be interrupted. Take Four-Eyes back and start distributing the goods immediately."

"Anyone who is injured, follow Four-Eyes' vehicle. Ah Wei, take them to the hospital."

"Ah Ji, Ah Jie, ride in my car. Round up the men, let's move."

With the orders assigned, everyone boarded their vehicles. Stepping hard on the gas pedals, they quickly vanished into the streets.

Seeing that everyone had left, the low-level members of Tung Luen Shing finally stood up one by one. "Damn their mothers, the Wo Shing Yee boys are fierce."

"Ying-ge is dead, and his body was taken away. What do we do?"

"Damn it, you're asking me?"

"Call the Big Boss, of course."

"Open the door, dammit!" Several low-level members kicked hard against the gates of the processing zone.

...

On the way back, Wang Yaotang spotted a convenience store and a motel by the roadside. Suddenly, he called for a halt, and the entire convoy stopped behind him.

Waving to Four-Eyes and the others, Wang Yaotang said loudly, "You guys go ahead, I'm going to make a phone call."

"Ah Jie, take a few of the brothers with blood on them to wash up. Rinse the blades clean, change your clothes too, and bring all the bloody garments back to burn together. If you go back looking like that, the cops will drag you away halfway."

"Damn, my clothes are covered in blood. If we burn all of them, we'll be naked."

"Haha, then go naked! We're all brothers here, what, are you afraid someone's going to see your little worm?" Wang Yaotang's remark caused everyone to burst into laughter.

"Damn it, I'll pull it out and scare you to death!" Ah Jie shouted back.

"Scaring us to death doesn't matter, as long as we don't die laughing."

"Hahaha."

While Ah Jie led the men off to deal with the cleanup, Wang Yaotang walked up to the convenience store and picked up the phone. "Hello, boss? The triad is planning a hit, care to listen in closely?"

When Ah Jie had hopped out earlier covered in blood, it had terrified the shopkeeper. Hearing this now, the man immediately covered his ears and bolted outside.

"You saw my face."

The voice came from behind. The shopkeeper panicked, covered his face, and tumbled to the ground with a stumble.

Wang Yaotang chuckled twice and dialed the number. After a few rings—

"Hello, who's this?"

"It's me, Ah Yao. I've got something to discuss with Uncle."

"Ah, Brother Yao," Xing Hong said with a smile. "Hold on."

"Hello, Ah Yao. I knew you kid would call sooner or later. What's the matter? Need Uncle Bone's help?" Bone-Stripping East said with a laugh.

"Uncle, I just led my men and chopped Shark Kun's lackey, Fat Ying, to death."

"Huh?"

"This morning—"

"Ah Yao, such a huge matter and you didn't report to the triad first?! What are you trying to do?! Are you still a member of Wo Shing Yee?!" Bone-Stripping East instantly flared up, roaring in anger, "What? Do you think the triad is useless, or that my old bones aren't fit to be your boss?!"

"No, no. Some brothers got chopped, so I was in a hurry. I only remembered after taking revenge," Wang Yaotang apologized with a smile.

"Remember this: you are a man of Wo Shing Yee. Don't think about carrying everything on your shoulders by yourself; your boss isn't dead yet." Hearing this, Bone-Stripping East's tone softened slightly.

He wasn't afraid of Wang Yaotang causing trouble. He welcomed anything that could deepen their bond.

"You're calling me, surely not just to inform Uncle, right? Spit it out."

"I want to chop Shark Kun to death!" Wang Yaotang said through gritted teeth.

"You kid..." Bone-Stripping East wiped his mouth, his teeth aching slightly.

Either nothing happened, or it was a major incident.

While he claimed not to fear Tung Luen Shing, he knew the reality of their situation. Even without mentioning the "Twelve Friends of Rights and Heroes Alliance," Tung Luen Shing alone was not an opponent Wo Shing Yee could easily match.

"I know your intention—cut the grass by the roots and deter anyone else thinking of sticking their hands in. The method is fine, but..." Bone-Stripping East took a deep breath and continued, "The triad doesn't belong to Uncle alone; otherwise, I'd accompany you to fight Tung Luen Shing until we're wiped off the map. Let me ask you, did you loot his goods?"

"No."

Bone-Stripping East let out a "Good." "According to the rules of the Jianghu, tit for tat. You were saving people just now, so that doesn't count. Therefore, you have one chance to make a move. Hack him to death, and the triad will shoulder the rest for you. If Old Tung refuses to accept it, then we go to all-out war."

"Thank you, Uncle. Don't worry, Uncle, I'll definitely make Wo Shing Yee's name ring loud!" Wang Yaotang said in a deep voice.

"Heh, good. Remember, you're a man of Wo Shing Yee. Over the years Wo Shing Yee has declined, but our foundation is still there. In this generation, you are the fiercest. Sooner or later, Wo Shing Yee will be yours to call the shots," Bone-Stripping East said with a smile. "Go do your work, be careful, and don't get yourself dragged down with it."

"Heh, thanks, Uncle." Wang Yaotang smiled and hung up the phone. Some words were best taken with a grain of salt; he understood Bone-Stripping East's meaning, but as for becoming the sitting-holder, forget it.

To him, the triad was merely a stepping stone. Once he firmly established himself in this chaotic era, he would cut ties with the gang.

Of course, cutting ties didn't mean completely severing relations.

Once you reach a certain position, where is there any pure white left?

Lighting a cigarette, he waited for a while. The lackey boys emerged one after by one after washing up. Ah Jie had somehow managed to find a change of clothes from somewhere and didn't come out airing his bits.

"Burn them now?"

"No, take them with us. We'll burn them further down the road." Wang Yaotang shook his head.

In this era, forensic investigation techniques were pathetic, and DNA technology hadn't yet been applied to solving crimes, but one couldn't be too careless about details either.

...

Yau Ma Tei, Organized Crime and Triad Bureau. Chief Inspector Quiros slammed the newspapers his subordinates had just gathered onto the conference room table. His furious gaze swept across the faces of the various squad leaders under his command. "Can any of you tell me what this motherfucker is all about?"

The newspapers were distributed. Wong Ping-yiu merely glanced at them before his vision went dark—it was over!

"Wong Ping-yiu, you explain!" Quiros pressed his hands on the conference table and leaned forward, staring him down.

"Yes, Sir!" Wong Ping-yiu quickly stood up. "This matter should be the work of Shark Kun from the Tung Luen Shing's Tsim Sha Tsui faction."

"What do you mean by 'should be'?"

"It is Shark Kun!"

"Now, immediately, right this instant, go round up all these dog-shit Tung Luen Shing rats and bring them to me."

"Yes, Sir!" Everyone stood up in unison.

"This operation needs to give an explanation to the media, an explanation to the Police Headquarters, and an explanation to Government House!"

"Yes, Sir!"