kvmb 166. Reshuffle the deck
166. Reshuffle the deck
Seeing the people behind Zhou Hongyi suddenly make a move, all the big shots and bodyguards present were on edge, and they all reached for their waists.
Immediately afterwards, another burly man in black behind Zhou Hongyi opened his coat to the sides, revealing a pile of dark, round objects hanging inside. Anyone with eyes could immediately recognize them as hand grenades.
"Don't move! Sit down! Our chief didn't say we could stand up, so none of you are allowed to move!"
The man strapped with grenades was the bearded Chen Gong, while the other man, who had pinned Xie Xiaoyuan to the table with a single stroke of his knife, had a pale, lifeless left eye that looked particularly terrifying. This was the blind man who, without his glasses, exuded a menacing aura. He had completed his training and advanced studies with the guerrillas and secretly returned to Shanghai to be with Zhou Hongyi.
This sudden turn of events startled the assembled bigwigs. Huang Tiangang slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Outrageous! What are you trying to do? Zhou Hongyi, are you out of your mind? Are you trying to make enemies of all the gangs in Shanghai?"
No sooner had the Green Gang's second-in-command finished speaking than Zhou Hongyi flicked his wrist, pulled out a revolver with lightning speed, and pulled the trigger without making a sound.
"boom!"
The powerful revolver, its muzzle spitting flame, struck Huang Tiangang in the forehead, blasting a huge, bloody hole in his head. His eyes remained open, and he died in disbelief that Zhou Hongyi had shot him; he simply slumped into his chair.
"what?"
This left everyone, including Qiao Si and Gu Tianbo, completely stunned. It seemed Huang Tiangang was right when he asked, "Zhou Hongyi, have you gone mad?"
Zhou Hongyi looked at the two of them, gently blew away the gunpowder smoke from the muzzle, reloaded the gun into its sling, and said lazily, "Gentlemen, there's no need to be nervous. I killed him for no other reason than because his mouth was too foul. If you're going to fight, then fight; try to refrain from inappropriate remarks."
"My lord," since you've raised the issue, I'll be generous and give you a solution. The Viper Gang is disbanding as of today. Anyone wanting to join our Razor Society must pass a screening process; those who don't, get out of Shanghai! Don't let me see you again, or I'll break one of your legs every time I do. I want to see how many legs you have that I can take on!
As for the Green Gang, I know you have a lot of power. If you want revenge, you're welcome to do so anytime. My Jing'an Second Branch is right there, so come and fight if you dare. Boss Qiao, Boss Gu, it's not that I, Zhou Hongyi, don't give you face, it's just that these people don't deserve our respect.
We're still good friends, good buddies, and our previous business won't be affected. From now on, the Viper Gang's territory and all its venues belong to my Razor Gang. From now on, my brother will be in charge of the Razor Gang; his name is Lei Qingyang, nicknamed "Blind Man." Everyone should get to know him."
After Zhou Hongyi finished speaking, the blind man beside him removed his top hat and scanned the crowd with his lifeless, gray-white eyes. He was now completely transformed, no longer the timid, smiling blind man he once was. After his mother and sister's sacrifice, his soul seemed to have died with them; now he was merely a shell, driven only by revenge.
Qingxia's original surname was Lei, while the blind man took his mother's surname. His given name was given to him by Zhou Hongyi. Lei Qingyang, "Qing" represents his mother Qingxia, and "Yang" represents his younger sister.
"Director Zhou, what are you doing... With Huang Tiangang and Xie Xiaoyuan dead, the underworld in Shanghai is going to be in complete chaos."
Qiao Si knew that things had come to this point, and it was too late to say anything. Zhou Hongyi, however, shrugged nonchalantly and said, "I want to create chaos. As the saying goes, 'No destruction, no construction.' Let me make things chaotic first so that I can reshuffle the deck. Let me be frank with you, brother. You shouldn't get involved in this. I have no problem with the Green Gang, but the Poisonous Snake Gang must be eliminated."
As Zhou Hongyi spoke, he stood up from his seat, took the hat handed to him by his subordinate, put it on his head, and nodded to the group of gang leaders who dared not move, saying, "Excuse me, now that the important matters have been discussed, I will not eat. You can continue. Those who want to seek revenge against me, Zhou Hongyi, should hurry up, or I'm afraid the next one to die will be one of you here."
Zhou Hongyi snapped his fingers and turned to leave. The blind man, now known by his real name Lei Qingyang, expressionlessly pulled the knife from Xie Xiaoyuan's hand. She opened her mouth to scream, but the blade flashed coldly and sliced across her throat.
And so, the negotiation ended before it even began. Huang Tiangang, the second-in-command of the Green Gang, and Xie Xiaoyuan, the current leader of the Poisonous Snake Gang, were both killed on the spot. Blood splattered on the food on the table, yet Zhou Hongyi ordered them to continue eating. But who could eat? Everyone present rushed back to their respective gangs to report this major event to their leaders. The underworld of Shanghai was about to undergo another swift and violent transformation.
The moment Zhou Hongyi and his group stepped out of the restaurant, shouts of killing erupted from the dock area, the old city, and the opium dens, casinos, and brothels in Beijie Alley. Flames soared into the sky everywhere. The Razor Gang simultaneously targeted several small and medium-sized gangs in Shanghai. Countless pro-Japanese gang leaders were brutally murdered, their throats slit. Suddenly, these once-arrogant gang leaders were all living in fear, wishing they could take a large group of bodyguards even to the toilet.
The Razor Society, led by the Blind Man, is ruthless and extremely powerful. Anyone who encounters them at night is either killed or seriously injured. Especially the current leader of the Razor Society, Lei Qingyang; when his lifeless, grayish-white false eyes stare at you, you should know that your life is no longer in your own hands.
Meanwhile, an organization calling itself the Night Hawks quietly rose to prominence. Their identities were rather mysterious; they didn't occupy territory, only robbed, and of course, killed. These people were like locusts, leaving nothing behind wherever they went. Anyone who dared to resist was either beaten to death with clubs or stuffed into sacks and thrown into the Huangpu River.
Zhou Hongyi dared to wage war against multiple local gangs simultaneously because of the return of members of the Axe Gang. Now, a large portion of the Razor Society consists of former Axe Gang members, who have also secretly returned to Shanghai. Together, they are re-establishing the rules of the underworld.
"Sasuke, haven't you gone a bit too far lately? I know you want to make more money, but the bloody fighting between gangs has affected the normal operation of Shanghai."
After several large-scale clashes broke out, Kondo finally couldn't sit still any longer. He summoned Zhou Hongyi and seriously offered his opinion, hoping that he could stop and quell this chaotic fight between underworld gangs.
"Commander Kondo, you are mistaken. I am doing this precisely to consolidate the underground forces in Shanghai."
"Stable? What do you mean?"
"Think about it, the underground forces in Shanghai are incredibly complex right now, with over a dozen gangs of all sizes. And these people are a mixed bag, extremely difficult to manage, and it's easy for rebels to infiltrate them. The Axe Gang is a prime example. It would be better to completely integrate them, making it easier for our Imperial Army to manage them. Also, the disputes I'm stirring up now are just for show. It's time to settle the score for the time they framed me in my antique shop."