Chapter 36: The Leader of the Ming Society Makes His Move

When they left Passion KTV, Mad Tiger was in a heavy mood, lighting one cigar after another as soon as he got into the car.

“Tiger, a lot of our guys got into a fight and have been taken in by the police,” Brother Ma reported as he received news from their men.

Mad Tiger’s brow furrowed deeply, his mind weighed down. He waved his hand dismissively and said, “It’s nothing—they’ll be out after a short time inside.”

With that, he took a fierce drag on his cigar.

“Tiger, do you want us to get in touch with Ye Fei?” Brother Ma asked hesitantly.

“Forget it, let’s wait and see how things develop. That kid crippled Cannon, and I’m afraid the boss and the others will make a move now. Tell our guys not to get involved at this moment,” Mad Tiger’s brows were almost knotted together.

He had originally taken a liking to Ye Fei’s skills and the power behind him, hoping to use this connection to dominate the entire Shenhui underworld. But things had spun out of control—Cannon, that fool, had provoked Ye Fei and ended up a cripple. The boss of the Ming Gang would definitely step in, and getting entangled with Ye Fei now would only invite big trouble.

Mad Tiger understood that this was a rare opportunity—if he helped Ye Fei now, he’d owe him a huge favor. But he dared not gamble. After all, the power behind Ye Fei was only his guess. If he was wrong, there would be no turning back. Even if Ye Fei did have backing, would they act? Could they act in time?

Mad Tiger hesitated. He couldn’t bring himself to take the risk. The older he got, the more power he held, the more afraid he became of losing it all. He was no longer the Mad Tiger who once struck fear into the hearts of both the police and the underworld of Shenhui.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. Mad Tiger looked at the caller ID, gave a bitter smile, and answered.

“Ming.”

“Tiger, Cannon’s been crippled,” said the man Mad Tiger called Ming.

“Yes,” Mad Tiger replied.

“You know the guy who did it?” Ming asked.

“Yes,” Mad Tiger answered, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

“You gave away Cannon’s whereabouts to him?” Ming pressed further.

“Yes.”

After three questions, Mad Tiger felt his heart sinking lower and lower.

“Tiger, you know the consequences of betraying a fellow brother. But you’re an old hand in the gang, and you’ve contributed to Ming Gang’s growth. Send me his information, and as an explanation to Cannon, send me one of your hands. I’ll deal with the guy myself. Let’s end it here,” Ming said.

When the call ended, Mad Tiger smashed his phone to pieces.

“Send Ye Fei’s file to Lu Weiming!” Mad Tiger roared.

“Tiger, what if Ye Fei really does have a mysterious force behind him? Wouldn’t we be making enemies?” Brother Ma ventured.

Mad Tiger shook his head. “We can’t worry about that now. Even if we don’t give Lu Weiming Ye Fei’s information, he’ll find it out himself in a day or two. Besides, what we know isn’t anything special—just that he’s good with his hands. Sending this won’t make much difference.”

“Go. For all we know, Lu Weiming is just waiting for me not to send it so he can use it as an excuse to get rid of me.”

“Yes, Tiger.” Brother Ma went off to prepare the file.

“Scar, get me a knife—a sharp machete,” Mad Tiger said, his face dark.

“Tiger, who are we going to chop?” Scar asked in confusion.

Mad Tiger gave a bleak smile and sneered, “Lu Weiming wants one of my hands.”

Scar’s face changed instantly, a cruel light flashing in his eyes. He said coldly, “Tiger, why don’t we just go after Lu Weiming?”

“It’s not the time yet. Scar, you don’t know how dangerous Lu Weiming is, otherwise I wouldn’t be so wary of him. Why do you think Cannon dared to challenge me? Because Lu Weiming backed him. Lu Weiming is petty and jealous of my contributions to the Ming Gang. He’s always wanted to limit my growth, and Cannon was his tool to suppress me. Now that Cannon’s been crippled, Lu Weiming is using the excuse of justice to demand my hand—he wants to cripple me,” Mad Tiger explained.

His face still clouded, Mad Tiger continued, “These years, my influence in the gang has faded—I can’t compete with Lu Weiming anymore. But my hand isn’t so easy for him to take. Let him fight Ye Fei. Best if they both come out badly.”

“Tiger, why hope for mutual destruction? Wouldn’t it be better if Ye Fei and his backers wipe out Lu Weiming?” Scar asked in confusion.

“No. If Ye Fei’s people really destroy Lu Weiming, it means their power is overwhelming. No one would be able to oppose them, and if they move in on the Shenhui underworld, there’ll be nothing left for us. Only if both sides are badly hurt will Ye Fei’s backers no longer be a threat. Then, when both are weakened, we can seize the Ming Gang’s power and negotiate with Ye Fei’s people. They’ll see the situation clearly and won’t want to fight to the bitter end,” Mad Tiger said.

“I understand now, Tiger,” Scar said, suddenly enlightened.

“Go, get the knife. Today I give up a hand, but someday I’ll take both Lu Weiming’s hands and feet—let him wish he were dead,” Mad Tiger said, his expression twisted with rage.

...

Mingde Tower, a thirty-five-story building, was the Ming Gang’s headquarters.

Lu Weiming stood at the floor-to-ceiling window on the thirty-fifth floor, listening to his men report. On the glass coffee table sat a box containing a bloody severed arm—the hand Mad Tiger’s men had just delivered.

“That’s enough, nothing unusual—just skilled in combat,” Lu Weiming interrupted.

“Ming, should we send the guys to dig a little deeper? Mad Tiger’s information might not be trustworthy,” Xie Dong said.

Lu Weiming replied confidently, “No need. Tiger wouldn’t dare deceive me just yet. Even if the guys check, it’ll match the information we got.”

Xie Dong nodded. “Ming, should we warn our men to watch out for Mad Tiger lashing back?”

Lu Weiming sneered, “Tiger isn’t the Mad Tiger he once was. If he wanted to fight back, he wouldn’t have sent me his hand. Sending the hand means he’s not confident, not ready to break with me. Most likely, he’s waiting. Judging by his contact with Ye Fei, he’s pinning his hopes on him, maybe waiting for us and Ye Fei to both come away wounded so he can decide the winner.”

“So, you think Mad Tiger is using Ye Fei?” Xie Dong pressed.

“Exactly. Tiger wants to use Ye Fei to deal with us, but he’s afraid that if Ye Fei wipes us out, the power behind him will be too strong to resist. So having us both badly hurt is best for him. Maybe he’ll even swallow up Ye Fei afterward,” Lu Weiming said quietly, gazing out the window.

“Forget him for now. Some in the gang still support Tiger. It’s not wise to move against him yet. But taking his hand today will deal a heavy blow to him and his backers.”

Lu Weiming turned to look at Mad Tiger’s severed arm. “Feed it to the dogs. Dong, take a few good men and go sound out Ye Fei. Remember, don’t go too far the first time. Find out if he really has any power behind him. Don’t fall for Tiger’s ploy, letting him sit back and reap the rewards.”

“Yes, Ming. I’ll be careful,” Xie Dong nodded.

“By the way, today people from Qiu Jinshan in Xiangdao suddenly entered Shenhui. We haven’t had any dealings with Qiu Jinshan. Send someone to find out from Boss Guang what’s up,” Lu Weiming ordered.

An hour later, every member of the West Mountain gang vanished—no one could be seen on the streets.

The men from Xiangdao, after a fruitless afternoon and heavy police crackdowns, also retreated back across the strait. Except for those arrested, everyone else left.

The murky waters of Shenhui’s western district suddenly cleared. Except for a few street brawlers caught by police, it was as if nothing had happened.

But today, far fewer people walked the streets, and business in the shops suffered—crowds had thinned sharply.

From the quiet streets, Ye Fei sensed the unusual tension that comes before a storm.

Beep beep beep—

His phone vibrated. A message from a mysterious number: The Ming Gang boss has made his move—