Chapter 271 - 263: Bloodbath, Yuebai

Chapter 271: Chapter 263: Bloodbath, Yuebai

The Southern Country Special Operations Bureau, established by the Xin Republic’s Government in Shenghai less than a month ago, was brutally wiped out by thugs in a single day.

The director of the Southern Country Special Operations Bureau, secretary-general of the Shenghai City Council, and head of the Public Security Bureau—Nan Xiangcheng—was riddled with bullets in broad daylight, his body torn to shreds. They pulled tens of kilograms of lead from his corpse!

However, before this shocking news—enough to send tremors through every level of Shenghai society—could spread, even more brutal and cruel massacres occurred one after another.

「That night.」

「The French Concession.」

Outside a brightly lit, Western-style garden villa.

On the neatly trimmed lawn, a body lay every few steps. Some were riddled with bullets like sieves; others were twisted into unnatural angles.

In the fountain at the center of the lawn, two corpses with their chests blown wide open were draped over the winged angel statue.

Blood gurgled down the smooth, white marble of the statue, staining half the fountain pool a deep crimson.

Inside the villa’s main hall, the soft light from an exquisite crystal chandelier fell upon the faces of the people below—all of them gagged, their hands tied behind their backs. Despite their expensive clothes, their faces were deathly pale.

The hall was also strewn with corpses, and dark red pools of blood stained the polished black-and-white marble floor.

The air was thick with the pungent, mixed odor of blood and gasoline.

"Is it all spread?"

"Everywhere."

"What about the specific places the Young Master mentioned?"

"We’ve checked. The items have been packed and sent to the Young Master for his review."

Xu Hengjiang nodded slightly. When he turned back to face the large family of all ages, he, who had always prided himself on being iron-willed and merciless, showed a flicker of hesitation.

He subconsciously glanced at Zhang Yi beside him, who lowered his eyes and silently took two steps back.

Just then, a figure strode forward and unceremoniously snatched the torch from his hand.

The man was young and dressed in black, close-fitting attire. His cold, stern aura was as sharp as a blade ready to be unsheathed.

It was Cao Tian!

Torch in hand, Cao Tian walked expressionlessly toward the bound family. His gaze swept over them before finally landing on a dapperly dressed, middle-aged man with slicked-back hair.

"Purchasing Agent Chen."

Cao Tian looked at the middle-aged man and spoke coolly. "Our Young Master said that since you did what you did, you must have expected this day would come.

Besides, any one of the things you’ve done in the past is enough to warrant you dying ten times over.

We’re just here, by chance, to deliver your retribution."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man shook his head frantically, muffled "mmph, mmph" sounds escaping his gagged mouth as his eyes and face filled with pleas for mercy.

Cao Tian ignored him and continued, "Rest assured, our Young Master said...

...he won’t let you be lonely down below. The others who conspired with you will be joining you soon. Tonight, if we’re quick. Within a couple of days at the latest."

"Mmph—"

"...Our Young Master is merciful. To ensure Purchasing Agent Chen’s family can be sent off all together, he even had your two sons fetched from Yanliu Lane and the Opium Den. You probably haven’t seen them in half a year, have you? Now you can have a good look."

"MMPH!!"

"...Our Young Master is kind-hearted. He knows Purchasing Agent Chen has a daughter whom you’ve disliked since she was a child and sent overseas to study.

We won’t go looking for her. Consider it our way of leaving you a descendant."

"Mmph mmph..."

As the middle-aged man listened to Cao Tian’s words, one sentence after another, he went from struggling desperately to begging on his knees, then to complete despair. Finally, tears of remorse streamed down his face as he sobbed.

But Cao Tian no longer looked at him. His gaze shifted to the trembling people beside the man. After a moment of thought, he spoke in an indifferent tone, "You’re unlucky. You just happen to be part of this man’s family.

If you have any grievances, remember to find me in the afterlife."

He paused.

"My name... is Cao Tian."

With that, Cao Tian casually tossed the torch forward...

"BOOM!—"

A massive explosion, accompanied by a pillar of fire, shattered the late-night tranquility of the villa district.

The raging inferno that completely engulfed the villa illuminated half the night sky, its reflection dancing in Fu Juemin’s eyes on a distant driveway.

Fu Juemin watched silently as the flames soared, twisting and contorting into various shapes against the night sky.

After a moment, he seemed to grow tired of the sight.

He looked down, casually flicked the cigarette from his hand to the ground, and crushed it out with his leather shoe.

Then he turned and ordered coolly, "Let’s go. To the next one."

The remnants of the Ghost Camp, led by Xu Hengjiang, Cao Tian, and the others, responded in unison. Two agents—a larger one and the one known as Kitty—slowly wiped the blood from their hands and followed silently.

.......

「Public Concession. New Shunbao Hall.」

Chen Qingyuan, dressed in a moon-white suit, strode into the bustling lobby of the newspaper office.

A young man who looked like a house servant followed closely at his side, speaking rapidly as he walked.

"Young Master, the Master said you are to retract the article published a few days ago as soon as possible.

Also, you are to publish an obituary mourning Ding Moshan of the Qinglian Gang. That’s also to be done as soon as possible—today, preferably!"

"On what grounds?!"

Chen Qingyuan stopped abruptly. He turned to the servant beside him, a cold sneer on his handsome face.

"Just because Fu Lingjun killed Nan Xiangcheng and slaughtered the entire families of a few purchasing agents and magnates?

Is the old man scared?"

The young servant looked troubled. "The Master says that Fu Lingjun is a madman. It was one thing to kill Director Nan, but he then used the Special Operations Bureau’s telegraph to contact the Xin Republic and take credit for the murder.

The Xin Republic has already issued a warrant for his arrest, but for now, Wen Zhiqiu is still the one who calls the shots in Shenghai. Until the Central government issues an order for Wen Zhiqiu’s removal, we’d best stay far away from that madman."

"Who told you Wen Zhiqiu is the one calling the shots in Shenghai right now?"

Chen Qingyuan shook his head. "With Nan Xiangcheng dead, Wen is the one who’s truly in deep trouble.

My father... he’s too close to the Xin Republic and too far from what’s really happening in Shenghai."

"Mr. Chen, someone came to see you this morning—"

As he was speaking, a person dressed as a secretary hurried over to report.

"Alright, I know. We’ll talk later."

Chen Qingyuan cut the secretary off with a nod before they could finish, then turned back to the servant. "Go back and tell my father that since the *Xinshen* is in my hands, I know what to do.

I’ll go home tonight to explain it to him in person. You can go back now."

Chen Qingyuan waved his hand dismissively, and the servant departed with a helpless look on his face.

After sending the messenger away, Chen Qingyuan turned and surveyed the large, bustling lobby of the newspaper office.

With a calm expression, he started walking toward his office, thinking to himself.

’He understood what his father, Chen Huaijin, meant.’

’Ding Moshan of the Qinglian Gang was dead. Having suddenly lost his backer, Fu Lingjun was now a mad dog, biting anyone he came across.’

’He’d been in Shenghai for less than a year. He was just a country bumpkin, a hayseed who didn’t understand the rules. Now that he was running wild, he was about to tear Shenghai apart.’

’His father, Chen Huaijin, wanted him to stay away from the mad dog to avoid trouble. Of course, he understood that logic.’

’But what his father didn’t know was that this was precisely the time to declare one’s allegiance.’

’Chen Huaijin had been the mouthpiece for the Xin Republic for too long, accustomed to seeing everything from their perspective. But he forgot that Shenghai had never truly been Xin Republic territory.’

’The ones who really called the shots here were the Westerners, and Commander Luo—Luo Zhengxiong—who had been keeping a low profile for the past few years!’

’Did Fu Lingjun have the guts to kill them all, too?!’

’No matter how ferocious he was, how many more days could he possibly last?’

’Without Ding Moshan, he was nothing. If someone could kill Ding Moshan, they could certainly kill him, too.’

’And to think his father wanted him to write a eulogy for Ding Moshan—a woman who came from a gangster background and climbed her way up by unknown means. Was she even worthy?’

With these thoughts, Chen Qingyuan pushed open the door to his office and strode inside.

But upon entering, Chen Qingyuan froze.

A beautiful woman with a delicate, scholarly air stood by his desk, pouring a cup of coffee.

"Yingqiu?!"

Seeing the woman, Chen Qingyuan’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but exclaim in pleasant surprise, "What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?"

He spread his arms, a wide smile on his face, and started to walk toward her.

Suddenly, he felt something was wrong.

The woman’s face was pale, her eyes darted nervously, and she seemed terrified. Even her hands, holding the coffee pot, were trembling slightly.

Only then did Chen Qingyuan realize there was a third person in the office.

"CREAK—"

Behind the desk, the imported leather chair he had just bought from a Western trading house last month slowly swiveled around.

A handsome young man, exuding an air of nobility mixed with a strange, sinister energy, was sitting with his legs crossed, leaning back and reading a newspaper.

Seeing Chen Qingyuan, the young man lowered his newspaper, nonchalantly picked up the coffee from the desk for a light sip, and then greeted him with a smile. "This should be our first formal meeting.

Chen Yuebai, is it? Or should I say, Young Master Wen?"

Chen Qingyuan stared at the young man before him, his expression darkening bit by bit.

He squeezed three syllables through his teeth:

"Fu... Ling... jun!"

The moment the name was spoken,

"SLAM!"

The office door behind him was violently slammed shut, and several figures emerged silently from behind it.

At that moment, the woman by the desk named Yingqiu began to tremble even more violently.