Chapter 12: Revenge Doesn’t Wait Till Morning
The night was deep.
The southern part of S City was still as lively as ever.
On the roof of a tall building, an unremarkable-looking middle-aged man was watching the golden and resplendent entrance of a clubhouse, muttering to himself.
"The Master wants to eat fish… so I have to close the net…"
The man pressed down his hat to cover the terrifying scar on his forehead, then nonchalantly walked into the club's entrance.
Not long after, on the main road in the southern district.
Suddenly, a piercing sound rang out.
"Nee-naw~~ nee-naw~~"
"Nee-naw~~ nee-naw~~"
A large number of screeching police cars shattered the bustling and harmonious life.
Seeing so many police cars flood into the southern district, whether they were shopping, setting up stalls, or eating barbecue outdoors, people stopped what they were doing and began to chatter.
"What's going on, with so many cops here, who are they arresting?"
"Don't need this many for a corrupt official, must be a crackdown on gangs, right?"
"There must be over twenty cars… holy crap, an armored vehicle?"
Seeing the orderly and imposing convoy of enforcement vehicles, all the ordinary cars on the road voluntarily gave way, making the convoy's path unobstructed.
However, this was only the scene on one road; similar scenes were playing out in four other locations in the southern district.
Before anyone could react, all the clubs, casinos, and loan companies under the Fierce Tiger Gang were surrounded.
Police officers, armed to the teeth, moved swiftly with clear targets. Some members of the Fierce Tiger Gang were handcuffed before they could even react.
At the top floor of the "Golden Tiger Health Club," a well-known underground establishment in the southern district, Hu Ye was enjoying the company of women on both sides, while receiving a massage and watching a giant plasma TV.
Suddenly, the door was forcefully pushed open, and a flustered subordinate rushed in.
"Boss… Boss, something terrible has happened!"
Seeing his subordinate in such a state, Hu Ye frowned.
"What have I always told you?"
"Stay calm, stay calm!"
However, this time, the subordinate didn't respond with admiration, saying that the boss was always composed and had the demeanor of a king.
Instead, he continued shouting loudly.
"Boss, we can't stay calm! Our club is surrounded by the cops, and they have guns!"
"What?!"
Hu Ye kicked over the footbath in a panic and rushed to the window.
Sure enough, the entrance of the club was surrounded by five police cars, and directly facing the entrance was an armed armored vehicle, with six or seven armed officers beside it.
Hu Ye's face turned pale; such a grand display couldn't possibly be just for a routine bust.
Suddenly, the phone on the table rang.
Hu Ye saw that it was the second-in-command of the Fierce Tiger Gang calling and quickly answered.
The voice on the other end was urgent.
"Big brother, this is bad! The cops are here to arrest me!"
"I'm surrounded and can't escape! Big brother, you have to…"
"Beep—"
The other end of the line went silent, then the call was disconnected.
At this point, Hu Ye knew there was no hope left. With the second-in-command gone, the others were probably in deep trouble too.
The people downstairs were surely coming for him next.
But even so, such a grand display with this kind of equipment was overkill. It was practically a counter-terrorism operation.
Hu Ye ordered the women in the room to leave and instructed his subordinate to stall the people downstairs, then turned back to his private office.
He opened the safe, took some laundered assets, and grabbed the handgun from the drawer.
Hu Ye was preparing to flee.
Fight back? Impossible. The handgun that once made him feel invincible was now like a mere stick in the face of real violence.
As for surrendering, that was out of the question. As an underworld boss, his crimes were enough for a dozen death sentences.
And given the kind of force they had deployed, even without evidence, they wouldn't let him off.
He wondered who was targeting him. Although he had committed many crimes, they were mostly between underground forces or black-on-black violence, so the authorities had always turned a blind eye.
Why the sudden crackdown without any prior warning?
After gathering his things, Hu Ye cursed under his breath and headed for the hidden escape route.
When he opened the door, he was startled to see a tall figure in black clothes and a black hat standing there.
"?!"
Sensing the killer intent, Hu Ye quickly reached for the weapon at his waist.
But the intruder was faster, slashing his right hand and kicking him back into the room.
Staring at his bleeding hand and the fallen handgun, Hu Ye was terrified.
"Wait… wait a minute, who are you?!"
The man didn't answer, instead picking up the handgun and shooting Hu Ye, then slowly walked up to him.
Knowing his end was near, Hu Ye pleaded.
"Can you at least let me die knowing why… who are you…"
The man brought a sharp piece of glass to Hu Ye's eye and finally spoke.
"This morning, you owed my master a pair of eyes, so tonight, I'm here to collect them on his behalf."
Hearing this, Hu Ye's eyes widened uncontrollably.
Then, the glass mercilessly cut through.
Watching the agonized and screaming Hu Ye, the man dragged him to the window, placed the handgun and glass on him, and threw him out.
"Crash—"
The window shattered, and Hu Ye's body began to fall.
After completing this, the man quickly left the room.
Coincidentally, two police officers arrived on that floor at that moment.
The man calmly walked away, pretending to be a bystander.
The two officers seemed not to notice him and rushed straight into Hu Ye's room.
Then, gunshots rang out.
Shortly after, the sound of an officer's radio call came from the room.
"Captain, we have found the fleeing suspect Li Hu, and he was armed!"
"The suspect tried to escape through the window and was shot by us!"