Chapter Forty: Lu Dongbin, I have been waiting for you for a long time!

Wang Jiu stood beside the Big Boss, bellowing at the top of his lungs: "The betting is open! Come one, come all! Han Bin at 1:1, Liu Haizhu at 1:5, Yang Jiguang at 1:0.3, Dongguan Mouth at 1:0.2, the Ghost-Faced Man at 1:0.1. Don’t miss your chance—hard cash only, strictly business!"

The other gang leaders remained unfazed by the commotion, save for Luo Bingrun, whose expression soured. He scowled and shouted to his subordinates behind him: "Go, bet on Liu Haizhu to win. Make it a big one!"

Jiang Tiansheng, standing nearby, offered a faint smile and ignored the display. Deng Bo looked on with surprise, while Ye Jihuan of the Big Circle Gang furrowed his brows in thought before ordering his men: "Put two million on Liu Haizhu."

Tornado, seated in the center, was about to speak when Xinyi quickly interrupted: "Brother, stay calm! You can’t do that!" Tornado pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and let out a chuckle, abandoning the idea.

***

The intersection to the right was packed with police cars. Inside the lead command vehicle sat three senior officers of the Hong Kong police force, one of whom was Wan Chai’s Senior Inspector Yang Mi.

***

It seemed everyone was waiting.

***

In the plaza, five distinct phalanxes were lined up with military precision, each exactly one hundred men strong.

***

Within the ranks, Old Dog Ming caught the eye of Broken-Finger Song beside him. Both men’s gazes were filled with unease. What kind of joke was this? Everyone who had arrived tonight was a heavy hitter. Was this really just a dispute over Tuen Mun?

The Hong Lok side was manageable; the only familiar face to Old Dog Ming was Duan Kun, and as for Han Bin, his combat prowess was on par with his own. But who were those people with the Big Circle Gang? Did anyone know Zhang Shihao? The ruthless bandit leader who kidnapped Li Juhao? The man leading the Big Circle contingent today was none other than Yang Jiguang, Zhang Shihao’s top lieutenant—a tough nut who had dared to challenge Broken-Tooth Kui in Macau all by himself! The mere fact that Yang Jiguang had shown up made many in the crowd start to overthink. Did the Big Circle Gang have designs on Tuen Mun as well? The arrival of Yang Jiguang was a chilling development.

***

As for the Wo Shing side, they were even more formidable. Leading them was Dongguan Mouth, currently the most notorious "Red Flower Double-Pole" of the Wo Shing and a frontrunner to be the next leader. Rumor had it that the man possessed an iron-hard physique. Two years ago, he had challenged various gang experts to a duel on Tai Mo Shan, taking on both Air Force Wah and Shovel-Steel on his own, fighting to a draw after fifty rounds. Even though he had eventually lost that bout to Handsome Nam, his martial strength was undeniable.

***

As for the Kowloon Walled City contingent, that was what truly brought despair to the usually composed Old Dog Ming. The leader was the Ghost-Faced Man! The Ghost-Faced Man! That man was ferociously invincible!

***

"Boom... boom... boom... boom..." The bell tolled with the heaviness of a twilight drum. Liu Haizhu stood there in silence, leaning on something wrapped in black cloth. As the final chime rang out like a war drum, Liu Haizhu’s eyes snapped open. He roared to the four corners of the square: "Who’s first!"

Before anyone else could react, the brute swung his arm, and the black cloth covering his weapon whipped away in the wind, revealing its true form.

***

"Holy crap!" Ah Gang, squatting atop the green and white lion statue at the bar, suddenly grew excited. "What... what kind of weapon is that!"

Ah Hua, who was observing the situation, was startled by Shovel-Steel. He nearly lashed out at the oaf, but took a deep breath to suppress his annoyance and snapped, "Are you sick in the head?"

"Look, look!" Ah Gang jumped down in excitement, tugging at him and pointing at the distant Liu Haizhu. "Look at that thing, it’s got to weigh over a hundred pounds! Back in my hometown, we call that a shovel—that’s my weapon!"

"Pfft!" Ah Hua sneered. "Your weapon? Why would it be your weapon? Just because you say so?"

Ah Gang glared, pointing at his own nose. "I’m called Shovel-Steel, aren’t I? How can that big shovel not be mine! How does Liu Haizhu’s brain work? How did he think of the same thing I did?"

Ah Hua retorted, "Yeah, yeah, it’s yours. Go grab it then!"

"Damn it!" Ah Gang cursed fiercely, turning around in frustration to land a punch on the lion statue with a resounding *thud*.

***

Beside them, Luo Yingsi stood quietly, holding her younger sister’s hand. She couldn't be bothered with the antics of Shovel-Steel and Air Force Wah. In her eyes, there was only the figure standing at the very front of the crowd.

***

"Gang-zi," Ah Hua muttered, puffing on his cigarette and nudging him. "Who did you bet on?"

"What?" Ah Gang widened his eyes. "Oh, you mean with the Big Boss?"

"Yeah."

"I bet on Liu Haizhu," Ah Gang said, smacking his lips. "Thirty thousand—my entire life savings!"

Ah Hua shot him a sideways glance and cursed, "Idiot!" He flicked his middle finger, sending his glowing cigarette butt flying far into the night sky.

Ah Gang, who had been feeling indignant, suddenly grew excited: "Look, look! Hong Lok is making the first move!"

Ah Hua frowned and leaped onto the lion head, watching with cold eyes.

***

He didn't care much about whether Dongsheng could hold their ground in this defensive battle; what mattered was that he had placed a heavy bet on a certain person. It was also his entire life savings, four times the amount Shovel-Steel had put up.

***

In the plaza, Han Bin and Duan Kun stood at the forefront. Duan Kun lived up to his name; with his silver-white short hair and well-defined, explosive musculature.

"Charge!" Han Bin roared. He and Duan Kun led the assault. His voice, filled with boundless rage, shook the air: "Liu Haizhu, you killed my brother, and I’ve come to kill you!"

"Haha!" Liu Haizhu’s arm muscles bulged as he hoisted his massive iron shovel, laughing wildly. "So you’re that Lu Dongbin! I’ve been waiting for you for a long time!"

Neither side held anything back.

"Swoosh!" With bloodshot eyes, Han Bin struck like lightning, slashing a deep, inch-long gash into Liu Haizhu’s arm.

Liu Haizhu didn't even flinch. He ignored the wound, spotted an opening, and swung his iron shovel into Han Bin’s body with both arms.

"Boom!"

Han Bin was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, soaring through the air like a meteor. Duan Kun, who had been charging close behind with a dagger, was so stunned he froze in his tracks with a sharp gasp.

***

On the stairs to the left, the Big Boss was grinning, counting the banknotes in his sack, when he suddenly saw something crash down from the sky. He was shocked. "Damn! What the hell is that!"

Wang Jiu, wearing his patterned glasses, turned his head and grinned, "It’s nothing!"

He raised his arms behind his head and delivered a brutal headbutt to the falling figure.

"Boom!"

The figure hit the ground. Han Bin’s body twitched, and a few men from the Hong Lok side rushed over to carry him away.

"Hahaha," Wang Jiu laughed uncontrollably. "Boss, he wasn't much use, was he?"

The Big Boss suddenly flared up, kicking Wang Jiu in the waist. "Don't you know he's the Bentley Tiger? One-to-one odds—haha, I made a profit on this one!"

Wang Jiu didn't act proud at all, immediately widening his grin. "Boss, there’s more to be made later. Don't worry, you’ll definitely go home loaded tonight!"

The Big Boss gritted his teeth in pain. "It better be that way, or I’ll make you steal the money back for me."

Wang Jiu laughed, though his face twitched behind his dark glasses. He stood to the side, not daring to make another sound.