“What?”
Li Feng stared at Dark Tiger in disbelief. “You’re saying Tianlang and the others were ambushed and surrounded?”
Li Feng couldn’t believe it. To take down the Black Stone Gang, he had made meticulous plans. The two hundred elites at Tianya Pavilion were to be handled by him and Dark Tiger. While they engaged here, Tianlang was to lead a dozen Black Hawk Team members to ambush Master Wen at Linghe Garden and kill him.
To destroy the Black Stone Gang, its leadership had to be eliminated, and Master Wen, as the gang’s head, was the primary target. In Li Feng’s mind, with the two hundred elites at Tianya Pavilion out of the picture, Tianlang and the Black Hawk Team should have easily completed the task.
But he never expected that instead of news of Master Wen’s death, he’d hear that Tianlang and his team were surrounded.
“Yes, Young Master Feng,” Dark Tiger said, equally shocked.
Li Feng took a deep breath to calm himself and asked, “What exactly happened? How did Tianlang and the others get ambushed?”
“Twenty minutes ago, Tianlang and his team attacked Linghe Garden. Unexpectedly, Master Wen was prepared, with a large number of firearms at the garden. Tianlang’s team was forced to retreat, but Master Wen had stationed a significant force outside. When Tianlang’s team withdrew, they were surrounded and attacked. Now, they’re cornered in an abandoned warehouse, in grave danger,” Dark Tiger explained.
“Any other information?” Li Feng asked coldly, his voice laced with anger.
“These forces surrounding Tianlang aren’t the Black Stone Gang’s men from Tianhai City. They came from other cities, and we had no prior intelligence on them,” Dark Tiger replied.
“Have you traced their origins?” Li Feng asked.
“No, we have no leads on these forces,” Dark Tiger said, shaking his head. The lack of clues stemmed from their intelligence network’s shortcomings, as it had been established too recently.
Li Feng frowned. He had underestimated the Black Stone Gang and Master Wen. This surprise attack was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but from the situation with Tianlang’s team, it was clear Master Wen had been prepared. Could he have known Li Feng was targeting the Black Stone Gang?
“Wang Xiong,” Li Feng called out coldly.
“Young Master Feng, I’m here,” Wang Xiong replied, trembling. Hearing that Li Feng had sent men to attack Linghe Garden, he was terrified. In his decades with the Black Stone Gang, no one had ever dared target Linghe Garden. Though he learned the attackers were now surrounded, Wang Xiong didn’t dare feel smug. Someone bold enough to attack Linghe Garden was far beyond his ability to provoke, especially with his life in Li Feng’s hands.
“Who are the Black Stone Gang’s elite forces? Where did these men come from?” Li Feng asked sternly.
“Young Master Feng, the Black Stone Gang’s forces are all in Tianhai City. The Chinese government tightly controls underground organizations, and while Master Wen wanted to expand, he was wary of the authorities and didn’t dare act recklessly. So, the Black Stone Gang’s influence is confined to Tianhai City,” Wang Xiong answered hurriedly.
“Then where did these men come from?” Li Feng’s tone grew colder.
Wang Xiong flinched, then said after a moment’s thought, “Young Master Feng, there’s a rumor in the Black Stone Gang that Master Wen controls a mysterious force. These men might be part of that force.”
Li Feng considered this and found it plausible. As the head of the Black Stone Gang, Master Wen couldn’t rely solely on the forces he knew of. What worried Li Feng most was that this force might not be Master Wen’s but rather the Emperor Pavilion’s.
Li Feng’s proactive strike was to prevent the Black Stone Gang and the Emperor Pavilion from joining forces. Unlike the previous plot, where Li Quan, the Black Stone Gang, and the Emperor Pavilion conspired to seize his Xiangfeng Investment Company’s shares, this was a direct confrontation.
With that in mind, Li Feng asked, “Any news from the Emperor Pavilion?”
“No news. Our men are watching them,” Dark Tiger replied.
“Dark Tiger, handle things here. I’m going to Tianlang,” Li Feng said.
“Young Master Feng, let me go instead,” Dark Tiger urged.
“If I can’t handle it, what good would you do?” Li Feng countered.
Dark Tiger fell silent. Li Feng could single-handedly take on the entire Black Hawk Team. His presence was equivalent to a whole team, while Dark Tiger’s strength was inferior even to Tianlang’s, let alone Li Feng’s.
In that moment, Dark Tiger had never craved power more. If he had Li Feng’s strength, Li Feng wouldn’t have to take this risk.
“Young Master Feng, take these,” Dark Tiger said, handing over a submachine gun and several handguns.
Li Feng thought for a moment and accepted them. These outdated weapons weren’t as effective as his throwing knives, but they might prove useful against the Black Stone Gang.
—
At Linghe Garden’s hall, Master Wen sat on a sofa, smiling at Butler Wu. “I didn’t expect this. If not for your foresight, old friend, my life would’ve been forfeit tonight.”
Butler Wu smiled. “It was predictable. Li Feng is young and impulsive. We wanted to deal with him, and he wanted to destroy us. So, I secretly mobilized forces as a precaution. I didn’t expect Li Feng to attack Linghe Garden so soon. If I’d delayed my preparations by a day, the consequences would’ve been dire.”
Master Wen nodded gravely. Indeed, without their preparations, Linghe Garden would’ve fallen tonight, with unthinkable consequences.
“Old friend, do you think these attackers are from the Li family?” Master Wen asked, recalling the attackers’ formidable combat skills with lingering doubt.
He had witnessed the assault firsthand. Each attacker was so skilled that four or five of his bodyguards couldn’t match one. If not for their numbers and Butler Wu’s intervention at a critical moment, Linghe Garden would’ve been breached.
Master Wen knew what a breach would mean.
Their main target was Li Feng, or rather, the Li family behind him. Seeing the attackers’ prowess, Master Wen immediately assumed they were sent by the Li family.
“Very likely. These attackers are too strong,” Butler Wu nodded gravely, agreeing that only the Li family could deploy such formidable forces.
“Indeed, they must be from the Li family. I didn’t expect them to send so many experts in such a short time. They really think highly of my Black Stone Gang,” Master Wen sighed. A family like the Li family wasn’t something he could afford to provoke. He had no idea that these “Li family experts” were trained by Li Feng in just half a month.
In Master Wen’s mind, he had no desire to cross the Li family. They were a colossal entity, and the Black Stone Gang was too small to compete, even with the backing of that purple-robed youth’s forces. But now, he had offended them, and regret was useless. Facing the Li family’s attack, he could only fight back.
“Master Wen, these attackers remind me of the Emperor Pavilion,” Butler Wu suddenly said.
“The Emperor Pavilion?” Master Wen was stunned, then recalled a battle from years ago. The Emperor Pavilion’s forces then were no less formidable than these supposed Li family attackers. Could it be…
His gaze sharpened as he looked at Butler Wu. “You mean…”
“It’s very likely. It’s the only explanation that makes sense. The Emperor Pavilion isn’t just an ordinary underground organization. It might be a proxy for some force or family in Tianhai City,” Butler Wu said gravely.
Master Wen nodded. It made sense. Even his Black Stone Gang, restricted by the government from openly expanding beyond Tianhai City, had secretly cultivated proxies to represent them elsewhere. If the Emperor Pavilion was a proxy for some force or family, it explained their strength and mysterious origins, why his years of investigation had yielded nothing.
“There are only a few top families in China. Which one do you think is behind the Emperor Pavilion?” Master Wen asked speculatively.
“No need to guess, Master Wen. If it were that easy to figure out, the Emperor Pavilion wouldn’t have remained a mystery in Tianhai City for so long,” Butler Wu said, shaking his head. Many forces, not just the Black Stone Gang, were curious about the Emperor Pavilion, yet it remained enigmatic.
“You’re right. Guessing is pointless. Let’s focus on the problem at hand. What do we do with those Li family men in the warehouse? Kill them or keep them?” Master Wen nodded, then asked the critical question.
If they were anyone else, Master Wen would’ve ordered their deaths without hesitation. But these were Li family men. Killing them could provoke a fierce retaliation, which wouldn’t be worth it, leaving him hesitant.
“Master Wen, we have no choice. From the moment we targeted Li Feng, we had no other options. Li Feng is the Li family’s heir. Even if the rest of the Li family doesn’t care about us, do you think Li Feng will let us go? These attackers came for Linghe Garden likely because of him. It’s a fight to the death with no other choice,” Butler Wu said, shaking his head.
“Besides, we’re facing Li Feng, not the entire Li family. I doubt the Li family would mobilize for him. If we back down now, we’ll fall into an abyss. Do you think Li Feng will spare us? My plan is to not only wipe out these attackers but also inform Wang Xiong to act immediately and keep Li Feng in Tianhai City.”
“If Li Feng leaves Tianhai City, it’ll be an endless disaster for us. Then, the Black Stone Gang will never know peace.”
At his words, a cold glint flashed in Butler Wu’s eyes.
Master Wen shuddered, a chilling light in his eyes. “You’re right. Send the order to Iron Stone to intensify the attack and wipe out those attackers immediately. Hmph, this time, I’ll show everyone the Black Stone Gang’s might.”
