17: Welcome banquet

6:00 PM.

The Gambling Den was set up in a basement converted from an abandoned factory in Xinmin Community.

It was only separated from Shunhe Road, the main thoroughfare of Xinmin Community, by a few residential buildings, making it very convenient.

Inside the Gambling Den, the pale lights stretched everyone's shadows long.

Scar Qiang and Sausage lay sprawled on the ground like two piles of mud, their faces covered in blood, unrecognizable as human.

Li Zhan sat beside the main gambling table, his fingers tapping lightly against the green felt surface.

A-Tai stood behind him with a few underlings, each with a fierce look in their eyes.

The Gambling Den's original henchmen stood in three rows, none daring to look up at their unconscious boss on the ground.

"I need people for both the Gambling Den and the Billiard Hall."

Li Zhan's voice was not loud, but it instantly silenced the entire hall, to the point where even breathing could be heard.

He stood up, walked over to A-Tai, took two machetes from two underlings, and tossed them onto the floor.

With two "clang" sounds, they slid right to the feet of the group of henchmen.

"Come up and slash them," Li Zhan pointed at Scar Qiang and Sausage on the ground, "and you will be one of us from now on."

The henchmen looked at each other, and a few had already started to tremble.

A Man with Glasses standing in the front row stared intently at the knives on the ground, his eyes behind the lenses flickering with a strange light.

A-Tai raised an eyebrow and leaned close to Li Zhan's ear, "That's ruthless."

Li Zhan didn't say a word, his gaze sweeping over every panicked face like a blade.

The Gambling Den was so quiet that the sound of dripping sweat could be heard. Three minutes passed, and still, no one dared to be the first to step forward.

Li Zhan sneered, "Whoever stands out first—" He pointed to Scar Qiang's underlings, "will help me manage the Gambling Den from now on." He then turned to Sausage's people, "The same goes for you all."

Time seemed to freeze. Finally, the young Man with Glasses from the front row stepped out.

He wasn't tall, even appearing somewhat frail, but his eyes were terrifyingly cold. —He was the very same young man who had been hit with an ashtray by Scar Qiang in the private room earlier.

He bent down, picked up the knife, and without hesitation, stabbed it into Scar Qiang's abdomen! "Squelch!" Blood sprayed, and Scar Qiang twitched in his unconscious state.

The young man pulled out the knife, the ruthlessness on his face gradually fading, replaced by an eerie calmness. He walked up to Li Zhan, bowed, and said, "Brother Zhan." He then stood beside Li Zhan. Li Zhan nodded slightly.

On the other side, among Sausage's underlings, a young punk girl with blue hair and a sleeve tattoo stepped out. She was chewing gum, picked up the knife, and without a word, stabbed it into Sausage's shoulder! "Fuck!" Sausage woke up in pain for a moment before fainting again.

The young punk girl shook the blood off the knife and grinned at Li Zhan, "Brother Zhan, my name is Little Night."

Li Zhan stood up and scanned the room, "Who's next?" Once someone had broken the ice, the rest was easy. Soon, a few more people walked out successively... More and more henchmen stepped forward, picked up the knives on the ground, and viciously stabbed their former bosses.

Blood meandered across the floor, and the air was filled with a metallic, fishy stench. Li Zhan watched as the last person finished stabbing and stepped aside, then he raised his hand to signal. A-Tai immediately led his men to drag the unrecognizable Scar Qiang and Sausage out, leaving two dark red blood trails on the floor.

"Good, now you're all one of us." Li Zhan scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on the Man with Glasses, "What's your name?"

"Brother Zhan, just call me AZu." The Man with Glasses adjusted his frames, his voice so calm it didn't sound like he had just stabbed someone. He leaned close to Li Zhan's ear, pointed to the corner of the hall, and whispered something.

Li Zhan nodded and turned to a thin, middle-aged Man with Glasses who was cowering in the corner and had been in charge of the accounts at the Gambling Den, "Abacus Zhang, the ledger."

Abacus Zhang pulled a ledger from his bosom with trembling hands and handed it over shakily, "Zhan, Brother Zhan, this is..."

AZu suddenly stepped forward, "Brother Zhan, this account is fake." The whole room went silent instantly. Abacus Zhang's face turned pale, and he fell to his knees with a thud, "I, I..."

AZu adjusted his glasses, "The real ledger is under the shrine in Scar Qiang's home. I saw it when I went to deliver money last month."

Li Zhan narrowed his eyes and scanned the crowd, "Does anyone know the way?" A round-faced fat man squeezed out from the crowd, the fat on his belly jiggling with every step, a smile plastered on his face, "Brother Zhan, I'm familiar with it! I've been to Scar Qiang's place several times; his wife's braised pork is superb..."

Before he could finish, A-Tai kicked him, "Cut the crap!" "Yes, yes, yes!" The fat man shrank his neck and hurriedly ran to the front.

Li Zhan gave A-Tai a look, "Take some men and go get it." He added, "And check to see if there are any other 'good things' in his house."

Little Night, chewing gum, suddenly leaned into Li Zhan's ear, "Brother Zhan, the accounts for the Billiard Hall were managed personally by Sausage; even his underlings don't know about them." She lowered her voice, "But I know—they're with his mistress, Sister Bo."

Li Zhan's eyes turned cold, and he signaled A-Tai, "Arrange for two brothers to go with Little Night to get them." A-Tai immediately pointed to two confidants, "You two follow Sister Night, and be smart." Little Night spat the gum onto the floor and beckoned to the two men, "Let's go, I'll take you to have some fun."

After A-Tai and Little Night left with their men, Li Zhan scanned the crowd, tapping his fingers lightly on the ledger, "Who was responsible for arranging tonight's 'Welcome Banquet'?"

A lean, middle-aged man walked out from the crowd. He had a buzz cut, wore a gold chain around his neck, and had a string of sandalwood beads wrapped around his wrist—this man was called "Golden Tooth Sheng," so named for his mouthful of gold teeth. He was Scar Qiang's confidant and was specifically responsible for external liaisons.

"Brother Zhan, I arranged it." Golden Tooth Sheng rubbed his hands, smiling obsequiously, his gold teeth flashing under the lights, "According to the old rules, all the prominent people from the nearby blocks have been invited to the private room on the third floor of Hongyun Restaurant."

Li Zhan checked his watch and curled his lips into a cold smile, "It's about time." He stood up and glanced at the underlings present, "Business as usual tonight. Everyone do what you need to do, just like before. I'll bring you some late-night snacks when I get back."

He patted Golden Tooth Sheng on the shoulder, "Perfect, it's time for me to meet my 'good neighbors'."

After saying this, he pulled AZu over, glanced at the trembling Abacus Zhang, and lowered his voice, "Stay here tonight and watch Abacus Zhang go over the Gambling Den's recent accounts. Make him create a new ledger and increase the proportion of tribute to Seventh Uncle in the South City to 50 percent."

He tapped his finger on AZu's chest, "Tell him—" Li Zhan's voice suddenly turned cold, "If the ledger A-Tai brings back later doesn't match the numbers he reported..." He made a throat-slitting gesture. A flash of sharp light passed through the eyes behind AZu's glasses, "Understood."

— 7:30 PM · Hongyun Restaurant, Xinmin Community

The restaurant lobby was brightly lit, and a dozen round tables were filled with people. Several gang leaders from the South City sat at the main table, exchanging drinks with Golden Tooth Sheng in a lively atmosphere.

Li Zhan stood at the railing on the second floor, scanning the room with cold eyes, a cold smile curling his lips, "It seems Scar Qiang and Sausage were quite well-connected in this part of the South City."

A-Tai, who had rushed over with the ledger, whispered from the side, "Three leaders from the South City have come; they are all key commanders under Seventh Uncle."

Li Zhan nodded, adjusted his collar, took the microphone, and walked to the center of the lobby. The whole room went silent instantly. The guests looked at each other, and someone couldn't help but shout, "Where are Brother Qiang and Brother Sausage?"

Li Zhan raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, his smile warm, "Brother Qiang and Brother Sausage have been promoted! Ninth Master opened a new, large casino in the North and specifically transferred them over to be in charge. Before they left, they even helped me organize this welcome banquet, saying they wanted to call all the big brothers here so I could get to know them. I am very grateful to these two good brothers. Even after leaving, they didn't forget to give me, their little brother, a lift."

He raised his glass, "As for Xinmin here, Ninth Master has handed it over to me to manage. I hope for your continued support in the future!"

A-Tai almost laughed out loud but held it in, his face turning red—this kid was too wicked!

The guests were skeptical and whispered to each other. Li Zhan handed the microphone to Golden Tooth Sheng, who immediately understood and smiled obsequiously, "Yes, yes, yes! Ninth Master has given the order that from now on, Brother Zhan will be in charge of Xinmin Street! Brother Qiang and Brother Sausage have been promoted, and we should be happy for them!"

The people at the South City tables were still skeptical, especially one bald man who wore an expression of disbelief.

Li Zhan walked over with his glass, his smile unchanged, "Brothers from the South City, I am a newcomer here. In the future, as I make my fortune in your territory, I hope for your support."

The bald man snorted, his eyes sinister. He had been drinking with Scar Qiang just yesterday, and now he had been transferred away today; in any case, he didn't believe it.

Li Zhan remained unhurried and lowered his voice, "Fighting and killing is bad for harmony, isn't it?" He raised his glass, "How about this: the tribute Brother Qiang and Brother Sausage gave you all before, I won't deduct a single cent, and I'll add another ten percent. We're all out here hustling, isn't it just for a way to make money?"

The people from the South City were caught off guard by Li Zhan's move and exchanged glances. At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood up and raised his glass with a smile, "Then congratulations to Brother A-Zhan on your promotion!"

Li Zhan's smile deepened, and he tilted his head back, draining the drink in one gulp. The moment he put the glass down, his gaze swept over the South City group—this play had only just begun.

Next, Li Zhan carried his glass, a perfectly appropriate smile on his face, and went from table to table in the lobby to toast. He stood tall and spoke eloquently, as if this banquet had truly been prepared as a "Welcome Banquet" for him, and he was the triumphant new spokesperson.

"Come, come, I toast you all!" He walked to the table from the East Street, the glasses clinking crisply, "In the future, I hope you all will help out with the business on Xinmin Street."

The people at the South City table watched coldly from the sidelines; the man with gold-rimmed glasses gently swirled his glass, lost in thought. The bald man had a gloomy face, glancing at the door from time to time, as if waiting for something.

"Brother Zhan is too polite!" The old hands from the West Street stood up to toast back, smiles plastered on their faces, but their eyes flickered with uncertainty. They were all secretly wondering—where exactly had Scar Qiang and Sausage gone?

Li Zhan tilted his head back and drank the wine, his Adam's apple bobbing. As the spicy liquid slid down his throat, he narrowed his eyes, his peripheral vision sweeping over the South City table—this group of people would never guess that the person their Seventh Uncle was looking for was standing right in front of them, chatting and laughing.

A-Tai followed behind, pouring wine, his shoulders shaking as he suppressed his laughter. This scene was truly absurd—the hall was full of guests exchanging drinks, unaware that the original masters had already passed away.

"Brother Zhan has a great capacity for liquor!" Golden Tooth Sheng flattered him at the right moment, his gold teeth flashing under the lights, "From now on, following Brother Zhan, our Xinmin Street will definitely become more and more prosperous!"

Li Zhan waved his hand with a smile, but his eyes remained fixed on the movements at the South City table. The Man with Glasses was whispering something to the bald man. Just then, the restaurant door was pushed open violently—Mad Dog Luo strode in with two henchmen.