75: Chapter 75 The Green Gang's Relay

Night deepened.

The clamor in the warehouse had completely subsided.

In the air, only the suppressed groans of the wounded remained, and the faint metallic sounds of Soldiers checking their weapons.

Everyone was like a silent statue.

Under the dim light, they awaited their approaching fate, whether life or death.

Chen Xi leaned against a pile of sacks, his eyes closed.

He was conserving every bit of his strength, and also forcefully suppressing the tidal wave of pain emanating from his back wound.

"Buzz."

In his mind, the cold system interface vibrated slightly.

A specially encrypted message, wrapped in countless garbled characters, popped up.

From the Descendant of the Dragon.

"Urgent Intel: The retreat's end point is a new battlefield."

Chen Xi's eyelids twitched.

The message continued to appear.

"Across Suzhou Creek is the Public Concession, a chaotic mix. Japanese Army secret police, Chongqing agents, and various gang forces are intertwined."

"Over four hundred Soldiers suddenly appearing is too big a target. Once any faction spots them, they'll be like lambs thrown into a shark tank."

Chen Xi's heart sank.

He had only thought about how to get the people out, but he had overlooked: once out, then what?

A group of routed Soldiers, disconnected from their main force, without supplies, without identification, how long could they survive on the isolated island of Shanghai?

"Suggestion: Seek local forces for support."

"The only reliable option: Green Gang, Du Yuesheng."

The intel from the Descendant of the Dragon was calm, precise, and devoid of emotion.

"Although this man is a powerful figure in the underworld, his sense of national righteousness remains, and he has the capability within the Concession to provide a temporary, absolutely safe sanctuary for your brothers."

"Contact method deciphered: Green Gang's highest-level secret code, 'Fu' character seal."

"Use a signal lamp to send specific long and short light frequencies to establish contact."

A series of incredibly detailed information, along with the complete pattern of the secret code and its transmission encoding, clearly appeared before Chen Xi's eyes.

Chen Xi slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at the Soldiers in the distance, making their final farewells to their families, his gaze becoming incredibly complex.

He finally understood what stood behind him.

It was a nation.

A nation that had used all its power, transcending time and space, to pave the way home for these ancestors.

He stood up and walked towards the temporary command post.

Xie Jinyuan and Shangguan Zhibiao were gathered around a map, making their final deductions.

"Regimental Commander."

Chen Xi's voice was a little hoarse.

Both men looked up at the same time.

"I need a signal lamp."

Shangguan Zhibiao was startled: "What do you need that for?"

"I have friends across the river."

Chen Xi said calmly.

"They can provide us with some... convenience."

He didn't explain much.

But the two men present didn't press for details either.

At this point, the only thing they had to do for any request Chen Xi made was to trust him.

"Go, fetch the best signal lamp in the warehouse!"

Xie Jinyuan immediately ordered the guards beside him... A few minutes later.

On the top floor of the warehouse, in an inconspicuous corner.

Chen Xi held a German-made military signal lamp.

He didn't rush to send the signal, but first controlled the Drone disguised as a 'Remote Control Aircraft Model' to take off again.

The Drone silently flew over the Concession.

According to the intel provided by the Descendant of the Dragon, he quickly locked onto the Paramount Ballroom, located in the center of the French Concession.

And the huge searchlight on the ballroom's rooftop, facing Suzhou Creek.

That was a semi-public contact point for the Green Gang within the Concession.

After confirming the target, Chen Xi took a deep breath.

He opened the signal lamp's shutter, and his finger began to press the switch at an extremely fast, rhythmic frequency.

Beams of light, long and short, cut through the night sky, accurately shooting towards that brightly lit building... In a luxurious private room on the top floor of the Paramount Ballroom in the French Concession.

A man in a black silk gown, with a buzz cut and sharp eyes, was holding a glass of red wine, looking down at the decadent dance floor below.

His name was A-Si, a trusted confidant of Du Yuesheng, and one of the Green Gang's most formidable 'Red Poles'.

"Fourth Brother."

A subordinate hurried in, his expression somewhat strange.

"Across the river... someone seems to be sending signals."

A-Si frowned: "Japanese Army signals?"

"Doesn't seem like it."

The subordinate shook his head, "It's too fast, and the light is aimed at our rooftop searchlight."

A-Si put down his wine glass.

He walked to the window, picked up a German-made Zeiss Binoculars, and looked towards the Sihang Warehouse across the river.

In the darkness of the warehouse rooftop, he saw the flickering light.

The light was so fast it seemed to be twitching.

But as A-Si watched, his expression changed.

He abruptly put down the binoculars, quickly walked to the wall, and pulled open a Western oil painting.

Behind the oil painting was a safe.

He quickly entered the password and took out a yellowed, thread-bound booklet.

The booklet had no name.

Opening the first page, only a pattern was drawn.

It was the Green Gang's long-lost, highest-level secret order—the "Fu" character seal.

A-Si compared it to the pattern in the booklet, rapidly reciting the long string of incantations representing the light's frequency.

His expression went from solemn, to shocked, and finally, to an incredulous horror.

"A field, carried by one man, path of life and death, coexisting in survival..."

He put down the booklet, his palms covered in cold sweat.

This set of secret orders was known only to a few of the highest-ranking members of the gang.

Moreover, it hadn't been used for decades.

Who exactly was across the river?

"Prepare the car!"

A-Si made a decisive move, grabbed his coat, and rushed out.

"To Du Mansion! Quick!"

...Half an hour later.

Du Mansion, study.

After listening to A-Si's report, Du Yuesheng fell silent.

He wore a long gown, twirling two walnuts in his hand, leaning back in a Grand Armchair, not saying a word.

But in his half-closed eyes, a terrifying glint flickered.

He had long heard rumors of the "divine man" in the warehouse.

The "sorcery" that melted tanks.

The "slingshot" that could hit a willow leaf a hundred paces away.

He had thought they were just Rumors in the martial arts world (Jianghu Rumors), exaggerated.

But now, the other party had directly contacted him using a lost, highest-level secret order.

This was no longer a rumor.

This was power.

"Mr. Du..."

A-Si looked at the silent Du Yuesheng, somewhat anxious.

"The other party wants us to clear an absolutely safe passage from Xinzha Bridge to Medhurst Road before midnight."

"They also want us to prepare a hidden lodging point with enough food and accommodation for four hundred people."

"This scale... is too grand."

Du Yuesheng still didn't speak.

He just slowly stopped twirling the walnuts in his hand.

The study was utterly silent.

After a long while.

He finally spoke slowly, his voice hoarse, but carrying an undeniable authority.

"A-Si."

"Present."

"How long have you been with me?"

A-Si was taken aback, not knowing why Du Yuesheng suddenly asked this.

"When Sir gave me a meal, my life, A-Si's life, became Sir's."

"Good."

Du Yuesheng nodded.

"Then tonight, Sir will ask you to do something that might cost you your head."

He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the soaring flames in the direction of the Sihang Warehouse.

"Tell all the brothers in the halls below, no one sleeps tonight."

"Bring out all our hidden stashes."

"Even if the sky falls, clear this path for me."

A-Si's heart trembled; he knew that Mr. Du was staking everything.

"Then... if we run into the Japanese Army..."

"Then fight."

Du Yuesheng's tone was cold and decisive.

"This is Shanghai."

"It's not their turn to call the shots yet."

He turned around and looked at A-Si, his gaze becoming meaningful.

"A-Si, remember."

"What we're saving today isn't four hundred Soldiers."

"It's inviting back a true deity for our Du Family, one who can hold sway over the Shanghai Bund."

"Go do it."

"Yes!"

A-Si nodded heavily and turned to leave.

His heart was churning with turbulent waves, but also surged with a strange, burning excitement.

He really wanted to see with his own eyes.

What kind of a person was this "divine man" whom Mr. Du held in such high regard... On the top floor of the warehouse.

Chen Xi put away the signal lamp.

Just now, the Paramount Ballroom's searchlight across the river flashed three times at a very regular frequency.

That was the reply signal for the "Fu" character seal.

It meant that the other party had agreed and begun to deploy.

He turned and walked down from the rooftop.

Xie Jinyuan and Shangguan Zhibiao were anxiously waiting for him.

Seeing their questioning gazes, Chen Xi didn't say much.

He just calmly nodded.

"The path is clear."

Xie Jinyuan's tense body immediately relaxed.

He looked at the man before him, covered in blood, yet still terrifyingly calm, his eyes filled with endless admiration and gratitude.

He took a deep breath, turned, and walked towards the Soldiers who were already assembled and ready.

His voice echoed clearly in the silent warehouse.

"First batch, wounded, heavy weapons operators, prepare!"

"Move out!"