Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Zhao Family’s Deadly Ambush
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The clubhouse fell silent.
Zhang Madman’s stand-in quietly slipped a hand beneath the tea table.
His movements were subtle, and with the table blocking the view, an ordinary person would never have noticed.
Unfortunately for him, he had no idea that Xu Yi possessed X-ray vision. Naturally, Xu Yi saw everything.
So he intended to kill me if I refused?
Xu Yi sneered inwardly, then suddenly drove his foot into the tea table.
The table slammed into the stand-in. Caught completely off guard, the man let out a muffled grunt, yet reacted with astonishing speed. He slapped the table for leverage and flipped to the right.
His movements were crisp and efficient. He was actually a martial artist!
“Hmph!”
Xu Yi sneered. Supporting himself with one hand against the floor, he swept out with a whip-like kick.
The stand-in raised his arm to block, but he had badly underestimated Xu Yi’s strength. The instant they collided, a tremendous force surged through him, blasting him into the wall behind him.
“Ugh!”
The stand-in spat out a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale.
He had just begun to move when Xu Yi’s iron-like hand clamped around his throat.
The stand-in’s face instantly flushed crimson. He twisted and struggled, still attempting to break free.
But in the next moment, the dark muzzle of a gun was pressed against his head.
The stand-in’s eyes widened. He did not dare move again.
Two seconds. The fight was over.
Was this man a monster?
The stand-in stared at Xu Yi in disbelief.
Beside them, Huang Dapao had not even realized what had happened. He stood there staring at the scene in shock.
It was only when he saw the pistol beneath the tea table that cold sweat began sliding down his face.
Xu Yi ignored the stand-in and spoke coldly toward the speaker.
“Boss Zhang, this is hardly the way to treat a guest. Don’t you agree?”
“Ah.”
Zhang Madman sighed through the speaker.
“Xu Yi, if I told you this was not my order, would you believe me?”
Xu Yi replied coldly, “What do you think?”
Zhang Madman said, “In any case, my man broke the rules. Whether we work together or not, I will give you an explanation.”
Xu Yi said slowly, “We can cooperate, but what you’re offering is too little. Aside from information about Luo Hao, I want something else as well.”
“By all means,” Zhang Madman replied unhurriedly.
Xu Yi spoke slowly.
“First, after you replace Luo Hao, I want half the territory in Taijiang District.”
“No problem!” Zhang Madman answered decisively.
“Second, once this is over, you are not to report anything about me to the higher-ups of the East Sea Gang.”
“Agreed,” Zhang Madman replied at once.
“Third, before taking concrete action, you had better show up in East Sea City. We must meet at least once. And if I discover you launching another surprise attack like this, I will kill you.”
With that, Xu Yi withdrew the pistol and crushed it in one hand. The components scattered across the floor.
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The clubhouse fell silent once more.
After a long while—
“Hahahaha!”
Zhang Madman’s exaggerated laughter rang out from the speaker.
“Xu Yi, you truly are a hero born in youth. As you wish. During our cooperation, if I show the slightest sign of distrust, you may come and take my head. I hope our partnership will be a pleasant one.”
“See that it is. From now on, contact Dapao when you need to arrange anything.”
Xu Yi spoke coldly, then released the hand around the stand-in’s throat.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
After suddenly drawing breath, the stand-in erupted into violent coughing. He stared up in terror as Xu Yi swaggered out of the clubhouse with Huang Dapao.
After the two men had left, Zhang Madman’s voice emerged at an unhurried pace.
“Well? I told you that Lu Huaibin personally tested Xu Yi’s abilities. You should not have acted on your own.”
The stand-in, Old Zhang, shuddered all over and said in a low voice, “Master Zhang, it was my fault. I only wanted to test him personally… but then…”
“Enough. You know my temper. You broke the rules. You know what you have to do. I needn’t spell it out, do I?”
Zhang Madman’s voice was icy.
The stand-in trembled from head to toe.
“Yes, Master Zhang.”
Gritting his teeth, the stand-in walked to the side and drew a machete. Then, steeling himself, he swung it down at his own right hand.
“Ah!”
A shrill scream instantly rang out.
Xu Yi, who had reached the doorway, turned his head. Through his X-ray vision, he saw the stand-in clutching his severed hand and rolling across the floor in agony. Blood covered the entire room, a horrifying sight.
Xu Yi narrowed his eyes.
Ruthless. No wonder he was known as Madman.
Working with such a man was no different from plotting with a tiger. He had to remain cautious.
The two of them returned to the large G-Class SUV. Huang Dapao said apologetically, “Brother Yi, it’s my fault for being useless. I actually failed to discover that Luo Hao was preparing a gambling match.”
“And I wasn’t deliberately hiding what happened between Luo Hao and me. I…”
Xu Yi shook his head and cut him off.
“I have no interest in what happened before. What matters is the cooperation Zhang Madman mentioned. What do you think? Does he really intend to replace Luo Hao?”
Huang Dapao pondered for a while before answering, “I believe he does. While I was with the gang, I heard that Madman has been running a branch of the East Sea Gang for more than ten years. He was originally supposed to become the person in charge of Taijiang District, but Luo Hao appeared out of nowhere.”
“Because Luo Hao reportedly has powerful backing, he forcibly pushed Madman aside.”
“Besides, Zhang Madman has always wanted the intelligence in my hands. I never understood why. Now it seems he was afraid that once he made his move, I would pass the information on to Luo Hao.”
As he drove, Xu Yi asked, “Dapao, tell me honestly. Assuming we don’t rely on Zhang Madman, can we replace Luo Hao?”
Huang Dapao’s expression changed dramatically. He answered cautiously, “Brother Yi, I’m not trying to discourage you, but Luo Hao’s influence is enormous, and no one knows how many hidden methods he has.”
“To be honest, I don’t know what preparations Zhang Madman has made. If we rely solely on what we have now… our chances aren’t good.”
Xu Yi remained silent for a while before saying, “Forget it. In any case, we must be careful in this cooperation with Zhang Madman. He cannot be trusted completely.”
“Yes, Brother Yi. I’ll be careful.”
Huang Dapao nodded repeatedly.
Xu Yi brought the vehicle to a stop and said, “Go back on your own. I still have something to do.”
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“All right, Brother Yi.”
Huang Dapao did not dare ask anything more. Seeing that Xu Yi was in a poor mood, he obediently got out and watched as Xu Yi drove away alone.
Xu Yi was indeed in a foul mood.
During his negotiations with Zhang Madman that day, he had appeared to hold the upper hand, but in reality, the other man had controlled the entire rhythm of the exchange. Xu Yi had the distinct feeling that he had been led along by his opponent.
He drove aimlessly. Before he realized it, he had entered an empty road.
Suddenly, several black sedans accelerated past his large G-Class SUV and forced him to a stop.
Seven or eight black-clad men, fully armed and with their faces obscured, climbed out of the vehicles.
Xu Yi’s expression changed dramatically. His first thought was that the mysterious figure had come for him.
His adrenaline surged.
He clenched his fists, ready for battle.
But when another person stepped out of one of the cars, Xu Yi realized he had misunderstood.
The Zhao Corporation—Zhao Jian.
“Damn it! I finally found you, you bastard! I’ve been looking for you for four or five days! Get out of the car!”
Zhao Jian shouted arrogantly, then raised the baseball bat in his hand and smashed it down onto the hood of the G-Class.
Xu Yi’s expression instantly darkened.
He yanked open the door and stepped out, looking at Zhao Jian.
“Young Master Zhao, you’re in quite a temper. Didn’t the beating you received last time hurt enough?”
“It’s you!”
Zhao Jian’s eyes widened. Then he burst into delighted laughter.
“Hahahaha! Good, good, good! I never imagined that the brat who stole my family’s bronze artifact at the ghost market would be you.”
“Damn it! I’ll settle both old and new grudges today. You’re finished!”
Xu Yi narrowed his eyes.
“What bronze artifact?”
Zhao Jian sneered contemptuously.
“Stop pretending, kid! You thought I couldn’t find you just because the ghost market conceals its buyers’ identities? Hmph! You know nothing about the Zhao family.”
“You were the one who took the bronze artifact, weren’t you, treasure hunter?”
Killing intent flashed through Xu Yi’s eyes.
But Zhao Jian continued ranting as though he had not noticed.
“Accept your fate, kid! You’ve offended the Zhao family twice. You’re practically begging to die!”
“Hand over that bronze artifact right now. Then get on your knees and crawl between my legs. I might consider letting you keep your life!”
“And that slut Zeng Lili! Damn it, you even dared sleep with the woman I wanted. You’re leaving your manhood here today.”
Xu Yi casually dug a finger into his ear and said disdainfully, “What dog is barking? You’re giving me a headache. What a bunch of useless trash, pretending to ambush and kill someone. You think these mangy strays are enough?”
Seeing the mocking look in Xu Yi’s eyes, Zhao Jian flew into a rage and roared, “Damn it! You worthless loser! You’re asking to die! Get him! Hack him to death!”
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