Chapter 69: Ironclad Laws of the Brotherhood

“Brothers, whether we take one of them down or not, we pull out in three minutes,” Chen Erpao commanded. Though adrenaline surged through him, he remained clear-headed; if they lingered and got surrounded, escape would be nearly impossible.

“Thunder Strike, sweep the den!” Liu Huagang roared, his voice booming like a bell. Wielding a formidable blade, he unleashed a fierce technique, the air around him swirling with the force of his slashes. His target was none other than Kobayashi, the man who had once fired at him. Kobayashi, undaunted, somehow produced a katana and met him head-on.

Chen Erpao, confronted by several enemies barring his way, did not slow his charging steps. “Die!” he shouted, and wherever his blade fell, blood sprayed. Dispatching those who blocked him without pause, he lunged straight at the nearest boss of the He Sheng Society—Big Fatty.

Big Fatty’s face twisted in terror as he tried to flee, yanking a pistol from his waistband. In his panic, he aimed the dark muzzle at Chen Erpao.

Bang! The sharp report of the gun echoed. The moment he saw Big Fatty squeeze the trigger, Chen Erpao raised his blade before his eyes. There was a metallic clang, and his body shuddered slightly, silently marveling at the power of the pistol—even his hands tingled from the impact. Yet he did not falter. Seizing the brief instant as Big Fatty froze, he sprang forward, blade raised high, its cold gleam chilling to the soul.

“Ah…” Big Fatty managed only a single scream before his head was split in two, chunks of brain matter tumbling out.

With his goal accomplished, Chen Erpao knew the Yimen Society would be impossible to ignore in all of Hong Kong by tomorrow. Without hesitation, he shouted to his brothers, rallying them as he turned and charged toward the exit.

Kobayashi, nearly deranged with rage, led the Tianmeng members in pursuit, shouting, “Stop them! Don’t let any of them escape!”

With a burst of strength, Chen Erpao unleashed a lightning kick, coordinating perfectly with Liu Huagang’s fierce blade technique. The men blocking their path fell instantly. Reinforcements from the Iron Guard and Special Action Squad clashed with dozens of Tianmeng members at the stairwell.

Soon, they broke through. Glancing back at Kobayashi and his men closing in, Chen Erpao shouted, “Jump!”

Without hesitation, everyone leapt down together. The main hall of the restaurant was nearly empty of Tianmeng men. After quickly dispatching a few who tried to block them, they dove into the waiting cars outside. By the time Kobayashi and his men reached the restaurant entrance, Chen Erpao and his team were already vanishing along with the speeding vehicles.

“Damn it! You again! I will never let you get away with this!” Kobayashi’s eyes were bloodshot with rage as he hurled his katana to the ground and roared.

Roughly ten minutes after Chen Erpao led the Yimen men to safety, the carnage inside the restaurant finally ceased. Most of the resisting gang members had been cut down, leaving only a few half-dead bosses alive. Among them was Baldy, the head of Yau Tsim Mong District, who had earlier tried to negotiate with Chen Erpao.

Kobayashi, face radiating murderous intent, swept his gaze over the survivors. Suddenly, with a swift motion, he raised his katana and sliced off both of Baldy’s arms at the shoulders.

Already pale from blood loss, Baldy’s face turned even whiter, yet he did not cry out. Instead, he glared fiercely at Kobayashi. “You Japanese bastard, kill me if you dare! Decades ago, we Chinese drove you out, and decades later, it’ll be the same. And as for you traitors working for them…”

Baldy’s words drew uneasy looks from the surrounding Tianmeng members, many of whom wore conflicted expressions.

“Die! Die already!” Kobayashi, enraged, brought his blade down to finish the defiant boss, then spat on the corpse in contempt. “This is what happens to those who oppose Tianmeng! Tomorrow, go wipe out all his remaining forces and slaughter his entire family!”

Guangtou, the bald boss of United Victory, glanced fearfully at Kobayashi, now seriously doubting whether his earlier decision had been the right one. There was no room for regret now—not only would other Hong Kong gangs turn on him, but even the Yamaguchi-gumi and the Mafia would hunt him down. Even his own lieutenants had probably accepted favors from them. If he truly turned back now, not only would he lose his position—his very life might be forfeit. The same thoughts flashed through the minds of several other Tianmeng bosses.

Back in Lingnan, Chen Erpao dared not return home. He was now like a blood-soaked demon; only after returning did he realize he’d also taken a cut to the back, numb to pain in the heat of battle.

So many had set out on this mission—how many returned? Compared to the total annihilation suffered by other groups, their outcome was much better, though almost everyone had some injury. Six seriously wounded were rushed to the hospital, but their lives were not in danger.

Tonight’s risky gamble had paid off: after this, Lingnan Yimen would no longer be an obscure, nameless faction huddled in Lingnan.

The fierce battle proved the wisdom of Chen Erpao’s earlier investments in time and money—training his men and forging quality blades. The Iron Guard and Special Action Squad, after rigorous training and armed with sharp weapons, now outmatched the elite members of any major gang. Of course, much of this was thanks to the exceptional instructors they had.

The following day, just as Chen Erpao had foreseen, the name of Lingnan Yimen spread like wildfire through Hong Kong’s underworld. Chen Erpao himself became the subject of conversation among bosses everywhere.

By noon, a group arrived declaring their allegiance to Yimen. Throughout the rest of the day, several more groups came—some defecting from other factions, others unaffiliated thugs seeking fame. In total, forty or fifty joined, and Chen Erpao accepted them all.

Over the next few days, more than a hundred others flocked to join, turning Yimen into a powerhouse in Tuen Mun District, rivaling even the Hongxing sub-branch.

On the third day after the restaurant escape, news spread on the streets that Camel, the Tuen Mun boss, had died in hospital. Hongxing finally admitted to “cleaning house,” and Camel’s chief lieutenant, Tianyi, backed by Tianmeng, smoothly took over as the new district boss. On his first day, he announced their allegiance to Tianmeng, breaking all ties with Hongxing. Any opposing leaders in the branch vanished overnight.

In the days that followed, aside from maintaining the usual training for the Iron Guard and Special Action Squad, Chen Erpao met with Wang Xing and Liu Huagang to discuss the future. Yimen was no longer a minor faction tucked away in Lingnan; it was now one of the two dominant forces in Tuen Mun. A gang, after all, was an organization, and organizations required discipline, rules, and strict systems.

As a former soldier, Chen Erpao knew that obeying orders was a soldier’s foremost duty, and that military discipline and complete regulations were unparalleled. If a gang wished to become stronger and larger, it had to be like an army—iron-blooded soldiers, an iron-blooded underworld.

Wang Xing and Liu Huagang wholeheartedly agreed, believing it was time for Yimen to establish a comprehensive system, including a code of conduct.