Chapter 113: Setting Foot in Duhai City

"How did it go?" Ren Xiadong asked anxiously the moment Liu Sheng stepped through the door.

Ren Xiadong was terrified. He had killed the boss, and while he knew Liu Sheng had the means to resolve the situation, the fear lingered. If anything went wrong, his life would be effectively over.

Seeing Ren Xiadong’s panic, Liu Sheng smiled calmly. "Don't worry. You are the Vice President of the Liuyao World Film and Television Company. Even without my help, the company would handle it for you. After all, we are the ones who run Chong City."

Relieved, Ren Xiadong gestured toward Yang He, who was lying on the sofa. "What about him? Should I just finish him off with a shot? I think I’m getting addicted to using this gun, and it's not like anything would happen."

Yang He, despite being covered in wounds and unable to move, was still fully conscious. Upon hearing Ren Xiadong’s suggestion, his eyes widened in terror, and he stared fixedly at him.

"Sure," Liu Sheng said nonchalantly.

With Liu Sheng’s approval, Ren Xiadong swiftly drew the gun from his waistband and cocked it. Pointing it at Yang He, he wore a wicked grin. "Liu Sheng has ordered it, and I cannot disobey. Sorry, brother-in-law!"

"No, no! Brother-in-law Liu Sheng, I will treat Xiaoya exceptionally well from now on. Please, give me another chance!" Yang He pleaded desperately. He knew the immense power wielded by Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong. While he didn't know exactly what they did, he knew they were bold enough to cause trouble in casinos; killing him would be effortless.

Ren Xiadong pulled the trigger. Yang He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a loud scream. Then, Ren Xiadong shook the gun in his hand, making "Bang! Bang! Bang!" sounds with his mouth.

"Relax, I was just teasing you. Why would Liu Sheng kill you? No matter how bad you are, you’re still his brother-in-law," Ren Xiadong said as he holstered the weapon.

Yang He opened his eyes and checked his body. There were no new wounds; he felt no pain other than what Liu Sheng had already inflicted.

"Liu Sheng, I will truly change," Yang He insisted.

Liu Sheng remained silent. He no longer trusted Yang He, who had made the same mistakes time and time again. However, since Liu Sheng had effectively shut down all the casinos in Chong City, he was no longer worried about that particular issue.

Liu Sheng called Xiaoya to explain that he had seen Yang He at a casino and that he was now at his house. Upon hearing this, Xiaoya feared Yang He would beg Liu Sheng for money. Desperate to stop Yang He from causing further trouble, she insisted on coming over to watch him and take him home the following day.

What Xiaoya didn't know was that the casinos were already gone and that Yang He had been beaten by Liu Sheng. Liu Sheng worried about how this would affect their already strained relationship, given that Yang He was her husband.

"It’s too late. I’ll send someone to bring him back another day."

"Another day? Why not tomorrow? No, I’m afraid he’ll ask you for money, and you’re too soft-hearted. You’ll give it to him if he asks! Giving him money isn’t helping him; it’s destroying him. He’s a bottomless pit. If you give him more, he’ll come back every single day."

Unable to win the argument, Liu Sheng finally told her about beating Yang He.

"Good! He deserves a beating! I’ll find a way to get there and take him home myself!"

Liu Sheng drove to pick up Xiaoya personally. The round trip took nearly three hours, and it was past nine in the evening when they returned. This time, Yang He’s parents and their child had come along as well. It was only the second time Liu Sheng had seen the child, the first being at Xiaoya’s brother’s wedding.

"Come here, let Uncle hold you. Let’s fly!" Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong played with the toddler.

Yang He lay on the sofa while Xiaoya and his parents sat to the side in silence. Xiaoya was too angry to acknowledge him, and his parents, though heartbroken for their son, were afraid to upset Xiaoya, so they didn't speak to him either.

Liu Sheng carried the child over to the family. Though he was reluctant, he wanted to lighten the mood. "We are all family, and the child is here. Let’s just talk things out. After such a big day, let's not be unhappy anymore."

Liu Sheng didn't mention that he had kidnapped Xiaoya earlier due to Yang He’s gambling debts, fearing it would break her heart. Besides, with the casinos gone, he hoped such issues wouldn't arise again. He had successfully intimidated Yang He; the sight of the gun had made it clear that another gamble would mean death.

Xiaoya had witnessed the killing at her doorstep, but Yang He’s parents hadn't; they heard the sound but didn't realize it was gunfire. Under the persuasion of Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong, Xiaoya finally agreed to give Yang He one last chance.

"The nannies are off, so I won't disturb them. I'll go prepare the rooms. Xiaoya is pregnant, so you all can take the second floor." Liu Sheng turned to Ren Xiadong. "Don't just stand there, go help get things ready."

The villa had three floors. Apart from Ren Xiadong's room, Xiaoya’s family occupied two rooms, and Ren Xiadong took a room on the third floor.

The next morning, Xiaoya insisted on leaving. Unable to persuade them to stay, Liu Sheng drove them home. That afternoon, he and Ren Xiadong headed to Du Hai City.

Liu Sheng’s only goal regarding Hu Yinghe was to destroy him, strip him of everything, and make his life a living hell. He had come specifically to target Hu Yinghe’s shipyard. His plan was to slowly weaken him until he had no power left, then manipulate others into turning against him.

Winter nights fell early. After finding lodging, Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong scouted the shipyard to devise a plan to shut it down, eventually sneaking inside.

The yard was filled with countless shipping containers. Out of curiosity, they pried one open, only to find it packed with what appeared to be freshly excavated antiques.

"What? Does Hu Yinghe moonlight as a grave robber?" Ren Xiadong asked. Liu Sheng didn't respond; he ran to another container. Inside, he found bags of rice concealing caches of white powder. Another container revealed silicone dolls stuffed with firearms.

Liu Sheng sat down, lit a cigarette, and said, "I knew Hu Yinghe was more powerful than Hu Ying, but he has so many illicit operations. One Hu Yinghe is worth ten Hu Yings. Ruining just this shipyard won't be enough."

"This is all illegal. We can report it to Butler Jin. Wouldn't that finish him?" Ren Xiadong suggested.

Liu Sheng chuckled at Ren Xiadong’s naivety. "You think it’s that simple? Do you think Hua Yong doesn't know about Hu Yinghe’s activities?"

"And they don't do anything about it?"

Liu Sheng shook his head, wondering what was inside Ren Xiadong's brain. "They know. But Hu Yinghe is cautious and hasn't slipped up. Hua Yong needs the money from these dirty businesses to keep their own operations running."

Liu Sheng flicked his cigarette away. "It seems Hu Yinghe is the perfect successor. With Hua Yong’s power, laundering this money is easy. If we want to take him down, we’re going to need to make some real noise!"

As he spoke, a man’s voice rang out: "Who’s there?"

The man shone a flashlight at them, saw the two intruders, and screamed: "Brothers! Grab your weapons! Someone’s trying to steal our goods!"

Liu Sheng quickly pulled his gun and whispered to Ren Xiadong, "Run!"

Liu Sheng stayed behind Ren Xiadong, protecting him while keeping an eye on their pursuers. Seeing they couldn't catch up, the guards drew their own weapons. Hearing the distinct sound of guns being readied, Liu Sheng lunged, tackling Ren Xiadong to the ground just as shots rang out.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The bullets missed. Liu Sheng froze time, sprinted at a hundred times his normal speed to the pursuers, unloaded every one of their magazines, and returned to his spot, dropping back down. He released the time freeze.

The pursuers fired again, but their guns clicked empty. Confused, they scrambled to reload. Hearing the sound of fresh magazines being inserted, Liu Sheng cursed under his breath.

Ren Xiadong stood up and fired three shots, taking down three men. Liu Sheng followed suit, dropping a few more. The survivors scrambled for cover. Suddenly, Liu Sheng spotted a man aiming at Ren Xiadong from behind and shoved him aside.

"Bang! Bang!"

The first shot was from the attacker, which missed because of Liu Sheng’s intervention. The second shot, fired by Liu Sheng, struck the attacker right between the eyes.

"There are too many of them! Let’s go and rethink this!" Liu Sheng shouted, and they dashed toward the exit.

"I should have brought more ammo!" Ren Xiadong yelled as they ran.

"Who would have thought the guards would be armed?" Liu Sheng retorted.

They scrambled into a dilapidated apartment building nearby. Every floor echoed with discordant sounds—the rhythmic thumping of flesh and shrieks that sounded like a den of demons. Reaching the top floor, they burst into an unlocked room and slammed the door shut.

A heavily made-up woman with a blue wig looked at them. "Oh, in such a rush? For two people, it’s going to cost extra..."

She stopped when she saw the guns in their hands. Her expression shifted to one of pure terror. "Please, masters, take all my money, just don't kill me! I can even serve you both for free. I didn't see anything, I’ve never seen your faces!"

As Liu Sheng prepared to speak, footsteps thundered in the hallway, followed by the sound of doors being kicked in. Seeing no place to hide, the woman pointed to the bed. "Under there!"

As Liu Sheng brushed past her, he muttered, "Thank you."

Ren Xiadong pointed his gun at the woman. "If you breathe a word of this, I’ll kill you! I’ll take you down with us!"

Terrified, the woman froze. Liu Sheng grabbed Ren Xiadong’s gun hand with one hand and shoved his head down with the other, forcing him under the bed. He then quickly slid in beside him.