Madman!

Chapter 136: Challenge Me and Die

The meeting room was thick with cigarette smoke. Shark Jiu, Guan Laosan, Tall Guy, and Elephant were all heavy smokers, each seated on a different side.

Only the seat at the head — Master Xin's seat — remained empty.

Chen Wujun leaned against the wall in his chair, flipping through an erotic magazine that someone had inexplicably left lying around. His mind, however, was elsewhere.

"A snake without a head can't crawl. Master Xin is dead and buried. Today, we elect a new Dragon Head to lead the company forward." Shark Jiu sat in place like a tigress on her throne, her presence overwhelming.

Her gaze swept the room with the sharpness of a hawk, pausing briefly on Elephant, Tall Guy, and Guan Laosan.

"This Dragon Head position — I'm the most qualified. I have the greatest strength and the most prestige!"

Normally, someone else should have brought it up, should have proposed her name.

Guan Laosan, perhaps. Or Tall Guy.

But Shark Jiu couldn't have cared less about formalities. She sat there with an air of "if not me, then who?"

This Dragon Head position should be mine. It can only be mine."Anyone want to contest it?"

"Me!" Guan Laosan shot his hand up. Once all eyes were on him, he broke into a grin: "Everyone here knows what kind of man I am. Sure, I've put in the years and the work, earned the company plenty of money — but Dragon Head? I'm definitely not cut out for it."

"I vote for Shark Jiu."

"For a second there, I thought you'd been possessed!" Tall Guy chuckled.

"I've got no objections either. My vote goes to Shark Jiu."

Of everyone present, he was the only one who knew the full story. That day, Shark Jiu's show of force had genuinely rattled him.

He hadn't expected her to bring in that many experts.

If his opponent hadn't gone easy on him, he wouldn't have made it back alive.

He'd briefly considered airing everything at the mourning hall, but the thought had flickered through his mind and vanished just as quickly.

He'd behaved himself these past days and wasn't about to stir up trouble now.

"If none of you object, then I don't either. Shark Jiu it is!" Elephant spread his hands.

"Seems unanimous. Then this seat is mine." Shark Jiu rose and walked to Master Xin's chair, sitting down as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Of course Shark Jiu is the one — anyone else and nobody would accept it." Chen Wujun said with a grin, leading the applause.

The others joined in.

Shark Jiu smiled, then spoke:

"Now that I'm Dragon Head, there are two things that need doing."

"First is Master Xin's revenge. A shipment was hijacked. Elephant and I went to West Embankment because of it. And Master Xin went to West Embankment because of it too — where he was killed."

"I've had people investigating over there these past days, and we have a lead."

"Master Xin's original suspicion was correct. This was Li Wenlong of the Northern River Sect."

Master Xin had used the hijacked shipment as a pretext, sending Shark Jiu and Elephant to West Embankment, and the suspect he'd named was Li Wenlong.

Now that Master Xin was dead, Shark Jiu was pinning the blame squarely on Li Wenlong.

It wrapped things up neatly.

"The job was done by Li Wenlong working with a crew of hardened bandits. One of them is named Yuan Hong — exceptionally dangerous, connected to several major cases. The Special Task Department hasn't been able to catch him."

Yuan Hong's exploits were anything but low-profile. Tall Guy and the others had heard the name.

Hearing it now, they were quietly surprised, wondering what Shark Jiu was playing at.

"His whereabouts are unpredictable — even the Special Task Department can't track him down. I'll continue having people look. But Li Wenlong is right there in the open. He has to die."

Yuan Hong was the convenient smokescreen. Li Wenlong conspiring with such a bandit to kill Master Xin — that was a story people could buy.

And Li Wenlong was the real target now.

"I'll take some men and get it done!" Tall Guy volunteered.

"Li Wenlong may be Northern River's second-in-command, but a Northern River Hall Master and a Hetu Hall Master are two very different things." Shark Jiu smiled.

West Embankment's gangs were a tier below Hetu in overall strength.

"Besides, if the Hall Masters do everything themselves, how are the people below ever going to rise? We need to give the younger generation their chance."

"Now that I'm Dragon Head, I've no need to hold onto my old territory. So I've decided to use this opportunity to promote a new Hall Master." Shark Jiu surveyed the room.

This was to be expected. Once you became Dragon Head, your role changed. You needed to balance the interests of all the halls, which meant you couldn't keep managing your old turf.

You couldn't be dealing with petty disputes on the ground — that would be beneath you.

Unless it was a gang with term limits, where Dragon Head elections happened every few years, a newly crowned Dragon Head would always elevate a trusted subordinate to Hall Master and hand over their former territory.

Hearing this, Guan Laosan glanced at Chen Wujun. Shark Jiu's most trusted person was obviously him.

But Chen Wujun's strength was still lacking. As a Hall Master, he might not command enough respect.

Then Shark Jiu continued: "Whoever goes to West Embankment and kills Double Blade Long Li Wenlong will be the new Hall Master."

The moment those words landed, Elephant and Guan Laosan narrowed their eyes.

Behind them, fire ignited in the hearts of several lackeys.

They hadn't expected it — whoever killed Li Wenlong would become the new Hall Master.

Didn't that mean everyone had a shot?

Chen Wujun stood up. "I'll go."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across every person in the room. Then he raised three fingers.

"Three days. Starting tomorrow — three days, and I'll have Li Wenlong dead."

"Does anyone else want to compete? This Hall Master position is open to all." Shark Jiu looked at the others.

Among the men along the wall, a few stirred restlessly, but were held back by those beside them.

Setting aside whether or not they could match Li Wenlong, once they arrived in West Embankment they'd be on unfamiliar ground. They wouldn't even know where to find him.

"Anyone who wants to compete is welcome to try. Whoever's got what it takes, step up!" Chen Wujun grinned at the room.

In his mind, he'd already decided: if anyone wanted to compete, the moment they set foot in West Embankment — before they could even start looking for Li Wenlong — he'd take them out first.

Anyone who dared challenge him for this position would die.

And if they didn't dare compete... then they simply weren't strong enough or brave enough.

If he killed Li Wenlong, avenged Master Xin, and rose to Hall Master — that would be only natural, the will of the people.

"Since Ah Jun wants to go, let him try first. If he can't manage it, we'll send someone else." Elephant shrugged. He'd turned and spotted two of his own men fidgeting eagerly, prompting his comment.

His subordinates were truly brainless. This was obviously Shark Jiu using the opportunity to shut everyone up and push Chen Wujun into position.

"Then it's settled. Ah Jun, you've given your word — starting tomorrow, three days to kill Li Wenlong and avenge Master Xin!" Shark Jiu made the final call.

Chen Wujun bared his teeth in a wide grin — white teeth gleaming, ambition and ferocity bleeding through.

Next time he came here, he wouldn't need to follow Shark Jiu.

He'd come on his own.

Shark Jiu continued: "One matter is avenging Master Xin and selecting a new Hall Master. The other is that Hetu has a new Dragon Head, so we'll need to throw a grand banquet and notify our counterparts across the underworld."

"But we can push the banquet back a bit — wait until Ah Jun handles Li Wenlong and avenges Master Xin."

After the meeting, Chen Wujun and Shark Jiu walked out together.

The lackeys lined up outside the door all gave slight bows.

"Dragon Head!"

Word of what had happened inside had already spread. Everyone knew the result.

Shark Jiu held her chin high as she walked out, savoring the moment.

"Congratulations, Shark Jiu!" Chen Wujun said with a smile once they'd left the social club.

"Don't forget — you've got three days. Make your arrangements and move out." Shark Jiu was impressed by the three-day deadline Chen Wujun had set.

Killing Li Wenlong with maximum speed and maximum lethality — that was the way to leave no room for argument.

This was also Chen Wujun's intent.

"Don't worry. Nothing will go wrong." Chen Wujun said easily.

Li Wenlong was Northern River Sect's number two. His movements were predictable and his usual haunts well known. He wouldn't be hard to find.

Parting ways with Shark Jiu, he turned to Fa Zai: "You, Mantis, Ah Yong, and the new guys I just recruited — Ou Jingtang and Wang Sen — you're all coming to West Embankment with me."

"Have Ah Fei book tonight's flight."

"I'll go tell Brother Fei right now!" Fa Zai replied immediately.

Going out with Chen Wujun was dangerous, sure — but Chen Wujun was generous with money.

As long as the pay was good enough, they'd risk their lives willingly.

Chen Wujun then fired off a text to Curry.

That afternoon, Li Wei came to find him. "Brother Jun, the Duan brothers want to meet you."

"The Duan brothers?" Chen Wujun had to think for a moment before it clicked:

"Oh right — the two you mentioned with decent skills and a lot of nerve?"

"I'm heading out tonight. I'll be back in three or four days. We'll deal with it then."

At seven that evening, Chen Wujun took his crew to the airport.

As the plane surged upward, his heart lurched with it.

He'd never flown before, and the feeling of ascending into the sky was distinctly unpleasant.

A boat would've been better.

He peered through the window beside him and watched the city shrink below. After a while, he still couldn't locate the Walled City.

When the world below was nothing but scattered lights in the darkness, he finally closed his eyes to rest.

Once the plane leveled out and passengers were free to move about, Fa Zai went to use the lavatory. That's when Chen Wujun heard a "pew-pew" sound from nearby.

He turned to see a boy of six or seven across the aisle, thumb and forefinger shaped into a gun, pointing it everywhere.

Spotting Chen Wujun looking at him, the kid aimed his finger-gun straight at him: "Pew!"

Chen Wujun was in a good mood. He found the boy adorable and flashed him a smile.

Then he held up his hand, back facing the child. He channeled his qi and blood, and his palm swelled a full size larger. Thick blue veins coiled across it, bulging high, radiating raw power and visceral impact.

Then he bared his teeth at the boy in a ferocious grin.

The child's eyes went round as saucers. He stood frozen in dumbstruck terror, then burst into a howling wail.

Chen Wujun turned away, his mood even better.

He hadn't meant any harm.

Just a small interlude.

Three hours later, the plane touched down at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

Stepping off the plane, Chen Wujun stretched luxuriously. He hadn't expected to be back so soon.

Their group of six were all tall and powerfully built, muscles threatening to burst through their clothes. Even without any hostile intent, pedestrians instinctively gave them a wide berth.

Wherever they went, the crowd parted.

"Brother Jun!" Curry and two of his men came to meet them.

"Any leads?" Chen Wujun took a cigarette from Fa Zai, lit it, and asked as they walked.

"Nguyen Minh Kim agreed. He's sent his people out to investigate."

"Tell him he's got three days. Three days to find Li Wenlong's whereabouts — or lure him out."

"And get the hardware ready."

The group left the airport, piled into vehicles, and headed for downtown West Embankment, checking into a high-end hotel.

The following evening at seven, in Chen Wujun's room, Fa Zai and the others were playing cards while Chen Wujun was contemplating whether to sample the West Embankment nightlife.

Curry strode in, phone in hand.

"Brother Jun. We've got something."

"Li Wenlong is at the New Splendor Bar."

At the news, Chen Wujun broke into a grin. He stood immediately. "Drop the cards. Time to work."

Fa Zai and the others threw down their hands at once. The air around them turned razor-sharp with killing intent.