20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 714 The first drop of blood
"Hey, hey, hey, it's almost time, we're about to close!"

8:30 at night, inside the Qingqiushe store.

The clerk at the counter walked into the lobby, yawning and sleepy, and as usual, he loudly urged the guests to leave.

"Wake up, wake up, don't fucking sleep!" the guy yelled tiredly, "If you don't get up, I'll have someone kick you out!"

The smoker lay on the low bed, slowly took out the ticket, handed it to the waiter, and begged, "Don't make a noise, don't make a noise, I'll stay here tonight."

"You can't stay overnight today, let's go!"

"I spent money, why can't I stay overnight?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Who paid you? You can't stay overnight these days. Get out of here right now. Don't make me say it a second time!"

The smoker frowned, hugged his pipe and said, "I haven't finished my cigarette yet. Wait a little longer. Isn't it nine o'clock yet?"

"Fuck, you're not done yet, are you?" The guy glared and cursed, "Okay, you wait, if you have the guts, just keep sleeping here!"

After saying that, he turned around and shouted a few words in Korean.

Then, three or five Koreans came out from the backyard, walked into the hall aggressively, stood in a row around the low bed, and yawned a few times without waiting to say anything.

Seeing that the shopkeepers were so numerous and powerful, the smoker immediately became intimidated. He hurriedly sat up, put on his cotton shoes, and apologized with his hands clasped, "No, no, no, I'm leaving now, right away!"

The clerk at the counter continued to urge: "Then hurry up and stop wasting time!"

After shouting like this for half an hour, the smokers in the store finally left one after another, and Qingqiu Society also went up to close the store.

As soon as the door was closed, several Koreans lay down and muttered to each other: "I'll sleep for a few minutes. Call me if you need anything..."

The lobby was dim and filled with a lazy atmosphere.

This is no way.

Last night, everyone stayed up all night; today they got up early and were busy taking care of the business; it was inevitable that they felt a little tired.

Moreover, according to Sheng Mancang's intelligence, the Jiang family is planning to launch a sneak attack tonight.

If you don't take a nap now, how can you have the energy to fight the enemy later?
Having said that, everyone slept uneasily. They were confused, half asleep and half awake, and always felt a little dazed. At the slightest movement outside the door, they would immediately sit up in shock, hold their breath, and listen quietly for a long time, but still could not tell whether it was real or an illusion.

What's even worse is that days like this may continue for another three days...

……

In the back hall of Qingqiu Society, Song Lvcheng hung up the phone, took a few gulps of herbal tea, stared at Sheng Mancang and asked, "Did you really see Jiang Lianheng gathering his thugs?"

"Really, really!" Sheng Mancang responded, "This morning, the Jiang family's yard was full of people. I saw it with my own eyes. There were at least more than 30 people!"

What he said was very logical and well-reasoned, and no matter how you looked at it, it didn't sound like a lie.

Moreover, as he said before, if he really lied on purpose, how could he dare to come back alone again and again?

Song Lucheng sighed, pondered for a while, and suddenly looked up at the wall clock - it was already twelve o'clock, and there was still no movement in the Jiang family.

He could see that there was something wrong with this kid Sheng Mancang, and it was even possible that he was a smokescreen deliberately released by the Jiang family.

However, all the rumors in Fengtian City confirmed what Sheng Mancang reported.

How to distinguish true from false?
Now, the Jiang family is telling you clearly that they are going to destroy your place and kill your people tonight - do you believe it or not?

If you believe it, the Qingqiu Society will not be able to sleep tonight. Don't take off your shoes or change your clothes. Get ready for battle and endure the long night!

If you don't believe it, then just eat, drink, and go about your daily routine as usual, as if nothing happened.

But - what if?
What if Sheng Mancang didn't lie and the Jiang family really came tonight, and Qingqiu Society was unprepared, how should they resist?
Believe it or not, Qingqiu Society has fallen into a completely passive situation, just like a sturdy old cow that has been pierced with a nose ring by the Jiang family and has no choice but to be led by the nose.

The most important thing is that although Song Lvcheng has Saito Rokuro secretly looking after him, the Toyo Police Department is not his personal bodyguard after all. It is impossible for them to be around him all the time, and it is even more impossible for them to be available at any time to keep watch for him.

He knew very well that without the favor of the Japanese, Qingqiu Society's own strength would not be enough to challenge the Jiang family.

Of course, he had no intention of provoking the Jiang family, but this was his master's mission, so he could only agree to it and could not shirk it.

Thinking of this, Song Lvcheng couldn't help but frown.

"Let's go!" He stood up and called in a low voice, "Come with me to the lobby to take a look!"

Everyone nodded, and then took Sheng Mancang and followed Song Lvcheng, walking quickly towards the lobby.

In the store, a dozen brothers were leaning on low beds in the dark. When they heard the noise, they immediately picked up their machetes, held them horizontally in front of them, and subconsciously asked, "Who?"

"It's me!" Song Lvcheng walked in and asked, "Is there nothing going on outside?"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then someone yawned and said, "No, we've sent someone to keep watch at the street corner, and there's nothing unusual."

"Brother, the Jiang family shouldn't be coming, right?" asked the clerk at the counter.

"Who knows if they will come!" Song Lvcheng scolded, "Keep your spirits up, when you are most sleepy, that is when they are likely to come!"

"But, it's not a solution to keep going like this!" Everyone complained, "It's already been two nights, we can't do this every day, can we?"

The guy at the counter also said, "Brother, the Chinese always say: You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can never be on guard against thieves for a thousand days! If we keep being passive like this, how long will it take? I think we might as well take the initiative!"

"Ayisi, are you an idiot?"

Song Lvcheng cursed loudly, and then said: "We can stay in the West Tower and be taken care of by Mr. Saito. If we enter Fengtian City, the black and white people there are all Jiang family members. You still want to take the initiative to attack, I think you want to die!"

After hearing this, everyone had no way to refute it, so they asked, "What does Mr. Saito say?"

"We are doing things for him, so he has to be responsible to the end, right?" the clerk at the counter followed up.

Song Lvcheng replied in a low voice: "Mr. Saito called just now and said that the police department has sent a dozen plainclothes patrol officers tonight. If there is any situation here, report it to him in time. At least there will be no problem in the next three days."

"What about three days later?"

"how could I know!"

As soon as the words fell, the whole hall suddenly became quiet.

Everyone was silent. They sat up straight, holding their weapons in their hands. They looked at each other in the dark and pricked up their ears to listen to the unusual noises outside the door.

"Shua la - shua la -"

It was like the evening breeze gently sweeping the sand and gravel, and like someone was wandering on tiptoe.

Could it be that the Jiang family sent someone to scout the place?
Everyone looked at each other, Song Lvcheng pulled out his pistol and whispered, "Come two people, go to the door to check the situation! A few of you, go to the backyard to guard; two of you, stay in the back hall, if you hear gunshots, call Mr. Saito immediately; the rest of you, stay in the hall with me!"

At the command, several figures emerged from the hall.

The two Koreans crouched forward, slowly approached the store door, half squatted, and listened carefully to the noise outside the door.

The rest of the people also dispersed.

"Bang" - there was the sound of stones falling, right on the steps outside the store!
"Open the door and fight them!"

Song Lvcheng shouted loudly, and the two Korean thugs immediately kicked open the door of the shop and rushed out with guns!
The crowd followed closely behind, rushing towards the door, only to see the two brothers standing on the steps, one on the left and one on the right, back to back. They quickly glanced at the street, but did not open their guns yet - they were shooting at nothing, there was not a single person on the entire street!

"Brother, no... no one is here!"

"Look carefully!"

"There really is no one there. I looked on the rooftops. There are only about 30 people on this street. How could they just disappear out of thin air?"

"It's possible that he just came here to inquire about the situation. Go to the street corner and find the brothers on guard and ask them what's going on over there!"

Song Lvcheng did not dare to let down his guard and immediately ordered people to search the streets and alleys. However, after searching for a long time, no clues were found.

Soon, the brothers who were lurking on guard at the street corners on both sides also rushed back after hearing the news.

Song Lvcheng asked them if they had noticed anything unusual just now. Everyone shook their heads and said that everything was calm near the West Pagoda and no suspicious people were found.

I stood guard at the street corner for several hours, but didn't see thirty people, let alone a dog.

Of course, in the territory of Xita, no stray dog ​​can walk out of Gaoli Street alive.

How can this be?

Qingqiu Society’s reaction was fast enough. In such a short period of time, it shouldn’t be possible that not even a single person could be seen, right?
Song Lucheng's face turned pale and he was clueless for a moment.

Sheng Mancang felt relieved, and hurried over to say, "Boss Song, look, I told you that Jiang Lianheng mobilized some people today. Did I lie to you?"

"Snapped--"

Song Lvcheng slapped Sheng Mancang in the face and asked with a glare, "Where are the people from the Jiang family?"

"How do I know this?" Sheng Mancang covered his left cheek and said aggrievedly, "He said he would take action within three days, but he didn't say it would definitely be today..."

Song Lvcheng was speechless, so he kicked Sheng Mancang again, and then ordered his men, "You guys, continue to stand guard at the street corners, don't be careless!"

"Brother, what about us?"

"Go back to the house!"

"Then... do we still need to keep watch?"

"what time is it now?"

Everyone checked the time with each other and replied in unison: "Brother, it's almost two o'clock. The Jiang family shouldn't be here, right?"

From 2 to 4 in the morning, when it is pitch dark, this should be the time when people sleep the deepest and most soundly, but it is also the most dangerous time, so we must take precautions.

"Please bear with it for a while!" Song Lvcheng hurried back to the store, "You guys take turns on the night shift, be alert, I'm going to call Mr. Saito!"

"Brother, what should we do with this kid?" Everyone came over with Sheng Mancang.

Song Lvcheng waved his hands impatiently and said, "Tie him up first, and I'll talk to you when I come back!"

When Sheng Mancang heard this, he quickly argued, "Hey, Boss Song, I'm telling the truth, why did you tie me up?"

This kid is too inexperienced and still can't see the situation clearly.

In fact, whether what he said was true or false no longer mattered. When he conveyed Jiang Lianheng's words to Qingqiu Society, Jiang Lianheng's goal had already been achieved.

Those who divide their strength are weak, and those who are suspicious in their hearts are betrayed!

The chaos in Qingqiu Society is not because people are divided, but because they are confused and out of focus. They don't know when and where to use their energy, so they have to be prepared at all times, with a string in their heads always tense, and dare not relax at all.

But that is impossible, because being prepared all the time means being relaxed all the time.

If you don’t sleep well, you will become listless and suspicious; the more listless and suspicious you are, the more restless you will sleep.

There is no solution to the conspiracy, the only thing we can do is adapt to it.

Whether Song Lucheng believed it or not, his arrangements and deployments had been influenced by Jiang Lianheng, and he could not get rid of it.

He returned to the room and called Saito Rokuro to explain the situation and ask for countermeasures.

Saito Rokuro gave him some suggestions.

So, early the next morning, Song Lucheng sent out a dozen of his men to search all the neighborhoods near Qingqiu Society one by one.

They broke into people's homes, used threats and inducements, and tried every despicable trick, but still failed to find any suspicious persons. Instead, they offended many neighbors who they saw every day.

A day passed in a flash.

In a blink of an eye, it was night again, and the people in Qingqiu Society were still in unrest.

The brothers gathered in the hall in the dark, their eyes were dizzy and they yawned continuously. Although they had swords, guns, sticks and clubs in their hands, their expressions seemed tired and dull, without any luster.

Sometimes, when people sit there, even if they are not asleep, their reactions are always a beat slow.

What’s even more hateful is that there are strange noises coming from outside the door from time to time, but when I push the door open to check, there is no trace of anything.

So Song Lucheng sent more people to stand guard at the door.

The situation at the front door was quiet, but the backyard was still in turmoil, so he had to send his men to keep watch.

The Qingqiu Society had few people to begin with, so it became extremely difficult for the brothers to even arrange shifts for night watch.

At two o'clock in the morning, a gunshot was even heard on the street!
Song Lucheng sat up in shock and panicked for a long time before he found a bullet hole on the paper window of the store.

However, when everyone rushed out of the room and prepared to fight, there was still no trace of the Jiang family on the street.

Perhaps, the Jiang family did not intend to make a big deal out of it, but wanted to solve the problem through assassination. Unfortunately, the assassin just now failed - who knows?
All in all, Song Lucheng didn't dare to sleep anymore.

After one night, another night comes.

The Koreans stayed up for four days in a row. Although they took turns keeping watch, they were still sleep deprived. Their mental state could no longer be described as sleepy.

Everyone felt dizzy, had chest tightness and shortness of breath, and became irritable and angry due to neurasthenia.

"This is the last day, what else do you have to say!"

It was already three o'clock in the morning. Strictly speaking, the last day actually referred to yesterday.

Song Lucheng and his brothers gathered in the lobby, formed a human wall, stood in front of Sheng Mancang, forced him into a corner, and vented all the resentment of the past three days.

After a round of beatings and kicks, Sheng Mancang's face was bruised and swollen. He held his head and cried, "Boss Song, I told the truth. If you want to blame someone... you can only blame Jiang Lianheng. I was just like you. He played me. Why did you hit me?"

"Ayisi, wali wali wali bayo!"

Everyone was cursing. From the very beginning, they had never considered Sheng Mancang as one of their own. Now that they were being played around by the Jiang family, they naturally took it out on him to vent their anger.

At that moment, no matter it was sticks, tables, chairs, vases or cigarette pipes, they were all thrown at the boy.

Sheng Mancang groaned twice, and in an instant, his entire face was covered in blood. His left eye seemed to be blinded by something, and it was pitch black, like a hole. He blocked with both hands in front of him, and a rustling sound came from his throat. He begged in a ghostly way:

"I want to see... I want to see Mr. Saito..."

"what?"

"I want to see Mr. Saito... I can explain to him, let me explain to him..."

"No need, Mr. Saito wants me to tell you something!"

Sheng Mancang couldn't hear clearly and didn't understand very well. He just opened his right eye and tried to find the clerk at the counter in the crowd.

However, no translation is needed.

Song Lvcheng took the machete from his brother and strode forward.

"what?"

Sheng Mancang seemed to understand, and was about to scream when he saw Song Lvcheng swing his arm and chop down diagonally, splashing a sticky blood stain on the wall...

(End of this chapter)