20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 866 Accident
The explosion suddenly sounded!
A burst of scalding heat erupted, instantly knocking the crowd in the courtyard to the ground.

The windows of the villa shattered with a crash, and countless tiny shards of glass scattered onto the street, glittering under the streetlights as if from a downpour.

Tang Wenbiao and others escaped in time, and although they were affected, they were fortunate enough to avoid disaster.

When they turned around, they saw a cloud of black smoke rising from the house. Apart from a few scattered lights, they could not see the situation inside at all. Only a series of extremely faint coughs and groans could be heard, which may prove that there were other survivors in the house who had not all died.

Tang Wenbiao subconsciously believed that this was a trap set by the Jiang family.

But he soon discovered that Li Zhengxi and the others were just as shocked as he was, and had never expected this situation to occur.

The Jiang family only knew that Qin Huaimeng was not hiding here. The reason they led the group here was simply to make a feigned attack and attract the attention of the Japanese police department as much as possible, so as to buy time for Dongfeng's assassination. Therefore, although the momentum was huge, no brothers from the Jiang family were dispatched.

Moreover, the Qin family's power has waned.

Lao Ye and his men were ordered by Hu Xiaoyan to be buried alive, and the three families of the whistleman Li San had internal strife and broke up, each fleeing for their lives.

The Jiang family estimated that there might be a few scattered ambush troops at Ping'an Tong 207.

But no one expected that Qin Huaimeng not only had a double, but that this double was also a dying assassin who deliberately stayed here to wait for the Jiang family to come to his door, preparing to take a few more innocent souls down with him before he died.

By this time, the crowd in the courtyard had already hurriedly evacuated and rushed across the street.

Seeing the flames suddenly erupt in the mansion, Li Zhengxi felt his hair stand on end in the heat, becoming slightly curly. He felt a lingering fear and muttered to himself, "I never expected Qin Huaimeng to have such a trick up his sleeve!"

Zhao Guoyan nodded and said, "If it weren't for the intelligence provided by our boss, we would be the ones getting bombed right now."

At this point, Hai Xinnian couldn't contain his curiosity and hurriedly asked, "But my godfather has always been at home, so who did he send to gather intelligence?"

Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxi shook their heads.

They didn't know who was spying on them in the dark.

Li Zhengxi looked around at the street and saw that although the scene was chaotic, something seemed off. He asked in a low voice, "Old Zhao, don't you think the Japanese are a little late?"

Zhao Guoyan nodded silently, clearly also noticing something amiss.

Ping'an Road is one of the three main thoroughfares in the Nanchang Railway Zone.

Logically speaking, even in the dead of night, there should be no shortage of police presence here.

The Jiang family went to great lengths to create a grand spectacle, setting off from the city in a large procession. The Japanese police department should have been aware of this in advance and made preparations accordingly.

Now, another major explosion has occurred here, causing quite a stir. If the Japanese wanted to send people to provide support, seal off the scene, and conduct an investigation, even if they took their time, they should have already sensed it by now.

But in reality, everyone looked around but couldn't see any Japanese police officers.

Perhaps this was the result of the Japanese Police Department's deliberate cooperation.

While they were still hesitating, Tang Wenbiao and the others had already returned.

"Third Master, what happened?" Simao asked in a panic, still shaken. "Why is there an ambush in there?"

Li Zhengxi cursed, "Nonsense! This is where Qin Huaimeng is hiding. If there's no ambush, do you expect him to come to you with his head in his hands?"

Si Mao hurriedly said, "No, no, no, what I mean is... Qin Huaimeng has gone mad. He actually planted explosives in his own house. He's trying to take us all down with him!"

"Have you seen Qin Huaimeng?" Zhao Guoyan asked, turning his head.

Tang Wenbiao, panting heavily, leaned on his knees and said intermittently, "No! I saw... I saw the explosives. I don't think Qin Huaimeng is inside... He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would throw caution to the wind, and he wouldn't do something like taking everyone down with him!"

Zhao Guoyan nodded. It was something he had expected, so he didn't say anything more.

Immediately afterwards, Simao asked, "Third Master, what... what do we do now?"

After a moment's thought, Li Zhengxi realized he had done everything he could. There was nothing he could do if the Japanese police didn't come, especially now that the explosion at No. 207 had thrown everyone into a panic. If they continued to linger there, their intentions would be too obvious. So, he considered asking, "Old Zhao, shall we leave first?"

Zhao Guoyan also intended to return as soon as possible to report the situation, so he replied, "Let's retreat!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Simao raised his hand and shouted, "Brothers, the situation is tense, let's get out of here!"

Upon hearing this, the group no longer cared about regrouping and immediately scattered through the surrounding streets and alleys, sneaking back into Chinese territory.

Since the Jiang family members had not participated in smashing the kiln, their ranks remained orderly and they did not panic, but rather calmly and systematically withdrew.

Only when they retreated to the border between the Chinese and foreign communities did Zhao Guoyan and the others hear a piercing siren in the night sky. The Japanese police and the overseas Chinese association finally arrived late...

…………

Enough of this rambling, let's get back to the Dongfeng team.

The assassination team split into two cars and, after leaving the Jiang family mansion, took a detour along secluded roads, avoiding crowds, and made their way to Naniwa-dori Sunrise Plaza.

At first, the journey was smooth and uneventful, without encountering any obstacles.

Wan Dewei and Tou Daozi sat in the back seats of two cars, holding firecrackers, waiting quietly. They planned to open the car doors as soon as they arrived at their destination, and regardless of whether the person was human or ghost, they would fire a burst of bullets first, kill Qin Huaimeng, and have a joyous New Year.

Unexpectedly, as the car entered the Japanese concession and was about to turn into Naniwa Road, two figures suddenly appeared at the fork in the road, waving at the convoy.

Zhang Zhengdong looked closely and realized it was the two spies he had sent out earlier. So he pulled the car over to the side of the road, rolled down the window halfway, and asked, "What's wrong?"

The two brothers each ran to the driver's side window of one of the cars, leaned down, and whispered about the situation they encountered on the road ahead.

"Brother Dong, there's a roadblock ahead, they're not letting cars pass."

"When did it happen?"

Zhang Zhengdong frowned, leaned forward, and gazed into the distance.

The brother said, “It wasn’t long ago; it wasn’t here when I first arrived!”

"What's the reason for setting up the checkpoint?"

"It seems there's construction going on the road ahead. I just looked, and there are construction sites everywhere there, but I don't see any laborers working. There are just a few Japanese soldiers standing guard there."

"Nonsense!" Zhang Zhengdong cursed under his breath. "What kind of work can be done in the dark and freezing weather?"

The climate outside the Great Wall is extremely cold. Every winter, it is impossible to dig soil or mix mud, and many construction projects are forced to stop.

Moreover, the renovation of Sunrise Square has been underway for quite some time. Why not set up checkpoints earlier or later, but instead prohibit passage at this particular time? It's hard to believe it's just a coincidence.

It seems that Qin Huaimeng has already sensed the approaching danger and is stepping up his preparations.

"Brother Dong, why don't we just go for it?" Wan Dewei patted the flower mechanism in the back seat. "With this thing in hand, no obstacle can stop us!"

Zhang Zhengdong said, "No, forcing our way through is too risky. Let's try a different approach."

After saying that, he looked out the window and asked, "This checkpoint was just set up, right?"

The brother nodded and said, "I watched the Japanese come by, right behind you. It wasn't a long time. No cars went in or came out, but I haven't had time to check the situation on the other roads." "Time is too tight, no need to check!" Zhang Zhengdong quickly ordered, "You two split up to provide support from the southeast and southwest. If you encounter the Qin family's car, open fire immediately. I'll go to the south and see if I can get around it!"

Before he finished speaking, he floored the accelerator, and a screeching sound immediately echoed across the road.

The two cars turned around one after another, leaving the original street and heading towards the south side of Sunrise Square.

The car was driving very fast, and in the blink of an eye, it had reached the intersection on the south side.

The result, however, was not satisfactory.

A barricade had already been set up at the intersection, with a sign in front of it bearing the words "No entry except for those with connections!"

There were also three or five Japanese policemen, armed with guns and whistles in their mouths, patrolling back and forth in front of the barricade. As soon as they saw the Jiang family's car approaching, they would immediately raise their hands to drive it away.

The other alleys are passable, but the roads are too narrow. Currently, there are police officers patrolling the area, and if anything goes wrong, there is a risk of being surrounded.

The brothers were not afraid of the Japanese, but they had to consider the potential dangers that shooting the Japanese officials might bring to the Jiang family.

Continue execution, or retreat?

The decision naturally fell to Dongfeng.

"Let's switch to walking!" Zhang Zhengdong parked the car at the intersection of a dark alley, turned around and ordered his men, "Cars aren't convenient, you guys sneak in in the dark, make it quick, I'll meet you here. Remember, the first target is Qin Huaimeng, don't get entangled with the Japanese!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of loud clanging and banging noises erupted from the car!
Wan Dewei and Tou Daozi pushed open the car door, carrying their weapons, and climbed out of the carriage one after another. The other brothers followed suit, brandishing their weapons, their hands hanging at their sides, and glancing up at the end of the dark alley.

Beside the construction site of Sunrise Plaza, there was a seemingly abandoned two-story building, from which a faint light shone.

"That's it, let's go!"

Wan Dewei took the lead, but after only a few steps, he suddenly heard several gunshots ring out in the night sky.

"Bang-bang!"

The gunshots were not frequent, nor were they close; the sound likely originated from the street they had just come from.

The group often did the dirty work, and judging from the rhythm of the gunfire, it didn't sound like a shootout; it sounded more like some kind of signal.

"I've got a solution!" Old Dao immediately realized.

This also proves that Qin Huaimeng has not left yet.

Zhang Zhengdong urged hurriedly, "Hurry up!"

No one dared to delay, and they rushed into the dark alley. The alley was pitch black, and there were broken bricks and tiles everywhere, so they inevitably stumbled and bumped around for a while.

Of course, the Jiang brothers weren't the only ones who heard the gunshots. The Japanese police officers who had set up a checkpoint nearby also became alert. They immediately separated two of them, cursing and swearing, and followed the sound of gunfire, clearing the way for Lao Dao and his men.

Instead of being anxious or impatient, the group quickly rushed out of the dark alley. Instead of showing themselves immediately, they lined up in two rows against the wall and waited for a moment before turning to the side to observe carefully.

On a dark and windy night, the Sunrise Plaza in the distance was shrouded in shadow.

The small Western-style building where Qin Huaimeng was hiding was so dark that its outline could not be seen. The only thing that could be confirmed was that there were no Japanese police officers around the square, which was really suspicious.

Immediately afterwards, two beams of light suddenly shot out from the backyard of the abandoned house, and the faint roar of a car starting up could be heard.

"The one surnamed Qin is trying to run! Get out of here!"

Wan Dewei was the first to rush out of the dark alley, followed closely by Lao Dao and the others.

Just then, several gunshots rang out from the direction of the abandoned house.

"boom!"

"Bang! Bang!"

First there was one sound, then two more in quick succession.

The crowd instinctively slowed their pace, exchanged glances, and asked each other, bewildered, "What does this mean? Is there infighting within the Qin family?"

Just then, police whistles sounded one after another at various intersections, and the Japanese police finally rushed towards the square.

"Time is running out!"

Old Dao immediately started running, shouting to his brothers as he headed towards the abandoned house: "We need to see him alive or dead! We can't just go back like this in a daze!"

The crowd responded and quickly rushed to the front of the abandoned house.

Wan Dewei stood at the main entrance with his gun drawn and said, "Old Dao, I'll stay here and guard the place. You guys go check the backyard!"

Old Dao nodded and immediately called over a few people to accompany him.

Turning into the backyard, before I could even take a closer look, I saw a man slumped in the corner, his legs spread apart and his head drooping to the side. Upon closer inspection, I saw that his throat was ripped open, his skin and flesh turned inside out, and his coat was covered in dark red blood, indicating that all his blood had already been drained.

Looking up again, I saw a black car parked in the backyard, the engine still idling, the door inexplicably open, and the rear window shattered, with bits of blood and flesh hanging on it. It seemed that a figure was lying on the back seat.

Old Dao dared not be careless. Holding his machine gun, he strode to the back door of the abandoned house and ordered his men, "Go check what's going on in the car!"

The men nodded in response and immediately split into two groups, each holding a pistol, approaching the vehicle from both sides simultaneously.

The driver's seat was empty.

There was only one person in the car, his head resting on the headrest, already lifeless, but judging from his clothes alone, one could tell that he was of high status.

One of the brothers stepped forward to take a look, turned the man's head towards him, examined him closely for a moment, and then immediately stuck his head out and shouted, "Brother Dao, it's Qin Huaimeng!"

"Where is the man?"

"That's the one in the car, he's already dead!"

Old Dao frowned, but dared not let his guard down. He took a few steps back, his eyes still fixed on the back door of the abandoned house, and asked, "Are you sure it's Qin Huaimeng?"

The brother replied, "I'm sure, I've seen him!"

"The person is already dead?"

"One bullet to the head, two bullets to the chest, he's dead beyond any hope of survival!"

"You guys keep an eye on the back door for me!" Old Dao was still a little worried, so he quickly told his brothers to keep watch while he took the opportunity to peek into the carriage.

The deceased was indeed Qin Huaimeng. His body was still warm, indicating that he had died from the three gunshots just now.

"Wan Dewei!" Although Old Dao was completely confused, he decided not to linger any longer and immediately ordered, "I've got the plan, let's go!"

(End of this chapter)