20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 867 Hidden Assassination
Two hours ago, Qin Huaimeng made a phone call to Takeda Shin.

At this point, besides him, there were only five or six so-called "bodyguards" left in the entire house.

Adversity sees the truth.

The Qin family, after all, had too shallow a foundation and few loyal brothers, let alone a life-or-death bond. Once faced with setbacks and crises, they naturally could not withstand the tests.

Old Ye is dead, Shou Yunzhang has fled, and Pao Tou and Fan Duo are nowhere to be found. The brothers aren't stupid; seeing that disaster is imminent, they only care about scattering in all directions. As a result, they can't even contact Hou Chuanyan anymore.

In order to leave the abandoned house, everyone came up with all sorts of reasons and excuses. Qin Huaimeng knew they were lying, and they knew Qin Huaimeng knew they were lying, but everyone still managed to maintain a semblance of dignity, and they did not turn against each other or kill one another.

However, no matter how respectable something is, it always needs something to rely on.

How long this superficial peace can last is anyone's guess.

The remaining brothers in the house no longer cared about Qin Huaimeng's choice. They all went downstairs and gathered together, secretly discussing their future plans behind their leader's back.

"Mosimoxi?"

The call connected, and Takeda Shin's voice came through the receiver.

Qin Huaimeng immediately put on a fawning smile, his tone extremely obsequious, and hurriedly said, "Mr. Takeda, it's me, Qin Huaimeng."

After a moment of silence on the other end of the line, Takeda Shin seemed to dismiss the people around him before asking in a low voice, "Mr. Qin, is there something you need?"

"Well... it's nothing really. I remember you mentioned last time that if I encountered danger, you could arrange for me to take refuge at the consulate?"

"I did say that, but things have changed now. You haven't provided enough value, so let's not bring it up again."

Although Qin Huaimeng was disappointed, it wasn't entirely unexpected. He quickly tried to explain, saying, "Mr. Takeda, you can't blame me for the transfer of the Fengtian shop. I did my best to handle it, but your country made concessions at every turn, and I didn't receive enough support..."

“A loss is a loss!” Takeda Nobumitsu interrupted impatiently. “If the Empire could completely control Fengtian, why would I need someone like you?”

"Yes, yes, but I'm sure I still have a chance to turn the tide. I've arranged for a brother to be stationed at 207 Ping'an Tong. If the Jiang family dares to send anyone there, they definitely won't get the better of them and will probably suffer heavy losses. As long as you can help me get through this difficult time—"

"Do you have anything else to do?"

Takeda Shin interrupted sharply, clearly tired of all sorts of "what if" scenarios.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaimeng felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but shiver.

He was now certain that Takeda Shin would no longer offer him any help unless he provided sufficient value.

“Um…” Qin Huaimeng pondered for a long time, and finally, with a embarrassed face, he suggested, “Mr. Takeda, I can give you money.”

"Money?" Takeda Nobuyoshi laughed.

“Baka,” Takeda Shin muttered under his breath, then replied, “I have no interest in money. You should worry about yourself!”

"What do you mean by that?" Qin Huaimeng frowned.

Takeda Shin said, "As far as I know, Jiang Lianheng is currently gathering thugs to come and kill you, but an informant told me that his target is likely not Ping An Tong."

"Are you saying that my hiding place has been exposed?"

Qin Huaimeng immediately became alert, but he wasn't too shocked. After all, with his brothers fleeing one after another, there was no guarantee that some of them might turn to the Jiang family and inform on him.

In fact, regardless of whether the Jiang family knew his hiding place, Qin Huaimeng was already planning to move and escape.

However, he couldn't wander around the provincial capital like a headless fly, because that would only alert the Jiang family to his movements more quickly. Therefore, he had to contact the person and location in advance to arrange for his rendezvous.

Takeda Shin remained noncommittal, simply saying, "That's your own problem. If you manage to escape safely this time, we might have another chance to cooperate. That's all, bye!"

"Hello? Hello!"

Qin Huai shouted into the microphone twice, but to no avail.

After a moment of silence, he dialed another number.

This time, however, it was Saito Rokuro's voice that came through the receiver.

As before, Qin Huaimeng asked Saito Rokuro to help provide a place of refuge, but the language barrier between the two made it particularly difficult to communicate.

After explaining for a while, Saito Rokuro finally understood Qin Huaimeng's request—besides the prisons in the concession, could other places of refuge be provided, such as the official building of the Oriental Police Department?

People are divided into different classes, and with different statuses come different pursuits.

In the end, Saito Rokuro was nothing more than a detective captain.

Unlike Takeda Shin, he wasn't aloof at all; he immediately asked bluntly, "How much money can you give me?"

Qin Huaimeng gave a number, which was almost all of his savings at Yokohama Specie Bank.

Saito Rokuro was quite satisfied upon hearing this and immediately agreed with a smile, "Come to the police station building now, I'll be waiting for you."

Qin Huaimeng said, "Officer Saito, there are guard posts set up by the Japanese Police Department around here... Could you order them to form a small team and escort me there?"

"Baka!" Saito Rokuro cursed, "Qin Huaimeng, who do you think you are? How could the Japanese police possibly send someone to escort you? How am I supposed to give them orders? What am I supposed to do when the higher-ups investigate? The riots in Bagua Street in the South Market are still being questioned by the higher-ups!"

After pondering for a moment, Qin Huaimeng had no choice but to settle for second best and asked, "Could you send someone to block off the road? Just say that you have intelligence that there might be a gang fight here?"

Saito Rokuro thought for a moment and said, "That's a good idea."

How long will it take to block the intersection?

"All I can say is that I will get it done as soon as possible."

Saito Rokuro suddenly became a little dissatisfied and couldn't help but remind him, "Hey! Qin Huaimeng, Lao Dou and the others have already broken up. You have no right to negotiate with me now, understand? After the intersection is blocked, I will send Yamazaki-kun over there. He knows you. You can leave from the south side he is guarding, and you can also take him with you in the car. That way you will be safe."

Qin Huai was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Alright, please hurry! I'll start preparing now, see you later!"

Saito Rokuro mumbled a few words in Japanese, probably not pleasant ones, before slamming the receiver down.

Qin Huaimeng then began preparing to flee.

As I pushed open the door, about to call out to the brothers downstairs, I suddenly heard a few faint conversations.

Qin Huaimeng became suspicious, so he held his breath, held onto the stair railing, and cautiously peered down to eavesdrop.

It would have been better if I hadn't listened; once I did, I immediately felt a chill run down my spine.

Upon closer listening, a slightly stuttering voice came from downstairs: "If you ask me, Master Qin can't—leave!"

Immediately afterwards, others began to chime in.

"That's right! They're rich, with hundreds of thousands in their pockets. They can live like kings wherever they go. Unlike us, we finally managed to make something of ourselves in Fengtian, and now we have to leave and start over somewhere else. Why should I?"

"What's most infuriating is that we risked our lives to help Master Qin challenge the Jiang family, but now things haven't gone well, he's just packed his bags and run away, leaving us here to do all this for nothing. Not only have we not earned a single penny, but we've also offended the Jiang family. How am I supposed to live here now?"

"What's the point of continuing! Shou Yunzhang and the others have all run away, what are we waiting for?"

“I don’t want to leave Fengtian at all, and I don’t have the money to travel back and forth. But if I want to stay, I guess I’ll have to hand over Master Qin to Jiang Lianheng.” At this moment, the stutterer said, “No way! That’s too—ah, too—unjust!”

"Ha! You're so righteous, but is Master Qin righteous?" someone sneered. "If he were truly righteous, at a time like this, as the leader, he shouldn't be running away. Instead, he should go and talk to Jiang Lianheng to ensure we brothers have a way out. He doesn't even have this much sense of responsibility as the leader. I must have misjudged him!"

Standing on the stairs, Qin Huaimeng overheard the conversation and felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly pulled back the foot he had stepped out of, and after a moment's thought, he stealthily returned to the house.

Soon, when he came out of the house again, his expression was more serious, and he was carrying a red cloth bundle in his hand.

I slowly walked down the stairs, and when I was halfway down, the conversation downstairs abruptly stopped.

Everyone immediately stood up, glanced at him, looked at each other, and then hesitantly called out, "Master Qin!"

Qin Huai nodded, sighed, looked around, and suddenly asked, "Are you the only ones left?"

No one answered; they just stared at him. Then they asked, "Mr. Qin, are you... going out?"

"Hey! It's already so late, why should I go out?"

Qin Huaimeng gave a bitter laugh, cautiously walked to the tea table, placed the red cloth wrapping on it, sighed, and said, "I'll accept the consequences of my bet. If Jiang Lianheng comes looking for me, I'll accept it. But I can't implicate my brothers. Although you haven't been with me for long, you've stayed with me until now. We've been through thick and thin together."

As he spoke, he unwrapped the red cloth.

Everyone craned their necks to look, and inside were eight small, golden yellow croakers. They couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Master Qin, what do you mean by this?" The stutterer suddenly stopped stuttering.

"Given the current situation, I can't guarantee your survival," Qin Huaimeng sighed softly. "Take these gold bars and find another place to settle down! There are eight gold bars here, but there are five of you. To avoid accusations of favoritism, just take them all and divide them among yourselves!"

Everyone was stunned and stood there.

Despite their confident words just now, "you can't hit a smiling face," and now that Qin Huaimeng has actually given them a resettlement allowance, everyone feels a little embarrassed.

"Master Qin, look at what you're doing—ah, what are you doing?" The stammering suddenly stopped again.

The others also feigned politeness, hurriedly saying, "Master Qin, please don't do this! We agreed to share the good times and the bad. How can you turn me away at a time like this? You're insulting me!"

"No no!"

You look down on me!

"I don't want to see you all die in vain."

"Could it be that you know I have an eighty-year-old mother, a father who is partially paralyzed, a wife who is seriously ill, and a son who suffers from cerebral infarction?"

"Yes, I just heard about it recently too."

"That won't do! Let them go! Master Qin, I'll stay and keep you company!"

Qin Huaimeng was heartbroken and reprimanded him sternly, "Brother, if you still consider me a human being, take this money now, or I will die with my eyes open!"

Everyone knelt down in response, crying out in disbelief, "Oh dear, Big Brother!"

"My dear brothers, please rise quickly!" Qin Huaimeng hurriedly helped them up. "Let's take advantage of the darkness and hurry back to settle our families!"

"Then... shall we take it for now?"

"Take it, take it!"

The crowd immediately rushed forward to grab the gold bars, almost coming to blows. They pushed and shoved each other, but not wanting to cause a scene in front of Qin Huaimeng, they could only walk towards the door, turning back every few steps, still muttering, "Don't worry, Master Qin, we're not leaving. We're just going outside to keep watch for you. If anything happens outside, just listen for the gunshots!"

Qin Huaimeng knew this was a lie, but he still clasped his hands in gratitude and said, "Thank you, my virtuous brothers!"

After saying this, the two finally waved goodbye.

In the deserted house, only Qin Huaimeng remained, slumped in a chair, lost in thought.

Fortunately, not long after, Zhang Shuo pushed open the door and came back. He looked around the room and couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Master Qin, are you all alone?"

Qin Huaimeng was somewhat surprised to see him return and quickly asked, "Why are you back?"

Zhang Shuo frowned and replied, "Didn't I just say I was going out to keep watch?"

It turned out that while the brothers were all glib and smooth-talking, Zhang Shuo was the only one who was stubborn. He said he was going to keep watch, and he actually did.

Loyalty doesn't need to be constantly professed.

Before Qin Huaimeng could even feel moved, he immediately pressed, "What's the situation outside?"

"Ping An Tong No. 207 has been blown up!" Zhang Shuo said with certainty. "I didn't expect that Xiang Baotian would actually be a man of his word! I reckon the Jiang family has suffered quite a few casualties this time. I just don't know why, but when I came back just now, several intersections around the square were blocked off!"

Qin Huaimeng's eyes lit up, and he immediately gave a summary of what had just happened, saying hurriedly, "This is a favor I asked Saito to do!"

“Then he probably won’t have time to call you again,” Zhang Shuo said. “Ping An Tong is packed with people; he’ll definitely have to go there to investigate—”

At this point, he suddenly remembered something and continued, "Mr. Qin, judging by the current situation, the Japanese police blocking the road here will have to go and reinforce us sooner or later! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pack your things. I'll drive you to Yamazaki and we'll head straight to the Japanese Police Headquarters building."

Just then, two gunshots rang out in the night sky.

Qin Huaimeng frowned, thinking: Could it be that those brothers who ran away just now really discovered something strange on the road and even tipped me off before they left?

Time was short, and there was no time to think things through. Zhang Shuo quickly went out the back door and started the car. Qin Huaimeng also immediately went upstairs to get the deposit slip as payment for Saito Rokuro.

"Boom!"

A muffled thud suddenly came from the backyard.

Hearing the noise, Qin Huaimeng quickly looked out the window and saw that the car engine was already running, its bright headlights cutting a path through the darkness.

Without thinking twice, he rushed to the backyard, yanked open the car door, and hurriedly climbed into the back seat, muttering "hurry up." But when he looked up, he saw that the person in the driver's seat was not Zhang Shuo, but a completely unfamiliar face.

The man's eyes drooped slightly as he turned around from the driver's seat, pulled out a Mauser pistol, and pointed the dark muzzle at Qin Huaimeng's forehead.

Qin Huaimeng broke out in a cold sweat: "Who are you?"

"boom!"

Gong Baonan offered no explanation. Suddenly, a blinding light blazed through the darkness of the carriage, and a bullet pierced Qin Huaimeng's skull.

"Bang! Bang!"

Immediately afterwards, two more shots struck him squarely in the chest.

Gong Baonan slowly holstered his sidearm, opened the car door, stood in the shadows, glanced at Asahi Square, then closed the car door and disappeared back into the darkness.

Half a minute later, Lao Dao and his men arrived, only to find Qin Huaimeng dead, and quickly retreated.

Two minutes later, Yuta Yamazaki led a team of Japanese police officers to the scene...

(End of this chapter)