The male supporting character was actually myself.

Bella stood on a chair, humming a pastoral ballad. The dim lighting cast shadows on her, making her look very elegant.

Ed had drunk a bit too much and was talking to Merritt, the bartender, with a timid but respectful expression on Merritt's face. Merritt nodded emphatically with each word Ed spoke.

"Get me a bottle of wine." Jiang Chen tapped on the bar.

Merritt looked at him with a somewhat bewildered expression, seemingly neither daring to neglect the third brother Daniel nor interrupt the eldest brother Ed's speech.

"Here you go! I'm teaching this kid how to do things!" Ed slurred, grabbing a bottle of liquor and handing it to Jiang Chen, muttering, "Kid, if you want to stay at Blue Shell Bar, you can't do this..."

Jiang Chen overheard that Merritt had gone to the restroom because he needed to use the restroom, and a few customers complained because they couldn't buy the wine right away.

He took the wine back and discussed again various possible contingency plans for Saturday's operation.

....................................

Saturday was unusually sunny.

The azure sky is occasionally dotted with one or two white clouds. The dark gray, brick red, and black walls, paired with red or blue rooftops, and the dark green pine forests and winding roads in the distance, make it look like a richly colored oil painting from afar.

The three Irving brothers dressed very similarly.

A dark blue, dark gray, and gray striped octagonal cap; a navy blue overcoat that went past the knees; a white shirt with a tie in a similar color to the hat, each with a tie clip; a small gold chain holding a gold pocket watch tucked into a vest pocket; black flared trousers; and a pair of high-top leather boots.

Ed, a cigarette dangling from his lips, twirled the gold ring on his left pinky finger with his right hand. “As planned, we’ll set off together, leave thirty people behind at the designated location, and the rest will come with us.”

“They’re all good lads!” Joyce glanced around, nodded approvingly, and smiled with satisfaction.

Jiang Chen, meanwhile, was leaning against the gleaming old car, listening intently to the little white cat on his shoulder purring.

"Host, didn't Bella tell Oliver about the protagonist's invitation that day?" the little white cat said anxiously. "This morning, he gathered more than a dozen people, planning to sneak into the warehouse where the smuggled goods are hidden after you leave, when the territory is vulnerable!"

He probably thought the protagonist might hide the weapons in a smuggling warehouse.

"An informant?" Jiang Chen frowned slightly. "Did you see them making contact with the informant?"

The little white cat shook its head. "No. I don't know their specific route either. Oliver didn't say at all."

"Besides Bella, there might be someone else lurking here. Who could it be?"

"Host, are you sure she doesn't know where the smuggling warehouse is?"

“He definitely doesn’t know.” Jiang Chen frowned slightly, watching Ed begin his exciting speech.

Perhaps it's a problem of the times, but whether it's a fight or a war, there's always a pre-battle mobilization.

"Hey! Let me see these smart young men! Today we're going to Central Street to show the rich ladies there what a real man should be like..." Ed shouted excitedly, holding a gun in one hand, his meticulously trimmed mustache bobbing up and down.

The young men, their hearts still burning with excitement, responded with shouts of encouragement.

"Joyce, won't we be left vulnerable if we take so many people with us?" Jiang Chen took a moment to walk over to his second brother and asked in a low voice, "Can Aunt April and the others manage?"

We won't be back until tomorrow at the latest.

Oliver has met with Bella and is very likely aware of our actions.

I'm worried he'll bring people to cause trouble.

Joyce was smoking one cigarette after another, smiling as he watched his excited older brother and enthusiastic subordinates.

“Don’t worry, Daniel.” He grinned, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and his handsome cheeks became even more sunken. Joyce tilted his head and whispered in his brother’s ear, “Ever since I heard that the two of them met, I’ve been secretly emptying the entire smuggling warehouse.”

Having run a gang for so many years, I've always kept some backup plans.

Do you know why I made my older brother so high-profile?

Oliver will definitely make a move today. If he dares to come, be prepared that you might never return.

After saying that, Joyce winked at his brother with his right eye, and his smile became even brighter.

"Phew! This must be the most worry-free protagonist ever, right?" The little white cat breathed a sigh of relief. "Working with someone with a sharp mind is so easy!"

Ed's pre-battle pep talk was over, and the restless young men were roaring and screaming, eager to rush to the racetrack and take down everyone who stood in the way of the Owen family.

"Come on! Come on! Everyone get in the car, we're ready to go!" Ed, who had regained his battlefield spirit, was all smiles and waved as he spoke, a toothpick dangling from his mouth.

Chapter Nineteen: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

"Xiaobai, go ahead and scout ahead," Jiang Chen whispered to him before getting into the car. "I'm worried that Anderson might try something sneaky and set up an ambush on the road."

"Is it really that ferocious?" The little white cat accepted the order and hopped off first.

Jiang Chen sat in the back seat of the car, while Ed drove the car himself.

Joyce's car followed closely behind, with Bella, dressed in a bright red lace dress and adorned with a red velvet flower in her hair, sitting in the passenger seat.

Further back was a row of black-covered vans, each capable of carrying more than a dozen people.

As the cars sped away from the Finnan port area, several groups of people gathered somewhere along the Sentis River.

They were clearly wary of each other; some carried hunting rifles, others held pistols, and the weapons were a mixed bag, some new and some old.

A chubby man, whose cheeks were red from years of exposure to the sun and wind, spoke first: "Has everyone received the message from the Owen family?"

Oliver Rowland, the fake cop who tried to kidnap him but took his anger out on our men, now lives on the Bloodthirsty Gang's territory at 17 Two Corners Alley.

We have confirmed that the intelligence is accurate.

Now is the perfect time to strike back!

“That’s right, we also checked it out, which is why it took a little longer.” Another sleazy-looking leader laughed, “After all, who can be sure whether the Owen family will give us real or fake information?”

Oliver was indeed hiding there; the clues they provided were correct.

Moreover, our people discovered that he had been gathering his men early in the morning.

This is great! It's a perfect opportunity to catch them all in one fell swoop!

"That's right! It's time to let those bastards know how powerful we are!"

"Although we are usually competitors, we should unite against the fake police in this matter!"

"Dare to run wild on our turf, that bastard Oliver is absolutely asking for death!"

"Fuck him!"

……

These gangs all operated out of territory right next to the Sentis River, and they would rob smuggling boats whenever they had the chance.

They naturally had their sworn enemies, often fighting whenever they met, especially during raids on ships. But today, they had a common enemy—the fake policeman Oliver Rowland.

After all, every suspected gang member was raided, tortured, and subjected to various forms of interrogation.

This is not only physical harm, but also a trampling and humiliation of their respective gangs.

If we don't get our revenge, how will we ever face anyone again?

Meanwhile, Oliver was assigning tasks to his subordinates.

Once you enter the Owen family's territory using the safe route provided by intelligence, try not to fire any shots or cause any disturbance.

To avoid attracting attention, those hidden smuggling warehouses were left unguarded during the day.

When the time comes, act according to the situation. Once you find something, don't move it. After restoring it to its original state, retreat along the same route, leaving a hidden stakeout to keep a close watch.

They waited until a large number of troops arrived, advancing along the Sentis River to seize weapons, while simultaneously helping the beautiful girl with lofty ambitions who wanted to fulfill her father's last wish to destroy the entire Owen family.

Let this deeply entrenched gang, which has been entrenched here for over a century, be completely eradicated!

"The goods are definitely in the hands of the Irving family, that's for sure."

Our recent investigation results indicate that, apart from them, other gangs simply do not possess such strong operational capabilities and a high degree of secrecy.

The only problem now is—where exactly is the goods?

Once we find it, we've won.

"Now, the three Owen brothers must be ready to go. We'll seize the opportunity and strike!" Oliver looked at the police officers he had carefully selected.

They are strong, experienced, and capable of handling all kinds of emergencies; each of them is a veteran who has fought against gangs for many years.

Through investigations from various sources, he became absolutely convinced of his own judgment.

As long as we can succeed in one fell swoop, the future of myself and my subordinates will definitely be bright!

"Yes, sir!"

The burly men, dressed in various outfits, replied in unison, but deliberately lowered voices.

Oliver nodded, satisfied.

He divided the dozen or so people into two teams and they acted separately.

The group was full of ambition and eager to find weapons to make a name for themselves, but they didn't notice that there were several shirtless men shoveling coal on the street not far away, and their eyes kept sweeping over them.

The black coal dust made these people unrecognizable, and the sweat flowing down their faces left streaks, making them look no different from the other workers.

After Oliver and his group set off, two of them threw down their shovels and ran off to deliver messages.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen and his group were driving towards the central avenue area in the city center.

The Finnan Port area is a key import and export location for the city, and also a gathering place for various factories. As a result, it is a mixed bag of workers, porters and other people, and compared with the city center, it is more like a bustling and lively super-large market.

Black smoke billowed from the chimneys, and the entire area seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist all year round, giving even the buildings a wild and untamed feel.

As you travel along the wide highway towards the city center, the streets become increasingly spacious, clean, and beautiful, and even the architectural style becomes cheerful and bright.

Here you'll find churches with soaring spires adorned with stained glass, bars with domed roofs and round, iris-shaped windows, as well as various high-rise buildings and impressive, neat billboards.

"Hey, this is what a city should be like!" Ed was very excited, glancing at the slender, brightly dressed beauties on the street every now and then as he drove.

He was very tall, and he shrugged slightly when he was driving.

As Jiang Chen requested, the entire convoy moved at a slow pace.

Ed was clearly getting impatient, grumbling, "Driving should be done with abandon. Speeding along is what makes it exhilarating. Look at us now, dawdling like eighty-year-old ladies..."

"Stop the car!" Jiang Chen ignored his nagging and gestured for him to pull over immediately.

"What's wrong with you today?" Ed asked, completely bewildered. "Hey kid, are you still our brave Daniel? How come you've become more and more timid after going to the battlefield?"

Or did you drink too much this morning and want to relieve yourself?

Isn't it inappropriate to do it on the roadside?

"A really beautiful girl is coming over there. We'd better find a public restroom..."