Chapter 34: Dog-Eat-Dog

"Why did you choose a place like this?" Cao Yang had not expected the trade to take place in an unfinished building. It was far too remote, surrounded by weeds and abandoned construction sites.

"Do you think he's planning to double-cross us?" Lei Yu, recalling scenes from movies, felt a flicker of fear and huddled closer to Cao Yang.

"I'm not sure, but let's stay alert." Cao Yang, confident in his own abilities, strode inside without hesitation.

Inside the skeletal structure, it was empty and silent. Just as they were growing suspicious and considering calling Fat Qi, footsteps echoed from the third floor.

"Up here, come on up," Fat Qi called out, greeting them from the landing above.

Cao Yang led Lei Yu upstairs. In truth, he hadn't wanted her to come; bringing a useless woman to a deal like this was nothing but a burden. However, Lei Yu had insisted, fearing—much like Li Yan—that Cao Yang might just take the money and vanish.

Upon reaching the third floor, they discovered six other men besides Fat Qi. With their long, unkempt hair or shaved heads, they looked like trouble.

"Be careful. If things get ugly, hide behind me," Cao Yang whispered. Lei Yu nodded.

"Brother, sister, did you bring the goods?" Fat Qi asked with a grin.

Cao Yang nodded and tapped the backpack he was carrying. "It's all in here. Did you bring the money?"

"Of course I did." Fat Qi gestured toward a bulging briefcase behind him, then reached out to grab the backpack from Cao Yang.

Cao Yang was quick, pulling the bag back. "Let's see the money first."

Fat Qi burst into laughter. "The money? I'll burn it for you later—you can have as much as you want."

With that, he signaled the six thugs. They drew machetes from their waists and began to close in with menacing grins.

"Boss Qi, this girl is quite a looker. Mind if we have some fun with her?"

"I only care about the goods. Do what you want with the rest, just make sure you clean up afterward."

"Ah!"

Before the scream even faded, Cao Yang kicked Fat Qi, sending him flying into the wall with such force that he couldn't scramble back up. In Fat Qi's mind, Cao Yang should have been paralyzed with fear, fleeing or begging for his life—how could he possibly have the guts to strike back?

The six thugs were stunned. Fat Qi weighed nearly two hundred pounds; the power required to kick him across the room like that was terrifying.

"Hack him to death!"

One of the long-haired thugs lunged at Cao Yang, swinging his machete toward his neck. It was a lethal strike.

Cao Yang moved with blinding speed. Anticipating the move, he lunged, clamped his hand around the thug's wrist, and twisted hard.

*Snap.* The wrist bone shattered.

The man shrieked, dropping his blade. Before the weapon hit the ground, Cao Yang caught it with his foot, flicked it up into his hand, and drove it into the man's stomach. The tip emerged from the thug's lower back, droplets of blood hitting the floor. Cao Yang had initially aimed for the heart or the throat, but a flash of his mother's fierce gaze in his mind made him instinctively shift his aim at the last second. He kicked the man aside; it was unclear if he would survive.

Cao Yang turned his gaze to the remaining five. They were horrified; their leader had been incapacitated in a single exchange.

"Kill him! Avenge Brother Ji!"

With a shout, the remaining five rushed him. One man with a shaved head charged to the front, swinging his blade. Cao Yang didn't dodge; he met the strike head-on with his own machete.

*Clang!*

The force was so immense that the blade flew out of the bald man's hand, his palm split open and bleeding. He stared at Cao Yang in pure terror, his hand trembling uncontrollably—the strength of that strike was beyond anything he had ever imagined.

Cao Yang swung the back of his blade toward the man's forehead. The bald man felt a chill, certain his end had arrived.

*Thud.*

The man felt his head spin and collapsed. A long, rapidly swelling red welt appeared across his scalp. Cao Yang had used the blunt edge and pulled his punch, otherwise, the man would have been dead.

As he dealt with the bald man, he hadn't ignored the others, landing a brutal kick to the crotch of another thug. The man fell to the ground, clutching his groin and moaning in agony.

Seeing Cao Yang’s ferocity, the remaining three were paralyzed with fear. They glanced at one another, none daring to step forward.

Since they wouldn't come to him, Cao Yang went to them. He rushed toward the trio with his machete.

"Oh, mother!"

The three let out a cry, abandoned their brothers, and scrambled toward the stairs, fleeing for their lives.

"Tch," Cao Yang sneered in disdain. He couldn't be bothered to chase cowards; he was here for a trade, not a brawl.

He glanced at Lei Yu, who stood rooted to the spot in shock, and walked over to the slumped Fat Qi.

"Brother! Brother! Don't do anything rash! Murder is against the law! You mustn't walk down a path of crime!" Fat Qi wailed, begging for mercy and pleading with Cao Yang to turn back.

Cao Yang gave him a kick. "Couldn't we have just traded normally? Why did you have to be so ruthless?"

"I didn't want to! But this shipment belongs to the Yihe Society. If I take it, I have to make sure there are no loose ends!"

"Oh... so, should I 'tie up the loose ends' with you now?"

"No, please! Brother, I was wrong! Spare me! I don't want the goods anymore. The six hundred thousand in the bag is yours as a gift."

Cao Yang opened the briefcase. Stacks of cash were neatly arranged inside. Fat Qi had been hedging his bets; he had planned to kill them if they came alone, but would have traded normally if Cao Yang had brought backup.

Just as Cao Yang grabbed the money, screams echoed from downstairs. He was startled, hearing a rush of footsteps. Looking down, he saw a group of men in black suits dragging the three thugs who had fled earlier back up the stairs. They tossed the thugs onto the floor like dead dogs.

The group scanned the room, their eyes settling on Cao Yang. A tall man with a buzz cut stepped forward. "Are you 'Lightning'?"

Cao Yang shook his head.

The man turned to Fat Qi and strode toward him. "You knew this cargo belonged to the Yihe Society, yet you dared to touch it. Do you have no respect for us?"

"Don't talk nonsense! I didn't! I didn't know!" Fat Qi denied everything.

*Smack!* The man slapped him hard across the face.

Fat Qi cursed internally, wishing every ill upon the ancestors of the person who had set this up. With the Yihe Society appearing here, he knew exactly who was behind it—otherwise, they wouldn't have arrived so conveniently.

"You, come with us," the buzz-cut man commanded, bending down to snatch the bag from Cao Yang with an arrogant air.

Cao Yang reclaimed the bag first, his eyes cold. "Who are you? And why should I go with you?"