Chapter 48: Flight

"Cao Yang, something huge happened last night. The Henan Gang and the Hunan Gang went to war!"

Early in the morning, Lightning shook Cao Yang awake to share the news he had just gathered.

"I heard the Henan Gang wasted Tie Xiong from the Hunan Gang. Both factions went all out, completely wrecking each other's joints, hacking away at each other with blades. There are tons of injuries and plenty of arrests."

He stared at Cao Yang with a peculiar look after finishing. Tie Xiong had shot and wounded Cao Yang just yesterday, only to be wiped out by the Henan Gang that very night. Could Cao Yang have some connection to the Henan Gang?

Cao Yang was also puzzled. He was the one who had actually finished off Tie Xiong, so how did the Henan Gang get dragged into this?

He thought of Liu Yilong, whom he had beaten to death. Liu was rumored to be the biological younger brother of the Henan Gang boss. Although life or death was disregarded inside the octagon cage, some people simply refused to accept losing.

It was likely that because of Liu Yilong's death, the Henan Gang intended to target both Tie Xiong and himself.

Yet judging by Tie Xiong's demeanor at the time, he didn't seem worried at all, even mentioning that he wanted to introduce a few friends.

It seemed the friends he spoke of were people from the Henan Gang. If Cao Yang hadn't killed him, Tie Xiong would have sold him out anyway, so his death was hardly unjust.

Cao Yang engaged his less-than-brilliant brain to analyze why the Henan Gang would go to war with the Hunan Gang.

Recalling the sound of footsteps as he left, he had originally assumed they belonged to the Hunan Gang, but now it seemed they must have belonged to the Henan Gang.

They had broken into Tie Xiong's office intending to capture Cao Yang, only to find two corpses inside. The Hunan Gang members mistakenly believed the Henan Gang had murdered Tie Xiong, triggering the outbreak of violence.

Believe it or not, through his wild guessing, he had managed to piece together most of what actually happened.

"I have to go!" Cao Yang suddenly sprang up, slipped into Lightning's clothes, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going? You're still injured!" Lightning tried to stop him.

"If I don't leave, I'll implicate you guys."

"What's there to be afraid of? Tie Xiong is dead, can he still cause you trouble?"

"Sigh..." Cao Yang sighed, deciding to tell Lightning the truth. "I'm the one who wasted Tie Xiong."

"Ah?" Lightning gasped in shock, never expecting that Cao Yang had taken a life.

"That's why I have to leave now. Otherwise, if the Hunan Gang comes looking, both you and your sister will be dragged into this."

Lightning grabbed him back. "Right now, everyone thinks the Henan Gang is the one who took out Tie Xiong. They're too busy tearing each other apart to suspect you."

Cao Yang shook his head; Lightning was being too naive. Although this accidental misunderstanding was something Cao Yang hadn't anticipated, he knew the truth would soon come to light.

The conflict and misunderstanding between the two factions had occurred purely in the heat of the moment without careful thought. Once they calmed down, they would inevitably pin it on Cao Yang.

When he went to Tie Xiong's office, apart from Mountain Eagle, many staff members were aware of it. Now both Mountain Eagle and Tie Xiong were dead, and he had vanished.

Since the Henan Gang wouldn't admit to killing Tie Xiong, a little bit of reasoning would point straight to him as the killer.

By then, he wouldn't just be facing the Henan Gang—he'd be facing an alliance of both syndicates.

Cao Yang's assessment was correct, but he was a step too late. Last night had been his optimal window for escape, and by now, the others had already reacted.

He bade farewell to Lightning and headed downstairs, running into Lei Yu, who was returning from buying groceries.

"Where are you going?" Seeing that Cao Yang was about to leave, she panicked slightly.

"I don't know, but I have to leave Dongguan."

"Will you come back?"

"I don't know."

"You slept with me. You have to take responsibility."

Cao Yang scratched his head. He had been too caught up in the pleasure and hadn't considered the concept of responsibility.

"I'm coming with you!" Lei Yu suddenly made a bold decision. Cao Yang was her first man, and she couldn't bear to part with him.

Naturally, she didn't usually show such emotions, always maintaining an aloof and cold exterior.

Cao Yang shook his head and refused. "It's too dangerous."

"I'm not afraid!" Lei Yu tilted her chin up.

"I'm afraid! Dragging you along will only weigh me down."

Hearing Cao Yang put it that way, Lei Yu fell silent.

Seeing her heartbroken and sorrowful expression, Cao Yang pulled her into a tight embrace. "Don't worry, once I settle things, I'll be back. I haven't had enough of you yet!"

His single remark instantly ruined the sentimental atmosphere.

Lei Yu's pretty face flushed crimson as she delivered a heavy punch to his chest. "Get lost then! I won't let you have me anymore!"

...

Cao Yang arrived at the railway station first thing, only to find an unusually high number of inspections today. He prayed these people were just conducting routine checks and not targeting him.

"You, take out your ID for inspection," a uniformed staff member walked up to him.

Cao Yang pulled out his ID card and handed it over.

The staff member took a glance, and his expression instantly shifted. He then forced a calm composure and said, "Come with me for a moment to check your luggage."

With that, he turned and walked toward the station office.

Cao Yang glanced at the man's back, turned on his heel, and sprinted away.

Seeing this, the staff member hurriedly grabbed his walkie-talkie to call for backup.

Cao Yang quickly shook them off, only pausing to catch his breath after ducking into a narrow alleyway.

He knew he had been placed on the wanted list.

The staff member's expression had changed the moment he looked at his ID, followed by the excuse to check his luggage.

Yet Cao Yang hadn't brought any luggage at all. The staff member must have realized he gave himself away after seeing Cao Yang tense up, and Cao Yang had picked up on the slip.

Cao Yang then made his way to the bus station, only to find the security checks equally stringent—everyone was required to present an ID before boarding.

He moved on to the city exit, intending to steal a private car and drive out, but discovered the situation was identical here, complete with heavily armed SWAT officers.

Under normal circumstances, apprehending a single suspect—even a murderer—would never require this level of deployment.

Undoubtedly, the Hunan Gang, the Henan Gang, and higher-ups must have applied heavy pressure behind the scenes.

A phone ring broke the silence; it was a call from Li Yan.

"Cao Yang... what's wrong?" Li Yan's voice carried a sob.

"Nothing's wrong with me? What about you? Did you get home?" Cao Yang forced himself to sound steady.

"I just arrived in Changsha, haven't made it home yet."

"Then hurry up and head back!"

"My mom just called me, she said the county police went to your house and claimed you're suspected of murder!"

Cao Yang was startled; he hadn't expected them to move so fast. That meant his mother knew about his situation as well.

Sigh... He felt a wave of regret.

He didn't regret taking out Tie Xiong, but rather acting too rashly without planning it properly to ensure he died in absolute silence.

Imagining his mother's reaction upon learning he had committed murder made his chest ache terribly!

"I'm fine, you go on back first! Help me look after my mom!" Cao Yang hung up the phone and popped out the SIM card, just in case they tried to track his location.

He walked aimlessly, having no idea where to go.

His only acquaintances were Lightning and his sister, but he didn't want to burden them.

If he continued to hide at their place, the police would eventually find him and charge them with harboring a fugitive. Getting caught by the criminal syndicates would be even worse, likely resulting in broken limbs or severe injuries.

If it turned out like last time—where they kidnapped the siblings to force him out—should he go or not?

This time was different from the clash with the Yihe Association; that had merely been about profit, whereas this was pure hatred.

He probably wouldn't go. Walking straight into certain death wasn't loyalty; it was utter stupidity.

If he refused to go, the siblings would be finished, leaving a lingering scar that would haunt him for the rest of his life.