Chapter 61: Could It Be An Accident?

Cao Yang hadn't walked far. Not knowing where to go, he sat down by the flower bed in the parking lot and lit a cigarette.

Seeing him, Ale hurriedly ran over. "Kid, come back with me."

"What for?"

"Our boss wants to see you."

Though unsure why the boss wanted to see him, Cao Yang still snuffed out his cigarette butt and followed Ale back up to the seventh floor.

Inside the office this time, besides Hu Qing, there was also Tang Shaojie. Having never seen Cao Yang before, Tang Shaojie looked him up and down with an assessing gaze.

Cao Yang had caught a glimpse of him from afar last time and thought he looked quite handsome, exuding a scholarly and refined temperament. Seeing him up close now, he realized the man was genuinely handsome, and that distinctive aura was even more pronounced.

If someone were to encounter him outside without knowing his identity, they would surely take him for an elite professional like a doctor or a lawyer, never associating him with a underworld boss.

Yet, he happened to be precisely an underworld boss, and the universally acknowledged top figure in Guancheng.

"Brother Jie," Cao Yang greeted him.

"You know me?" Tang Shaojie smiled, finding Cao Yang rather pleasing to the eye.

Cao Yang shook his head. "I don't, but I've heard stories about you from others."

"Oh? What do people say about me? Let's hear it."

Cao Yang was speechless. He thought to himself, *If you have something to say, just say it. I'm not in the mood to suck up right now.*

"They say you're handsome, wealthy, powerful, and well-connected, measured in your actions, fiercely loyal to your brothers... and that you're the future supreme leader of the Yihe Association."

Cao Yang rambled on with his compliments. It wasn't entirely bootlicking, though, as the taxi driver and Old Xu had indeed spoken that way, both holding him in very high regard.

"Hahaha..." Tang Shaojie laughed out loud. "It seems the outside world's evaluation of me is quite fair, though not comprehensive enough. They haven't discovered my other virtues yet."

Cao Yang was speechless.

Hu Qing rolled her eyes.

"Snap!" Smiling, Tang Shaojie lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then his expression turned solemn.

"I already know about your situation. Things are going to be tough to handle. After all, you killed so many people, including their boss. The Henan Gang will definitely pursue you to the bitter end!"

Cao Yang remained silent. He knew Tang Shaojie had more to say, otherwise, why call him back?

"However... as long as I step in, I believe they will give me some face, at least outwardly targeting you won't be an option for them."

At this point, Tang Shaojie's gaze sharpened as he stared fixedly at Cao Yang. "But why should I help you? What can you bring to the table for me?"

Cao Yang also lit a cigarette, gathered his thoughts, and said, "I don't need you to handle the Henan Gang for me. I'm not afraid of their revenge."

Cao Yang was confident that as long as he left Guancheng, he could shake off the Henan Gang. Even if he didn't leave, as long as he avoided falling into their traps and encirclements, they couldn't do a thing to him.

"Oh? Then what do you need?"

"I'm afraid of the police. Can you help me deal with the police? Make them stop hunting me and issuing warrants for my arrest." Cao Yang didn't want to live the life of a fugitive, constantly hiding in the shadows forever.

"Hahaha..." Tang Shaojie burst into laughter. "Little brother, you're far too naive. Do you have any idea how heinous your crime is? Ten lives, involving both firearms and arson. Expecting the police to let it go—do you think that's realistic?"

Cao Yang frowned. He remembered killing only five people; the other five hadn't been hit in vital areas and shouldn't have died. Could they have burned to death in the fire?

He didn't know that Po Zai had delivered the finishing shots, nor did he care to ponder it. Five or ten made little difference anyway.

He opened his mouth, ready to say that if it was impossible, forget it.

Before the words could escape, Tang Shaojie continued, "What might be an impossible fairy tale to others is entirely within my power."

His words radiated absolute confidence, leaving Cao Yang without a shred of doubt.

Beside him, Hu Qing kicked him under the table with her high heel, glaring at him with fierce eyes.

Ignoring her, Tang Shaojie looked at Cao Yang. "If I pull this off for you, how will you repay me?"

Cao Yang paused in silence, utterly unable to think of anything of equal value to offer in return.

"I'm on my own, but my combat skills are decent. If you find me useful, I can do things for you."

Tang Shaojie smiled and nodded. "Alright, I like the look of you. In a few days, you'll go do a task for me. Once it's done, I'll clear things up with the police for you, and from then on, you roll with me."

Cao Yang nodded in agreement. He didn't ask what the task was; at worst, it was just killing people, and he had no other choices left.

"You're still carrying injuries, aren't you?" One could tell just by looking at his pale complexion.

"Yeah," Cao Yang nodded.

"Have you been to a hospital?"

"No, just patched up simply at a clinic."

"Ale, take him to the infirmary. Have Dr. Chen check him over so he doesn't develop any lingering complications."

Ale nodded and led Cao Yang away.

Once they left, Hu Qing glared at Tang Shaojie with wide eyes.

"That's a massive pile of shit. Are you really sure you want to wipe his butt for him?"

Tang Shaojie nodded. "Did you think I was joking?"

"Is it worth it? It's a terrible deal! The Henan Gang lost their boss; they aren't going to give you that kind of face. Don't end up unable to back down with egg on your face!"

"A-Qing, your vision is too short-term. You don't understand the current landscape."

"These local gangs are expanding rapidly, especially the Sichuan Gang. Their territory is getting close to encroaching on our core turf. If we let them keep growing like this, we're bound to clash with them sooner or later."

"So?"

"So I'm using this opportunity to put these local gangs in their place, to let them know whose territory Guancheng really is, and to make anyone thinking of crossing the line think twice."

"But..."

Tang Shaojie waved a hand to cut her off and dialed a number.

"Chief Zhan, are you asleep yet?"

"Hahaha... Not yet. What wind blew President Tang my way?"

"I heard Liu Zhenhu of the Henan Gang died this morning. I wanted to find out what happened."

"It's a major case. Guancheng hasn't seen such violent bloodshed in many years."

"The killer is a Hunan kid, currently at large."

"Oh, so it's a homicide? I thought it might have been an accident."

"Chief Zhan, what do you mean by that?"

"You say, is there any possibility that a bunch of law-breaking junkies gathered for a drug party, got so high they lost their minds, and started fighting among themselves? Not only did they use guns, but they also accidentally started a fire."

There was a silence on the other end of the line before a cautious voice asked, "President Tang, is the killer one of your men?"

"Hey... don't talk nonsense. It has nothing to do with me."

"Then what is this nonsense about getting high and fighting each other? You can't fool ghosts with an excuse like that!"

"I'm just proposing a hypothesis. Be bold in your hypotheses and meticulous in verifying them, right?"

"President Tang, I don't know what your relationship with the killer is, but that kind of narrative definitely won't fly."

"This case involves too many lives; I wouldn't dare mess around with it or shoulder that responsibility. The Henan Gang won't let it rest either."

"I'll handle the Henan Gang. When the time comes, no charges will be pressed and the authorities won't pursue it. The ones who died were just heinous underworld scum anyway. Even if it gets exposed, the ordinary people will only say they got what they deserved."

"It won't work, President Tang. The stakes are too high. You handle the Henan Gang first, and then go talk to my boss. Without his nod, I wouldn't dare help you."

"Don't worry, Chief Zhan. I'm not calling to make you do it right this second. I'll speak with your boss, but for now, don't rush to classify the case. It's very likely just going to turn out to be an accidental mishap."