chsdbacks Chapter 55: Sinking the Ding Family Crabs into the Sea
Chapter 55: Sinking the Ding Family Crabs into the Sea
Kwun Tong, Chung Ching Society Club.
"Damn it, what's going on? Why can't we get in touch with those Big Circle Gang members by phone?" Ding Lixie kept dialing on his cell phone.
Sitting on the sofa, Ding Wangxie glanced at Ding Xiaoxie, who was gulping down whiskey: "Boss, are these gangsters taking money and not doing their jobs? I already said that the 250,000 can't be given to them first."
Ding Xiaoxie downed the amber liquid in his glass in one gulp. The spicy, burning sensation rolled down his throat and into his stomach, but it couldn't suppress the growing restlessness and unease in his heart. He slammed the glass down on the glass coffee table, shards flying everywhere.
"Take the money and do nothing?" Ding Xiaoxie's eyes were sinister and bloodshot. "They wouldn't dare! That's my money, Ding Xiaoxie's money! If they dare not return it after taking my money, I'll chase them all the way to Foshan and kill their entire family!"
Even so, he was starting to feel uneasy. The agreed-upon time to take action was tomorrow night, and logically, Wu Jiandong should have kept communication open at this point, ready to follow Dongguanzi's final instructions. Why had he suddenly become unreachable?
Ding Wangxie pushed up his glasses and said cautiously, "Brother, could it be... something happened? That Song Zhaowen might be more vigilant than we thought?"
"An accident?" Ding Xiaoxie sneered. "What kind of accident could happen to four armed, blood-sucking veterans? Could Song Zhaowen's men take them out silently? Unless..."
Before he could finish speaking, the club's heavy doors were suddenly pushed open from the outside!
Just as the henchmen guarding the door were about to question them, several dark figures pounced in like cheetahs, their movements so fast that only afterimages remained! They didn't even have time to see each other's faces clearly, only to see strange masks flash in the dim light—snake, horse, and sheep!
"Ugh!"
"Who goes there?!"
Short screams and exclamations rang out almost simultaneously, and several henchmen at the door were instantly knocked down.
Ding Xiaoxie's pupils constricted sharply, and he sprang up from the sofa, reaching for the pistol hidden under the cushion. Ding Wangxie and Ding Lixie were also terrified, instinctively shrinking back.
Unlike Ding Xiaoxie, Ding Yixie was involved in the underworld, while Ding Wangxie and Ding Lixie were lawyers and doctors, respectively. To put it bluntly, they were just intellectuals with no fighting ability whatsoever.
"Grab your weapons!" Ding Xiaoxie roared, trying to wake up his other men who might still be playing cards or sleeping in the inner room.
But it's too late.
There were only three intruders, but they were like three sharp knives, instantly tearing through the weak defenses of the club's front hall.
They had a clear division of labor: one person guarded the entrance to the corridor leading to the inner room, while the other two pounced on the three Ding brothers like ghosts.
Just as Ding Xiaoxie drew his pistol, a figure wearing a horse mask rushed forward, kicking over the coffee table, sending whiskey and shards of glass raining down on him. Ding Xiaoxie had no time to dodge as the other man easily grabbed his wrist, twisted and disarmed him, sending the pistol flying from his hand, while simultaneously delivering a heavy knee strike to his abdomen.
"Ugh~" Ding Xiaoxie's stomach churned violently, and he curled up in pain.
On the other side, Ding Wang Crab tried to run away but was tripped by the sheep-masked man and pinned to the ground, his mouth instantly sealed shut with tape. Ding Li Crab was even worse off, so frightened that he wet his pants. He was picked up like a chick by the snake-masked man and his mouth was also sealed and tied up.
The whole process took less than thirty seconds. Fast, ruthless, and quiet.
Only then did the sounds of hurried footsteps and shouts come from the inner room. Several sleepy-eyed, disheveled henchmen rushed out with sticks, and were stunned by the scene before them.
The snake-masked figure guarding the corridor slowly turned around, a silenced pistol now in his hand. He raised the muzzle and pointed it at the group of people rushing out.
A chilling killing intent permeated the air, almost tangible. The henchmen froze on the spot, too afraid to move. They were just thugs making a living by guarding the place; they'd never seen anything like this before. Their opponents were clearly professional assassins!
"Put down your weapon, crouch down, and put your hands behind your head." The snake-masked voice came through the mask, flat and emotionless, yet chilling.
"Clang," "Slam"... Sticks and daggers fell to the ground. The henchmen trembled as they did as they were told, squatting in the corner, not daring to lift their heads.
Ahua nodded to his companion. The horse mask and sheep mask immediately took out the prepared hemp rope and tape, tied the three Ding brothers up tightly, covered their heads with black cloth, and then dragged them out like dead dogs, stuffing them into a gray van without license plates outside the door.
The snake-masked man glanced coldly at the trembling henchmen crouching in the corner, put away his gun, and turned to get into the van.
The engine started, and the van sped away, disappearing into the Kowloon night traffic as if it had never existed.
The van traveled smoothly through the night. Inside, the three Ding brothers were thrown into the back, and apart from their heavy breathing and whimpers of fear, there was no other sound.
The driver, wearing a snake mask, removed his mask, revealing a young but cold face—it was Ah Hua from the Mad Dog Gang. He glanced at the three people huddled in the back through the rearview mirror, picked up the car phone, and dialed a number.
"Big brother, we've got the three Ding brothers. We left a few alive at the club; we didn't cause too much of a stir."
On the other end of the phone, Song Zhaowen's voice came through: "Okay. Take them directly to Shek O Pier."
"clear."
The van turned around and headed towards Shek O in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island.
In a secluded corner of Shek O Pier, an inconspicuous old fishing boat is quietly moored in the darkness. No lights are on on the boat, only the red glow of a cigarette butt flickers on the side of the boat.
The van pulled up silently at the dock. Ahua and two other members of the Mad Dog gang, who had removed their masks, got out of the van, dragged the three Ding brothers out, and led them to the fishing boat.
The black cloth covering Ding Xiaoxie's head was ripped off. After adjusting to the dim light, his pupils contracted sharply when he saw the tall figure standing on the ship's side, with his back to them, smoking.
Even from just a glimpse of his back, he recognized him—Song Zhaowen!
Song Zhaowen slowly turned around, flicked away his cigarette butt, and the sparks drew an arc in the night before falling into the dark sea. His face, illuminated by the moonlight and the faint lights of the distant dock, was half bright and half hidden in shadow, his eyes eerily calm.
"Ding Xiaoxie. I heard you want to burn down my factory? And you want to wipe out my entire family?"
Ding Xiaoxie's mouth was still stuffed with a rag, and he could only make muffled sounds. His eyes were filled with hatred, fear, and a hint of disbelief. He couldn't understand how Song Zhaowen knew so much? How could he have acted so quickly? What about those gangsters? What about the Dongguan guys?
Song Zhaowen seemed to see through his thoughts and said calmly, "The gangsters you found are already waiting for you downstairs. As for the Dongguan guy... he should be being 'warmly entertained' by Ah Xiao right now."