Chapter 1 The Funeral Parlor

Inside the funeral home.

Lao Hei parked the car near a trash can on the side of the main building. He observed that this location offered a clear view of the entire courtyard while also remaining obscured from the security cameras.

Evading the cameras wasn't about preventing the car from being recorded, as it was destined to be abandoned anyway. His concern was being clearly filmed while near the vehicle.

The trio sat in the car, silently waiting.

Inside the main building's farewell hall, monks and priests were chanting scriptures, performing a ceremony for Xue Baolai, who had been stitched up just the night before.

Seeing Xue Ping'an bidding farewell to his son, Sha Pi didn't immediately enter the main hall. He offered a symbolic bow from outside and waited quietly.

After about fifteen minutes, the ceremony concluded, and as Xue Ping'an's men began burning offerings, Xue Ping'an wiped the corners of his eyes and walked out.

"Come with me," Xue Ping'an said to Sha Pi, turning and gesturing towards the family rest room nearby.

Sha Pi nodded obsequiously and followed him inside, closing the door behind him and whispering, "Tonight's the night."

"Alright," Xue Ping'an nodded. "How will my people get in?"

"Have them call me when they arrive, and I'll pick you up," Sha Pi whispered back. "The family's holding a meeting tonight, and the old man has called a lot of people. There's security inside and out, so I need to personally guide you into the compound."

Xue Ping'an pulled out a cigarette pack. "Are there any officials?"

"No, it's a family internal meeting," Sha Pi replied softly. "After it's done, Xiong Ge will leave. I'll tell you which room the old man is in, and you guys can run after you're finished."

"Won't the blame fall on us?" Xue Ping'an asked.

"No, when the old man dies, Xiong Ge will use his connections with the police to say that Yu Mingyuan and Su Tianyu's gang from The Dragon City, retaliated because they were intercepted on the shore, and mistakenly killed the old man." Sha Pi explained in detail, "Everything has been arranged, and the Tai family will also get involved. The blame will definitely not fall on you."

"Good, I'll send someone over after the funeral." Xue Ping'an nodded.

"Dinner will be served around five, so you can come over around six. The more people, the easier it is for me."

"That's it, Mr. Xue?!"

"Yes!" Xue Ping'an was in low spirits and didn't want to say much more.

After the two finalized the plan, Sha Pi immediately left with his men. Unbeknownst to him, as he walked away, a thin, middle-aged man in the bustling crowd in the corridor had been staring at him and the room where he had just spoken with Xue Ping'an.

About twenty minutes later.

Xue Baolai's body was taken directly from the farewell hall to the crematorium in the back.

As the large furnace opened and Xue Baolai's body was pushed inside, Xue Ping'an could no longer contain his emotions: "Son!!! Dad didn't take good care of you...!"

His heart-wrenching cries echoed through the room. Seeing their boss like this, the nearby henchmen also began to wail.

"Brother Baolai, rest in peace, we will take care of Uncle Xue!"

"Baolai, may you be well in the afterlife, and be reborn soon!"

"…!"

Cries rose and fell as Xue Baolai was sent into the furnace and cremated.

…

Outside the crematorium.

The thin, middle-aged man yanked open the van door, bent down and sat inside, looking up at Lao Hei and saying, "The Gui family people should have arrived. They were talking with Xue Ping'an in the rest room for a while."

"How many people?" Lao Hei asked.

"Only one went inside to talk to Xue Ping'an."

"…!" Lao Hei pondered for a moment: "Was it the person in the photo?"

"No," the thin middle-aged man shook his head. "But from what I observed, it should be someone from the Gui family. I know all of Xue Ping'an's men, and that person hasn't appeared before. Plus, he left right after the conversation."

Upon hearing this, Lao Hei picked up his phone and dialed Su Tianyu's number.

"Hello?"

"...The Gui family people seem to have come here. They met with Xue Ping'an, we don't know what they talked about, but they left after chatting," Lao Hei reported truthfully.

"The employer just called me and said that the Gui family is holding a big meeting tonight and may be planning a coup," Su Tianyu had also just finished a call with Pao Ge. "Damn it, I wonder if the Xue family will make a move tonight."

"What do you mean?" Lao Hei asked.

Su Tianyu pondered for a moment: "Leave two people at the crematorium, and have the rest keep an eye on the Gui family, see if anything happens."

"Alright, I'll arrange it immediately," Lao Hei nodded.

"Call me with any news."

"Okay!"

With that, the two ended the call.

…

A little after four in the afternoon.

On Xiaoshuang Niudao Island, Jing Yan stood with his hands behind his back and said to You Yifan, "The Gui family will make a move tonight."

"So soon?" You Yifan replied in surprise. "I thought it would be after the expo."

"The people in the Gui family who are working with us think the old man suspects something, so they want to make a move ahead of schedule," Jing Yan said in a low voice. "After they're done, we'll get the spot and immediately return to The Dragon City."

"Alright," You Yifan replied.

"I'm telling you, Xue Ping'an wants to avenge his son, and Su Tianyu and Yu Mingyuan being alive is no good for you or me." Jing Yan turned to look around, lowering his voice and saying, "We need to make things a little easier for the Xue family, and get rid of them."

"I have no objections," You Yifan said with a gloomy expression. "Just tell Xue Ping'an to make sure things are done properly this time."

At the same time.

Inside the Gui family's villa, Gui Mengxiong stood in the back hall, whispering to Sha Pi, "A lot of people are coming today, we have to be careful that the old man isn't prepared and doesn't make a move first. Keep an eye on things outside, don't wander around inside."

"Understood!" Sha Pi nodded.

…

Around 4:40 PM.

Lao Hei and Guang Tou drove a van to the front gate of the Gui family's villa.

In the passenger seat, Lao Hei licked his lips and asked on the phone, "Is Xue Ping'an still there?"

"Yes, he's collecting the bones, damn it, he's even scraping out the bone fragments." The brother who was left to monitor Xue Ping'an replied softly.

"Alright, keep an eye on him," Lao Hei replied and hung up the phone.

Guang Tou drove the car and turned his head to ask, "What do we do?"

"This car has been hanging around the crematorium all day, so don't drive it on the main road. Park the car in an alley, and we'll lie low." Lao Hei turned his head and scanned the surroundings. "Have Xiao Zhou drive over too, I have a feeling that tonight's the night for this villa."

"Alright!" Guang Tou responded, drove past the Gui family's front gate, slowed down, and was about to turn into the alley next door.

"Bang!"

Just then, the rear window of the van was suddenly tapped.

Lao Hei turned his head sharply and saw a man with dyed blue hair walking quickly towards them, his body facing away from the supermarket, with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Damn it, what's going on?!" Lao Hei hadn't seen this blue-haired guy when he moved the car earlier, so he didn't recognize him.

Guang Tou was also nervous, his left hand on the steering wheel and his right hand instinctively on his waist.

"Stop the car!" the blue-haired man shouted from outside.

Lao Hei glanced around and saw that there was a lot of foot traffic at the Gui family's gate, and the blue-haired man was alone, so he immediately patted Guang Tou's thigh. "Stop, see what he wants."

The van stopped, Lao Hei lowered the window, revealing his bald head, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, bro...?"

"Slap!"

Before Lao Hei could finish speaking, the blue-haired man slapped his shiny head: "Are you stupid, huh? Who told you to come so early?!"

Lao Hei's bald head turned red from the slap, and he looked at him blankly, momentarily stunned.

The blue-haired man was none other than Sha Pi, who had come out to keep an eye on the surroundings. He glanced around nervously, raised his arm and slapped him again.

"Slap!"

A crisp sound rang out, and Lao Hei's head visibly shook from the blow.

"Damn it, didn't I tell you to come after five o'clock? It's not even dinner time yet, what are you doing wandering around here? What if someone notices?!" Sha Pi stood outside the car and scolded cautiously, "And you shaved your head, are you afraid people won't know you're staking out the place?!"

Lao Hei glared at him. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm your dad! Damn it, so unprofessional!" Sha Pi cursed fiercely, "I saw you at the crematorium, who do you think I am?!"

"Slap!"

Sha Pi stepped forward and slapped him: "What are you looking at? Back up!"

In the driver's seat, the bald middle-aged man looked at Lao Hei in a daze: "Should... should I back up?!"