Slander
Under the cover of night, Song Yuhang arrived at the alley behind the Huange Nightclub. She stepped on a water pipe on the wall and nimbly climbed up to the second floor, gently pushed open the window of the room at the end, and leaped inside.
The room was pitch dark with no lights on, with only a quilt spread on the bed. Clutching a mechanical stick in her hand, Song Yuhang tiptoed over and suddenly flung it aside.
“What in the world…”
Her words were cut off as her pupils shrank – no one was there!
Of course, Lin Yan wasn’t there.
Not long after she left, Tiger came back. Both groups stood armed and coldly facing each other in a factory in the outskirts.
Lin Yan’s side was led by Liu Zhi, holding a gun, protecting her in the middle, staring fiercely at the opposition.
Lin Yan, with a cigarette between her fingers, leaned on an old sofa, somehow managing to exude the vibe of a luxury five-star hotel lounge chair.
She flicked her cigarette ash casually, calm and composed, until Tiger lost patience, holding back his rage before finally speaking.
“Where exactly did you hide that batch of goods?”
Lin Yan’s lips curled into a mocking smile: “I haven’t asked Brother Tiger yet, why the sudden change in delivery time, why did the cops show up right after you guys left?”
Tiger growled: “Who the hell knows? It could just be a coincidence. Besides, the delivery time was set by the buyer and the Supreme Lord. I don’t make the calls.”
“It is quite a coincidence,” Lin Yan flicked ash into the ashtray, looking at the man standing in front of her, and smiled lightly.
“So, you’re saying the Supreme Lord wants us dead, huh?”
As soon as her words fell, the crowd became enraged. Someone cocked their gun with a click, aimed it at her, and cursed loudly.
Advertisements
“You b*tch, stop slandering the Supreme Lord. This matter has nothing to do with the Supreme Lord today. It might even be a trick played by your own people, maybe there’s a traitor among you!”
“Who the hell are you cursing at?! Try saying that again!” Led by Liu Zhi, the people from Huange Nightclub became provoked, each unwilling to show weakness as they hurled insults at the ancestors of the other party.
Pushing the person who had spoken, the two groups started scuffling.
Lin Yan flicked on her lighter with a “click,” and the rising smoke made her eyes look even more profound.
“Enough, stop it. After all, we’re all just underlings, haven’t we suffered enough grievances?”
Lin Yan looked up at Tiger with sorrow in her eyes, “Brother Tiger, please be fair. If there is a traitor within the Huange Nightclub, surely they want all of us to end up in jail or worse.”
“To kill an enemy at the cost of significant self-harm, why bother?”
Tiger was at a loss for words for a moment. Today’s incident was indeed strange, but he noticed Lin Yan sitting in the usual spot of Wang Qiang, and her men were very obedient. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be Wang Qiang who arranged today? Why is it you?”
With those words, Lin Yan also realized something was off. If Tiger didn’t know about Wang Qiang being arrested, could it be possible that it wasn’t the Supreme Lord who did it?
Lin Yan sneered, “I was wondering too. Just 15 minutes before the hand-off, the police station called me out of the blue, saying that Brother Wang was caught soliciting prostitutes.”
As soon as the words “soliciting prostitutes” floated out, it immediately caused a stir among the crowd.
“Really got caught?”
“That’s impossible.”
“Brother Wang wouldn’t be so careless, right?”
“With who?”
“Who else could it be, if not that one… hehehe.”
“He’s been fooling around behind my sister-in-law’s back for a while now.”
“Will he rat us out now that he’s been caught?”
Finally, someone addressed the crux of the matter.
Tiger’s face turned an iron-shade of green: “So, was it from your side that the news leaked?”
Lin Yan quickly waved her hands to stop him, “Hey, I’m not happy hearing that from you, Brother Tiger. He is him, and I am me; don’t f*cking mix him up with me.”
“Right, brothers?”
Lin Yan’s lips curled into a sly smile, pleased to hear the others behind her hesitate for three seconds before hurriedly distancing themselves, the crowd indignant.
“Yeah, yeah, Sister Hong is Sister Hong, Brother Wang is Brother Wang.”
“We all work with Sister Hong, we have nothing to do with Brother Wang.”
“What Brother Wang does is his business, don’t f*cking lump us in with him.”
……
At this point, if you don’t take a side, it might be too late.
However, Lin Yan extinguished her cigarette in the ashtray.
“Brother Tiger shouldn’t rush to label anyone a traitor. Brother Wang has had his share of hard times serving the Supreme Lord over the years. I think we should find him first and then think this through.”
Advertisements
Lin Yan’s words carried both force and gentleness, but most importantly, they were logical and persuasive, even making Tiger’s men exchange looks. One of them stepped forward to whisper to Tiger.
“Brother Tiger… this woman makes sense. Our goods are still with her. If we lose them, it might be difficult to explain to the Supreme Lord.”
The corners of Lin Yan’s mouth slightly curled up. She had already sent out a message; Wang Qiang would most likely not be able to return, and as for that batch of goods, she had other plans for it.
However, before she could revel in her success for too long, an unusual noise came from outside the house.
Everyone’s nerves tensed up, and Liu Zhi was the first to load his gun: “Who’s there?!”
“Me.” A man’s voice, full of confidence and slightly deep, came from outside, followed by the uniform footsteps of a group of tall, foreign soldiers walking in, each holding an AK and with bullet belts slung over their shoulders.
Leading them was Kuba.
Everyone in the room put down their guns and bowed slightly.
“Second Master.”
In terms of seniority and hierarchy, he was the right-hand man of the top boss, worthy of such an entrance and title.
Only Lin Yan remained casually leaning on the sofa, lazily blowing a ring of smoke, with a look of indifferent charm.
“Second Master has arrived.”
Kuba had long been accustomed to her lukewarm demeanor, nodded slightly, and got straight to the point.
“The person you wanted, I’ve brought him for you.”
The hand Lin Yan used to hold her cigarette paused for a moment, then she smiled nonchalantly again.
“Oh, that’s really good.”
Wang Qiang was dragged in, hands tied behind his back, and thrown onto the ground like a dead dog.
He was wearing only a thin shirt covered in bloodstains, and below, just underwear, his legs were full of bruises, and his face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition.
“Brother Tiger, Brother Tiger, Second Master, Second Master, it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me! Nobody knew about me going out!”
He crawled on his knees to lick Kuba’s feet, then rubbed his face against Tiger’s pant leg, finally turning his gaze toward her.
“Jinhong, Jinhong, please speak up for me!”
The message Lin Yan sent out a few days ago was for the police to take this opportunity during the transaction to obtain samples of “Drunken Dreams” and to arrest key figures like Tiger, not to catch everyone at the trade site in one fell swoop.
When she heard the deal was moved up, she became suspicious, and her suspicions only grew when she saw it was Song Yuhang who arrived instead of the drug enforcement squad, making her feel increasingly certain she was being set up.
The police were probably completely clueless.
Lin Yan was calculating, no matter who was plotting against her, the best move now was to distance herself from Wang Qiang.
Realizing this, a look of resentment appeared on her face.
“What’s Brother Wang talking about? You going off to a hotel with someone else, you truly broke my heart. A day as husband and wife means a hundred days of grace. Even if you forget this grace, do you still want my life just to enjoy a carefree life with that b*tch?”
“Jinhong, Jinhong, you…” Wang Qiang choked on a mouthful of blood, unable to speak.
He gritted his teeth, feeling a chill run through his body as he stared at her face.
He couldn’t live, and others would die too!
“Don’t think I don’t know, ever since you came back last time…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Yan grabbed the ashtray and viciously smashed it, hitting his temple and causing blood to flow.
Advertisements
Wang Qiang let out a miserable scream and fell to the ground. He crawled over and clung to Kuba’s leg, crying and howling.
“Murder! It’s murder! Second Master, Second Master, save me, save me! She’s the spy, she wants to… silence me!”
Lin Yan calmly stroked her beautiful nails and blew a sigh.
“If I wanted to silence you, I would just shoot you. Why would I throw an ashtray? I hit you because you have no shame, sneaking around with other women behind my back. I can’t tolerate it.”
Kuba clapped his hands and laughed heartily. “As expected of Aunt Hong, you’re clear about right and wrong.”
“Since Wang Qiang says the spy is you, and you claim he’s the one who leaked the info, let’s play a game.”
He gestured behind him, and his subordinate handed over a revolver.
“There’s only one bullet in this gun. Whoever gets hit by it is the spy. Of course, the one who doesn’t want to risk their life might also be the spy.”
Kuba paused for a moment before slowly placing the gun on the table.
“Who… will go first?”
Lin Yan’s gaze fell on the gun, and she chuckled, “Second Master must be joking. If I die, no one will know where the goods are.”
“No matter,” Kuba replied coolly, “The Supreme Lord said we can take our time to search.”
The smile at the corner of Lin Yan’s mouth gradually stiffened, and she glanced at Wang Qiang, then at the gun, her expression growing colder.
Wang Qiang swallowed hard, looking at her and then at Kuba, lunging forward, hoping to seize the initiative.
Lin Yan kicked the table over, and the handgun flew up; she caught it steadily in her hand.
Wang Qiang lunged forward but missed, kneeling at her feet.
“A crisp ‘click’ sounded as the bullet was chambered, but Lin Yan didn’t aim the gun at herself. Instead, she grabbed his hair and pressed the muzzle against his chest.
“A spy like you isn’t qualified to play this game, Brother Wang. I’m sorry, but Jinhong will burn paper for you next year.”
She spoke swiftly and ruthlessly, catching everyone off guard with a series of sudden changes.
Before Kuba’s men could react, Lin Yan pulled the trigger.
After a suffocating silence, Wang Qiang widened his eyes. He wasn’t dead, he survived!
He gasped for breath, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, but he didn’t have much time to celebrate.
“Splat—” The blade pierced through his chest, staining his clothes with fresh blood.
Kuba withdrew his hand and licked the blood off the knife.
Wang Qiang thudded to the ground at her feet, lifeless and unavenged.
Feng Jianguo had warned her not to kill unless absolutely necessary. Even for criminals, they should be brought before the court to let the law decide their fate.
If she were the one to act, there would still be a chance for life.
Lin Yan slowly lowered the gun, her eyes brimming with sorrow at the right moment.
Kuba slid the dagger back into his combat boot, took the gun from her hand and tossed it to his subordinate, then patted her shoulder with a laugh.
“There are no bullets in this gun. The test was to see who is more loyal. Well done, the boss will reward you.”
It’s less about who is more loyal and more about who is more ruthless.
After a brief moment of grief, Lin Yan regained her composure.
Advertisements
“Ten percent of the transaction amount.”
Kuba readily agreed: “No problem.”
“The future transactions will be arranged by my people.” This statement implied that Tiger might also be suspected.
He stepped forward, “You—”
Lin Yan’s people swiftly drew their guns, standing in front of her.
Kuba gestured with his hand, signaling everyone to stand down.
“No problem, Aunt Hong will only contact me directly from now on.”
Lin Yan made an even bolder request.
“I want to meet the Supreme Lord.”
According to what Pei Jin ong said, she traveled between China and Myanmar several times, but the highest-ranking person she met was only Kuba, the second in command.
The mysterious “Supreme Lord” remained elusive, never fully revealing himself.
Uncovering the identity and background of this “Supreme Lord” to thoroughly dismantle this criminal organization was the true completion of the mission.
These underlings, probably none of them didn’t want to meet the Supreme Lord. Kuba laughed, gesturing for his brothers to withdraw.
“Not now, but there will come a day when you’ll meet the Supreme Lord. Alright, this person is now your responsibility.”
With that, he left with his men.
Lin Yan: “What about the goods? Don’t you want them anymore?”
Kuba waved his hand: “Supreme Lord said to give it to Aunt Hong as a meeting gift.”
After searching to no avail, Song Yuhang had no choice but to restore the room to its original state and head back down.
By then, the moon was high in the sky, yet she found herself wide awake. Deciding against trying to sleep, she drove straight to the cemetery.
This was a place she frequented, where the tombstones were scrubbed spotless.
Sitting on the steps, Song Yuhang took a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, lighting one for herself and leaving the rest in front of her tombstone.
The cool night breeze carried the smoke far away as Song Yuhang caressed her photograph, her eyes slightly reddened, murmuring to herself.
“Lin Yan, are you… okay? …”
No one answered her, only the empty wind picked up the paper money from the copper basin and twirled it into the sky.
Song Yuhang, with a cigarette pressed between her lips, shivering, lit a sheet and placed it in the copper basin. Just as it was about to burn out, she added another piece.
She would come here every now and then, more frequently when she felt low.
Sitting next to her, Song Yuhang seemed to feel a sense of returning to one’s roots. While burning the paper money, she would prattle on about her feelings, talking about recent happenings.
She sat there until dawn began to break, signaling it was time for her to go back to work. Only then did she stand up and leave.
Song Yuhang’s fingers caressed her photo, truly feeling that this face was genuinely beautiful.
Although she rarely smiled, her eyes always brimmed with confidence, determination, and an unwavering forward momentum, open and honest.
Unlike that woman, who, despite having a face not much different from Lin Yan’s, mingled in places of ill repute, radiating a dangerous aura. She was like a venomous snake, cunning, sinister, and fickle.
Advertisements
Song Yuhang felt guilty for the momentary soft-heartedness she had at Huange Nightclub.
She leaned over to kiss the tombstone: “I’m leaving, I’ll come to see you again tonight.”
“Supreme Lord, if we can’t be sure who the undercover is, then why not just kill them all?”
Kuba returned to their hideout, finding the Supreme Lord still awake. He helped the elderly man to his feet, trembling as he sat down by the window to play chess.
“That would be too boring,” the old man said, picking up a defeated black piece and placing it back in the bowl.
“Is everything taken care of?”
“Don’t worry.”
If things went as he expected, Wang Qiang, after being caught by the police and subjected to some questioning, would certainly divulge information to save his own life.
Therefore, he arranged for people to intercept the car on its way to the detention center, cutting it off midway.
As for that emergency call to the police, it was truly a fortunate mistake, but it also provided Lin Yan with an excellent opportunity to establish her authority.
If not handled well, death awaited.
If handled skillfully, her reputation would rise to a new level.
Auntie Hong really is ruthless and skilled.
The elder smashed all the chess pieces down on the board.
“Alright, you can go now. For that batch of goods, tell Lin Ge to hurry up.”
Kuba nodded slightly and left: “Yes, Supreme Lord.”
LP: “Supreme Lord” is so tacky haha, and he knows it’s Lin Yan?!
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om