Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

After daybreak.

Morning light streamed through the cracks in the shutters of the garrison command office, landing on the confession record that Chen Zuyan had been working on overnight on his desk.

The record was empty; Ye Ningzhen hadn't confessed a single word. Chen Zuyan tapped the table a few times with the cap of her pen before putting it down.

If you can't pry it open by force, then try another method.

He intentionally leaked some information about Ye Ningzhen's arrest through the Green Gang.

The Military Intelligence Bureau and the Green Gang had cooperated for many years, and much intelligence was obtained through the Green Gang's network.

Chen Zuyan didn't make a big fuss; she only picked a few middle managers who couldn't keep their mouths shut and "inadvertently" leaked the news.

"Last night, the garrison command caught a big fish, the mastermind behind the Soviet-led assassinations in Shanghai. She was a woman with excellent marksmanship."

His logic is very clear.

Ye Ningzhen is the core of Shanghai's underground network. Once the news gets out, the remaining people will either retreat back into their shells or come out to rescue people or move them to safe houses.

Either way, there will be some activity, and with activity comes potential flaws.

Chen Zuyan picked up the now-cold tea, took a sip, and gazed out the window at the gradually bustling street.

He was waiting for the second wave of fish to bite.

On the same day, during the day.

Chen Zhan walked the streets of Nanshi all morning.

He didn't know that Ye Ningzhen had been arrested, where she lived, what she was doing, or where she would appear next.

The only thing that can be confirmed is that Ye Ningzhen's actions in Shanghai are related to the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB), and the MIB's ground forces in Shanghai have many connections with the Green Gang.

Let's start with the Green Gang.

Nanshi was a Chinese-controlled area, with narrow streets and dense crowds. People carrying loads, pushing carts, and hawking their wares were all crammed together. A blind fortune teller squatted against the wall, and half-dried blue cloth shirts were hanging out to dry in the windows of the second floor of the teahouse.

Chen Zhan walked slowly with his hands behind his back, like a merchant taking stock of his goods, but his eyes scanned the streets.

The Green Gang had deep roots in Shanghai, with its strongholds, teahouses, gambling dens, and dockside branches spread throughout the city.

Finding a few henchmen and minor leaders isn't difficult; the challenge lies in the fact that these people only know the basics and have absolutely no connection to the Kuomintang's affairs.

He doesn't want scraps.

What he wanted was the core group—the eight leading figures and the white paper fan—because only these people knew some inside information.

To get to the core, you first need to find the headquarters.

To find the headquarters, you first need to find someone of sufficient influence who is also willing to speak up.

In the afternoon, Chen Zhan sat down in a teahouse in Nanshi to drink tea.

Yi Gu Shu changed his appearance, disguising himself as a cloth merchant from out of town. He spent a few copper coins to buy a pot of Biluochun tea, chose a corner seat, sat down with his back against the wall, his eyes half-closed as if he were dozing off, but his ears were perked up.

The teahouse was a mixed bag.

Several tables of people were playing dominoes, the coins clinking on the table. Several tables of people were chatting, talking about everyday things like rice and cloth prices. There were dockworkers, small business owners, and people from the Green Gang, all meeting up in the smell of tea and sweat.

Chen Zhan listened all afternoon, piecing together a few fragmented names of various gangs, but he still couldn't find a way to advance his career.

It wasn't until after 3 p.m.

The curtain to the inner room was lifted, and a middle-aged man in a gray silk robe came out, accompanied by a servant-like person.

This person walks in a way that is different from others.

He landed with his entire foot on the ground, and when his eyes swept across the street, he was habitually alert, looking first at doors, then at people's hands, and finally at faces.

The long robe around her waist bulged slightly, concealing something.

Those hands, sticking out from under the sleeves, had short, thick fingers with calluses on their knuckles, the result of years of gripping stances and hitting sandbags—they belonged to someone who had practiced boxing.

Chen Zhan gently put down the teacup, got up, and followed him out.

I followed him for two blocks.

The middle-aged man didn't take the main road, but instead chose to walk through the less crowded alleys, glancing back every now and then.

Chen Zhan followed three or four zhang behind, his footsteps extremely light. The man turned around several times but did not notice anything unusual.

Reaching the entrance of a narrow alley, the middle-aged man slipped inside. The young servant squatted at the alley entrance, chewing on a blade of grass, pretending to rest, but keeping watch on the way he had come.

Chen Zhan did not enter through the alley entrance.

He went around to the other end of the alley, entered from the back, and walked towards the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment when he suddenly saw someone in front of him, but he reacted quickly and reached for his waist.

Chen Zhan took a step and stood in front of him.

With fingers pointing like a sword, he touched the inside of the elbow of the arm that held the gun.

It wasn't heavy, but the middle-aged man's entire arm went numb instantly, as if a tendon had been pulled out from his elbow to his fingertips. He couldn't even pull out his gun; it was frozen at his waist.

The middle-aged man's face turned pale instantly.

He had been in the Green Gang for over a decade, possessing a foundation in internal martial arts, and considered himself a capable figure on the docks.

But the person in front of him only had two fingers on his wrist, and he couldn't break free even an inch. It was as if that hand was fused to his bones.

Which branch are you from?

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Chen Zhan increased the pressure on his wrist.

"Ah."

With a soft crack, the bone in his wrist was broken.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on the middle-aged man's forehead. He groaned and could no longer hold on: "Renhetang... Incense Master, Zhou Haisheng."

Where is the headquarters of the Green Gang?

Zhou Haisheng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he hesitated for a moment.

The force increased by another point.

"Xiafei Road... No. 23 Yuhua Lane! Go into the alley next to the Du Mansion, it's a large house with a sign that says 'Yuhua Trading Company'—"

Chen Zhan let go.

Zhou Haisheng slid down against the wall and landed on his buttocks. His right wrist was swollen and bruised, his face was ashen, and he was panting heavily.

Chen Zhan glanced down at him, didn't ask another question, and turned to leave.

The lookout boy at the alley entrance was still squatting there, completely unaware that his master had already been dismembered on the other side.

By the time Chen Zhan left Nanshi, it was already dark.

Avenue Joffre, the heart of the French Concession.

As night falls, this place becomes a completely different world from the Chinese-controlled area.

The intertwined branches of the plane trees along the street cast dappled shadows on the ground under the arc-shaped streetlights, and when the wind blows, the shadows seem to dance on the ground.

The melody of a gramophone drifted from the café, the shop windows of the trading company were lit up, and rickshaw drivers pulled customers along the asphalt road, their copper bells jingling.

Chen Zhan walked in the shadows, like an even deeper shadow.

Yuhua Lane is a wide alley with neat rows of Shikumen buildings on both sides, each with a shiny black copper ring embedded in its black lacquered door.

The further you walk into the alley, the quieter it becomes. At the end, there is a large mansion—a three-courtyard complex with high walls made of gray bricks that occupy the width of the entire alley and are much taller than the surrounding houses.

Above the main gate hangs a plaque with four large gold-painted characters: "Yuhua Trading Company," and two lanterns shine upwards from below, creating an impressive sight.

This is the headquarters of the Green Gang in Shanghai.

The Green Gang has been established for over two hundred years, originating from the Grand Canal.

During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, Weng Yan, Qian Jian, and Pan Qing established a gang in Hangzhou, collectively known as the "Three Ancestors of the Green Gang".

Originally a grain transport gang that escorted grain northwards along the canal, they set up branches and recruited disciples along the way, eventually becoming the largest gang in Jiangnan.

During the Republic of China era, the Grand Canal was abolished, and the Green Gang went underground, taking root in Shanghai.

The three tycoons, Huang Jinrong, Du Yuesheng, and Zhang Xiaolin, maintained order in half of Shanghai.

Now that Huang Jinrong is old and Zhang Xiaolin was assassinated years ago, Du Yuesheng is in charge of the overall situation, and the daily affairs are handled by the eight leaders under him.

The main hall of the headquarters had nine rosewood armchairs, the one in the center being Mr. Du's seat, which was always empty.

There are four on each side, representing the seating arrangement of the eight dragon heads.

Above the main hall hangs a plaque inscribed with "Eternal Righteousness," and on the altars on both sides are the memorial tablets of the three ancestors, with incense burning continuously throughout the year.

A gang with a history of two hundred years, it has a solid foundation.

Chen Zhan arrived at around 10 p.m.

Two men stood on either side of the gate, wearing long robes with their hands tucked into their sleeves, looking at first glance like night watchmen.

However, there is a specific way to stand: two people should stand four or five steps apart, providing cover for each other and overlapping their lines of sight, thus covering the entire entrance to the alley.

Chen Zhan paused for a moment in the shadows at the entrance of the alley and glanced around.

Of the four men, at least two possessed Ming Jin strength, and the other two had guns tucked under their sleeves. He didn't go through the main gate.

There was a two-story house on the side of the alley. Chen Zhan walked close to the wall, pushed off with his foot, and silently climbed onto the roof using the wooden ridge of the window frame.

He paused briefly on the roof ridge, spotted the landing point in the first courtyard, and leaped over the high gray brick wall.

Its body swept through the air and landed without a sound.

The first courtyard is not large. Several large water vats for collecting rainwater are placed in the corner, and two lanterns hang under the eaves, swaying slightly in the night breeze.

The door to the main room was closed, but voices could be heard coming from inside, along with the clattering sound of mahjong tiles being shuffled and knocked over.

An old gatekeeper sat on a bench under the eaves, smoking a pipe and dozing off.

The moment the person passed overhead, a very light breeze swept across his face.

The old man jolted awake, opened his eyes, and looked up, his pipe falling from the corner of his mouth.

However, Chen Zhan had already reached him and placed a palm on his shoulder. With a sudden surge of force, the old man's vision went black, and he slumped limply onto the bench.

The pipe rolled twice on the blue brick ground and then stopped.

Chen Zhan stepped over the threshold-shaped platform and entered the second courtyard.

The area inside was much more heavily guarded than the area outside.

There were six people standing on either side of the moon gate, all dressed in short clothes, with bulges at their waists, carrying knives and guns.

The positioning required even more skill than before. Two people formed a group, and three people formed a triangular formation to cover all the entrances and exits of the courtyard. No matter what happened in any of these places, the other two groups could immediately fill in.

Of the six people, three possessed hidden strength.

One of them had reached the peak of internal strength, and was only a step away from mastering external strength.

The Green Gang's top-notch bodyguard, whom they paid a fortune to maintain.

The one at the peak of internal energy was the first to notice something amiss. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but a chill suddenly ran down his spine, as if he were being watched by something.

"who!"

He roared, and before he finished speaking, he had already sprung up and punched the deepest shadow beside the pillar.

This punch unleashed the full power of his peak internal strength, the wind from the punch whistling through the air, causing the flames of the nearby lanterns to flicker.

The fist landed solidly.
But it landed in an open palm.

Chen Zhanli stood in the shadows, his right hand suddenly appearing out, his palm firmly enveloping Chen Zhanli's fist, remaining completely still.

His expression changed drastically. He tried to pull his hand away, but couldn't. His fist seemed to be nailed to the other person's palm.

Chen Zhan gripped his fist and gently pulled it diagonally downwards.

The man's entire body was pulled off balance by the force of the movement, his center of gravity shifted forward, and he was about to fall over—

Another hand was already pressed against his chest.

One push.

The person flew backwards like a kite with a broken string, taking three or four steps before crashing into the brick wall of the moon gate with a "bang".

A brick broke, and plaster crumbled down the wall. The man slid down the wall and sat on the ground, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. His chest heaved, and he couldn't catch his breath for a long time.

one move.

The other five people in the courtyard moved at the same time.

Two men with drawn swords attacked from the left and right, their blades whistling in the air. Two men with drawn guns took two steps back, crouched down, raised their guns to aim, and then used a hidden force to circle behind Chen Zhan.

The three-sided encirclement was a well-practiced killing formation.

Chen Zhan took a step forward.

With that one step, he unleashed his full power, his killing intent surging forth like an invisible torrent.

Two lanterns in the courtyard swayed simultaneously, causing ripples to spread across the calm surface of the water vat, and even the air seemed to become heavier.

The two men who had drawn their guns pulled the triggers.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two gunshots rang out, and bullets shot out.

It hit empty air.

At the same instant the gunshot rang out, Chen Zhanren was already in front of the man with the knife on his left.

He slammed his palm against the blade—"Clang!"

The steel knife snapped in two with a snap, the front half flying out of his hand and embedding itself in a nearby pillar with a thud, trembling and buzzing.

The man wielding the knife was forced back three steps by the residual force of the palm strike, his hand split open and the hilt of the knife slipped from his grasp.

The man on the right was still in mid-air with his knife, and before it could strike, Chen Zhan had already turned around, gently pinched the tip of the knife with two fingers, and bent it downwards.

"Zheng—"

The tip of the knife broke off.

The man stood frozen in place, clutching half a knife in his hand, a shallow cut on his neck, followed by a spurt of blood.

The hidden force of the sneak attack from behind arrived, and a punch came hurtling towards the back of Chen Zhan's head.

Chen Zhan did not turn around.

With his left hand, he reached out and grabbed the man's wrist, which was coming at him with great force, and twisted it gently.

The cracking sound of a dislocated wrist bone was especially clear at night.

The man screamed in agony as his entire arm was ruined. Chen Zhan casually tossed him aside, sending him crashing into another companion who hadn't yet recovered. The two of them fell to the ground on the blue bricks and rolled around in a heap.

The remaining two men who had drawn their guns were about to fire again when they looked down and saw that a hand had been placed on the barrel of their guns.

The palm exerted a gentle force.

The steel barrel was squeezed so tightly it was deformed as if it were wet clay, and the trigger could no longer fire.

As soon as Chen Zhan stepped into the courtyard, all six men collapsed to the ground in less than ten breaths.

The courtyard suddenly fell silent, except for the broken knife embedded in the pillar, which trembled slightly and hummed for a while before slowly stopping.

He pushed open the door to the main hall.

Lights suddenly burst out from the door, illuminating the mess in the yard.

The main hall is very large.

The floor was paved with blue bricks, and several thick roof beams stood overhead. Two large lanterns illuminated the entire main room.

A plaque inscribed with "Eternal Righteousness" hangs on the central wall, and the memorial tablets of the three ancestors—Weng Zu, Qian Zu, and Pan Zu—are placed on the altars on both sides. Three incense sticks are inserted in the incense burner, and the smoke rises straight up and only disperses under the beam.

Nine rosewood armchairs are arranged on both sides.

The largest chair in the center has a dragon carved on the back and copper-covered armrests that have been polished to a shine, but it is usually empty.

There are five people sitting in the hall tonight, and each of the five chairs is occupied by a dragon head.

Several documents were spread out on the mahogany table, and several bowls of tea were still steaming.

They were just having a discussion.

First, according to information leaked by the Military Intelligence Bureau last night, the Garrison Command has captured the mastermind behind the assassination attempt in Shanghai, who was personally apprehended by the Qin brothers.

Secondly, there is the death of Lü Desheng. Lü Desheng held the title of one of the eight chief leaders in the Green Gang, and his death was shrouded in mystery. The murderer must be found.

They were in the middle of a discussion when the commotion outside the door was heard.

First came a loud shout, then several gunshots, then a few muffled thuds, and then... silence.

It was so fast it made my skin crawl.

The door opened.

The five dragon heads saw the scene in the courtyard: six guards were lying sprawled on the ground, half a broken knife was embedded in the pillar, a piece of brick wall of the moon gate was broken, and blood was seeping on the ground.

Then, they saw the person standing at the door.

He was of medium build, around forty years old, with an ordinary face, and dressed in clean cloth, without a single drop of blood on him.

With his hands hanging naturally at his sides, he stood outside the threshold, looking relaxed, as if he had just happened to wander here during a nighttime stroll.

The expressions on the faces of the five dragon heads changed simultaneously.

The oldest among them was an old man in his sixties, thin and frail, wearing a black satin mandarin jacket, with a string of oily Buddhist beads in his hand and a white paper fan in his hand. He was the strategist of the Green Gang in Shanghai.

The prayer beads between his fingers stopped spinning.

Chen Zhan stepped over the threshold and entered the main hall.

He glanced up and down at the nine grand master chairs in the hall, the memorial tablets of the three ancestors, and the five faces with different expressions, then walked straight to the largest chair in the center, which was carved with a coiled dragon.

He lifted his robe, sat down, and the room fell silent.

"I ask, you answer."

"Anyone who moves, I will kill." (End of Chapter)