Espionage: I became sworn brothers with Zheng Yaoxian at the beginning, and became the Seventh Broth

Chapter 364 Underworld Showdown

Chen Hui is dead.

The commotion caused was quite significant.

Looking at the whole of Shanghai, Chen Hui was indeed a nobody.

However, in the eyes of ordinary Shanghai residents near Fourth Road, Chen Hui was considered a figure of some importance.

He was also a member of the Jue generation of the Green Gang.

Behind them is Zhang Xiaolin, one of the three tycoons of Shanghai.

So when the news spread, the whole Fourth Road was in an uproar. Whether it was business people running shops or old ladies and gentlemen on the streets, everyone was whispering about it.

They were commenting on Chen Hui's past and discussing who would ultimately control the territory on Fourth Road. Some said that the territory originally belonged to Zhang Xiaolin, a powerful figure in the Green Gang.

It was simply distributed by Zhang Xiaolin to Chen Hui.

Chen Hui is acting as a custodian.

Now that Chen Hui is dead, when the news reaches Zhang Xiaolin, the big boss of the Green Gang, he will definitely send people to take back the territory.

This is an old tradition of Shanghai gangsters, and no one can find fault with it.

Some say that with Chen Hui dead, the territory he left behind has become easy prey for others.

Chen Hui isn't the only gang leader around Sima Road.

With Chen Hui dead and his territory left unattended, the local gang leaders were sure to seize this lucrative opportunity.

They will definitely take some action.

A bloodbath was inevitable. After the fight, the territory, gambling den, money, and women left behind by Chen Hui would fall into the hands of those few gang leaders.

But no one expected it.

With Chen Hui's death, a new figure rose to prominence.

He is Zhuang Yifan.

A small-time thug who had just been recruited by Chen Hui was also the only survivor of that assassination tragedy.

That same night, he was the one who retrieved Chen Hui's body and brought it back to the Tian Shou Gambling House.

Upon returning to the gambling den and seeing Chen Hui's corpse, Chen Hui's surviving henchmen inside the Tian Shou Gambling Den panicked.

Someone robbed the property and fled overnight.

Some people were clamoring to hurry up and inform Master Zhang Xiaolin so that he could appoint another trusted confidant to take over the territory left behind by Chen Hui.

At the same time, he investigated the assassin's identity and whereabouts, seeking revenge for Chen Hui. In the critical moment of panic, Zhuang Yifan stepped forward. Relying on his iron fists and his superhuman physique, he forcefully suppressed this chaotic farce.

Before dawn, news of Chen Hui's death spread, and Zhuang Yifan had already consolidated and integrated Chen Hui's power and territory.

After taking over Chen Hui's territory, Zhuang Yifan didn't rush to enjoy life.

He opened Chen Hui's secret stash of money.

They took out all of Chen Hui's remaining wealth and distributed some of it as rewards.

This calmed the chaotic public sentiment.

Zhuang Yifan then announced that he would be actively recruiting people.

That very night, a dozen or so outsiders who had come to Shanghai to seek their fortunes knocked on the door of the Tian Shou Gambling House.

They joined Zhuang Yifan's team.

These people all looked extremely fierce, and when they fought, they were extremely ruthless.

Within just over ten minutes of joining Zhuang Yifan's team, they were promoted directly from newcomers to become Zhuang Yifan's close confidants.

After recruiting enough people, Zhuang Yifan went to Zhang Xiaolin's residence overnight.

He waited all night.

Finally, at dawn on the second day, they met Zhang Xiaolin, one of the three tycoons of Shanghai and a leader of the Green Gang, who had just gotten up and was preparing to have breakfast.

The cause and circumstances of Chen Hui's death, as well as his on-the-spot handling methods, were all recounted.

Upon hearing Zhuang Yifan's arrangements, Zhang Xiaolin was quite surprised by Zhuang Yifan and looked him up and down.

Then he asked Zhuang Yifan about his identity and background.

After receiving confirmation, Zhang Xiaolin fell silent, not saying whether he would support Zhuang Yifan's move to take the position.

He simply sat quietly at the table, eating bread and drinking milk.

Ye Shaohong had already anticipated this scenario.

He also taught Zhuang Yifan how to deal with it in advance. Zhuang Yifan admired Ye Shaohong very much, so he naturally did not disobey him in the slightest.

Without hesitation, Zhuang Yifan placed all the remaining valuables from Chen Hui's secret stash, excluding the few thousand silver dollars distributed, on Zhang Xiaolin's dining table.

He also made a solemn promise to Zhang Xiaolin: as long as he was allowed to take over the territory after Chen Hui's death, he would deliver every penny of the monthly tribute that Chen Hui had previously given to Zhang Xiaolin.

Not only that, he will also add 30% to the previously fixed amount.

Consider it a gift for his first meeting with the big boss.

Upon hearing Zhuang Yifan's promise, Zhang Xiaolin finally stopped eating.

Zhang Xiaolin was very satisfied with Zhuang Yifan's actions.

I think Zhuang Yifan is a smart person.

However, he lacked such intelligent people among his subordinates, so Zhang Xiaolin immediately made a promise to Zhuang Yifan.

As long as he follows the rules, Chen Hui's territory near Fourth Road will belong to Zhuang Yifan. He will spread the word that Zhang Xiaolin will continue to protect Zhuang Yifan.

That old man is the type who won't act until he sees a clear benefit.

He kept repeating himself, seemingly making promises to Zhuang Yifan, but from beginning to end he never indicated that he wanted to take Zhuang Yifan under his wing.

It's obvious.

Before seeing real money, Zhang Xiaolin, one of the three tycoons of the Shanghai underworld, was unwilling to invest too much capital.

He's just giving Zhuang Yifan a title and an opportunity.

To gain his complete trust and support, Zhuang Yifan needs to come up with enough money on the next month's payment due date.

The cunning Zhang Xiaolin didn't explicitly state these things.

Zhuang Yifan didn't ask.

After leaving Zhang Xiaolin's villa, Zhuang Yifan returned to Tian Shou Gambling House on Sima Road.

He had just finished recounting his day's gains and calmed his men down when more bad news arrived.

Upon hearing the news of Chen Hui's death, a local gang leader near Fourth Road couldn't resist the temptation and immediately gathered his henchmen to launch a large-scale attack.

When the news reached Tian Shou Casino, thirty or forty men from the other side had already rushed into Fourth Road.

They are driving away low-income residents who set up stalls near Fourth Road. Judging from the timeline, these people are almost at the Tian Shou Casino now.

If they were to seize Tian Shou Gambling House, leaving them without a base and a means to make money, the men that Zhuang Yifan had just won over through violence would surely fall apart immediately.

Zhang Xiaolin will not give him another chance.

They might even send people to besiege him and completely eliminate this scourge.

Life and death hung in the balance at that moment. Zhuang Yifan did not hesitate or struggle. His face turned cold, and without saying a word, he walked to the gambling table, picked up a watermelon knife, tore off a strip of cloth from his waist, and tied the watermelon knife to his hand.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he led everyone in the Tian Shou Gambling House toward the gate...