In a certain urban village in Haiping City.

Even in the bustling and prosperous Haiping City, with its towering skyscrapers, there are always impoverished areas crowded with poor residents.

Here, the streets are narrow and the houses are dilapidated, but the area is densely populated.

“Vroom.”

A battered van drove through the dim, narrow alley and came to a slow stop in front of a rundown house with a courtyard.

A man got out of the van.

He appeared to be in his late thirties, scruffy, and was wearing a faded shirt and pants.

The sign on the van indicated that he was a taxi driver.

“Snap.”

Liu Gang took out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a puff of smoke, looking relaxed and at ease.

“Hmm~”

Humming a simple, old-fashioned song, he pushed open the door and walked inside.

“Wenni should have dinner ready by now.”

Liu Gang thought to himself, feeling a bit hungry and eager to eat.

But the moment he pushed open the door and entered.

His expression suddenly changed, becoming sharp and vigilant.

A habit that had become ingrained in his soul suddenly made him realize...

Something wasn’t right!

His face changed as he rushed into the house. The dinner table was not set with the delicious food he expected, but only a note.

The note read:

“Your wife Wenni is in our hands. If you want her to live, come to the address on this note.”

Liu Gang stared at the note in his hand, reading it over and over.

When he looked up, his eyes were filled with a chilling... murderous intent!

“Boom!”

Liu Gang started his old van and sped off recklessly.

The nearby neighbors, who had intended to greet him, were taken aback by his frantic speed. They exchanged confused glances, unsure of what was happening.

Liu Gang pressed the accelerator to the floor, ignoring even the red lights, driving recklessly all the way.

About half an hour later.

He arrived at an abandoned factory on the outskirts, as per the address on the note. The area was deserted and silent.

“Bang!”

Liu Gang pushed open the factory's heavy door and dashed inside.

A deep voice immediately sounded.

“Oh, look who finally showed up?”

The burly man swaggered up, casting a disdainful glance around at Liu Gang, a mocking smile playing on his face: "The Liu Gang of old, now a mere taxi driver—how pitiful and lamentable."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Liu Gang's pupils contracted sharply.

How did they know who he was?

“Surprised? Did you really think you could hide forever?” The burly man laughed heartily.

He waved his hand, and a few men emerged from the shadows, each holding a gun, their barrels aimed at Liu Gang.

The burly man walked towards Liu Gang. “If you want your wife to live, don’t make any sudden moves.”

The next moment.

He swung a powerful punch into Liu Gang’s abdomen.

Liu Gang's eyes flared with rage, but he dared not fight back because Wenni was still in their hands!

Seeing Liu Gang’s unwillingness to retaliate, the burly man laughed even more wildly. He kicked Liu Gang to the ground and began beating him relentlessly, pummeling him until his face was bruised and bloodied.

Liu Gang lay on the ground, his body limp.

As if not satisfied, the burly man brutally stamped on Liu Gang's head with his foot.

His heart was filled with a twisted pleasure.

The former emperor of Haiping City's underground world, now under his foot? How satisfying!

The burly man had only recently joined Steve's crew, so his knowledge of Liu Gang was mostly hearsay.

Yet, he showed no fear as he fought.

“Pah! Is that all there is to it?”

The burly man spat on Liu Gang. “To give up all your power for a woman and end up like this, what a fool.”

Liu Gang trembled, his voice hoarse. “Do whatever you want to me. Just let Wenni go; this has nothing to do with her.”

“Your wife?”

The burly man seemed to find it amusing. He said coldly, “She’s dead!”

Liu Gang roared in fury, “Impossible!”

The burly man stamped down hard again. “Impossible? Are we keeping her alive for the New Year?”

“Her only value was luring you here to die, so she’s no longer of any use. Didn’t see that coming, did you? Hahaha.”

The burly man couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Then he turned and coldly ordered, “Bind him up and take him back. The boss wants to handle this personally.”

Liu Gang had long been a shadow in Steve's heart, given the tremendous impact he had had on him back then.

So Steve planned to kill Liu Gang himself.

To truly put the past behind him.

The burly man lit a cigarette and walked away.

Mission accomplished!

Afterward, Steve would surely reward himself.

Meanwhile, Liu Gang stood there, stunned.

“Wenni is dead? No, this is impossible! If she’s dead... everyone else must die!”

A brutal murderous intent surged from him.

The burly man had barely taken a few steps when he heard screams and gunfire behind him!

His hand trembled violently, and the cigarette fell to the ground.

When he turned around, he was immediately petrified. All his subordinates were lying on the ground, and Liu Gang, whom he thought was incapable of resistance, was walking towards him, step by step!

What kind of monster is this?

The burly man was horrified and frantically tried to escape, but in his panic, he tripped over a chair.

“Damn it!”

When he got up, his body suddenly stiffened.

Liu Gang was already standing in front of him, expressionless. The burly man’s face turned ashen as he tried to beg for mercy, “I…”

“Crunch.”

Liu Gang decisively snapped his neck.

“Thud.”

After doing this, Liu Gang collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, blood flowing down his abdomen and thighs.

He was no superhero; facing so many armed men unarmed, it was impossible not to get hurt.

After resting for a while, Liu Gang dragged his aching body through the abandoned factory, finally finding his wife Wenni’s corpse in one of the rooms.

He stared at her, motionless, like a statue.

Liu Gang eventually went forward and picked up Wenni’s lifeless body.

Meanwhile,

The emotion in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a cold, iron-like demeanor, as if he had become the underground emperor who once ruled Haijing City again!

Liu Gang drove back to the narrow alley with Wenni's body, preparing to bury her the next day.

Covered in blood, he sat in silence, lost in his thoughts.

“Ring, ring~”

The landline phone at home suddenly rang, its sound piercing and jarring.

Liu Gang’s gaze sharpened, and he instinctively walked over to answer, “Hello, who is this?”

“Liu Gang?”

A questioning voice came from the other end of the line.

Liu Gang immediately erupted in fury, “Who are you? Did you have something to do with what happened tonight?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not involved.”

The voice on the other end said, “My identity is not important. What matters is that I know who orchestrated the kidnapping of your wife. Don’t you want to get revenge?”

Though Liu Gang’s heart was filled with intense killing intent and anger, he was not foolish. He asked calmly, “Why are you helping me?”

“Because you’re valuable.” The voice replied coolly. “I need you to do something for me.”

“What is it?”

The voice on the other end chuckled lightly, “It’s simple: help me... kill someone!”

“So, what’s your decision?”

After a long silence.

Liu Gang finally replied, “I agree.”

“Very good.”

The voice on the other end was relaxed and pleased. “That’s a wise decision.”

Liu Gang’s voice was hoarse as he asked, “Tell me, who did it?”

“The one who kidnapped your wife is Steve, the current head of the underground forces in Haijing City.”

In the Yundian Villa, Li Ze wore an enigmatic smile and said, “And the person you need to kill is named... Ye Tian!”