Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1276
Li Yao thought of something and asked, "Didn't you say just now that the leader of Liberty City has a lot of contribution points under his belt, which can allow people to rise to Manjusaka? Are the contribution points not enough to attract abundant experts?"
"…For your information, in the battles to compete for the Elysian Worlds, the angels have always been absolutely neutral," the fatty said. "When the news that an expert will attack a city comes over, the connection between the Heavenly Rails and the Elysian Worlds will be cut off, and all the contribution points will be frozen. They will not be 'unfrozen' again until the final victor of the battle settles everything.
"If the attacker wins, they will be awarded with double contribution points, which will allow them to teleport many people to Manjusaka.
"Therefore, the leader of Liberty City is far less appealing than the Fist King in this respect."
Li Yao said to himself, "It feels that the angels strongly encourage the experts of the Bloody Worlds to attack the Elysian Worlds!"
The mental devil grinned hideously and said, "Of course. If the Immortal Cultivators are playing a game of competition in the Martial Meritocrats Sector, such 'city attacks' must be the ultimate form of the game. The battles over the Elysian Worlds will attract the strongest experts from all over the Land of Sins, who will perform all kinds of peculiar and unbelievable techniques. Some of the usages and variations might've even escaped the attention of the Immortal Cultivators. So, as long as the Immortal Cultivators scan the details of the battle intensively, they will naturally get tremendous experiment data.
"Also, after the large-scale battles, a lot of experts will be sent to Manjusaka justifiably to be cut up to study without raising any suspicion. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"
"In that case, we will have to pay a visit to Liberty City," Li Yao said.
"Of course." The mental devil chuckled. "Through Liberty City, we will have a chance to go to Manjusaka. Also, didn't you hear what the fatty said just now? There is a magical equipment market of a very large scale in Liberty City. Chances are that we will find a piece of 'high-molecular layer-by-layer scanning magical equipment' to resolve our main problem."
Chapter 1987: Unexpected Explosion |
Considering the battle plans in his heart quickly, Li Yao asked, "Fatty, how much do you know about the situation in Liberty City? What experts are often sent out for missions under the city leader's command? This is the last question. I'll leave after you finish answering it, and you may continue your entertainment."
The fatty almost felt like crying. He asked, his voice shivering, "Aren't—aren't you here to assassinate the leader of the Red Fire Gang?"
"Of course," Li Yao said casually. "Do I not need to distract everyone's attention if I want to kill the leader of the Red Fire Gang? If you don't want to talk about it, so be it. I don't think who the leader of Liberty City's subordinates are is a big secret, and a lot of other people know who they are, right?"
"No, please don't. I'll confess! I'll confess!"
The fatty grew anxious and confessed everything quickly.
Li Yao listened in silence and constructed a gold, virtual Double Dragons City inside his soul, including the nests and warehouses of ammunition of the few major gangs, the terrain, and angles of the two mountains outside of the city, and he factored in the speed and direction of the wind that day. Every detail rolled into his soul like a translucent droplet of dew.
The contradictions between the Fist King and the leader of Liberty City, as well as the contradictions between the Red Fire Gang and the Black Water Gang, can both be taken advantage of.
Almost a thousand healthy warriors have gathered in the Village of Peace right now with enough firearms and ammunition. Other than the shortage of top-tier warriors, their comprehensive capability is not weak. They are certainly incomparable to the gangs in Double Dragons City right now, but…
I have to reach out to Han Te and Liu Li first so that Gu Zhengyang and the rest of them can reinforce us at any moment.
Three minutes later, when Neltharion turned into a streak of redness and pierced out of his mouth from the back of his head, Li Yao's plan fully took shape.
At the same time, inside the luxury hotel at the center of Double Dragons City that had the heaviest defenses and the most extravagant decorations, hundreds of well-armed bodyguards surrounded a meeting room that had been specifically strengthened by three layers of iron plates.
In the meeting room, around a long desk made of black wood were more than ten hideous bandits who looked violent and moody.
They were the leaders of the major gangs in Double Dragons City.
A rectangular, iron piece of scrap had been stabbed into the center of the long desk. The surface of the piece of scrap had been carved with three iron fists surrounded by furious flames. It was the invitation card sent by 'Fist King' Lei Zonglie and the source of their quarrels and dilemma.
Judging from the smoke and the mess inside the meeting room, the bosses of the gangs had argued for a long time about how to respond to the invitation card.
"We either don't try at all or try our best! In my opinion, all the experts in the gangs should be sent, leaving none behind!"
A muscular man, who had a whole body of muscles that were as lumpy as crystal bombs and a fiery tattoo between his eyebrows as if he had a third eye, smashed his fists hard, leaving a deep mark on the black wood that was as tough as iron. He stared at the man on his opposite side.
When his fists moved again, white smoke popped up from the deep mark of fists, as if the desk had just been scorched by fire.
He was the leader of the Red Fire Gang. Few people dared to call him by his name nowadays. Everybody simply called him 'Boss Fire Eye' in respect.
What he was staring at was a man who was as slender as a viper with a pair of eyes as cold as a scorpion's and two teardrop tattoos below them.
He was naturally 'Wu Du', leader of the Black Water Gang.
Sensing the eyes of provocation from the leader of the Red Fire Gang, Wu Du sneered and said, "If all the experts of all the gangs are sent out, what about the businesses in Double Dragons City? Nobody needs to attend to it at all? Is it not possible that somebody will take advantage of the weak defense and occupy our base?"
"The Fist King's attack on Liberty City will be a super war that is rare even in the past decades. If we join him without enough people, even the sh*t will turn cold before we can get it!" Fire Eye declared, his eyes glittering. "Besides, almost all the forces in the Bloody Plateau Area are involved in the competition between the Fist King and the leader of Liberty City. Who's going to take advantage of our weak defense? If anybody does such a thing, it will only be you, Wu Du!"
Wu Du scoffed but did not respond.
"There will certainly be great casualties to join the battle of Liberty City," Fire Eye said. "Will other people rest assured at all if somebody is left behind in Double Dragons City? Instead of each concocting their own plan here, we should simply deploy all the elites and experts. After all, as long as Liberty City is taken, who will dare claim Double Dragons City if we have the Fist King's support? Whoever doesn't agree must be planning to play tricks while everybody else is on the expedition. Don't you agree, Wu Du?"
"Fine by me," Wu Du said coldly. "If the Red Fire Gang is bold enough to gamble with all your possessions, there is no reason the Black Water Gang shouldn't play it with you! Fire Eye, do not keep your eyes on the Black Water Gang the whole time and think in the long term. The most important thing right now is that the Fist King has only given us one invitation card when there are so many gangs in Double Dragons City. Also, it is a three-star card, one of a very low level. After we arrive at the Fist King's camp, we will be obliged to take a lot of burdensome and unrewarding duties, and there may be few benefits in the end. You must be prepared for your efforts to possibly be for nothing!"
"Isn't it simple?" Fire Eye snorted and snapped his fingers, raising a wind that made the hollowed iron scrap at the center of the desk shiver hard. "The invitation card does not have a name on it. I'm told that the Fist King does not mind forces 'exchanging' their invitation cards. Whenever we see someone with an invitation card of a higher level, we can always rob them. Won't that solve the problem?"
"If we want to rob somebody else of their invitation card, we must stick together. If Liberty City is truly occupied, there will be great benefits that are beyond our imagination. Is it necessary to fight against each other for petty interests in Double Dragons City?" Wu Du said earnestly as if he meant it. Then he suddenly changed the topic. "Right. Why are there no messages from the Village of Peace? It is the largest village in the hundred square kilometers around and has a lot of decent cannon fodder. We can push them to the front, and a lot of our own brothers will be saved."
"The communication is probably jammed again. Is it strange at all?" Fire Eye replied, not thinking that it was a big deal. "This time, the Red Fire Gang and the Black Water Gang worked together to deceive them. Ma Ku and Fei Zhong on my side are leading the team, too, with more than ten precious crystal suits. Wouldn't it be a joke if they couldn't handle a tiny village? Unless, of course, you are playing some tricks again!"
"Fire Eye, it was not easy for us to sit down and negotiate peacefully. If you keep being so paranoid, there will be nothing to negotiate about," Wu Du said gloomily. "There is only one invitation card. If you do not want cooperation, we can always have a competition and see who is more capable to own it!"
For a moment, the atmosphere in the meeting room became more tense than ever. Even the long desk of black wood was squeaking, as if it could not withstand the dominating auras from the two gang leaders anymore.
Right then, deafening explosions echoed outside.
They were so powerful that the pyramid-shaped building with the most solid structure was shaking slightly.
All the gang leaders' expressions changed, and they drew their firearms and blades.
In the treacherous Bloody Worlds, there was no trust among the gang leaders at all. They merely met because of the Fist King's threat and the possible benefits after Liberty City was taken.
Any accident was enough to detonate the contradictions that had stagnated for years.
"Wu Du!" Fire Eye roared and rose abruptly, pointing his chainsword at his nemesis. "What tricks are you playing?"
"You are too rash." Wu Du was still sitting, but one tiny storm bolter slipped out of each of his sleeves and aimed at the lower body of Fire Eye beneath the desk. "The situation is unclear, and you are so anxious. Who knows whether or not you are acting?"
"Where exactly did the explosions take place?"
Fire Eye stabbed his chainsword into the long desk, raising dazzling sparks.
To guarantee their safety, there were no windows on the wall of the meeting room. But dozens of light beams had been connected to the crystal cameras on the commanding heights so that they could observe the whole of Double Dragons City from above.
On the southeast side of Double Dragons City, a gargantuan fireball was rising, rolling, and expanding in midair. From the orange flames, enormous black smoke spurted out, forming a raging mushroom cloud.
In the middle of the mushroom cloud, smaller fireballs were popping up nonstop, too, and proliferating like tumors. It was obviously that chain explosions of smaller scales were still happening inside the smoke.
Such coordinates and such intense explosions immediately chilled Fire Eye's heart. It was the warehouse of crystals and ammunition for the Red Fire Gang, and the abundant resources collected on the 'Bliss Ceremony' a couple of days ago were all stored there!
How was it possible?
The warehouse of crystals and ammunition was certainly the most heavily guarded place for the Red Fire Gang. Almost a third of the best elites were deployed nearby, but none of them had sent any warning at all. Who could have snuck in without a sound and directed such a shocking explosion?
Fire Eye's eyes truly seemed to be on fire as he glared at Wu Du. His chainsword was revolving at a much higher speed, too.
Cold sweat immediately leaked out of Wu Du's forehead. He bellowed, "Fire Eye, don't be fooled. The Black Water Gang didn't do it!"
Right then, a few explosions of a large scale took place in various parts of Double Dragons City in a row. They seemed to be bombarded by the cannonballs from far away, but what exploded was not destructive blasts but black smoke as intense as ink. Like an overwhelming fog, it completely enshrouded the central district.
They were the smoke grenades whose coordinates and angles had been calculated accurately!
Fire Eye, Wu Du, and the other gang leaders had never seen smoke grenades that released such dense smoke so fast.
In only half a minute, with the help of the wind, the black fog leaked to every street and valley in the city, dragging Double Dragons City into a hazy world of darkness.
Gunshots and screams echoed in all directions at the same time.
Chapter 1988: Gang Fight in Double Dragons City |
"What exactly is going on?" Fire Eye bellowed at the communicator on his wrist in fury.
Hasty gunshots and chaotic screams came over from the other end of the communicator before somebody shouted, "Boss, somebody outside said that Fei Zhong returned half-dead with blood all over his body, claiming that the Black Water Gang betrayed us and have already been bought out by the leader of Liberty City. They do not want to join the Fist King's army with us at all!
"Those who were sent to the Village of Peace, including Ma Ku and Fei Zhong, have been completely annihilated under the unexpected assault of the Black Water Gang. Fei Zhong said that he saw 'Ghost Axe' Zhou Da, a tough general under the leader of Liberty City's command, on the Black Water Gang's side. Right now, while all the bosses are having a meeting, they attacked the Red Fire Gang's base!"
"*sshole!" Fire Eye roared. "Where is Fei Zhong? Ask him to come here immediately!"
"I don't know!" the man on the other side of the communication channel shouted. "The situation is a mess now. Explosions and fights are everywhere. I don't know where Fei Zhong is at all!"
There was nothing but dead silence in the meeting room. The only thing that could be heard was Fire Eye's rapid panting like an infuriated animal.
Wu Du's face was even paler than that of a dead person. He pulled the triggers slightly harder and said in the most earnest way, "Fire Eye, listen to my explanation. This is a scheme!"
Hardly had he concluded his sentence when another world-shaking explosion took place outside. From the city of black smoke, a second enormous fireball rose slowly. Judging from the coordinates, it was the headquarters of the Red Fire Gang!
Nothing needed to be said anymore.
Fire Eye and Wu Du looked each other in the eyes and read the information in them clearly.
It was not important anymore whether or not there was any scheme or plot.
Whether or not the Black Water Gang had taken the leader of Liberty City's side was irrelevant.
What mattered most was that the Red Fire Gang, the Black Water Gang, and the many other gangs in Double Dragons City had been on par with each other and in a subtle balance, and it was due to such a balance that they could seek cooperation prudently.
Now, the headquarters and the warehouses of the Red Fire Gang, the most important facilities, had been destroyed. The balance had been broken. How could they seek cooperation?
For Fire Eye, even if it was not Wu Du who did it, the Red Fire Gang had still suffered tremendous losses. How could they participate in the Fist King's war and compete with the Black Water Gang?
For Wu Du, it was impossible to explain himself even if he had a body of tongues. Whatever he was going to do, Fire Eye would bear the grudge in mind and stab him at the first opportunity. Therefore, he might as well…
Moreover, because of the series of explosions, the situation was unclear under the hazy smoke. There was no telling who opened fire first, but the Red Fire Gang, the Black Water Gang, and the other gangs behind them were already engaged in a fierce, chaotic fight!
Fire Eye and Wu Du took action at almost the same time.
Fire Eye's chainsword unleashed unstoppable auras, which slashed the long desk in half at Wu Du as quickly as lightning.
Wu Du's storm bolters shot out more than ten explosive mystic rays instantly, blowing up a series of light balls on the spot where Fire Eye had previously stood.
The small meeting room immediately turned into a jungle of bullets and blades. To show their sincerity, neither party had entered the meeting room with a crystal suit, which added to the bloodiness and cruelty of the melee combat where fists punched flesh.
Since the big shots of almost ten gangs were gathered inside the meeting room, the outside had already been crammed by their bodyguards. Their nose tips were almost kissing each other.
Hearing that the big shots inside the room were already fighting, some were in a hurry to open the door to reinforce their boss, but more people simply drew their daggers and pistols and attacked those who were next to them!
The whole of Double Dragons City immediately turned into an atrocious hell under the black smoke.
Explosions and engagements echoed in every street and alley, but what spread even faster than the explosions and the gunfire was a rumor, which stated that the Black Water Gang had joined the leader of Liberty City's side and was attacking the headquarters of the Red Fire Gang with the elites from Liberty City. They would kill everybody in the Red Fire Gang to establish their authority and warn all the other gangs against joining the Fist King.
If the gangsters could calm down and think carefully, it should be easy for them to notice that such a rumor was full of loopholes.
However, in the middle of the black fog, the explosions, and the desperate screams of their companions, how many of the tough bandits could calm down and think?
'Attack before you are attacked'—that was the eternal truth in the Land of Sins.
