490: Chapter 490: Zhou Hequan’s Last Chip 490: Chapter 490: Zhou Hequan’s Last Chip “Tangyu!” Liu Shanshan also covered her mouth in shock, looking at Tangyu with immense worry.
If not for Song Qingyu holding her back, she would have rushed out without a second thought.
A hint of unnoticed peculiarity flashed through Song Qingyu’s eyes, and the corner of her eye twitched slightly.
Others might not know, but she was well aware of Tangyu’s abilities.
How could Tangyu possibly be held hostage by Zhou Tao?
Thus, Song Qingyu immediately understood Tangyu’s intention.
Song Qingyu pointed at Zhou Tao and shouted fiercely, “What do you think you’re doing?
Put down the gun right now.”
The situation had escalated to this point, and Zhou Tao was nearly insane with fury.
His eyes were bloodshot, and there was no way he would put down the gun.
Zhou Tao roared ferociously, “It’s you who should put down your guns!
Put them down right now and clear the way, or else I’ll kill him.”
“Kill him?
Do you think you could escape if you did?” Song Qingyu shouted again.
“If I can’t escape, I’ll take him to his grave with me.
If you don’t want him dead, then put down your guns right now!” Zhou Tao yelled angrily.
“Give it up.
Even if you hold me hostage, you can’t escape now.
It looks like the death penalty is inescapable for you,” Tangyu said.
This was precisely the result he wanted.
If Zhou Tao had surrendered immediately, it wouldn’t have sealed his death sentence—it was even doubtful he would receive a life sentence.
Zhou Tao might have lost his power in the Zhou family, but one must not forget his father, Zhou Hequan, was still around.
Zhou Hequan had held the reins of the Zhou family for many years, and even though he no longer held the same position, his influence and deterrence certainly remained.
Besides, he was sure to have many loyal followers.
So even if Zhou Tao were taken into police custody, he’d most likely end up serving a few years in jail.
With such a good opportunity at hand, how could Tangyu just let Zhou Tao off with a light sentence?
Zhou Tao wasn’t brainless, but wave after wave of despair had overheated his brain, driving him into utter madness.
“Shut up!
It’s not your turn to speak,” Zhou Tao snarled, hitting Tangyu’s head fiercely with the gun.
With a slight lift of his mouth, Tangyu looked at Song Qingyu and then elbowed Zhou Tao in the stomach with force.
The sudden pain made Zhou Tao flinch, and it further enraged him.
Zhou Tao was already beyond reason, and Tangyu’s provocation sent him over the edge, “I’ll kill you.”
“Bang!”
The gunshot rang out, and a splendid burst of blood spurted into the air, blooming sorrowfully in the sky.
However, it was not Tangyu who had been shot, but Zhou Tao.
And naturally, the shooter was Song Qingyu.
She had fired a bullet straight through Zhou Tao’s forehead, leaving a bloody hole in the center of his skull.
Zhou Tao’s eyes widened as he looked at Tangyu, feeling his life swiftly fading away and his consciousness rapidly diminishing.
He knew he was dying, but he could not accept dying like this; he hadn’t even fired his gun at Tangyu yet.
He refused to die this way.
Zhou Tao’s body also fell straight down.
Tangyu curled his lip and looked at Song Qingyu.
Song Qingyu turned her gaze away, as if she hadn’t seen the look Tangyu gave her.
For her, this act was somewhat against her conscience, but she had done it.
Tangyu went over to Liu Shanshan, whose face had also gone pale.
Even though this wasn’t her first time witnessing such a scene, it still left her deeply shaken.
Tangyu took Liu Shanshan’s hand and comforted her, “It’s over now, there’s no need to be afraid.”
Liu Shanshan looked at Tangyu, her affection as deep as the ocean.
“Qingyu, thank you.
If there’s nothing else, I will take Shanshan and leave now,” Tangyu said.
Song Qingyu nodded, “Yeah, there’s nothing else.
I’ll handle things here; you take her and go back first.
Take good care of her.”
“Yeah, I will,” Tangyu replied with a nod.
After leaving the place, an SUV slowly drove toward Tangyu.
The car door opened, and inside sat Xu Hu, Lengzi, and Deng Li.
“Heh heh, hello sister-in-law,” Lengzi said with a sweet tone and a goofy smile as he greeted Liu Shanshan.
It took Deng Li a moment to react, and he followed up with, “Sister-in-law, are you alright?”
The two of them calling her “sister-in-law” instantly made Liu Shanshan’s face flush with embarrassment.
She wanted to clarify that she wasn’t the sister-in-law, but the words got stuck in her throat.
In her heart, though, the title “sister-in-law” was sweet to hear and quite comforting.
Tangyu and Liu Shanshan got into the car.
The police had arrived quickly, and, of course, Tangyu had made it happen.
Not being able to use a phone wasn’t a problem—Tangyu and Lengzi each had a Spirit Stone, and Tangyu had used the sensing power of the Spirit Stone to signal Lengzi, prompting him to rapidly come to the rescue.
Spirit Stones were incredibly rare in the world.
Tangyu and Lengzi had obtained their Spirit Stones through a lucky chance with Ghost Doctor.
Ghost Doctor had given one to Tangyu when he was young and hadn’t obtained any more until Tangyu found a few more in Huan Mountain Village.
“Shanshan, do you want to go back to the company now?” Tangyu asked.
Liu Shanshan thought for a moment and then shook her head, “I don’t really want to go back to the company right now.
I don’t think I can work in this state.
I want to clear my head and recover from the shock.
Tangyu, could you take me to the Orphanage?
I haven’t been there last week; let’s go there today.
And Tangyu, don’t tell anyone about this.”
“Hmm, okay, let’s go to the Orphanage.
It’s been a while since I’ve visited, and it’s time to check on the kids.” Tangyu nodded, then turned to Xu Hu and asked, “Brother Hu, there’s nothing urgent going on right now, is there?”
“No worries, I’ll drive you over,” Xu Hu said with a grin.
Tangyu glanced at Deng Li next to him.
Deng Li now looked quite presentable, his clothes were no longer old-fashioned, but rather trendy.
This new look instantly made him much handsomer, giving him the air of a stylish man.
“Deng Li, you’ve been getting along with Brother Hu and the others, right?
I’ve been too busy these past few days and haven’t had the time to check in on you.” Tangyu said.
Since returning from Linwu County, Tangyu had directly left Deng Li in Xu Hu’s care and hadn’t had the chance to visit.
With a wide grin, Deng Li said, “No problem, Master.
I know you’ve been busy.
I’ve been doing great with Brother Hu and Brother Lengzi, and I get to spar with them often.
Brother Ganlian too; Brother Lengzi and Brother Ganlian are both really strong.
Even using the three ‘Tai Chi Mysteries’ you taught me, I can’t beat them.
However, over the past few days, Brother Lengzi, Brother Ganlian, and Brother Hu have been teaching me a lot of practical combat techniques.”
Tangyu nodded, “Lengzi and He Ganlian are indeed very skilled.
You should learn as much as you can from them since I might not have much time to teach you.
When I have some spare time, I’ll improve your ‘Tai Chi Mysteries’.”
Lengzi looked at Deng Li enviously, “The ‘Tai Chi Mysteries’, huh?
I’ve wanted to learn them since I was a kid, but alas, I don’t have the talent for it.”
“Hehe.” Deng Li laughed, scratching his head sheepishly.
Driving the car, Xu Hu appeared somewhat disheartened, pursing his lips in frustration.
He felt depressed.
Why was it that everyone who showed up seemed to be stronger than him?
Lengzi, Xiaoyu, the Five Tigers of He Village, each one was stronger than him.
And now, another newcomer turned out to be stronger too.
If it weren’t for Xu Hu’s strong resilience, he might have already lost his confidence.
Seemingly perceiving Xu Hu’s state of mind, Tangyu smiled and said, “Brother Hu, they all need you to guide them a lot.
How are things on your end now?”
Reassured by Tangyu’s words, Xu Hu smiled and said, “All’s good, everything’s under control.
Our side is filled with fierce fighters, conquering in all directions.
We’ve almost entirely taken over the Eastern District, and Xiaoyu has almost crushed the West District too.
In a few days, we should be able to secure both the Eastern and West Districts.
There are seven districts in Donglin City, and even if we don’t conquer all seven, seizing the East, West, South, and North would essentially mean we dominate the entire underworld of Donglin City.
However, the stronger we get, the more we attract the attention of other powers.
If we weren’t so strong, we’d probably have been wiped out by now.
There are many tough battles ahead for us.”
Tangyu nodded.
He always preferred to stay out of underworld affairs and didn’t inquire about them.
——
At the Zhou Family’s old home, Zhou Hequan, who had stayed indoors, spat out blood in rage upon hearing news that Zhou Tao had been shot dead by the police, slumping into his chair with a terrifying glint in his eyes.
His face turned pale, his body trembling, fists clenched tightly, his nails digging into the flesh enough to draw blood.
“Tangyu, you first left my son crippled, costing me a great deal to heal him.
Then you incited infighting within the Zhou Family, making me lose my position of power.
Now, you’ve killed my son.
Tangyu, I cannot coexist with you under the same sky.
If I don’t kill you to avenge my son, my name isn’t Zhou Hequan.” Suddenly standing up, Zhou Hequan walked out with a chilling expression to the living room where the whole family had gathered, returning home naturally after a family member’s incident.
Zhou Hewei, Zhou Jie’s father, was also directing everyone to deal with the aftermath and was preparing to go to the police station.
“Hewei, I need to talk to you,” Zhou Hequan said, standing before Zhou Hewei.
Zhou Hewei still felt a touch of sympathy for his elder brother, even though he now was the one in charge of the Zhou Family, “Sure, big brother, go ahead.”
“Come to my room,” Zhou Hequan left these words and headed into his room, with Zhou Hewei following in after him.
The door locked behind them.
Zhou Hequan got straight to the point, “Zhou Tao’s death cannot be in vain.
Tangyu must pay with his life.
And that woman, it all started because of her; she must pay too.
I only want the lives of these two people.”
“Big brother, this matter…” Zhou Hewei hesitated, aware of Tangyu’s growing influence, feeling the need for careful deliberation.
A misstep could plunge the Zhou Family into trouble.
“I’ll say it again, I only want their two lives.
Hewei, as long as you can do this, I will retire abroad and never return to the country.
I won’t challenge you for control over the Zhou Family anymore.
All my shares, I will give to you.
What use is money when my son is gone?
If you refuse to handle this, you can forget about leading the Zhou Family in peace,” Zhou Hequan issued his ultimate ultimatum, playing his final card.
After considering, Zhou Hewei nodded, “Alright, big brother, I can promise you that.
However, this will be a difficult task.
We need a foolproof plan.”
“I’ve already thought of it.
We’ll hire the Nine-Tailed Fox Palace for this job, at whatever cost necessary,” said Zhou Hequan.
“This—” Zhou Hewei was taken aback, contemplating the gravity of hiring the Nine-Tailed Fox Palace in the name of the Zhou Family.
Yet confronted with Zhou Hequan’s resolute gaze, he gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, I’ll take care of it right away.”