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Just as Uncle San was secretly plotting something, his son was suddenly killed in Thailand.

The Thai forces that were cooperating with Uncle San were also wiped out by the mysterious armed group.

The night my third uncle received the devastating news, seven teapots at the Jinlong Teahouse were broken.

"Tianhao... my Tianhao!" The old man's wailing pierced through the well-soundproofed private room, like the roar of a wounded beast.

Several bodyguards stood outside the door, not daring to utter a sound.

Through the crack in the door, Su Ning saw her third uncle kneeling on the ground, a laptop in front of him displaying photos of the scene sent by the Thai police…

Chen Tianhao's body was placed in a kneeling position with his hands tied behind his back, and his tongue and right hand were missing.

The hotel's ivory-white carpet was stained dark red with blood, resembling an abstract painting.

The most glaring feature was the pattern carved into the corpse's chest with a knife: a green dragon coiled around the number "5"—the traditional symbol of the Five Blessings Gang.

"Who did this?!" Uncle Three suddenly sprang to his feet, grabbing the henchman who delivered the message by the collar. "I'll skin him alive!"

The henchman turned pale with fright: "The Bangkok police said all the surveillance footage was hacked, but... but the general's men found some clues..."

"..."

“Mr. Su.” Chen Zhiming appeared silently behind Su Ning. “Mr. Chen wants to see you.”

"..."

Chen Yongren's study was filled with the scent of sandalwood and the aroma of intrigue.

The old man was playing with a Thai dagger; the jade inlaid on the hilt gleamed coldly under the light.

"Have you heard?" he asked without looking up.

Su Ning nodded: "I heard! It seems that Third Uncle's son died."

“Not only that.” Chen Yongren opened a drawer, took out a stack of photos and spread them on the table. “General Basong, who cooperated with Third Uncle, was caught in a bandit suppression operation last night.”

The photo shows a burning military camp and corpses. "Including the general, all 270 men were killed. Interestingly..."

He pointed to the corpse's wrist, "They're all missing their right hand."

Suning frowned slightly...

This tactic is all too familiar—it's a form of punishment used by intelligence units during the Vietnam War.

“I didn’t do it! And I don’t have the ability to do it, otherwise I wouldn’t have become an illegal immigrant.” Su Ning looked directly into Chen Yongren’s eyes.

“I know,” the old man suddenly laughed, “but my third uncle doesn’t know, he’s gone mad now.”

"I heard there was a Five Blessings Gang symbol at the scene of Chen Tianhao's death?"

"Hmph! It's obvious someone wants to stir up trouble within the Five Blessings Gang."

Outside the window, Los Angeles was experiencing an unusual downpour, with raindrops hitting the glass like countless tiny hammer blows.

Suning suddenly realized his predicament...

Whoever the murderer was, he became the target of Uncle Three's revenge.

"Don't go to the funeral tomorrow night." Chen Yongren put away the photos. "There's a batch of medical equipment at the dock that needs to be inspected."

This is not a suggestion, it is an order.

As Su Ning left, he noticed that the safe in the corner of the study was slightly ajar, and a Thai military license plate and several newspaper clippings could be vaguely seen inside.

……

Chen Tianhao's "funeral" was held at the oldest funeral home in Chinatown.

There was no body, only an Armani suit and a bunch of luxury watches filling the coffin.

Uncle San, dressed in traditional hemp clothing, knelt before the mourning hall burning paper money, the ashes filling the entire room.

"Tianhao... I will definitely avenge you..." The old man's sobs were intermittent, like a broken old record.

Gang members lined up to pay their respects, each watching to see how Uncle Three would react…

This once powerful elder statesman now appears to be nothing more than a broken father.

But when the last guest left and the doors of the mourning hall closed, Uncle San's crying stopped abruptly.

He slowly straightened up and took out a satellite phone from a hidden compartment in the coffin.

"Did you receive the goods?" His voice was frighteningly calm, completely different from before.

After hearing what was said on the other end of the phone, Uncle San's withered lips twisted into a sinister smile: "Very good... Let that kid be smug for two more days."

He didn't notice that a listening device the size of a button was hidden in a wreath in the corner of the funeral home.

……

Meanwhile, at the Long Beach Wharf N Zone warehouse.

Suning is currently "inspecting" that batch of so-called medical devices.

The container was indeed filled with surgical equipment, but prying open the sealed panel of one of the anesthesia machines revealed white powder packaged in vacuum.

"92% purity," Dr. Lin said in a low voice after testing it with a portable instrument. "That's 30 percentage points higher than what's available on the market."

Suning wiped his hands with a handkerchief: "Whose goods are these?"

“The Phoenix Alliance, a newly emerging force in Colombia.” Dr. Lin adjusted his glasses. “What’s strange is… the packaging style and ingredient ratios of this batch of goods are very similar to those of Thai products…”

“Interesting!” Su Ning smiled thoughtfully.

Then Su Ning turned to Marcus, who was standing to the side, and asked, "What's the situation with Uncle San?"

Marcus took off his headphones: "The old man's putting on an act. He just spoke to some mysterious number, mentioning 'goods' and 'two days later'."

In the darkness, the searchlights at the dock swept across the containers, forming a moving cage of light.

Su Ning stood at the boundary between light and shadow, half of her face submerged in the shadows.

I understand that the Five Blessings Gang is about to undergo a major transformation...

"Notify 'Cockroach'," Su Ning suddenly said. "I need all the records of private jets that entered and left Bangkok in the 72 hours before and after Chen Tianhao's death."

"clear."

……

The morning mist hung heavy in Rosehill Cemetery. Emily knelt before her mother's grave, her fingers tracing the cold marble tombstone.

This was her first return to Los Angeles in two weeks, but not for reconciliation.

"Mom, what should I do?" she asked softly, her breath quickly dissipating into the morning mist.

The sound of withered leaves cracking came from behind me.

Emily tensed instantly and reached for the pistol in her bag.

"Relax! Miss, it's me." Chen Zhiming emerged from the mist, his black trench coat damp with dew. "Your father asked me to protect you."

"Protect?" Emily sneered. "Or monitor?"

Chen Zhiming didn't answer, but handed over an envelope: "A list of people Uncle San has been in contact with recently. There's an interesting detail... A week before Chen Tianhao died, he secretly returned to Los Angeles and met with the FBI."

Emily looked up abruptly: "So you suspect..."

“I don’t doubt anything.” Chen Zhiming looked into the distance. “But Su Ning has been too clean lately—all gang affairs are handled flawlessly, even the usual violent debt collection has been replaced with commercial methods. This isn’t the style of a gang successor, unless…”

“Unless he’s trying to clear his name,” Emily interjected, her heart suddenly pounding, “or someone wants him to look like he’s doing it.”

The fog thickened, and the outline of the city in the distance began to blur.

Chen Zhiming lowered his voice: "The safe in your father's study has a combination that's your birthday in reverse chronological order. There are some things... you should take a look at."

After he left, Emily opened the list and found a blurry CCTV screenshot on the last page: Chen Tianhao talking to a man wearing a baseball cap in the garage.

Although only the back of the person was captured, the way that person walked looked exactly like... Su Ning?
……

The discovery of the "cockroach" caused an uproar in the command center.

“This is impossible!” Ms. Zheng stared at the screen. “An hour before General Bassong’s attack, three ghost flights landed at Utaburg Air Base. One of them had a registration number…”

She zoomed in on the picture, "It was purchased by Chen Yongren in 1985 through a shell company!"

Suning stared at the flight log and felt a wave of dizziness.

If Chen Yongren personally arranged the massacre in Thailand, why?
Just to frame him?
The price is far too high...

"Boss!" "Cockroach" suddenly shrieked, "Uncle Three has moved! A group of people just left the funeral home and headed towards Compton!"

The surveillance footage switched to the factory perimeter...

Twelve black SUVs are surrounding the pre-cooked food production base.

Fully armed gunmen broke down the door, but only found a few workers on duty.

"A feint to the east while attacking in the west." Su Ning suddenly realized, "Their target is..."

The cell phone rang suddenly.

Caller ID: Emily.

"Su Ning!" Her voice was filled with unprecedented panic. "Third Uncle has led his men into Yihexuan! He says... he says he found evidence that you killed Chen Tianhao..."

The call was suddenly disconnected.

Suning grabbed his car keys, but bumped into Marcus at the door.

"Boss, check the news!"

Breaking news is being broadcast on television: a gunfight has broken out at the Michelin three-star restaurant "Yi He Xuan," and police have preliminarily determined that it is related to a gang feud.

In the video, the seriously injured Uncle San is carried out on a stretcher, with a kitchen knife stuck in his chest.

Standing next to the police car, being questioned, was Emily, her face covered in blood.

"Turn around." Su Ning's voice was frighteningly calm. "Go to Chen Yongren's residence."

As the vehicle entered Beverly Hills, Su Ning finally pieced together all the fragments: Chen Yongren used him to eliminate Uncle Three's forces; the massacre in Thailand was to escalate the conflict; and now, Emily had become the final pawn...

They either force Suning to fully commit, or they use the Third Uncle to get rid of the disobedient son-in-law.

The mansion's gates were wide open, unusually like a trap.

Su Ning walked in alone and found Chen Yongren pruning a Japanese maple tree in the courtyard.

"You've come at the perfect time!" The old man said without turning his head. "Help me cut off that slanted branch—it ruins the overall aesthetic."

Looking at the healthy, thick branch, Su Ning suddenly understood the metaphor.

He slowly pulled a silenced pistol from his lower back.

Why Emily?

Chen Yongren finally turned around, the tips of his scissors dripping sap like some kind of green blood: "A good gardener knows... pruning is to make the trunk grow straighter."

The gunshot startled the robins in the tree.

When the bodyguards rushed in, they saw Chen Yongren laughing while clutching his bleeding arm, while Su Ning had already disappeared.

"Notify everyone!" The old man grinned smugly. "My son-in-law has finally come to his senses!"

In the distance, sirens wailed across the Los Angeles sky.

The city's light and darkness once again completed a dirty deal before the storm arrived.

……

The morning mist at Rose Hill Cemetery was as thick as milk that couldn't be dissolved.

Emily knelt before her mother's grave, her fingers tracing the gilded characters "Beloved Wife Chen Linshi" on the tombstone.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of her mother's death, and it is also the only day each year that Chen Yongren takes off his businessman's mask and reveals his vulnerability.

"The lady's favorite color is white rose."

Emily was startled when her third uncle's voice came from behind her, nearly drawing her gun. Her third uncle was unusually dressed today in a black Zhongshan suit, holding a bouquet of dew-kissed white roses; he looked like an ordinary, grieving widower.

However, the injuries from a while ago seemed to have never happened; it turned out that today was Uncle Three's real killing move.

“Third Uncle.” Emily nodded reluctantly, glancing warily at the two unfamiliar bodyguards behind him…

The two men had slightly bulging temples, a characteristic of long-term martial arts training. "Father will be here soon."

“I know.” Uncle placed the roses in front of the grave, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a fragile item. “Today is a good day… a good day to settle old scores.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the screech of a car screeching to a halt came from afar, followed by a barrage of gunfire.

Emily lunged behind the tombstone, and Uncle Three's bodyguard had already drawn his submachine gun.

"Are you crazy?" she screamed, pulling out a pistol. "This is my mother's grave!"

Uncle San's smile twisted in the fog: "That's why your father came alone."

Chen Yongren's bulletproof Mercedes was parked at the entrance of the cemetery, its body riddled with bullet holes.

Four bodyguards were already lying in pools of blood, but he was the only one still fighting back, using the car as cover.

When he ran out of bullets, the old man took out a spare pistol from the inside pocket of his suit, his movements so fluid that he didn't look like someone in his sixties.

"Uncle!" he shouted into the mist, "You can take my life, but you have to let Emily go!"

His response was a burst of gunfire, bullets striking the granite tombstone and sending sparks flying.

Chen Yongren groaned as blood bloomed on his left shoulder.

He staggered and hid behind an oak tree, where he discovered that there were at least twelve ambushers whose tactical movements were far more professional than those of ordinary thugs.

“A retired Marine Corps mercenary.” Uncle’s voice echoed through the fog via loudspeaker. “Five thousand dollars an hour, worth it, isn’t it?”

Chen Yongren spat out a mouthful of blood.

He should have realized this sooner...

After the death of his third uncle's son, this old fox's behavior became too abnormal; his emotional attack on "Yihexuan" was nothing but a smokescreen.

It turns out they were secretly gathering their final strength.

"You think you can take over the Chamber of Commerce by killing me?" He tore off his tie to tighten the wound. "The other elders..."

"The other elders have already received evidence of your murder of my son," Uncle Three sneered. "Including your flight logs from Utaburg base and the transfer receipts to the Thai general."

Chen Yongren's pupils suddenly contracted.

Those records should have been known to only one person...

He looked into the depths of the cemetery, where the silhouette of Emily being held captive by two mercenaries was faintly visible.

"Where is Su Ning?" Uncle San suddenly asked. "Why isn't your good son-in-law coming to rescue his father-in-law?"

In the kitchen of Yihexuan Restaurant, Suning is simmering a special soup.

The stove flame was turned down to its lowest setting, and the black liquid in the casserole bubbled and emitted a strange smell that resembled both medicinal herbs and chemical reagents.

"Boss!" Marcus burst through the kitchen door. "I just got word that Uncle Three ambushed Chen Yongren at Rose Hill! Miss Emily is there too!"

Suning's hand was as steady as a rock as he placed the last ingredient...

A metallic powder was sprinkled into the pot: "How many people?"

“At least twelve professional mercenaries. Uncle Chen only brought four bodyguards…”

“Not enough.” Su Ning turned off the stove and filtered the soup into a thermos. “Third Uncle prepared at least twenty people.”

Marcus was stunned: "You...you knew all along?"

The liquid in the thermos appeared an eerie purplish-black color under the light.

Suning carefully placed it into a specially made briefcase and then took out the black leather needle case that hadn't been used for a long time.

"Prepare the car." He buttoned up his suit jacket, concealing the holster at his waist. "It's time to inherit my legacy."

"..."

The gunfire at Rose Hill Cemetery gradually subsided.

Chen Yongren leaned against the base of the angel statue, blood gushing from the two bullet holes in his chest.

Three mercenary corpses lay before him...

This proves that even on his deathbed, the leader of the Green Dragon Gang is still deadly.

“Come out, Ah Ren.” Uncle San approached, leaning on his cane, followed by Emily, who was being held at gunpoint. “We should talk about the handover.”

Chen Yongren struggled to lift his head and look at his daughter, whose face was streaked with tears: "Silly girl...we've all been tricked by him..."

"Haha, I tricked her into coming." Uncle San proudly showed the fake text message on his phone, "in the name of Su Ning."

The dying old man suddenly laughed, blood and foam spilling from the corner of his mouth: "You... are still so... self-righteous..."

He coughed violently. "You really think... I really did what happened in Thailand?"

Uncle San slammed his cane down on Chen Yongren's knee, the sound of bones cracking clearly audible: "Who else but you!"

“It was your son… who asked for it…” Chen Yongren’s face turned deathly pale with pain. “He contacted the FBI… wanting to become a witness for the prosecution…”

Emily gasped.

Even she didn't know this detail.

"Liar!" Uncle Three roared, raising his pistol. "How could Tianhao possibly..."

“Because… I promised to protect him.” Chen Yongren suddenly looked behind his third uncle. “Right… Su Ning?”

The moment everyone turned their heads, Chen Yongren used his last strength to lunge at his third uncle.

A gunshot rang out, and the bullet pierced the old man's heart, but he had already successfully inserted the syringe into his third uncle's neck.

"This is... specially made by my son-in-law..." Chen Yongren collapsed before his wife's grave, his blood staining the white roses. "You father and son... should both try it..."

Uncle San pulled out the syringe in alarm, but the liquid had already been injected into his vein.

His facial muscles began to twitch uncontrollably, as if countless insects were crawling under his skin.

"Antidote...give me the antidote!" He staggered and grabbed Emily, but was kicked away by Su Ning who arrived at the scene.

“There is no antidote.” Su Ning checked Chen Yongren’s pulse, his voice chillingly calm. “This is a neurotoxin, specifically prepared for traitors.”

Uncle San's mercenaries looked at each other in bewilderment.

My employer suddenly died. Who do I ask for the remaining payment?

"One hundred thousand each." Su Ning tossed the checkbook to the ground without looking up. "Leave now, or be buried with them."

After the last mercenary disappeared into the fog, Uncle Three was beyond dead.

Su Ning picked up the dying Chen Yongren, but the old man grabbed his tie.

“Listen…” Chen Yongren’s breathing grew weaker and weaker, “The things in Thailand… I did it…”

Emily couldn't believe her ears: "Father!?"

"We must... make Su Ning... get blood on his hands..." Chen Yongren's pupils began to dilate, "so that... he can take my place..."

He looked at his son-in-law one last time, "The Chamber of Commerce... is entrusted to you... take good care of it..."

Before he could finish speaking, the old man's hand fell to his side.

Rose Hill Cemetery fell into a deathly silence, save for Emily's heartbroken sobs.

"Thank you all for gracing us with your presence." Su Ning, dressed in a custom-made black suit with a white flower pinned to his chest, said, "I have two announcements to make today."

"First, after investigation, it was confirmed that Chen Tianhao was indeed silenced by the FBI because he possessed certain...sensitive information."

The elders exchanged glances.

This version is completely different from what Uncle Three previously promoted.

"Second..." Su Ning took out Chen Yongren's Azure Dragon thumb ring from his pocket and slowly put it on his thumb, "From today onwards, the Five Blessings Gang will be renamed the Yongren Chamber of Commerce. The grudges of the old days..."

"This is the end of it."

"..." The high-ranking members of the Five Blessings Gang present looked at each other in bewilderment.

“Any uncles or elders who have objections may raise them now.” Su Ning looked around at everyone.

In the dead silence, the eldest elder suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Su Ning: "The Chairman is wise! I support him!"

Like dominoes falling, everyone in the room stood up and bowed.

Emily stood in the corner, watching Su Ning's back as she was surrounded by people. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether it was her husband or her father who had been resurrected.

In the dead of night at Chen Yongren's old residence, Su Ning stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

From this angle, you can see the lights of the entire Los Angeles skyline, like a fallen starry sky.

On the desk were three things: Chen Yongren's diary, Emily's wedding ring, and the bottle containing neurotoxin.

The sound of water came from the bathroom; Emily had been showering for three hours.

Since returning from the cemetery, she hasn't spoken a single word to Su Ning.

The ink on the last page of the diary was still fresh:
“Suning must become the next me. At all costs—including my life, including Emily’s hatred. Real power is like arsenic in traditional Chinese medicine; used properly, it can save lives, but used in the wrong amount, it can be fatal. He will eventually understand that in this cannibalistic city, you either wield the knife or become the meat on the chopping block.”

It started raining outside the window, and the raindrops meandered on the glass like tear tracks.

Su Ning threw the diary into the fireplace, and the flames instantly engulfed the cruel truths.

When Emily came out wrapped in a bath towel, he was still standing by the window, his back view exactly the same as Chen Yongren's when he was alive.

"Are you leaving?" He didn't turn around, but he saw Emily carrying a suitcase in the reflection of the glass.

“I want to explore this world myself; I can’t stay in Los Angeles and rot away.” Her voice was hoarse.

What time was the plane?

"Tomorrow morning."

Silence spreads.

Finally, Su Ning spoke first: "Do you know what your father's last words were?"

Emily stopped in her tracks.

He said... "Take good care of our children."

The suitcase hit the carpet with a dull thud.

Emily touched her flat stomach in shock...

She just received her pregnancy test results this morning and hasn't had a chance to tell anyone yet.

"How did you..."

"According to a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, it will take about three weeks." Su Ning finally turned around, the coldness in her eyes melting slightly. "Stay! For the sake of the child."

The rain intensified, and the reflections on the French windows gradually blurred.

Emily looked at the man who was both familiar and unfamiliar. The blue dragon ring on his thumb gleamed with an eerie light, like a lighthouse in the darkness, or the entrance to an abyss.

"But I'm tired of this kind of life."

"There's no point in running away! The essence of this world is that people eat people."

"..."

In the distance, the lights of Los Angeles remained bright.

This city never cares about who lives or dies, who cries or laughs.

It simply watched indifferently, waiting for the next story to begin.

...(End of chapter)