Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

As night falls, Foshan is shrouded in darkness. Only the casinos, opium dens, and pleasure boats remain brightly lit, emitting bursts of noise, creating a stark contrast to the deathly silence of the slums.

Wang Huanbo changed into a dark night outfit and blended into the darkness like a ghost. His target was clear—the headquarters of the Shahe Gang and the warehouse of the Jardine Matheson & Co. Relying on his enhanced senses from the [Super Soldier Serum] and his stealth skills from [Intermediate Close Combat Proficiency], he avoided the watchmen and patrolling Qing soldiers, silently approaching the Shahe Gang's lair, a large mansion by the river.

The mansion was heavily guarded, with gang members patrolling back and forth. Shouts, gambling noises, and women's flirtatious laughter mingled together. Wang Huanbo lay in wait in the shadows of the rooftop, holding his breath and listening intently, his ears twitching slightly, taking in every conversation inside.

"...Don't worry, Master Zhao. Those cowardly fishermen, if they dare to cause trouble, our brothers' knives aren't just for show!"

"Mr. Jackson said that as long as we handle this matter well, the Sand River Gang will definitely get a share of the profits from the docks!"

"I heard that Wong Fei-hung from Po Chi Lam and his new apprentice want to interfere? Hmph, overestimating themselves! I'll find a chance to take them down!"

"By the way, Mr. Zhao, the foreign monks are urging us to level the foundation of the new church as soon as possible, because those troublemakers who refuse to move..."

A new church? Wang Huanbo's heart skipped a beat. This seemed to touch on the core plot of the movie—the conflict between the church and the church! He continued to listen and vaguely heard snippets of words such as "Father Lei," "relocation within a time limit," and "those who do not comply will be treated as rebels."

It seems the Shahe Gang not only helped foreign firms seize tidal flats, but was also involved in land disputes with the church! This situation is more complex than imagined!

Wang Huanbo jotted down the key information and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Zhao Tianba whisper to his confidant, "...Tell the brothers to be on their toes these next few days! The foreigners have sent over a batch of 'hard stuff' (armor), hidden in that abandoned warehouse at the west end of the dock. Don't let anything slip! It'll be very useful once things calm down!"

Arms! Wang Huanbo's eyes narrowed! This was definitely bombshell news! Foreigners smuggling weapons to local gangs—what were they planning? To suppress the people? Or did they have some other scheme?

He moved carefully on the rooftop, confirmed the location of the abandoned warehouse, and then quietly withdrew, heading towards the Jardine Matheson warehouse.

The Jardine Matheson warehouse, built along the waterfront, was even more heavily guarded, with not only Chinese police officers but also armed Indian police officers (Sikhs) on duty. Wang Huanbo did not approach rashly but observed from a distance. He saw cargo ships unloading wooden crates with foreign writing on them, some of which were long and narrow in shape, quite different from ordinary cargo crates, and the porters were also unusually careful. Combining this with the information on arms from the Shahe Gang, he was almost certain that the trading company was an important channel for arms smuggling.

After completing his investigation, Wang Huanbo didn't return to Baozhilin. Instead, he turned in another direction—towards the foreign church under construction. The construction site was surrounded by a wall, and the clanging and banging of construction noises rang out, particularly jarring in the quiet night. Next to the church was a cluster of low, dilapidated houses, many windows blacked out, clearly indicating that the residents had been forced to move. However, a few houses still had faint lights on, like flickering candles in the wind, stubbornly holding on.

Wang Huanbo saw several dark figures sneaking up to the outside of a house that still had its lights on, and starting to splash something—kerosene! They wanted to set fire to the house to force residents to move out!

"Stop!" Wang Huanbo shouted in a low voice, darting out from the shadows!

The figures in the shadows were startled. Seeing that there was only one person, they cursed, "Where did this blind fool come from! You're on the Shahe Gang's orders, get out of the way!"

As expected, they were from the Shahe Gang! Without further ado, Wang Huanbo moved with lightning speed, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks, instantly knocking several gang members to the ground and seizing the oil barrel.

"Go back and tell Zhao Tianba, those who do many evil deeds will surely perish!" Wang Huanbo said coldly. The gang members scrambled away.

Just then, the door of the house creaked open, and an elderly man with white hair shakily poked his head out. Seeing the kerosene on the ground and the fallen gang members, he understood what was happening. Tears streamed down his face, and he was about to kneel down: "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you, benefactor, for saving my life!"

Wang Huanbo quickly helped the old man up, saying, "Uncle, there's no need for this. Get up. You can't stay here anymore; it's too dangerous."

"Where can we go... Our ancestors have lived here for generations... The foreign monks insist on building a temple here... The government doesn't care... We old folks, we'd rather die at home..." the old man cried out in despair.

Looking at the old man's cloudy tears and the dilapidated house teetering in the shadow of the church, Wang Huanbo felt an overwhelming surge of grief and indignation. This was the late Qing Dynasty! Foreigners could seize land at will, gangs acted as accomplices, and the government aided and abetted the tyranny, while for the most impoverished people, even the most basic shelter became a luxury!

He left some silver dollars, told the old man to stay with relatives and friends for the time being, and returned to Po Chi Lam with a heavy heart. What he saw and heard that night made him realize the darkness and cruelty of this era more profoundly than any history book.