I chose one of four options at the start, and I chose the number one clan in Lingnan.

At six o'clock in the morning, a thin layer of fog hung over the county town.

At this time of day, there are usually only a few elderly men sweeping the streets and vendors selling breakfast from carts.

Today is different.

All three main roads from the train station to the central square were completely blocked.

More than 20,000 men dressed in dark clothes stood on the street.

The crowd stretched from the intersection all the way to the overpass in the south of the city, a dense, dark mass that completely blocked the road.

No one was shouting. More than 20,000 people gathered together, and the only sounds were the click of lighters lighting cigarettes and the scraping of shoes on the asphalt.

The owner of the steamed bun shop by the roadside had just opened the roller shutter door when he glanced at the scene on the street. His hand trembled, and the roller shutter door fell down and hit the back of his foot.

He didn't even dare to cry out in pain, and scrambled back into the shop, locking the door from the inside.

Several early morning buses were stopped at the intersection, the drivers gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands, looking at the sea of ​​people ahead, not even daring to honk their horns.

All the men of the Lin family in Tazhai have returned.

At the exit of the train station, the ticket gates were simply pushed down.

The train station master stood in the monitoring room on the second floor, looking at the densely packed heads on the screen, his back soaked with cold sweat.

"Stationmaster, do we still need to check tickets?" the duty officer asked.

"Inspect my ass! Open the gates wide and let them leave!" The stationmaster wiped the sweat from his face.

The situation at the bus station was even more outrageous; dozens of buses didn't even pull into the platform and just stopped in the middle of the road.

As soon as the car door opened, the men jumped off and joined the crowd.

Lin Fu stood on the back of a light truck, holding a megaphone, his voice carrying across half the street.

"Brothers from each branch and village, stand in your respective groups according to your ancestral hall! Guard the crossroads tightly, don't let a single fly escape!"

The breakfast shops along the roadside have all been booked.

Lin Fu was carrying two black plastic bags filled with stacks of 100-yuan bills.

He walked up to a breakfast stall and slapped a wad of cash on the counter.

"Boss, we'll take all your steamed buns and fried dough sticks. Keep the change, and we'll cover the extra cost of your shop," Lin Fu said.

The boss had never seen anything like this before, and nodded repeatedly, bringing out all the steamers.

Feeding 20,000 people is a huge problem, but the Lin family is rich. The daily revenue of their five Lin family supermarkets is more than enough to feed them all.

After eating and drinking their fill, the men wiped their mouths, picked up their tools, and rejoined the ranks. Steel pipes, carrying poles, and shovels were all in their hands.

The underground billiard hall's dark room.

Guang Ge lay on the leather sofa and turned over.

He glanced at the gold watch on his wrist; it was seven in the morning.

He sat up, took out a cigar from the table, lit it, and exhaled the smoke.

"Ah Fei," Guang called out the name of the short-haired bodyguard.

No one answered.

At this time, Ah Fei would usually have already bought breakfast and brought it in.

Guang Ge frowned, took his cigar, walked to the iron gate, and pulled the bolt.

Instead of the usual sounds of billiard balls hitting the wall outside the door, there was a jumble of footsteps and the muffled thuds of something being smashed.

boom!

A figure tumbled down the steps and crashed heavily into the corner of the wall in front of the dark room door.

It's Ah Fei.

His short hair was stained with blood, his suit jacket was torn to shreds, and one of his shoes was missing.

Ah Fei crawled to Guang Ge's feet and grabbed his trouser leg.

"Brother Guang...it's all over...it's all over!" Afei's voice trembled, and he couldn't even speak a complete sentence.

Guang Ge kicked A Fei away. "What happened? Lin Ting is dead, how can the Lin family still cause trouble?"

"He's not dead... Lin Ting isn't dead! There are people everywhere outside! The whole street, the whole county, everyone's surnamed Lin!" A-Fei pointed at the stairwell, his fingers trembling.

Guang Ge threw away his cigar and strode up the stairs.

He pushed open the glass door of the billiard hall, and after just one glance, Guang Ge's legs went weak.

The street in front of the billiard hall was packed with people, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The crowd automatically parted to make way, and several men from Zhongtang wearing black vests stepped forward and threw a body that had been beaten beyond recognition onto the steps.

That was Brother Guang's top henchman, a guy who used to swagger around the county town. Now his limbs were all broken, and he was a pile of rotten flesh.

Lin Fei stood at the bottom of the steps and spat.

"Brother Guang, right? Grandpa said that not even a mouse will escape this billiard hall alive today." Lin Fei's voice was loud.

Guang Ge was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly, and the glass door hit his nose, causing two streaks of blood to appear.

He scrambled back to the basement and frantically searched for his phone on the table.

"Lin Ting isn't dead. How could he not be dead! That packet of powder could kill someone in half an hour!" Guang Ge's hand holding the phone wouldn't obey him.

He dialed Captain Zhang's number, but the call was disconnected after three rings.

When Guang called back, a mechanical female voice answered: "The number you dialed is currently switched off."

Guang gritted his teeth and dialed Wang Dafa's number.

The call was connected.

"Boss Wang! You need to find someone right now! The Lin family has surrounded my place! Captain Zhang isn't answering the phone, you need to go to the station to find someone!" Brother Guang shouted.

Wang Dafa's sobbing voice came from the other end of the phone: "What kind of person am I looking for! The Lin family is the only family in my building! I don't even dare to leave the house!"

Of all people to mess with, you had to pick on Lin Ting! Don't call me again. If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!

beep.

The phone hangs up.

Guang Ge was not giving up, so he called another gang leader in the county.

"Hey, Qiang, can I borrow some men from the Lin family..."

"Beep beep beep..." The other party hung up immediately upon hearing it was Brother Guang.

Guang Ge slumped completely in his chair.

Those close friends and confidants who usually act like brothers are all pretending to be dead.

Faced with this sea of ​​people, the network of connections he usually relied on was utterly useless at this moment.

He began rummaging through drawers and cabinets. The safe was opened, revealing bundles of cash and several gold bars inside.

He stuffed the money into a black travel bag.

Ah Fei lay on the ground, watching Guang Ge pack up the money. "Guang Ge, take me with you... I don't want to die!"

Guang Ge kicked A Fei's hand away. "Leave you my ass! There are 20,000 people outside, I'd be lucky if I could even escape!"

Guang Ge zipped up his travel bag and headed towards the back door of the basement.

It was a secret passage leading to a small alley behind the billiard hall.

He pushed open the iron door of the secret passage with force, and a dozen or so men from the Lin family stood outside.

The leader was a burly young man with a fierce face, holding a rusty hunting rifle with the barrel pressed directly against Guang Ge's forehead.

"Grandpa said that the door to this billiard hall is for entering only, not exiting. Let's go back." The young man pulled the hammer.

Guang Ge's legs went weak, and his travel bag fell to the ground.

He retreated step by step into the basement, the iron door locked from the outside. He was trapped.

The square in the center of the county town, where the middle-aged women who usually dance in the square, have all disappeared.

The huge square was filled with the men of the Lin family, and Lin Ting sat on a stone bench in the center of the square.

He wasn't wearing a long gown today; he had changed into a black jacket, and he was still twirling those two walnuts in his hands.

Lin Dayou walked over with a roster and handed it to Lin Ting.

"Grandpa, everyone on the roster has arrived, 21,300 people in total. Not a single man from any of the eighteen villages is missing," Lin Dayou reported.

Lin Ting took the roster and placed it on the stone bench.

My second great-uncle walked over, leaning on his cane.

"Grandpa, there are too many people. The county police have already sent people to block the road."

"But they didn't come in; they just watched from outside." Second Uncle lowered his voice.

Lin Ting was fiddling with walnuts. "They won't dare come in. As long as we don't bother ordinary people or smash unrelated shops, they'll just watch."

Lin Fei ran over carrying a steel pipe.

"Grandpa, Brother Guang owns twelve establishments: four KTVs, three bathhouses, two bars, and three underground casinos."

"They're all in the bustling areas of the south and north of the city. All the thugs he employs are inside," Lin Fei announced the locations.

Lin Ting took a pen out of his pocket and removed the cap. He drew a large red circle on the back of the roster.

The pen tip scratched the back of the paper, leaving a deep red mark.

Lin Ting handed the roster to Lin Fei.

"We will divide our forces into twelve routes," Lin Ting said.

Lin Fei took the roster. "Grandpa, how do we scan it?"

Lin Ting stood up.

"Drag all the thugs guarding the place out. Break their legs."

"The gambling paraphernalia and drugs inside were all searched out and piled up on the street."

"Not a single penny of the guests' belongings may be touched. Anyone who dares to take even a cigarette from an ordinary person will be punished according to the clan rules."

Lin Ting looked at Lin Fei.

"Go clean up the mess."