Chapter 117

Inside the Security Division headquarters compound late at night, footsteps sounded hurried.

Yang Chengdong pushed open the office door and slammed his cap heavily onto the desk. On his way back from Lin Gong Guan, his mind was filled with Qin Chang'an's face. This clueless wretch actually dared to come and snatch his authority.

"Call everyone in." His voice was grim.

"Division Commander..." Chen Mingyuan wanted to speak but stopped.

"Speak."

"The Young Commander and his men... are over in the French Concession..."

"Heh." Yang Chengdong lit a cigarette, a flash of cruelty in his eyes, "He ran to the French Concession? Looks like he really wants to play this to the end with me."

Soon, Li Weiguo, Zhang Zhi Yuan, Wang Deming, Zheng Shengao, and Sun Desheng entered. Seeing the Division Commander's grim face, nobody dared to speak first.

"Lin Yu's side is a lost cause." Yang Chengdong exhaled a smoke ring, "Now Qin Chang'an that brat has gone to the French Concession to stir up trouble again. What damn uncle-nephew, if he wants to play, I'll play with him to the end!"

"Division Commander..." Zheng Shengao clenched his fists, "The Young Commander and him..."

"Shut up!" Yang Chengdong snapped his head up, "Here, he's not any Young Commander, just a brat trying to steal my authority!"

"But Division Commander," Li Weiguo said quietly, "If we really start fighting..."

"What's there to fear?" Yang Chengdong snorted coldly, "He's just leaning on a few scions of aristocratic families for backing. When I was killing on the battlefield, he was still nursing!"

The office fell into dead silence.

"Pass on my orders." Yang Chengdong's eyes flashed with a cold light, "The First and Third Regiments go into combat readiness. If Qin Chang'an dares to act rashly, I'll make him know what real firepower is!"

Watching his subordinates leave, Yang Chengdong stubbed out his cigarette butt hard. Kinship means nothing before power. Since Qin Chang'an dared to come and seize his authority, he can't blame him for being ruthless.

"Spread out the map." Yang Chengdong stood in the center of the operations room, his voice icy.

Chen Mingyuan quickly unfolded the military map of Shen City. The map marked the garrison positions of all Security Army units, as well as the locations of the two battalions brought by Sun Lingyun.

"The Fourth Young Master now only has two battalions' worth of troops in Shen City." Yang Chengdong pointed at the map with his command baton, "They have stationed these two battalions separately in the northern and eastern districts, attempting to control Shen City's transportation hubs."

He snorted coldly: "Just a couple of battalions of rabble, and they dare to run wild on my turf."

"Division Commander," Li Weiguo said quietly, "Should I have the First Regiment..."

"No." Yang Chengdong cut him off, "The First Regiment makes too much noise. This operation needs to be swift, brutal, and covert."

He drew a few lines on the map: "Zhang Zhi Yuan, have your First Regiment's main force ambush here to cut off their retreat. Wang Deming, have the Third Regiment flank from this direction and encircle those two battalions for me."

"Yes!" The two regiment commanders replied in unison.

"Remember," Yang Chengdong's eyes sharp, "The operation must be completed before dawn. Once the fighting starts, we must end the battle in the shortest possible time. We absolutely cannot give them a chance for reinforcements."

"What if they put up a last-ditch resistance..." Zheng Shengao asked.

"No mercy." Yang Chengdong's tone was grim, "Anyone who dares to challenge my authority must be prepared to die."

Soon, one small detachment after another slipped out of the Security Division headquarters silently. In the night, soldiers wore solemn expressions, officers issued low-voiced orders. Nobody knew what would happen tonight, but the air was thick with imminent tension.

"All remembered." Before departure, Yang Chengdong said to a few trusted officers, "This operation must be absolutely secret. If even a hint leaks out, I'll hold you accountable."

Yang Chengdong stood by the window, watching the troops being quietly mobilized in the night.

Twenty years. He had spent a full twenty years in the Security Commander's forces. Starting from an ordinary battalion commander, he climbed step by step to his current position. Over these years, he watched his own illustrious maternal uncle Qin Dongzhi lead the Security Army to its peak, and also saw him collapse in a pool of blood on that rainy night.

"Maternal uncle..." Yang Chengdong lit a cigarette, his gaze somewhat distant.

If it hadn't been for Qin Dongzhi's patronage, he could never have steadied himself in the Security Army. Back then, Qin Dongzhi was full of vigor and ambition. He single‑handedly trained this ragtag force into Shen City's strongest armed unit, becoming the Security Commander appointed by the Da Qian Court.

But what about now?

Yang Chengdong snorted coldly. His nephew Qin Chang'an, having studied a few years of military science in Britain, thought he could actually command an army? With just those two battalions of rabble, he also wanted to seize his authority?

"Chang'an, Chang'an..." Yang Chengdong exhaled a smoke ring, "If you stayed obediently in Kunshan, I, your uncle, could still look after you a bit. But you insist on getting mixed up in this muddy water..."

He looked at the family photo on the desk. In the picture, Qin Chang'an was still a teenager, grinning as he stood beside his father. Who could have imagined that a dozen years later today they would end up facing each other on the battlefield?

"Actually I don't want it to be this way." Yang Chengdong muttered to himself, "But did you give me a choice?"

He had spent twenty years in the Security Army just waiting for this day. After finally enduring until Qin Dongzhi's death, seeing this huge Security Army about to fall into his hands, Qin Chang'an jumped out instead. What's worse, this kid also dragged in the Sun and Lu families.

"The Sun family..." A shadow crossed Yang Chengdong's eyes.

The 250,000‑strong army of the Five Great Provinces is a terrifying force. If Sun Lingyun were allowed to meddle in the Security Army's affairs, all his twenty years of painstaking work would be ruined.

"We can't wait." Yang Chengdong stubbed out his cigarette, "We must take down Qin Chang'an, this Young Commander, before they can react."

Without Qin Chang'an as a pretext, even if the Sun family is powerful, it would be awkward for them to forcibly interfere in the Security Army's internal affairs. As for kinship... Yang Chengdong snorted coldly. What does kinship count for in the face of power? Back when he was climbing the ranks in the Security Army step by step, how many people bothered to think about family ties?

"Sorry, Chang'an." Yang Chengdong turned and walked toward the operations room, "Since you dare to come and seize my authority, you must prepare to die. This Security Army is something I earned with twenty years of blood and sweat. Whoever tries to take it, I'll fight them to the death!"

Outside the window, the night grew ever darker. Yang Chengdong knew that after tonight, the sky over Shen City would change. And between him and Qin Chang'an, there would be no going back to the way things were.

But what of it? In this age of the strong devouring the weak, to survive one must be more ruthless and decisive than others. Kinship and morality mean nothing before power.

Inside the study at Lin Gong Guan, Zhou Wei hurried in: "Report, Bureau Chief, the Security Army's units have suddenly begun mobilizing; their target appears to be..."

"The two battalions brought by Sun Lingyun." Lin Yu lit a cigarette, his voice tinged with amusement.

"Yes." Zhou Wei said, somewhat surprised, "You already knew..."

"That Yang Chengdong fellow." Lin Yu exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze falling on the night outside the window, "He's spent twenty years in the Security Army relying on that streak of ruthlessness. Now that he's finally close to grasping power, how could he possibly let anyone take it away."

He curled the corner of his mouth in a cold smile: "Let them fight like dogs. When the Security Army clashes with the Fourth Young Master, the Sun and Lu families won't be able to sit by idly. Once they've fought to mutual exhaustion..."

Zhou Wei suddenly understood something, but then immediately grew worried: "But Bureau Chief, if they really start fighting, Shen City might be..."

"Chaos?" Lin Yu stubbed out his cigarette, a flash of sharpness in his eyes, "Shen City ought to be thrown into chaos. These local tyrants think this place is still their domain. If so, let them stir up trouble first. When the time is right, I'll come in to clean up the remnants..."