Chapter 185: with translation of chapter title

The Bund, at dawn.

In the morning mist, police lines were erected in front of several luxurious mansions. Soldiers in Fourth Bureau uniforms stood expressionless there, their cold gun barrels blocking anyone who tried to approach.

Inside the DuPont mansion, large dark-brown blossoms bloomed across the expensive Persian carpet. Shards of the crystal chandelier littered the floor, and gilt Louis XIV furniture lay overturned. The air was thick with the mingled stench of blood and gunpowder.

DuPont's corpse lay in the study, three bullet holes in his chest from close-range fire. He still gripped a Colt pistol in his hand, but clearly hadn't had time to fire. Papers on the desk were strewn about, several of them—his secret correspondence with Johnson—stained with blood.

The situation at Schneider's villa was even more gruesome. The German arms dealer died in his bedroom, his throat slit. Blood soaked the bed and walls, evidence of a fierce struggle. Yet from the scene it was clear the attackers were trained professionals; the operation was clean and swift.

"Good heavens, Mary!" In the neighboring villa, British merchant Williams trembled as he drew the curtains. He had left Johnson's party early last night due to feeling unwell. "Did you see? DuPont... Schneider... they're all dead!"

"Dear, this is horrible," his wife slumped on the sofa, "if we hadn't come back that night......"

"It's Lin Yu, he must have done it!" Williams turned ashen, "He wants to kill us all! We have to leave Shen City at once!"

Outside, a Foreigner reporter tried to approach the scene to take photos.

"Step back!" a young squad leader said coldly, "City Hall is handling the case—outsiders, clear out!"

"May I ask who the victims are......"

"No comment!" the squad leader's eyes were icy, his hand on his gun butt, "Final warning—leave now!"

The reporter shrank back, hastily retreating. The killing intent in the soldiers' eyes was no act; they would surely fire.

The entire Bund was shrouded in fear. Last night's bloody operation was clearly a premeditated purge. Those Foreigners close to Johnson, those once-arrogant "upper class," had their lives erased overnight.

"This is a warning," said the British consul's deputy in a low voice, "Lin Yu is telling us that in Shen City, there are no more privileged classes."

"He's mad," said the French Chamber of Commerce representative, trembling, "He dares to kill foreigners—this is a declaration of war on the Great Powers!"

"No," the deputy shook his head, "He's perfectly sane. He's using these corpses to tell us: Shen City is now his turf, and anyone who dares to conspire against him will meet the same fate."

Inside the top-floor meeting room of HSBC Bank, smoke lingered.

On a makeshift desk brought in for the occasion, a map of Shen City lay spread out, the zones originally marking each nation's concession violently crossed out in red. Outside, Lin Yu's soldiers patrolled the streets, their gun barrels glinting coldly.

"This is outright madness!" shouted the newly appointed British acting consul, Black, slamming his fist on the table; his suit was rumpled and his tie askew. This diplomat, hastily transferred from Hong Kong, had barely taken office when he encountered this bloodbath.

"DuPont, Schneider, and everyone who attended that party—all have been murdered! This is a challenge to the civilized world!" His face flushed, his voice trembling with rage, "I demand the immediate deployment of the East Asia Fleet! Let the warships' guns teach this thug a lesson!"

"Mr. Black," said U. S. Vice Consul in Shanghai Wilson coldly cutting him off. This diplomat had survived only because he'd missed the party due to a cold. "How do you intend to command the fleet? Our intelligence network in Shen City has been ripped out root and stem, and the consulate has been burned to ashes."

He pointed at the map: "He controls the port, the wharfs have heavy guns, and we don't even know the enemy's firepower deployment. Sending out the fleet rashly would only repeat Johnson's tragedy."

"But we can't just sit by and do nothing!" said the French Chamber of Commerce's interim representative, Duval, his face pale, "At least... at least we must lodge the strongest possible protest with City Hall, demanding they hand over the culprit......"

"Protest?" snorted German Commercial Attaché in Shanghai Schmidt with a sneer, "Protest to whom? City Hall is Lin Yu's people. We don't even have an official channel for negotiation."

"Gentlemen," said British Navy Captain Parker rising to his feet, "arguing won't solve anything. The urgent priority is protecting the remaining expatriates. I recommend we immediately wire home for military support."

"But before that," he looked around the room, "we must face the fact that we have lost control of Shen City. Those privileges, those concessions, are now things of the past."

The meeting room fell silent. These ad-hoc diplomats and officers, now like stray dogs, huddled in this temporary outpost, filled with a sense of helplessness.

"Damn Lin Yu!" Black began to roar again, "How dare he! How dare he treat us like this!"

"He not only dares, he does it thoroughly." Wilson said grimly, "In a single night, the influence we had built in Shen City over decades was torn out by the roots. All key figures were eliminated, our intelligence network destroyed, our armed forces dismantled."

"We're like blind men now," Parker sighed, "we don't even know how many troops the enemy has or what equipment they possess."

Outside, another patrol of soldiers marched by. These foreign representatives, hastily thrust to the forefront, could only hide in high-rise buildings, watching helplessly as their power was stripped away bit by bit.

Inside the bar of the Peace Hotel, the crystal chandeliers still glittered, but the former laughter and chatter had vanished completely.

Several Foreigners in suits huddled in the corner like startled rabbits. As the waiter brought whiskey, their hands trembled slightly, fearful of breaking the glass and inviting trouble.

"Good God......" Thompson downed a drink in one gulp, his hand shaking badly, "Just yesterday, I was playing cards with DuPont. He even said he'd invite me to a vacation in France......"

"Don't mention it," Williams beside him interrupted, "talking about that now is pointless." This former taipan of Jardines, now ashen-faced, his eyes full of fear.

But why? Why has it come to this? Thompson's voice trembled with tears, "Johnson is dead, DuPont is dead, Schneider is also dead...... Who will be next? Will it be us?"

Shh! Williams nervously glanced around, "Keep it down! There might be ears on the wall......"

In the telephone booth, a tall Germanic merchant was frantically dialing: "What? No tickets left? No, no, I don't care how much it costs! You must get me a booking! To Harbor City, to Nanyang, anywhere......"

"Calm down, everyone," a businessman with wire-rimmed glasses said in a low voice, "I've analyzed it. Lin Yu only killed those who attended the banquet, plus a few who danced the most wildly. Perhaps......"

"Perhaps what?" Williams gave a bitter smile, "You think he'll let us go?"

"No, listen to me," the bespectacled merchant continued, "If we show compliance, pay the taxes he demands, disband our private guards, perhaps we could still save our lives and part of our wealth? Better than......"

"Henry! Henry!" a richly dressed woman suddenly burst into the bar, grabbing her husband's arm, "We must leave this place! Immediately! Right now!"

"Margaret, calm......"

"I don't want to be calm!" the woman shrieked hysterically, "I don't want to die! Money doesn't matter anymore, jewels don't matter, nothing matters! We'll go back to Yingjili, to Nanyang, anywhere! I don't want to stay another minute in this city ruled by a devil!"

"Leave?" Henry shook his head bitterly, "How? The port is blockaded, the train stations are swarming with his soldiers. We're trapped, my dear. Like birds in a cage......"

The bar fell into dead silence. These Foreigners, once high and mighty, were now like stray dogs. Their wealth, status, and connections were worthless before Lin Yu's iron fist.

"Do you remember?" Williams murmured, "Just a month ago we were here popping champagne, celebrating another bountiful quarter. Now......"

"Now we can't even save our own lives," Thompson downed another whiskey, "From heaven to hell in a single night......"

Outside the door came the sound of orderly footsteps as a patrol of soldiers passed. Everyone held their breath until the footsteps faded, then slumped back into their chairs.

Fear spread like a plague among these former privileged classes.