Chapter 80

In the corridor of the Security Command Headquarters hospital, sobs continued nonstop. Madam Qin knelt at the mortuary door, two concubines supporting her, also tear-streaked. Qin Dong Zhi's little daughter Qin Yuqing clung to her mother, sobbing incessantly.

Qin Chang'an stood to one side, watching this all with a blank expression. His eyes were somewhat red, but he never shed a tear.

Yang Chengdong checked his watch; it was already three o'clock in the morning. He looked around; the commanders of the Security Division and the two infantry brigades were all present, every face etched with solemnity.

'Gentlemen,' Yang Chengdong cleared his throat, lowered his voice and said, 'We must accept the fact that the Commander has departed. But the most important thing now is to block the news.'

Zheng Shihao frowned: 'What does Commander Yang mean?'

'Everyone knows,' Yang Chengdong glanced at Qin Chang'an and continued, 'For the imperial court, the Commander's hold over Shen City's military power has always been an unstable factor. If news of the Commander's death reaches Yanjing, the court may well take the opportunity to parachute in a new Security Commander.'

Upon hearing this, the faces of all the officers present changed. Sun Desheng was the first to speak: 'This is absolutely unacceptable to the Qin family.'

'That's right,' Yang Chengdong nodded, 'We are first the troops brought up by the Commander, and only then servants of the court. Over these years following the Commander, everyone understands this principle.'

Qin Chang'an turned, his gaze sweeping over everyone present: 'I understand what you uncles mean, but how could it be easy to conceal my father's death?'

'We could say the Commander is seriously ill,' Zheng Shihao proposed, 'Anyway, the Commander has rarely shown himself lately. As long as the commanders of our few regiments keep a unified story, we can at least buy some time.'

'Time is opportunity,' Yang Chengdong continued, 'During this time, we must quickly straighten out the relations within the Security Command Headquarters and ensure that all units are in the hands of our own people.'

Sun Desheng nodded in agreement: 'The brothers of my 13th Brigade have always remembered that it was the Commander who promoted us. On the court's side, we cannot just let them take the peach.'

'But...' Qin Chang'an still wanted to say something, but Yang Chengdong cut him off.

'Chang'an,' Yang Chengdong looked at this nephew, his tone grave, 'You are the eldest son of the Qin family; now is the time for you to step forward. What your father worried about most before his death was whether you could shoulder this burden.'

Qin Chang'an fell silent for a moment, drew a deep breath: 'I understand.'

'Alright,' Yang Chengdong surveyed everyone, 'Then it's decided. Starting now, the news of the Commander's serious illness can be released, but the news of his death must be kept strictly secret. Let the troops deploy as they should; do not let outsiders notice anything amiss.'

'Understood!' the officers replied in unison, their voices not loud but firm.

Outside the mortuary, the weeping continued intermittently, but in the corner of the conference room a new order was quietly forming. Qin Dong Zhi's death was not merely the loss of one person; it also concerned the entire power structure of Shen City.

The officers who had followed Qin Dong Zhi for years all knew that the days ahead would be the real test.

At four o'clock in the morning, the Public Administration Bureau of the French Concession was brightly lit.

Lei Nuo stood in the second-floor office, his face ashen. He had just received a report that Mutoh Chiaki's corpse had been dumped at the gate of the Public Administration Bureau, like throwing away a dead dog.

'Merde!' Lei Nuo slammed the documents in his hand onto the floor, 'This damned Lin Yu, who does he think he is?!'

Deputy Bureau Chief Debwa stood at the side, his face equally grim: 'Tonight's actions are too outrageous. That unit, running amok in our concession, has seized all the police...'

'Have you ever seen such an army?' Lei Nuo gritted his teeth, 'Their equipment and discipline are simply not of this era! The firepower of those heavy machine guns could blockade an entire street.'

'Bureau Chief,' Debwa lowered his voice, 'The police we had arranged in advance were all disarmed by them. Every intersection has their heavy machine gun teams; we simply cannot resist.'

Lei Nuo drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself: 'Where exactly did this unit come from? Their training level and equipment quality far surpass any army of this era.'

'No one knows,' Debwa shook his head, 'But they are absolutely loyal to Lin Yu. Tonight's operation was as precise as a precision machine. Every soldier knew exactly what to do, and they coordinated flawlessly.'

'He is warning us,' Lei Nuo walked to the window, looking at the corpse below cordoned off by police tape.

'A warning?'

'The deaths of Mutoh Chiaki and Qin Dong Zhi are no coincidence,' Lei Nuo's voice trembled slightly, 'He is telling us that even the French Concession is no longer safe. That mysterious unit can crush our defenses at any time.'

The office fell silent. Outside, the night sky gradually faded, but both knew that the impact of this sleepless night had only just begun.

Lin Yu told them in the most direct way: In this chaotic Shen City, even the French Concession is no longer a place where one can do as one pleases. And that unit of unknown origin will become everyone's nightmare.

Lin Yu lay on the soft bed of Lin Gong Guan, entering sweet dreams. Every step of tonight's layout was under his control.

But at this moment, the Security Command Headquarters was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere.

Although outwardly they claimed Qin Dong Zhi was merely seriously injured, rumors had already begun to spread quietly in Shen City's underworld. Some said Commander Qin had already breathed his last; some said it was revenge by the Japanese; others said it was a carefully plotted conspiracy.

In the compound of the Security Command Headquarters, lights blazed. The on-duty soldiers were tense, their hands gripping their rifles trembling slightly. No one knew what would happen next, but everyone could feel that Shen City was about to undergo a great upheaval.

In Qin Dong Zhi's office, his personal secretary Li Mingze sat in the corner, smoking one cigarette after another. As an eyewitness to the whole affair, he understood its origins and development better than anyone.

Qin Dong Zhi was too confident.

He thought he could play a balancing act between Lin Yu and Mutoh Chiaki, not realizing he himself was the piece being played. He considered himself old and crafty, believing his status was enough to make anyone think twice, but he overlooked a fatal problem: in this chaotic age, anyone could become a pawn.

From beginning to end, Qin Dong Zhi had a fatal flaw in his thinking: he believed Lin Yu would not dare to move against him.

As Security Commander, holding heavy troops and backed by the court, these halos gave him a certain illusion. He thought he could pull teeth from a tiger's mouth, repeatedly test the dangerous edge. He even felt he was the ultimate winner.

Too bad, he was wrong.

In this ever-changing Shen City, anyone could become someone's stepping stone. Lin Yu told everyone in the most brutal way: in his eyes, there is no one he cannot move against.

Li Mingze stubbed out his cigarette, gave a bitter smile, and shook his head. He recalled Qin Dong Zhi's incredulous gaze before death; perhaps even until his last breath, this old fox never understood why it had come to this.

In the corridor of the Security Command Headquarters, footsteps came and went. Everyone was waiting, waiting for this sleepless night to pass, waiting for a new order to be established in Shen City.

At this moment, Lin Yu was sleeping peacefully in dreamland. This young ruler, with a meticulously plotted drama, completely transformed the pattern of Shen City.