Chapter 439: Grand Finale (Part 1): The Party's Over

Sitting in the car, fatigue washed over me completely. Thinking back on everything that had just happened, I could barely remember what occurred.

However, judging from Xiao Hua's expression, this matter had been a success.

In the car, Xiao Hua told me that from the very beginning, he knew there must be something wrong on my end, so in the entire plan, my part was just one step. The goal was to lure everyone to the teahouse, where two of his men were standing by, one of whom was wearing another human-skin mask.

If Wang Baqiu didn't make a move, then my side would put on the big show until the end. But if any problem arose on my end—if I was exposed or Wang Baqiu got rough—he still had a backup plan.

As soon as Panzi went down, he knew things had changed and was already prepared. Sure enough, Wang Baqiu immediately showed up, clearly having been lying in ambush nearby. He instantly sent a message to his men, leading to the scene that had just played out.

I said, "That was plenty thrilling. If that guy had sent the text a few minutes later, we'd be dead."

Xiao Hua said, "In this line of work, you can't survive on luck." As he spoke, he showed me his phone, which had a text message: "Sixth Master, Third Master has brought a lot of people to our shop. What to do?" "Lao Liu's most capable subordinate. When he was singing karaoke with me yesterday, he didn't realize his phone had been swapped," Xiao Hua said. "Unfortunately, these little tricks always work."

I gave a bitter laugh inside, not knowing what to say. But at least the most excruciating morning of my life was over.

The human-skin mask fit perfectly. I smoked half a pack of cigarettes in the car before slowly recovering. I asked what would happen when these people went back.

Xiao Hua said, "I don't know yet, but at least the fact that Third Master has returned is now a reality. Your Third Uncle's reputation in Changsha has been established for decades. When Panzi starts moving around again, the momentum will be completely different

"I just feel it's uncertain—the morale has already collapsed. Can it really be revived just by saying so?"

"Let me give you an example. A lot of new guys in the trade grew up hearing Third Master's stories. They worship him like a god. If Panzi says he's doing something for Third Master, they'd die willingly. But the premise is that Panzi must represent Third Master. They'd feel that working for Panzi can get them into Third Master's circle and gain his guidance." Xiao Hua said, "That's the difference. There's no small number of these people, and Panzi can't mobilize them on his own."

I nodded. That did make sense. Xiao Hua continued, "Among those guys just now, a large portion are definitely the ones Panzi can directly call on. Wang Baqiu and the fishmonger are still trouble, but we'll have to face them head-on."

I asked about Panzi. Xiao Hua said, "You'll see him soon. He's already been discharged from the hospital."

"Discharged? Why did he need to be discharged?" I said. "He's fucking throwing his life away."

"Tonight is crucial." Xiao Hua said. "The results we've gotten so far need someone to cash in. Panzi has to show up and confirm exactly how many circles are on our side. Then, later tonight, Wang Baqiu and Lao Liu have to be eliminated."

My heart jumped. "What do you mean?"

"Never let things drag past sundown—that's Third Master's rule. Wang Baqiu knows it well, and he won't just sit there waiting to die." Xiao Hua said, glancing at the sky. "It's going to rain tonight. Weather for bloodshed."

I stared at him, surprised. "You say such terrible things without any pressure. Can't we avoid it?"

Xiao Hua smiled. "That line was said by my grandfather, then told to me by my mother. I was only seventeen when I heard it." He sighed. "Pressure... when you talk about it enough, it just disappears."

I frowned, feeling a chill of fear. I'd never thought something like this would happen. I asked, "Do we really have to do it? Why not just make an anonymous call to the cops and get him taken out that way?"

"The nickname 'Naive' really wasn't wrong." Xiao Hua said. "If I were your Third Uncle, maybe I could have found a way to keep you naive. Too bad I'm not. Young Master, face reality—this is the choice you made." I was silent, staring out at Changsha beyond the car window, remembering that Panzi had said something similar to me. It really was my choice.

We went back to the small inn where we'd stayed last night, picked up our luggage, and moved into Xiao Hua's "guesthouse" in Changsha. It was slightly worse than the one in Sichuan, clearly having been renovated a long time ago. It must have been a transit station he set up when he first made it big. The chef in the guesthouse canteen was said to have been the head chef at Lion Tower before, and he made us three exquisite little dishes.

We went back to the room. While eating, I asked again when tonight's business would start. Xiao Hua smiled without answering, just kept urging me to drink.

It was a kind of liquor I couldn't identify; I suspected it might be green-bean liquor, the kind of raw distiller's grains those earth-tunnel guys often drank, with some rock sugar and medicinal herbs. It was spicy going down, with a faint taste of green-bean soup. But after a few cups, I got drunk without warning. I don't even remember when I blacked out.

When I woke up, it was already the next morning. I saw Xiao Hua and Panzi lying on the sofa in my room, both covered in bloodstains, fast asleep. I looked at the bright sunshine outside the window and knew that everything was already over.

By tacit agreement, I didn't ask about the details of that night. I only knew that seven circles had sided with us. Wang Baqiu and the fishmonger's men were all a motley rabble; they themselves were better at managing their business than at fighting. The outcome spoke for itself. Panzi collected the outstanding payments from the circles under him, totaling nearly ten million, and quickly restructured the collapsed central Changsha circle. During that time, I was like a mascot, just putting in appearances here and there.

By the time I left Changsha and flew to Hangzhou, the central circle already had more than forty men. Most were new, but under Panzi's control, the flow of goods was stumbling along again. The whole Changsha situation had stabilized.

From then on, the initial crisis was over. Once I was back in Hangzhou, I wouldn't need to face the bloody storms like in Changsha; it would just be the gentle breeze and bright moon. During this period, Panzi would stay in Changsha to scout out a team for me, using Third Uncle's fame and money to gather some decent lamas, while I had to stay in Hangzhou, handling the backlog of Third Uncle's affairs and systematically imitating Third Uncle, including his voice.

That seemed difficult. Xiao Hua taught me some tricks, aiming to make Third Uncle's voice and face seem less jarring by the time we set off to rescue them in Banai.

After that, Xiao Hua would go back to Beijing and continue to play cat and mouse with the Huo family, buying time until Panzi had the team assembled.

Our plan was to complete everything in five days. I silently prayed that Poker-face, Fatty, and the others would hold on. They had to wait until I came down! I'll skip the tedious details. Five days later, I, Xiao Hua, and Panzi flew to Guangxi from Hangzhou, Beijing, and Changsha respectively. The three teams met at the Guangxi airport. As soon as I arrived, I saw Panzi coming over with more than twenty men, all pretending to be a tour group. Panzi was holding a little flag that said "CYTS" and wearing an earphone mic, grinning at me.

Sure enough, Panzi couldn't be killed. In five days, his injuries certainly hadn't healed, but his complexion was completely different. His hair was dyed black. Xiao Hua only brought Xiuxiu with him; the two looked like a young couple.

I was alone, wearing the clothes Third Uncle often wore. Suddenly I felt a sense of loneliness. When these people reached me, Panzi said to the ones behind him, "Call him Third Master."

"Third Master!" Everyone behind him shouted. I nodded, trying not to speak. Panzi led the way ahead.

We got into a few beat-up minivans. I, Xiao Hua, and Panzi rode in the front one. On the way, Panzi introduced some of the people in the rear vans to me.

I listened with particular care. I knew that normally these steps were done by Third Uncle. Now I was Third Uncle. When Panzi wasn't around, these people would listen to me. Many of my decisions would affect the lives and deaths of these people behind me. I couldn't go on drifting aimlessly like before, going underground with the mindset of a tourist.

"In seven hours, we'll reach Banai. I've already contacted Agui. After that, we'll go into the mountains immediately. But there's a problem now. Everyone needs to be mentally prepared, especially Third Master." Panzi said.

"What?" I asked.