Chapter 223: Trapped Like Rats
In the blink of an eye, it was already May 9th.
That afternoon, Cui Zilong received a message from the Five Four Gang leader:
the Brotherhood would gather at 8 p.m. that night at a manor in the southern suburbs to discuss important gang matters.
By then, all the Brotherhood's top leaders, most mid-level commanders, and many regular members would be assembled — more than 500 men gathered at once.
Such an opportunity could not be missed — it was the perfect chance to wipe them out in one swoop.
Clearly, the Brotherhood had spies planted within the Five Four Gang.
Likewise, the Five Four Gang likely had informants embedded in the Brotherhood.
Thus, the Five Four Gang leader kept the operation highly secret, informing only his most trusted top officers beforehand.
Cui Zilong and the others had been in Manila for three days now, patiently waiting for such a chance.
The guns from the Five Four Gang had already been secretly handed over to Li Weiguo and his men:
each now carried a handgun, and a few also wielded sniper rifles.
In a place like the Philippines, fists were secondary — gunfights were the norm.
This was a country where gun ownership was legal; no matter how skilled you were in hand-to-hand combat, you couldn't fight bullets barehanded.
For the past few days, to avoid alerting Brotherhood spies at Green Island Cement Company's plant, everyone kept a low profile.
They even wore factory uniforms and helped out on the production line, blending in perfectly as newly recruited workers.
Many of these veterans had industrial work experience from their time in mainland China, so they adapted easily, earning praise from the factory manager for relieving the plant's labor shortage.
Knowing the Brotherhood had likely planted informants among the factory workers, no one could afford to let anything slip.
New hires were commonplace after the recent wave of employee departures caused by Brotherhood threats, so nothing seemed suspicious.
Upon receiving the intelligence, Cui Zilong immediately began mobilizing with Li Weiguo to prepare for the night's action.
This was real combat, with real bullets and real danger — there was no room for error.
In a dormitory at Green Island Cement's factory,
Cui Zilong, Li Weiguo, and the five best snipers were gathered.
Outside, someone loitered in the corridor pretending to smoke, secretly guarding against eavesdroppers.
Inside the room, they finalized their battle plan.
Each sniper held a photo — the Brotherhood's five key figures, including the gang leader and four top lieutenants.
"You've all studied the layout around the manor.
There's an abandoned chemical plant about 500 meters away, with water towers three or four stories tall — perfect sniping positions.
Tonight, your targets are these five men.
Take them out, and there will be generous rewards," Li Weiguo instructed.
At 500 meters, hitting the targets would be easy for seasoned snipers.
Meanwhile, the other 195 men would assist the Five Four Gang, acting to contain and trap the Brotherhood's forces once the gunfight started.
The plan was to strike the Brotherhood leadership first, crippling their command structure, then trap the gang within the manor for an all-out assault.
Without leadership, the Brotherhood would collapse into chaos — an easy target.
The Five Four Gang's leader had already promised to mobilize over a thousand men for the operation.
Although the Five Four Gang claimed to have more than three thousand members, they couldn't empty their entire forces —
they still needed to protect their turf against rival gangs.
Only the most trusted men were informed of tonight's real objective to prevent leaks.
Normally, gangs avoided large-scale gun battles;
even the turf war a few days ago, involving over a thousand men, had been the biggest conflict in years.
But tonight, with two hundred elite veterans assisting, the Five Four Gang's leader felt confident enough to gamble everything.
If they won, the Brotherhood's territories would all be theirs.
Soon, it was after 7 p.m., and night had fallen.
Mr. Xiao from the Five Four Gang called — they were ready to move.
Li Weiguo led the two hundred men to board buses.
The vehicles dropped them two kilometers from the manor,
and they proceeded on foot to their positions — no problem for trained long-distance runners.
The five snipers moved into the abandoned chemical plant and climbed into the high water towers, setting up their scopes to observe the brightly lit manor.
Despite the darkness, the manor was so well-lit that it looked almost like daytime,
allowing the snipers to easily monitor everything inside.
Meanwhile, Li Weiguo and the remaining 195 men took up concealed positions around the manor's perimeter.
Their mission: block all exits and prevent any Brotherhood members from escaping.
The Five Four Gang had farther to travel but had left earlier,
so they would arrive soon.
The Brotherhood's meeting would take time — no need to rush.
If they moved too early and tipped their hand, the Brotherhood might reinforce defenses and cause heavier casualties.
Li Weiguo positioned himself on a tree a few dozen meters from the manor wall, observing the interior faintly through the bright lights.
The Brotherhood's manor was well-chosen:
secluded, with no nearby residents, near the sea, complete with palm trees and a large swimming pool — clearly used for the leadership's leisure.
But none of that mattered now.
Li Weiguo lifted his radio.
"Ah Qiang, what's the situation inside?" he asked the lead sniper.
"Report, Commander:
targets are dispersed for now.
We have not yet identified the main figures," came the crisp reply.
"Good. Keep monitoring. Report any changes immediately," Li Weiguo instructed.
"Understood!"
The 195 men around the perimeter waited silently for further orders.
Li Weiguo squinted toward the distance.
Two or three kilometers away, multiple headlights flickered — the Five Four Gang's convoy was approaching.
Two minutes later, the radio crackled again.
"Report, Commander:
The Brotherhood's members are gathering in the manor's courtyard.
We estimate over 500 people present.
Our primary targets are delivering speeches!"
Li Weiguo checked his luminous watch: it was 8:05 p.m.
"Can you confirm your targets?" he asked urgently.
"Confirmed.
All five targets are locked in our sights.
Additionally, guards at the entrance are armed with submachine guns," came the response.
It wasn't difficult to identify armed individuals —
especially in the Philippines, where even civilians openly carried guns.
Brotherhood members concealed pistols inside their jackets for easy quick-draw access.
Gun control was nonexistent here, unlike in Hong Kong, where most gangsters still used knives.
Thus, Li Weiguo knew he had to act carefully —
the lives of two hundred men depended on his orders.
He glanced again toward the distant road.
The Five Four Gang's convoy was now less than a kilometer away,
their headlights off, just as agreed.
The faint rumble of engines confirmed their approach.
The time had come.
Li Weiguo issued the final command:
"All snipers: fire simultaneously.
Eliminate the five primary targets,
then immediately shift to neutralize the two gate guards with submachine guns!"
These five were the best snipers among the veterans —
the mission had to be flawless.
"Yes, sir!" came their steady replies.
"Bang!"
Five gunshots ripped through the night sky almost simultaneously.
Five bullets streaked toward their marks.
Moments later, the snipers shifted their scopes and picked off the two armed guards.
...
Back in Hong Kong, at the Lin family villa in the Shixun Dao District,
it was already past 10 p.m.
Lin Haoran had just put down a book and stepped out of his study, preparing for bed.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
Helplessly, he returned to the study and answered it.
"Boss, it's Li Weiguo," came the calm voice from the other end.