"Tianyi Warehouse, Nancheng Warehouse, Jianghe Grain Warehouse," Jiang YunHan murmured, eyes thoughtful. "They form a triangle. With mutual support, any two can reach the third in about three hours."
"It's feasible," he added after a moment, "but in all of Jiangbei there's only one person capable of pulling it off—you."
He didn't flatter; he meant it. After what they'd seen, only Chen Xiao had the strength and the nerve to take control of those scattered forces—just like he had today.
"Fine. I'll form the Jiangbei Triangle Force." Chen Xiao's smile was cold. "Doctor Jiang, Little Monk — you two will be the vanguard to retake Tianyi and Nancheng."
Both men stared. How had the plan turned into them doing the reclaiming? Didn't Chen Xiao lead this force?
Jiang YunHan poked the Little Monk's hat and said calmly, "You want it both ways."The Little Monk blinked. "Both ways?""You want to be top in Jiangbei and still head to Jiangnan to settle your own business." Jiang YunHan smirked.
The Little Monk's eyes widened. "Chen Xiao — are you really going after someone else's fiancée?"Chen Xiao nearly spat blood. "Watch your mouth. Tang Shirou has always been mine." Jiang Chu Xue felt a strange pang at that—she knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help it.
Chen Xiao gathered everyone and spoke plainly. "Jianghe has five S-rank fighters. Nancheng still has some of your old men. They can sweep through Jiangbei if coordinated. When I return, I want to see a working base. That's your specialty." He patted Jiang YunHan's shoulder and smiled.
Jiang Chu Xue clenched her teeth. "Brother Chen Xiao, the Tang family is terrifying. My brother and the Little Monk are strong—won't you take them with you?"Jiang YunHan blushed—his sister's plea was embarrassingly forward. Was Chen Xiao really planning to go alone? Lately her behavior had felt...off.
Chen Xiao shook his head. "Exactly because the Tang family is so dangerous, it's better I go alone." He didn't want to expose others to the greatest risk. If things turned dire he could run; they might not have that chance.
When people learned Chen Xiao was leaving, farewells came reluctantly. The Little Monk insisted on going until Jiang Chu Xue promised hot pot—then he shut up. Hugs and shouted goodbyes followed. Meeting Jiang Chu Xue's bright, worried eyes, Chen Xiao felt he couldn't delay. Tang Shirou and Dashan were waiting for him.
—
The next day, in Jiangnan, the Tang family defense base loomed like a fortress planted on the barren plain. It fused ancient scale with modern defenses—walls plated in heavy alloy that reflected the sun, turrets and emplacements bristling like a steel hedge. Each machine gun had automatic tracking; any intruder within three hundred meters would be instantly swept by lethal fire. A ring of remains lay beyond that zone—those who tested the Tang family's will had paid with their lives.
A hundred meters outside the wall, a brutal scene played out. Three figures fought amid corpses. One man stood on a hill of bodies, drenched in blood, yet never stepping back. He wore shredded shorts; his muscles were slabs of stone. Every inch of him radiated raw force.
That was Dashan—Chen Xiao's man. Before him stood two enemies: the Beekeeper, wrapped in deep black with his hood drawn, and a second man in black, mask concealing his face, his presence as cold as a drawn blade.
"You big fool," the Beekeeper said dryly, watching Dashan with obvious puzzlement. "Miss Tang is already back inside. Why are you still here? You get beaten half to death and come back again less than a day later—what drives you?"
"I lost my sister-in-law. I'll get her back." Dashan's voice was low, unwavering. He stared at the observation tower; on it stood a woman and four men. The woman—dressed in black lace, hair piled high—had tears on her cheeks. It was Tang Shirou. Beside her were three black-clad figures and an old man in a purple silk robe embroidered with gold. Gems at his collar flickered in the sun. Despite his silver hair, he held himself with authority—Tang Xiangui, head of the Jiangnan Tang family.
"Shirou, half a month away and you come back like this," Tang Xiangui said flatly. "Settle down and prepare to marry into the Yang family."
Tang Shirou's voice cracked. "Tang Xiangui… I'd rather die than marry Yang Kai." The Yang family's reputation was vile—rumors of assault, cruelty and taking advantage of the apocalypse to indulge their worst impulses. At the memory, her face twisted with disgust.
Tang Xiangui's expression hardened. "I'm your grandfather and head of the Tang family. Do you dare defy me?"
"You locked my father in the basement, tortured him," Tang Shirou shot back. "You have no right to call yourself family. My father opposed the marriage—he's being punished. He shouldn't complain even if you cut him off from food and water."
Tang Xiangui didn't bother to conceal his contempt. "You must marry the Yang family. It's crucial for Tang's entry into the capital circle."
"If I die, send my corpse to them," Tang Shirou said, almost laughing at the absurdity. Tang Xiangui shrugged. "If you die, I'll be relieved. Look at that fool below—hahaha. This is the fourth time he's come? He keeps calling you 'sister-in-law'—ridiculous. Anyone who touches you will be crushed to dust."
Dashan's jaw tightened. He wasn't a man to stop and negotiate. He'd kept coming for two reasons: loyalty and refusal to let the Tang family treat Shirou like an object.
The Beekeeper's voice remained dry, but there was a practiced calm in him—an executioner's restraint. The second black-clad man moved like a shadow, cold and precise. Together they were the kind of team Tang Xiangui would trust to enforce his orders without a second thought.
Below, Dashan faced them without hesitation. He didn't shout or beg. He only advanced.
The Beekeeper sighed. "He's foolish, but he keeps coming. Fine—let him learn."
They struck.
The battlefield became a brutal calculus of strength and will: a thunderous exchange of blows, the Beekeeper's silent strikes, the black man's precise slashes, and Dashan's wild, bulldozer-like power. Blood and grit mixed as the three clashed, each testing the other's limits.
—
Back in Jiangbei, Chen Xiao's plan had been set. The Jiangbei Triangle Force—Tianyi, Nancheng, Jianghe—would become a coordinated network. Tianyi and Nancheng would be reclaimed under the Little Monk and Doctor Jiang's watch, stabilizing the north and freeing Chen Xiao to go south, where the Tang family's power waited.
Chen Xiao was a man of action. He had decided: he would go to Jiangnan alone. He would not expose his people to the Tang family's reach unless absolutely necessary. If he could resolve the matter himself and return, the Triangle would be whole; if not, he would make whatever choice was required.
From the fort's towers to the plain below, the long shadow of conflict stretched on. Somewhere inside that role of power and duty, Chen Xiao felt the knot of responsibility tighten—Tang Shirou, Dashan, the people who trusted him. He had set his course. The Triangle would be born in steel and blood, but it would be built.