The victory at the docks spread through the city faster than anyone expected.
In the underworld, news traveled like fire in dry grass.
Within two days, every bar owner, gambler, and small gang in the district had heard the same story.
The Black Tiger Gang had been forced to retreat.
And the man who broke their leader in the middle of the warehouse fight had a name.
Li Wei.
The rain returned that week.
Heavy, endless rain that turned the city streets into mirrors reflecting thousands of neon lights.
Inside Golden Phoenix Nightclub, business was better than ever.
Music thundered through the building.
Hostesses laughed with wealthy customers.
Stacks of money flowed through the counting room like a river.
But on the third floor, inside Chen Guoqiang's private office, the mood was different.
Quiet.
Serious.
Chen stood by the window, watching the rain slide down the glass.
Behind him sat Zhang Qiang and Li Wei.
On the table lay several folders.
Chen tapped one slowly.
"The Black Tiger Gang has pulled back," he said.
Zhang Qiang nodded.
"They've gone back to their district."
Chen's expression remained calm.
"For now."
Li Wei spoke.
"They'll come back."
Chen glanced at him.
"Exactly."
He opened the folder.
Inside were photographs of several men.
"They're reorganizing," Chen said. "And they're bringing in outside help."
Zhang Qiang frowned.
"From where?"
Chen turned another page.
"The north."
The room went silent.
Everyone in the underworld knew what that meant.
Northern gangs were bigger.
Richer.
More violent.
Chen finally looked at Li Wei again.
"The city is changing."
He paused.
"And you're going to help me stay ahead of it."
Later that night, Li Wei walked alone through the back hallway of Golden Phoenix.
The loud music faded as he moved deeper into the building.
He reached a door at the end of the corridor.
Inside was the training room.
Several men were already there.
Heavy bags hung from the ceiling.
The floor was covered with thick mats.
Zhang Qiang stood in the center, wrapping his hands.
"You're late," Zhang said.
Li Wei removed his jacket.
"I wasn't invited."
Zhang grinned.
"You are now."
He tossed Li Wei a pair of gloves.
"Boss Chen says if you're going to rise in this world…"
"…you need to become stronger than everyone else."
Li Wei slipped the gloves on.
The other men stepped back.
Zhang Qiang cracked his neck.
"Let's see how good you really are."
The first punch came fast.
Zhang Qiang swung hard.
Li Wei blocked it.
The two men began circling.
Every man in the room watched silently.
Zhang attacked again.
A hook toward Li Wei's ribs.
Li Wei stepped aside and countered with a sharp jab.
The impact snapped Zhang's head slightly back.
Zhang laughed.
"Good!"
Then he attacked harder.
The two men exchanged blows across the room.
Fists thudded against gloves.
Feet scraped across the mat.
The fight grew faster.
More brutal.
Finally Zhang Qiang threw a powerful punch toward Li Wei's jaw.
Li Wei ducked.
Then drove his fist into Zhang's stomach.
Zhang staggered back.
The room exploded with cheers.
Zhang raised both hands.
"Enough!"
He laughed loudly.
"Looks like the farmer really can fight."
Li Wei pulled off the gloves.
Sweat ran down his neck.
Zhang studied him carefully.
"You know what your problem is?" Zhang said.
Li Wei looked at him.
"You still think too much."
Zhang tapped his chest.
"In this world, the moment you hesitate…"
"…someone puts a knife in your back."
Li Wei nodded slowly.
He was beginning to understand.
Two nights later, Chen Guoqiang called another meeting.
This time the room was filled with more men than usual.
The tension in the air was heavy.
Chen stood at the head of the table.
"The northern gang arrives tomorrow," he said.
Zhang Qiang crossed his arms.
"Already?"
Chen nodded.
"They'll meet with the Black Tiger Gang."
Li Wei spoke.
"They're forming an alliance."
Chen looked at him.
"Yes."
He paused.
"And if that alliance forms… they'll control half the city."
Silence fell over the room.
Chen leaned forward.
"So tonight… we stop it."
The target was a luxury restaurant near the river.
Private rooms.
High security.
The perfect place for gang leaders to meet.
Black cars lined the street when Li Wei and the others arrived.
Rain poured down harder than ever.
Zhang Qiang checked the street.
"Looks like everyone's inside."
Chen turned to Li Wei.
"This meeting cannot happen."
Li Wei nodded.
"How far do we go?"
Chen's voice was calm.
"As far as necessary."
They entered the restaurant.
The elegant lobby smelled of expensive wine and roasted meat.
But the moment the gang members walked inside, the atmosphere changed.
Customers noticed the tension immediately.
A nervous waiter stepped forward.
"Sir!"
Zhang Qiang brushed past him.
"Private room upstairs."
The waiter froze.
Moments later, they reached the door.
Two large guards stood outside.
One of them stepped forward.
"You can't!"
Li Wei moved first.
His fist struck the man's throat.
The second guard reached for a weapon.
Zhang Qiang slammed him against the wall.
The door burst open.
Inside, several men sat around a large table.
Among them was the injured leader of the Black Tiger Gang.
And two unfamiliar men from the north.
Everyone froze.
Chen Guoqiang stepped inside slowly.
"I believe this meeting wasn't meant to include me."
The room exploded into chaos.
Chairs fell.
Men grabbed weapons.
One of the northern gang members pulled a pistol.
Li Wei flipped the table before the shot fired.
The bullet smashed into the wall.
The fight began instantly.
Glass shattered.
Men crashed into furniture.
Zhang Qiang knocked one man across the room with a brutal punch.
Another attacker rushed Li Wei with a knife.
Li Wei grabbed a chair and smashed it into him.
Wood splintered everywhere.
The northern gang leader tried to escape toward the back door.
But Li Wei blocked his path.
They faced each other across the ruined room.
"You don't know what you're doing," the man growled.
Li Wei's voice was calm.
"Yes."
"I do."
The man attacked.
But within seconds, Li Wei slammed him against the wall.
The man's breath left his body in a painful gasp.
The room slowly fell silent.
Chen Guoqiang stepped forward.
He looked around the destroyed meeting room.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Now," he said quietly.
"There will be no alliance."
An hour later, the restaurant lights went dark.
The meeting had been destroyed.
The northern gang left the city that very night.
And once again, the underworld whispered the same name.
Li Wei.
The quiet man from the village.
The man who was becoming something far more dangerous.
And as the rain washed blood from the streets outside…
The city had already begun to understand something.
A new shadow was rising.
And soon.....
That shadow would belong to the entire city.