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Zhang Qiu suddenly smiled, "So you know the secret of the jade pendant. It makes sense; if you didn't know, why would you come looking for it?"
Zhang Qiu knew that the other party wouldn't tell him directly, so he could only probe step by step. The response from T-Shirt Man confirmed his suspicions; no matter how they found out, they already knew about the White Tiger.
T-Shirt Man also smiled and said, "Then you should know that with your abilities, you have no chance of guarding the jade pendant!"
"Well, we'll have to see about that."
As soon as Zhang Qiu finished speaking, two bottles shattered on the ground. T-Shirt Man's expression changed drastically as he sniffed the air, "Is that... alcohol?"
"To be precise, it's a Molotov Cocktail."
"Trying to scare me? As far as I know, very few people can make a real Molotov Cocktail."
"The mountain doesn't need to be high; it becomes famous with a deity. The alcohol doesn't need to be real; it just needs to burn."
"And what about this?" T-Shirt Man pulled out a gun, pointing the dark muzzle at Zhang Qiu.
The Brothers of White Day immediately took out iron rods and machetes. Several people behind T-Shirt Man drew their guns and aimed towards the west. At that moment, both parties faced off against each other. Meanwhile, Zhang Qiu's companion, Yang Yu, took out a lighter and flicked it on, preparing to throw.
Zhang Qiu raised his hand to stop any further action and said slowly, "You must know that having the White Tiger alone is useless; only I can control it."
"No, no, no," T-Shirt Man scoffed at Zhang Qiu's claim. "I believe our strength far surpasses yours."
"Don't you know the legends? Or have you never considered taking on the responsibilities bestowed by the White Tiger?"
"Regardless of how I want it, do you have a choice?"
T-Shirt Man laughed heartily; he had never thought about taking on the responsibility of the White Tiger. The group sent him here with only one goal: to obtain the White Tiger. As for what to do afterward, it was obviously to research more powerful weapons and advanced technology. As for any responsibilities, to hell with that. Money, only money mattered the most.
Zhang Qiu looked at the laughing T-Shirt Man, feeling more frustrated than ever before. It was like facing a curled-up hedgehog, with no way to attack. In the past, whether it was Wang Guodong or Chen Hu, he may have been weak but could still take a few bites out of them. But now, he didn't even know who the other party was; with just a few people, he couldn't make a move. Once a shot was fired, injuring any brother would be trouble. The other party could just walk away afterward, while he would be left holding the bag.
T-Shirt Man asked again, "So, are you going to give it or not?"
Zhang Qiu kept staring into T-Shirt Man's eyes, hoping to find a chance to strike. To catch the thief, one must first capture the leader; if he wanted to protect the Brothers, this was the only feasible method.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Suddenly, there was a sound of someone banging on the door. A brother near the door shouted out that they were closed for business. Outside, voices rose in anger: "Zhang Qiu, you coward! I'm out today; if you have guts, come out and fight me fair and square instead of calling the police."
Zhang Qiu's heart stirred; an opportunity had come, but his plan to catch the leader had to change as well. The shouting voice outside was all too familiar; it could only be Mao Tong. With Mao Tong showing up at this time, Zhang Qiu felt grateful.
Zhang Qiu said, "Should I open the door or not? If I don't open it, they will break in within two minutes."
T-Shirt Man looked grimly at the banging door behind him; he was about to succeed when suddenly a group of people showed up to cause trouble. In any case, he was determined to obtain the jade pendant from Zhang Qiu, and no one could stop him today from getting it. T-Shirt Man said to Zhang Qiu, "As long as you are willing to hand over the jade pendant, besides giving you money, I can also help you deal with those outside."
"The jade pendant can wait; I will handle things outside myself. You all step aside." Qiu Wan shouted, "Open the door!"
The brother guarding the door opened it, and Mao Tong rushed in with his men. Seeing only about twenty people inside, Mao Tong laughed loudly: "Zhang Qiu, today I've got you cornered inside; let's see what tricks you can pull."
From behind Mao Tong, people continuously entered, each holding a machete. Dozens of gleaming machetes reflected a chilling silver light under the illumination, and Mao Tong was quite satisfied with his side's momentum, standing tall like a victorious rooster. At the same time, Mao Tong noticed several individuals in the center of the hall who were clearly not part of Zhang Qiu's group, especially the one leading them, the T-Shirt Man.
The T-Shirt Man had already put away his gun. Seeing Mao Tong looking at him, he shrugged and stepped aside, saying, "As long as your conflict doesn't involve us, it's fine."
Since Zhang Qiu was handling it himself, he decided to stay out of it. With so many people on the opposing side and so few on Zhang Qiu's, the disparity was obvious. When Zhang Qiu could no longer hold on, his own people would step in to help; he wasn't worried about Zhang Qiu not handing over the jade pendant.
Mao Tong treated them as customers there to enjoy themselves and raised his machete, pointing it at Zhang Qiu: "Zhang Qiu, our grievances end today."
"Then let's do this."
Without hesitation, Zhang Qiu grabbed a steel pipe from one of his brothers behind him and charged forward. He felt frustrated inside, and Mao Tong's appearance was just the opportunity he needed to vent.
Mao Tong was startled and quickly swung his knife to block. He hadn't expected Zhang Qiu to be so reckless despite the overwhelming difference in strength.
With a clang, metal met metal; when the first strike missed, Zhang Qiu kicked out again, landing a blow right in Mao Tong's abdomen. However, Mao Tong managed to retreat just in time, only receiving a light hit before swinging his machete toward Zhang Qiu.
As soon as Zhang Qiu engaged with Mao Tong, Yang Yu and others joined in, turning the entire hall into a cacophony of shouts and clashes. Rui Rui and Jiang Xue also grabbed wine bottles from the bar and took their chances to smash them over opponents' heads, taking down two or three foes.
Meanwhile, the T-Shirt Man watched this medieval-style brawl with great interest. Zhang Qiu displayed fierce determination, but unfortunately for him, even the fiercest fighters feared being outnumbered. In this overwhelming situation, the twenty or so people struggling would not have a favorable outcome. Zhang Qiu's side began to consolidate their experience, forming a tight circle like they had during their previous attack on Azure Blue Rose.
Suddenly, Zhang Qiu shouted: "Light it up."
Without prior discussion, Yang Yu immediately understood what Zhang Qiu meant. With a series of crashes, several bottles shattered as Yang Yu tossed out a lit lighter. With a whoosh, flames spread across the floor; Mao Tong's side shouted in panic to avoid it. A few unfortunate souls caught fire and scrambled away in terror.
The Molotov Cocktail was a makeshift creation by Rui Rui, using liquor mixed with diesel from the generator after hearing that the opposing side had guns. It wasn't authentic, and the flames were not very large; it could only temporarily delay Mao Tong's side from advancing. Both parties shouted insults across a wall of fire, while Mao Tong's people began to flank from both sides, preparing to encircle Zhang Qiu and the others.
Zhang Qiu shouted, "Fall back to the second floor."
With the decision made, Zhang Qiu, Yang Yu, and Gao Zhi wielded their knives to cover their retreat as the others quickly moved to the second floor. Those who tried to bypass the wall of fire were cut down by Zhang Qiu and his two companions. Once on the second floor, Zhang Qiu looked at the stairway and sighed, "If only we had a few more people... just hold them at the stairs; no one gets up here."
"Brother Qiu, what do we do now?"
"Cicada Shedding Its Shell."
Gao Zhi panicked and shouted, "Brother Qiu, it's urgent now! Stop keeping us in suspense!"
A few brothers firmly guarded the stairway as Zhang Qiu and the others formed a circle and whispered, "Immediately call in a fire alarm; say there's a fire in the store, and it's spreading rapidly. Also, I noticed that window at the end of the second-floor hallway looks good; it leads directly outside. From there, we can access the ancient city. We'll leave through that."
"But Brother Qiu, how do we get down?"
Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "It's on fire; of course, we'll use the curtains."
"Brother Qiu, your mental fortitude is impressive; you can still laugh in a situation like this."
"A smile can last ten years. The more anxious you are, the more chaotic it becomes; it's better to stay calm."
"I'll make the call." Jiang Xue took out her phone and began dialing.
The fire on the first floor had gradually subsided. Mao Tong stood in the center of the first floor, coldly staring at Zhang Qiu, while the Brothers rushed up the stairs with knives in hand. Zhang Qiu instructed Rui Rui to take people to pull down the curtains and asked Yang Yu to hold the staircase. He then called Gao Zhi and ran into the office. Half a minute later, Zhang Qiu and Gao Zhi emerged carrying a tea table, and Yang Yu and the others quickly made way for them. They blocked the staircase with the tea table, at least preventing Mao Tong's people from coming up normally.
Zhang Qiu locked eyes with T-Shirt Man, who was in the corner gesturing with his phone to his ear. Hesitantly, Zhang Qiu took out his phone and indeed found a text message.
"If you want to understand, we can cooperate. Although they are numerous, they are just a rabble. We have guns, and within a minute we can intimidate them. If you are willing to hand over the jade pendant, just stand at the staircase and shout; we will act immediately."
Zhang Qiu smiled slightly and replied that he was unwilling. He glanced back and saw Rui Rui and others already in action; within ten minutes, his side would be able to leave safely. As for T-Shirt Man, he could stay here with Mao Tong. The fire department would arrive soon; White Day Fire could be temporarily abandoned without significant losses.
Seeing the content of the message, T-Shirt Man muttered something about overestimating himself and quietly watched the situation unfold. He did not believe that Zhang Qiu and his few people could contend against so many. T-Shirt Man thought Zhang Qiu was just putting on a brave face; in the end, he would still have to rely on himself.
The fighting at the staircase was the most intense; there was only this one passage from the first floor to the second floor, which was blocked by the tea table. Behind it, two rows of people waved gleaming machetes. To rush up, one not only had to deal with the machetes but also had to get over the tea table, which made it even more difficult.
Zhang Qiu led his people to gather all non-valuable items from the office—blankets, flower pots, chairs—and poured them down at the staircase. Mao Tong's people hurriedly covered their heads to avoid being hit, but many were still struck.
Mao Tong's expression grew increasingly grim; he had brought nearly two hundred people, while his opponents had at most thirty, yet they were managing to hold their ground on the second floor. Mao Tong shouted while swinging his knife: "Whoever gets up first will receive a bonus of two thousand at the end of the month!"
With such a heavy reward, there would surely be brave men willing to fight, especially under such obvious advantages. A new wave of attacks surged toward the second floor like a tide.
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