After three days of practice, Yang Jian could drive on the road independently.
He had arranged with his sister to go home together on the fourth. Yang Jian decided to set off at three in the afternoon, as the drive home would only take a little over an hour.
Since he planned not to return after the Qingming Festival, he had to work his last day, primarily to earn an extra thousand yuan.
At two in the afternoon, after receiving two thousand yuan from Song Jianmin, Yang Jian and Biao Biao first went to Changlong Company. After paying the money, they planned to visit the logging area for one last favor to Xiao Wu before heading home.
Just as they left Changlong Company, Li Jin's call came in.
"Xiao Yang, where are you?"
"Brother Jin, I just went to the company to pay money and was about to head to the logging area. Are you there?"
"Xiao Yang, pull over immediately. Don't come over. Then, call Jianmin and wait for me at the driving school entrance."
After saying this, Li Jin hung up.
What did he mean? Yang Jian was a bit bewildered.
"What's wrong, Brother Jian?"
Biao Biao didn't know the content of the call.
"Li Jin said he has something to discuss with me and asked me to call Jianmin and wait for him at the driving school entrance."
"Really? Maybe he wants to set up another Jin Hua gambling den. Since he's not at the logging area, let's go see him."
Biao Biao hoped Yang Jian would continue to run gambling dens, as it would bring him a substantial income, much higher than working at Brother Hao's place.
Running another den? It shouldn't be possible. Li Jin's tone was urgent, and he hung up after only two sentences. This was rather strange.
Yang Jian felt Li Jin wouldn't harm him, but he had to be cautious. He decided not to go to the logging area and to call Jianmin over first.
There were four or five more people added to the operation, so it wouldn't matter if a few were away. Jianmin had Sixi to manage the place.
Ten minutes later, Song Jianmin arrived at the driving school in his car and met up with Yang Jian, but Li Jin was nowhere to be seen.
As the three of them waited for Li Jin at the driving school entrance, the Fuqiao Foot Massage parlor at the intersection of Xunsi River Street was bustling with business.
Xiao Wu was enjoying a massage from a beautiful female technician in a VIP room on the second floor. Two of his four bodyguards were getting foot massages in the next room, while the other two sat not far from the door playing games.
"Don't move, or we'll kill you."
Suddenly, six young men wearing black masks rushed upstairs. One, armed with a pump-action shotgun, immediately subdued the two bodyguards. Another, wielding a cleaver, stood guard at the door of the two bodyguards getting foot massages.
The remaining four, carrying cleavers, stormed into Xiao Wu's room. The female technician, terrified, screamed and huddled in the corner.
Xiao Wu reacted quickly. Hearing the door being kicked open, he jumped off the bed and grabbed an ashtray from the bedside table, throwing it towards the door. Unfortunately, he missed.
The four men swarmed him, hacking at him with their knives. Helpless and unarmed, Xiao Wu could only cover his head and endure the blades slicing across his body. In less than a minute, he lost consciousness in a pool of blood.
The four men turned and left. From entering to exiting, it took only a minute. In the blink of an eye, all six rushed out of the foot massage parlor, got into a license-plate-less van, and sped away.
When the four bodyguards rushed into the room, they found Xiao Wu's wrists and ankles severed, and his body brutally chopped, leaving him bloody and mangled. Even if he survived, he would be unable to care for himself for the rest of his life and would spend it in a wheelchair.
Concurrently, a group of young men wearing black masks and wielding wooden clubs launched an attack on the casino by the railway. Song Jianhao and his new girlfriend had gone shopping and narrowly escaped.
Sixi, who was present, hadn't even had time to organize a defense before being beaten to the ground, bleeding, and losing consciousness.
Liangliang reacted the fastest. Upon hearing the commotion, he fled with the gamblers into the alleys of the Seventh Brigade.
Meanwhile, Sigou and other external lookouts were all severely injured.
At the driving school entrance, Yang Jian, Biao Biao, and Song Jianmin were still waiting for Li Jin, but his phone was unreachable.
At this moment, Song Jianmin's phone rang. It was Liangliang calling.
"Brother Jianmin, where are you?"
"I'm at the driving school entrance, Liangliang. What's wrong?"
"Brother Jianmin, something terrible has happened! The place has been raided. Sixi and the others have all been injured. What should we do? I'm too scared to go back."
Song Jianmin was shocked. "The place was raided? Do you know who did it? How many of our people escaped?"
"I don't know. There were about twenty to thirty people, all wearing black masks. We all scattered. I don't know how many escaped. I only saw Brother Sixi beaten to the ground."
"Stay where you are and call the police immediately. When the police arrive, they will surely send Sixi to the hospital. Go with them. I'll gather the others who escaped and meet you at the hospital."
Song Jianmin hung up before Liangliang could reply and immediately called Song Jianhao, telling him not to return to the Seventh Brigade and reporting the situation at the casino.
"Yang Jian, quickly call Xiao Wu and ask him what's going on!"
After finishing his call with his brother, Song Jianmin immediately asked Yang Jian to contact Xiao Wu.
The sudden turn of events made Yang Jian realize that Li Jin had been warning him of danger. Since the casino had been attacked, Xiao Wu's side had likely also encountered trouble.
"Biao Biao, drive. Let's get out of here first."
This was still Brother Xiong's territory. Yang Jian felt they couldn't stay long and quickly got into the passenger seat. Biao Biao, sharper than a monkey, knew the three of them had narrowly escaped but were still in danger. He jumped into the driver's seat and drove away.
Song Jianmin had no choice but to follow behind.
Yang Jian called Xiao Wu's phone in the car, but no one answered. He then called Wu Xiaoyue, and her sobbing came through.
"Xiaoyue, what's wrong? What happened?"
"Yang Jian, my brother was hacked. It's very serious. I'm rushing to the hospital now. Can you come?"
"Which hospital?"
"The bodyguards said they are taking my brother to the district hospital for emergency treatment and asked me to bring money. I can't talk anymore, I'm driving."
Xiao Wu was hacked, and the casino was attacked. This was a planned, premeditated coordinated action. Yang Jian realized that Brother Xiong was behind everything and that he himself was likely a target of the attack.
Li Jin was an informant planted by Brother Xiong in Xiao Wu's team and had participated in this operation. However, out of consideration for their past relationship, he had called in advance to tip them off, allowing him and Song Jianmin to escape. Yang Jian quickly pieced together the sequence of events.
"Jianmin, I can't go to the hospital with you. I just spoke with Wu Xiaoyue and learned that Xiao Wu has been hacked and his life is in danger. If I'm not mistaken, Brother Xiong did this, and Li Jin was also involved in the planning. He lured us away, which means Brother Xiong is also sending people after me. They are likely looking for me everywhere right now, so I've decided to leave Hancheng."
Yang Jian made a swift decision and explained his thoughts to Song Jianmin over the phone.
"Yes, your analysis is sound. Brother Xiong won't let you go. The hospital isn't safe either. Pull over ahead and let Biao Biao get out to help me with the aftermath. You go home and wait for my call."
Song Jianmin also realized they were not out of danger. Not only could Yang Jian not show up at the hospital, but his brother Song Jianhao also had to stay away for the time being. He would have to handle the mess himself.