Chapter 293 - 293: The Power of Capital
Suddenly, two vehicles drove in, and amazingly, at least forty to fifty people tumbled out. Furthermore, judging by their appearance, most of them were injured, likely having been beaten before being loaded into the vehicles.
Shangguan Qing and Yue Gaoyang exchanged a glance, both displaying confusion, not understanding what Ye Qing intended. Moreover, where had Ye Qing found so many people, and what exactly was he planning?
Not just them, even Li Lianshan was completely baffled, unclear about Ye Qing's intentions. In the midst of their bewilderment, Black Bear walked over nonchalantly and yelled, "Captain, we circled around the Dog Field wall and caught these people. More than twenty ran away, but it looks like they won't dare to come back!"
The expressions of Shangguan Qing, Yue Gaoyang, and Li Lianshan changed drastically; they finally understood what was going on with these people.
After the death of Tiger King, the Fierce Tiger Gang had crumbled. Many forces had set their sights on the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, including some from other districts.
Those who wished to take over the Dog Field had dispatched their men to keep watch near the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, constantly gathering information on the area and standing ready to fend off others who might advance first.
Tonight, Ye Qing had arranged a meeting at the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena with the leaders of the Fu Bang and the Tianqing Gang, and he had leaked the news early on. Thus, the forces monitoring the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena were definitely aware of this.
Ye Qing was now the nominal owner of the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, but in reality, everyone was watching him, observing what he was preparing to do. By summoning the leaders of the Fu Bang and Tianqing Gang to the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, there was no doubt he intended to negotiate and decide the fate of the venue.
Hence, other forces had also deployed numerous people to hide outside the Dog Field, awaiting the outcome.
These forty to fifty individuals were presumably those planted by other forces outside the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, and surprisingly, they had been captured and brought back by Black Bear. And seeing their severe injuries, Shangguan Qing and Yue Gaoyang couldn't help but feel uneasy.
They all knew that although Ye Qing was powerful, he was essentially alone in Shenchuan City, with no subordinates. This was the main reason these forces dared to eye the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena. Regardless of his fighting prowess, Ye Qing was still just one man, and these forces simply didn't take him seriously.
However, tonight's event forced everyone to reconsider their views. Capturing and injuring forty to fifty people at once was not something one or two individuals could achieve. Moreover, they had heard no sounds of fighting outside the Dog Field. Clearly, Black Bear must have brought a significant force to surround these people, hence the victory.
Shangguan Qing and Yue Gaoyang looked at each other, both appearing somewhat embarrassed. If Ye Qing had men under him, then where had these people come from? This was a question worth contemplating.
Although Li Lianshan had some underlings, his manpower was insufficient for such a feat. Moreover, most of Li Lianshan's people had been injured in a recent clash with Tiger King, and they were simply incapable of carrying out such actions now. Therefore, the people Ye Qing used could not have come from Li Lianshan.
Then, where did these people come from?
The thought processes of Shangguan Qing and Yue Gaoyang were quick, and after excluding Li Lianshan, they immediately thought of the East State Poisonous Mantis!
Huangfu Ziyu had been famous in Eastern Province for nearly ten years but had never once stepped into Shenchuan City, a fact that had been publicly acknowledged. This time, however, she had forcefully entered Shenchuan City, killing Tiger King in just two hours and nearly destroying the Fierce Tiger Gang, one of the three major gangs in Shenchuan City, thus reaffirming her strength.
Most importantly, she had openly employed Ye Qing to collect debts for her in Shenchuan City, effectively declaring that Ye Qing was working for her Poisonous Mantis. In other words, the Poisonous Mantis was also seen as Ye Qing's backer, the one supporting his expansion in Shenchuan City.
However, following yesterday's conflict with the Lin family, all of Shenchuan City opposed Ye Qing, and Huangfu Ziyu had made no move, leading people to doubt whether she was truly supporting Ye Qing. It was precisely because of this suspicion that Shangguan Qing and Yue Gaoyang had dared to confront Ye Qing so directly.
Now, however, they were forced to reconsider their doubts about whether Huangfu Ziyu was indeed backing Ye Qing. After all, who besides Huangfu Ziyu could dispatch so many people at once to assist Ye Qing?
Thinking back to how assertive Ye Qing had been in the negotiations, both were even more convinced that the people assisting Ye Qing must have come from the East State Poisonous Mantis. Without Huangfu Ziyu's support, how could Ye Qing dare to be so bold?
Understanding the underlying issues, both turned pale. While they were not afraid of Ye Qing alone, Huangfu Ziyu's stance was something they had to consider. Otherwise, the fate of the Fierce Tiger Gang would serve as a lesson. If Huangfu Ziyu were to re-enter Shenchuan City, the casualties wouldn't be limited to just one person!
"It seems Mr. Ye really was well-prepared!" Yue Gaoyang smirked, glanced at the people sprawled on the ground, among whom were no members of the Fu Bang. He felt slightly relieved and said, "Mr. Ye, if there's anything you need, couldn't you have just said so? Why cause such a stir? Sometimes, it's difficult to calm things down once they've escalated."
Yue Gaoyang appeared to be threatening Ye Qing but was primarily trying to gauge Ye Qing's attitude. From Ye Qing's response, he could discern how much support Ye Qing really had.
"Deputy Gang Leader Yue can rest assured, we are all locals from Shenchuan City, and coexistence is the best policy. Thus, the locals around the Dog Field will not face any trouble. But those coming from outside!" Ye Qing coldly glanced over the two groups of people and said, "Anyone wanting to enter Shenchuan City, I, Ye, will not allow it first!"
"Well said!" Yue Gaoyang called back, his voice ringing clear. He had obtained the answer he was seeking. In this matter, Ye Qingzhen was undeniably dominant, even intending to confront everyone from other districts.
Without a powerful person backing him, how could Ye Qingzhen possibly be so bold? Now, Yue Gaoyang and Shangguan Qing were even more certain that Huangfu Ziyu was indeed supporting Ye Qing from behind.
With Huangfu Ziyu's support, the situation was different.
Shangguan Qing and Yue Gaoyang exchanged glances, each spoke a word to Ye Qing, then returned to their respective cars to call their bosses.
At that moment, Li Lianshan seized the opportunity to approach Ye Qing and whispered, "Ye Zi, where did you find so many people? Is it the East State Poisonous Mantis helping you?"
Ye Qing just smiled lightly and did not speak, as if affirming by default.
Seeing Ye Qing's expression, Li Lianshan was immediately overjoyed. The strength of the East State Poisonous Mantis was something everyone had witnessed. If she was supporting Ye Qing from behind, not to mention the Fu Bang and Tianqing Gang, even if all the gangs from other districts interested in the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena were brought together, they would still be no match.
As for the Fu Bang and Tianqing Gang, they were hardly worth mentioning!
Having finished their calls, Shangguan Qing and Yue Gaoyang returned to the pavilion.
"Second Gang Leader, Deputy Gang Leader Yue, how did it go?" Li Lianshan shouted from a distance, now much more confident, his voice noticeably louder.
Both of them had seen Li Lianshan talking to Ye Qing from their cars, although they did not know what they were discussing. However, seeing Li Lianshan's demeanor, they could guess that he definitely received some news from Ye Qing. And that news was undoubtedly about who was supporting Ye Qing from behind.
Seeing Li Lianshan's confident tone, both men could once again confirm that this person behind the scenes was exceptionally powerful, undoubtedly the demonic woman of the East State Poisonous Mantis.
"Mr. Ye, my elder brother thinks you made a very good point," Yue Gaoyang came forward, smiling lightly, "We are all people of Shenchuan City, we can negotiate anything among ourselves. However, those people from other cities, trying to use this opportunity to break into Shenchuan City, that's not acceptable. My elder brother supports your approach.
To show our Fu Bang's stance on these outsiders, my elder brother said that, from now on, we will no longer interfere with the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, giving Mr. Ye space to act!"
"Then, thanks to Gang Leader Li!" Ye Qing responded with a light smile, then turned to look at Shangguan Qing, who was standing on the other side.
"We from the Tianqing Gang will also withdraw from the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, starting now," Shangguan Qing said, looking at Ye Qing, "My elder brother said he hopes Mr. Ye can hold the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena firmly. The most important thing is not to let those outsiders use this opportunity to enter Shenchuan City and share our cake!"
"Gang Leader Shangguan's words, I will keep them firmly in mind!" Ye Qing nodded slowly, "Rest assured, the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena will definitely not be interfered with by any outsiders. As for other matters, that will require our joint efforts!"
Yue Gaoyang laughed, "We are all people of Shenchuan City, it's our common responsibility not to let outsiders take a share of our cake."
Shangguan Qing didn't even say another word, bid farewell to Ye Qing, and directly left with his subordinates. Yue Gaoyang also did not stay any longer, following Shangguan Qing's car closely as they left.
The vehicles of Shangguan Qing and Yue Gaoyang had driven out several miles when Shangguan Qing's car stopped by the roadside, and Yue Gaoyang also got out of the car.
"Second Gang Leader, what do you think about this matter?" Yue Gaoyang approached Shangguan Qing and asked in a low voice.
"Hmph, what is there to think?" Shangguan Qing said coldly, "With the support of the East State Poisonous Mantis, that Ye character obviously has the power to command the wind and the rain. No wonder he spoke so boldly from the beginning, having secured such a strong backing!"
Yue Gaoyang smiled faintly, smoking a cigarette as he gazed into the distance, speaking softly, "The Poisonous Mantis hasn't entered Shenchuan City for ten years, and now, she has stirred up such a commotion here. Furthermore, she found this Ye to represent her in Shenchuan City, I reckon, the Poisonous Mantis is most likely aiming to swallow Shenchuan City whole!"
"Swallow Shenchuan City?" Shangguan Qing looked coldly at Yue Gaoyang, his voice solemn, "Isn't that going too far, with the Lin family still in Shenchuan City? Isn't she afraid of attracting the attention of the Xi Hang people?"