Chapter Sixteen: Chaos on the Battlefield

Early the next morning, Lu Xiaoyu, Zhou Qiang, and Lü Yue were all on the move. Each led their own group, and the three teams raced toward the destinations agreed upon the day before. Sitting in the car, Lu Xiaoyu gazed anxiously at the scenery flashing past the window. What would Sun Zhengtao do? How would Zhang Zili and Sun Shengcai react? He had no idea. But Lu Xiaoyu knew that the success or failure of this operation hinged on whether he could seize control of Sun Zhengtao’s men before the latter made his move.

Lu Xiaoyu was still troubled by the issue of the technical and expert teams. He knew that if he tried to recruit new members to rebuild them, there was a risk of exposure; if the police found out, all his years of effort might be ruined in an instant. But up to now, he still hadn’t heard a word about those two groups.

Lu Xiaoyu thought Sun Zhengtao had really played his cards ruthlessly. All these years, everyone’s money had been used to support those two teams, yet no one knew where they were. Sometimes, Lu Xiaoyu even doubted their existence, suspecting perhaps Sun Zhengtao had invented them to siphon more money. But every time they updated their operations, Sun Zhengtao would always provide tangible results from those teams, making everyone stronger and dispelling any doubts about their reality.

Suddenly, Lu Xiaoyu felt his phone vibrating. He pulled it from his pocket, glanced at the screen, then leaned forward and shouted to the driver, “Faster! Go as fast as you can!” Turning to the man in the passenger seat, he ordered, “Tell the brothers to pick up the pace. Head for Zijin International at top speed.”

Without delay, Lu Xiaoyu called Lü Yue and Zhou Qiang, urging them to accelerate their actions as well. “Sun Zhengtao’s people are preparing to pull out,” he said. “You need to get to Zhang Zili and Sun Shengcai’s places and take control. Don’t let them get away.”

After he hung up, Lu Xiaoyu was burning with anxiety. He had known Sun Zhengtao wouldn’t give in so easily, but he hadn’t expected him to act so quickly. Was escaping really the best strategy? Lu Xiaoyu realized he’d still been outmaneuvered—he had let his guard down after thinking yesterday’s coup had succeeded, failing to strike at Sun Zhengtao’s men immediately and giving them a chance to breathe. Thankfully, the people he’d planted earlier had come through, or his whole plan would have collapsed.

When Lu Xiaoyu and his men arrived at Zijin International, he saw Sun Zhengtao’s people hurriedly loading items into a truck. A man in a black short-sleeved shirt was directing them. Lu Xiaoyu ordered the driver to park in front of the truck, blocking its way. Seeing his truck surrounded, the black-shirted man strode over with his men, bristling with hostility.

Lu Xiaoyu’s driver opened the car door for him. As he stepped out, the black-shirted man was clearly startled to see him; the ferocity vanished from his face, replaced with a smile as he greeted Lu Xiaoyu, “Boss Lu, what brings you here? A little heads-up would have been good so we could have prepared a proper welcome.”

Lu Xiaoyu regarded the man coldly. The fellow had a broad, pockmarked face, his small eyes narrowed to slits, resembling a sesame pancake stuck on a neck. Lu Xiaoyu knew this was Sun Zhengtao’s strategist—the one responsible for sowing discord and dividing loyalties among the brothers. If not for him, Sun Zhengtao would have remained the benevolent big brother in their eyes, rather than the moody, unpredictable gravedigger he had become. Lu Xiaoyu had no fondness for this backstabber, and his tone was correspondingly chilly.

“What? I can’t come? Let you bastards run wild and destroy the company?” Lu Xiaoyu sneered, eyeing the man with contempt.

“Of course you can, Boss Lu—anytime you like. I just didn’t want the brothers to be unprepared and not treat you properly.” The black-shirted man kept smiling.

Lu Xiaoyu pointed at the truck. “Is this your idea of hospitality? If I’d been a minute later, would you have welcomed me with an empty city? Zhou Yu, are you tired of living? Lying to my face?”

Zhou Yu, the black-shirted man, looked embarrassed. “Boss Lu, I’m just following Brother Sun’s orders. If you have any issues, please take it up with him. It’s not right to pick on me. Even a dog’s owner deserves respect. Are you really in a position to overrule what Brother Sun arranged?”

“Sun Zhengtao is no longer the boss. The company is under my control now. Tell your people to stop immediately,” Lu Xiaoyu ordered.

“Brother Sun hasn’t told me that. Without his instructions, I can’t take orders from you. He’s not here, so I’m in charge. You’d better step aside, unless you want the brothers to get rough,” Zhou Yu retorted, gesturing to the men behind him.

With a resounding crack, Lu Xiaoyu slapped Zhou Yu hard across the face. “And who do you think you are? It’s not your place to talk here. When I say stop, you stop. No more nonsense.”

The blow left Zhou Yu stunned. Recovering, he snarled at Lu Xiaoyu, “You’ve got some nerve, slapping me! If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you won’t know who’s in charge!” He signaled for his men to attack.

Just then, Lu Xiaoyu’s reinforcements arrived, encircling Zhou Yu’s group. Zhou Yu’s bravado evaporated instantly. He slapped his own face, then forced a smile. “Boss Lu, I was out of line—my words were wrong and I angered you. It’s my fault, I admit it. But isn’t this display a bit much? We’re all family here, and I can’t handle this kind of scene.”

“Family? You lowlife, you’re not fit to call yourself my brother,” Lu Xiaoyu snapped coldly.

“Yes, yes, you’re the boss—I’m a nobody. But Brother Sun told me to move, and now you’re making it hard for me. Why not call him and let him clarify things? That way, I’ll have an explanation,” Zhou Yu pleaded, bowing submissively.

“I owe you no explanations. Who do you think you are? We decided at yesterday’s meeting—the company is under my control now. If Sun Zhengtao didn’t tell you, that’s his problem, not mine. If you want answers, talk to him. If there are issues, let him come see me himself,” Lu Xiaoyu said icily.

He then ordered his men to take away all of Sun Zhengtao’s belongings. Most of Sun Zhengtao’s subordinates present ended up leaving with Lu Xiaoyu as well, leaving only a handful behind. Watching Lu Xiaoyu’s group leave, Zhou Yu secretly called Sun Zhengtao to report, “Boss, we were a step too late. That bastard Lu Xiaoyu took everything, and he even took a batch of the brothers with him. He has no respect for you at all.”

“I understand. I’ll be there soon,” came the reply. Zhou Yu told his men to wait for further orders, then hurried off.

Seated in his car, Lu Xiaoyu called to check on Lü Yue and Zhou Qiang’s progress. Zhou Qiang had gone to Sun Shengcai’s place; Sun Shengcai was still dead drunk in bed, and the blaring phone hadn’t woken him. Zhou Qiang easily took control there, with only a few loyalists refusing to submit and leaving the stronghold.

Lü Yue was not so lucky. At Zhang Zili’s place, the brute was present in person and showed Lü Yue no respect at all. He refused to hand over people, goods, or anything, and a stalemate ensued—neither side willing to back down. Lu Xiaoyu knew Zhang Zili was a tough customer; if he lost his temper, it would end in mutual destruction. Not wanting Lü Yue to suffer, he told him to withdraw for now.

Meanwhile, Zhang Zhijun awoke from his slumber, utterly unaware of the day’s events. Looking at the beauty beside him, he was overjoyed, thinking that Lu Xiaoyu truly had a way with things. The woman he’d pursued in vain for so long had, through Lu Xiaoyu’s arrangements, ended up in his arms so quickly—a testament to Lu Xiaoyu’s skill. The previous night’s passion still lingered in his mind, and with the five million Lu Xiaoyu had given him, he felt he had struck a rich bargain. Gazing at the sleeping beauty, Zhang Zhijun couldn’t resist caressing her fair skin, indulging himself once more in sensual delight.

Lu Xiaoyu, after ending his call, turned to Zhang Dongfeng beside him. “If it weren’t for you, this whole plan would have failed. Zhou Donghai is already out of the picture—stick with me from now on, and I won’t let you down.”

“Thank you, Boss Lu. But I still couldn’t find out where the technical and expert teams are. It’ll be even harder to get that information now,” Zhang Dongfeng replied.

Lu Xiaoyu nodded. “You’d only just joined them, so it’s unrealistic to expect you to have learned their whereabouts. No matter. With the backup files of Zhou Donghai’s information that you brought, you’ve already helped me greatly. Now we have enough time to rebuild the technical and expert teams ourselves.”

Looking at this handsome young man, Lu Xiaoyu felt rather fortunate. He had thought that Zhou Donghai and his group had been wiped out, but unexpectedly, a talented person had escaped. Not only had he revealed everything Zhou Donghai and Sun Zhengtao had done behind Lu Xiaoyu’s back, but he also had a backup of Zhou Donghai’s files and, under Lu Xiaoyu’s direction, had infiltrated Sun Zhengtao’s company to help intercept vital company data—truly a stroke of luck.

Though he hadn’t secured the technical and expert teams themselves, with the information now in hand, Lu Xiaoyu was essentially in control of the company’s operations. Sun Zhengtao’s remaining loyalists were no longer a threat; all that remained was to reorganize the company and guard against any further trouble from Zhou Donghai’s side.

Meanwhile, Sun Zhengtao had summoned Zhou Yu, Sun Shengcai, and Zhang Zili to his home. Looking at the drunken Sun Shengcai, Sun Zhengtao felt a twinge of sorrow. He couldn’t understand how his own brother had turned out like this—helping outsiders push him out of power, handing over his stronghold, and now appearing before him in a drunken stupor. The sight was infuriating.

Sun Shengcai, feeling his brother’s gaze, unconsciously lowered his head and stared at the ground. His heart twisted with pain. He couldn’t help but think that Lu Xiaoyu was ruthless—no sooner had he seized power than he began purging the ranks. He, Sun Shengcai, had helped him, yet Lu Xiaoyu had Zhou Qiang clean out his stronghold. At this moment, Sun Shengcai truly wanted to kill Lu Xiaoyu.

Sun Zhengtao spoke first. “Let’s discuss our losses. Zhou Yu, you start.”

Zhou Yu reported, “Lu Xiaoyu’s people took all the company’s files—account books, equipment inventories, partnership lists, and all the server rental details. But I managed to sneak out a backup copy. Still, everything else was seized by Lu Xiaoyu, and he took a lot of our people too. We’re down to about half strength now.”

Sun Zhengtao gritted his teeth. He had expected Lu Xiaoyu to act against him and had prepared for a retreat, but still, Lu Xiaoyu had managed to get ahead of him. He sighed inwardly, “Lu Xiaoyu really was planning this all along.”

He turned to Sun Shengcai. “And you?”

Sun Shengcai, his head still lowered, choked out, “My place was basically cleaned out. Only a few close friends escaped; the rest, and all our assets, were taken by Zhou Qiang.”

Looking at his disappointing brother, Sun Zhengtao felt a murderous urge, but now was no time to lose more allies. After all, blood was thicker than water. He forced himself to keep calm. “It’s all right. With me here, we can rise again. Don’t let outsiders fool you anymore. I’m your brother—I’d never betray you. Don’t believe Lu Xiaoyu’s lies again.”

Sun Shengcai nodded, eyes still on the floor, saying nothing more.

Sun Zhengtao then turned to Zhang Zili. “And you?”

Zhang Zili replied, “That bastard Lü Yue tried to raid my place, but I caught him in the act and showed him no mercy. He got nothing—not a dime, not a man. We’re all still here, just waiting for your orders, boss. Say the word and I’ll lead the brothers to settle things with Lu Xiaoyu right now.”

Sun Zhengtao waved him to be quiet. “Don’t rush. There’s no need to go head-to-head with Lu Xiaoyu just yet. Don’t worry—he won’t stay cocky for long. For now, gather the brothers together and put all business on hold. We’ll deal with Lu Xiaoyu first, then get back to work.”

Zhang Zili looked at Sun Zhengtao in surprise. “Boss, you have a plan?”

Sun Zhengtao nodded. “As long as we still have the technical and expert teams, we haven’t lost. Lu Xiaoyu underestimates me. This time, I’ll show them what I’m capable of.”

Seeing the confidence in Sun Zhengtao’s eyes, Zhang Zili was reassured and stepped aside without further questions.

Sun Zhengtao continued, “Go get the brothers relocated to the new base. We can’t use the old ones anymore—they must be moved immediately. Don’t give Lu Xiaoyu any more chances.” Then, turning to Sun Shengcai, he added, “Shengcai, help Zili with the transfer. Once you're done, come back—I need to speak with you.”

Sun Shengcai nodded and left with Zhang Zili.

Now only Sun Zhengtao and Zhou Yu remained. Sun Zhengtao poured himself a drink, poured one for Zhou Yu, and handed it over. Zhou Yu accepted the glass with both hands, waiting for Sun Zhengtao to speak. After a sip, Sun Zhengtao said, “You were right—Lu Xiaoyu and his lot really do want to rebel. No amount of warnings kept them in line. But then, it was Zhou Donghai’s own incompetence—after all the support, he was the first to cause trouble.”

Zhou Yu sipped cautiously. “Once people have money, their hearts change. They’ve earned plenty over the years—no way they still see you as the big brother. Even Sun Shengcai has betrayed us. No one expected Zhou Donghai to mess up; he always seemed so capable, but he slipped and caused all this trouble.”

Thinking of Zhou Donghai, Zhou Yu ground his teeth. Had he not benefitted from Zhou Donghai, he wouldn’t have spoken up for him to Sun Zhengtao. But the man had failed—he hadn’t even managed to take out Lu Xiaoyu and had allowed Lü Yue and even Sun Shengcai to defect, largely because of Zhou Donghai.

Zhou Yu continued, “We treated Zhang Zhijun well, too, but he still turned on us. How did Lu Xiaoyu find out about Zhou Donghai’s cut? Do you think Zhou Donghai’s downfall was Lu Xiaoyu’s doing?”

Sun Zhengtao shook his head. “It’s hard to say. I don’t know how Lu Xiaoyu found out about Zhou Donghai—maybe he had someone planted there long ago. I’m not surprised Zhang Zhijun defected; he’s greedy and lecherous, easy to win over.”

Zhou Yu asked, “What should we do next? Why not give those files to the police and wipe them out? Once they're arrested, we can take over their business.”

Sun Zhengtao waved off the idea. “If they're all arrested, recruiting new people will be too much trouble. And if they rat us out, we’ll be in trouble too.”

Zhou Yu persisted, “Then just give Lu Xiaoyu’s file to the police. As long as he's taken out, Zhou Qiang is no strategist, and Lü Yue can’t stir up much without him.”

Sun Zhengtao nodded. “Yes. If we eliminate Lu Xiaoyu, the rest will be easy to handle.”

“And Sun Shengcai? He betrayed us—shouldn’t we deal with him too?” Zhou Yu pressed.

Sun Zhengtao suddenly glared at Zhou Yu, his eyes flashing dangerously. “He’s my brother. You’re not thinking of dealing with even him, are you? Don’t forget your place. If you touch him, I won’t let you off!”

Zhou Yu quickly nodded. “Yes, boss, I was wrong—I lost my head. But I’m only thinking of your interests. If he betrayed you for money today, he could do it again tomorrow. You treat him as a brother, but does he treat you the same?”

Sun Zhengtao stared coldly. “Affairs between brothers are my business, not yours. Mind your own work.”

Zhou Yu nodded obediently.

Sun Zhengtao continued, “Tell the brothers to keep an eye on Lu Xiaoyu’s group—report any movement immediately. Also, go visit Zhang Zhijun and find out what’s happening with him. Why has Lu Xiaoyu teamed up with him? It doesn’t fit with his style—there must be something more. Get to the bottom of it.”

After receiving his orders, Zhou Yu left.

Seated in his car, Zhou Yu seethed over Sun Zhengtao’s domineering attitude. He felt Sun Zhengtao really saw him as nothing but a dog, to be summoned and dismissed at will. But in Zhou Yu’s eyes, it was Sun Zhengtao who was the rabid dog, while he himself was the master holding the leash—each time he gave a hint, Sun Zhengtao would attack as he wished, whether against Lü Yue, Zhou Qiang, Lu Xiaoyu, Sun Shengcai, Zhang Zili, Zhou Donghai, or Zhang Zhijun, always acting just as Zhou Yu had anticipated.

To Zhou Yu, Sun Zhengtao was just a lucky fool, while he was the true uncrowned king of the company. But now, Zhou Yu no longer wanted to remain in the shadows—he wanted to be the real king.

“Let Lu Xiaoyu and Sun Zhengtao fight it out. When they’re both exhausted, I’ll swoop in and take everything for myself. The company will be mine alone,” Zhou Yu thought to himself.

For now, though, he still had no choice but to obey Sun Zhengtao’s orders. Until he had some lead on the technical and expert teams, he had to bide his time. Neither Lu Xiaoyu’s group nor Zhang Zili and Sun Shengcai would side with him, and the only one he could exploit was Zhang Zhijun—who wouldn’t join him until Zhou Yu was powerful enough.

After Zhou Yu left, Sun Zhengtao made another call. “Heizi, I’ve arranged to have the stuff sent to you. Find someone to deliver it to the police station, and keep a close eye on that group—report any news to me right away. Don’t let anything go wrong. Now that Zhou Donghai has fallen into their hands, they must be up to something. Be vigilant—don’t get careless.”

He finished saying what needed to be said, checked on things one more time, and spent nearly an hour on the call before hanging up.

Setting down the phone, Sun Zhengtao poured himself a drink and sipped it slowly. He was truly exhausted—the mental strain of the past two days had pushed him to his limits. Slumping into the sofa, he thought, “At last, things are falling into place. I’ll teach Lu Xiaoyu a lesson and show him who the real boss is. Victory will be mine in the end. Finally, I can get a good night’s sleep…”