Chapter 13

Three days later, Gu Ming’s main force arrived in Fancheng.

Following their deployment plan, Gu Ming’s men hoisted the banners of the Fu Family Army. Fu Yu took only one hundred men to attend the banquet, while the remaining one thousand disguised themselves as peddlers or runners, scattering themselves around Fan Dalong’s residence. Others split into several groups, severing all major traffic arteries in Haidong.

Fu Yu didn’t know exactly how many troops Fan Dalong had, but he had already completely mapped out the terrain around his residence.

Meanwhile, Gu Ming’s men split into several squads and hid around Fushan, which was close to Fan Dalong’s residence. Standing halfway up the mountain slope, one could even see inside the estate.

Fu Yu took Jiang Mei with him to the banquet. He couldn’t put his mind at ease leaving her alone in Zijun Villa—not because he feared others, but because he feared Gu Ming.

Gu Ming’s skills in robbing and plundering were unmatched.

From a distance, Fu Yu saw Fan Dalong standing there, a broad smile plastered across his face.

Fan Dalong hurried forward a few steps and grasped Fu Yu’s hands. “You’ve worked hard! Thanks to you! Otherwise, Haidong would have been in grave danger.”

“Not at all, not at all!” Fu Yu exchanged pleasantries. The two engaged in hypocritical pleasantries, actually chatting for over ten minutes.

“Is this your original wife?” Fan Dalong recognized Jiang Mei.

He had attended their wedding, and he also knew Chen Yuwei.

“The Governor has a good memory!” Fu Yu laughed heartily.

Once the food was served and the wine glasses filled, Fu Yu and Fan Dalong drank heartily!

Smiles on their faces, knives hidden in their hearts.

After a round of drinking, six young men approached, carrying wine jars. Fu Yu watched them from the corner of his eye.

Jiang Mei observed her surroundings vigilantly. Suddenly, she spotted a man on the second floor, hiding behind a massive vase, aiming a gun straight at Fu Yu!

“Look out!” Jiang Mei instantly threw herself over Fu Yu. A gunshot rang out, and Fu Yu scooped Jiang Mei up, rolling to the ground!

The young men holding the wine jars also drew guns from inside the jars and fired at Fu Yu!

The wine jars crashed to the floor. Fu Yu immediately shoved Jiang Mei under the table, and his men drew their weapons. A fierce firefight broke out between the two sides.

Under the table, Fu Yu asked Jiang Mei, “How are you? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine!”

Fu Yu used two chairs as a shield. Looking up, he saw Fan Dalong running toward the second floor.

Fu Yu shielded Jiang Mei tightly beneath him. Jiang Mei felt a tremor run through him, and blood began dripping from his shoulder.

“You’re hurt?” she cried out in alarm.

Fu Yu pressed her head down, signaling her to stay quiet, and continued firing methodically.

More and more Fu Family Army soldiers rushed in, which made Fu Yu feel something was amiss. “Why did you guys get in so easily?” he asked Liu Hao.

“There was barely anyone stopping us. Could it be an ambush?” Liu Hao also sensed something was wrong.

“Boss, you’re injured!” Liu Hao noticed the bleeding from Fu Yu’s shoulder.

“It’s fine, just a graze!” Fu Yu ordered them to guard Jiang Mei. “Protect her well!”

Back on the second floor, Fan Dalong hurriedly ducked into a secret room.

When Fu Yu rushed up to the second floor, Fan Dalong was nowhere to be seen. Liu Hao, Zhan Yong, and their men had already surrounded the residence and shot dead everyone inside the Fan estate.

Not seeing Fan Dalong, Fu Yu’s heart sank. Fan Dalong must have escaped through a secret passage.

“Evacuate immediately!” Fu Yu ran downstairs and gave the order to Liu Hao.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Deafening explosions suddenly tore through the air.

The sound of explosions ripped through the entire Fan estate. The courtyard, upstairs, downstairs—there were detonation points everywhere.

“To deal with me, Fan Dalong actually blew up his own residence!” Fu Yu’s eyes spewed fire. All around him, patches of his brothers had fallen, severed limbs scattering the ground.

Dense gunfire erupted from outside.

Fan Dalong’s men charged in.

The explosions in the Fan estate were still ongoing; there were countless detonation points in the courtyard. As Fu Yu’s troops rushed to converge on his location, Fu Yu suddenly had a terrible premonition. He turned to Liu Hao. “Pass down the order: evacuate this area immediately! There are probably bombs rigged all over the Fan estate and its surroundings!”

Jiang Mei was quietly guarded to the side. Her eyes were fixed solely on Fu Yu.

Seeing Jiang Mei crouched in a corner, shielded by a thick stone table—a relatively safe position—Fu Yu let out a sigh of relief.

Even more massive explosions roared, and in the blink of an eye, the Fan estate was leveled to the ground.

Countless of Fu Yu’s men were killed or wounded.

As he led the remaining survivors trying to break out, the sound of ten thousand horses galloping suddenly echoed from all sides. Dust filled the air as a cavalry unit charged in like a whirlwind, sweeping fire at everyone in sight, before rapidly retreating after a single pass!

“Fan Dalong’s cavalry!” Fu Yu watched, his brow slightly furrowed. He still hadn’t located Fan Dalong’s main force, and Gu Ming likely hadn’t either.

Without pinpointing the main force, they couldn’t charge in recklessly, lest they fall into a passive position.

Fu Yu somewhat regretted bringing Jiang Mei; it was too dangerous. He hadn’t expected Fan Dalong to burn his bridges completely, destroying the nest he had built over many years, just to deal with him!

Another dense volley of gunfire rang out. Fu Yu ordered his men to take cover completely and forbade them from returning fire. He needed to figure out where the enemy was shooting from!

Looking closely, he realized there were countless small houses surrounding the Fan estate, and the gunfire was coming from inside them!

“So there were ambushes here too!” Fu Yu signaled his men, and they stealthily moved toward the houses…

The explosions continued. Of the Fu Family Army that had rushed in earlier, very few remained.

Suddenly, a strange war cry echoed from outside, and Gu Ming’s men charged in! Gu Ming’s troops had a unique trait: whenever they attacked, every man would roar at the top of his lungs, psychologically defeating the enemy through sheer momentum!

Fu Yu spotted Fan Dalong hiding behind a section of a ruined wall.

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred!

Being younger, Fu Yu reacted a step faster than Fan Dalong.

He rolled toward Fan Dalong, aimed, and shot him squarely in the head. Fan Dalong’s eyes remained wide open as he slowly collapsed to the ground!

Fan Dalong, the Military Governor of Haidong, died just like that. His death was far too unremarkable, utterly unfitting for his illustrious, tempestuous life.

Just then, Fan Dalong’s cavalry charged over. Fu Yu saw a towering, heavily built man wearing a mask charging straight at him!

Fu Yu fired a casual shot at him. The man flattened himself against the horse, dodged to the side, and as his horse trampled those nearby, he extended a long arm and snatched Jiang Mei up!

He threw Jiang Mei horizontally across the horse’s back and galloped away!

Gu Ming’s men surged forward. He was currently leading his own cavalry to intercept and slaughter Fan Dalong’s cavalry. Hearing that reinforcements had arrived, the Fu Family Army’s morale surged. Attacked from both the inside and outside, Fan Dalong’s main force fell into disarray in an instant!

“Fan Dalong is dead! Surrender now!” Liu Hao shouted at the top of his lungs!

Hearing the shout, the morale of Fan Dalong’s men collapsed instantly, and they scattered in all directions…

Gu Ming’s forces fought their way in. He had been constantly searching for Fu Yu and Jiang Mei. He spotted a figure running north that looked very much like Fu Yu!

Gu Ming whipped his horse and gave chase.

The masked man rode with Jiang Mei for a while, then suddenly stopped. He pulled Jiang Mei upright on the horse and pressed a gun against her head.

Fu Yu had already caught up.

“Dismount and accept your death! Or I’ll kill her!”

Jiang Mei recognized the voice—it was Wu Xiang.

“Wu Xiang, Fan Dalong is already dead! The one who should surrender is you!”

“Fu Yu, drop the gun! I’ll count to three, or I’ll blow off one of her arms!”

Jiang Mei remembered that Wu Xiang had nearly taken Liu Hao’s life using this exact same method!

“Fu Yu, if you drop your gun, I’ll die right in front of you!” Jiang Mei yelled at Fu Yu sharply.

Wu Xiang repeated his old trick. He pulled out a dagger and lightly traced it against Jiang Mei’s cheek. “I think it’s better if I take one of your eyes as revenge for myself!”

“Stop! I’ve dropped the gun, stop!” Fu Yu actually dropped his gun.

Jiang Mei closed her eyes in agony.

Grinning maliciously, Wu Xiang approached Fu Yu, aiming his gun directly at him.

Jiang Mei suddenly headbutted Wu Xiang, knocking the gun out of his hand. Enraged and humiliated, Wu Xiang raised his dagger and viciously plunged it toward Jiang Mei’s chest…

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fu Yu’s gunshots and the shots from Gu Ming in the distance pierced Wu Xiang’s body simultaneously.

With a dagger buried deep in her chest, Jiang Mei collapsed limply onto the horse.

His face deathly pale, Fu Yu scooped Jiang Mei up, vaulted onto the horse, and rode away, with Gu Ming in hot pursuit behind him…

“Jiang Mei, you can’t die, you absolutely cannot die, you can’t punish me like this!”

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