The Signboard

Dao Dali had rushed over straight from the hospital. Before this, he had been recuperating in a secret ward, projecting an aura of deterrence through smoke and mirrors... Very few people had actual access to him, and none dared pry or ask reckless questions, so he really didn't know much about what was happening. *Let them stir up whatever they want. Either way, I've got top-tier fighters on my side,* he had thought, feeling perfectly at ease. It was only just now, when Filio sent the gang's most senior brother to deliver word, that Boss Dao learned matters had escalated to such a dire state. Even Corpse Man Weize had entered the fray. The brother who brought the news said Weize had already cut down the Little Prince, who had gone out from A Jing's side. The Little Prince was a top-tier combatant, yet he hadn't lasted two blows. And so, Dao Dali had come. He knew by now that he was still the same old him, still dead weak, but he had to shoulder this. The five major factions plus Corpse Man Weize... Dao Dali had no idea how he was supposed to shoulder it once he got here, but he had to come, had to hold the line. Who else was supposed to, when he was the boss?! Sprinting with everything he had the whole way, he had outpaced all the lackeys nursing him, leaving Dao Dali to arrive all alone at the mouth of the street, right behind the five major factions. To be honest, when over a dozen battle formations turned to face him all at once, Boss Dao flinched. Just once. But he held his ground. "Motherfucker..." Meanwhile, the minds of those in the five major factions were running wild with panic. With the newcomer under him having already repelled Weize, Dao Dali's arrival could mean he was simply late—but it was far more likely that he had arrived at his own leisurely pace to cut off their retreat and finish them off once and for all. Judging by how he stood there all by himself, the latter possibility was undoubtedly greater. So, what now? In terms of the Culling Day outcome, the five major factions had already essentially lost. The consequence of losing was merely taking a hit to their pride and forfeiting a share of their interests. Once that blew over, they would still be major factions. But if things continued tonight, if they lost a few more top-tiers here and had a large portion of their elites wiped out on this street, then they would be truly and utterly finished. "Don't be rash. Let's test the waters first. Maybe there's room to de-escalate. After all, fighting Weize couldn't have been easy for them either," the boss of Fire Scorpion whispered. Their confidence shattered by Weize's defeat, they decided to fold first. And so, beginning with him and his men, the five factions' dozen-odd battle formations silently parted to either side, opening a path right down the middle for Boss Dao. This was an unmistakable concession... Boss Dao looked up in dazed bewilderment. His gaze swept through the gap in the five factions' formations, looking down the long street... He saw A Jing and Xiaoji standing on the street watching him, the Little Prince smoking a cigarette, and in the far distance, his own side's battle formation, still standing in neat, orderly ranks. *So... we won the fight?!* After a brief moment of thought, Boss Dao strapped his war saber behind his back, put his device on standby, and strode forward calmly. He walked into the five factions' battle formations, passing straight through a forest of blades. The night breeze ruffled his hair. Boss Dao walked with utter composure, carrying himself all the way to where A Jing and Xiaoji were waiting... Without a word, he tilted his head to signal them to turn, and they continued walking together. "You two... cough, did you really beat Weize?" Only after walking dozens of meters did Boss Dao stare straight ahead and whisper. "Yeah. A stroke of luck," Han Qingyu said with a smile. Glancing sideways at the wounds on Han Qingyu's body... they did seem rather severe. Boss Dao thought about it and said, "All right. Don't push yourself so hard next time. A man can't always rely on luck. Fortune is a tricky thing... cough." "Whose blood is that, Boss?" Wen Jifei asked from the side. "Shh!" Boss Dao hissed. "It's mine. I ran too fast on the way here and tore my wounds open." "Oh. Looks like it's still spurting, Boss. Can you hold out?" "I'm fine. No problem." Boss Dao took a deep breath and raised his head. These two brats hadn't changed one bit. Which meant... I really am about to become the boss of the thirteenth major faction in the City of Iniquity. It felt so sudden. The ground felt so soft, like clouds. "In that case, congratulations to Boss Dao on officially establishing the thirteenth major faction," a loud voice called out from the street behind them—the boss of Fire Scorpion. The Wild Band Alliance hadn't hung up their shingle yet and had no official name. People on both sides of the street began whispering among themselves: "Think it'll be called Dao District?" "I think 'Spirit Manifestation' is more like it." "..." Amid the chatter, the Fire Scorpion boss's voice rang out again: "Now that the Culling Day protocol is concluded, let this matter between us be put to rest. The handover will be completed within three days. Moving forward..." "Put to rest, is it?" Dao Dali muttered under his breath, genuinely meaning to ask. Yet the moment the words left his mouth, A Jing turned around at his side and said: "You have to pay compensation." *Whoosh!* A low murmur of commotion and astonishment rippled through the crowd. Right! Compensation! Of course they had to pay compensation! We set up our own faction just having some fun, you came over to chop us to pieces, and when you couldn't pull it off, you want to just let it drop? What if you had won?! Thinking this through, Dao Dali turned around and declared, "That's right. You have to pay compensation." Then, without bothering to check the reactions of the five factions or the surrounding onlookers, he turned back around and continued forward with his two little brothers. The chatter around them swelled noticeably louder in an instant. "Boss Dao is so unyielding! Looks like the Wild Band Alliance's ambitions go far beyond this." "Well, he has the strength to back it up, so of course he talks tough." "True. Honestly, probably ninety percent of the people here called this wrong." "..." Up on the rooftop, Jenna and Lynne exchanged a glance. Everyone else thought this was Boss Dao's or the black-clad youth's righteous anger, toughness, and ambition—and by all rights, it should have been... Yet somehow, both women had the inexplicable feeling: *He probably just really wants the money.* Right then, cutting through the noisy clamor of discussions, a voice—not loud, but distinct—rang out from a roadside rooftop. "Major Qing." Three syllables in Chinese, very close by, spoken in a perfectly casual manner. Apart from a slight accent, it sounded just like an acquaintance greeting a friend on the street. Boss Dao didn't notice. Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei didn't turn their heads, didn't hesitate, didn't pause in their stride, showed no reaction, and didn't even exchange a glance. Pulling that off wasn't easy. To be precise, it was hard—incredibly hard... For in that brief instant, both of their hearts had clenched tight. Had they been recognized? No. It was a test. If the speaker had been certain, they would never have called out like that, whether out of goodwill or malice. To ask was to probe. ... The three of them walked down the long street just like that, stepping into their own battle formation. Dense clusters of gazes shifted back and forth between A Jing and Boss Dao. The bosses of each small band crowded forward. "Boss." "Boss." "..." They dropped the "Dao," signaling a shift in their relationship—a complete psychological acceptance of his leadership. "Boss, why don't we take advantage of the crowd, with A Jing having just defeated Weize... Momentum is high and the brothers are all fired up. How about we hang up our signboard?" Old Hugh asked, stepping aside. Boss Dao offered a casual "Oh" and looked up. Behind them, the front doors of a tall building stood wide open. Above the doors, someone had just finished embedding dead iron spikes and jumped down. On the ground in front of the entrance lay a large cloth-wrapped signboard. Following custom, it was cast from dead iron. Two men were just about to lift it. "No need. Leave it there," Han Qingyu called out before they could. The two men stepped back. "How are we going to do this?" Boss Dao asked in a low whisper. In his current state, if he were to heave that heavy plaque up and mount it, blood would probably spurt everywhere... And even if he could manage to hang it, he would look completely clumsy doing it... "Just walk over with me, Boss," Han Qingyu said with a smile. The three of them continued forward. Without the slightest shift in rhythm, a foot stepped onto the stone steps. *Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh...* The dead iron signboard flipped over, bouncing off the ground and soaring upward into the air! As the three of them strode forward past the threshold, the dead iron sign flipped high overhead and slammed onto the doorway with a loud *bang*, locking securely onto the spikes. At the same moment, the red cloth fell away... Boss Dao turned around and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. For over ten seconds, the entire street fell into absolute silence. Not another peep came from the people of the five major factions as they retreated into the distance. Then, arms pumped jubilantly toward the sky. "Roar!" "Roar!" "Boss Dao's spirit has manifested!" "Boss Dao's spirit has manifested!" *Huh?... What the fuck is this?! I'm not even dead yet!* Boss Dao wondered in utter bewilderment, though he strained to keep his expression totally blank and motionless. At the same time, Han Qingyu curiously looked up at the sign. He still didn't know what they had named their faction. And what met his eyes was... [Azure Dragon Gang] *"Gang" my ass... What the fuck is this?!* Han Qingyu turned his head to glare at Wen Jifei, then at the Little Prince... If those two hadn't come up with this, he would eat that dead iron sign whole.