Free Web NovelChapter 170: Chapter 170: Buried Alive
Upon hearing the sound, Wang Hao’s henchman behind him let out a cry of alarm and hurriedly made way for Old Three and his men.
Old Three and Brother Gao, each holding a gun, walked in with a few of their brothers.
The three brothers walking in front held guns as well; they came straight up to Wang Hao, guns raised, barrels uniformly pointing at Zeng Qiang.
"You guys aren’t trying to scare me with fake guns, are you?"
Zeng Qiang gave a cold snort, throwing an indifferent glance at the dark muzzles.
Wang Hao didn’t argue; he simply took a gun from one of his men and fired at Da Xing’s leg.
"Bang!"
Da Xing fell to the ground on cue, screaming shrilly as he clutched his thigh.
The opposing group’s men all sharply inhaled, stepping back two paces.
The entire gambling den instantly quieted down, with only the echoes of Da Xing’s agonized screams.
The bullet had whisked past Zeng Qiang’s leg; he saw it clear as day—it was a real gun through and through!
At the sound of the gunshot, Zeng Qiang’s mind buzzed, and his knife-wielding hand trembled nonstop.
"If my brother suffers even a scratch today, I will make sure your head blooms!"
Brother Gao immediately came over, pressing his gun against Wang Hao’s head. This frightened Zeng Qiang, who shook so much that he could barely stand, and quickly lowered the knife from Wang Hao’s neck.
"Brother, let’s talk this out, okay? Can you put the gun down first?" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Zeng Qiang was pale, shivering as he spoke and sweat beaded on his forehead.
In Zao City, as well as the entire northern Xiang region, gun control was extremely strict; it was hard to buy one even with a lot of money.
Aside from police officers, civilians were not permitted to trade firearms—it was even difficult for Zeng Qiang’s father, a local leader, to get his hands on one.
Being caught with a concealed gun meant imprisonment.
Zeng Qiang never imagined Wang Hao and his crew would dare to conceal guns.
The other henchmen were so shocked, their eyes nearly popped out. They had been with A Kun for many years, never even getting to touch a gun, let alone see one from such a close distance.
Now, Wang Hao’s men had suddenly brought five guns with them.
They dared not even breathe loudly, much less raise their voices.
At this moment, A Kun’s men standing behind Wang Hao also felt empowered because they had guns on their side.
With the mood shifting between the two sides, Brother Gao and the brothers brought by Old Three threw their packages on the ground, creating a "clang" on impact.
Upon opening them, they saw they contained meter-long machetes.
The henchmen behind Wang Hao wasted no time in each grabbing one; now, they had the upper hand in terms of weaponry against Zeng Qiang’s side.
The entire gambling den’s power dynamic had completely shifted; Wang Hao’s men were finally able to turn the tables, hurling insults at Zeng Qiang’s men, who didn’t dare let out a peep.
"Da Xing, this is what you get for conspiring with outsiders and bullying your own brothers. Today, I’m laying down the law here: take your men and get out of the county right now and never set foot in here again."
"If I find you, I’ll kill on sight. I, Wang Hao, keep my word!" Wang Hao said menacingly while squatting next to Da Xing.
Having just been shot, Da Xing understood Wang Hao’s ferocity and was dragged away from the gambling den by his men.
Thinking about how Wang Hao had shot him without blinking an eye and had managed to call upon the support of Brother Gao and Old Three, Da Xing knew Wang Hao was not simple. Even if he was invited back, he wouldn’t dare.
All the henchmen that had sided with Da Xing were stunned, standing still, not knowing what to do.
They had bet and lost; now that Da Xing had been defeated and left, they couldn’t just leave like he did as their families were still here.
They had been subsisting under A Kun’s wing for years, without learning any real skills. If they followed and left the county, they didn’t know what they could do to settle down and make a living.
"Brother Hao, I know I was wrong. Please, have mercy on me. I have a wife and kids; I can’t leave them behind!"
""Brother Hao, I’ll never dare to do it again, I still have an eighty-year-old mother to take care of, please spare me!"
The underlings, who had been so arrogant before, were now all kneeling in front of Wang Hao, crying and begging for his forgiveness.
"If you don’t want to leave, then you can choose to cripple one of your hands or legs!"
Wang Hao said sternly, not even glancing directly at the people on the ground.
Upon hearing this, the men were taken aback; losing a hand or a leg would make life extremely difficult, so none of them wanted to make such a sacrifice.
So they cried louder, continuously knocking their heads on the ground and pleading.
"It’s not that I don’t give you a chance; it’s that you don’t cherish it. Can you blame me?"
Wang Hao said coldly.
Seeing Wang Hao’s unwavering attitude, the underlings regretted not listening to him before.
If they had heeded Wang Hao’s advice to mend their ways, they wouldn’t be in such a dire situation now; it was too late for regrets.
Standing behind Wang Hao, A-Kun’s underling was very clear-headed, grateful that he had stayed strong-willed and not been frightened by Da Xing’s former influence to defect to him.
Otherwise, they would have ended up begging for mercy alongside the others.
At the same time, they admired Wang Hao greatly, his fearlessness in the face of such danger and his ability to counterattack and secure victory, something A-Kun himself probably could not achieve.
Standing to the side, Zeng Qiang was shaking all over in fear, not expecting Wang Hao to be so heartless, to deal so ruthlessly with A-Kun’s former subordinates, let alone with himself.
Zeng Qiang’s own underlings were also shivering, wondering whether Wang Hao would drive them out of the county too.
They had their families here and didn’t want to be destitute and homeless.
There were innumerable powers, big and small, in the region, and if they were driven out, they would surely be bullied to death by other forces.
Now, in their eyes, Wang Hao seemed like a devil incarnate, and they had fallen under his control, their lives hanging on his every whim.
At the slightest move of Wang Hao’s finger, they were scared half to death.
"Wang Hao, what should we do with these underlings of Zeng Qiang?"
Old Third Sun stepped forward and asked with a frown.
"Why don’t we just drive them out of the county too? It’ll save us the trouble of having to see them again!"
Master Gao suggested.
"Driving out so many people all at once, could it lead to them regrouping outside and coming back to seek revenge on us?"
Wang Hao thought carefully before shaking his head.
"Better to find a secluded place and dig a pit, bury them all alive!"
What?
Bury alive?
Zeng Qiang’s underlings turned pale when they heard this; they were scared stiff. Previously, they had only been worried about being expelled from the county, but now they realized Wang Hao was ruthless enough to contemplate burying them alive.
"Brother Hao, please, we’re begging you, spare us. We were blind and offended you. We realize our mistakes now; please be magnanimous and forgive us. We’ll turn over a new leaf!"
"Brother Hao, if you agree not to kill us, we’ll repay your kindness, even if it means working like oxen and horses!"
Zeng Qiang’s underlings cried out, their knives dropping to the ground as they kneeled and begged for mercy.
"Alright, since you like that idea, stay here and work like oxen and horses then! But if I find out that you have any ulterior motives or harbor second thoughts, I will not hesitate to bury you alive!"
Wang Hao didn’t actually want to bury them alive; they were living, breathing lives, after all. Plus, burying so many people would make too much noise and could risk exposure.
He just wanted to scare them, to let them know how formidable he was and to bring them under his control.
When Zeng Qiang saw this scene, he was sweating profusely, a far cry from his previous arrogant demeanor. Catching Wang Hao’s stern gaze, he collapsed to the ground in fright...
