It was obvious that Lu Huangze didn’t take Sharo seriously at all.

From his point of view, Rashomon already held intelligence on Rakshasa’s bases—essentially gripping Sharo’s lifeline in their hands. That was why he didn’t care about offending her. If it weren’t for the imminent police crackdown, he would have already led his people from house to house, seizing territory outright.

So why did squad leader Long Tao get slapped?

And why would Lu Huangze, as Rashomon’s leader, personally come out to apologize?

It was a little awkward for me to spell it out, but the answer was painfully obvious…

Yes—this b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ had simply taken a liking to my looks and came out to flirt.

There were cameras in the corners of the bar’s ceiling. He must have noticed me through those.

As for Long Tao, I strongly suspected his disgusting behavior was exactly what Lu Huangze wanted.

After all, there was no reason for Long Tao to report his bad attitude while guiding us, only to get slapped for it—and then kicked by Sharo’s hard leather boot on top of that.

Most likely, the other squad leaders escorting different gangs were treated just as badly. This was Rashomon’s show of force—a deliberate intimidation tactic meant to blunt the edge of the other gangs and secure control over the meeting.

For those gangs, cooperating with Rashomon was practically the only way to survive this police sweep. Enduring a bit of humiliation didn’t matter. In the end, compared to negligible pride, a thug’s survival instinct always wins out.

And if things ever escalated too far, Lu Huangze could always smile his way out with a public apology, dump the blame on a subordinate squad leader, label it a “personal action,” and still walk away with a spotless reputation.

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that this was exactly what was happening.

“Uh… haha… let’s talk about that after the meeting, maybe?”
I shrugged, feigning calm, but didn’t dare meet his eyes.

I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“So, Brother Lu, how exactly do you plan to help all these gangs get through the current situation?”

Lu Huangze was already a conspicuously tall man, and I deliberately raised my voice. Almost everyone present was concerned about this issue, so in an instant, the entire bar hall’s attention converged on him—
—and then this b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ floated.

People react to attention in two fundamentally different ways.

One type is like Xiao Cangyu—intimidated by stares, restless, and trying desperately to hide.

The other is like Lei Meow Meow—stimulated by attention, their desire to perform ignited, like they’d just taken a hit of stimulants.

“Hmm? That’s something I’ll explain during the meeting.”

Unfortunately, Lu Huangze belonged firmly to the latter group. Being the center of attention boosted his self-satisfaction even further. He smugly adjusted his suit jacket—and then—

This f*cker actually brushed the back of his fingers across my cheek.

Sharo exploded up from the sofa and slapped his filthy hand away.
“You—【beep】! Hands off! Don’t you dare touch her!”

If Sharo hadn’t reacted so quickly, I was pretty sure he would’ve gone on to tease my ear. That sudden, invasive gesture sent chills all over my body—I felt sick, every hair standing on end.

Shan-jie frowned and pressed a hand to her ear. Someone must have said something through the earpiece.

I shrank back into the sofa, then looked again at the instigator—

“Haha, Miss Sharo really does care about her subordinates.”
Lu Huangze let out a dry laugh, rubbing the back of his hand where Sharo had struck him, acting as though he didn’t mind at all.

That said, his hand was still trembling slightly. He was definitely forcing himself to endure it.

I’d already experienced Sharo’s grip strength back when I was kidnapped. With Lu Huangze’s thin, bamboo-pole build, that slap must have hurt like hell.

But people who care this much about appearances would never lose their composure in public.

At that moment, one of Lu Huangze’s subordinates whispered something into his ear. His brows knit briefly in displeasure before the fake smile returned.

He turned to survey the leaders and senior members of the various gangs, cleared his throat, and addressed the room:
“Since everyone invited today has arrived, let’s not waste time. We’ll begin the meeting early.”

Counting by groups of three, there were at least a dozen gangs present.

For the entire Tianping Commercial District, that wasn’t many—clearly, only the larger organizations had been selectively invited.

Lu Huangze took a seat in a luxurious booth, and one of his men handed him a microphone.
“I’ll spare you the pleasantries—you don’t like hearing them anyway. Conflicts of interest between us undeniably exist. However, faced with a common crisis, I hope everyone can set aside grudges and prejudice. Only by working together can we overcome this difficulty.”

What righteous, grand-sounding words. Anyone unaware of the context might think he was some kind of revolutionary champion of the masses.

Sharo, Lu Huangze—they were both thugs who refused to see themselves as thugs. Lei Laohu, at least, had some self-awareness.

No sooner had Lu Huangze finished speaking than a burly man with a broad back slammed the table, eyes blazing.
“Lu Huangze! You despicable rat who blackmails people with intel on our bases—what are you pretending to be noble for now?!”

To dare challenge Lu Huangze like that in Rashomon’s own territory, this musclehead was clearly relying on his physique.

“I understand your dissatisfaction,” Lu Huangze replied calmly. “But please calm down. I had no choice. If I hadn’t used that intelligence as leverage, would you even be sitting here? I suspect very few of you would.”

As he said—entering another gang’s headquarters without cause was basically handing over your own head.

The big man snorted angrily but eventually sat back down.

“Now, listen to what I have to say. I have a method that can help every gang here survive this crisis.”
He reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a palm-sized, hardbound notebook, holding it up high.

“This is a notebook we seized from a police informant. Every gang here is recorded in it—base locations, areas of influence, and more. As for its authenticity… if it were fake, none of you would be sitting here, right?”

Someone asked, “Who was that informant?”

“The name he gave you was surely fake,” Lu Huangze replied. “But you should remember a pompadour-haired man who wore a mask all the time, yes?”

A wave of realization swept through the bar. Lü Le’s reputation was clearly well established—his appearance alone left a strong impression.

“My subordinates stabbed him,” Lu Huangze continued casually. “Unfortunately, the police interfered. He should be lying in a hospital now.”
The room erupted into murmurs.

“【Beep——】! That guy was a police informant?!”

“He even recommended some newly debuted idol group to me!”

Lu Huangze cut in smoothly. “Speaking of that idol—she’s actually the daughter of the officer in charge of this operation. I had a small gang harass her a few days ago. They all ended up locked up instead.”

He spread his hands. “That should tell you how serious the police are this time. If we don’t unite, we won’t make it.”

I stole a glance at Shan-jie. She was perfectly calm, sipping her juice as if they were talking about someone else entirely.

As expected of a seasoned double agent—her acting and composure were impeccable.

Once the discussion gradually died down, Lu Huangze continued:

“Although this notebook may be a unique copy, it’s safer to assume the police already have this information. With these records in hand, as long as you’re still in the Tianping Commercial District—where exactly do you think you can hide and still be safe? Hmm?”

Someone asked uneasily, “Then… what should we do?”

Lu Huangze’s words had ignited their anxiety, and that anxiety dulled their judgment. Without realizing it, they were being led by the nose.

“I have a plan—but it requires a significant number of people. Every gang here has over a hundred members. If you’re willing to lend me your manpower, I can ensure the police won’t catch anyone.”

“But you just said none of our bases are safe,” someone protested.

Lu Huangze narrowed his eyes, then slowly opened them a sliver.
“Your bases aren’t safe. But Rashomon hasn’t been fully exposed.”

“Don’t forget—the informant was discovered while investigating us. That means he never had complete information on Rashomon.”

“So what you’re saying is…”