Chapter 40: Choice

The name "Yu Guang" still lingered in the small town.

By the middle of the night, the sky, which had been overcast all day, finally released a slow, steady rain following a sudden, thunderous roar. At first, the drizzle was lingering and soft, like the tender back-and-forth between lovers, clinging and persistent. But before long, the rain intensified, accompanied by a relentless barrage of thunder.

Zhong Yuan was awakened by the rumbling. He sat up and walked to the window. Outside, in the pitch-black sky, lightning flickered amidst the roiling clouds. It was two o'clock in the morning.

Zhong Yuan pushed the window open, and the wind rushed in, carrying the rain and slapping against his face with a sudden, hurried urgency.

Zhong Da had also risen. He walked over, glanced at the sky outside, and said with concern, "With rain this heavy, I’m afraid it won't be easy to travel tomorrow."

Zhong Yuan stared at the torrential downpour without replying.

Soon after, Xiao Hua woke up as well. Upon opening his eyes and seeing two dark silhouettes standing by the window, he was startled before he had fully regained his senses. He rolled off the bed in a panic, landing with a dull thud, and couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

Zhong Yuan and Zhong Da turned around simultaneously.

"How did you manage to roll off the bed?" Zhong Da asked as he walked over to help him up.

The fall had completely snapped Xiao Hua to attention. Hearing the voice, he looked up and saw it was indeed Zhong Da, and then glanced at the person by the window—Zhong Yuan. He patted his chest silently, not daring to admit he had been frightened by them, and instead lied that he had simply rolled over carelessly. He then asked the approaching Zhong Da, "Brother Da, what were you and Brother Yuan looking at?"

"Watching the rain. It’s started to pour," Zhong Da replied.

Xiao Hua was puzzled. He had heard the rain and the thunder; what was there to watch?

Just as he was wondering, Zhong Yuan abruptly slammed the window shut, turned, and smiled at him. "Did we startle you?"

Xiao Hua felt a bit sheepish.

"Go back to sleep. It’s only a little past two," Zhong Yuan said. He climbed onto his bed, but instead of lying down, he leaned against the headboard, pulled out his phone, and began watching the video recorded by the bald man before he died.

Xiao Hua lay back down, staring at the ceiling. The faint, muffled sound of the video played in his ears. Within seconds, his eyelids began to grow heavy, and after a few tremors, they gave up and closed completely.

Zhong Da, lying beside him, heard the steady rhythm of his breathing and couldn't help but smile. The boy’s greatest strength was his carefree nature.

After smiling, he turned his gaze to Zhong Yuan on the other bed. The room was unlit; the light from the phone screen washed Zhong Yuan’s face in a pale hue, and combined with his cold, stern expression, he appeared somewhat eerie.

"Brother, aren't you sleeping?" Zhong Da asked softly.

Zhong Yuan kept his eyes fixed on the screen and replied calmly, "I can't seem to sleep. You go ahead."

A deep sense of guilt welled up in Zhong Da’s heart, but things had already reached this point; regret was useless.

Just then, Zhong Yuan turned his head. The phone’s light shifted to the side of his face, instantly dispelling the eerie quality and replacing it with a sense of profound mystery. Even in the dim room, he captured Zhong Da’s gaze with precision, offered a faint smile, and said, "Don't overthink it. I’m just wide awake—I slept too much during the day."

Zhong Da gave an acknowledging grunt and turned away to close his eyes.

Zhong Yuan retracted his gaze as well.

He was indeed unable to sleep, though it wasn't entirely due to resting too much during the day.

Although he had won the previous skirmishes with the Buddha Hand Gang, they hadn't all been easy. For instance, in the conflict with the man named Brother Ma, if not for the incompetence of his subordinates, they might not have escaped that abandoned factory unscathed while carrying an injured Dong Cuo.

A gang as large as the Buddha Hand, capable of entrenched power in the South for so many years, could not consist entirely of fools. If there were more men like Brother Ma, Zhong Yuan’s plan to dismantle the entire organization might, even if successful, come at a heavy cost.

Therefore, while he had tried to appear optimistic—as if the Buddha Hand were mere strays easily swept away—he felt no lightness in his heart.

The first strike had to be precise; it might even be relatively easy. After that first blow, the Buddha Hand would surely be on alert. But as long as he was cautious enough to leave behind minimal clues, they shouldn't immediately suspect his group. The second strike should also be manageable.

But after that second strike, the Buddha Hand would begin to suspect him, perhaps even confirm it was them. That would make the third strike critical. If Zhong Yuan could deliver a perfect result with that move, it would deal a massive blow to the gang’s confidence, particularly among the stall managers, who would inevitably begin to fear for their own safety.

However, Zhong Yuan knew he would have to pause there.

He needed to let that budding fear ferment for a while. Once it had accumulated sufficiently, he would strike again. If that blow succeeded, the fear of him would be etched into the hearts of the Buddha Hand members. In any future confrontation, the enemy would lose three parts of their courage before the fighting even began.

The Buddha Hand Gang had twelve stalls in total. The Lanta Island operation, formerly managed by Tan Wei—whom Zhong Da had killed—counted as one. With Tan Wei dead, that territory likely fell to old Pu, or perhaps it had been absorbed by Brother Ma—Ma Ao. Beyond that, each province generally hosted one stall.

Zhong Yuan couldn't possibly clear them out one by one. But once he dismantled the main stalls, he assumed other lurking shadows would emerge to kick the gang while it was down.

Thus, the choice of the initial targets was vital.

Surat Thani was the largest province in the South and the base of the gang’s second-in-command. To destroy the Buddha Hand, Zhong Yuan had to eliminate this man. Furthermore, the grudge they held against him was the root of the entire affair.

Therefore, Surat Thani was a mandatory target, but the timing had to be perfect.

Moreover, since the South was the Buddha Hand’s domain, gathering intelligence was essential. Yet, such reconnaissance carried the risk of alerting the enemy. On the surface, the task seemed simple—just get it done—but in practice, it was a matter of endless, intricate details. One slight misstep, and success would be impossible. If that happened, escaping would be even harder than it had been last time.

That was precisely why he had revealed the name "Yu Guang" to Chen Mingjiang.

If things truly reached their worst, and with the promise Chen Mingjiang had given—a promise he would never break—Chen Mingjiang would be their final retreat.