Chapter 179: Gang Negotiation

"I mean no offense, but I really don't have time right now." Li Xiaofei's tone remained calm as he said, "I'll say it again, I did not kill the woman in this room. The murderer is an Incense Master from the Dragon Claw Gang named Jin Yi."

"How do you know this?" Su Yuke asked in return.

Li Xiaofei patiently recounted the events since his arrival.

"I need to hurry and find my sister's whereabouts. Apologies, Officer Su."

As he spoke, he suddenly pushed her forward. Instinctively, her partner reached out to catch her.

Bang.

The two collided heavily, losing their balance. By the time they got back on their feet, Li Xiaofei had vanished.

"Damn it, I'll call for reinforcements." Officer Little Chen quickly said, "That guy can't have gone far. We can definitely block him."

But Su Yuke suddenly said, "Forget it, let him go. He isn't the murderer."

"Huh? Captain, you just said..." Officer Little Chen was stunned, not understanding the situation.

Su Yuke replied, "That young man is Li Xiaofei, the president of the Cloudy Sky Gang."

"That’s him?" Little Chen was taken aback. "Fist King Li Xiaofei? I've watched his matches and know his story. That speech he gave during the competition with Longteng High School has become a new online sensation. He's an inspiring young man... but he looks very suspicious dressed like this at a crime scene."

Su Yuke looked sternly at him, "If he was the killer, we would already be corpses."

Little Chen paused, then said, "That makes sense, but..."

"No buts," Su Yuke said clearly. "Contact our colleagues outside the slum and confirm whether Li Xiaofei's sister is really missing."

"Understood," replied the male officer.

The male officer quickly dialed his light core phone. Meanwhile, Su Yuke began to carefully examine Kong Yan's body, determining the time of injury and cause of death. As a senior police officer, Su Yuke's skills were top-notch. She soon completed her preliminary assessment.

"This morning at 8:45, there was indeed a kidnapping case outside the slum. However, the victim's family did not report it," Officer Little Chen reported to her. "Some of our colleagues retrieved nearby surveillance footage. There were seven kidnapped children; one was Li Jie, and another, upon comparison, was confirmed to be Kong Xinyue, the daughter of the deceased, Kong Yan."

Su Yuke nodded and said, "That makes sense. I just examined Kong Yan's body. The manner of death, the time of injury, and the residual drugs in her esophagus match Li Xiaofei's description. He came here to find Li Jie."

"But he assaulted the police..." Little Chen instinctively said.

Su Yuke interrupted him, saying calmly, "We'll settle that matter with him later. The priority right now is to mobilize and search for Li Jie and the others."

Little Chen said, "The Cloudy Sky Gang didn't report the case. Judging by Li Xiaofei's demeanor, it seems he wants to handle it himself. Captain, we've been instructed to avoid getting involved in gang disputes."

Su Yuke's tone was resolute, "I don't care about gang disputes, but those children are innocent. No matter what, we must rescue them."

***

After leaving the Guang'an neighborhood, Li Xiaofei called Little Aunt. He then went to the vicinity of the Dragon Claw Gang headquarters to do some discreet scouting.

The Dragon Claw Gang had started out as a loose organization of several hundred laborers doing hard labor. Later, one of their members had reached the Acupoint Opening Realm and had tirelessly led his brothers. They then expanded their business into hotels, transportation, star beast hunting, scrap recycling, and wholesale retail. Over time, they grew into a prominent registered association in Liuhe Base City.

Their headquarters was located in a renovated scrap recycling station. It was said that the old gang leader had chosen this location to remind the members of their humble beginnings and original purpose. However, after the current leader, Long Xiaotian, seized power, he changed the cautious and steady approach of his predecessor.

Under his influence, the gang's operations became more aggressive. They quickly annexed four or five small and medium-sized gangs, recruited many disgraced martial artists, and expanded rapidly while becoming increasingly tyrannical and notorious.

The original scrap recycling station was transformed into a fortress-like base. The perimeter was guarded by electric fences, various traps, sentry posts, and patrols. The base was now utterly impregnable.

After circling the perimeter, Li Xiaofei frowned slightly. The Dragon Claw Gang was highly alert and heavily guarded. It would be difficult to infiltrate without being noticed. If he attempted a frontal assault, not only would he have to deal with their Acupoint Opening Realm experts, but it would also likely alert the gang, endangering Li Jie and the other captives.

If only I knew the disguise techniques or hypnotic methods from martial arts novels...

At that moment, the light core in his pocket vibrated slightly.

"Hello?"

"Boss, it's me. The Dragon Claw Gang just sent a challenge. They want a gang negotiation."

"Negotiation?"

"Yes, it's sent under the name of the Gang Alliance."

"What do they want to negotiate?"

"They want to discuss the ownership of the slum."

***

A gang negotiation, on the surface, was about sitting down and discussing matters rationally. In reality, it was about flexing muscles. If discussions failed, it would come down to a showdown in the ring. Winner takes all.

Various major gangs had formed a Gang Alliance in Liuhe Base City. Its nature was similar to that of a trade union or association. The initial aim was to minimize bloody conflicts between gangs and resolve disputes through reasoning.

After all, excessive violence would attract government crackdowns. Moreover, it would cause significant losses to both sides, harming human unity. However, the Gang Alliance didn’t wield much power, similar to the United Nations in 2022. It was used when needed and discarded when not, much like toilet paper. It could even become a tool for larger powers to bully the weak.

This time, the Dragon Claw Gang had invoked the Gang Alliance to request a gang negotiation. Their core demand was to divide up the land in the slum. This proposal had garnered support from various gangs such as Iron Palm Ltd, Daxing Gang, and Flying Cloud Sword Gang.

They believed that the Cloudy Sky Gang, being a small third-rate gang, had no right to occupy such a large area of the slum. They demanded that it be divided and jointly developed with the claim that it would make the slum a better place.

When Li Xiaofei returned to the Cloudy Sky Gang headquarters and saw this message, he almost laughed.

The slum used to be a lawless and impoverished area. No one wanted to develop it back then because there was no profit to be made. Now that the Cloudy Sky Gang had revitalized the slum and the residents were becoming prosperous, they want to reap the benefits? What a joke.

"Our leader, Dragon Claw Gang’s boss, asks President Li to consider this carefully." The emissary said nervously. "He also said... he also said... the cost of refusal is something you cannot afford."