Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 43: Turning the Tables

Erhu didn’t mention this to Song Dachui. He summoned his second-in-command and sworn brother, worked out a plan with him, and was ready to take action. Acting on one’s own always comes at a price. Tang Kuan, who was in frequent contact with Guo Yan, must have heard about it from others. Since he and Su Mu were on good terms behind the scenes, he had specifically called Su Mu over yesterday—and must have given him a stern talking-to. Things like, “If you don’t cooperate, this will happen,” and so on—it was full of threats. Zhong Da said, “With Tang Kuan and Erhu dead, there won’t be many people left in the Supervision Team. The only core member remaining is Sun Datou. He’s bound to seek desperate revenge. I think after we take out those two, we should strike while the iron’s hot and take him out too!” Su Mu’s mind raced. “I’ve got an idea. Here’s what we’ll do: When the riot breaks out that day, the few of us will run as fast as we can into the shadowed area to lure everyone over there. While Erhu and his crew are in action, you go find Song Dachui for a drink. Take the opportunity to tell him about this, bring him along, and take him out right in the middle of the riot!” “Sounds good, but there’ll only be a few of you, while the numbers in the Heavy Industry Zone will be dozens of times greater than yours. Can you handle it?” “It’d be a tall order for just the four of us, but don’t worry about that. We’ll do everything we can to find some reinforcements. They’ll join the fray and turn the staged riot into a real one.” “Great! If that’s the case, then there’s no problem. Once this is done, don’t forget your promise!” “Haha, I won’t forget. Aren’t you just thinking about that sultry woman in the Stone Tower?” Zhong Da raised his glass with a smile. “Brother Sun, no one’s going to compete with you for her. Mu Ge wouldn’t even give her a second glance, and I certainly wouldn’t steal someone else’s love. Here’s to a successful partnership!” Sun Datou picked up the bottle and clinked it against Song Dachui’s. “It’s time for a new batch of members of the Supervision Team. Song Dachui’s reign here is over.” The two left Sun Datou’s quarters and headed east. As they made their way through the dilapidated alleys of the camp, Zhong Da gazed up at the star-filled sky. Perhaps because he was in such high spirits, the moonlight seemed exceptionally bright to him that night. He spoke up, “Mu Ge, that Sun Datou is a born rebel. I’m afraid keeping him around could become a隐患 in the future. Should we maybe take care of him too…” “Do I even need to say that? I’ve already got a great plan to deal with him. We won’t even have to lift a finger to kill him.” Su Mu added, “By the way, we urgently need to recruit more people right now. Do you have any good ideas?” “Some of the guys in the Heavy Industry Zone are actually pretty bold. With a little encouragement, they’d join us—but we’ll have to offer terms that are sufficiently enticing!” “Tempting enough terms?” Su Mu smiled at Zhong Da. “Brother, once Song Dachui is out of the picture, the Supervision Team will need a fresh batch of people to take over. If not us, then who else? By then, we’ll have a lot of power, and those who’ve helped us out will naturally reap the benefits. Don’t they want to get out of the Heavy Industry Zone? To put it simply, the work will be easier, and they’ll be able to return to camp more often—these are the most practical benefits. As for who can turn their fortunes around and join the Supervision Team, that’ll depend on how much they contribute during this uprising. Is recruiting people really that hard?” “Mu Ge, that’s brilliant!” Zhong Da couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. “I think a lot of people will be scrambling to join us.” “Heh heh, no need to tell them our detailed plan. Just tell them someone’s trying to kill us and that we’re just trying to protect ourselves—ask them to come and lend a hand. In the chaos of a riot, it’ll be impossible to figure out who’s responsible for any deaths or injuries. When Song Dachui and his crew end up dead, everyone will share the blame. Tell them not to be afraid—they don’t have to hold back. Settle scores and clear your names!” “Got it!” “Let’s go. We need to hurry up and recruit some men.” The two returned to the Heavy Industry Zone. The next day, with no personnel changes yet, Zhong Da began making his moves, inviting various people to his tent for drinks. Song Dachui’s plan to bring down Su Mu was already common knowledge here. To prevent the news from leaking prematurely and alerting Erhu, Zhong Da only invited people he knew inside and out. It was enough to tell these people. Once they were transferred, on the day of the riot, they would pass the information on to others, stir things up, and see if anyone would respond and offer help—after all, Su Mu had already laid out the benefits. If they threw their full support behind him, Su Mu would certainly remember their favor once he had brought down Song Dachui. Of course, they could also turn a deaf ear to it, but as long as Song Dachui remains here as foreman, their conditions will never improve. This is a very practical issue, and people are naturally motivated by self-interest. Besides, they won’t be acting alone—that would be too risky. With a large group working together, they can draw courage from one another. The recruitment went very smoothly; more than ten people had already committed to joining the group. Another day passed. In the morning, the Supervision Team in charge of the heavy industry zone arrived—two of them at once. Sure enough, they were Erhu and Tang Kuan. In the afternoon, the news of the relocation was announced, and Su Mu, Zhong Da, Chen Li, and Black Hand were singled out to stay behind—for a perfectly legitimate reason: the four of them had been specifically assigned to gather top-grade Source Stones. After the people were gradually transferred out, a new group arrived to fill their places in less than an hour. As the leader of the Heavy Industry Zone, Su Mu naturally had the authority to manage them. The moment this group was transferred in, every one of them wore a sour expression and acted as if they were worth a fortune. The previous crew had been transferred out, and they certainly didn’t recognize Su Mu as their boss! When it came time to assign their posts, some friction arose. Some actively stepped forward to provoke him, but Su Mu showed them no mercy, knocking them to the ground with just a few moves. Only after Su Mu had taken down four people in a row did the group quiet down slightly, though there were already signs that a major confrontation was brewing.