One of the sons was a big, burly man, built like a bear. He gritted his teeth and said, "Father, those useless fools got caught. Will this ruin our plans? That kid, Lu Jingjun, will probably target our Du Family now."
"That kid is young and aggressive, and he has soldiers under his command. What if he really decides to make a move?"
Another of Du Shi’an’s sons added angrily, "And those bastards at the garrison! They confiscated a shipment of our opium worth over a hundred thousand Oceans."
"Those bastards on the inside took our money but couldn’t even handle this one small thing. What’s the use of them? They deserve to be dragged out and shot, every last one of them!"
The other three young men chimed in, each one gritting their teeth, looking like they wanted to tear the captured men to shreds and swallow them whole.
Who would have thought? The Du Family had insiders in both the garrison and the army, yet the matter was still exposed in the end. This was a fatal blow to the Du Family.
They had done this sort of thing countless times before. When had it not been smooth sailing? But this time, of all times, they had failed.
They had handpicked those insiders, given them plenty of silver and no shortage of benefits. Each one had beaten their chest and guaranteed that everything was foolproof.
And the result? Those who should have been caught were caught, those who should have been shot were shot. Not a single one escaped.
Du Shi’an, dressed in a blue military uniform, sat in the main seat. His expression was calm as he spoke slowly, "Don’t be afraid. The ones who were caught don’t know that our Du Family is the mastermind. What they could confess, they have confessed. What they shouldn’t, they can’t."
"At worst, we’ll just throw out a few more scapegoats. It’s not the first time we’ve done this. We’ll sacrifice what needs to be sacrificed and abandon who needs to be abandoned. As long as we’re alive, we can always rebuild."
He paused, then continued, "We’ve made enough for now. In three days, I’ll arrange a boat to send you to the Northern Yinwang Empire."
"I’ve already made the arrangements. Then, I’ll slip away secretly the day after."
Hearing they had an escape route, Du Shi’an’s five sons looked at each other, their faces showing reluctance.
After all, no one wanted to leave their own territory, but they knew this was the best option.
For some time now, most of the degenerates in Yun Port City who made their fortunes through illegal means had fled to the empire established by the remnants of the northern Yin Court.
That place was practically a garbage dump, attracting all sorts of scum.
Gang bosses driven out by the Lu Family, corrupt officials who had been purged, and drug lords whose dens had been busted—they all flocked there.
Once there, they transformed themselves into elites and continued to lord it over others.
As for the common people there, they naturally suffered. But who cared about that?
Du Shi’an’s eldest son gritted his teeth and finally nodded. "Alright, Dad. We’ll listen to you."
Just then, a deep, rumbling sound suddenly came from outside the Du Family’s main gate.
It was the sound of military truck engines. And not just one, but over twenty of them, bearing down from all directions.
After the trucks stopped, a dense mass of fully armed soldiers jumped down and quickly surrounded the Du Family estate, sealing it off completely.
Guarding the gate was Du Shi’an’s personal guard unit, about ten men in all. They usually stood at the Du Family’s entrance in their crisp uniforms with pistols at their waists, an imposing sight that made everyone give them a wide berth.
The captain of the guard was originally leaning lazily against the doorframe, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, joking with the man beside him.
But when he got a clear look at the men jumping down from the trucks, he froze instantly.
At a glance, nearly a thousand well-equipped soldiers filled the entire street, all of them aiming the dark muzzles of their guns squarely at the Du Family’s main gate.
When the guard captain’s gaze fell on the two men in the lead, his pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks.
One was Zheng Zhishan, the devil of a head instructor who had drilled him to death on the training grounds back when he had first joined the army.
The other was Lu Jingjun, the de facto most powerful man in Yun Port City.
His legs began to feel weak, and he spoke with a tremor, "This lowly one, Hongyu Jing, has... has the honor of meeting Deputy Lu, Instructor Zheng..."
Lu Jingjun didn’t even spare him a glance, his eyes fixed directly on the space behind the Du Family’s open gate.
"Enough talk. Everyone on the ground. Anyone who resists—will be shown no mercy."
The guard captain trembled all over. After hearing the three words "shown no mercy," how could the soldiers behind him dare to hesitate?
One by one, they dropped into a squat, placed their guns on the ground, and clasped their hands behind their heads, remaining completely still.
With a wave of his hand, Lu Jingjun led his men straight inside. Along the way, there were still some who failed to see the writing on the wall.
A few of the Du Family’s loyalist guards, clutching guns, were hiding around a corner. One of them gritted his teeth and tried to raise his weapon to resist.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The soldiers behind them opened fire without hesitation. The men let out a few screams before collapsing into pools of their own blood.
After that, a continuous stream of gunfire erupted throughout the Du Family compound. Some people ran frantically toward the back courtyard, while others were turned into sieves the moment they raised their guns, never even getting a chance to pull the trigger.
In the main hall, Du Shi’an and his five sons had, of course, also heard the gunshots.
"What’s going on?"
Du Shi’an’s five sons stared at each other in dismay, then turned in a panic to look at their father.
Before Du Shi’an could speak, the Du Family’s butler stumbled in, his face pale with terror. He ran to Du Shi’an, dropped to his knees with a THUD, and cried out in fear.
"It’s terrible, Master! A large number of soldiers have broken in! All of our men have been disarmed."

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