Chapter 142: Family Council (3)

Reigar immediately began organizing according to the plan discussed beforehand, informing everyone that a major counterattack was about to be launched in conjunction with the Tang Gang. At this moment, the emotions of everyone present were running high with excitement, and Xiao Tianci occasionally added fuel to the fire with casual jests.

As things naturally fell into place, the process went smoothly. Equipment was swiftly set up in the conference room, transforming it into a temporary operational command center where Reigar began to showcase his leadership by continuously issuing various commands.

This development made his older brothers, uncles, and the grand elders look at him in a new light. They had never expected that this usually inconspicuous third brother could actually step up to the challenge. Initially, they had regarded Reigar as nothing more than a useless puppet hoisted up by Xiao Tianci. Like a frog at the bottom of a well that could only see a patch of sky the size of a palm, fools can never perceive where others are smarter than them, nor will they ever acknowledge the strengths of their opponents.

Therefore, in Xiao Tianci’s eyes, these people were the true trash and fools. People like Diamond and Cheng Gong, even when locked in a life-or-death struggle, would still appreciate each other's merits.

Reigar ordered these people to direct their subordinates to assemble and begin methodical preparations. After tens of billions of dollars had been poured into the endeavor, their brains were in a state of extreme excitement. Of course, Reigar proved quite adept at seizing the moment to occasionally stimulate them—invoking family honor, urging them to witness their counterattack and their fury, and declaring that they were the most formidable force.

Even meals consisted merely of burgers fetched by Yiren, washed down with water. This sparse fare paradoxically enhanced the atmosphere of an active campaign, driving them into a frenzy of excitement as they endlessly exchanged ideas with Reigar.

The Fatty, naturally, had to be involved as well. The Tang Gang had also completed its preparations long ago. Although the pace had been remarkably swift, coordinating such a massive family with such dispersed forces to uniformly align with tactical requirements was no easy feat.

This was the consequence of decentralized power: when a genuine need arose, the response time was far too sluggish, and this was even with everyone cooperating fully. Otherwise, organizing a proper counterattack would have been truly difficult.

More than ten hours later, all personnel and equipment were finally in place and fully prepared. Observing this, Xiao Tianci let out an inner sigh. They called this a battle? With such efficiency and such massive commotion, the Sakura Group must have been prepared for ages. These idiots! It was obvious all their energy had been wasted on plotting against their own flesh and blood, failing entirely to ready their men and weapons to face the Sakura Group.

The collective strength of these factions was indeed substantial. Reigar glanced at Xiao Tianci, who sat quietly to the side; besides awe, his heart was now filled with deep admiration. Judging from the data gathered here, they had all brought out their true reserves, revealing far more power than what he personally controlled—the smallest fraction exceeded his estimates by a third, and their overall strength was more than double what he had previously anticipated.

While silently cursing them as bastards, he also deeply admired Xiao Tianci. Even after eliminating his two brothers and his uncle, dealing with their subordinates would normally have been a messy affair, but now the situation was vastly improved. This truly was a brilliant strategy that achieved multiple goals at once.

Naturally, the Fatty had no intention of throwing his men into a frontal assault. Their orders were to follow closely behind to provide cover, annihilating small enemy units to establish their prestige while herding larger forces back toward the main group.

The battle commenced. Although the Sakura Group had anticipated the move, they still had not expected the enemy's assault to be so ferocious. Apart from a few key strongholds, various other locations were continuously overrun, and the primary force driving these conquests was none other than the Tang Gang.

The Fatty smiled smugly as he calculated the odds. According to Reigar's earlier commands for such a reckless, no-holds-barred clash against the Sakura Group, victory should theoretically belong to the Sakura Group; however, by that time, they would certainly be completely spent. And at that exact moment...

Reigar had issued strict, unyielding orders. Initially, these men were as excited as rutting stallions, entirely heedless of the consequences. They continuously barked orders: "Kill them! If you fail to take the objective, you can all go die!" Such were their directives. But very soon, as various battle reports flooded in, the casualty figures and the sheer brutality of the fighting forced their minds to calm down.

Reigar’s eldest brother was primarily attacking one of the Sakura Group's two major strongholds. As he looked at the reports coming in, wiping the sweat from his brow, he stared at Reigar and said, "Third Brother, I think... this won't do... how about we pull back first and then..."

"Smack!" Reigar slammed his hand down heavily onto the table, glaring angrily at his eldest brother. "What did you say?"

"This... the casualties are simply too heavy! If this keeps going, my men will probably..."

Reigar said coldly, "I still remember every word you all said just now. Besides, these people are the murderers of our father. Are we incapable of enduring even a minor sacrifice to avenge our father and uphold the honor of the Grimaldi family?" With that, he swept his gaze across the crowd. "Now that I am the head of the family, I absolutely will not allow anyone to retreat. The Grimaldi family has only warriors who die in battle, not cowards who turn back."

"Bang!" With that, he drew a pistol, fired a shot into the ceiling, and laid the weapon down on the table. "Today is the decisive battle. Even if we have to go up and fight ourselves, we must not hesitate. If anyone dares to mention retreating at a time like this, humph..."

Given his ruthless tone, no one took him to be joking. By this point, everyone's minds had cooled down considerably, and they began to silently monitor the shifts on the battlefield. Since all operational command was now entirely in Reigar's hands, any attempt on their part to interfere was impossible. Even if they wanted to send instructions now, there was no way to do so.

Reigar's eldest brother lowered his head and glanced at the card clenched tightly in his hand, feeling a slight measure of comfort. As long as he had money, he needn't fear a shortage of men. The others harbored similar thoughts while Reigar continuously issued death-or-glory commands, driving the men on the battlefield into a relentless, unbroken struggle.

The Fatty was also directing his forces, initiating their advance from the periphery and already achieving considerable results. He began instructing his subordinates to slowly mass together, preparing to strike the moment these factions exhausted each other in mutual slaughter.

By this time, all the earlier enthusiasm in the conference room had vanished; everyone watched the unfolding battle with cold detachment. They wanted to speak their minds, but didn't dare, because they were no longer in control of the situation. Reigar’s own men had hardly been thrown into the meat grinder; although they attacked numerous locations, those targets possessed negligible strength, hence they encountered no stubborn resistance. The Fatty’s men operated under the same principle, meaning their casualties were exceptionally light.

Even if they realized what was happening, no one dared to voice it aloud. They suddenly discovered that the restraint came not just from Xiao Tianci's presence and his vast wealth, but also from the terrifying glint in Reigar's eyes whenever they even thought of objecting—a look that made their hearts skip a beat.

Watching the family fortunes they had painstakingly accumulated being devoured bit by bit, these men felt like crying. Regret began to flood their minds: why had they agreed to all of this in the first place? It had been completely unnecessary! Now look at the mess—wasn't it painfully obvious that Third Brother was using this opportunity to deplete their strength? Even that damn Fatty's men hadn't charged into the fray!

Yet, knowing the truth, what could they do? Xiao Tianci sat right there, Diamond and his crew stood like statues, and most importantly: eating someone's food makes your mouth soft, and taking someone's money ties your hands.

They had accepted ten billion, having sworn oaths of full support just moments before; what could they possibly say now? And what could words change anyway? They could only sigh, consoling themselves that even if they lost their military might, at least they would still have enough money to live out carefree lives.

Sitting off to the side, Xiao Tianci let out an inner sigh. These fools still had no idea death was staring them in the face. Judging by their expressions, although their grievances over this arrangement ran deep—to the point of profound dissatisfaction and regret—not a single one of them had stopped to consider a crucial question: once they lost their military power, would they actually get to keep that money? Would they even be able to leave this place alive?

Deeming the time ripe, Reigar communicated with the Fatty and initiated the final phase of the operation. The Tang Gang, alongside Reigar and the Grimaldi headquarters forces, launched their second wave of assaults—an offensive that was vastly fiercer and more brutal than the first.

In large-scale skirmishes of this caliber, ordinary martial arts experts did not dare expose themselves carelessly, for snipers, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives, and all manner of modern weaponry meant that a single lapse in concentration would result in instantaneous death.

The forces of the first wave had been virtually annihilated. Reigar's eldest brother and the others sat in silence, heads bowed. The Sakura Group possessed the fierce tenacity of dragons crossing a turbulent river; even against Reigar's suicidal first-wave assault, they continued to put up a stubborn defense. The combined forces of the Tang Gang and Reigar launched an all-out offensive, yet they still failed to finally breach the enemy's defense lines, locking both sides in a grueling stalemate.

The night sky was beginning to pale. According to the unwritten rules of the underworld, if the conflict wasn't concluded now, they would have no choice but to retreat. To wage urban warfare in broad daylight would practically invite the regular military to come in and wipe them out.

Reigar was also growing anxious. At that moment, Xiao Tianci slowly rose to his feet. "Gentlemen, this is the most critical juncture. We must absolutely not give the enemy a chance to catch their breath. The elite fighters under your command and the elite troops here are quite substantial. I have already arranged for transport aircraft; I will personally lead them to the front lines to punch through this bottleneck."

None of them expected Xiao Tianci to go himself—what manner of man was he? Reigar immediately raised objections, stating he would lead the men forward personally. Xiao Tianci pressed him back down into his seat, chuckled, and looked at the crowd. "Ha ha... rest assured, everyone, I am merely going to observe the spectacle. I'll watch from a safe distance in the air. Fatty, you're coming with me."

Patting Reigar on the shoulder, he added, "Everything here is in your hands now."

Reigar understood Xiao Tianci's underlying meaning. If Xiao Tianci didn't take his men with him, only these faction leaders remained behind, leaving Reigar completely free to do as he pleased. Of the four grand elders, Reigar kept only the one who supported him, while dispatching the rest to accompany Xiao Tianci. Xiao Tianci didn't give them a chance to ponder the implications either, leading this group swiftly toward the transport aircraft that had just arrived.

Aboard the transport plane, watching the Grimaldi estate shrink and eventually vanish below, Xiao Tianci remarked with deep emotion, "The environment shapes the man. These people have long forgotten what familial affection even means."

The Fatty knew his boss was referring to Reigar. "That kid Reigar is ruthless enough and smart enough. In the underworld, men like him thrive the best."

Xiao Tianci replied, "A man who can slaughter his own brothers and uncles can thrive at anything, but humph—he’ll never amount to true greatness."

Sensing that Xiao Tianci's favorable impression of Reigar was souring, especially given Reigar's cold detachment regarding the elimination of his kin, the Fatty thought for a moment and suggested, "Kid, should we just wipe them all out now? Saves you the headache of looking at them."

Xiao Tianci waved a hand with a smile. "No need, why would looking at them give me a headache? You're right—though Reigar may struggle to achieve true greatness, keeping such a vicious hound around is immensely useful. You just have to remember one thing: never let him grow truly powerful, and never give him the chance to understand you too deeply."

Knowing his brother was looking out for him and guarding against a potential betrayal, the Fatty patted Xiao Tianci's shoulder and laughed. "Ha ha... don't you worry about that! What kind of man am I? Only our brotherhood plots against others; when has anyone ever managed to plot against us?"

Xiao Tianci indeed harbored concerns about nursing a tiger that might eventually turn on its master—this was his greatest apprehension. Yet, at this juncture, Reigar remained exceptionally useful, making the art of governance paramount: utilize him, but never let him pose a threat to oneself.

Before long, they arrived in the vicinity of the main battlefield, where the intense sounds of gunfire could already be heard. Xiao Tianci surveyed the scene and noted, "Just as expected—if this were back home, anyone daring to wage a gun battle would have been wiped out by the authorities long ago. Alright, have their elite fighters charge forward. Position the snipers in the rear, and if any bastard dares to retreat, blow his brains out."

He turned his head to look at Diamond, Cheng Gong, Huofeng, and Tang Bing. "This time, we must break them in one fell swoop. Let's see how things go; if this still doesn't work, we'll have to send you all into the fray." This kind of warfare differed vastly from their usual encounters. Although they were all immensely formidable martial artists, Xiao Tianci still dared not throw them blindly into the meat grinder.

The Fatty also recognized that this was the decisive moment. He prepared to order his own elite fighters to charge forward as well, but Xiao Tianci stopped him. "Fatty, hold on for a moment. Let the others charge first; if all else fails, we go in."

Given the sheer scale of the hostilities this time, the Fatty knew that if they failed to finish off the Sakura Group now, the enemy would firmly root themselves in this territory, making it virtually impossible to drive them out later.

He nodded in agreement. He had always followed Xiao Tianci's instructions implicitly; in his own words, tagging along with a smart man was the truest form of intelligence. From their vantage point high in the air, cameras mounted beneath the aircraft zoomed in, projecting the live combat situation onto the screens inside the cabin for them to monitor.