The Su family wasn't high society in Dragon City. Their trade—urban sanitation—sat at the very bottom of the ladder.
But the Sus had one defining trait: unity.
Whatever came, they closed ranks. Maybe it was the older generation's years in uniform; maybe it was family rules that left no room for betrayal. Mostly, it was survival. In times like these, a split family was meat on the table.
Second, brother Su Tianbei had inherited his father's fire. Born to kick the hive, he could whip a crowd into a blaze; when he charged, the younger Su men burned with him.
Two seven-meter garbage trucks rumbled out of the courtyard.
Sons, cousins, nephews clambered aboard, gripping whatever they could find—shovels, crowbars, iron hooks. The women stayed to mind the elderly. Everyone else went to work.
Tianyu slid into an SUV with his cousin Su Miaomiao—the razor-tongued third sister.
"Sixth, you don't have to come," she said, brisk but worried. "Stay home. We've got it."
"I'm good," Tianyu said, shutting the door.
Up front, Tianbei barked, "Miaomiao—call Wang He, call Dong Gang. Get their crews to the yard."
Engines howled. The convoy tore toward the Su depot on Zhanan's northern fringe.
Half an hour later, they hit the gate.
A dozen cars were already there. Dozens of men in crisp white tees stamped with the Changqing logo blocked the entrance—uniformed, orderly, drilled.
The Sus rolled up in dusty trucks and work vests, heat radiating off them.
Beside a gleaming European SUV, a stocky buzz-cut in his mid-thirties squinted at the convoy.
"He's here," he said. "Su Lao'er."
Tianbei kicked his door open and dropped first.
"Lu Feng! What the hell is this—bringing an army to start trouble?"
Thirty-odd Su men fanned out behind him, faces tight with anger.
"Who's that?" Tianyu asked Miaomiao quietly.
"Lu Feng," she murmured. "Li Hongze's guy. Runs everything south of Liuyuan Street. Name carries weight."
"Got it," Tianyu said, giving him a cool once-over.
Lu Feng strolled up, hands clasped behind his back, a lazy smile on his lips.
"I'm here to take your lot."
"You? On what authority?" Tianbei shot back. "We report to the Sanitation Administration, not you."
"That's the point," Lu Feng said, accepting a folder from his man. "Your old man smuggled restricted tech through this yard. Police are on it. The Administration's under heat. Contract's broken—management ordered Changqing to assume control. So be smart. Clear your junk. I'm taking the site today."
He offered the paper.
Tianbei glanced once—then ripped it in half.
"Save the act. My father hasn't even been judged. Even if he's guilty, that's on him—not the company. One man's crime doesn't void our license."
Lu Feng's smile thinned.
"Got a death wish, tearing official documents?"
"Touch my family's business and I will fight you to the end!" Tianbei roared.
Tianyu's brow creased. "He's playing right into Lu Feng's rhythm," he murmured to Miaomiao. "This is about to blow."
"If it blows, it blows," she hissed. "I'll claw his face off."
"They've got seventy," Tianyu said. "Where are our workers?"
"Workers clean trash—don't fight. And since your uncle got taken, most are lying low. They think we're finished."
Before she finished, Tianyu slipped off his glasses and pocketed them.
"Don't jump in," Miaomiao warned. "Changqing's boys swing dirty—you'll get hurt."
"Who said I'm fighting?" Tianyu deadpanned. "Just taking these off so I can run faster."
"You little coward," she snorted, half amused by herself.
"Fighting's pointless, sis," he muttered, eyes already finding exit routes.
Lu Feng cracked his neck and jabbed a finger into Tianbei's chest.
"You and your old man—same breed. Fine. You want to act tough? I'll beat ten grand's worth of sense into you."
Tianbei yanked a hammer from his belt. The Su men followed suit, metal scraping, wood handles flashing.
Changqing's line surged.
"Yeah, I'm going to head home," Tianyu breathed. "Good luck—try not to kill anyone."
"Drop 'em! Toss their junk out of the yard!" Lu Feng barked. "If anyone gets hurt, I'll carry it!"
"Go!" Tianbei charged, hammer up.
Engines wailed from the road. Two SUVs fishtailed into the gap and braked hard.
Doors flew open.
A tall, sharp-featured man in black stepped out, his voice cutting the noise: "Su family—stand down!"
Tianyu exhaled. Big Brother Su Tiannan.
"They're taking the site, clearing our gear!" Tianbei shouted.
Tiannan didn't answer. He scanned the scene, then walked straight to Lu Feng.
"Give me one week."
"No," Lu Feng snapped. "I'm ordered to take over today. If I don't finish, I can't report back."
"If this turns into a free-for-all," Tiannan said quietly, "men will go to the ER—or the morgue. You want the yard, I get it. But brawling helps no one. You're a businessman, not a soldier. Think like one."
"Don't run circles around me—"
"You know who I am," Tiannan cut in. "You know where my word holds. Give me one week. If my father's case is ruled guilty, I hand you the depot. No drama. That's my promise."
He paused. "If you doubt it, call Inspector Wang. I met him this morning."
Lu Feng hesitated, then waved it off.
"Forget it. Five days. Same time, same place. I'll be back to take it."
"Deal," Tiannan said.
As Lu Feng turned, he flicked his chin at Tianbei.
"Learn from your brother. Use your head. In the old days, we wouldn't have given you clowns a word."
"Go to hell," Tianbei spat.
Lu Feng laughed and signaled his men out.
That night, the Sus filed back into their crowded courtyard. The air still hummed with the near-riot.
Upstairs, over reheated dishes and a splash of white liquor, Miaomiao sighed.
" To throw a welcome dinner, but Lu Feng had other plans. Eat a little, Sixth. We'll do it right tomorrow."
"I'm fine," Tianyu said with a mouthful. "You talk."
At the head, Tiannan smoked in silence. "Eat. We'll handle business."
"Will Officer Wang help us?" Tianbei asked.
"No," Tiannan said flatly. "I gave him fifty thousand to stall, that's it. Only because he and Dad served together."
"What's his reading on the case?" Miaomiao asked.
"Bad," Tiannan said. "He took the delayed money, but wouldn't take a bribe to speak for Dad. Tells you enough. Changqing planned this for a while. They're not just after us—Bai, Liu, Kong are all in it. Best case, we surrender the contract and cough up profits to buy Dad's life."
"They're trying to finish us," Tianbei growled.
"Our only real play is to pool money with the other three and get the Police Bureau to speak for us," Tiannan said. "But they're panicking—trying to save themselves, even slinging mud at each other. So I'm fending off Changqing and our 'allies' at once."
Silence settled.
"If they won't play fair, screw the rules," Tianbei muttered. "I can pull a couple D-Circle hitters and—"
"Don't," Tiannan cut in. "No more stunts. I'll work the top."
Tianyu listened, weighing it all. The path they were on was a slow bleed.
"It's late," Tiannan said, standing. "Miaomiao and I will go downtown tomorrow—see if any of Dad's old army ties can help. Tianyu, timing's bad. Let your second brother show you around. Learn the city."
"Got it," Tianyu said.
Around nine, Tianbei brought Tianyu to his room.
"Too many people in the house. Crash here for now."
Fresh bedding, a cleaned-out cabinet.
"You set this up?" Tianyu asked.
"Me? Please. Miaomiao went on a two-day spree when she heard you were coming."
Tianyu grinned.
As Tianbei turned to go, Tianyu's hand flicked to his waist.
Tianbei jerked back, scowling. "What the hell?"
"What are you doing carrying that?" Tianyu asked quietly.
"For protection," Tianbei muttered. "With everything going on? I'm not walking naked."
Don't do anything stupid. Listen to Big Bro
"I know." He shrugged. "Just meeting a couple managers."
He left. Tianyu sat, unpacking slowly. He'd thought his brothers could shoulder it. Seeing Tianbei armed told him how thin the ice really was.
He'd spent four years at District One's Special Talent Base. The family had no idea what he'd really learned there—and he didn't explain. He only knew he couldn't look at problems the old way anymore.
After a long moment, he stood. Time to talk to Tiannan.
Outside the compound, Tianbei sat in his car with a young man.
"Make the call," he said softly. "Just let you and me know about this."