The first sign that something had gone wrong was the blood all over his men.
Gu Han stood in the center of the cul-de-sac and watched two of his men stagger past the barricade supporting a third between them. The injured man's boots dragged across the pavement, and dark veins had spread from his swollen hand to the middle of his forearm.
Three more followed several steps behind.
One held a blood-soaked cloth against his face. Another limped badly enough that he needed the broken remains of a stick as a cane, while the last man walked with both hands raised slightly away from his body as though he still couldn't decide whether anything was broken.
The worst part was that none of them had their weapons.
Chen Bo moved toward them first. "What happened?"
The man with the damaged face tried to answer, but blood and teeth filled his mouth and prevented him from being able to speak clearly.
Gu Han looked at the poisoned leader instead. "Where are the others?"
