Chapter 7: The Unlikely Recruit
The Ding echoed in Li Wei's mind, a clear, sharp sound that cut through his thoughts about the enigmatic Leng Xue. The System interface materialized, its usual blue glow now edged with a subtle, urgent amber.
[NEW MISSION: Forge Your Shield] [The viper you struck will soon thrash. A cornered enemy is unpredictable and dangerous. Your current security is a wall; you require a dagger.] [OBJECTIVE: Recruit a personal bodyguard. Target is specified. This is not a suggestion.] [TARGET SPECIFICATIONS: Designation: 'Kai'. Former enforcer and assassin for the Black Lotus syndicate. Went independent. Exceptional close-quarters combatant, mastery of multiple martial arts. Current location: The Drunken Octopus Bar, Kowloon district.] [NOTE: System capabilities are limited to identity verification and mission parameters at this stage. Host must utilize acquired assets and personal wit for recruitment.] [REWARD UPON SUCCESS: Skill - [Basic Combat Instincts]]
Li Wei read the text, a cold focus settling over him. An assassin. The System wasn't looking for a soldier; it was looking for a killer. A tool of a different, sharper kind. A dishonorably discharged soldier was one thing, but a former underworld enforcer drinking in a dive bar was a far more dangerous proposition. The reward made sense now—he would need those instincts just to survive this conversation.
He didn't hesitate. He changed into a simple, dark hoodie and jeans, clothes that wouldn't draw attention in a place called "The Drunken Octopus." He summoned a discreet black sedan via a premium service. The driver gave him the same wary look when he stated his destination.
"The Drunken Octopus Bar in Kowloon," Li Wei repeated, his tone flat.
The drive was a descent from the pristine silence of The Peak into the throbbing, chaotic underbelly of Kowloon. The clean, wide streets narrowed into neon-lit alleys choked with the smells of frying oil, spilled beer, and damp concrete. The car stopped at the mouth of such an alley.
"It's down there, sir. I cannot take the car in."
Li Wei nodded, paid the driver a significant tip with a warning to forget the trip, and stepped out. He pulled his hood up and moved into the alley's shadows. A flickering neon sign of a tipsy octopus cast a sickly glow over a grimy door. The sound of raucous arguments and clinking glasses spilled onto the street. He pushed the door open, and a wave of thick, smoky air, sour beer, and the tinny sound of a old jukebox hit him.
The System interface glowed, a waypoint marker hovering over a figure sitting alone in the darkest corner of the bar, a booth shrouded in shadow.
Li Wei moved through the crowd. He earned more than curious glances here; he earned assessing, predatory stares. He ignored them, his own gaze fixed on the target. He reached the booth.
The man known as 'Kai' was a study in contained lethality. He wasn't bulky, but lean and wiry, like a coiled spring. He wore a simple, black long-sleeved shirt, the cuffs pulled down to his knuckles. His face was sharp, with high cheekbones and a lean jaw, partially obscured by the shadows and the fall of his dark, unruly hair. He wasn't drinking whiskey, but a clear liquid from a small glass—likely baijiu, the potent Chinese spirit. His movements as he lifted the glass were economical, precise, utterly without waste. He didn't look up as Li Wei approached.
Li Wei slid into the booth opposite him.
The man's head lifted. It wasn't a fast movement, but it was unnervingly smooth. His eyes were the color of dark smoke, and they held a flat, chilling emptiness. There was no life in them, no curiosity, only a deep, abiding stillness that felt more dangerous than any glare.
"You're in my light," the man said. His voice was soft, almost a whisper, but it carried through the bar's noise like a razor blade.
"I'm not here for the light," Li Wei replied, keeping his hands visible on the sticky table. The System's calm was a cold river flowing through him, keeping his own fear at bay. "I'm here to offer you a job."
Kai's lips twitched in what might have been the ghost of a smile. It didn't reach his eyes. "I'm selective about my employers. You don't look like you could afford my rates."
"I can afford anything," Li Wei said, his voice equally quiet. "But I'm not looking for a one-time transaction. I'm looking for a permanent arrangement."
"Permanent?" Kai took a slow sip of his drink. "Nothing is permanent. Especially not life. You seem to be under a misapprehension about what I do."
"I know exactly what you do, Kai," Li Wei said, using the name. "Or what you did for the Black Lotus. I'm not hiring you for that. I'm hiring you to prevent that from happening to me."
The glass stopped halfway to the table. The stillness around Kai deepened, becoming absolute. The empty eyes focused on Li Wei with an intensity that felt like physical pressure. The noise of the bar seemed to recede, muffled by the threat radiating from the man across the table.
"That's a name you shouldn't know," Kai whispered, the words laced with a silent promise of violence. "Who gave it to you?"
"That's not important," Li Wei said, holding that terrifying gaze. He could feel his heart hammering against his ribs, but his voice remained steady. "What's important is that I know your skills. And I know you're wasting them here, taking petty jobs for Triad lieutenants who don't appreciate your... artistry."
Kai leaned forward slightly, a predator emerging from the shadows. "You think you can appreciate it? You, who smells of new money and expensive soap? You have no idea what you're playing with."
"I'm playing for my life," Li Wei countered, his voice dropping to match Kai's whisper. "Powerful enemies tried to kill me. They failed. They will try again. I don't need a soldier. I need a shadow. I need a dagger in the dark that belongs to me. I need someone who understands that the best defense is a silent, permanent end to a threat."
He saw it then. A flicker of interest in the dead, smoke-colored eyes. Not morality, not loyalty, but professional curiosity. The appeal to his skill, to being utilized properly, not wasted.
"And why would I swear myself to you?" Kai challenged, the ghost of a smile returning. "You could be setting a trap. The Lotus has long memories."
"If I were with the Lotus, we wouldn't be talking," Li Wei said, his cold smile mirroring Kai's. "You'd be bleeding out on this sticky floor. I'm offering you a way out. A new identity. More money than you've ever seen. A fortress to operate from. And targets worthy of your skill. My enemies are corporate snakes. They think they're untouchable. I want to show them they're not."
He leaned forward, his own eyes hardening. "I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to consider the most interesting contract of your life. One that doesn't involve collecting debts from street thugs."
Kai was silent for a long moment, studying Li Wei. He seemed to be looking past the clothes, past the face, measuring the will behind the words. He finally picked up his glass and finished the clear liquor in one swift, clean motion.
"Your name," Kai said, placing the empty glass down with a quiet finality.
"Li Wei."
"Li Wei," Kai repeated, as if tasting the name. "You have a dangerous look in your eye. Not the danger of a fighter, but the danger of a man with nothing left to lose and a universe of power at his fingertips. It's an interesting combination."
He stood up in one fluid motion. "I'll consider your proposal. But we do this my way. A trial period. One week. My terms, my rules. You pay a retainer upfront. If I decide you're not worth my time, or if you betray me, I disappear. And you won't see me coming."
Li Wei nodded. "Agreed."
Kai didn't offer to shake hands. He simply looked at Li Wei for a second longer, then turned and melted into the crowd of the bar, becoming just another shadow in the dim light, gone between one blink and the next.
Li Wei let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. The encounter had lasted less than ten minutes, but it felt like he'd just stared into an abyss and made a deal with whatever lived there.
He stood and made his way out of the bar, the System's waypoint marker now gone from his vision. The mission status, however, glowed with a new line.
[STATUS: IN PROGRESS - Terms Negotiated]
He had his dagger. Now he had to make sure he was the one holding the hilt, and not the blade.