T Group Headquarters
A grand palace had been decorated for a banquet. Dozens of guards patrolled outside while servants stood at the entrance, ready to welcome the arriving guests.
Inside the palace, a large elevated platform held two thrones. A dozen guards stood protectively in front of it. These guards were different from those outside—they wore tribal masks that gave them a feral appearance.
Elsewhere, Wang Wei, the president of T Group, was meeting with Hou Qing, the deputy leader of Red Dragon. Two masked men stood behind Wang Wei, distinct in appearance from those in the banquet hall. Behind Hou Qing stood Zhang Jian and Li Xiu.
Wang Wei looked furious. He slammed his hands against the armrests. "YOU BASTARDS! YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE?! DID I PAY 10 MILLION FOR THIS?! WHERE IS LONG TIANHO?!"
Hou Qing's face remained calm as he explained politely, "The leader will be here by the time the banquet starts. I hope you can pardon us this time."
Wang Wei's face flushed red with anger. "PARDON?! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM THAT I SHOULD PARDON YOU?!"
Hou Qing clenched his jaw and bowed his head slightly. "I sincerely apologize for this matter. However, even without our leader, we are capable enough to protect you from any potential threats. Our men have already positioned themselves to neutralize any danger."
Wang Wei's fury only grew stronger. "I DIDN'T HIRE YOU BASTARDS FOR NUMBERS! I WANT THE DRAGON OF THE HEAVENS TO GUARD ME PERSONALLY! I HAVE PLENTY OF NUMBERS ALREADY!" He picked up a wine glass and threw it at Hou Qing.
Before the glass could stain Hou Qing's clothes, a slender hand caught it, keeping the drink inside.
Li Xiu brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. "Such fine wine. It would be a waste to spill it."
One of the guards beside Wang Wei suddenly appeared in front of Li Xiu and attacked her with a hidden blade. Just before the blade could touch her neck, a knife blocked the attack. "My, my. Even though I hate her, how dare you attack a member of Red Dragon?" Zhang Jian said with a smile.
Before the guard could continue, Wang Wei ordered from behind, "Stop. Return to your position."
The guard nodded and went back to his spot. Wang Wei had finally calmed down. No matter how angry he was, Red Dragon was a powerful force. He couldn't push them too far. He tapped the desk with his fingers. "I will overlook this mistake once. But I won't tolerate any further errors."
Hou Qing nodded. "Thank you for your understanding."
Hou Qing left the chamber, followed by Li Xiu and Zhang Jian. They walked through the hallway in silence for a moment. The tension from the meeting still hung in the air. Hou Qing's jaw was tight, but he kept his expression neutral.
Li Xiu glanced at him and said playfully, "I never thought you'd be this patient. You held back really well in there."
Hou Qing replied seriously, "This will be the first mission I do with bro—ahem, the leader. I don't want any mistakes. Everything has to go perfectly."
Li Xiu giggled. "You can call him brother here, you know. After all, you're the true younger brother of the Dragon of the Heavens. No need to hide it from us."
Hou Qing didn't respond. His mind was focused on the mission ahead. He had trained for years to reach this point. This was his chance to prove himself worthy of standing beside his brother. Any mistake could ruin everything.
While Hou Qing and Li Xiu talked, Zhang Jian examined the knife in his hand. Deep cracks had spread across the blade. This wasn't just any knife—it was one of the best pieces from his collection. He had paid a fortune for it. The blade was made from special steel that could withstand most impacts.
For it to crack in just one strike meant the opponent was extremely skilled. That guard wasn't ordinary. Zhang Jian frowned as he thought about it. Wang Wei had more protection than they expected. The masked guards were clearly strong fighters.
"That guard was strong," Zhang Jian said, breaking the silence. "My blade cracked from blocking just one attack."
Hou Qing stopped walking and turned to face him. "How strong?"
Zhang Jian examined the crack more closely. "Close to my level at least. We should be careful around them."
Li Xiu crossed her arms. "Wang Wei wouldn't have weak guards. He's paranoid about his safety. Those masked ones are probably his personal unit. He should have much cards under his sleeves. The only reason he hired us to have our leaders protection."
Hou Qing nodded slowly. "It doesn't matter. Red Dragon will complete this mission perfectly as always."
---
Elsewhere, a girl with light brown hair was being dressed by several maids. Her eyes looked empty. She was Vivi, the daughter of T Group's president.
The maids worked quietly, fixing her hair and makeup. They adjusted her dress and added jewelry. Vivi sat still like a doll, not reacting to anything. Her mind was somewhere else.
As the maids worked, memories of her time with Xiaolong flashed before her eyes. She always took him for granted. She always used him like a tool. But she remembered the warmth she felt when he was near. Those days felt like a dream now. A dream that had ended badly.
Vivi was not a good person. She knew that. She had done terrible things. She had hurt people. She had been cruel and selfish. Karma always comes back around. She understood that now. The pain she felt was probably what she deserved.
But there was no going back now. What was done was done. The only person she'd ever felt attached to was gone. Xiaolong had left her life. Maybe he was gone forever. She would never see him again. That thought made her chest feel heavy.
One of the maids spoke softly, "Miss Vivi, we're finished. You look beautiful."
Vivi looked at herself in the mirror. She did look beautiful on the outside. But inside, she felt hollow. She stood up slowly and prepared to go to the banquet.
---
Finally, it was time for the banquet to begin. Guests started arriving at the hall. Servants greeted them one by one while guards checked everyone at the entrance. Any weapons were taken away immediately.
Among the arriving guests was Baki's group. Baki had kept his face hidden beneath a hat since the beginning. He pulled it down lower to cover more of his face.
Baki looked around the banquet hall carefully. His eyes scanned every corner. He noticed the guards positioned around the room. Then his gaze moved to the elevated platform where the two thrones sat. The guards with tribal masks stood there, unmoving.
A grin appeared on Baki's face. He could tell those guards weren't ordinary. They had a different presence. Currently, they felt like sheathed weapons. But their sharpness was still evident.
But that wasn't all. Baki could sense more eyes watching him from the crowd. Hidden guards were mixed among the guests. Wang Wei had layers of protection.
Among all the guests, Baki spotted a familiar face. A man with long hair stood near one of the pillars. He wore sunglasses and had a jacket draped over his shoulders. The man looked relaxed, but Baki could tell he was alert.
"He should be from Red Dragon," Baki thought to himself.
Baki hadn't known about Red Dragon at first. When he first encountered them, he thought they were just regular mercenaries coming after his bounty. But Taehwa had explained everything to him. Red Dragon was a famous mercenary organization. They were skilled and dangerous. And they had claimed his bounty after ambushing him.
Baki smirked. "This banquet is gonna be hella fun."
He turned away and walked toward the refreshment table. He didn't want to take action yet. If he made a move now, Wang Wei would be alerted. Better to wait for the right moment.
Zhang Jian, standing near the pillar, suddenly felt someone watching him. The feeling was strong and clear. Someone had been staring at him. He turned around quickly and scanned the crowd. But he couldn't find anyone suspicious. Everyone looked normal. Guests were chatting and drinking.
"Is it someone from T Group?" Zhang Jian wondered. He smiled to himself. "Hehe, they're keeping watch over us too, it seems."
It made sense. Wang Wei didn't trust them completely. Even though he paid Red Dragon a lot of money, he still had his own people watching them.
Zhang Jian relaxed his posture and pretended to look bored. But inside, he stayed alert. He made a mental note to report this to Hou Qing later.