The Task Feels Off

The London winter was cold and damp. Months of continuous rain had made the entire city, along with all its inhabitants, seem on the verge of growing moss.

With heavy grey clouds pressing down from above, the twin-rotor helicopter carrying Gu Xiechen broke through the cloud layer and descended to an altitude of just over 300 meters. The London that appeared before him was exactly as described in novels – misty and shrouded in an unpleasant grey haze. Far and near, over fifty towering silver crosses and the incessant sound of bells told all outsiders that this was a city ruled by religious forces.

At Gu Xiechen's command, the helicopter flew at an extremely low altitude over the low-lying city of London, finally landing in a neat man-made forest on the southern outskirts.

The orderly birch forest seemed mournful in the cold, windy, and rainy weather. Countless large eyes on the tree trunks stared coldly at Gu Xiechen as he jumped from the helicopter. The elite warriors of the Hell Angels Mercenary Group behind him couldn't help but shiver. Patches of mist, no higher than a meter, swirled around their feet with the wind. Gu Xiechen couldn't help but curse, "This place is perfect for filming a horror movie."

A hand suddenly grabbed Gu Xiechen's sleeve, and he almost instinctively threw a punch at the person behind him.

The person who had suddenly grabbed Gu Xiechen was a blonde middle-aged man named Jack. Short and frail, Jack was the Hell Angels Mercenary Group's most experienced appraiser, skilled in the identification and valuation of various jewelry and artworks. Due to the special nature of this mission, the Bearded Commander had specifically requested Jack accompany Gu Xiechen to London. At this moment, Jack, soaked to the bone, held tightly onto Gu Xiechen, shivering as he mumbled in a low voice, "Dear Captain, this place is too creepy!"

"Mm!" Gu Xiechen squeezed Jack's shoulder firmly, drew a handgun from his waist, and shoved it into Jack's hand. "This place is indeed very creepy, so protect yourself."

Jack looked at the handgun in his hand with tears threatening to fall. Several mercenaries chuckled softly, patted Jack's shoulder, and crowded around him as they followed Gu Xiechen.

There was a path strewn with fallen leaves within the birch forest. After walking south along the path for about half a mile, over a dozen English foxhounds suddenly rushed out from the bushes ahead. These purebred, excellent hunting dogs bared their teeth and snarled at Gu Xiechen. Gu Xiechen let out a cold snort and glared fiercely at the pack of fierce dogs. Immediately, the dozen foxhounds tucked their tails and whimpered as they scattered and fled.

A bald old man, dressed in a neat and tidy tailcoat, stiff and rigid like the London city under the rain, walked slowly out along the path. He glanced at the scattering foxhounds with slight surprise and stiffly bowed slightly to Gu Xiechen. "You've arrived? The master is waiting for you in the study."

Gu Xiechen remained silent. He simply turned back and gestured for Jack and the others to follow him.

The bald old man led the group along the path, making two turns. Suddenly, the scenery opened up ahead. In the dense birch forest was a crescent-shaped lake, and facing the lake was a grassland of about tens of hectares. A simple three-story ancient castle built of granite stood on the grassland. To the left of the castle was a row of stables, from which high-pitched neighs continuously emanated. Over twenty glossy purebred horses were restlessly pawing the ground in the stables.

"Oh, so many treasures!" Jack muttered in a low voice. "Captain, at current market prices, a good purebred horse costs at least fifty million! Our client is rolling in dough!"

Gu Xiechen's eyes widened in surprise as well. He turned and winked at Jack. "Brothers, be careful. Someone who can afford so many purebred horses must be having cash flow problems. This job of ours might not be easy! Damn Beardy Uncle, he's not trying to set me up, is he?"

Accompanying Gu Xiechen to London, besides the professional Jack, were thirty elite warriors from the Hell Angels Mercenary Group. These warriors were not thugs from the federal prison but retired special forces soldiers from the federal regular army. They were the elite of the elite, the warriors among warriors. They also analyzed that this mission would not be so simple!

Satisfied to see his originally relaxed team members become serious and focused, Gu Xiechen sized up the castle before him and followed the bald old man.

Over a dozen middle-aged men and women, dressed in the most traditional servant uniforms, stood in front of the castle to welcome Gu Xiechen and his party. The bald old man led Gu Xiechen and Jack through the spacious ground-floor hall and up the stairs, while the other thirty warriors were left in the reception room on the first floor, where hot milk tea and pastries awaited them.

Ascending the winding red wooden staircase to the second floor and passing through a hundred-meter-long corridor carpeted with thick wool, the bald old man led Gu Xiechen to a wooden door. On both walls of this approximately hundred-meter corridor hung no less than twenty extremely famous ancient paintings. Without needing Jack's professional appraisal, Gu Xiechen could confirm that these ancient paintings were genuine. It was hard to imagine that a family about to secretly auction off their ancestral treasures could still retain so many purebred horses, excellent foxhounds, and so many ancient paintings.

As the old man was about to knock on the door knocker, Gu Xiechen pushed the door open and walked in. The bald old man stared blankly, then reluctantly stepped forward and walked in front of Gu Xiechen.

It was a spacious study of about two hundred square meters. The four walls were lined with bookshelves, with countless books bound in red leather neatly arranged on them. In one corner of the study was a comfortable sofa, and in the center of the study stood a massive jade globe, which was slowly rotating, driven by a motor. The globe had a diameter of two meters.

Three specially made metal cases were placed on the floor of the study, and several well-dressed men stood nearby, discussing something in low voices.

The study door was violently pushed open by Gu Xiechen, and the people inside looked up in surprise simultaneously. The bald old man rushed to say, "Master, I am very sorry."

Gu Xiechen pulled the bald old man behind him, rested his hands on his belt, and glanced at the men in the study. He nodded casually, "I apologize for my abruptness. But I don't think it matters, we should get down to business quickly."

An old man with a shiny bald head but a very imposing beard stood up from the sofa and extended his hand to Gu Xiechen. "Mr. Evil Dragon? I've seen the documents your commander faxed. You're much more imposing in person than in the photo. Hmm, I am Lawrence Lee, your client for this mission."

Giving Lawrence Lee a deep look, Gu Xiechen unceremoniously walked over and sat on the sofa opposite him. Crossing his legs, Gu Xiechen, ignoring Lawrence's outstretched hand, said, "Then, let's talk frankly. I'm very curious, Mr. Lawrence. Given your family background, I don't think you'd need to sell off family treasures for cash flow. Hmm, I saw the horses in your stable, and the pack of hounds that greeted us so warmly. It's clear your life has always been quite affluent."

A young man standing next to the three metal cases stepped forward angrily, pointing at Gu Xiechen and shouting, "You vulgar..."

Lawrence Lee shouted, "Silence! Mr. Xiechen's suspicions are valid!"

The study fell silent for a moment. Gu Xiechen watched Lawrence with amusement. Lawrence's face flushed and paled for a moment before he sat down with a wry smile, gesturing to the bald old man standing by the door, "Old Peter, tea and pastries. Have you forgotten how to entertain guests?"

The bald old man, Old Peter, bowed respectfully to Lawrence and turned, walking out of the study with stiff, meticulous steps.

Lawrence looked at Gu Xiechen, and Gu Xiechen stared blankly back at him. Their gazes met for a moment, and finally, Lawrence couldn't withstand Gu Xiechen's aggressive stare and conceded. He smiled wryly and shook his head at Gu Xiechen, "Your gaze is truly intimidating. Of course, your profession dictates that. Uh, are all mercenaries as cautious as you?"

"Not others. But I, I'm afraid of dying!" Gu Xiechen's frankness left Lawrence speechless for a long time.

Another middle-aged man in the study pointed angrily at the study door, "If you're afraid of dying, then leave! A mercenary's duty is only to satisfy the client's needs. You are just..."

Gu Xiechen interrupted him, shouting unceremoniously, "Mercenaries are just tools, but I am responsible for my people! Mr. Lawrence, I now believe you are in serious trouble, and this serious trouble is the reason you are secretly auctioning off family treasures. I hope you will openly explain this trouble, otherwise, I will advise our commander to refuse this mission."

Having a Sacred Unicorn staring at him was dangerous enough. When Gu Xiechen realized that this mission seemed to involve something else, he not only considered the mercenaries who had come with him but also his own life.

"We are just mercenaries, and we only consider the risks we should bear. If it exceeds a certain limit, we will not continue this mission," Gu Xiechen said very frankly.

Lawrence smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Actually, Mr. Xie Dragon, things are not quite as you think. Even if there is a risk, it won't involve you."

Before he finished speaking, a muffled engine sound came from outside the castle. Gu Xiechen leaped up, pushed open the study's floor-to-ceiling window, and rushed onto the study's balcony.

A medium-sized vertical take-off and landing transport aircraft was slowly descending from high altitude, spewing pale blue plasma flames. The aircraft was still tens of meters from the ground, but the high-temperature plasma flames had already dried and ignited the withered, damp grass. Wisps of black smoke rose from the ground, and large patches of turf were utterly devastated. (To be continued)