In the West London Suburbs, a winding highway twisted across the vast flatlands like a writhing, crawling snake. There were no residents nearby, only several abandoned factories.
The weather was terrible tonight. Fog shrouded everything, as if some evil creature were devouring the entire space.
A convoy of more than thirty ultra-luxurious vehicles moved slowly along the winding highway. The headlights pierced the thick fog, but their beams were greatly dimmed.
Suddenly, more than a hundred burly men in black rushed out from the abandoned factories on both sides of the road, as if they had just robbed an arms depot! The hundred-plus men cackled madly and raised all kinds of firearms. Miniature submachine guns, large-caliber MV-6s, and all manner of powerful guns spat long tongues of fire as countless bullets shrieked toward the thirty-plus luxury cars! Before the people inside could react, more than a dozen vehicles had already been riddled with holes!
Boom—rumble! The successive explosions nearly shattered everyone's eardrums! Intense, scorching flames shot into the sky like the most brilliant fireworks in the world, illuminating everything within five hundred meters as brightly as day. Though caught off guard by the sudden attack, the people in the cars reacted immediately. Dozens of burly men in black suits climbed out and began firing back. "Fuck! What the hell are you sons of bitches? Shoot them! Shoot!"
Bang! A grenade struck the man squarely in the head. Blood sprayed everywhere, and he crumpled to the ground. Meanwhile, three other cars ignored the gunmen completely and sped forward at full speed!
Wulai stood calmly atop the roof of an abandoned factory. He suddenly smiled. "The boss's guess was right. Hmm, German high-grade bulletproof armor refitted into sedans! As expected of Rome's First Family—they certainly know how to spend!" He casually took out a pager and pressed a button. "Rocket launchers, attention. Target: the three sports cars ahead. Leave no survivors!"
The three cars in front were German-modified armored vehicles, but even they could not escape destruction beneath the bombardment of Flying Eagle-V14 super rocket launchers! Three small mushroom clouds slowly rose into the air...
"Ah-ha! My dear Ant, I have unfortunate news for you. Please don't be too sad... Hmm, your elder brother met with misfortune just a few minutes ago. A group of refugees robbed his convoy, and he was beaten to death as well. Oh, my dear Ant, don't grieve too much. My condolences... By the way, transfer the payment into my account." Yi Chen hung up with a grin. "Why do I get so excited whenever I see the numbers in my account go up?"
"Hehe, I get excited when I see beautiful weed girls too! Hahaha!" YD Chuan wore a lewd grin as he puffed away beside a joint.
Dragon Sis fiddled with a Desert Eagle V* in her hand without saying a word.
Xi Xi threw her arms around Yi Chen's neck and clung tightly to him. Yi Chen patted her butt and kissed her forehead. "Oh, baby, I don't have time today. I'll spoil you tomorrow..." Before he could finish, Xi Xi had already sealed his lips. He tangled with Xi Xi for who knew how long.
Passerby walked in carrying a file. "Oh, my dear boss, can you stop now?" Only then did Yi Chen separate from Xi Xi. Xi Xi glared furiously at Passerby, who shrugged and rolled his eyes before saying to Yi Chen, "Boss, an ability-user mercenary group wants to join 'them.' This is their file."
Passerby handed the file to Yi Chen. Yi Chen took it, flopped onto the sofa, and casually put a cigar in his mouth. He mumbled, "Hmm? Ability-users? A mercenary group? They want to join 'them'? Oh, dear God! That's good news, isn't it?" Then Yi Chen's expression grew increasingly astonished. "Chrysanthemum Picking Venerable, Mad Daoist, Crazy Thief, Most Awesome Killer, Everyday Venerable, Exploding Ass True Man... What kind of names are these? Oh! Heaven! Damn God! Praise Satan! Looks like I'll be taking in another bunch of scoundrels as subordinates..."
"Oh! Praise women! I like scoundrels!" YD Chuan said with a lewd smile.
Chinatown. Yi Chen had the honor of meeting some of the members of the elite mercenary group known as the Supernatural Squad.
Bizarre, strange, and flamboyant outfits were the absolute trademark of this mercenary group! Their hairstyles had the feel of trendy new-generation youths: colorful shades, bizarre shapes, long strips, flat slabs, some even resembling the Buddha's hair! They were the absolute symbol of the new generation! Indeed, it was hard for ordinary people to associate these people with powerful ability-users.
Yi Chen looked at the group of strangely dressed youths before him with a headache. "You are the Supernatural Squad?"
"That's right!" A young man with muddy yellow hair swayed as he answered. Everywhere on his face except his eyelids was covered in rings, and his jeans looked as though they had not been washed in at least half a year. He shamelessly shouted, "We are the representatives of the new generation! Glorious exemplars of humanity! Models of good citizens! The elite among ability-users! Ah-ha! From now on, we are also members of 'them.' But as our boss, you must give us enough compensation before we can work wholeheartedly for you."
"Then what compensation do you need?" Yi Chen snapped his fingers elegantly.
"First, money. Lots of money! Second, weed, heroin... Any drugs will do. Third, alcohol. Lots of fine liquor. With those things, nothing is a problem! Want us to kill people? Easy! Want us to set fires? A piece of cake! Hehe..." The others all joined in with lewd laughter...
One of them, a fellow even more sleazy-looking than YD Chuan, shouted, "Oh! Praise Satan! My dear new boss! If you can provide us with lots of beautiful women, that would be even better, hahaha... Of course, we'll need some strong men too! Our dear little brother Gu Du is only interested in men..."
"Oh, damn God! Fuck! You're all thoroughbred scoundrels! Hooligans! Weed? You can have as much as you want! Fine liquor? Absolutely no problem! Money? Ah-ha! If you work for me, will you still lack money? Women? With money, would women be scarce? But..." Yi Chen placed his index finger against his lips and gently waved it. "What I want is obedience! Absolute obedience!"
"Oh! Praise God's mother! Boss, they're really to my taste, hmm... hmm." At just the right moment, YD Chuan slowly pulled out a black joint from his crotch, casually lit it, put it in his mouth, and began puffing away. Instantly, more than a dozen pairs of hungry eyes, like perverts who had not seen a woman in three years spotting a beautiful girl, turned toward YD Chuan. More than a dozen people swallowed at once, and several even became afterimages as they charged at him...
Pinned tightly beneath several delinquent scoundrels, YD Chuan said indistinctly, "Oh! Brothers, you have to believe in our boss. He is London's... most influential, most obscene, filthy, shameless gang boss. Something like this... he can still manage it."
The yellow-haired man raised his right hand, palm facing the sky, looking utterly righteous as he rapidly declared, "Then, my dearest boss, I now swear in the name of my sect's patriarch: I, Ye Liunian, sixteenth-generation disciple of the Exploding Ass Sect, swear loyalty to the boss. If I break this oath, may my chrysanthemum cease to exist and may everyone explode it!!"
"I accept your loyalty." Yi Chen drew on his cigar, gently blowing out a smoke ring as his eyes slanted toward the others. "And what about you?"
A group of scoundrels thus made poisonous oaths in the most grandiose fashion and smoothly joined 'them,' becoming Yi Chen's loyal subordinates. They merely swore in the names of their masters, senior uncles, junior uncles, and sect patriarchs that if they violated their vows, their elders would suffer lightning strikes and all kinds of brutal retribution! But what did that have to do with them personally?
"Then introduce yourselves one by one." Yi Chen made sure he completely understood and controlled every subordinate he had.
"I, Ye Liunian, chief disciple of the sixteenth generation of the Exploding Ass Sect, Daoist title Chrysanthemum Picking Venerable, am their leader!" Ye Liunian said proudly, his yellow hair blazing. He casually produced a three-foot-long, awl-shaped piece of metal from nowhere. Blinding dark-gold light flickered over it, and an exceptionally powerful aura of energy emanated from it. "This is the magical treasure my master gave me: the Chaos Chrysanthemum Thorn!"
Yi Chen sensed the powerful energy contained within it and nodded with a smile.
A youth with a head full of green hair and several holes punched into his face staggered up to Yi Chen. "I'm Fengzi Gou Rou, Liu Nian's junior brother, Daoist title Mad Daoist." Green light flashed, and a mountain-shaped object appeared in Fengzi Gou Rou's hand. "My weapon: Brokeback Mountain." With a sudden charge, Fengzi Gou Rou's right fist carried fierce black qi as it howled toward the ebony square table in the hall. Amid a series of cracking explosions, the massive table turned to dust in wisps of black qi!!
Yi Chen sat with one leg crossed over the other, a premium cigar as thick as a carrot between his lips, his face brimming with a genial smile as he occasionally blew out smoke rings. "Mm, very good!"
The fellow who looked even more sleazy than YD Chuan jumped out. Rather than sleazy, he looked shriveled. Yes, shriveled! Shifty-eyed and rat-faced—there was no more fitting description for him!! His entire body was as small as a withered old man past seventy, but the sharp gleam in his eyes from time to time proved he was no simple man. He grinned obscenely. "My most beloved boss, I'm Feng Zi, Account Hacking Crazy Daoist." Recommendation tickets scattered through the hall like flowers cast by celestial maidens. "This is my weapon..."
Before Feng Zi could finish, another burly, rough-featured man sent him flying with a punch. A pig-slaughtering scream tore through the night's silence! The burly man flexed his fist, and Feng Zi wisely rolled his eyes, not daring to say another word. The man burst into wild laughter. "Cackle, cackle! Oh! Praise all demons! Don't listen to that bastard! He's a wolf-demon! Just a monster that has cultivated for a thousand years! My new boss! My name is Niu Bi! Remember it! Niu as in bull, Bi as in bullshit! I am an assassin! I have never failed a commission!"
With a sudden charge, his bowl-sized fist howled through the air toward Yi Chen, who was smoking a cigar on the sofa! Yi Chen smiled faintly. Specks of silver light shot from his right hand and struck Niu Bi's fist with extreme gentleness but incredible speed. With a tremendous bang, the two hands collided. Yi Chen remained perfectly steady, while Niu Bi was flung away as if struck by a speeding train. He crashed heavily onto the floor, causing part of it to collapse three inches!
Panting heavily, Niu Bi felt agonizing pain in the web between his thumb and forefinger, as though it were about to split apart! Niu Bi suddenly sprang up and gave Yi Chen a thumbs-up. "You're strong! The person who becomes my boss must be stronger than me! You proved it! I'll be your subordinate! But I have demands too! I want people! White, black, yellow, I don't care! Men or women, I want them all!"
Yi Chen narrowed his eyes. "Mm, fine. I'll satisfy you!"
A young man with long silver hair who looked fairly proper walked out, but that appearance was immediately betrayed by the utterly obscene, flattering grin he revealed. His face was full of shameless lewd smiles. "Oh, dear boss, I am Everyday Venerable! A Daoist who has cultivated for a thousand years! Of course, what I cultivate is that!" He pulled out an object that looked both like a gun and a staff. "Limitless Staff Ass-Breaking Spear, my weapon." With a casual wave, another square table in the hall vanished into nothingness!
He bowed elegantly, every inch the medieval nobleman, and said with grace, "There are still many men and women in this world who need me to conquer them."
A strange youth with not a single intact piece of clothing on his body and more than thirty silver rings in his face stepped out. He stretched, yawned, and lazily said, "Ah... mm, Daoist title Exploding Ass True Man. I don't ask for anything else, just give me money. As for my skills, you'll find out later." After saying that, the youth lazily lay down on the floor and actually fell asleep!
Yi Chen shook his head with a bitter smile.
His hair was a tangled mess that had clearly gone unwashed for at least five years, covered in all kinds of unidentified colorful stains. The clothes on his body no longer showed their original color, with gaudy patches highlighting his individuality. Even his face looked blackened, making him seem like some black man fresh from Africa! Holding a tattered erotic palace fan, he constantly waved it with what he believed was elegance. His body swayed, and with a cheap cigarette that had already turned black hanging from his mouth, he said indistinctly, "I am the one-in-ten-thousand, suave, romantic, graceful Wanderer Young Master. Daoist title You Lātà."
With a casual wave of the erotic palace fan, blinding green light flashed! A large hole appeared in the wall of high-purity alloy, as though it had been corroded by super-strength acid! Wanderer Young Master stepped back with a smile as lovely as a flower, though the black wrinkles on his face made people want to vomit!
"Get lost!" A crisp, pleasant shout rang out, and YD Chuan screamed as he flew more than three meters away. A purple afterimage flashed past. A woman in tight purple clothing appeared before Yi Chen, her entire body radiating a chilly aura. Her face was smooth as porcelain, her features breathtakingly beautiful, and her black hair reached her waist. In a cold voice devoid of emotion, she said, "Ai Chen, twenty-eight years old, ability-user, assassin." Then she silently stepped back. Her expression was as blank as a puppet's as she sat there like a statue!
Yi Chen smiled. "Interesting girl!"
YD Chuan simply lay there, casually pulling another joint from his crotch. He muttered, "Oh! Boss, I suddenly realized that I'm still very pure. Look at these people—what kind of people are they? Fuck! A bunch of scoundrels! Pure scoundrels! Before them, I, the great YD Chuan, am as pure as a kindergarten virgin! Oh! Praise God! Send down lightning and strike these damned bastards dead!"
Ignoring YD Chuan, Yi Chen smiled. "Continue."
"Uh... their new members are done! Everyone, wrap it up!" A remarkably handsome youth with long azure hair hanging to his waist carried a camera as he shouted at Yi Chen and the others.
"What? Objection!" Several voices shouted at once! "No, our bit parts haven't appeared yet! No! We must continue! Little Chenzi, continue!"
"Everything has to follow the director's orders! You scoundrels!" the handsome youth retorted. "Which one of you is paying the expenses? It all costs money!"
Yi Chen gently blew out a smoke ring. "Keep filming. Their bit parts haven't appeared yet. I'll pay."
The moment Little Chenzi heard the word money, his eyes lit up. He swiftly resumed filming. All the bit parts simultaneously gave him the middle finger! Naturally, he did not back down, raising both middle fingers at them!...
A man with a face full of smiles stepped forward: smiling with daggers hidden beneath, fake smiles, lewd smiles, crafty smiles, sinister smiles... The meaning behind his smile changed every moment. His nearly neurotic face was always brimming with smiles, yet looking at him made people deeply uncomfortable. He held a pitch-black object that looked like both a knife and a dagger, though no one could tell what it truly was. With a miserable smile, he said, "This humble Daoist's secular name is Gu Du Xiao, Daoist title Smiling Daoist. This humble Daoist is not blinded by worldly affairs and is only interested in men... Actually," he secretly transmitted to Yi Chen, "I've always liked my senior brother."
"Oh?" Yi Chen secretly transmitted back without changing expression.
"Liu Nian, of course. We are from the same sect." The black broken blade spun, leaking dense black qi, and another large hole appeared in the floor!
At that moment, a man in a long robe stepped forward, carrying an extremely strange aura. He said leisurely, "I am Gu Dan." He pulled out a huge club from nowhere and swung it forcefully. Dense force suddenly erupted! The high-purity alloy wall on the west side shattered completely! Countless metal fragments scattered over the floor, yet Yi Chen remained completely spotless.
Then something Yi Chen could not accept appeared!
A fellow lay stiffly on the ground, his entire body charred black! He did not move at all! According to Ye Liunian, this guy had no name, but his skills were exceptionally high. He would pretend to be a corpse in the enemy camp, then launch a sudden attack, with a success rate of over ninety percent!
But the fellow just lay there without moving! Yi Chen simply ignored him!
A big man with an honest-looking smile approached Yi Chen with a foolish grin. Yi Chen asked him a few questions, but he refused to say a word. Liu Nian introduced him. "Ignore him! He's mentally disabled! Just an idiot who only knows how to carry out orders! His loyalty is extremely high, and he's very strong too! Silly Child, smash that wall!" Liu Nian pointed at the eastern wall. Silly Child walked over and gave it a gentle push. The entire wall instantly turned to ashes, showing just how formidable he was!
"Our people still haven't all assembled. The others didn't dare come. Boss, do you have any missions? Kill people? Set fires? We can do anything! As long as you pay us, hehe..." Liu Nian looked at Yi Chen with a lewd grin.
Yi Chen sent him flying with a flying kick and said coldly, "Now, change out of those ridiculous clothes! You have a mission in two hours!" As he spoke, silver light flashed, and Yi Chen had already vanished. (To be continued)