Kendi was one of the island's guards. His marksmanship was fairly well known among them. He wasn't as good as Donahue, but he was still one of the best compared to the others.
As usual, Kendi was cleaning his gun in the watchtower and keeping an eye on his surroundings. Unusual things rarely happened on the island, but no one dared let their guard down. Jiang Chuan's demonic figure was burned deep into everyone's memory, Kendi included.
As Kendi was admiring the beauty of the moment, Laurie climbed up into the watchtower. Looking at him, Laurie said, "The President wants to form an elite squad and needs a hundred good men. I'm planning to give you one of the spots."
Kendi replied lazily, "Captain, why give it to me? You know I'm the lazy sort. Just let me off the hook."
Laurie smacked him on the back of the head. "You good-for-nothing. Do you have any idea what this squad represents? The President is spending a fortune to build it! Other people would kill for this chance!"
Standing in the watchtower and looking down at the island, Kendi said, "Laurie, ever since Jack died, I haven't wanted to get involved in any more killing and arson. I just want to spend the rest of my life on the island."
Laurie took a half-smoked cigar from his pocket, lit it, and drew deeply. "Jack's death wasn't your fault. That damned traitor did it. It had nothing to do with you."
A bleak look filled Kendi's eyes. He stared at Laurie and said angrily, "That kid was just one step away from me! I could've saved him! He didn't have to die!"
Laurie said nothing as he watched Kendi lose his temper. He simply smoked his cigar in silence.
After a while, Laurie tossed away the cigar butt. Looking at Kendi, he said gravely, "I don't think Jack would want to see his Uncle Kendi turn into a useless drunk who does nothing but sleep and drink. Think it over."
With that, Laurie left the watchtower, leaving Kendi alone to reminisce.
Kendi stood in the watchtower, staring blankly into the distance. His voice broke as he murmured, "Jack, your Uncle Kendi is useless."
Below the watchtower, Laurie watched Kendi suffer and let out a sigh.
It had happened during a shootout involving the Bloodfang Gang. Jack was younger than Laurie and the others, and he used to hang around with them all the time. At first, Laurie and Kendi had both thought of Jack as dead weight. Gradually, though, Jack earned their trust, and Laurie and Kendi came to see him as their own nephew.
One night, the Bloodfang Gang's leader summoned them and sent them on a mission. It was no easy task—in fact, it was practically a suicide mission. But the guns pressed to their foreheads and the Gold Coins laid out before them left them with no choice.
Laurie and the others set out. The mission was simple: break into a rival gang's stronghold and steal classified information.
Laurie and the others came up with a detailed, foolproof plan. But things never went according to plan...
Inside a ventilation duct, Kendi complained to Laurie, "This damn place is so narrow. I'm about to get crushed in here."
Laurie peered through the duct at the hall and said, "Stop complaining. Get ready to cover Jack and the others."
Just then, Jack and the other squad members were brought into the hall, bound tightly.
Laurie knew the mission had been exposed! One of the squad members, who had been drinking heavily with him just the night before, stood behind their target, grinning obsequiously. Laurie wanted nothing more than to shoot him in the face.
Kendi cocked his gun and said grimly, "I'm going to get Jack out. I promised I'd send him to Demacia to live well after this mission. I can't abandon him."
Laurie held Kendi back and said gravely, "You'll get yourself killed. How are the two of us supposed to save them? There are people everywhere down there. They'll turn you into a sieve the moment you go down!"
Kendi looked at Laurie and said, "You coward. Are you afraid to die?"
Laurie was about to answer when he saw the traitor point toward the ventilation duct where they were hiding. "Boss, there are two more in that vent."
Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Jack quickly freed himself from his ropes, lit the Explosives in his arms, and shouted, "Get out of here!"
The other squad members also lit the Explosives they were carrying. Kendi broke free of Laurie and tried to turn back to save Jack, but it was too late. Jack looked at Kendi and smiled as he closed his eyes. The blast wave rushed toward Laurie and Kendi, knocking them both unconscious.
By the time Laurie woke up, it was already night. He dug Kendi out of the rubble. Kendi was gravely injured and covered in wounds, and he was unconscious. Laurie took him to the nearest hospital, then passed out himself.
When Laurie woke up again, his wounds had mostly been treated. Kendi lay in the bed beside him, staring blankly at the ceiling without expression.
From that day on, Kendi became extremely lazy. He had no energy and lived a dissolute life. It wasn't until recently that he started to improve.
Laurie sighed, then went to discuss the matter with the others.
That night, just as Laurie was about to go to bed, Kendi showed up at his dorm with a bottle of liquor. "One last drink."
The two of them drank until late into the night. Kendi also agreed to join the elite squad.
Looking at the moon, Kendi smiled and said, "You were right. Jack wouldn't want to see me like this. It's time I pulled myself together."
Laurie mumbled, "You've finally come around."
With that, Laurie flopped down and fell asleep.
The next morning, Laurie woke with a splitting headache. He shook his head and said, "That Kendi must've used this as an excuse to get me drunk. What a bastard."
Over the course of the week, Laurie found a hundred men, all former squad members.
Looking at the hundred men gathered in the square, Jiang Chuan said, "You've all been carefully selected as the best of the best. The hundred of you will form the first army of the Dark Sea Throne. From now on, we'll receive all sorts of missions—at sea, on land, and in cities. You'll need to adapt to every kind of environment and be able to kill your target anywhere. I'll train you personally! You'll also have the best treatment on the island. Whether it's food or lodging, you'll be the first to enjoy it. Now, line up and train according to my instructions!"
Jiang Chuan demonstrated the standard goose-step and military salute, then began training them as if they were in military boot camp. What he needed wasn't great skill, but discipline. The most important things for an army were discipline and unity. Even if every soldier were physically weak, a united group of warriors would still be an army of steel!
The hundred men began their training. At first, many of them complained, but Jiang Chuan said just one thing: "If one person complains, the whole team stands at attention for an hour. If two people complain, two hours, and so on."
Someone shouted, "Why should we be punished for someone else's mistake?"
Jiang Chuan said coldly, "Remember this. I'll say it once: you're a team, a single unit. I don't care who made the mistake. In my eyes, your whole team made it! Keep training!"
Under Jiang Chuan's training, the hundred men finally began to look a little like an army...
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