Recaps

Zhang Yang’s mine protection team defeated an armed group, and he refused the local government’s attempt to charge him for additional security personnel. The system rewarded his refusal by upgrading the team and then ordered him to expand it as the threat of retaliation loomed.

• The mine protection team wiped out the armed militants, confirmed they were all dead, and returned to patrol the plant.
• Zhang Yang told Chris that she was to provide security on his terms, then learned that the local police had abandoned their posts during the firefight.
• The system ordered Zhang Yang to refuse future paid security deployments from the local government, offering a Soldier King Template for his hundred-man team as the reward.
• Zhang Yang politely refused the military and police officials’ offer to send more personnel, despite their warning that the anti-government group planned to retaliate.
• The system upgraded the mine protection team and issued a mission for Zhang Yang to expand it to five hundred members in exchange for 300 million in annual security funds.

Zhang Yang’s mining protection team decisively defeated Vanguard Security in a series of competitions, prompting him to plan its expansion to five hundred members and acquire more weapons. He asked Chris to advise him on individual combat equipment, weighing elite gear against cheaper options and heavier arms.

• Zhang Yang rejected Vanguard Security’s claim that it could no longer train his team and challenged them to a friendly competition.
• The mining protection team swept the shooting, combat, coordination, and fitness events, leaving Vanguard Security badly defeated.
• Zhang Yang kept Vanguard Security’s contract in place and told Chris not to let wounded pride affect her work.
• Zhang Yang instructed Lu Hang to recruit locally and expand the mining protection team to five hundred members.
• Zhang Yang asked Lu Hang to contact the team’s weapons supplier for another equipment order.
• Chris gave Zhang Yang a detailed list of elite special forces gear and its prices, and he considered simplifying the loadout to afford heavier weapons.

Zhang Yang filled the mine protection team’s five hundred positions and received the system’s annual security funding, then began arranging a major arms purchase. He agreed to meet arms dealer Hogni in person with Chris, whose reasons for risking the trip remained unclear as Zhang Yang offered to pay for her life.

• Zhang Yang reviewed equipment costs and decided to build up the mine’s own protective force.
• The mine protection team recruited four hundred new members, filling all five hundred positions, and the system awarded Zhang Yang three hundred million in annual security funding.
• Zhang Yang met Daniel to discuss buying enough weapons and equipment to arm the team, and Daniel said Hogni wanted to meet him in person.
• Zhang Yang agreed to go to the meeting with Chris, despite the risks, and accepted Daniel’s rule that they bring no weapons.
• Chris warned Zhang Yang about Hogni and said she needed to risk her life for money, so Zhang Yang offered to pay for her life.

Zhang Yang paid Chris one million dollars and slept with her before his mine came under attack after the local government withdrew its protection. After his guards crushed the attackers, Zhang Yang traveled with Chris to Hogni’s heavily fortified hideout, where they entered unarmed for a meeting.

• Zhang Yang agreed to pay Chris one million dollars for her protection, learned the money would help her sick younger sister, and slept with her.
• The local government withdrew its forces from around Zhang Yang’s mine, leaving it exposed to armed groups.
• Zhang Yang’s five hundred guards assembled and wiped out the attackers in a brief firefight, then returned to training.
• Hogni’s people took Zhang Yang and Chris by Hummer and helicopter to a hidden bunker deep in the forest.
• Hogni’s guards made Chris surrender her pistol and tactical dagger before Zhang Yang and Chris entered the bunker.

Zhang Yang negotiated an arms deal with Hogni, then seized control when Hogni threatened Chris. As an outside assault struck the fortress, Zhang Yang forced Hogni to lead him and Chris through an escape passage, where Hogni admitted the attackers were retaliating after he sold weapons to their opponents.

• Hogni showed Zhang Yang his weapons warehouse, and Zhang Yang selected hundreds of combat kits, machine guns, RPGs, and AK-47s for the mine-guard team.
• Hogni threatened Zhang Yang and Chris when Zhang Yang named a lower price, but Zhang Yang disarmed a bodyguard and held a gun to Hogni's head.
• Zhang Yang forced Hogni to provide an exit map and route, then took Chris and Hogni toward the fortress's emergency passage.
• An alarm announced an external assault, and Daniel reported that the fortress was under air and ground attack.
• Hogni led Zhang Yang and Chris through an armored door into the escape passage and blamed the Uganda Freedom Liberation Organization for attacking after he sold weapons to its opponents.
• At the passage's supply cache, Zhang Yang released Hogni and began taking inventory of the food, weapons, ammunition, and missiles.

Zhang Yang used the Injury-Free Card to fight off Hogni's attackers, survive a Hellfire missile, and destroy the attack helicopter with a Stinger. He left with Chris and Hogni for another secret base, while Hogni offered him a batch of weapons for free.

• Hogni tried to shoot Zhang Yang, but Zhang Yang caught the bullet and destroyed the gun before asking Hogni for the escape route.
• Hogni led Zhang Yang and Chris outside, where anti-government militants and an attack helicopter surrounded them and destroyed the armored vehicle.
• Zhang Yang activated the Injury-Free Card and used Gun Kata to kill scores of militants as Chris and Hogni watched from cover.
• An attack helicopter fired a Hellfire missile at Zhang Yang, but he survived the blast and emerged from the smoke.
• Zhang Yang took a Stinger from Chris and shot down the helicopter, then agreed to follow Hogni to another secret base.
• Hogni offered Zhang Yang a batch of weapons for free as the three traveled through the forest.

Zhang Yang escaped the forest with Chris and Hogni, returned to Gango, and received a vast shipment of weapons and elite combat gear from Hogni. The chapter ended with five hundred mine security team members fully equipped and assembled before Zhang Yang.

• Zhang Yang, Chris, and Hogni reached Hogni's hidden base, then escaped by helicopter and returned to Gango by military transport plane.
• Zhang Yang asked Chris to find other arms suppliers, but Hogni later called to say he had prepared the requested equipment and would deliver it that night.
• Hogni arrived at a civilian cargo airport with five hundred sets of combat gear and a large arsenal, and Zhang Yang agreed to pay three hundred million.
• Zhang Yang's men unloaded the shipment and checked the crates at the mine, confirming that everything matched the cargo manifest.
• Zhang Yang ordered the five hundred mine security team members to put on their new gear, and they assembled before him with top-tier weapons.

After Kaiwei Mining’s guards repelled repeated attacks from armed groups, Zhang Yang received a Recruitment Order that could make anyone in Salito Province his absolutely loyal subordinate. He went to meet Zabol, hoping to recruit the province’s powerful ruler, and found him with a pet lion.

• Zhang Yang learned that armed groups would attack the mine and became excited by the Recruitment Order reward, which he hoped to use on Zabol.
• Zhang Yang strengthened the mine guards’ training and ordered them to stay on alert after Hogni warned him that armed groups had bought weapons.
• The mine guards killed sixty-nine attackers in their first major battle, then repelled further attacks over the following month despite suffering casualties.
• Zhang Yang received the Recruitment Order and learned it required him to be within one meter of his target.
• Zhang Yang arranged a meeting with Zabol, traveled alone to the general’s residence, and saw Zabol sitting beside a lion.

Zhang Yang used the Recruitment Order to make General Zabol absolutely loyal, then arranged mining concessions and planned to place his armed men inside Zabol’s forces. After the system assigned a mission to eliminate Salito Province’s armed rebels, Zhang Yang urged Zabol to pursue the presidency and set their campaign in motion while keeping his influence secret.

• Zhang Yang recruited Zabol with the Recruitment Order and confirmed that Zabol would obey him without hesitation.
• Zhang Yang secured the rights to two copper mines and arranged for Zabol’s government troops to guard his company’s mine.
• The system gave Zhang Yang a mission to help Zabol eliminate Salito Province’s armed rebels and increase his prestige, with a reward of one thousand Loyalty and Elite Soldier Templates.
• Zhang Yang urged Zabol to seek the presidency and ordered him to wipe out the province’s anti-government armed groups with Zhang Yang’s men assisting.
• Zabol warned Zhang Yang that tribal chieftains controlled some local forces and mineral rights, but Zhang Yang postponed dealing with them.
• Zhang Yang told Chris that the mine-protection force would join the government army and concealed his deeper plans.

Zhang Yang’s mining company gained two copper mines while handing most of its security force over to Zabol’s government army, where elite soldiers quickly rose through the ranks and helped crush rebel groups. After a tribal warrior’s death sparked a dispute, Zhang Yang agreed to have one of his soldiers face the Kambara Tribe’s lion-killing trial, and the chapter ended as Chief Ubara confronted the soldier.

• Zhang Yang announced that Kaiwei Mining had gained two copper mines and that most of its security force would join the government army, while retaining a smaller security detail.
• Zabol’s government army swept through Salito Province’s rebel groups, and Zhang Yang’s elite soldiers earned promotions and established influence within the army.
• A government soldier killed a Kambara tribal warrior during a battle, prompting the tribe to demand an explanation and threaten retaliation.
• Zabol explained that the dispute could be settled by having a soldier kill a lion alone with a blade, and Zhang Yang agreed to let the soldier who had killed the warrior accept the trial.
• Zhang Yang and Zabol arrived at the Kambara village with the soldier, where Chief Ubara greeted them and identified the soldier as the man who had killed the tribe’s warrior.

Zhang Yang watched the Soldier King defeat a lion in Chief Ubara’s arena and learned about the legendary Warrior of a Hundred Tribes. When Zhang Yang considered becoming a continent-wide King of All Tribes, the system warned that the plan would destabilize the world and threatened to leave, so he settled on pursuing the lesser title instead.

• The Soldier King subdued two natives who tried to shove him, and Chief Ubara apologized before sending him to prepare for the trial.
• Zhang Yang revealed that he understood the tribal language and confronted Ubara about turning the trial into a public revenge spectacle.
• The Soldier King fought and killed a lion, impressing the crowd, while Ubara asked Zabol to let him join the tribe if he won.
• Ubara explained that a Warrior of a Hundred Tribes earned the title by killing a lion barehanded, and the chiefs said a man who killed a group of lions could become the King of All Tribes.
• Zhang Yang considered claiming that greater title, but the system warned it would cause drastic changes to the world and said it would leave if he proceeded.
• Zhang Yang learned that the system allowed gradual change within established rules and confirmed that becoming a Warrior of a Hundred Tribes was acceptable.

Zhang Yang accepted a challenge to kill a hungry adult male lion barehanded and passed the Hundred Tribes' trial with ease. The chiefs and spectators hailed him as the Warrior of the Hundred Tribes, granting him immense reverence across Gangge.

• Zhang Yang asked General Zabol to present him as a warrior capable of killing a lion barehanded.
• Chief Ubara challenged Zhang Yang to face a hungry adult male lion, and Zhang Yang agreed to the trial.
• A crowd gathered as Zhang Yang entered the arena and the lion charged at him.
• Zhang Yang evaded the pounce, killed the lion with a single burst of strength, and raised its corpse above his head.
• The spectators and chiefs knelt before Zhang Yang and proclaimed him the Warrior of the Hundred Tribes.
• Chief Ubara told Zhang Yang that race, skin color, and nationality did not matter because he had passed the trial.

After Zhang Yang became a Warrior of the Hundred Tribes, he helped Zabol crush all anti-government forces in Salito Province and gained a thousand Loyal Elite Soldier Templates. With the province under their control, Zhang Yang and Zabol turned their attention to Zabol’s presidential campaign.

• Zhang Yang refused the Warrior of the Hundred Tribes tattoo but accepted its token, triggering a mission to help Zabol seize absolute power in the Gangge Republic.
• Zhang Yang and Zabol left the tribal territory, and the tribes’ support helped Zabol’s army eliminate every anti-government armed group in Salito Province within a week.
• Zhang Yang received a thousand Loyal Elite Soldier Templates and distributed them among government army officers, squad leaders, and special forces units.
• Zabol offered Zhang Yang control of unclaimed mines, and Zhang Yang asked him to reserve them while Kaiwei Mining expanded its operations.
• Zabol told Zhang Yang that he had announced his presidential candidacy and gained strong approval, while Zhang Yang noted their military advantage over rival factions.

Zhang Yang used his influence in Salito Province to rescue Zhou Tong after kidnappers demanded a ransom. He left Wang Furong and Zhou Keying stunned when his soldiers executed the kidnapper in the street.

• Wang Furong arrived in Salito Province after Zhou Keying told him her brother Zhou Tong had been kidnapped for ransom.
• Wang Furong called Zhang Yang, who said he would come to help and then arrived at Zhou Keying's hotel in a military Hummer with a colonel driving.
• Zhang Yang took Wang Furong and Zhou Keying to the place where soldiers had found Zhou Tong, and he assured them Zhou Tong was unharmed.
• Zhang Yang identified the kidnapper's ringleader, and his elite officer shot the man dead in the street.
• Zhang Yang told the shaken Zhou Keying and Wang Furong that such executions were common in Salito Province and served as a deterrent.

After Zhang Yang rescued Zhou Tong and his companions, they hosted him at their hotel, where he spent the night with Zhou Keying. The next morning, Zhang Yang brought the siblings and Wang Furong to tour his vast mine, leaving them astonished by his influence and the scale of his business.

• Zhang Yang ordered local police to remove the bodies after rescuing Wang Furong, Zhou Tong, and Zhou Keying, then accepted their invitation to visit their hotel.
• Zhou Tong and Zhou Keying treated Zhang Yang to tea and dinner, and Zhou Keying spent the night with him.
• Zhang Yang watched news reporting that government forces had eliminated the armed opposition in Salito Province and that Zabol had announced his presidential candidacy.
• Zhou Tong drove Zhang Yang and the others to his mine, where they saw its vast operations and the deference Zhang Yang received from soldiers, police, workers, and managers.

Zhang Yang showed Zhou Tong, Wang Furong, and Zhou Keying the power and wealth of his mine, and they learned that his influence extended to General Zabol’s authority. A year after obtaining the system, Zhang Yang continued expanding his mines and helping Zabol prepare for a presidential run, while sending Chris on leave to London.

• Zhang Yang gave Zhou Tong, Wang Furong, and Zhou Keying a tour of his mine, its armed security force, and its arsenal, then let Zhou Tong and Wang Furong fire weapons at the range.
• Zhou Tong and Wang Furong returned to their hotel, where police offered free security because they were Zhang Yang’s friends and explained that Zhang Yang could exercise General Zabol’s authority.
• Wang Furong urged Zhou Tong to stay close to Zhang Yang, while Zhou Keying rejected the idea that her past intimacy with Zhang Yang would secure them benefits.
• As April arrived, Zhang Yang reflected on how much his life and influence had grown during his first year with the system.
• Zhang Yang oversaw the rapid development of two copper mines and considered the political and financial plans supporting Zabol’s presidential ambitions.
• Zhang Yang told Chris to take leave and visit London, and she suggested he might want to see Zhou Keying.

After Gangge’s new president offered Zabol an empty military title, Zhang Yang used it to justify a strike against the commanders of Karadi Province and Montoli Province. Zabol took control of their armies and three provinces, and Zhang Yang planned to let the president send officials who could not wrest that power away.

• After a coup brought a new president to power, Zabol received the title of commander-in-chief of the Sixth Military Region, and Zhang Yang’s system issued a mission to take control of the forces in two neighboring provinces.
• Zhang Yang ordered a military deployment in the name of the Sixth Military Region, then sent elite troops to infiltrate Karadi Province and Montoli Province after their commanders ignored the order.
• Zabol’s forces killed the commanders of both provinces and suppressed local resistance, beginning the absorption of their government armies.
• Zhang Yang assigned the mission’s two thousand loyal Soldier King slots throughout the armies, bringing Zabol’s firmly controlled force to about one hundred thousand troops across three provinces.
• When the president planned to appoint new officials in the provinces, Zhang Yang decided to let him send them, confident they could not take control away from Zabol.

Zhang Yang helped Zabol seize formal military and political control of Karadi, Montoli, and Salito Provinces, then used their power to build influence and support Chinese businesses. Two real estate developers arrived at his manor seeking his protection, and the chapter ended as they entered his reception room and saw him standing by the window.

• Zabol accepted medals from the new officials sent to Karadi and Montoli Provinces after Zhang Yang arranged for the provincial armies to be brought under his control.
• Soldiers in both provinces killed the newly appointed officials, and Zabol ignored the capital’s repeated orders to suppress the resulting rebellions.
• The government appointed Zabol to lead Karadi and Montoli as well as Salito, giving him full military and political authority over all three provinces.
• Zabol marched troops into the two provinces and restored order, while Zhang Yang enjoyed his expanded power and helped Chinese companies establish businesses there.
• Two Chinese real estate developers sought Zhang Yang’s protection and were ushered into his reception room, where they saw him standing by the window.

Zhang Yang welcomed Chinese property developers to Gangge, expanded his mining income, and sent his parents money to grow their restaurant business. He then appeared publicly in Salito Province as a powerful leader and considered how to put the admiration of local Chinese youths to use.

• Zhang Yang assured two developers from Yongjia County that they could build housing in Gangge, refused their offer of company shares, and gave them a subordinate’s contact for help.
• Zhang Yang reflected on the profits from his lithium, copper, and gold mines and transferred fifty million to his parents, encouraging Zhang Zhaohai to expand their restaurant business.
• Zabol consolidated the three provinces as his base while Zhang Yang worked to improve the territory’s development and stability.
• Zhang Yang arrived in Salito Province to a public welcome, where Chinese residents praised his influence and status.
• Zhang Yang asked older overseas Chinese about public security and their former bodyguards, then noticed the young men’s admiration and had an idea.

Zhang Yang launched a private military security company, using his influence and resources to recruit and train an elite force. After showcasing the recruits to Tiantai Mining Chairman Luo, he secured the company’s first contract and then took Luo to meet the general.

• Zhang Yang decided to use his annual security fund to establish a private military security company and put Chris in charge.
• Zhang Yang assured Zhou Keying and Zhou Tong that he would buy all the vegetables their farm could produce, prompting Zhou Tong to plan a major expansion.
• Zhang Yang’s mines began operating, and Chris trained the security company’s first recruits as demand for their services surged.
• Zhang Yang met Chairman Luo of Tiantai Mining and demonstrated the company’s well-equipped security teams.
• Chairman Luo signed a security cooperation agreement with Zhang Yang, who then offered to take him to meet the general.

Zhang Yang helped Zabol secure appointments as vice president and Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Forces, then received a system reward that could strengthen his influence across Gangge’s government forces. The chapter left Zhang Yang with a thousand elite soldier slots to deploy nationwide, though they could not be used on senior commanders or the capital’s defensive forces.

• Zhang Yang escorted Chairman Luo to meet Zabol, then accepted an invitation to apply to the elite Yangtze Club.
• Zhang Yang prepared for Zabol’s trip to Kinshasa by sending an advance force to guard against a possible coup.
• The president met with Zabol and offered him the positions of vice president and Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Forces.
• Zhang Yang advised Zabol to accept the offer, and Zabol gave the president his agreement.
• Zabol took his new posts at the inauguration, and the system rewarded Zhang Yang with 1,000 elite soldier slots usable among government forces nationwide, with stated exceptions.

Zhang Yang spread his influence through Gangge’s government forces, survived an ambush alongside Zabol, and gained official recognition from Eastland’s ambassador. Back in their territory, he told Zabol to proceed with their plan to test the forces after the assassination attempt.

• Zhang Yang distributed a thousand Soldier King slots among the government forces in Gangge’s seventeen provinces outside Zabol’s control.
• Zhang Yang and Zabol attended the Energy Minister’s banquet, then their convoy was ambushed on the way back to Jinsa.
• Zhang Yang killed the attackers and used a Truth Card to learn that a high-ranking provincial official and military commander had ordered the attack.
• The government blamed a nearby anti-government armed group, while Zabol publicly affirmed Zhang Yang’s importance as his trusted adviser.
• Yuan Zhaohua, Eastland’s ambassador, met Zhang Yang and presented him with a ceremonial banner recognizing friendly exchanges between the countries.
• After returning to Salito Province, Zhang Yang told Zabol to proceed with their original plan.

After Lumumba’s failed assassination plot against the vice president, Apu and dozens of officers overthrew him and took control of Paimon Province. The president’s attempt to suppress them stalled, forcing him to recognize Apu, while Zhang Yang saw his influence expand to four provinces and the president’s position weaken further.

• Lumumba’s guard captain Apu joined dozens of King of Soldiers officers and killed Lumumba in a coup, then took control of Paimon Province’s government forces.
• The president mobilized his forces against Apu, but Paimon Province avoided decisive battles and dragged the conflict into a costly stalemate.
• Provincial rulers blamed the president for Lumumba’s abuses and demanded his resignation, while Apu portrayed himself as a victim of tyranny.
• The president withdrew his forces, ordered an investigation into Lumumba, and appointed Apu as Paimon Province’s senior official and government army commander.
• Zhang Yang celebrated that his influence now extended across four provinces and recognized that the president’s authority had weakened further.

Zhang Yang left Gangge for China aboard his newly acquired Gulfstream G650ER, reflecting on how his influence had spread across the country’s provinces. After testing the private jet in flight, he continued toward home, eager to return after more than half a year away.

• Zhang Yang decided to return home for the Yangtze Club board meeting, confident that his territories and influence in Gangge would remain stable in his absence.
• Zhang Yang traveled through Kinshasa International Airport with an elite security detail from his own company and boarded a flight to Cape Town.
• Zhang Yang learned that officials from several provinces had jointly demanded that the president restart the election process, a move his embedded men had helped encourage.
• Zhang Yang inspected his newly purchased Gulfstream G650ER at Cape Town International Airport and boarded it with his security personnel.
• Zhang Yang flew toward China, tried the jet’s private suite, and joked that he was returning home still a youth despite his violent record in Gangge.

Zhang Yang returned to China and attended the Yangtze Club board meeting, where business leaders welcomed him as a peer. He impressed the gathering with his plans for Huaying Film City and his mastery of martial arts.

• Zhang Yang landed in Yudu after a long flight and was welcomed by Maya and the Yangtze Club organizers.
• Maya accompanied Zhang Yang and his security convoy to the Yu River Riverside Holiday Hotel, where Yujiang Real Estate executives greeted him.
• Zhang Yang entered the hotel's private club and met prominent business leaders, including Chairman Luo and host President Sun.
• Zhang Yang discussed his planned Oriental Hollywood project in Beijing with President Xu, who welcomed the prospect of competition with Hengdian.
• Zhang Yang performed a Tai Chi set with remarkable skill, drawing the gathering's intense attention.