After hurrying through several blocks without seeing anyone from the Black Tiger Hall catch up, Hu Mei finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just past the next intersection was a long-distance bus station. All she had to do was buy a ticket for the next departure, and she could escape White Cloud City and start a new life with her 1.5 million in cash.
Master Liu drove a dump truck. He loved a job that felt like going into battle every day. In his line of work, time was money. A step slower than someone else, and you might miss out on a load of earth and rubble.
He had already hauled four loads of dirt today. One more and he could clock out, collect his daily pay of 1,000, then happily head to the Red-Light District to see his old flame.
Seeing that the green light at the intersection ahead was about to change, Master Liu habitually stepped on the gas, even though he was still 200 meters away.
Running red lights came as naturally to him as eating and drinking. His transport fleet had someone dedicated to handling tickets issued by the Federal Police anyway, so none of it affected him.
With 50 meters to go, the light had already turned red. Master Liu paid it no mind and kept charging forward with his foot on the gas.
Then Master Liu saw a woman pulling a suitcase step onto the crosswalk. He honked but did not touch the brakes.
I've got insurance anyway. I don't believe you won't get out of my way!
When Hu Mei heard the horn, she instinctively turned to look. A dump truck grew larger and larger in her vision. In that moment of danger, she instinctively tried to sprint across the intersection before the truck reached her, but she forgot the weight of the 1.5 million in cash.
Hu Mei died.
There was not even enough left of her to scrape up with a shovel.
Master Liu climbed out of his truck, swearing and grumbling at the mess on the ground-the idiot who had not known to get out of the way.
Li Xiaomei and her family attended Lin Jiajia's memorial service with Jiang Nan. Although Jiang Nan had said a simple ceremony would suffice, Pei Hu still arranged a grand service to the highest standards.
A professional mortician had applied makeup to Lin Jiajia. She lay quietly in a golden-thread nanmu coffin like a little princess, with rings of flowers surrounding it.
The guests included Lin Jiajia's classmates and teachers, as well as members of White Cloud City's upper crust whom Pei Hu had invited.
Pei Hu presided over the ceremony himself. With tears in his eyes, he delivered a eulogy mourning the young life that had been lost.
Beside the coffin stood a woman with red, swollen eyes and a grief-stricken expression, gazing again and again at Lin Jiajia, whose eyes would never open again. This woman was Lin Jiajia's birth mother. Finding an ordinary person in White Cloud City was no difficult task for Pei Hu.
The woman deeply regretted not taking her young daughter with her when she fled. Otherwise, her daughter would never have met this fate.
Li Xiaomei had also cried until her eyes were red. At her age, she could not quite grasp what death meant, but she knew she had lost a dear friend.
Jiang Nan said nothing throughout the service. His spirits were low as well. In three days, he would leave White Cloud City and set out in search of the Dragon Balls, no longer involving himself in worldly affairs.
Among the mourners, a man who bore some resemblance to Pei Zheng was quietly studying Jiang Nan. He was Pei Zheng's older brother, Pei Fang, who had rushed back from Central City.
Pei Fang had returned two days earlier. After learning what had happened to his father and younger brother, he had furiously wanted to use the Earth Federation's military forces against Jiang Nan, but his father had stopped him.
He knew how strong his father was. Ordinary firearms could not even hurt him. Martial artists at his father's level had already begun to transcend worldly constraints, yet even someone that powerful did not dare entertain thoughts of revenge. After more than a decade of navigating the political world, Pei Fang hardly needed to think to realize that Jiang Nan was far beyond what the military could handle.
Even so, Pei Fang had not given up. Using the access afforded by his position, he searched the Federation's information database for records related to Jiang Nan. His efforts paid off, and he did indeed uncover some interesting things.
After the memorial service ended, Pei Hu and his two sons returned to his villa on Qixia Mountain to welcome a few special guests.
"Hahaha, old friend! It must have been ten years since we last met!"
A middle-aged man with short silver hair and a face covered in scars clasped hands with Pei Hu.
"Carlos, you old rascal! You're just as fierce as you were back then!"
The visitor was Carlos, the leader of the Silver Wolf Society, South City's top gang. Two days earlier, his old friend Pei Hu, far away in White Cloud City in East City, had suddenly contacted him about something important. During the call, Pei Hu had mentioned a lead on the enemy Carlos had long offered a bounty for. Carlos had immediately brought his trusted men and hurried to White Cloud City.
Seeing Pei Hu in a wheelchair, Carlos asked curiously, "Pei, my friend, what happened to your legs?"
Pei Hu sighed. Beside him, Pei Fang spoke up. "Uncle, I heard you're looking for someone named Jiang Nan."
Carlos gritted his teeth. "Yes. That bastard got my youngest son killed. I searched all over South City but couldn't find him. There were reports that he'd fled to West City, but my friends there spent ages looking, and none of them found any trace of him."
"That's because Jiang Nan didn't go to West City. He fled here to White Cloud City!" Pei Fang said, producing a photograph taken by the photographer at the memorial service. The person in it was Jiang Nan.
"What?!"
One of Carlos's men clenched his teeth at the news, veins bulging on his fists. His head was shaved, and the tattoos on his back extended all the way up onto his scalp. He was Piri Rete, the younger brother of Pabrik, who had met a violent end.
"Where is that brat?" Carlos asked.
Pei Hu spoke up. "Easy, old friend. To tell you the truth, Jiang Nan is the reason my legs are like this. If we're going to deal with him, we'll need to plan carefully."
What?!
Carlos was stunned. According to what he knew, Jiang Nan had forfeited outright upon encountering Pabrik at the World Martial Arts Tournament's preliminary selection. Although Pabrik had died horribly, the autopsy had revealed that the person who killed him was that blonde woman. Jiang Nan should not have had that kind of strength.
Could Jiang Nan have been hiding his abilities back then?
"Is Jiang Nan really that powerful?" Carlos asked gravely.
Pei Hu sighed without answering, but his reaction said it all.
Carlos pointed at Piri Rete. "This young man is one of my best men. He's no weaker than I am. If the three of us joined forces against Jiang Nan after your injuries healed, what do you think our chances would be?"
"I'm afraid," Pei Hu said after a moment's thought, "less than twenty percent."
Carlos remained silent for a long time, and Pei Fang's heart sank. He had thought that, as the most powerful organization in all of South City, the Silver Wolf Society might have the resources to deal with Jiang Nan. Could even Carlos be helpless against him?
Then Carlos suddenly said, "There's someone who can definitely kill that brat!"
"Who?" Pei Hu and his sons asked in unison.
"The world's number one assassin-Mercenary Tao!"
Before you continue