Chapter Summaries

After police abuse sparked a protest, Gu Sheng used the crowd and press to pressure Yiu Yeuk-sing into sending Tactical Unit officer Apple to apologize. Apple agreed to stay and talk with Gu Sheng in exchange for his help, then demanded that Hongxing stop following her team and filing complaints.

• Gu Sheng refused Yiu Yeuk-sing's apology and demanded that Apple apologize in person, while arranging food, chairs, karaoke machines, and reporters for the protesting citizens.
• Yiu Yeuk-sing proposed sending Apple to Gu Sheng with a hidden recorder, and Apple agreed to go after learning the incident could cost officers Fan Jiao and Ah Cheng their uniforms.
• Yiu Yeuk-sing and Apple arrived at Gu Sheng's bar, where Gu Sheng dismissed Yiu and made Apple apologize, drink three beers, and ask for his help dispersing the protesters and stopping the newspapers from reporting.
• Gu Sheng offered to help persuade the protesters but said Apple would have to stay and chat with him until morning if she wanted him to risk his reputation.
• Apple agreed to stay and asked Gu Sheng to make Hongxing stop following her team and filing complaints.

Gu Sheng humiliated Apple by turning their night together into station gossip, while Ma Zihao allied with Long Da and became the target of a coordinated attack in Taipei. The chapter ended with Zhang Chun’s teams killing Ma Zihao and several members of his family as Ma Zihao blamed Handsome Sheng.

• Gu Sheng let Apple stay at the bar until morning, then had Leung Siu-tong spread a rumor that she had spent the night talking with him, leaving her isolated at the police station.
• Ma Zihao paid Long Da fifteen million New Taiwan dollars and encouraged conflict between the Black Dragon Society and the Sanlian Gang.
• Zhang Chun’s men tracked the Ma Family’s movements and prepared simultaneous attacks on their targets.
• After hearing rumors that Ma Zihao had arranged the failed assassination of Handsome Sheng, Ma Zihao realized the rumors might have been planted but was ambushed before he could act.
• Zhang Chun’s teams stormed the Ma Family’s residences and killed Ma Zihao, Ma Zhihai, Ma Yu, and Ma Qingyan.

The Black Dragon Society attacked Ding Yao’s men, but Gu Sheng’s team wiped out the Ma Family and Ding Yao retaliated by seizing key territory in Taipei. Back in Hong Kong, Gu Sheng turned to business and became furious when Richest Man Li refused to meet him.

• The Black Dragon Society killed Sanlian Gang members across Taipei, and You Zhiqing advised Ding Yao to wait until Gu Sheng’s men dealt with the Ma Family before striking back.
• Zhang Chun’s team attacked the Ma Family from several locations, killing Ma Yu, Ma Qingyan, Ma Qingxing, Ma Zhihai, and Ma Zihao; one team escaped a plainclothes officer after throwing a grenade.
• Long Da learned of the Ma Family’s deaths and Ding Yao’s retaliation, then ordered his men to regroup rather than continue fighting the Sanlian Gang.
• Zhang Chun told Gu Sheng that the operation had succeeded with no losses, while his men returned by boat and Gu Sheng went back to sleep beside Kong Sang.
• Ding Yao told Gu Sheng that her campaign against the Black Dragon Society would take no more than twenty days, and Gu Sheng ordered Wang Jianguo to secure a contract before disposing of a man.
• Leung Siu-tong reported that Richest Man Li had refused to meet Gu Sheng, and Gu Sheng angrily kicked the coffee table and rebuked Leung Siu-tong.

Gu Sheng arranged to buy He Xin’s Gulfstream GIII on installment terms while ordering surveillance and covert preparations against Richest Man Li. After news spread that the Ma Brothers had been killed in Taiwan, gang leaders and tycoons reacted, and Richest Man Li decided to visit England before meeting Gu Sheng.

• Gu Sheng ordered Ah Man to watch Richest Man Li and his companies, then asked Wang Jianjun to find two discreet men from the North, but Wang said he needed to oversee a Baozhen Jewelry shipment first.
• Gu Sheng persuaded He Xin to sell him the Gulfstream GIII for twelve million US dollars, with three million down and the balance due within two years at the lowest bank interest rate.
• Long Da told Black Dragon Society leaders to hold back while he sought Gray Eagle’s help, while Zhou Chaoxian and Hai'an learned rumors that Hongxing and Handsome Sheng had killed the Ma Brothers.
• Hong Kong Island newspapers reported the Ma Brothers’ deaths, and the public celebrated their downfall as news reached tycoons including Richest Man Li.
• Richest Man Li reconsidered his refusal to meet Handsome Sheng but chose to travel to England first and meet him after returning.

Wah Kee’s Malaysian leaders debated how to retaliate against Hongxing and considered allying with the Hell’s Angels, while Gu Sheng brushed off a Commercial Crime Bureau inquiry into Jianan Company. The chapter ended with Gu Sheng arranging a conspicuous invitation for a young policewoman and sending Zhang Chun to Malaysia to settle a score.

• Wah Kee’s leaders worried that Handsome Sheng would retaliate, rejected sending more men on another near-suicidal mission, and heard Kalasu propose contacting the Hell’s Angels.
• Hong Kong tycoons became more wary of Gu Sheng after the Ma Family’s downfall, while Gu Sheng dismissed a newspaper report about Richest Man Li.
• Two probationary Commercial Crime Bureau Inspectors questioned Gu Sheng about Jianan Company’s property transfers, but he denied wrongdoing and sent them away without a summons.
• Gu Sheng told Leung Siu-tong to publicly invite a young policewoman to meet him at the Aberdeen entrance.
• Gu Sheng ordered Zhang Chun to bring men to Malaysia the next night and wait for his instructions.

Apple confronted Gu Sheng after his men’s repeated invitations and learned his explanation for the Police station’s hostility, while Gu Sheng also reunited with Li Xinxin and checked on Zhang Chun’s group in Malaysia. The chapter ended with a team of foreign arrivals reaching Kuala Lumpur for a banquet arranged by their Leader.

• Chu Wah-biu reassured Apple that she had done well, but Gu Sheng’s men continued inviting her to meet their boss, prompting the Police station staff to suspect her.
• Apple went to Gu Sheng, who argued that her colleagues resented owing her a favor and suggested she transfer to the Public Relations Branch.
• Gu Sheng left for Kowloon to meet Li Xinxin, then spent the night with her and told her that Zhang Chun and more than a hundred men had settled in Malaysia.
• Gu Sheng assured Li Xinxin that her former students were working at a factory, concealing that he had sent them to Malaysia.
• A group of blond foreign men and women arrived in Kuala Lumpur, where Malaysian Chinese greeted them and announced a welcome banquet from their Leader.

Gu Sheng learned that Small Wah Kee had brought a Hell's Angels delegation to Malaysia and ordered Zhang Chun to kill them at the Sheraton Hotel. Zhang Chun's men wiped out all seventeen Germans and escaped Kuala Lumpur, leaving Small Wah Kee likely to be blamed for the massacre.

• Ah Man's men followed Small Wah Kee's convoy to the airport and saw Kalasu welcome Müller and the Hell's Angels delegation in Kuala Lumpur.
• Kalasu discussed cooperation against Hongxing with Müller, then learned from Ah Lai that the Germans had suffered losses in Thailand and had previously failed to kill Handsome Sheng.
• Gu Sheng identified the visitors as Hell's Angels and ordered Zhang Chun to kill all seventeen Germans at the Sheraton Hotel before fleeing to Pahang.
• Zhang Chun's men infiltrated the hotel, stormed the Germans' rooms, and killed the delegation, including a German who tried to escape outside on an air-conditioning unit.
• Zhang Chun's men shot three armed men emerging from an elevator, spared a hotel attendant who claimed not to have seen them, and left Kuala Lumpur in minibuses.

After Hongxing’s attack killed the seventeen German men in Kuala Lumpur, Gu Sheng ordered his allies to hide and considered expanding his Security Company into Malaysia. He then confronted Li Ma Sing over a delayed meeting, deliberately crashed into Li Ma Sing’s car, and asked him to sell his Oriental Press shares.

• Kalasu learned that all seventeen Germans and his own men had been killed at the hotel, then ordered a citywide search for outsiders from Hong Kong Island.
• Gu Sheng told Zhang Chun and the others to hide in Pahang, decided against contacting Hongmen, and received Li Ma Sing’s invitation to meet.
• Gu Sheng told Leung Siu-tong that Li Ma Sing’s trip to England had been an excuse to avoid meeting him, while Li Ma Sing heard that Gu Sheng was displeased.
• Gu Sheng ordered Leung Siu-tong to ram Li Ma Sing’s car, then joked that his own car was bulletproof as he led Li Ma Sing into the teahouse.
• Gu Sheng asked Li Ma Sing to sell his shares in Oriental Press.

Gu Sheng secured Oriental Press shares from Li Ma Sing and Ng Yuen-cheung, settled the Black Dragon Society dispute through Ding Yao, and took Kong Sang to a villa in Repulse Bay. Wong Hoi-sam woke from his coma, and Gu Sheng decided to visit him with a cheap fruit basket.

• Li Ma Sing agreed to sell his Oriental Press shares to Gu Sheng for twenty million, but refused to sell any Hutchison Whampoa shares.
• Ng Yuen-cheung offered Gu Sheng a three-percent stake in Oriental Press for a hundred dollars, and Gu Sheng accepted.
• Ding Yao told Gu Sheng that Gray Eagle had mediated a truce with the Black Dragon Society, which would return its seized territory within ten days and stop interfering in the Ma Family matter.
• Gu Sheng acquired more Oriental Press shares, bringing his stake to 32.3 percent, and decided to wait until he obtained the Ma Family's shares before taking over the company.
• Gu Sheng took Kong Sang to Number 42 in Repulse Bay and gave her the furnished villa, then learned that Wong Hoi-sam had woken from his coma.
• Gu Sheng told Leung Siu-tong to buy Wong Hoi-sam an inexpensive fruit basket and take him for a visit.

Gu Sheng taunted the injured Wong Hoi-sam in the hospital, then learned that a new group of Hell's Angels had arrived in Malaysia to investigate their dead comrades. He sent Zhang Chun and his men to attack them as the Germans met with Small Wah Kee and traveled toward a likely confrontation.

• Gu Sheng visited Wong Hoi-sam, mocked him about his injuries and his son's trial, and left after doctors rushed to treat Wong's worsening condition.
• Haynes and Andreas led dozens of Hell's Angels members into Malaysia and went to the police station to identify the bodies, while Blackie spotted them and alerted Gu Sheng.
• Gu Sheng praised Blackie for the warning, then ordered Zhang Chun and his men to kill the new arrivals and cautioned them that the Germans might be armed.
• At the morgue, Haynes identified his brother Müller, and Ah Lai showed the Hell's Angels the police records and sketches while blaming the attack on Hongxing and a hotel employee.
• Andreas agreed to meet Small Wah Kee's leader, and the Hell's Angels left for a Kuala Lumpur hotel as Zhang Chun's men raced toward the city.

Zhang Chun and his men ambushed the German convoy in Kuala Lumpur, trapping the Germans between two groups of Hongxing fighters. When the Germans surrendered, Zhang Chun ordered his men to take no prisoners, and they shot the survivors.

• Zhang Chun met Blackie in Kuala Lumpur and learned that Kalasu and the Germans were gathered near the Prince Hotel.
• Zhang Chun and two men scouted the area, then positioned vehicles around the street to follow the Germans when they left.
• After the convoy departed, Zhang Chun’s men followed it, and the Germans realized they had a tail.
• The Germans drove toward a deserted area, where two Hongxing vans blocked the road and opened fire on the convoy.
• Zhang Chun and the men arriving from behind trapped the Germans, while a grenade further broke their resistance.
• Andreas had Ah Lai announce their surrender, but Zhang Chun ordered his men to take no prisoners, and they killed the remaining Germans.

Zhang Chun’s men wiped out the German and Small Wah Kee forces, escaped Malaysia, and reached Pattaya, while Kalasu and the Hell’s Angels blamed each other for the massacre. Meanwhile, Mai Gao kidnapped Hong Kong businessman Yu Dawei and demanded a five-million deposit, falsely tying him to Hongxing to cover his failure to find Zhang Chun’s men.

• Zhang Chun’s men killed the arriving Small Wah Kee reinforcements, and Lin Younian reported the massacre to Kalasu.
• Gu Sheng ordered Zhang Chun to evacuate through Kuantan, where a local guide helped his men board a boat to Pattaya and meet Yi Jian.
• Kalasu contacted the German Hell’s Angels, whose leaders blamed Small Wah Kee for the deaths and declared it their greater enemy.
• Mai Gao kidnapped Yu Dawei in Kuala Lumpur and beat him while demanding information about Hongxing.
• Mai Gao admitted to himself that Yu Dawei had no connection to Hongxing and demanded five million as a deposit so he could appease Kalasu and keep the money.

After Luo Zhaochun and Luo Huafeng asked Gu Sheng for help rescuing Yu Dawei, he sent Wang Jianjun and his men to Malaysia. They tracked the kidnappers to a processing plant and arrived just in time to save Yu Dawei.

• Luo Zhaochun decided to seek help from Hongxing after learning that his brother-in-law, Yu Dawei, had been kidnapped in Malaysia.
• Gu Sheng agreed to help the Luo siblings and sent Wang Jianjun with men from his Security Company to Malaysia.
• Wang Jianjun arranged for Luo Huafeng to leave the ransom at a bowling alley, where Wang Jianguo seized the collector and learned the gang's location.
• Wang Jianjun and his men reached the processing plant as Mai Gao prepared to kill Yu Dawei.
• Wang Jianjun's men shot Mai Gao and his gang, and Wang Jianjun confirmed that they had arrived in time to rescue Yu Dawei.

Gu Sheng forced Wong Hoi-sam to sell him his schools and Repulse Bay villa, then met Yu Dawei, who offered him a forty-percent stake in Anfei Chemical to repay him for saving his life. Gu Sheng accepted the shares and promised to connect Yu Dawei with business contacts.

• Yu Dawei returned safely to Hong Kong Island after Jincheng International Security rescued him from his kidnappers in Kuala Lumpur.
• Gu Sheng visited Wong Hoi-sam in the hospital, told him Wang Weilian had received a six-month sentence, and pressured him to sell his schools and villa.
• Wong Hoi-sam agreed to the sale, and Gu Sheng completed contracts to buy the schools and Repulse Bay villa for one million each.
• Gu Sheng met Yu Dawei and Luo Zhaochun for dinner, and Yu Dawei agreed to sign an agreement with Gu Sheng's security company.
• Yu Dawei offered Gu Sheng a forty-percent stake in Anfei Chemical, and Gu Sheng accepted while promising to introduce him to business contacts.

Gu Sheng arranged for Yin Tin-chau to get a role at Galaxy Films, learned that the High Table Members' Meeting would take place in Morocco, and prepared to attend with armed men. After taking over New Method College, he decided to improve its students' university prospects with a plan called “Don't let a single one off.”

• Liu Piaopiao asked Gu Sheng to give Yin Tin-chau an acting role, and Gu Sheng told her to have him report to Galaxy Films.
• Sophia informed Gu Sheng that the High Table Members' Meeting would begin in a week, so he ordered Tin Yeung-sang to arrange travel, vehicles, and weapons in Morocco.
• Gu Sheng told Leung Siu-tong to handle matters in Hong Kong Island while he prepared to leave for Morocco in three days.
• Gu Sheng took over New Method College and kicked students who had deliberately sent a football toward him, then ordered Leung Siu-tong to teach them respect.
• After learning that few New Method College students advanced to university, Gu Sheng decided to raise the school's progression rates with his “Don't let a single one off” plan.

Gu Sheng toured the school he was acquiring, arranged to take over shares in Anfei Chemical, and inspected his new plane. He insisted He Qing join him for dinner and took her to a café, where she questioned his reckless ways before asking about his trip to Morocco.

• Gu Sheng postponed meeting the school’s teachers until later, criticized Yu Wenze’s results, and toured the campus as students recognized him as Hongxing’s leader.
• After Gu Sheng left the school, Yu Dawei gave him a contract transferring forty percent of Anfei Chemical’s shares.
• Gu Sheng boarded his new plane and found He Qing waiting there; he overruled her plans and insisted she have dinner with him.
• Gu Sheng had Leung Siu-tong ram He Qing’s sports car, then took her to a café in Tsim Sha Tsui.
• He Qing warned Gu Sheng that his ruthless approach could bring trouble, but he said he acted for his own happiness and expected smooth sailing.
• He Qing asked why Gu Sheng was going to Morocco, and he said he had a major business deal and several partners there.

Gu Sheng spent heavily on draws to obtain Arabic and improve his abilities, then took his people to Casablanca to attend a High Table meeting. Sophia informed him that the meeting would take place at Casablanca Cathedral and that force was forbidden.

• He Qing arrived at Ho Tung Gardens after Gu Sheng sent Leung Siu-tong to take her there, and her cousins pressed her for answers about Gu Sheng.
• Gu Sheng heard that German retaliation had killed two Malaysian Bosses, then drew repeatedly, spending eighty million to obtain Arabic, stones, equipment, and new skills.
• Gu Sheng improved Danger Sense, learned several skills and languages, and raised his constitution to 9.6 before preparing to leave for Morocco with Ah Ye, Fung Yu-Sau, Shen Xue, and others.
• Gu Sheng's group flew through Abu Dhabi to Casablanca, where Tin Yeung-sang welcomed them and reported that Italian attendees had changed hotels after spotting their arrival.
• Sophia called Gu Sheng that evening and told him the High Table meeting would be held at Casablanca Cathedral the day after tomorrow, with force prohibited.

Gu Sheng met Gianna Antonio in Casablanca and spent the day trying to win her over before attending the High Table gathering. He entered the meeting after knocking aside two guards and discovered that Gianna was already among the High Table members.

• Gu Sheng met Gianna Antonio while touring Casablanca, and she accepted his invitation to explore the city with him.
• Gu Sheng spent the day with Gianna, but she declined to stay with him that night, so he went to a bar and brought two women back to the hotel.
• The next day, Gu Sheng dressed in a pink suit and took several companions to the church where the High Table meeting was being held.
• Gu Sheng kicked two guards aside at the church entrance despite Sophia reminding him that violence was prohibited.
• Gu Sheng entered the underground meeting chamber and saw Gianna among the High Table members, along with a lone Asian attendee.

Gu Sheng secured Hongxing’s place as the High Table Council’s eleventh seat, then immediately challenged Heinrich to a duel over his objection. The duel was set for ten the next morning at a church, using firearms and continuing until one man died.

• Gu Sheng ignored Ahmed’s attempt to address him while standing, took a seat, and pitched Hongxing as the High Table’s ideal foothold in the East.
• After the members split five to five on admitting Hongxing, Ahmed cast the Grand Elder’s three votes in favor, making Gu Sheng the eleventh seat.
• Gu Sheng challenged Heinrich, explaining that he wanted to kill him because he disliked his tie; Ahmed said disputes between members were settled by duels.
• The members selected Marquis d'Algramonte to head the Governing Council and voted to eliminate the Marseille Group’s leadership.
• After the meeting, Gu Sheng and Heinrich agreed to duel to the death; their cards set the duel for ten the next morning at a church, with firearms fired from thirty meters apart.

Gu Sheng learned about the High Table and its global network after challenging Heinrich, a Canadian Hell's Angels leader, to a fatal duel. After a peaceful night at the hotel, Gu Sheng woke at eight the next morning, furious at the early hour, with the duel still ahead.

• Gu Sheng lost a card game to Heinrich, challenged him to a duel to the death, and learned that each man could bring one second, who would also die if his side lost.
• Ahmed explained the High Table’s seats, gold-coin currency, and expectation that Gu Sheng would expand its influence into the Eastern market; Gu Sheng also asked about the Elder and the gold-coin minting rights.
• Gu Sheng told Ah Ye and Tin Yeung-sang that he planned to shoot Heinrich himself in the duel scheduled for the next morning.
• Shi Songquan of the North American Hongmen visited Gu Sheng, and the two discussed friendship, cooperation, and possible Hongmen investment in Hong Kong Island.
• Gu Sheng ordered his men to stay alert overnight, but no attack came; the next morning, he woke at eight and complained about the hour.