West pacific… Headquarter of the Hong Sect…
“Huuulla!”
A Gulfstream G550 taxied from the landing strip to the terminal.
This airplane was worth over fifty million US dollars. It could hold up to eighteen people inside. Before its successor, the G650 came into production, G550 was the most luxurious private plane in the world.
The gate opened, and a handsome young blond man emerged from within. His sharp eyes glinted like lightning in a stormy night, terrifying but spectacular.
Following the blond man, a group of men and women filed out from the plane, all wearing the same style of uniform. The men in the group were tall and jacked. Hard features on their stone-cold faces suggested that they were powerful fighters. Meanwhile, the seven women in the group were of all backgrounds; there were Asian, African, and Caucasian. Despite their racial differences, they shared one thing in common: breathtaking glamour. All the women were tall and were wearing tight business skirts, and a few of them wore black-rimmed glasses. They looked like a group of professional secretaries.
The blond man sauntered out of the airport, carrying pride in every step he took. The men and women in the airport quickly got out of his way and lowered their heads out of respect as the blond man passed them.
“He is Zoro, the Thunder King, the principle of the branch in western Europe. He visits the headquarters barely once every year. There must be something big going on to have brought him back.” A few guards at the airport murmured to each other.
“Hehe, so the rumor is true! Zoro had a healthy appetite for woman, doesn’t he? I have heard that every one of the secretaries he hired were drop-dead gorgeous from universities all over the world. Not only did they have the looks, but they also have brains. One of them was a daughter of blue-blooded royalty in western Europe. He brings these little birds with him everywhere he went. Hey, don’t you think that in the night—” A brawny black man said with a lewd smile.
“Shut up, Tupac! You are going to get us all killed! Zoro hates people talking about his girls.” Another buff white man scolded him hotly. He was the captain of the guards.” The last person who didn’t watch his mouth before he was electrocuted to a crisp already.”
Tupac sudden became quiet as if words had caught in his throat.
“The Principal of West Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and East Asia were all here…” The oldest guard furrowed his brows and said: “I don’t think that everyone is here just for the annual gathering. Why did they summon all the Principals? Is the rumor true and Lei Qianjue is dead?”
A silence fell over the room as soon as they heard the old man’s words.
“It’s impossible. Lei Qianjue was our underboss in Canada, and he was one of the most powerful fighters in Hong Sect. Who would be able to do away with him?” After a long silence, the group of guards finally boiled over.
“Just so! Of all the powerful fighters in the Hong Sect, Lei Qianjue was the most powerful. Not even the Italian Mafias dared to infiltrate Canada under his watch, turning Canada into our cash cow. Every year, our branch in Canada contributed over five billion US dollars to the headquarters, closely following the branches in Western America and Western Europe”
“If Lei Qianjue was not really dead, the Headquarters would never summon so many underbosses.”
As everyone chatted on, fear slowly crept onto their faces.
Lei Qianjue’s death disrupted the balance of power within the sect and things were about to change within the Hong Sect. In addition, whether or not they could hold their territory in Canada also remained a question to be answered.
A few hundred-meter-tall mountain peak was erected at the center of the little tropical island.
Hong Sect had hollowed the hill to built their underground base. This underground base touted a defense that was enough to withstand a nuclear bombing. There were over a few thousand people stationed on the island well-equipped with modern military-issue firearms from America. Some firearms were even better than standard American soldier’s gear.
Such was the might and power of an international organization. It’s collective might all over the globe was equivalent to a small country.
Meanwhile, inside the meeting room of the underground base, the underbosses were having a discussion.
The door of the meeting room swung open as the blond man walked in,trailing behind him was a group of drop-dead gorgeous girls. The old man in a traditional Chinese dress was sitting at the head of the table. He furrowed his brows and said:”Zoro, you are late.”
“Boss, it’s not my fault. Blame those bitches from England!” As soon as Zoro sat down in a chair assigned to him, a tall Latino brunette wearing high heels came over to him, swaying her curvaceous body left and right. When she was close, she poured her boss a cup of red wine.
Zoro held the wine glass in his hand without drinking the contents. He swirled the red wine in the glasse as he scanned the people in front of him.
Despite the crowded space inside the meeting room, most people stood respectfully behind the seven people who were seated in their chairs. These were the seven underbosses from each region. There were six men and one female, the spot where Lei Qianjue used to sit was filled by Romon.
The seven underbosses all looked imposing and overbearing. They were from many different backgrounds. Some were asian, some white and some black.
The Hong Sect was an international organization that went beyond any racial boundaries. Each of the seven underbosses gave off a different air; some had eyes that shone like burning coal, some breathed as deeply as the ocean, and some sat as still as a mountain. All of them seemed as powerful as a Grandmaster if not more. However, the old man sat at the head of the table lacked any special quality and looked just like an average joe.
That being said, he carried out the meeting as if he owned it and no one seemed to cast any shred of doubt on his credentials.
He was the boss, the kingpin, the don of the international outfit!
“There are troubles in England again?” The old man in traditional Chinese suit furrowed his brows for a brief second and then he unknotted them. “We don’t have time for those trivial matters. Our agenda today is to talk about the death of Brother Lei and Northern Canada.”
“Lei Qianjue is dead?” An attractive woman asked incredulously. She was scantily clad in a red high slit skirt, revealing much of her long and white thigh. She looked like she was in her thirties and great thick auburn hair that cascaded to her waist, accentuating her luscious body.
Zoro recognized her as Olga, the underboss of the Middle East region.
She was the only woman among the seven underbosses of the Hong Sect. Despite her still youthful look, she was well in her fifties. The underground world gave her a nickname, the Crimson Lady. Countless men had died in her hands on her bed.
Rumor had it that she knew the art of fire bending and was able to cast a huge fire tornado out of thin air.
“I have carried Master Lei’s body with me.” Romon said with a frosty face.
“I still can’t believe it. Lei Qianjue is the most powerful fighter of our sect, it would take at least three Awakened, or the Grandmasters if you must call it that way, to pull it off.”
The auburn-haired women shrugged her shoulders. Even the whites of her eyes were tainted red, it looked as if her tears would also be red.
“Which one of our opposition would be able to rally more than three Grandmasters? The Dragon Hall, or the Square Tower?” A black man put in. His burgeoning muscles gave off a metallic sheen as if they were made out of cast iron.
The big man was two meters tall. And just like Tong Shan, his muscles were as hard as steel and were filled with explosive energy.
He was Buck, the Diamond, underboss from Northern Africa.
A light flickered in Zoro’s eyes as he recalled the power of the black man.
Rumor had it that his body was incredibly tough, so much so that he could stop bullets from a machine gun with his flesh. A warlord in Northern Africa used to hire an assassin to assassinate him. However, the sniper rifle couldn’t even penetrate through his thick skull. The assassin was later captured by Buck, and was torn into pieces by Buck with his bare hands.
“He is a mad dog, I won’t want to mess with him.” Zoro thought to himself.
Zoro took a sip of the wine and shook his head.
“It was neither the Dragon Hall nor anyone from China.”
“It was a young man… a young man less than twenty years old.” Romon said with a solemn face.
“Less than twenty years old? How was that possible?” Everyone was shocked by the news. Even Zoro was caught by surprise. The old man in the traditional Chinese suit was the only person who was able to keep calm.
“Even the most powerful martial artist Ye Nantian in China didn’t become a Grandmaster until he was thirty. Plus, not just any Grandmaster could have threatened Lei Qianjue, much less killing him.” Buck spoke under his breath.
“I have seen it with my own eyes. Chen Beixuan’s power had exceeded my expectation. I wager that he already reached Immortal State.” Romon said seriously.
“Bullshit! Immortal State Warriors are no longer mortals. They are gods. Plus, how could there be such a young Immortal State fighter?” The auburn-haired woman piped up. Her doubt was shared by the other guests in the room.
Zoro put down his wine glass and thought wistfully.
He didn’t become a Grandmaster until he was thirty. By now, his ability to control the lightning had earned him the nickname: Thunder King. He was considered the most powerful fighter among the younger generation of the Hong Sect, and was expected to enter Immortal State one day.
Nonetheless, his achievement couldn’t compare with that of Chen Beixuan. To be an Immortal State fighter at the age of twenty was was unheard of.
“Even if he has not reached Immortal State, neither was he far from it.” Romon shook his head and lamented.
“As long as he has not reached the Immortal State, we should be able to kill him. No Grandmaster could withstand the combined might of all of us. “A scrawny old man said coldly.
His body was shrouded in a cold air that seemed to come from the great depths of the ocean.
The other underbosses nodded in agreement. Although none of them could have faced off Lei Qianjue alone, the combined might of all of them could definitely bring down even the most powerful Grandmaster.
Therefore, they were confident that as long as they fought in a team, they should be able to do away with Chen Beixuan.
The power of just one underboss could topple the Lu family with ease, and there were six of them. Combined with the kingpin at the headquarters, they were at least ten times stronger than the Lu family. So powerful was the Hong Sect, that when united, it’s might could rival an average-size nation.
The more powerful they were, the more they were afraid of the superpowers of the world. China was one of the superpowers on earth that possessed nuclear capabilities. Even the Hong Sect dared not to rile up such a powerful nation.
The Hong Sect had staged numerous coups in Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, amassing thousands of well-equipped militias with ease. However, their power would seem pathetic before the Superpowers.
“We need to plan well before we make a move on Chen Beixuan. It would be best if we could lure him out of China to our territory before we do away with him.”
“What if he won’t rise to the bait?” The woman asked.
“Then we will have to force him out.” The old man in traditional Chinese suit smiled coldly and said: “I have issued a billion-dollar bounty on Chen Beixuan across the world.”
“The Blood Skull, Vipers, and the Shadow had all picked up the job. I wager that Chen Beixuan would have already been killed by waves of assassins after him before we even get to him.”
After hearing the news, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
None of them could have survived continuous assassination attempts so they wagered that neither could Chen Fan .
“Poor Chen Beixuan.” The auburn-haired woman lamented, however, the excited light in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.
The Hong Sect controlled assets that were worth trillions of dollars and they were extremely well connected in the underground criminal world. If they really want someone dead, they could always pay someone else to do it for them.