Foreigners

In the conference room, Boss Dao and the leaders of the various gangs were all present. "Just as I was coming over today, the guard on duty last night mentioned that a foreign girl had come looking for me. He recognized her and knew whose daughter she was. But when I went to speak with Brother Filio, I suddenly forgot the name..." Han Qingyu said. "Old Charles," Filio supplied from the side. "Oh, right. An old guy with a very white beard." Han Qingyu went on to mention what had happened on the first night of Culling Day, when Old Charles had led a crew through the alleyway on a "source energy stroll." He also recounted his few interactions with Lynne, before scratching his head and asking rather self-consciously, "I hastily suggested making them a temporary Rank 2 gang—was that a bit too high?" It was framed as a question, but Boss Dao made no reply. He merely lowered his head and took a sip of water, a quiet smile gracing his lips—a look of recognition and approval born of knowing they were cut from the same cloth. "Given what you described, a provisional ranking is fine," said Storm, leader of the Storm Bloodbattle Gang. He was perhaps the least calculating among all the gang leaders, as well as the strongest in combat power. "It just so happens that none of us have real experience managing territory and faction affairs. We discussed it last night—we need to promote someone soon to help out. The Berlik Gang isn't bad." Having said his piece, he took a serious look at the young beyond-top-tier warrior before him and nodded, his eyes filled with affirmation and appreciation. In fact, at this moment, it was not just Boss Dao and Storm; every gang leader present felt at ease. They genuinely liked A Jing's personality from the bottom of their hearts. Rough men were rarely articulate. How should one put it? It followed roughly this logic: "Once you become powerful enough, the entire world treats you with smiles and warmth, deferential and mild. The world looks wonderful. "Because of that, we tend to cherish all the more those who treated us kindly back when we didn't look like much." A Jing was destined to be the pillar of the Azure Dragon Gang in the future, if he was not already. The fact that he was one of their own put the seated bosses at ease. After all, they had only just stood on their own two feet, and their individual strength did not yet match their newly acquired standing. "Actually, we could even consider waiving the confiscation of their property," Old Hugh suddenly suggested with a smile. "No, no, we can't do that. We've already cut it by a lot," Han Qingyu waved his hands in a rush of anxiety. The men in the room froze for a second before bursting into laughter. So *this* was the kind of person A Jing was. They were gradually coming to know him, and they found this far more vivid and endearing than merely having immense combat power. "So, are you truly certain there isn't anything else between you two?" Amid the laughter, Old Hugh pressed further, not ready to drop it, an enigmatic grin playing across the corners of his mouth. Han Qingyu looked at him in bewilderment. "No. What else could there be?" "...A blind date!" Old Hugh mouthed the topic the two of them had talked about before, then chuckled aloud. "I hear Old Charles's daughter is the loveliest rose in the Ninth District." "Is she pretty? I didn't notice," Han Qingyu replied after serious thought. "Doesn't matter anyway. I'm not marrying a foreigner." *If I brought home a foreign wife, Mom would probably have a heart attack,* he thought. There were plenty of foreigners seated among them, and they all erupted in hearty laughter. That was, until Han Qingyu said, "By the way, Boss Dao, leaders... I've decided to go register today. In two months, I'll begin challenging the Hall of Definitive Kills." *** Around the same time, the leaders of the various Rank 4 gangs who had seen Old Charles off along the street were still discussing the matter. "Actually, the provisional Rank 2 status and the ten percent reduction are secondary. What matters most is the Charles family's connection to that A Jing." "He just defeated Corpse Man Weize. There might have been an element of surprise involved, but he's still so young... That means he might one day become fifth or sixth." "If their relationship is what we suspect..." The speaker trailed off, glancing around at the others. The four super factions of the City of Iniquity had remained solid for the past decade or two: Shu You, rank one on the assassin rankings; Black Hand Theodore; Eric the Viking; and Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet, the Enchanting Catwoman. Having attained sufficient strength, wealth, and confidence, they rarely took part in everyday turf wars and disputes over ordinary interests. Thus, ranking fifth or sixth was practically the pinnacle in the eyes of ordinary people. "Lucky Old Charles," they said. Lucky Old Charles was currently driving home in a hurry. *It must be love, right? Isn't it? It has to be.* He repeated this to himself in the car over and over again. Though entertaining such hopes seemed foolish in the City of Iniquity, as a father, Old Charles couldn't help hoping for it. The evidence supporting this deduction lay in the period when they met: for a long time, his daughter probably had no idea of his actual combat power—otherwise, she wouldn't have pleaded with him not to kill him. So last night, she first went to watch him fight, and then ran out to stay out all night...!!! *Screeech—* The sharp screech of brakes echoed in the courtyard. Lynne hurriedly stood up and stepped outside to greet him. Her father pushed open the car door. "There's something I want to tell you, Father," Lynne said. "Really? What a coincidence, so do I." Old Charles glanced back at the servants inside the house and said, "Put everything back. We're staying here." *We're staying here?* Although her father still appeared hurried, the anxiety and sorrow from earlier that morning were gone. So, it had to be good news, right? Lynne asked with cautious anticipation: "What happened this morning, Father?" "So you really didn't know, Lynne? Here I thought you wanted to give Old Charles a surprise! All right, come with me. Let me tell you what I just experienced first." Old Charles led his daughter into the back garden. Along the way, he recounted what had happened at the Azure Dragon Gang that morning and the extraordinary preferential treatment the Berlik Gang had received. Then, under his expectant yet vigilant gaze, Lynne truthfully described how she had met that A Jing and their interactions since. "That was all?" Old Charles asked, thoroughly perplexed after hearing her out. "Yes. Jenna didn't succeed; he turned her down," Lynne said. "I'm not talking about that." Old Charles shook his head in mild exasperation and explained, "What I mean is, it sounds like you two aren't even proper friends yet. Those trinkets couldn't possibly be worth much to him either. So..." "So?" "Are you sure there wasn't something else to it? Like liking a girl, and wanting to do something for her?" Old Charles offered the reasonable deduction, then quickly clarified, "Sorry, I have to make this clear—this isn't a father's request or expectation, Lynne. I'm just confused, you understand?" Lynne's eyes flickered with thought. She nodded. "Father, I'm going out for a bit." "Going out? What are you going to do?!" "I'm going to ask him!" Lynne spun around and dashed off, her voice brimming with excitement. Old Charles stood where he was, watching his daughter's retreating figure. He gave a wry smile, which soon softened into a genuine laugh. *** When Lynne found Han Qingyu, Jenna was by her side. Han Qingyu had just stepped out of the Hall of Definitive Kills with Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, and Wu Xu. He had just submitted his application and undergone a combat power assessment. The challenge would begin in two months. Aside from the purpose of combat itself, this challenge was planned to provide two crucial buffers: 1. Grant time for the Azure Dragon Gang to consolidate its power; 2. Deter direct probing attacks and buy time for recovery. Wen Jifei's logic was simple: since people had already begun to suspect and probe, why not provide the ideal platform for them to observe and learn, giving them the patience to wait? Lynne walked over... A brief, blunt exchange was all it took for the young girl's heart to plunge from fiery passion to freezing cold in less than a minute. "Then why did you help my family?" Hurt by love for the very first time in her life, her eyes rimmed with red, Lynne asked, unwilling to let it go. "Probably because ever since I started working out here, you're one of the four people who've treated me with the most kindness," Han Qingyu said. "Then why can't you like me?" The young girl remained forthright. "You could like me." Han Qingyu: "I don't like foreigners." Lynne: "..." "If Captain Milla heard that, imagine how heartbroken she'd be," Wen Jifei murmured lazily in the Huaxia language as they walked forward together.