Chapter 140: The Reconnaissance Company’s

Just then, the manager of the nightclub—a pudgy, middle-aged man with fury written all over his face—strode over.

“Lian Ying, do you still want to work here? How dare you fight a customer! I really don’t know what possessed me to hire someone like you.”

Lian Ying turned his head away and answered loudly, with utter disdain, “I quit right now. You can keep half a month’s wages, you fat bastard.”

“You...” The manager’s face flushed with anger, and he clearly wanted to explode. But remembering the terrifying display of power he had just witnessed, he forced himself to swallow his temper and slunk away.

“Come on, have a drink with me. Let’s see whether your tolerance has improved.” Chen Erpao happily pulled Lian Ying back to their table.

The moment Lian Ying sat down, he sensed that the four men from the Blood Squadron were no ordinary people. Each of them carried a faint, murderous aura. In all his years working in nightlife venues, his eye for people had become sharp; judging by their bearing, they were either hardened veterans from the army or members of the criminal underworld.

Noticing this, Chen Erpao casually explained, “These are my brothers. They’ve lived by the edge of a blade. Don’t just sit there—call him Brother Ying.”

“Brother Ying,” the four Blood Squadron members said at once, without the slightest hesitation. They obeyed Chen Erpao’s orders with the absolute discipline of soldiers.

Lian Ying nodded and gave him a half-smile. “Looks like you’re doing pretty well for yourself. I’ve just lost my job, so I might as well come work with you. I’m not asking for much—just a hundred thousand or so a year. And introduce me to a few pretty girls while you’re at it. Look at me; I’m still single. Since leaving the army, I’ve lost count of how many jobs I’ve gone through.”

“A hundred thousand?” Chen Erpao asked in exaggerated surprise. “That’s far too little! I’ll give you an annual salary of a million, plus a share of the profits. As for women—forget a few. You can have dozens, as long as you can handle them.”

Lian Ying stared blankly for a moment, evidently unable to digest the offer of a million a year. “Done. For a salary like that, I’d even kill or burn for you. And do you remember Wang Hu and Zhang Shao? They’re in Keelung too, and their situation is much like mine. They survive on a miserable fixed salary every month. If they spend any money chasing a girl, they have to eat instant noodles for the rest of the month.”

Chen Erpao nodded. Wang Hu and Zhang Shao had once served with him and Lian Ying in the reconnaissance company. They had all left the army at the same time, though he had never imagined that the two of them had ended up in Taiwan as well.

“Bring them here. I haven’t seen either of them in years. Ask whether they’d be willing to come with me to Hong Kong. I may be involved in the underworld now, but I don’t traffic drugs, I don’t prey on the weak, and I don’t do anything that goes against heaven and decency. I still carry my country in my heart. I still remember that I was once a soldier—someone who protected the nation and its people.”

Keelung was not a large city, and Wang Hu and Zhang Shao arrived before long. Chen Erpao was intensely moved and delighted to be reunited with three comrades he had not seen in years. Even taking control of the Heng Hall could not compare with the precious bond between brothers who had once shared life and death.

“Wang Hu, what happened to you? You’re all torn up, and there’s blood on you too. Don’t tell me some girl left that behind,” Lian Ying teased.

Wang Hu shook his head. “Don’t ask. Last month, I borrowed tens of thousands from loan sharks because I wanted to get that woman from the Fulitang Hotel. I stayed at the hotel for more than half a month. Who would’ve thought I’d fail to win her over and spend all the money besides? Then, just now, I ran into these fellows on the road. They demanded that I pay them back, and we started fighting. Luckily, I ran fast. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be seeing me now.”

Chen Erpao had already drunk a little, and he was now thoroughly excited. “Did they follow you here? Come on, brothers. Let’s go teach the bastards a lesson.”

“Let’s go!”

The four men—four drunken devils, each gripping a beer bottle—charged out with the spirit of sworn brothers and ran straight into the loan sharks’ people at the entrance.

There were quite a few of them, nearly twenty in all. Their leader was a long-haired man with a ferocious face. One glance was enough to tell that he was a gangster; he looked as though he had been born to play the villain in a crime film.

“Kid, you ran inside to find a few helpers so you could all come out and die together?”

Wang Hu gave a crooked grin and suddenly roared, “Brothers, get them!”

The four beer bottles flew out at once. In the next instant, the four men swept into the crowd like dragons surging from the sea, churning the air and sending the enemy reeling in every direction.

Chen Erpao went straight for the long-haired man. The shadow of his legs filled the air as his fearsome kicks descended in a storm. The other man swiftly drew a cleaver and hacked at him with wild abandon.

Chen Erpao gave a cold laugh. His footwork changed abruptly, winding around the attacker’s arm like a poisonous serpent. With a violent twist, he sent the cleaver clattering to the ground.

The long-haired man went pale and turned to run. At that moment, a chill swept over him from behind. Chen Erpao kicked the cleaver with all his strength. It shot forward and pierced straight through the man’s thigh, instantly drenching the ground in blood.

The other three fought with equal ferocity, pounding their opponents as though possessed. Before long, only three or four men remained. Seeing that the situation had turned against them, they tried to flee.

“Lian Ying called out, ‘There are three left. Let’s see who can take one down fastest.’”

But the words had barely left his mouth when a figure had already shot past them. Several swift movements flashed like lightning, and in the blink of an eye there were no opponents left for them to compete over. Only Chen Erpao remained, smiling at them.

The three men were astonished. Even they had failed to see how he had struck. They raised their thumbs in admiration, while Wang Hu stared wide-eyed and exclaimed, “Brother Pao, you’ve become a real monster. After joining the special forces, you left us ten thousand miles behind. What a pity I didn’t make the cut back then.”

At that moment, an angry, feminine voice rang out behind them.

“Erpao, how many times have I told you not to fight? Are you looking to get yourself beaten?”

Chen Erpao lowered his head and turned around. Wang Xuemei and Zhang Xiaoyu had already emerged under the escort of several organizers. Everyone was staring at the scene in astonishment, while the more than ten men sprawled across the ground and groaning formed a bizarrely picturesque sight.

“Brother Pao, this must be Sister-in-law! You two really are a perfect match!” Lian Ying, Wang Hu, and Chen Shaoquan burst into laughter, but the instant they caught the icy glint in Wang Xuemei’s eyes, they shut their mouths.

Liu Ming, master of the Sea Breeze Hall, was faintly startled. He had not expected this woman to belong to Chen Erpao. But remembering Chen Erpao’s status in Hong Kong, he realized that a woman like her was entirely worthy of him. Now that he thought back to how he had tried to recruit Chen Erpao as a subordinate, he could not help finding it absurd.

With his skills and such a group of brothers beside him, Chen Erpao had managed to create a miracle in Hong Kong in a remarkably short time. Perhaps he could create another miracle here. To offend a man like that over a woman and a subordinate was clearly unrealistic.

After returning to the hotel, the brothers naturally drank late into the night once more. This time, Chen Erpao had spared no expense, buying several bottles of exceptionally expensive imported liquor. He was reluctant to spend money on himself, but when it came to his brothers, he did not hesitate in the slightest.