Chapter 77: Battle in the Jungle (Part One)

Chen Erpao glanced indifferently at the two men. “Eh.” Suddenly, he noticed a silver pistol on White Shade’s chest, and couldn’t help but feel puzzled. After all, the speed and power of a gun are unparalleled; if they had used their guns from the start, the outcome might have been completely different.

“Why didn’t you use your guns?” he asked the Black and White Shades, still wondering.

White Shade, suppressing the pain, managed a faint smile. “Originally, we did plan to settle things with a bullet, but then we sensed from you the same intense killing aura and powerful presence as ourselves. You’re a true powerhouse, someone we respect and want to challenge. Guns are only for dealing with the weak, or for the weak to use. Only when our target is surrounded by a crowd of lackeys do we use guns—we’re not fools, after all, to take on dozens of people at once.”

Chen Erpao walked calmly toward White Shade. White Shade thought he meant harm, but even so, he did not reach for his gun, simply closing his eyes.

“Defeated by your hand, we admit our loss. If you wish to kill us, so be it. From the day we set foot on the path of an assassin, we knew this day would come. Perhaps, for us, it’s a kind of release.”

“You two are truly mavericks among assassins. There’s a saying: ‘True heroes admire each other.’ I don’t know if you agree.”

With that, Chen Erpao reached out and helped the half-reclining White Shade to his feet.

Both White Shade and Black Shade were startled at first, but soon broke into radiant smiles. Only moments ago, they had fought to the death; now, they chatted like brothers.

“You need to be careful from now on. Our organization has recruited many assassins from around the world. Though we don’t know each other, and it’s all just business, I do know that the sixth-ranked assassin in Hong Kong, Firestorm, is affiliated with us. Since we failed this time, they’ll probably send him after you,” Black Shade suddenly said.

Chen Erpao gave a grateful smile. “I’ve heard of Firestorm. They say his signature move is a long-lost martial art, the ‘Fire and Ice Palm,’ and he’s also an expert marksman. In all his years, he’s never failed a mission.”

White Shade nodded, “That’s right. Be careful. And rumor has it, the one targeting you this time isn’t from within our circle. You should know who it is.”

“Dundee, since you’re playing so dirty, how could I, Chen Erpao, not return the favor? Wouldn’t I be letting you off too easily?” Chen Erpao seemed to mutter to himself. “A true man lives with grand ambition—loyal to friends, ruthless to enemies.”

“I’ll make him regret it. But what about you two? I know a bit about the assassin’s code: there’s an unwritten rule—either the target dies, or the assassin does. If you fail and live, your organization will spare no expense to silence you.”

Black Shade replied, “We’ve made plenty of money and were planning to retire in comfort, but this time, the price on your head was too high to refuse. Plus, you’ve made a name for yourself lately, and we wanted to see what you were made of—never thought we’d end up defeated. Now that we’ve failed, we’ll just go on the run, head abroad for a bit of fun, maybe pick up a few foreign girls and fool around.”

“Come with me!” Chen Erpao said bluntly. “I’m setting up an Assassins’ Hall, and I want you two as its chiefs. We’ll make money together, enjoy life together. Most importantly, in this world, it’s rare to have true brothers; just your actions just now are enough for me to trust you—be my brothers.”

“Alright,” Black and White Shade agreed almost without hesitation. “Just for your words—‘True heroes admire each other’—we’ll accept.”

As they spoke, the three clasped hands tightly. The addition of the Black and White Shades greatly contributed to the future rise of the Brotherhood, and brought the Assassins’ Hall to the attention of the world.

The next day, Chen Erpao convened a meeting of the Brotherhood’s core members and solemnly announced the founding of the Assassins’ Hall, appointing the Black and White Shades as its chiefs, giving them the authority to select and train their own team from among the ranks.

Their joining and the establishment of the Assassins’ Hall boosted the Brotherhood’s strength dramatically, putting them in the limelight and, for a time, overshadowing even Tuen Mun’s Red Star. Of course, by now, Red Star had completely split off; Tianyi had succeeded his father as boss and renamed the gang the Heavenly Alliance Hall.

Chen Erpao knew that before a true showdown with the Heavenly Alliance’s main force, there would inevitably be a great battle with the Hall. Two tigers cannot coexist on one mountain, and the Hall had been the undisputed overlord of this territory for years. Now, with the backing of the Heavenly Alliance, they certainly wouldn’t allow the Brotherhood, a potential threat, to grow unchecked.

Chen Erpao decided to strike first and deliver a heavy blow to the Hall. Reliable sources said that the Hall’s main business now relied on selling heroin and ecstasy, and these drugs were no longer sourced from the Golden Triangle or Cambodia, but transported from the mainland.

In the past, Hong Kong and the mainland’s drug supply all came from the Golden Triangle, Cambodia, and Thailand. But in recent years, several chemical geniuses on the mainland had successfully synthesized drugs themselves, causing many Hong Kong gangs to source their supply from the mainland. A year ago, the Hall even recruited several chemical experts from the mainland and built a secret drug factory deep in the mountains. This factory was now Chen Erpao’s target. Destroying it would mean the Hall’s painstakingly built drug base would be wiped out overnight, dealing a severe blow to their business, causing massive losses and unrest within their ranks.

Moreover, Tianyi had only ascended to his position thanks to his father, Camel. If, so early in his reign, the Hall suffered such a major loss, it would surely cause him endless trouble and give his dissenters ammunition against him.

At the Brotherhood’s headquarters, Chen Erpao solemnly entrusted the affairs of the sect to Wang Xing and Liu Huagang. The temporary headquarters was set up near the gates of Lingnan University—no one would have guessed that the number one and two figures of the Brotherhood, feared triad bosses on the outside, would become humble security guards as soon as they stepped onto the campus.

The drug factory was located in the western borderlands of Hubei Province, deep in a famous mountain range. The area spanned over a thousand square kilometers, with eighty percent forest cover. Its highest peak, Shennongding, was known as the highest in the east. Few people ever set foot inside, and the area was home to thousands of animal species, with wild wolves, tigers, leopards, pythons, and lions in abundance.

That day, Chen Erpao led ten elite enforcers, all clad in black, wearing tactical goggles, exuding an imposing aura as they appeared at an airport in Hubei. Their presence turned heads everywhere—many passersby even thought a movie was being filmed.

Though not quite as skilled as the Brotherhood’s top ten Iron Guards, the ten men Chen Erpao brought had been handpicked from hundreds of members. Before departure, Zeng Fan had arranged for local support and even prepared weapons. Who knew how many men the Hall had placed at the drug factory? Rushing in barehanded would be foolish. With Zeng Fan’s hidden abilities, arranging a few arms in the mainland was child’s play.

Just outside the airport, three black sedans swiftly pulled up. Out stepped a man in his forties.

“Hello, Brother Pao! Brother Zeng sent me to pick you up.”

Chen Erpao nodded and got in. Along the way, he chatted with the man, trying to glean Zeng Fan’s true identity, but it was all in vain—their security measures were clearly stringent.

The convoy drove to a hotel on the outskirts of the Shennongjia forest. The hotel was only three stories high, and there were no other guests—it had evidently been booked in advance.

In a room on the third floor, the middle-aged man handed over a large black bag. “Brother Zeng instructed me to get this ready for you.”

When Chen Erpao opened it, his eyes went wide. Besides several pistols, there were even a few AK-47 assault rifles and two bombs.

“Damn, I’m not going to war. Does he think I’m fighting terrorists again like back in the day? Why not just get me a rocket launcher while he’s at it?”

Chen Erpao fiddled with the AK-47, deeply excited, as if he’d returned to his army days—gripping a gun every day, that familiar feeling surging back.

“Brother, thank Fan for me. When I get back to Hong Kong, I’ll treat him to some girls.”

The middle-aged man grinned knowingly. Chen Erpao could see at once that they were kindred spirits—no need for words.

“Brother Pao, Brother Zeng wanted me to remind you to be extra careful. He said something feels off about this job; it might even be a trap meant to lure you in.”

Chen Erpao smiled calmly. “Since I’m here, I, Chen Erpao, only know how to move forward. Even if the enemy has set a snare, so what? Our brothers are all true men. As long as the factory is really here, no matter how tight their net, we’ll take them down. What’s there to fear?”

“Take them down! Take them down!” the ten Brotherhood elites shouted, their voices ringing out, their presence filling the room.

Meanwhile, some fifty miles deep into the Shennongjia forest, rows of makeshift wooden cabins stood—seven in all. Besides a number of black-clad Asian men, there was a squad of twelve foreign men—hulking figures in khaki uniforms and combat boots, the very image of foreign mercenaries, all heavily armed.

“Mass, this is your target. No matter what, make sure he never leaves Shennongjia alive—or the entire plan will be for nothing,” a middle-aged man said, pointing to a photograph of a young man.

The young man in the photo wore a windbreaker and black goggles, his whole being radiating an extraordinary aura. That upright figure, that resolute face—damn, a man among men. If Chen Erpao saw the photo, he would have exclaimed, “Damn, who took such a good shot of me? No wonder the ladies swoon!”

Mass was the mercenary squad’s captain, with a decade of experience under his belt—his strength was beyond question. He took the photo, studied it carefully, and replied, “Only one of us will walk out of Shennongjia alive.”