In the highest leader Long Taibai's office in the headquarter of Dragon Group, Cang Ying, a bald old man from Cang Hai Sect who was the second figure in command, was giving Long Taibai a report about the arrangements for tomorrow.
"Boss Long, everything is arranged according to your requirements. Nearly all the elites of Dragon Group are dispatched. We can assure that Qin Hao and his team will never return alive." Cang Ying grinned hideously.
Long Taibai looked at grinning Cang Ying with a cold face, then he said in a freezing voice: "Very good, and I hope your guarantee will not be a joke again this time. We have failed in defeating Qin Hao several times and I don't want one more failure. This is our last chance. If we don't make it this time, the Dragon Group will be terminated. You know the aftermath."
"Please rest assure, Boss Long. I know this time is different from the past. Our elites are all dispatched. If we still can't kill him, we..." Cang Ying didn't know how to finish his words.
"It's enough. Tomorrow I will lead Dragon Team myself."
Cang Ying stunned. He asked with surprise, "Boss Long, you mean you want to fight in person, and Dragon Team will come with you?"
"To ensure that nothing is wrong, I have to handle it myself. Tomorrow I won't give up until the Sky Group is destroyed.” Long Taibai finished speaking, his pale face appeared a murderous look. Cang Ying felt the temperature surrounded him suddenly dropped. A shiver ran down his spine.
"Go ahead and tell them. If they don't kill Qin Hao tomorrow, everyone has to die!" This word "die" made Long Taibai seemed more horrible. His pale face looked scary. Cang Ying did not dare to stay and hurriedly asked for leaving.
"Boss Long, then I'm going to arrange."
"Go ahead."
"Yes."
Got Long Taibai's permission, Cang Ying quickly turned around and walked out of the office. It was too cold that he was flustered.
Too hasty to leave, Cang Ying didn't notice someone was rushing into the office. They narrowly escaped a head-on collision at the door.
The person rushed in was Chen Feng, a middle-aged man with a brutal-looking face. He was one of the elders of the Dragon Group, known as Madman Chen.
"Madman Chen, are you walking without eyes? You almost hit me." Cang Ying shouted at Chen Feng angrily.
Chen Feng’s face twitched. He glanced at Cang Ying with disdain, “It's you idiot who have no eyes. Go away.”
Chen Feng despised Cang Ying for this foxy guy knew nothing but apple-polishing Long Taibai.
After a curse, Chen Feng went straight into the office and didn't give Cang Ying one more glance.
"you..." Cang Ying was so angry that he almost turned around to scold at Chen Feng, but in a second he realized that he was outside Long Taibai's office, a place where he dared not to pick up a row, so he swallowed back vicious abuse. But soon he thought of another thing, then looked at the door, prepared to enjoy a show.
Chen Feng dared to burst in Long Taibai's office so rudely. Even if he was called "Madman", Long Taibai would be displeased.
As Cang Ying had expected, seeing Chen Feng broke in so rudely, Long Taibai's face became colder and paler, which was a sign of his anger.
"Chen Feng, you are supercilious enough to look upon me, aren't you?" His words were sharp, with bitter cold and oppressive stateliness.
A shiver ran over Chen Feng stopped his rushing. He explained in a haste, "Boss Long, I'm sorry, but please forgive me for being so clumsy. There is something urgent."
"Urgent?" Long Taibai looked up.
"Yes." Chen Feng was a pepperbox, so he did not wait for Long Taibai and continued speaking, "Boss Long, the elites of Dragon Group are mobilized because of a command from Cang Ying. What is going on? Cang Ying has no right to do this. Is this your order? ”
A cold emotion flashed in Long Taibai's eyes, “It is my order. So, you have any problem with it?”
Hearing this, Chen Feng’s face changed. Behind him, Cang Ying revealed a complacent smile.
"Boss Long, such a big movement mobilized almost all the elites. There should be a reason." Chen Feng asked loudly.
"Chen Feng, are you accusing me?" Long Taibai also increased his volume, he coldly looked at Chen Feng’s face directly.
However, this time, Chen Feng did not make concession but continued, "Boss Long, I'm not accusing you. I just want an explicit answer to explain to everybody. What are we doing?"
"It's not your duty to ask about it. Stay and guard the headquarter tomorrow. You are not permitted to leave without my command. Otherwise, I'll show you my cruelty!” Long Taibai made a rare threat as well as a fierce expression.
It seemed that his cold face had no expressions all the time, but now Chen Feng and Cang Ying found there was, indeed, exceptions.
"But Boss Long, I don't understand. I...?"
"You don't need to understand. Just follow my orders. Now I command you to get out!" With his last word "out" let out, a flood of Qi went straight against Chen Feng. Chen Feng couldn’t stand and staggered backward several steps. When he stood firm, he looked at Long Taibai with more fear.
Long Taibai's strength was so powerful. Was he in the Peak of Perfection Stage? Not exactly, it seemed higher than that. So he had reached Spirit Stage, the stage that only could be heard in legends?
"Madman Chen, Boss Long told you to get out. What are you doing here?" Cang Ying seized the chance and walked in, gloating.
Having scruples about Long Taibai's strength and prestige, Chen Feng had to leave. Before he went out, he stared at Cang Ying and cursed, "Dirty rat!"
"Boss Long, this madman is getting out of control." Since Chen Feng had left, Cang Ying began to speak ill of him, "I suspect there's something wrong with him."
Long Taibai coldly answered, "At present I need people, so his problem will be discussed afterwards. Now, you get out, too. Shut the door."
"Um...Yes." Cang Ying did not expect that Long Taibai had no good face to him either. He had to go out of the office with depression and carefully closed the door.
Now Long Taibai was the only one left in the room. He sat on the office chair, motionless, as if thinking or hesitating. Finally he opened the drawer in front of him and took out a file.
This file was the top-secret one about Sky Group. He paid a huge price to get it and as a result, the spies he cultivated were all exposed. This act also touched the bottom line of those government superiors, letting the Dragon Group driven into the last ditch. Tomorrow, they had to fight with their back to the river. Otherwise, all the costs would be paid in vain, and efforts of these years would become meaningless.
With the file in his hand, he slowly stood up and walked to a file cabinet on the left.
He used a key to open a hidden hole, then pressed a button inside it. With a growling sound, the file cabinet drew into the wall and revealed a passage.
In the passage there were stairs. After Long Taibai walked down along the stairs, the file cabinet moved back to its original place. No trace was left to be seen.
The narrow passage was gloomy and cold. Long Taibai walked inside like a lonely ghost haunting in the hell.
Heading forward for about ten meters, Long Taibai reached the end of the passage. There was a huge stone gate. He slowly pushed it open with strong strength. A faint light slipped out from inside the gate.
It was a secret chamber. Not so spacious, and the furnishings were simple: a bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe.
On the bed sat a person. Someone would be shocked to see him, for his face was exactly the same as Long Taibai: same eyes, same nose, same mouth and same pale face. The only difference was this person’s face was even paler. Maybe it was because he couldn’t bask in the sunshine in this chamber all year round.
This was a person who shared the same look with Long Taibai.
He sat on the bed, with eyes closed, holding a string of Buddha beads in his hand and moving his white fingers over the beads one by one. He repeated this endless work on and on, whispering some Buddhist scriptures that others didn't understand.
He simply placed his legs on the bed. His legs were broken, both cut from the knees, and the trousers below the knees were empty.
Someone came in and he paid no attention as if he didn't hear, but kept on stirring the beads and whispering scriptures.
Long Taibai approached step by step until he reached the bed. He looked at the man on the bed apathetically, then watched him in silence, not willing to interrupt him.
It seemed that a long time had passed. Probably having finished a volume, the leg-broken man put down the scripture, slightly opened his eyes and asked in a weak and hoarse voice, "What are you coming for?"
"Can't I come to see you for nothing?" Long Taibai answered in calm.
"Uhm." The leg-broken man shook his head, "Tell me what happened."
Long Taibai hesitated, but still handed the file to him.
The leg-broken man took the file in an indifferent attitude, opened it, and watched quietly. Then he put it aside after he finished reading. His pale face showed no concern as if nothing happened. He closed his eyes and went back to stir the beads.
"The Dragon Group is now facing a catastrophe. Knowing this, do you have anything to say?" Long Taibai was somewhat dissatisfied.
"What do you want me to say? I have known it would come since the day you became the leader of Dragon Group." He said in a calm even pitiless tone like the existence of Dragon Group had nothing to do with him.
"Dragon Group is also your effort. Can you bear to see your effort be destroyed?"
"Dragon group, today's Dragon Group is no longer the one of the past. It is just a tool to realize your own interests. Do your interests have anything to do with me?"
"You..."
...
They fell into unpleasant silence.
After a moment, the leg-broken man let out an earnest sigh, "Yubai, my brother. Give up. It should be over... Give up and be yourself...! ”