The night was quiet.
A corner of the leisure square within the Xiangshan Tan Manor.
"My King, I apologize, this was my dereliction of duty!"
A figure in a security uniform whispered as they walked past Chen Fan.
"It has nothing to do with you!"
Chen Fan waved his hand and looked at the shadow before him, saying, "You are not assigned to close protection of the target, so it's naturally inconvenient."
"Besides, this is Great Hua, not some other place. Your actions would be very restricted!"
Chen Xing'er being lured away by Xu Donglai was indeed not the Shadow's fault.
After all, it was only covert protection, not constant personal escort. One couldn't demand the impossible.
Moreover, even Chen Fan believed that within Great Hua, few people would dare to harm Chen Xing'er. Therefore, the Shadow had focused more of his attention on Su Yingxue.
The Shadow said, "My King, there is one more thing. Behind your residence is a uniquely designed villa. Someone has been observing your premises. Shall I deal with them?"
Chen Fan froze.
Jiang Shaolong? Has that guy been released?
It wasn't entirely unexpected. Qin Tianyou had already left Hang Jiang. With the influence of Yuan Liangping and others, it was not surprising that they could get him out.
"You don't need to worry about it. Just focus on your protection duties."
Chen Fan scanned his surroundings and said, "It doesn't seem like anyone is watching me now?"
The Shadow also seemed puzzled. "Yes, I've patrolled the area. It seems the people from those factions have all disappeared tonight!"
With his abilities, he had detected no less than three groups of watchers, but they had all vanished tonight.
As they were speaking, Chen Fan's phone rang.
Indicating for the Shadow to carry on, Chen Fan answered the call.
"Lord of the Night?"
A strange female voice came from the other end of the line.
Chen Fan was slightly taken aback. He glanced at his phone, which displayed no caller ID, and then showed a look of understanding. He casually asked, "Have the aftermath matters been handled?"
"We still need the Xu family to come and collect the bodies!"
The woman on the phone let out a cold laugh and said, "Who would have thought that the Lord of the Night, who dominates the global underground world and has given several superpowers headaches, with a total bounty of nearly a billion US dollars, would actually be a live-in son-in-law in a third-rate family in Hang Jiang?"
Chen Fan frowned.
This was a bit of overstepping.
His information was not a secret to that individual in the special department.
There was a tacit understanding between them, and that individual had always turned a blind eye to his actions.
But now, someone arrogant seemed to be trying to break this unspoken agreement?
Despite his displeasure, he calmly asked, "What do you want to say?"
His question, however, caught the other party off guard.
Xiang Jingzhu hadn't figured out what she wanted to do, or rather, what she could do.
Her background was extraordinary, but she was merely the person in charge sent to Hang Jiang this time.
A nice way to put it would be "person in charge," but a less flattering term would be a "laborer" sent to help clean up bodies.
Her superior had warned her not to act rashly. Could she really arrest Chen Fan?
After a moment of silence, Xiang Jingzhu said, "Come out for a meeting!"
"No."
Chen Fan replied with two words and hung up the phone.
On the other end of the line, in a military district guesthouse, Xiang Jingzhu was so angry she almost threw her phone.
"This makes me so mad!"
She paced back and forth, contemplating how to make Chen Fan pay.
But she was helpless, realizing she truly couldn't do anything.
Having been in the special department, she had undergone the most rigorous training. Her upbringing in a top-tier aristocratic family gave her a clear understanding of the gravity of such matters.
Making an overzealous move against an extremely dangerous individual like the Lord of the Night would be incredibly unwise.
Furthermore, the Lord of the Night had an ambiguous relationship with the department, essentially an ally. Pushing him to oppose the country would be utterly foolish.
Staring at the stack of documents before her, she seethed with resentment.
"I don't believe I can't find your weakness!"
...
Meanwhile, in a derelict building in the southwest of Hang Jiang City.
A man and a woman walked into the building under the cover of night.
Both had Western features. The man was tall and burly, while the woman was charming.
However, both appeared vigilant. The woman, in particular, held a Desert Eagle, which was quite conspicuous.
Upon entering the derelict building, after surveying their surroundings, the man called out, "Come out. I know you've arrived!"
From behind a load-bearing pillar, two figures dressed in black trench coats, wearing hats that obscured their faces, emerged.
"Sand Knight and Snow Knight. You two are too weak. Has the Storm Knight Legion run out of people, to send just the two of you?"
One of them spoke in a low voice, laced with disdain.
The burly Sand Knight let out a cold snort and said, "Are your strengths as the Duke of the Scarlet Wings and Viper any better than ours? Shall we have a fight to settle it?"
Duke sneered, shook his trench coat, and in the dim light, his figure suddenly vanished.
"Putting on a show!"
Sand Knight took a step forward, exuding a powerful aura.
"Sand, enough!"
Snow Knight pulled him back and then fired a shot towards a direction behind them.
*Bang.*
The bullet hit a pillar in the derelict building, sparks flying.
Duke, who had just disappeared, suddenly reappeared. His face, obscured by darkness, said sinisterly, "It seems we're going to have a fight here. That way, I'll have one less competitor!"
"Heh heh, this is getting lively!"
A voice echoed from the west.
The few turned their heads and saw three white men in tactical uniforms appearing from another direction.
"Satan Mercenary Group?"
Snow Knight asked.
"That's us. Snow Knight, we were ready to make our move, but then we saw your coded message on the dark web!"
One of the three men said:
"That item can only belong to us. We advise you to leave Great Hua as soon as possible!"
"This isn't the Sahara battlefield. You shouldn't be here," said the man in the black robe.
"Haha, you think too highly of Great Hua. This country of yellow-skinned monkeys is ignorant and backward. As long as we wish, entering and exiting this place is as easy as walking through our backyard!"
The Satan Mercenary Group members said arrogantly.
"Can you say fewer unnecessary words?"
The man in the black robe said with displeasure, "While you're blabbering here, someone has already obtained the target item. Xiao of the Blood Cult, she hasn't shown up yet, has she?"
*Pfft.*
The sound of a bullet hitting the ground echoed.
Everyone in the derelict building was startled and scrambled to hide behind the pillars.
From another direction, an Asian man carrying an AK-47, fully armed, appeared in their sight.
His equipment stunned everyone.
"I'm here. Snow Knight, can you state your objective?"
Snow Knight surveyed the surroundings.
Indeed, most of the underground forces that had infiltrated Great Hua were present. Those who hadn't come were either insignificant or would not come again.
With these four factions present, it should be enough.
"We're all here for that mysterious item, but there's only one, and only one of us can obtain it, right?"
"It can only be obtained by us. If you try to snatch it from us, we'll send you to see God!"
The leader of the Satan Mercenary Group said arrogantly.
Snow Knight said, "If you get it, our Storm Knight Legion will no longer pursue it!"
The members of the Satan Mercenary Group immediately looked smug.
"My opinion is, instead of guarding against each other, why don't we lower our guards and cooperate?"
"I have no need to cooperate with you underworld insects!" the Satan Mercenary Group said disdainfully.
"We do not need cooperation!" Duke said.
Xiao shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Snow Knight was not surprised. Cooperation was not easily achieved among underground factions, as none trusted the other.
"Then, let me suggest an alternative: let's act together tomorrow night, kill that Chen Fan, and whoever gets the item keeps it. What do you say?"
"Agreed," Xiao said calmly.
"We can agree to this!"
Duke also spoke without hesitation.
The Satan Mercenary Group members laughed and said, "Since you all agree, then tomorrow night. How about midnight? However, the item will only belong to Satan. No one can snatch it away!"
Neither Xiao nor Duke objected. They simply turned and left.
"Then, it's set for midnight!" Duke's voice drifted back.
After reaching an agreement, Snow Knight had no interest in chatting with the Satan Mercenary Group members and left with Sand Knight.
"It seems Xiao and Duke have both realized that Chen Fan is not simple. Perhaps they also feel a sense of unease, just like us," Snow Knight murmured.
"With their competition, our chances of getting the item are not very high," Sand Knight said.
"There's only one item. Failing to get it simply means mission failure and losing a large sum of commission. But this place, Great Hua, with that person here, I've always found it very dangerous."
"Furthermore, there are rumors that the Night organization, which has been dormant for several years, seems to have also entered Great Hua. When that organization roamed the underground world, the Storm Knight Legion didn't even exist..."