Chapter 111 Double Heroes

August 7th, 2013, Hong Kong

The previous night's purge had been remarkably thorough. In merely one night, over half of the Anti-Japanese Alliance presidents across the nation were assassinated, with others currently fugitives. This single night vividly demonstrated the competence of Adam's subordinate, Qianli. Wu Gang was indeed an exceptional general.

Seated on the sofa, Black Dragon unhurriedly dialed familiar numbers, yet each call met only a dead tone.

"How fares it?" the old man beside him calmly inquired.

"Still unable to connect..." Black Dragon hung up the phone. "Likely as Anne predicted, that figure, Adam, has begun his move."

"But isn't it rather swift? Merely one night..." The old man marveled at his capability.

"It's already considered slow. At least we can still converse safely now, can we not?" Black Dragon smiled faintly.

"How you can still manage a smile..." The old man felt a headache brewing.

"There's nothing to fret about. Experiencing the most unique life amidst peril prevents boredom." Having spoken, Black Dragon rose to his feet.

"What do you intend to do now?" The old man found Black Dragon increasingly enigmatic.

"Isn't it obvious? Flee for my life, naturally!" He commenced packing his belongings, though his manner resembled preparations for an overseas journey, even including his favorite crystal toothbrush.

"Didn't Anne instruct us to remain here..."

"Nie Adam," Black Dragon stated while packing. "Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Special Service Defense Force. Age: Unknown. Background: Unknown. Political Affiliation: Unknown. The Special Service forces under his command are distributed around various military districts. It resembles less a defensive posture and more a threat to the Chinese government."

Holding an undergarment, Black Dragon turned back to the old man with a slight smile. "Such an intriguing individual would naturally undertake some intriguing actions. I suspect those coming to eliminate me are certainly Special Service soldiers. Unless Anne is willing to deploy mechs for my sake, any other protection is mere talk. Relying on oneself is better than relying on others; it's wiser to abscond first."

"Depart if you must, but remember to bring that aged Nu Er Hong; it's good for drinking on the road..." The old man recalled something more vital than life itself.

"You old drunkard..." Black Dragon retorted with a laugh.

Suddenly, Black Dragon's mobile phone rang. It was a new phone; only Anne knew the number, yet the display showed an unfamiliar mainland number.

After a moment's thought, Black Dragon answered with a smile.

"Whom are you seeking?" Black Dragon maintained his customarily impolite tone.

"Seeking no one in particular, just you," replied a resonant male voice.

"Do I know you?" Black Dragon inquired, perplexed.

"It matters not. It suffices that I know you, Black Dragon..." the male voice continued.

"Oh?!" Black Dragon sat down on the edge of the bed with a smile, his interest piqued by the call.

"Did you enjoy your banquet?" the male voice asked.

"Quite satisfactory. Thus far, I've had considerable amusement," Black Dragon reclined on the bed; the soft Simmons mattress induced a desire for sleep.

"Is that so? But you seem to have overindulged. One must understand restraint. Sometimes, excessive play can harm the body," the male voice kindly reminded.

"But what meaning is there in a life lived perpetually serious day in and day out? Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Nie Adam, Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Special Service Defense Force?" Black Dragon's words were nonchalant, yet the old man beside him grew vigilant.

"You are more astute than I imagined. I initially perceived you merely as an eccentric ruffian; now, you are an astute and eccentric ruffian," Adam commented from Beijing headquarters, reviewing the report Wu Gang had transmitted.

"Should I express gratitude for your compliment?" Black Dragon asked dubiously.

"Think as you please. In any case, I have already concluded your banquet for you. As for you, death would simplify matters..." Adam chuckled.

"Many have desired my life thus far, yet none have succeeded. Do you believe you can?" Black Dragon's tone turned exceptionally cold.

"I can certainly achieve it, for I am a god," Adam also grew serious.

"If you are a god, then I am the one who plays the god of death to death..." Black Dragon burst into derisive laughter.

"Alas..." Adam sighed. "What has become of the world? Even a cur can be so audacious?"

"You shall pay the price for your words!" Black Dragon abruptly sat up from the bed, his terrifying expression one the old man had never witnessed.

"Let's set that aside for now. Survive leaving Hong Kong before venting your fury on me. If you truly manage to depart, convey a message to your mistress, Anne. In this global game of chess, the ultimate victor shall undoubtedly be me. Tell her to rest well, lest the face she meticulously maintains develops wrinkles from exertion," Adam advised with a smile.

"Rest assured, I shall absolutely convey your message. However, you had best be cautious. Even if I am a cur, my bite is quite ferocious when provoked!" Black Dragon's gaze alone could kill.

"Thank you for the reminder. You should hasten your escape... My 'blade' is nearly upon your neck." With that, he terminated the call.

Black Dragon's side was far from calm. With a "crack," another product worth tens of thousands was destroyed.

Supporting his forehead with both hands, he sat on the bed's edge, breathing deeply to calm himself.

"Go! We must let that arrogant fellow know that I, Black Dragon, can absolutely make that presumptuous god regret..." Black Dragon walked towards the door, oblivious to the fact he was still clad in pajamas and slippers.

The old man uttered not a word, understanding that the current Black Dragon required silence.

The world's "Two Heroes" had their first true encounter.

To China, Adam was a national hero...

To the world, Black Dragon was a formidable figure of his era...

Appearing in the lobby in the same indecorous attire, yet no one approached to obstruct him this time, for the lobby was deserted. At the elevator entrance, Black Dragon observed the squad rushing through the main doors, feeling an impulse to laugh.

There was no sense of fear. Upon exiting the elevator, the old man had informed him of the presence of experts. Pondering this, Black Dragon only now ascertained his significance in Anne's estimation.

Neatly uniformed soldiers formed a line twenty meters before Black Dragon. Various weapons were leveled, targeting different parts of his body. If this were an execution, Black Dragon would undoubtedly be the prisoner receiving the world's most grandiose "reception"...

Facing the myriad gun barrels, Black Dragon maintained his customary smile, as if everything were utterly inconsequential...

"Black Dragon!" A burly support-type soldier stepped forward from the line; his bearing suggested an officer's rank.

This individual was Xu Mo, commander of the Hong Kong garrison of the Special Service Defense Force, and Wu Gang's military academy contemporary. Due to one's straightforward nature and the other's fiery temper, they frequently clashed in their youth. Though not quite friends, they held absolute trust in each other. At least previously, whoever lost a fight never reported it to the instructor. Hence, the task of apprehending the mastermind was assigned to him. Wu Gang had initially intended to handle it personally, but time constraints—and Adam's peculiar refusal—prevented it.

Adam's given reason was, "Preserve strength!" Wu Gang still failed to comprehend the meaning of preserving strength.

Because the opponent was the mastermind, Xu Mo had invested heavily, deploying a full 30 of his finest Special Service soldiers for the mission. Furthermore, he arranged for Hong Kong police to encircle all surrounding passages, preventing Black Dragon's escape. It had to be acknowledged that beneath Xu Mo's explosive temper lay a meticulous mind.

To demonstrate that the Special Services did not kill indiscriminately, the condemned's crimes would be recited before the "execution."

"Originally from Taipei. Former kingpin of the Taiwanese underworld, later defected to the United States. Engaged in drug trafficking, arms dealing, money laundering..." Xu Mo read aloud.

"If you intend to eulogize my 'glorious deeds,' you likely won't be able to kill me even by tomorrow. I truly fail to understand how Adam leads his troops. Being inept himself, does he only raise a band of simpletons?" Black Dragon laughed uproariously, showing no resemblance to a man facing death.

"You damn well act tough!" Black Dragon's provocation ignited Xu Mo's fiery temper completely. Drawing a pistol from a nearby soldier's holster, he aimed at Black Dragon's head.

"Your crimes warrant death ten thousand times over, yet you dare betray the nation! Damn it, I'll execute you, this cur, today!" Xu Mo cursed.

"Listen closely. Currently, I detest being cursed thus. You will die most wretchedly. I guarantee it..." Black Dragon threatened coldly, as if he were the one in control, the "house."

"Let's see how you make me die! You die first!" Xu Mo pulled the trigger. The bullet flew accurately towards Black Dragon's head. Though a support-type soldier, Xu Mo's marksmanship was scarcely inferior to that of a sniper...

Yet Black Dragon did not die. He remained standing motionless. The bullet ricocheted before him as if striking a steel wall.

Black Dragon smiled icily, while cold sweat trickled down Xu Mo's face, dripping onto the floor. A sense of foreboding welled up within him...

"Fire! Kill him!" Xu Mo roared, raising his massive right hand. Fierce machine gun fire erupted towards Black Dragon, yet the intense barrage of bullets deflected entirely before him. After the ceasefire, only a faint metallic glint remained visible.

Xu Mo finally understood the nature of his opponent: American stealth mechs!

"Retreat!" Xu Mo issued an exceptionally correct command, but it was already too late.

"Aside from that commander, I want no survivors," Black Dragon stated frigidly.

Four shadowy figures swiftly dashed forth...

An assault-type soldier, still bewildered, prepared to withdraw, but his arms were suddenly lifted by immense force. Gasping breaths expelled white vapor, revealing the outline of a metallic mask before him...

"Wuu..." The distinctive cry of the Elves echoed once more upon the world stage.

Before surprise could register, the Special Service soldier's body was brutally torn apart. Blood sprayed onto the invisible mech, seemingly coating it in a layer of vivid red.

"Damn it, fight them!" Realizing escape was impossible, Xu Mo resolved to die, but even in death, he would take one down with him!

Charging towards the blood-soaked mech, he delivered a full-force right straight punch towards its head, only to have his fist caught by the bloody mechanical arm.

Suddenly exerting downward force, Xu Mo nearly buckled to his knees, yet a soldier's dignity forbade him from kneeling. His trembling knees felt close to fracturing...

He recalled the promise made to Wu Gang before the mission: "I will definitely bring you Black Dragon's head."

Tears flowed inwardly in Xu Mo's heart. "It seems we can never fight again, old classmate..."

"You hold up quite well, don't you?! Weren't you going to kill me? You're still incapable..." Black Dragon spoke contemptuously.

"I... I screw your ancestors!" With a final burst, Xu Mo, drawing strength from an unknown source, forcibly broke free from the mech's grip. A single punch sent it tumbling to the ground; the metallic sparks from the friction were the best reward for Xu Mo's effort.

"Truly a tenacious fellow..." This was Black Dragon's admiration. By now, the other mechs had completed their "task," standing beside Xu Mo, covered in gore.

The fallen mech also rose again.

"You... you will definitely pay the price for what you have done!" Xu Mo stammered, trembling.

"I know. But the collector will certainly not be you!" Black Dragon smiled.

Four mechs lifted Xu Mo into the air, one mech per limb. Simultaneously exerting force, they tore Xu Mo's limbs from his torso, leaving only the trunk to fall to the ground.

"Ah!!!!!!!!!!!" The agonizing scream lasted but a moment before Xu Mo ceased crying out. For he saw Black Dragon's face, exhilarated by his torment. Biting his lip until it bled, he endured. This was his final dignity as a soldier. Blood flowed profusely from his body, nearly turning the ground into a pool of blood. Straining his increasingly weary eyes, Xu Mo saw Black Dragon approach.

"Wish to die?" Black Dragon asked, half-squatting.

"You... are a cur!" Xu Mo cursed with his final strength, laughing.

"I told you not to call me that!!!!!!!!!" Black Dragon picked up a pistol from the ground and emptied its entire magazine into Xu Mo's body. Yet, that smiling face still agitated his mood.

"I don't want to see his face!" Black Dragon commanded.

"Wuu..." A mech crushed his head. The proximity splattered Black Dragon's leg with red and white matter.

"Excellent! Let's depart!" Black Dragon's heart finally felt somewhat balanced.

The police officers outside, seeing the wanted fugitive Black Dragon emerge, had assumed the screams from within were sounds of the Special Services "toying" with him. It seemed the "story" inside was different from their assumptions...

"Kill indiscriminately..." Black Dragon spread his arms wide, shouting distractedly. "Anyone who dares obstruct, kill them all! Let that damned Adam know that even a god cannot dictate the fate of me, Black Dragon..."