男人的天堂色偷偷亚洲男

Chapter 106 - Master Mad Elephant

Fear still lingered in his heart as he recalled the earlier assassination attempt. If even one stray bullet in that shower of gunfire had hit something vital, Matthew would have died instantly.

He wasn\'t like Cassius, a martial artist with physical abilities beyond human limits, or even like Violet, a trained killer with some measure of combat skills. He was an ordinary person. Finding himself at the heart of a grand assassination attempt naturally left him terrified.

"Duststorm isn\'t just targeting Connan Company; their real target is us," Violet said. "According to internal intelligence, Duststorm has activities in eight cities in Beiliu County and has provoked many organizations, including the Ace of Spades. It seems they want to challenge all the underground forces in Beiliu County. I don\'t know where they get their confidence. Today\'s incident is only an example of one of their provocations."

Violet then began to casually mention some recent underground events. Although Cassius seemed engrossed with the newspaper, he was actually listening closely. The events Violet mentioned seemed to match the numerous deaths and explosions reported in the Beiliu County newspaper, confirming that Duststorm was behind them.

Half an hour later, Cassius put down the newspaper and asked, "How long are we going to wait here?"

"I already called my father when we arrived at the hospital. He should be here soon." Matthew glanced at his watch. It was 1:02 p.m.

"I also informed my superior, White Bird. He should be arriving with Mr. Jason," Violet added in a soft voice.

For the past half hour, she had been sneaking glances at Cassius from the corner of her eye. Cassius, with his keen senses, noticed but chose not to confront her.

Violet wasn\'t peeking at him because of some frivolous reason like she was checking him out. She seemed to be assessing something. Waiting for something.

Finally, after another ten minutes, at around 1:20 p.m., a set of hurried footsteps came thundering up from the hospital stairs.

A burly middle-aged man in a white shirt and brown vest walked up, his meticulously styled hair a bit disheveled. He spotted the three people sitting on the recliners and hurried over. "Is my son alright?!" Cassius very sensibly made room for him.

"A head injury?!" Jason frowned at the bandage on Matthew\'s forehead.

"It\'s nothing serious. I didn\'t get shot; it\'s just a small cut from broken glass. The doctor disinfected and bandaged me up and they said it should heal in half a month. I won\'t even have a scar."

Afraid that his father was still worried, Matthew jumped up from the recliner to show off just how uninjured he was. The Hudson family wasn\'t a centuries-old wealthy merchant family. It had only been in the last couple of decades that Jason had made his fortune and Matthew had endured his fair share of hardships as a child too. Because the family had struggled together, Jason and Matthew\'s bond was deep with none of that clichéd "father-son" melodrama.

The two embraced each other tightly in the hallway.

Jason had been out of his mind with worry after seeing the riverside road on his way to the hospital. All of those scattered, tragic bodies, mangled car wreckage, and bullet marks everywhere... he knew a fierce battle had taken place.

Even though the Ace of Spades\' elite killer Violet had been there, she might not have been able to completely protect Matthew. He might have escaped with his life but probably not with all four limbs attached.

Jason had been prepared for the worst but was relieved to find his son relatively unharmed, the only battle wound being a scrape.

Feeling reassured, he turned to Violet. "Thank you, Miss Violet! If it weren\'t for the Ace of Spades sending someone to protect my son—"

A cold voice cut Jason off.

"I\'m sorry, Mr. Jason. The one who really protected your son this time was Mr. Li Wei." Violet shook her head, looking over at Cassius. "He\'s far stronger than I am. Without him, both Matthew and I would have perished in the Duststorm attack."

Violet then recounted the events straight without embellishing anything. Just the truth. Jason\'s eyes widened as he listened, his gaze shifting between Cassius and Violet, the astonishment growing.

Withstanding bullets...and from a light machine gun too! Is this guy even human? Jason finally noticed the few bandages on Cassius, two on his arm and one on his palm, the latter of which was from catching a bullet aimed at Matthew\'s temple. How incredible.

And the cars with their shattered metal frameworks and twisted bodies... Did Cassius smash them with his bare fists?

This wasn\'t a human being; this was a walking tank!

As shocked as he was, Jason was grateful that Cassius was their friend and ally. The stronger the ally, the better. He thanked Cassius warmly, his status already shooting up in his mind.

A self-made businessman with a silver tongue, Jason bonded quickly with Cassius and even started calling him "nephew." The smile never left his face. It was a stark contrast from the stern and meticulous man with the eagle-like visage that Cassius first encountered.

Cassius supposed that having a solid foundation of strength and ability allowed him to be adaptable to any kind of situation.

"Don\'t worry, Uncle. I\'ll keep an eye on Phil and make sure he learns some combat skills so he can defend himself," Cassius replied in his usual manner.

"That would be great. Thank you, Li Wei." Jason nodded. His demeanor suddenly turned serious, his voice suffused with suppressed anger. "Duststorm attacked my sons twice... This means war! We need to make them pay!"

"Yes, we do."

A man in a black casual suit appeared at the stairwell. His wide-brimmed hat, trimmed in black, obscured his entire face. He also wore black leather boots and carried a black cane. The only unique feature was his white gloves. Made of fine, soft fabric, they were adorned with a red heart and the letter "J" on it.

"You\'ve come, White Bird," Jason said.

"Yes. I had to deal with the car wrecks by the river, so there was a delay." The man shuffled over. His gaze swept over the four people, finally stopping on Cassius.

Violet quickly stood up and whispered something to White Bird.

"Sorry, everyone, I need to report to my superior." She flashed a perfect smile before walking over to a corner with White Bird. All the while, as she relayed the assassination details, White Bird nodded occasionally. He gazed at Cassius, expression thoughtful.

After a moment, they returned. After exchanging a few words, they headed to the hospital\'s conference room. With Jason, the chairman of Connan Company, around, there was no place in Green Vine Hospital they couldn\'t go.

Cassius sat on the red chair, finding the soft cushion quite comfortable. The spacious conference hall was bright with fresh air. The curtains were drawn aside, revealing the blue sky and a few white clouds outside the window.

Like Jason, White Bird first thanked Cassius for his help. Without him, Violet would have been killed by the Duststorm assassins. White Bird then spoke with Jason about Duststorm.

For twenty to thirty minutes, they discussed a plan of retaliation against Duststorm, whose arrogance had only grown, as well as their recent activities. Jason was invited to join the counterattack. After all, the Ace of Spades were professionals when it came to killing and destroying things.

They made no effort to try to hide what they were talking about despite having an outsider, Cassius, there. Instead, they spoke openly about confidential matters.

White Bird shared some of the intel he had received. "Three days ago, the Fire Fox in Oak City was attacked by Duststorm assassins. Almost everyone was wiped out. The few who escaped were severely injured and died shortly after. We did manage to get some information from them just before they died. They said the killers were bio-engineered humans who possessed little to no fear of getting shot, couldn’t feel any pain, and continued fighting even with broken limbs!"

The bio-engineered humans were reminiscent of something that happened in the comic Captain Hongli, where an evil scientist experimented on people, creating pain-insensitive, high self-healing bio-humans, then brainwashing them into killers.

"Bio-engineered humans? Is Duststorm doing some secret dark technology? Is this why they\'ve been so active and provocative lately?" Jason was astonished. Duststorm wasn\'t as simple as they seemed.

Beside him, Cassius frowned. He couldn\'t be sure, but these bio-engineered humans seemed a little too similar to the cloaked men from the ruthless battle. The same fearlessness, pain insensitivity, and high healing ability—they were pretty much the same except they were the modern versions of them.

Apart from the Covert Martial Arts, there were other mysterious paths in this world.

Right now, whether Duststorm\'s bio-humans and the cloaked men were one and the same was up in the air. Cassius was utterly confused and knew that he needed to learn more about Duststorm.

While White Bird and Jason continued their discussion, Cassius pondered deeply, lost in thought.

About five to six minutes later, everyone stood up from their seats, opened the doors, and walked into the hospital hallway. Cassius was nearly at the door when a deep male voice called from behind.

"Mr. Li Wei, a moment."

Cassius turned. "Is there something you need?"

White Bird smiled.

Ten minutes later, in the conference room, Cassius had joined the Ace of Spades organization. It happened quickly and without much fanfare.

Cassius had already been eyeing Ace of Spades from the very beginning. Like Sandstorm, they dealt in antiques, making it an excellent place to search for antiques with lingering attachments. Additionally, Ace of Spades was well-informed and a significant organization in Beiliu County, even operating in parts of the Six Eastern Counties of the Hong Li Federation. As the saying goes, it\'s good to have a big tree behind you for shade.

Now that Cassius had information linking Sandstorm and the cloaked men, it all but confirmed for him that Ace of Spades was the holder of valuable intelligence. It would be wise for him to either join or, at the very least, cooperate with them.

Meanwhile, White Bird\'s invitation was very enthusiastic.

He knew that Cassius was a formidable man with extraordinary skills and capable of withstanding light machine gun bullets. Such talent was exactly what Ace of Spades desired. Their interests aligned perfectly.

In addition, White Bird wanted to use Cassius\'s strength to increase his own influence. After all, he had worked with Connan Company for over a decade. Since Cassius was a friend of Matthew\'s, this made them natural allies, fully capable of supporting each other.

The Ace of Spades, as an organization, also needed a distribution of power. And White Bird needed a heavyweight ally.

The Ace of Spades, as the name suggested, was related to playing cards. The Two Jokers were the leaders of the organization. The sixteen high-level members of the organization were comprised of the Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks of each suit: Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds.

This was an underground force with thousands of members, ranking highly among all organizations in the Six Eastern Counties.

Excluding the Two Jokers, the remaining sixteen high-level members were divided accordingly into the four suits, AKQJ. Each group managed different aspects of the organization: some dealt with antique sales, some with the transportation of contraband, others with intelligence, and some with assassination, among many other specialized tasks.

As the Jack of Hearts, White Bird was primarily responsible for assassination operations, making him Ace of Spades\' second-in-command in this aspect. He had led many killers and was well-known in the Eastern Federation\'s underworld.

Due to the high success rate of his assassination missions, White Bird was quite reputable. Since the Jack of Spades was not very involved in these affairs, White Bird was effectively the head of the assassination department. He had always thrived in this role, but Duststorm\'s meteoric rise in power had caused him significant trouble.

First, there were numerous attacks targeting the Ace of Spades, followed by the sudden death of a high-ranking member. Coincidentally, the deceased was the Jack of Diamonds, the assassination department\'s fourth-in-command, who died while assisting the antique sales department on a transport mission.

Being the only killer among the four high-ranking members of the assassination department, the Jack of Diamonds was essentially the department\'s face. Many suspected that Duststorm orchestrated the attack to kill the strongest assassin in the department to intimidate everyone in the Ace of Spades.

And they had done it. Duststorm\'s rabid dog-like actions had shaken up the Ace of Spades so badly that no one had stepped forward to fill the Jack of Diamonds\' position. That role had remained vacant for a month. What was once a coveted position had turned into a hot potato. No one dared to sit in it until Duststorm\'s arrogance had been quelled.

In hindsight, who could blame them? But as the person-in-charge of the assassination department, White Bird was embarrassed. He planned to find a powerful enough external ally—someone strong enough to stabilize the department. He had been searching fruitlessly for a month. But that was going to change today.

"I\'m looking forward to working with you."

"Likewise."

Standing by the open window, and illuminated by the golden sunlight, Cassius and White Bird shook hands like decades-long old friends.

Cassius had a rough understanding of the Ace of Spades organization from their conversation and he asked, "White Bird, won\'t there be objections to directly appointing me to the assassination department?"

"Ordinarily, it wouldn\'t be allowed. Traditionally, we promote high-level members from within, usually those who have served for at least ten years or have made significant contributions. But special times call for special measures. Besides, nothing good comes out of being rigid all the time." White Bird paused.

"You have the strength, I have the position, and people keep passing the Jack of Diamonds\' spot back and forth. When I propose your appointment in a few days, most of the high-ranking members won\'t object. And even if there are, you just need to beat them up. Pain has a way of bringing clarity." White Bird\'s cunning smile made him look like an old fox.

"I\'m good at that." Cassius nodded confidently.

"The high-ranking members and some elite members of the assassination department will soon be arriving at Baichuan City to attend a small meeting. You might need to make an appearance, but I\'m sure you won\'t disappoint me." White Bird smiled faintly. "Someone will notify you before the meeting."

"And my request..."

"Once you become the Jack of Diamonds, it will be a trivial matter," White Bird said, pinching his thumb and index finger together. "The assassination and antique departments have always had a good relationship; we frequently exchange personnel. What you\'re asking for is a minor issue."

"Then I feel at ease." Cassius smiled.

His request was small. It would be normal for an antique enthusiast to want to see the antique department’s warehouse in the Ace of Spades organization, right? Just like how it\'d be normal to touch an item that tickled his fancy, and if he really liked it, it was only natural to buy it for a price.

Once Cassius became a high-ranking member of the assassination department, no one in the antique department would bat an eye at such small matters. On the contrary, they might even praise him for being so diligent and proactively patrolling the warehouse to prevent theft.

"So, are we good to work together?" Cassius extended his hand.

"We are."

Backlit against the sunlight, the two shook hands for the second time.

A minute later, Cassius and White Bird strolled out of the conference room. Violet was waiting at the door, while Jason and Matthew sat on a bench, resting. As the five of them walked together, Matthew casually asked, "What were you two talking about in there?"

"Nothing much. Mr. White Bird just wanted to thank me. After all, however indirectly, I did save Violet\'s life," Cassius replied without hesitation. Joining the Ace of Spades organization was not something that should be publicly broadcasted. He couldn\'t tell Matthew. The more people who knew, the greater the risk.

They all went down the stairs together with Cassius beside Jason and Matthew, while White Bird chatted with Violet.

Occasionally, they glanced over at Cassius, pointing and whispering. Violet wore a complicated expression on her face. She opened her mouth a few times as if wanting to say something but eventually just nodded helplessly.

Several black cars were parked at the entrance of the Green Vine Hospital. A young man in a suit, who appeared to be a secretary, approached Matthew and Jason, whispering something in their ears.

"There\'s trouble at the Jackson factory? Alright, I understand," Jason said, glancing at his son. "Matthew, you go check out the Jackson factory. I need to head to city hall; the mayor and deputy mayor want to discuss something with me."

"What about Li Wei?" Matthew asked.

"I can take Mr. Li Wei," a melodious voice chimed in. A graceful figure walked over.

"Thanks," Matthew said.

Cassius turned to look at Violet, who smiled at him, eyes narrowed. The charming mole at the corner of her eye was much more pronounced.

Five minutes later, Cassius and Violet were in the black car as it drove off. They sat in silence.

Cassius was a man of few words, and Violet, as an assassin, was equally aloof. With nothing to talk about, they could only listen to the car engine\'s hum.

In the soft back seat, Cassius fiddled with a bronze ring. It was crude and ugly, but in there was a node that ordinary antiques with lingering attachments lacked. As crucial as the energy from lingering attachments was, the nodes were even more so.

Cassius wondered what era the time-travel node would take him to. He was curious but something held him back.

At present, he had enough lingering attachment energy stored, plus he owned two legendary antiques, the bronze ring and the Wind Elephant tusk pendant. Cassius was torn between which to use first. One path led to the third stage of Li Wei\'s revenge, while the other was a complete enigma.

It was clear that Li Wei\'s enemies, the cloaked men, were numerous, powerful, and challenging to kill. They were elusive, non-human entities. Without immense power, it would be difficult to make any headway against them. Even activating the second-level accelerated blood flow might not suffice. After all, even Sect Leader Belon...

Therefore, it might be wiser to first use the other legendary antique to give himself a quick power boost. Once he had a stronger foundation, he could embark on the third stage of the Wind Elephant tusk pendant. Cassius still had some unresolved feelings about the era from seventy years ago.

Fortunately, he now had enough energy.

While Cassius was deep in thought, the car suddenly stopped. A cold and pleasant voice spoke from the driver\'s seat, "Master Li Wei, we\'ve arrived at your destination."

Cassius looked up. "What did you call me?"

"Ma-Master Li Wei," Violet stammered, looking somewhat shy. Hearing such words coming out of someone with a cold, beautiful face as her was rather unexpected.

White Bird must have told her... Cassius thought.

He tapped his arm and said, "Don\'t call me Master Li Wei. Call me Wind Elephant. Wind Elephant will be my code name from today just like White Bird."

"Mad Elephant?" Violet looked puzzled[1].

"Yes, Wind Elephant," Cassius confirmed.

"Alright, I understand, Master Mad Elephant."

1. Violet misheard "风" (wind) as "疯" (mad) ☜