Moon City was located by the ocean to the east, known as the East Sea, and to the west was a suburban area characterized by patchy and dense forests.
As Song Wuliang’s car was smashed, Fang Yi did not have a vehicle and had come with Yao Dong and Yao Bo by taxi. Although the driver did not verbalize his concerns, his expression suggested he was worried they might be robbers, especially given the secluded and desolate destination.
However, the driver clearly overthought; even if Fang Yi wanted to commit robbery, he would not target a minor taxi driver, who didn’t have much to loot.
After they got out and paid the fare, the driver breathed a sigh of relief and swiftly drove away as if escaping.
"Brother Yi." Jiang Tao had already been waiting there, along with Luo Xin.
"Brother Yi." Luo Xin also greeted him.
Fang Yi realized he had underestimated Jiang Tao before. Normally, this could have been a personal achievement for Jiang Tao, but instead, he brought Luo Xin to share the credit. This showed a significant change in Jiang Tao’s previously narrow mindset, earning him Fang Yi’s respect.
"Come, let me introduce..." Fang Yi introduced Yao Bo and Yao Dong to them.
Since Jiang Tao and Luo Xin were already in his circle, and Yao Bo and Yao Dong now followed Fang Yi too, it was necessary for them to get acquainted— one of the reasons Fang Yi had brought the two here.
After the introductions, Fang Yi looked toward the forest and asked, "Where are the people?"
Jiang Tao immediately gestured for them to follow, "Brother Yi, please come with me."
The group of five headed deeper into the forest. It didn’t take long, just about ten minutes, when they arrived. Fang Yi saw about ten people carefully counting precisely ten.
All were men, not a single woman. They varied, not all were burly—some were fat, some skinny, some tall, some short. All were meticulous, serious in demeanor with hands clasped behind their backs like soldiers, particularly when Fang Yi arrived, they all puffed out their chests, their expressions stern.
They all knew that Fang Yi was the highest authority.
Fang Yi glanced at the ten men and spoke without turning his head, "Jiang Tao, are you sure these people were selected based on my criteria?"
Jiang Tao immediately replied, "Yes, they were chosen based on your criteria."
Fang Yi nodded slightly and, with hands in his pockets, walked a few steps forward to stand before the men.
At that moment, Fang Yi exuded a formidable demeanor, his expression icy, embodying a weighty presence like a mountain.
While Fang Yi was usually amiable, the cold and fierce character within him had not faded but had grown stronger. He had fought abroad and at home, his demeanor forged through numerous life and death battles, unmatched by anyone.
The ten men, inexplicably feeling the heavy pressure, some their foreheads sweated, yet didn’t dare wipe it off as Fang Yi watched them.
"Report your names from left to right," Fang Yi spoke flatly.
Without hesitation, they began stating their names.
Fang Yi swept his gaze from left to right, remembering their names, and then stated directly, "I’ll cut to the chase. You’re standing here because you want to work for me, but there might be deaths. I’m giving you one last chance to leave if you fear death, and I won’t hold it against you."
The forest fell utterly silent, no one spoke, a slight breeze passing through, but no one stepped forward, and no one’s expression changed, as they were already prepared—Jiang Tao had informed them.
Fang Yi internally nodded, appreciative of Jiang Tao’s reliability.
His gaze sharp as a hawk and as cutting as a sword, no one stepped forward. After a moment, he said, "Good, since no one stepped forward, there are no regrets allowed. If anyone tries to flee during battle, acting cowardly, I won’t hesitate to intervene personally."
Still, no one spoke; the ten men remained quiet, yet their eyes sparkled with bright brilliance.
"Next, you will undergo devil training, a training regime even more rigorous than that for special martial artists. You might feel disdainful now, thinking I’m joking, but you’ll know once you experience it. Now... tell me, do you have the confidence?"
The ten men roared in unison.
But Fang Yi felt the response was too quiet, "As long as you can withstand the training, you’ll get two hundred thousand, consider it a gift from me! But if you don’t reach the mark, then you won’t get the money. I’ll conduct an assessment, and those who score well might get not only two hundred thousand but perhaps three hundred thousand, four hundred thousand. As long as you’re willing to put in the effort...you’ll be able to take the money away. Now tell me again, do you have confidence?"
Again, the answer came in unison, but this time, it was thunderous.
Fang Yi turned around, walked up to Yao Dong and Yao Bo, and said, "Did you see? From now on, these ten people will be trained by you. Do you have the confidence to accomplish this?"
Yao Bo patted his chest and proudly said, "Brother Yi, don’t worry, I guarantee to train them to their limits."
Yao Dong calmly said, "I will do my utmost and not let Big Brother Fang down."
The next step was to find them a training location. Fang Yi thought for a moment—this matter must be kept secret, and he wanted to train these people into elites, his own secret trump card, and it must not be known to outsiders. Therefore, the matter must be carried out in secrecy.
After some thought, Fang Yi made a phone call to Bai Jingjing, asking her to come over.
About half an hour later, a silver Audi drove to the outskirts of the woods. Meng Wei got out of the car first, then opened the door for Bai Jingjing, who stepped out of the car.
"What are you doing, calling me out here in the middle of nowhere?" Bai Jingjing asked curiously.
"I have a big business proposition for you," Fang Yi said.
Bai Jingjing rolled her eyes at him, "Speak human."
Fang Yi replied, "I want to borrow a secretive location from you to train a group of people. Think about whether you have a suitable place to lend me. Just tell me how much the venue fee would be; I’ll owe you, and pay you back once I have the money."
Bai Jingjing followed Fang Yi into the woods. The path was rugged, but Bai Jingjing walked steadily.
"There is a place, and you don’t have to pay for the venue fee, but you need to tell me what you’re training these people for," Bai Jingjing said.
"Bodyguards," Fang Yi replied succinctly.
Bai Jingjing was taken aback, and Meng Wei, who was following behind her, looked at Fang Yi walking ahead with surprise in his eyes.
"Bodyguards?" Bai Jingjing asked, and after asking, she felt it was a somewhat foolish question.
But Fang Yi responded:
"Yes, to protect those I want to protect."
Once they reached the place, Bai Jingjing saw the ten imposing figures, and then Fang Yi had Yao Bo and the others introduce themselves to Bai Jingjing, and they got acquainted.
"Are you training specifically for this?" Bai Jingjing asked.
"Yes," Fang Yi nodded.
"But this is Moon City," Bai Jingjing reminded.
"A tiger, whether in the deep mountains or on the vast plains of Africa, is always a king," Fang Yi said indifferently.
Bai Jingjing was tempted to say that comparing himself to a tiger was overly narcissistic, but then she thought about his past actions, and realized, wasn’t he indeed like a tiger?
"Mr. Fang," at that moment, the usually silent Meng Wei raised his head and slowly said, "Can I join too?"
(Thank everyone for the rewards, please keep supporting, thank you!)