East City District, Rui Zhu Hotel, seventh floor, inside a certain suite.
In the pitch-dark room, a figure with his upper body bare and both his head and legs wrapped in bandages, sat in a chair, continuously flicking ashes from his cigarette.
Amidst the swirling smoke, the faint light filtering through the gaps in the curtains revealed a gloomy male face.
It was indeed a member of the Razor Gang, a disciple from the Golden Wind Dojo, Duan Kaiping.
His gaze shifted toward a corner of the room, his expression fluctuating uncertainly.
There stood a rectangular object about two meters long and one meter wide, upright in the corner of the room, completely wrapped in circles of black tape, obscuring whatever was inside.
Occasionally, there would come rustling and clicking noises from within, inexplicably sending chills down one's spine.
Duan Kaiping stared at the rectangular object with a terrified gaze, took out his phone, and made a call.
The call was quickly connected.
"..."
Even though he was just making a call, Duan Kaiping immediately turned respectful, nodding and bowing as he ingratiatingly said,
"Yes, I'm very sorry, I didn't expect this. I had already fed 'Number One' in advance, yet it still managed to break out of the cage and go hunting on its own... Fortunately, it has been in the cage since birth and considers the cage its home, so it returned on its own after eating..."
"..."
"Rest assured, it won't go wrong, these foolish heirs have no idea that they are our targets. They even dare to hold a banquet today... I've already installed the device you provided. I've calculated it, and the range should just cover the entire floor, ensuring that they won't be able to contact the outside world when the time comes."
"..."
When the person on the other end hung up, Duan Kaiping put away his fawning demeanor, took a deep puff of his cigarette, and continued to gaze nervously at the rectangular object.
The rustling sounds persisted intermittently.
...
Nighttime, Hidden Dragon Dojo, Nourish the Heart Room.
"This one, how about this one?" Zhu Shanying held up a neatly folded burgundy suit, clearly of very high-quality fabric.
"For a banquet, it's necessary to dress properly, I have experience, trust me!"
She cheerily said as she held the clothes up to Xue Jing's frame.
Beside her, Chen Fuguang clicked his tongue and spoke, "Sister Zhu, that's not right. You should know what our little brother's biggest advantage is--his youth! Look at that face, full of youthful charm."
"I say, he shouldn't wear something that makes him look too mature. We need to highlight our advantages. I think the Qingcheng Affiliated Middle School uniform is quite good, also a suit style, but it has a fresh, youthful feel... I wanted to apply there just because of the good looking uniform, but unfortunately, I didn't get in."
Xue Jing sighed, helplessly saying, "I'm going there as a bodyguard... I can wear anything, really. I've already coordinated with the hotel, everyone else is almost there, Senior Brother Chen, Sister Zhu."
Zhu Shanying's young and delicate face, with eyes bright and spirited as a newborn animal's, widened as she rebuked, "You are representing our Hidden Dragon Dojo. How can you dress casually? You need to outshine the other dojo disciples!"
"Mine is good, wear this one, I picked it out from my closet at home after a long time!"
Just then, Meng Qingjiao, who had been silently standing to the side, also came over holding a set of clothes.
"Sister Meng," Xue Jing was startled.
"..."
Meng Qingjiao, her cool face showing no emotion, simply handed the clothes to Xue Jing, then raised her hand and gently touched his head.
Xue Jing smiled and said, "Alright, I'll wear what Sister Meng picked."
"Eh~why like this, I was here first," Zhu Shanying pouted, a bit disappointed.
Chen Fuguang glanced at the clothes and flattered, "Sister Meng does have taste."
Xue Jing smiled.
With no need for modesty among those present, he stripped down to his shorts and changed into the clothes.
It was a Republic-era style black linen martial arts uniform, a pure white inner shirt paired with a black jacket and trousers. The turned-up sleeves revealed the white lining, perfectly suited to the clean, neat temperament of a martial artist.
Overall, it was the kind of outfit commonly seen in kung fu movies set during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era.
However, with Xue Jing's already maxed-out physique and looks, he managed to infuse the outfit with a high-class feel, standing tall and firm like a lofty pine, profound and imposing like a mountain, resembling a young Grandmaster at his peak.
"Hmm, it just feels... very fitting?" Zhu Shanying pinched his chin, hesitating.
Chen Fuguang rolled his eyes, "Nonsense, with our junior brother's figure and face, even a burlap sack wouldn't look much different."
Xue Jing also looked at himself in the mirror and nodded.
I really am handsome.
"Alright, thank you senior brothers and sister, I'll be going now."
Xue Jing smiled at the three of them.
"Go ahead, go ahead, junior brother, this is your first time going out on a mission, remember, safety first. If you encounter a dangerous situation you can't handle, run immediately, don't hesitate!" Chen Fuguang patted his shoulder.
Zhu Shanying also nodded repeatedly, "Safety first, don't force yourself."
"..." Meng Qingjiao stretched out her hands, took his palm and squeezed it, seemingly conveying encouragement.
Xue Jing nodded, "I understand, senior brothers and sister, no need to worry."
They kept giving instructions like they were worried about a child going away to study for the first time, and only then did they let him leave.
He walked out of the Hidden Dragon Dojo, took the elevator to the ground floor, exited the office building, and looked around, soon hearing a few car horns.
Xue Jing turned his head and saw a well-known luxury sedan parked on the nearby road.
He walked over, the car door opened, and a slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing glasses and a well-fitted suit stepped out from the driver's side.
The man looked at Xue Jing and spoke with a respectful tone,
"Are you Master Xue from Hidden Dragon Dojo?"
Xue Jing nodded, "Yes, that's me."
"I'm the driver assigned to pick you up, my name is Zhao Dequan, you can just call me Zhao. I was the one who spoke with you on the phone just now."
While speaking, he opened the rear door of the sedan and gestured with his hand for Xue Jing to enter.
"Please get in the car."
Xue Jing smiled, "Thank you for your troubles."
"Don't mention it, it's all part of the job," Zhao replied respectfully.
After Xue Jing got into the back seat, Zhao closed the door and quickly jogged around to get into the driver's seat.
The car started with a vigorous and pleasant engine sound and headed towards the Rui Zhu Hotel.
...
The East City District in Qingcheng is often referred as 'East Wealthy,' and saying that every inch of land there is worth its weight in gold is an understatement.
Being able to open a large hotel that occupies thousands of square meters in such a place indicates substantial financial power.
And naturally, the person who can reserve the top-level banquet hall in such a hotel is either very rich or very prestigious.
The sedan slowly drove into the parking lot, and after parking, Zhao got out of the car first, then walked around to the rear seat to open the door.
Xue Jing stepped out of the car, looked around.
In the spacious parking area, there were luxury and sports cars whose names he couldn't recall parked all around, and the people stepping out of them were young, well-dressed, and of distinguished presence.
They were chatting and laughing as they walked into the Rui Zhu Hotel.
After getting out of the car, Xue Jing followed Zhao, who was leading the way, and also entered the hotel.
...