Chapter 34: Mo Fei, the Martial Star

After hanging up the phone, Lin Fan dove into the bathroom, enjoying a refreshing cold shower. Emerging invigorated, he devoured the breakfast Zhao Ying had bought for him, leaving not a single crumb behind, and then went downstairs to find Xu Qiang.

“Boss, long time no see!” A young man beside Xu Qiang stepped forward, grinning broadly as he greeted Lin Fan.

“How long have you been in Huaxia?” Lin Fan was not at all surprised by the appearance of this youth; after all, last night, it was he who had secretly fired silver needles twice, helping Lin Fan assassinate two killers from the Purgatory Angels. Later, he had been the first to pursue that sniper. If not for him, Lin Fan would never have had a moment to linger with Zhao Ying. So when Lin Fan and Zhao Ying arrived last night, he had already told Xu Qiang that if anyone came looking for him, let them wait downstairs. This kid had followed him without so much as a greeting, sneaking along, but Lin Fan didn’t intend to punish him—he simply feared the boy might burst into the room unexpectedly, as he was capable of anything.

“It hasn’t been long. I took the same cruise as you. You're the captain of Dragon Soul—though you’re called the Reaper, how could we let you go to Huaxia alone?” The youth chuckled.

“Damn!” Lin Fan shook his head helplessly. The concern in the young man’s words was clear, and Lin Fan understood it well. He realized he had indeed relaxed too much lately, not even noticing someone had been following him all along. That was only part of it, though; the other part was that Mo Fei’s tracking and counter-tracking skills were the best in Dragon Soul. Otherwise, last night, none of the three Purgatory Angel killers would have realized Mo Fei was hiding nearby. This wasn’t to say Lin Fan’s abilities were inferior, but rather to illustrate that everyone in Dragon Soul had their own strengths. Though Lin Fan was the boss, he wasn’t number one in everything, but his overall ability was undoubtedly unmatched. That’s why the previous captain, Han Feng, entrusted Dragon Soul to Lin Fan in the end, and Lin Fan certainly lived up to expectations, expanding Dragon Soul’s influence to many places around the world in just two years. Now, Dragon Soul had already become the dominant force in the international mercenary world.

Lin Fan watched Mo Fei and Xu Qiang whispering conspiratorially, surprised. He had only just found Xu Qiang and hadn’t introduced him to the members of Dragon Soul, yet Mo Fei seemed to already know Xu Qiang well.

“How did you two meet? I remember this should be your first time meeting, right?” Lin Fan wasn’t surprised that Mo Fei had managed to find him; after all, every member of Dragon Soul had a GPS installed in their phones. But Mo Fei calling Xu Qiang brother so quickly was baffling. Was this kid a natural at winning people over? Impossible—if he was good at anything, it was charming young women, but men wouldn’t fall for his tricks.

“Boss, you’ve fallen, haven’t you? I think you’re lost in the arms of tenderness. On the cruise, you made a dashing move to save a beauty, and last night you captured another’s heart. If I’m not mistaken, you even have one living in your home. The arms of tenderness are the grave of heroes—don’t sink too deep!” The youth gave Lin Fan a look of mock doom, as if predicting his downfall.

“I’ll damn your mother. If you don’t want to stay here, get yourself back to Africa!” Lin Fan glared at him fiercely. “Now, tell me, when did you meet Qiangzi?”

“I finally got out, and I’m not going back. Besides, there are so many cute girls in Huaxia—I plan to enjoy myself!” The youth, knowing Lin Fan was joking, chuckled.

Seeing that he was still skirting the topic, Lin Fan lifted his foot to kick him, but Mo Fei seemed to anticipate it and quickly hid behind Xu Qiang.

“Boss, have you forgotten? All these years, you’ve had the brothers in Dragon Soul searching everywhere for someone named Xu Qiang. His photo is still kept in Dragon Soul’s files.” Seeing his boss growing angry, Mo Fei grinned and quickly explained. Now that Dragon Soul’s operations in Africa were running smoothly, he had nothing to do, so he stealthily followed Lin Fan to Huaxia. He dared not provoke Lin Fan too much; if Lin Fan sent him back, it would be a real loss for him.

Back when Xu Qiang learned that Lin Fan had become the head of Dragon Soul, he wondered, “Would my captain, now surrounded by so many brothers, value our relationship less? After all, I haven’t been by his side for the past four years.”

But just now, hearing Mo Fei’s words, Xu Qiang understood: to Lin Fan, he was no different from anyone in Dragon Soul—always a brother. Four years ago, to others, Xu Qiang’s chances of survival were slim, but Lin Fan never stopped thinking about him, believing he was still alive, searching for him relentlessly. To have such a boss in life, Xu Qiang felt that even if he had truly died four years ago, it would have been worth it! Thinking this, his eyes reddened. “Boss…”

Just as Xu Qiang started to speak, Lin Fan smiled softly, patted his shoulder, and said nothing. Everything seemed to be understood without words. In truth, Lin Fan wasn’t adept at expressing emotions, especially those between brothers. He believed men didn’t need to be sentimental about such things, so when he met Xu Qiang again after four years, he appeared calm on the surface, but his inner excitement was no less than Xu Qiang’s.

“Boss, I saw your sister-in-law walking a little funny this morning. What happened last night? Did you rough her up?” Mo Fei, feigning ignorance, addressed Lin Fan. When Mo Fei arrived earlier, he caught sight of Zhao Ying limping downstairs. A veteran of many battles, Mo Fei instantly guessed what his boss had been up to the night before.

“Bullshit, cut the act. If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out. And what right do you have to talk? Everyone in Dragon Soul knows you play the college boy, drifting among beauties, changing girlfriends more often than your grandmother changes clothes,” Lin Fan shot back, mercilessly ridiculing Mo Fei.

“Not that many, not that many,” Mo Fei replied, rubbing his nose with false modesty.

Checking his watch and seeing it was about time, Lin Fan’s expression turned serious. “These next few days, help Qiangzi take control of some of the smaller factions in T City. Don’t follow me, and don’t mess with the Green Gang for now.”

“Boss, are you off to chase another girl?” Mo Fei called after Lin Fan, teasing.

“That’s right, I’m off to chase your sister now. Satisfied?” Lin Fan cursed, then drove off. Last night, to avoid anyone disturbing him and Zhao Ying, he had switched off his phone. Now, turning it on, he saw a missed call from Lin Yan.