Chapter 77: The Enraged Hu Zifeng

Seeing Lin Fan, Hu Zifeng greeted him respectfully, “Boss.” Although Lin Fan had not yet avenged him, the mere fact that he was one of the Falcons was enough for Hu Zifeng to hold him in high regard.

Lin Fan nodded lightly. “My brother—you should know him,” he said, gesturing to Hu Zifeng.

Hearing himself addressed as Lin Fan’s brother, warmth filled Hu Zifeng’s heart, and his gaze toward Lin Fan became resolute. Since leaving the military, despite his skills, he was always seen as just another underling or bodyguard wherever he went. At best, someone like Du Chong would treat him as a half-trusted confidant, but still sold him out when it came to profit.

In his heart, the word “brother” had gradually lost its meaning. But with Lin Fan’s words, he knew—yes, Hu Zifeng, you are my brother!

Yan Dong cautiously raised his head, realizing the man before him was Hu Zifeng. He could never have imagined that Hu Zifeng would be Lin Fan’s brother!

Despair seized Yan Dong's heart. He was sure he wouldn't survive the day. Back when Wei Liang ordered him to “take” that country girl, he hadn’t hesitated—she was just a rural girl, with no background to speak of. Even if it went to court, he could simply deny everything.

Afterwards, Yan Dong thought nothing would come of it. But then he heard that Hu Zifeng was the village girl’s fiancé and had nearly killed Wei Liang several times. That made him anxious. Wei Liang had never ratted him out, but just in case, he and Wei Liang had set up Hu Zifeng and sent him to the police station. Now, suddenly seeing Hu Zifeng, Yan Dong knew disaster was at hand.

“I—I don’t know him,” Yan Dong stammered, trembling and kneeling on the ground. He tried desperately to steady himself, but the fear of death overwhelmed him.

Hu Zifeng frowned at Yan Dong, then turned to Lin Fan. “Boss, he’s the cop who arrested me and sent me to the station.” In Hu Zifeng’s mind, Yan Dong was just following Wei Liang and Du Chong’s orders, so his hatred toward him wasn’t too deep.

Hearing this, Yan Dong hurriedly said, “I didn’t want to arrest you—it was all Wei Liang’s idea!”

Lin Fan saw right through Yan Dong’s ploy. If he hadn’t recognized the girl in the video as Hu Zifeng’s fiancée, he might have been fooled by Yan Dong’s act.

“Is that so?” Lin Fan’s eyes narrowed dangerously, locking onto Yan Dong.

“Yes, yes,” Yan Dong replied, too scared to lift his head.

He knew he couldn’t admit that the village girl he’d assaulted was Hu Zifeng’s fiancée—or rather, he couldn’t admit to the gang assault. In Yan Dong’s mind, there was a slim chance Lin Fan would let him go, but if Hu Zifeng found out, he’d kill him without hesitation. Now he could only hope that Hu Zifeng hadn’t seen the video, so he might still have a chance to survive.

Unfortunately for Yan Dong, panic had overtaken him; he forgot Lin Fan had already recognized the girl in the video—why else would he have called Hu Zifeng over?

With a cold snort, Lin Fan kicked Yan Dong to the ground, leaving him writhing in pain and despair.

Hu Zifeng sensed that Yan Dong was hiding something, and whatever it was, it must concern him—otherwise, why would Lin Fan wake him in the middle of the night and bring him here?

“If you won’t talk, I’ll kill you right now,” Lin Fan said, signaling to Mo Fei.

Mo Fei, eager as ever with a throwing knife in hand, approached. He wished all men in the world were gone, so every woman would be his. That was impossible, of course, but he was happy enough to deal with this scum.

Seeing the glint of the knife, Yan Dong’s body recoiled in terror—he knew he wouldn’t get out alive…

“Wait, wait, I’ll talk—I’ll talk…” Yan Dong panted weakly, sprawled on the floor, waving his hand. He knew death was certain, but he didn’t want to be mutilated before he died. To lose his manhood and die unwhole—even in hell, he’d be mocked.

Lin Fan sneered silently. Some people simply refuse to understand consequences unless taught a lesson.

Mo Fei made a show of aiming his knife, sending Yan Dong into convulsions of fear. “I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have assaulted your fiancée—it was all Wei Liang’s idea,” Yan Dong whimpered from the floor.

Wei Liang forced him? If a man doesn’t want to do something, who can force him? The remark nearly made Lin Fan laugh.

To Hu Zifeng, Yan Dong’s words were like a bolt from the blue; he staggered back, and Mo Fei caught him.

Now Mo Fei understood—the girl in the video was Hu Zifeng’s fiancée. No wonder the boss had been so focused on the footage. The scum really was beyond redemption. Mo Fei kicked Yan Dong hard in the face, drawing a scream of agony.

Hu Zifeng could never have imagined his fiancée had been violated, and that one of the perpetrators was right in front of him. Teeth gritted, he glared at Yan Dong and lunged…

The room filled with wails of pain as Hu Zifeng vented his long-suppressed fury, kicking Yan Dong again and again until there was not a single spot on his body left unscathed.

Lin Fan shook his head and was about to leave when Yan Dong crawled over, rubbing his bloody head against Lin Fan’s leg. “You… you promised me… you said you’d spare me… you can’t break your word…” Yan Dong’s body was drenched in blood, his words halting as he clung desperately to Lin Fan’s pant leg. He didn’t want to die—he truly didn’t want to die.

Without so much as a glance, Lin Fan replied coldly, “I think Officer Yan must be mistaken. I said I’d consider sparing you—I never promised. Besides, I’m not the one who wants you dead now.” With that, he kicked Yan Dong aside and left with Mo Fei, clearly leaving Yan Dong to Hu Zifeng.

Hu Zifeng shot Lin Fan a grateful look, but said nothing. The cries of torment continued to echo from the room…

Ever since Lin Fan took charge of Dragon Soul, he had established seven strict rules, which all members had to obey:

1. No assaulting women (except by mutual consent)
2. No infighting among brothers
3. No betrayal or treason against the organization
4. No forming private factions or cliques
5. No senseless killing of innocents (for trivial reasons, at least—those who seek death are another matter)
6. No use or trafficking of drugs
7. No acting without permission

Anyone in Dragon Soul who violated these rules faced appropriate punishment, the severity of which Lin Fan left to Tan Zhiyong. As the leader, Lin Fan couldn’t handle everything personally, but he trusted Tan Zhiyong completely. With his brothers, Lin Fan always gave his full trust.

The fact that “no assaulting women” was the very first rule showed just how much Lin Fan despised men like Yan Dong.

Back in Falcon, Lin Fan had limited contact with the world—missions and little else. But after joining Dragon Soul and becoming a mercenary four years before, he gained a new perspective on life, and his character and methods began to change. No matter what he became, however, at his core, he remained a principled soldier.

Two years ago, under Lin Fan’s leadership, Dragon Soul became a dominant force among mercenaries. At the International Mercenary Conference, Lin Fan presented the seven rules—not demanding other organizations adopt them, but insisting Dragon Soul’s members uphold them strictly.

As for the first rule, Lin Fan found himself rather helpless. If it wasn’t by force, but mutual consent, what could he do? Take Mo Fei, the playboy assassin—charming and skilled in bed, he had a long line of girls eager to be with him. Or Zhang Lei, the “mature-woman specialist,” who, behind the scenes, had left countless men cuckolded. As the boss, Lin Fan couldn’t control everything—they were simply too magnetic. All he could do was offer the occasional word of advice.

What else could he do? That was just how things were.

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