Although Zeng Jin was eager to see the true strength of the Wanlong Hui, he was still confident that no matter how grand the scene might be, it wouldn’t exceed his expectations.
Thinking back to his youth in Taiwan Province, when he was just a green, hotheaded rookie, he had followed his family’s elders into turf wars and witnessed a thrilling street fight on a night market road.
That night, the two sides combined must have numbered at least three or four hundred people. He hid behind a trash can by the roadside, watched from start to finish, and wasn’t even scared.
As for why he was more cautious now, it was probably because he was older…
Later, the family went legitimate, gradually distancing themselves from the days of fighting and killing. But the air of the underworld in his bones had never faded.
In his view, this so-called reception by the Wanlong Hui would amount to nothing more than sending extra people, lining them up neatly, shouting a few catchy slogans, or at best, putting on some show with a few nice cars to make an impression.
He had seen too much of this sort of thing.
No matter how powerful the Wanlong Hui was, could they really conjure up over a thousand men in black?
Back in the States, those twenty-some men in black had already been formidable enough. If there were really a thousand of that caliber…
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Over an hour later, the convoy entered Mingzhu City and finally stopped in front of a building called Shunchang Tower.
Zeng Jin got out of the car, looked up, and silently recited the name to himself.
Shunchang… “Those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish.” It was certainly domineering enough, just like Liu Yutong’s style.
In truth, the actual owner of the building—the landlord—had originally chosen the name “Shunchang” purely for its literal meaning, hoping for smooth and prosperous business.
But everyone who came here thought of that phrase, “Those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish.” It was really just the Wanlong Hui’s influence at play.
After getting out of the car, Zeng Jin saw two neat rows of men in black at the main entrance, about seven or eight in total, all standing upright and full of energy.
When Liu Yutong appeared, they greeted her in unison: “Miss!”
Zeng Jin let out a mental “Oh.”
Sure enough, it was just as he guessed: the men in black were limited, maybe even fewer than he had expected.
“President Zeng, Master Liang, please come in.” Liu Yutong gestured slightly to them, then led the way into the building.
Inside the first-floor lobby, Zeng Jin looked around but didn’t notice anything special.
The decor was modern and minimalist: a reception desk, a lounge area, potted plants—it looked much like the headquarters lobby of an ordinary company.
Except of course for the extra men in black suits.
“Chairman Liu, should we head to the meeting room first, or…?” Zeng Jin asked.
“No rush.”
Liu Yutong waved over one of the men in black: “Cheng Gang, come here.”
Cheng Gang, who had been standing by at a distance, immediately jogged over and greeted her respectfully: “Miss!”
Liu Yutong looked him over and then asked, “Have your gunshot wounds fully healed?”
Cheng Gang nodded. “Yes, miss. Thank you for your concern!”
Hearing this, Zeng Jin’s eyelids twitched.
What? Gunshot wounds?
Good heavens, the Wanlong Hui was certainly no ordinary group… With mainland China’s strict gun control, they still dared to use firearms in clashes?
Badass! Truly badass!
At that moment, he silently raised his assessment of the Wanlong Hui’s strength by another notch.
Using such things wasn’t unusual in Taiwan Province, Hong Kong, or even less so in the States. But in mainland China, it was a whole different story.
Then Liu Yutong asked about everyday matters—how his younger brother was adjusting after transferring schools, whether his grades were keeping up. Her tone didn’t sound like a boss talking to a subordinate, but more like a family member.
Cheng Gang felt a warmth in his heart as he answered every question from the miss.
With the company’s help, his brother had already transferred to a school in the city and was currently staying in Cheng Gang’s rented apartment. Of course, the company provided a housing subsidy, so he didn’t actually have to pay a cent.
Moreover, the new apartment the miss had awarded him was almost ready for delivery. It was located not far from the Wanlong Hui’s main headquarters under construction, on the same piece of land Liu Yutong had won at an auction.
The residential development was being built in tandem with the Wanlong Hui headquarters, and it was expected to be topped off and handed over by the end of the year.
As for the Wanlong Hui headquarters, it would take a bit longer to move in, with completion expected between the end of 2010 or early 2011—about a year later than the residential complex.
That pace wasn’t slow at all; it was actually quite fast, since building a corporate headquarters and a residential community were entirely different matters.
Just a quick render of the Wanlong Hui headquarters done in Doubao!
After Liu Yutong finished chatting with Cheng Gang—an ordinary core member of the Wanlong Hui—she instructed him, “First, take President Zeng and Master Liang on a tour of the company, then bring them to my office.”
Cheng Gang immediately nodded. “Yes, miss!”
Once Liu Yutong turned and left, he walked straight up to Zeng Jin and Liang Mengsong, gesturing with a hand: “President Zeng, Master Liang, this way, please.”
Zeng Jin and Liang Mengsong exchanged a glance, then followed Cheng Gang toward the elevator.
The elevator first stopped on the third floor.
In the early days, Wanlong Company only rented the top ten floors of this building. Later, as its personnel expanded significantly, it simply rented the entire building.
The martial arts hall and training grounds originally located on the upper floors were also moved to the second and third floors.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Zeng Jin and his group heard a series of low, rhythmic shouts.
Three professional boxing rings of standard size appeared before them. At that moment, several pairs of men in black, wearing helmets and protective gear, were engaged in high-intensity sparring on the rings.
The visual impact of fist hitting flesh was palpable even from several meters away, exuding a strong sense of pressure.
On the other side was a spacious fitness equipment area. Treadmills, rowing machines, squat racks, barbells—all the equipment was available, and the specifications and professionalism rivaled any top-tier commercial gym.
Some men in black were working out there as well, shirtless, each displaying a set of eight-pack abs. Even without touching them, one could sense the explosive power contained within their bodies.
Zeng Jin quietly watched those figures training and suddenly understood a little why, in Cloud City in the States, those twenty men in black under Chu Yang had been able to grind down those foreigners, even professional boxers, and rub their faces into the ground.
Given this level of training intensity and professionalism, they were likely on par with—if not exceeding—many professional fighters.
It was incredibly professional!
"Strengthening the body and staying fit is part of our corporate culture,"
Cheng Gang explained calmly beside him. "Having a healthy physique benefits both the individual and the work. Of course, all training emphasizes discipline and control. Private fights are strictly prohibited, and bullying the weak is forbidden."
Zeng Jin silently nodded.
To be honest, Wanlong Company was far more professional than many of the gangs he had seen, and even stronger than the Zeng family at its peak.
Just looking at their training intensity confirmed it. Back in the day, what they did was called "running the streets," but this—this was the real deal!
It seemed his guess was right: every man in black at Wanlong Company was a formidable fighter.
After touring the boxing gym and fitness area, Cheng Gang led them to the floor where the law firm was located.
The law firm occupied two floors: one for offices and one for studying. They arrived at the study area.
This place was completely different from the boxing gym. The atmosphere here was intensely academic and much quieter.
The first thing that caught the eye was a large plaque displaying the words: "Cautious, meticulous, bold, knowledgeable in the law, and united in knowledge and action."
Just reading those words was enough to inspire solemn respect. What a proper attitude toward learning!
No wonder it was a law firm!
However, the layout here puzzled them a bit. The corridor was flanked by rooms of varying sizes, each filled with dozens of desks and chairs, resembling school classrooms.
Most rooms were empty at the moment, except for the first classroom, which still had its lights on. Inside, seven or eight men in black sat scattered.
If the boxing gym and fitness area had seemed somewhat normal to Zeng Jin—after all, he had seen the fighting ability of these men in black in the States, and such strength had to come from training, so it made sense for Wanlong Company to have a boxing gym and fitness center—
But this so-called study area completely baffled him. It left him in awe.
In the still-occupied classroom, the people sitting there were not the lawyers he had imagined, but men in black from Wanlong Company.
And they were not smoking, playing cards, or chatting idly like the thugs he had imagined. Instead, they were… reading?
Yes, really reading!
The scene felt utterly surreal.
Why would proper gang members be reading books?
Especially since the books seemed completely out of place with their rough-and-tumble image and temperament.
Those books turned out to be things like Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, and Public Security Administration Punishments Law—all legal texts. This was absurd!
And that wasn’t the end of it. The real shock was that they not only read the books but also analyzed them.
But their interpretations were entirely different from what one might expect.
For instance, on the whiteboard at the front of the classroom, someone had written a problem.
Next to it, there was a simple diagram of the human skeleton, with key body parts labeled.
After Zeng Jin read the text clearly, his eyes went wide.
It was a case analysis:
Case Analysis: If an enemy charges at you with a weapon, you dodge to the side and then strike the side of his knee from behind with a baton, does this constitute legitimate self-defense? Please analyze based on Article 20 of the Criminal Law and the principles of human biomechanics.
Below it were a few lines of small-print annotations:
Note 1: Striking the side of the knee can instantly incapacitate the opponent without causing permanent disability, meeting the necessary limits of self-defense.
Note 2: Remember to avoid the back of the head, neck, spine, and other vital areas to prevent excessive force.
Note 3: In practice, it is recommended to first shout, "Don’t come any closer!" to strengthen the on-site evidence of defensive intent.
???
Zeng Jin completely lost it.
What the hell was this?
He couldn’t help himself and turned to ask Cheng Gang, "You… you study like this on a regular basis?"
Cheng Gang’s expression remained calm as he nodded. "Yes, this is our daily legal study session. There are fewer people here today."
Upon hearing this, Zeng Jin couldn’t help but grumble to himself: “Was I asking about the lack of people? The way you guys study the law—are you aiming to follow it, or to find loopholes? Every single one of you knows the law so well that you shout out warnings before a fight just to leave evidence. Is this a gang of thugs or a pack of legal maniacs?”
Cheng Gang seemed to pick up on Zeng Jin’s confusion and explained again: “Our Wanlong Association is a legitimate enterprise. Abiding by the law is our bottom line. All core members must regularly undergo legal knowledge training and exams to ensure that everyone’s actions stay within the legal framework. Only by understanding the law can we better obey it, and better strike back—uh, protect our rights and act bravely for justice.”
Zeng Jin: “...”
Liang Mengsong: “...”
