Chapter 1: A Strange World

Year 2213, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Chiang Mai is Thailand's second-largest city, with an industrial sector no less significant than that of the capital, Bangkok.

In a corner of this bustling city, a black market transaction was currently underway.

Inside a forty-square-meter room, illuminated by countless lights, the space was exceptionally and blindingly bright. The room was filled with men standing in neat rows, all dressed in black suits.

"President Lei, have you prepared the goods I requested?" A man, likely over forty years old, asked expressionlessly. He had thick, dark eyebrows and a straight, distinctive nose; as for his tightly closed mouth, it gave off an impression of stubbornness and a bad temper.

His attire was extremely sophisticated and neat; his suit was well-tailored, his tie was perfectly straight, and his black cane, tipped with gold, was polished to a brilliant shine.

Standing at the doorway was an incomparably handsome man. His high nose and well-proportioned red lips were currently curved into a smile that made others dizzy.

That wicked smile even caused his thick eyebrows to ripple softly, as if he were constantly carrying a smile—curved and bright, like a waxing crescent moon in the night sky.

"Boss Cui, I, Lei Yao, have I ever disappointed you?" Lei Yao walked into the room and stood before the table. The subordinates behind him immediately pulled out a chair for him.

He took his seat with elegance, looking with a smile at Cui Hun sitting opposite him. A subordinate behind him produced a cigarette, lit it, and respectfully placed it in his mouth.

Every movement he made carried the poised gentlemanly grace of a British aristocrat, impeccable and elegant. He was none other than the President of the Taiwan Sanhe Society, "Lei Yao."

And Cui Hun knew better than anyone that beneath Lei Yao's harmless smile lay the glint of blades and the shadow of swords. "President Lei, we have cooperated for many years. Old rules: inspect the goods before paying."

Despite their years of cooperation, Cui Hun understood that Lei Yao was an extremely dangerous individual. When dealing with Lei Yao, he had to tread carefully with every single step.

Lei Yao took a handsome drag of his cigarette. "Of course, old rules." As he spoke, he made a gesture, signaling the subordinates behind him to bring out the goods.

Leng Gang, who stood beside Lei Yao, had been by his side for many years and was Lei Yao's capable assistant. With just one look from Lei Yao, he understood his meaning.

Leng Gang turned around, took a large black case from one of the subordinates standing by the door, placed it on the table, and opened it. He rotated the case so the opening faced Cui Hun and pushed it toward him.

What met the eye was a case brimming with munitions. The subordinates behind Cui Hun immediately stepped forward to inspect the goods. Once they confirmed everything was in order, they nodded to Cui Hun.

"Hahaha... President Lei, after all these years, your goods are still just as satisfying," Cui Hun said with a shallow smile.

Lei Yao was insidious and cunning. Even though everyone knew that doing business with him carried the risk of losing both the lady and the soldiers, countless underworld bosses were still forced to trade with him, because only the goods in his hands were truly lethal.

Cui Hun could not feel at ease until he saw the goods. Seeing that his men had returned from the inspection without finding any issues, proving that this batch was as consistent as ever, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Boss Cui, you've inspected the goods. Shall we exchange the money for the goods now?" Lei Yao placed his cigarette into a crystal ashtray and extinguished it.

Cui Hun took two black leather briefcases from his subordinates, opened them, and pushed them in front of Lei Yao.

Lei Yao merely glanced at them; his eyes met two cases filled to the brim with US dollars. A satisfied smile curled at the corners of his mouth, but his hand beneath the table moved without a trace toward the gun at his waist.

Leng Gang immediately stepped forward to personally check the quantity and authenticity of the US dollars. Once he confirmed they were not counterfeit, he signaled the subordinates behind them to close the cases filled with munitions and hand them over to Cui Hun's men.

After the exchange was complete, Lei Yao was the first to stand up. "Boss Cui, I have some matters to attend to and cannot stay long. I shall take my leave."

Before Cui Hun could even respond, Lei Yao turned and departed.

As Lei Yao's figure disappeared, a complaint came from one of Cui Hun's subordinates. "Damn it, he's just the boss of a tiny gang, what's he acting so big for? Being so cocky right in front of you, Boss!"

A young man spoke while inspecting the goods.

"Who told Lei Yao to have the things we want! Let him be cocky! As long as we get our stuff, we won't bother with the rest." Cui Hun took a drag of his cigarette; to him, as long as there was profit, he didn't care about the process.

"Not good, Boss, there's something wrong with the goods!" Suddenly, Cui Hun's subordinate shouted.

Cui Hun immediately stood up. Turning to look at the contents of the case, his face turned pale. "Lei Yao, you dare play me!" he said through gritted teeth, before pulling out his sidearm and leading the charge to pursue them.

It turned out that after Cui Hun's men had inspected the goods, Lei Yao had switched them right under their noses without anyone noticing.

Instantly, the sound of gunfire erupted throughout the abandoned shipyard, and chaos broke out everywhere.

Leng Gang and several men in black suits escorted Lei Yao, moving quickly through the crowd.

"Brother Yao, someone will be here to meet us up ahead," Leng Gang said, walking quickly behind Lei Yao while keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, fearing an ambush.

Lei Yao said nothing, merely walking briskly toward the location specified by Leng Gang. Wherever Leng Gang went, he prioritized Lei Yao's safety, yet he never once thought that Lei Yao simply did not care about life or death. Those in their line of work lived by their wits and their guns; death was only a matter of time.

Just as they were about to reach the rendezvous point, Cui Hun and his men caught up. Leng Gang shouted immediately, "Watch out! Cui Hun is catching up!"

Lei Yao reacted instantly, and along with the subordinates following him, they sprinted toward a corner of a wall.

The moment Lei Yao and the others left, several gunshots rang out from where they had just been standing. Cui Hun and his men were firing desperately toward the place where Lei Yao had taken cover.

Leng Gang fired several shots toward Cui Hun's direction, then leaned against the wall as bullets struck it. "Big Brother, the brothers we left behind to cover our retreat... they are likely already dead."

"Damn it. It seems that old bastard Cui Hun was prepared," Lei Yao said, firing several more shots toward Cui Hun's direction as he spoke.

"Big Brother, you go first. I'll stay and cover the rear." In this moment of danger, the first thing Leng Gang thought of was still Lei Yao's safety.

"If we go, we go together. If we die, we die together. When have you ever seen me abandon a single brother?" Lei Yao said firmly. He had become the President of the Sanhe Society at a young age.

The entire Sanhe Society was united and completely devoted to him because he always looked out for his subordinates, placing the interests and safety of his brothers first, and never easily giving up or abandoning any of them.

Leng Gang knew Lei Yao's temperament and said no more. After a short exchange of fire, gunshots erupted from behind them.

Lei Yao looked back and saw that their reinforcements had arrived and were currently engaged in a firefight with Cui Hun's men.

The man leading the reinforcements shouted to Lei Yao, "Brother Yao, hurry! Leave this to us!"

A smile appeared on Leng Gang's face. He took the lead in the front, while the other subordinates surrounded Lei Yao in the middle, retreating toward safety while dodging the bullets flying everywhere.

Several expensive luxury vans were already parked outside the abandoned shipyard. Seeing that their boss had arrived, the people inside quickly got out, opened the doors, and prepared to escort the boss away.

Everyone's vigilance relaxed at this moment. Lei Yao, with a stern, handsome face, was about to get into the car when he spotted a suspicious red dot on the glass of the open car door, coming from the abandoned building behind them. It warned him alertly: it was a sniper!

Before he could warn the others, the red dot flickered, and a bullet was fired. Judging by the direction, the target was likely Leng Gang, who was just a few steps behind him.

Lei Yao was struck with terror. "Watch out!" With lightning speed, he pushed Leng Gang behind him. However, time was too tight; he failed to dodge in time. The bullet grazed his head, sending blood spraying.

Lei Yao felt a sharp, agonizing pain in his head. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, falling into unconsciousness...

"Brother Yao..." In the panic, Leng Gang rushed forward to help Lei Yao into the car, followed by gunfire that sounded like a barrage of firecrackers.

———————Divider———————

A Thai Hospital.

Leng Gang stood by the hospital bed, his face covered in stubble. One look could tell that he hadn't groomed himself in a long time. He looked haggard and pale, but his gaze never left Lei Yao, who lay on the bed.

"Brother Yao... Brother Yao..." His repeated calls caused the tension on the faces of everyone else in the ward to rise.

The doctor had said that if Brother Yao remained in this coma, there was a risk to his life, or he might never wake up.

Looking at the deathly pale Lei Yao, who looked as if he might depart at any moment, Leng Gang felt even more heartbroken and guilty.

"Brother Yao, wake up! You can't leave the brothers behind! If something happens to you, what are we supposed to do? What will happen to the Sanhe Society?" Leng Gang clenched his fists, his heart filled with immense worry.

Just as everyone was praying for their boss, the medical monitor suddenly stopped, turning into a flat line, emitting a piercing "Beep—"

Leng Gang froze on the spot. The next second, he turned and ran outside, screaming, "Doctor! Doctor...!"

His cries were filled with panic, and his footsteps were unsteady, showing how terrified he was. If Brother Yao died in Thailand because of him, the entire Sanhe Society would fall into chaos. The various branch leaders would surely kill each other to seize the presidency, and the Bamboo Union would certainly take advantage of the chaos to seize territory.

The others present were also stunned by the scene. Hearing Leng Gang's screams, they finally snapped out of it and scrambled to find a doctor.

In a dark space, Helian Jue felt completely powerless, his entire being in a daze. Had he arrived in hell?

He wanted to scream but could make no sound. He struggled to open his heavy eyes, but there was only pitch-blackness before him. It seemed he truly had arrived in hell. After an unknown amount of time, just as he reached the brink of despair, a beam of light suddenly appeared in the dark space, shooting straight ahead.

Helian Jue did not know what this beam of light was, but there seemed to be another voice in his heart, commanding him to follow the light. He used all his strength to hurry after it, fearing the light would vanish.

After running for an unknown duration, the light stopped, forming the shape of a door. That voice in his heart seemed to pull him again, beckoning him to walk through that door...

Helian Jue did not hesitate and walked straight into the archway formed by the light. The moment his foot stepped inside, a beam of light radiating ten thousand rays of brilliance instantly enveloped him...

"Ah..." Helian Jue let out a low, struggling roar. The blinding light vanished, and a strange "Beep, beep, beep..." sounded in his ears. Driven by curiosity, he slowly opened his eyes, but what met his gaze was an entirely unfamiliar world.