Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

How could these people not know Yang Ce's methods? After Yang Ce left that day, Wu Ming had told them just how formidable he was, and they had listened in utter shock.

Those unimaginable methods that could make a man wish he were dead filled them with dread. So now, hearing Yang Ce speak, Taurus hastily pledged, "Brother Yang, it won't happen. Rest assured—from now on Li Qiang and we are all brothers of one family."

Yang Ce nodded. "Li Qiang, you'll still be in charge here. As for Taurus and his people, assign them to different squads according to their individual strength for training. Taurus is a good man—you can entrust him with some important duties."

To be continued

1025. Wei Jin Has an Appointment

Although the two organizations had merged at Yang Ce's proposal, truly becoming one would still take a long period of running-in. A day or two was obviously not enough.

But Yang Ce was in no hurry. Rome was not built in a day, after all. He had promised Wang Yanqiu that within four years he would make the Black Butterfly organization strong and great, a world-class organization, and there was still plenty of time.

Seeing the assassin group managed by entirely new principles unlike anything she had known, Wang Yanqiu felt somewhat lost. It seemed the gap between her old ways and these was no small thing at all.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that heaven had let her meet Yang Ce. Thinking back on her old assassin group, it seemed almost laughably crude. To try to rank such a third-rate organization among the world's top assassin groups—frankly speaking, it was a pipe dream.

Though there was no end of friction between her and Yan, things looked fairly agreeable now. And if not for Yang Ce, she might well have been killed back in Macau.

All these twists of fate could only be called coincidence. Now, looking at this powerful and somewhat mysterious man beside her, Wang Yanqiu no longer found him so detestable. Her impression of Yang Ce had gone from loathing to a faint liking. Nor was it strange that her impression should change so quickly—spend long enough with someone and a little goodwill is only natural, especially with all their frequent "intimate contact." Only, when Yang Ce was serious he was fine, but he was forever grinning and fooling around, leering all day long—you would never guess he was a man capable of great things.

Once everything was arranged, Yang Ce and Wang Yanqiu left the secret base.

"You've set this place up well," Wang Yanqiu could not help praising. Only by comparison could one understand one's own shortcomings. It was seeing Yang Ce's training grounds that made Wang Yanqiu realize her own past efforts had been mere child's play.

She had seen training grounds elsewhere before, but when it came to doing it herself, Wang Yanqiu had found herself short of strength. She had thought training people was far too tedious and complicated, so she had simply gathered a batch of roughly capable experts to serve her.

Only now did she realize that the uneven quality of these people was the fundamental reason hindering the assassin group's development.

"Not bad. What, starting to have confidence in me?" Yang Ce asked.

"These people of yours—were they all trained from scratch?" Wang Yanqiu found it hard to believe. The talents Yang Ce had trained in batches were actually far more formidable than those she had gone to such pains to recruit.

"They're all martial arts school graduates, with some foundation in kung fu," Yang Ce answered.

Wang Yanqiu was speechless. Martial arts school—how could martial arts school students compare with assassins? Wasn't that the same as having no foundation at all? She felt thoroughly depressed. Why did she feel she had been so utterly incompetent before?

Yang Ce was like a giant aircraft carrier, while she was paddling along in a little sampan. There was simply no comparing the two.

"Aren't you afraid I'll betray you? Bringing me to such an important place." Wang Yanqiu spoke with some irritation. This Yang Ce really was infuriating—how was he so much better than her?

"Ha," Yang Ce laughed carelessly. "I've already been to a place far more important to you. What's this?"

"What important place of mine? What's so important about mine? Compared with this, it's nothing but a little workshop." Wang Yanqiu thought Yang Ce's words sounded rather odd, almost sarcastic.

"I didn't mean your base in the shantytown," Yang Ce said, shaking his head.

"Then what are you talking about?" Wang Yanqiu asked, puzzled.

"I'm talking about the place on your body." Yang Ce gave a lewd smile. "That most important place on your body—I've been a frequent visitor, you know."

Wang Yanqiu blushed crimson, suddenly understanding what Yang Ce meant. She was caught between laughter and tears. Here she was discussing serious matters, and he had to drag things off into nonsense. Still, it was utterly relaxing—it seemed that when the two of them went on missions together in the future, things would never be dull.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Say that again and you won't be going there next time," Wang Yanqiu glared at him and threatened.

"Heh heh." Yang Ce was utterly unconcerned. "That's not for you to say. She welcomes me without limit every time."

"Go to hell," Wang Yanqiu said angrily.

As the two were joking, Yang Ce's phone rang. He picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number. So late—who would a stranger be calling him at this hour?

"Hello?" Yang Ce answered.

"Is this Yang Ce?" the other party asked bluntly.

"Who is this?" The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but for the moment Yang Jiyan could not place it.

"This is Wei Jin." The other man was forthright and came straight out with it.

"Wei Jin?" Yang Ce frowned at once. What the devil was this fellow calling him about so late at night? His phone number was hardly a secret—anyone who knew him, or who cared to dig through the school records, could find it—but unless someone had gone out of his way to do so, Yang Shuoxuan did not think he and Wei Jin had ever had any dealings worth a phone call.

"There's something I'd like to discuss with you. Do you have time?" Wei Jin was in no mood to beat around the bush, and he had no patience for it either; what was so was so, and what was not was not.

"With me? Now?" Yang Xutang was baffled. Was he and Wei Jin supposed to be close?

"Yes. Now," Wei Jin said with certainty.

"What do we have to talk about? We barely know each other, do we?" Yang Lanxu was seized with suspicion. Could the fellow have found out that he was the one who had done away with his old man and Zheng Laoliu?

Impossible. The police had no leads and neither had the media. Where would he have learned it? The man had no special powers either.

"I'd like to ask you to do a few things for me, and as a token of thanks, I can offer you a very generous return." Afraid that Yang Ce would hang up, Wei Jin hurried on: "Well? Are you interested?"

There was bad blood between the two of them, after all, and Wei Jin was afraid Yang Yongjin would not even give him the time of day.

"Do a few things? What things?" Yang Xutang pricked up his ears at Wei Jin's words; after all, Yang Ce had long had his eye on that company of the Wei family's.

"Can we talk about it in person?" Wei Jin hesitated, and in the end said nothing more over the phone. He felt it would be safer to discuss it face to face—at least then he could watch Yang Juehuan's reactions.

"All right. Come to the Celestial Wonderland, book any room you like, and text me the room number." Yang Ce thought it over and said. On his own turf, he was not worried about what Wei Jin might try.

He hung up, glanced at Wang Yanqiu beside him, and said, "Come meet someone with me in a bit."

"Aren't you afraid I'll learn too much about you?" Wang Yanqiu looked at Yang Ce with a half-smile.

"What's there to be afraid of? I know your depth, and you know my length—we're even." Yang Ce chuckled.