Chapter 135: Pressed Together

Success had arrived so swiftly that even Xiao Tianci was taken aback, primarily because Success now held a rather extraordinary status. As one of the finest current generals and the most deeply trusted by Elder Zhao, possessing a brilliantly promising future, he had actually arrived this quickly.

It seemed he was truly anxious, thought Xiao Tianci, before saying, "Please come in."

Xiao Tianci admired soldiers of Success's caliber; unlike politicians, the mere fact that he lived up to the title of a soldier was already a remarkable rarity. "If I sacrifice my life for the country, would I ever avoid misfortune or seek good fortune out of fear?", "A good general does not fear death to escape disgrace, nor does a hero ruin his integrity to survive," "To give one's body to the national crisis, facing death as if returning home," "To take up weapons in defense of the realm," "Though dying nine times, I shall never regret," "To lay down one's life for the country is my sole intent"—such was the soldier. Whenever the nation faced moments of critical peril, this sense of mission inspired the passionate and hot-blooded men in the military to shed their blood and sacrifice their heads for the country and the nation without a second thought. This breed of soldier commanded the deepest respect.

The title of a soldier is deeply moving because a soldier's fate is intricately bound to the destiny of the nation. Soldiers and nations come into existence together. The nation requires soldiers for its defense, and soldiers exist for the sake of the nation. Thanks to the existence of soldiers, the security of the country is guaranteed. For the sake of national security, soldiers are willing to walk through fire and water and sacrifice everything. The renowned Russian military strategist Alexander Suvorov once said, "One minute decides the outcome of a battle, one hour decides the outcome of a war, and one day decides the destiny of an empire." Suvorov was speaking of how war determines the life and death of a nation, and since wars are fought by soldiers, he was fundamentally expressing the close relationship between the fate of the soldier and that of the nation. Ancient military strategists of the Z nation also stated: War is a matter of vital importance to the state. The traditional Chinese character for "state" or "country" consists of a large enclosure representing the nation's territory and borders, inside of which is placed a character representing a weapon, symbolizing soldiers holding arms to defend national interests. The traditional writing of the character "country" also reflects, from one angle, how the destiny of the soldier is tightly intertwined with that of the nation. Precisely because soldiers and the nation are as close as lips and teeth, sharing a common life and death, born as soldiers of this nation, when the country faces adversity and the nation is in peril, soldiers will inevitably step forward first to endure hardships for the country and court danger for the people.

Fatty had lost count of how many times he had heard tales of Xiao Tianci's arrogance and overbearing nature. Although those stories had evolved into countless versions over time, the facts alone—such as driving Will to the point of vomiting blood and showing utter disdain for the president of country M—coupled with today's events on the street, were more than enough to prove it.

In truth, Fatty hadn't gotten the chance to ask earlier. Even though Xiao Tianci was formidable now, was he really not afraid of causing such a massive commotion in such a public place? This puzzled Fatty deeply, though he simply hadn't found the right opportunity to ask.

Hearing Xiao Tianci utter the word "please," Fatty remarked, "Hearing the word 'please' come out of your mouth must be quite difficult. Who on earth is it?"

Xiao Tianci smiled and said, "A soldier, a general, a man truly worthy of respect."

While they were speaking, Chief Steward Lin Jian had already walked in, followed by Success. At that moment, Success was dressed in a suit, yet the aura forged through military discipline remained; he stood there, projecting a striking and spirited presence.

Fatty also looked over at Success, sizing him up from head to toe. Success walked right up to Xiao Tianci and executed a crisp, standard military salute, snapping, "Success reporting to await your orders."

Although Xiao Tianci respected him, he did not stand up. He knew that Elder Zhao had already spoken with Success, and that for the next three months here, Success would obey all of his commands unconditionally.

"Ah, General Cheng has arrived. Thank you very much. Alright, Chief Steward, please take Success to rest in King Kong's room first. Such a massive place, it's a waste for King Kong to occupy it alone, so doubling up is good to save resources. Making money isn't easy these days!!!"

Success's expression remained completely devoid of emotion; even when Xiao Tianci mentioned King Kong, his face showed not a single ripple—truly worthy of being the finest general. Ah, hopefully, these three months will help you resolve the knot in your heart. Plus, it can help me get a few more things done. Heh, it would be a shame not to make use of such powerful combat capability. By the way, he should also enjoy dealing with those little Japs; I can just take him along. With him and King Kong together, it would be absolute perfection.

"Understood," the Chief Steward said. "General Cheng, this way, please." With Chief Steward Lin Jian leading the way ahead, Success snapped another sharp military salute, turned, and followed the steward away.

"Hoo..." As soon as Success left, Fatty let out a long breath and exclaimed, "Damn, this guy is simply too terrifying."

"Oh?" Xiao Tianci looked at Fatty in confusion and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Fatty replied, "Just now, when I briefly tested him, I was completely locked down by his aura. Mother of god, it felt like standing in front of the vast ocean—not an ounce of strength could be exerted. No matter how hard I tried, he didn't shift at all."

So that was it. Xiao Tianci smiled and said, "This time, you kicked a steel plate of your own accord. Let me tell you, he is the god of the military in country C, the undefeated war god known as General Success. He's been King Kong's unyielding rival for many years. If you try to measure yourself against him, you can only blame yourself for looking for trouble."

"Mother of god, why didn't you tell me earlier? You almost made a fool of me." Sweat was already beading on Fatty's forehead; it was clear that even though it had only been a secret clash of auras, it had been no easy feat.

Xiao Tianci sighed softly, "It's a pity... inner demons are hard to control. But frankly, there was no other way."

Hearing this, Fatty hurriedly pressed for details. Since this wasn't classified information, Xiao Tianci recounted the grievances between King Kong and Success, finally concluding, "Bringing him here serves a few purposes. First, it gives him and King Kong a chance. In my view, for men of their caliber to achieve further breakthroughs, they inevitably require a very special circumstance. Second, I hope to use this opportunity to get them to communicate as much as possible; after all, back then, none of them had any choice. Third, I'm lacking manpower here, and Success is an extraordinarily formidable powerhouse. With him around, I can rest much easier about many things."

Fatty listened in admiration, giving a thumbs-up as he praised, "Insane, top-tier insane. You kid have truly soared to the heavens. Look at the people under your command—every single one of them is a monster, and now you've managed to gather them all together. To top it off, you've even got a general acting as your bodyguard."

With that, Fatty hurriedly added, "Remember, when they spar, you have to call me. Damn it, missing a duel like that would be an absolute tragedy."

Xiao Tianci replied, "Don't you worry. Until the very last day, I won't let the two of them come to blows."

Xiao Tianci had already thought it through. If the two of them truly had to fight a match, he would drag it out until the very end. At any rate, keeping them together every day would give them opportunities to communicate with Success. If things still didn't work out by the end, then he would let them fight and be done with it.

Actually, the best method was to have them fight side by side; both of them were the type who considered obeying orders as their ultimate duty. Regarding this matter, Xiao Tianci felt that Success's coming here to challenge King Kong was probably no longer driven primarily by hatred. The fact that he had agreed to come in the first place spoke volumes.

Of course, such matters could never truly be forgotten, but whether hatred remained the central theme was crucial—it determined whether the two of them could potentially let go of the past together.

Hearing Xiao Tianci's words, Fatty felt quite unsatisfied and muttered, "Damn it, you win."

Xiao Tianci said, "You shouldn't feel that way; you ought to be happy. Think about it: once I take a little time tomorrow to handle some business and head over, won't all these people naturally follow? With the addition of these powerhouses, are you still worried we won't crush those little Japs?"

Hearing this, Fatty rubbed his hands in excitement and immediately started calculating how to launch the offensive. After chatting a bit longer, Xiao Tianci checked the time. "Fatty, don't leave today. Why don't you just stay here permanently? We brothers haven't seen each other in so many years, let's have a proper catch-up. In a couple of days, we'll head over together."

Fatty thought about it, but ultimately shook his head. "No, I still have to go back today. The brothers under my command aren't clear on my situation, and I'm afraid they might panic. Besides, those little Japs haven't been resting; I have to go back and hold the line against them."

Fatty was always decisive when it came to doing things. Having made up his mind, he stood up and said, "Alright, I'll head back first. Once you're done dealing with things here and come over, we'll thoroughly strategize how to wipe out the little Japs."

Such matters could not be rushed; Xiao Tianci knew very well that they had to be handled step by step. He nodded and said, "Very well, since that's how it is, head back first. If anything comes up, use this number to call me."

Xiao Tianci handed him a custom-printed private business card. It was a minimalist platinum card with a set of golden numbers embossed on the front. Upon seeing it, Fatty gasped in awe, "Whoa... Is this for real? You are way too extravagant; you actually used this as a business card! There are even diamonds along the edge—good god, what are you playing at? Even if you became the richest man in the world, you shouldn't spend money like this. No wonder people outside call you a lunatic and a prodigal son."

It was indeed a card made of platinum, inlaid with small diamonds around the perimeter. The front featured a simple set of digits, while the back depicted a magnificent dragon soaring through the sky above a vast, boundless earth, ascending into the heavens.

Xiao Tianci shrugged helplessly and said, "It has nothing to do with me. I just told them one day to make something a bit special, simple yet not tacky, and this is what they came up with. You're the first person to get one."

Hearing this, Fatty asked, "How many are left?"

Xiao Tianci replied, "There were one hundred in total. I gave you one, so there are ninety-nine left."

Fatty immediately said, "Just give all of them to me, then."

Amused by his antics, Xiao Tianci couldn't help but laugh out loud. After bantering with Fatty for a while longer, he had someone arrange a vehicle to send Fatty back. Encountering Fatty was something he hadn't expected at all, but regardless, being able to help him out while he was in need of assistance was a good thing. Right now, he still had the strength to give him a hand.

Upon returning, Xiao Tianci sat back down and pondered today's events. Dealing with the Sakura Group was relatively straightforward; he would provide the funds and personally lead the men up against them. Xiao Tianci refused to believe they couldn't crush a mere underworld organization.

Before dinner, Xiao Tianci called King Kong in alone, had him sit down, and said, "I've arranged for Success to stay with you. There won't be any duels between you two for the past three months. I can tell you that regardless of what happens, I've already decided we'll talk about the duel after the three months are up. What are your thoughts on this?"

As his subordinate, especially someone like King Kong, Xiao Tianci certainly needed to communicate with him. If King Kong truly harbored strong objections to a decision, they could discuss it first rather than letting things reach a rigid impasse.

Hearing his boss ask, King Kong replied, "Boss, rest assured, I will obey your commands unconditionally."

Xiao Tianci smiled and said, "Matters like this primarily depend on how you feel yourself. While I'm your boss, we're around the same age and we're good brothers. If you have any deep dissatisfaction, you can tell me. Nothing is set in stone; everything can be adjusted."

King Kong nodded and said, "Boss, please rest assured."

Seeing King Kong's attitude, Xiao Tianci nodded and said, "Since you feel the same way, then this matter is settled. For this period, Success will be in your unit; you two should communicate more often moving forward."

King Kong pondered slightly before slowly nodding. "Understood."

With that matter settled, Xiao Tianci briefed King Kong on the Sakura Group. As expected, King Kong only knew that the Sakura Group was a powerful underworld organization, having had no direct contact with them because he hadn't made a name for himself back in those days.

While King Kong might have had blind spots in other areas, when it came to combat and warfare, he was formidable. Even without deep familiarity with the specifics, he offered a few concise and brilliant suggestions that left Xiao Tianci thoroughly impressed and exhilarated.

At dinner time, an exceptionally lavish feast was prepared to welcome Success. However, Success didn't touch a single drop of alcohol; his very presence at the table was enough to make anyone hesitant to urge him to drink.

As for Xiao Tianci, he drank without restraint—he had his reasons, after all. He neither forced nor paid attention to whether the guest of honor drank or not. Drinking was meant to liven the mood, but with negotiations scheduled for tomorrow, Xiao Tianci only partook lightly.