Chapter 131: The Chaos Begins

"I'm still alive, my apologies." Mo Fei lay on the ground, staring blankly at the ash-gray sky. As he spoke, he coughed, spitting out a mouthful of dark red blood.

"I knew it," Long Si cursed. "His internal organs must be injured!"

Long Er glanced at the car he had arrived in and made an immediate decision: "Take him to the safe house."

As mercenaries, they had safe houses in many places, and even dedicated contacts. However, the rule that "a strong dragon shouldn't challenge a local snake" applied; most of the time, these locations were already on the watchlists of local power brokers, making them rarely useful. But right now, Long Er didn't trust Bai Yingxiong. The vehicle that had been attacked was Bai Yingxiong's own; there was no way to determine if the attackers were targeting Bai or if Bai had changed his mind and decided he didn't want them to leave. Regardless, remaining near Bai Yingxiong was clearly unwise.

Long Si understood his intent. While Long Er was loading Mo Fei into the car, she drew her weapon, aimed it at the driver standing by the vehicle, and sternly ordered him not to board. Once Long Er had transferred Mo Fei and taken the driver's seat, Long Si hopped in, keeping her gun trained on the driver the entire time. The driver could only stand there, hopping mad, as he watched the vehicle drive away.

"If his internal organs were really shaken, recovery will be troublesome," Long Si said, turning to look at Mo Fei lying in the backseat. "Bruises are fine with just rest."

"But being hit by a rocket launcher—how could it just be a bruise?"

"If this mission fails—" Long Si looked toward Long Er, who was driving.

"Then I won't be going back either," Long Er replied, his face cold.

Mo Fei calmed his mind to assess the state of his body. He had felt quite terrible when the car was overturned, but after a moment of respite, he felt only a dull ache and a slight itch. He exhaled slowly. Well, it seemed the effect of the card skill he hadn't fully grasped, "Lingering Spirit," had finally manifested. He had been surprised to draw "The Joker" for the second time; aside from the familiar "Demolition Expert," the other two skills were straightforward. Only this "Lingering Spirit" had remained a mystery.

"An excellent villain is one who cannot be killed; they always return, and are always charming."

So, it was literal—the ability to not die and to return. Thank the cards, thank "The Joker," and praise the Joker! At least there was no need to worry about kicking the bucket. Mo Fei closed his eyes, his expression peaceful.

Long Si had been watching him through the rearview mirror and panicked at the sight. "Dead?" She reached through the gap between the front seats and patted Mo Fei's face. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw him open his eyes in confusion. "Not dead." She immediately turned fierce again. "Don't you dare sleep! We have ways to save you, understand?"

Mo Fei nodded helplessly. "I know. I can't die."

"Good, as long as you know." Long Si sat back, her attention never wavering from him.

The car drove along a small road, appearing entirely unremarkable. Inside the manor, Bai Yingxiong slammed his hand onto the table. "Who did this?!" His car had been attacked within the borders of the Myanmar region, his driver killed—this was nothing short of a slap in the face. It didn't matter that he was Bai Yingxiong; even a minor warlord wouldn't swallow such an insult!

Xiao Bai stood to the side, head bowed. "Judging by the scene, they were definitely targeting you. They likely didn't expect that it wasn't you in the car."

"So, who is it?" Bai Yingxiong had calmed down now. "The Ming family? The Liu family? Have they gone insane, attacking me?"

The five families operated in concert within the Myanmar region, tightly controlling the entire black-market supply chain. Each possessed evidence of the others' crimes; their fates were bound together. Usually, minor frictions were just petty squabbles and never escalated to murder.

"Neither," Xiao Bai said, bracing himself. "It looks like... the Allied Army."

"What was that?" Bai Yingxiong almost thought he had tinnitus. "Who did you say? The Allied Army?"

"That bunch who use fire pokers as guns and can't even scrape together a single car per unit?" Bai Yingxiong let out a dry, angry laugh. "How could those people have the guts to blow up my car with a rocket launcher?"

Xiao Bai had found it hard to believe when he first heard the news, but it was a fact. "They don't just have rocket launchers now; they have mortars and light tanks. And it's not just you—several other families have been attacked to varying degrees today."

Bai Yingxiong steadied himself. "How are they?"

"The Ming family's young lady is dead, the Liu family lost a son, and so did the Peng family's wife," Xiao Bai said, pausing for a few seconds before continuing. "The status of the masters themselves is unclear, and they are currently inquiring about your situation."

"Unclear means they aren't dead yet," Bai Yingxiong said, waving his hand as he sat down. "Those old foxes—losing a son, daughter, or wife won't break their bones, but it means war is starting."

"My guess was correct after all." Xiao Bai realized Bai Yingxiong was referring to the "reckoning."

"Someone is backing the Allied Army behind the scenes?"

"Is that hard to see?" Bai Yingxiong scoffed. "If it's not the East, it's the West, and neither side will bring us any good fortune. Contact the other families. If we don't band together to resist, we won't even know how fast we'll die."

"Understood."

"Ow!" Mo Fei let out a yelp as Long Si slapped him. "Stay still, I'm bandaging you."

"That hurts," Mo Fei said, his face contorted. "You guys are real hardliners, using alcohol for disinfection."

"Alcohol is useful and doesn't expire easily. It works." Long Si's hands were nimble, applying the dressing and wrapping the bandage in one fluid motion. Once finished, she looked puzzled. "Were you really in the car? How are you already hopping around after such a short time?"

Normally, even with just internal bruising, one would be bedridden for days. No one was as full of energy as Mo Fei, shouting around just a few hours later. If he didn't have actual external wounds, Long Si would have doubted her own sanity.

"It's the real deal. Didn't you pull me out?" Feeling the stinging pain of the wound subside, Mo Fei finally caught his breath.

"In that case, you're quite the sturdy piece of work," Long Si said, packing away the medical kit with a smile.

Long Er walked in from outside, pried up a floor tile in the corner, and pulled out a box containing various scattered parts. With practiced movements, he assembled them into a strangely shaped pistol, which he tucked into his waistband. He then picked up the pistol he had been carrying, held the barrel, and handed the grip to Mo Fei.

"Safety, trigger, full-auto," Long Er said, pointing to two spots. "One in the chamber, magazine capacity of 15 rounds. Don't point the muzzle at yourself."