124: The Wrath of the Dragon King (6)

"Understood." Chenlong nodded. "One more thing... Miss Bai Li sent word that Xiao Yu has made contact with Death in Southeast Asia. The specifics are unknown, but it's definitely nothing good."

Wang Chen smiled, a cold expression on his face. "He's walking right into the line of fire."

"Should we make a move?"

"No rush." Wang Chen shook his head. "Let them jump around for a few more days. Once we've scouted out the intelligence on Hades Hall's other branches, we'll take them all out in one go."

He watched the planes taking off and landing in the distance, his gaze deep.

The name of the Dragon King had already spread.

Next, it was time to let the world see what the true Wrath of the Dragon King looked like.

Middle East, Hades Hall Headquarters.

The black-robed old man looked at the report in his hand, his face grim.

The report stated that Dragon Shield had built an airport in the Sahara Desert and test-flown A-10 Warthog attack aircraft.

Additionally, they had secured mining rights for oil fields and gold mines in Saudi Arabia and Southern Africa.

"This Wang Chen... his ambitions aren't small." The black-robed old man muttered to himself.

"My Lord." A seductive woman walked in. "Demon has sent word; the three members of Death have been picked up and are on their way back. Also, Xiao Yu wants to see you."

"Xiao Yu?" The black-robed old man frowned. "That playboy from the Dragon Country? Why does he want to see me?"

"He says... he wants to cooperate with us to deal with Wang Chen."

The black-robed old man sneered. "Him? A piece of trash who relies on his family's influence?"

"But he has money," the seductive woman said. "The Xiao Family's assets in the country exceed a hundred billion. If we can win them over..."

The black-robed old man pondered for a moment. "Let him come see me. I want to see what kind of bargaining chips he can bring to the table."

"Yes."

Half an hour later, Xiao Yu was brought into the conference room.

He looked much more haggard than when he was in the Dragon Country, with sunken eyes, but his gaze still held a trace of malice.

"You are Xiao Yu?" The black-robed old man sized him up.

"Yes." Xiao Yu nodded. "I want to cooperate with Hades Hall."

"Cooperate on what?"

"Kill Wang Chen." Xiao Yu gritted his teeth. "As long as he's dead, I'm willing to pay a billion US dollars."

"A billion?" The black-robed old man laughed. "Young Master Xiao, do you know that in order to kill Wang Chen, we've already lost a branch, one of our six squads, and over three hundred men have died?"

Xiao Yu's expression changed. "That... that's because the Death God Squad was incompetent!"

"The Death God Squad was incompetent?" The black-robed old man's gaze turned cold. "Then who do you think is capable?"

"I..." Xiao Yu was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Go back." The black-robed old man waved his hand. "Come back to talk cooperation when you've really thought it through and can provide bargaining chips that actually interest us."

"Wait!" Xiao Yu grew anxious. "I can add more money! Two billion! Three billion is also fine!"

"We have plenty of money." The black-robed old man stood up. "What we want are the resources and connections your Xiao Family has within the Dragon Country. If you can provide those, cooperation... is not impossible."

Xiao Yu was stunned.

Resources? Connections?

This was an attempt to drag the Xiao Family into the depths.

"I... I need time to consider," he whispered.

"I'll give you three days," the black-robed old man said indifferently. "If there's no answer after three days, don't bother coming back."

Xiao Yu left, looking lost and dejected.

The seductive woman walked to the black-robed old man's side. "My Lord, do you really believe he can provide resources?"

"I don't." The black-robed old man sneered. "But it's worth a try. If we can open a gap inside the Dragon Country through the Xiao Family, it will help our future operations."

"And what about Wang Chen..."

"Put that aside for now," the old man said. "The titan project has reached a critical stage; we can't afford any distractions. Once Titan is complete... hmph, let alone one Dragon Shield, even ten wouldn't be enough to handle us."

He looked out the window; at the edge of the desert, the setting sun was as red as blood.

"Dragon King? Soon you will realize that in the face of true power, even a dragon must coil up and submit."

Sahara Desert Base.

Wang Chen stood atop the control tower, watching the last AC-130 land on the runway.

This "Aerial Gunship" was quite massive, nearly 30 meters long with a wingspan of almost 50 meters and a height of nearly 12 meters.

The 105mm howitzer, 40mm Bofors cannon, and 20mm Vulcan cannons on the fuselage glinted coldly in the sunset.

"Boss, this thing... is just too exaggerated, isn't it?" Tiger stood beside him, swallowing hard.

"Exaggerated is good," Wang Chen laughed. "Sometimes, deterrence is more useful than actual combat."

He turned and walked down the control tower.

In the base, all members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs were present, conducting their daily training.

Gunfire, the sounds of combat, and engine roars intertwined into a symphony of iron and blood.

Wang Chen walked through the training grounds, watching these elite warriors, a surge of pride rising in his heart.

Three months ago, he was just an ordinary wealthy man.

Now, he was the Master of Dragon Shield, the 'Dragon King,' commanding elite troops and powerful generals, possessing oil fields and gold mines, and even his own air force.

All of this was thanks to the System.

But the System was just a tool; what truly made all this a reality were his own choices and actions.

"Boss." Chenlong walked over. "We just received news that there's unusual activity at Hades Hall's strongholds in Southeast Asia; they seem to be moving supplies."

"Moving?" Wang Chen raised an eyebrow. "Are they afraid we'll attack?"

"It's possible." Chenlong nodded. "Also, Miss Bai Li sent intelligence that Xiao Yu has gone to the Middle East, likely to meet with the high-level leadership of Hades Hall."

Wang Chen's gaze turned cold. "He really is seeking Death."

"Should we act?"

"Wait a bit longer." Wang Chen shook his head. "Let them play for a few more days. When we are ready, we'll strike like a thunderbolt and uproot them completely."

He looked into the distance; at the desert horizon, the last sliver of the setting sun sank into the sea of sand.

Night fell, and stars emerged.

But in Wang Chen's eyes, he saw not the starry sky, but a massive chessboard.

Hades Hall, the Xiao Family, Death... they were all chess pieces.

And he was the player.

This game had only just begun.

But he could already see the ending.

The winner would only be him.

The Wrath of the Dragon King had only just begun to burn.

And this fire would incinerate all his enemies.

The third basement level of the base had been cleared out and converted into a 'Holographic Simulation Training Ground.'

The one hundred and forty-four members of the Twelve Zodiac Signs were currently lying in rows on equipment that looked like massage chairs, each wearing a holographic helmet.

The large screen in the center of the training ground was projecting the virtual battlefield situation in real-time.

"Crap! I'm dead again!"

Tiger climbed off the equipment grumbling, his face pale and legs trembling as he slumped onto the floor.

Zodiac: Ox climbed out after him, in no better state, panting as he said, "Tiger, this... this is already our seventh crash today, isn't it?"

"Eighth!" Tiger replied weakly. "Those simulated enemies have no martial honor; they actually used Stingers against my Warthog! Young people these days have no martial honor!"

Wang Chen emerged from a nearby pod, took off his helmet, and shook his head at the two characters. "If you two insist on trying low-altitude penetration in a city, it's no wonder you get hammered."