307: Chapter 307 The Devil Is Right Beside Us

Fang Cheng's "sight" passed through Xu Hao's pupils, assessing the environment they were currently in.

This was a luxuriously decorated resting area, outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows were rows of towering skyscrapers.

Indicating that this place should be located inside a certain office building in the downtown CBD.

The floor was covered with a thick dark red carpet, and ahead was a deep and quiet corridor.

At the end, a half-open, heavy meeting room door was faintly visible.

There were also quite a few guards wearing suits and sunglasses around.

Each one was burly, standing motionless like sculptures.

Clearly, they were rigorously trained elites from within the organization.

But these people were completely unaware that an extra pair of eyes was quietly watching them.

Fang Cheng withdrew his attention back to Xu Hao, and could clearly perceive his slightly apprehensive emotions at the moment.

Beside him was a man whose hairstyle looked like he was wearing a helmet; his appearance was somewhat comical, but his eyes hid a bit of shrewdness.

"Brother Yu."

Xu Hao spoke seemingly casually, glancing at his companion as if wanting to probe something from him:

"I heard this meeting is very important, even people from the headquarters have come? You are well-informed, do you know any inside information?"

Hearing this, a trace of smugness flashed across Liu Yu's eyes.

But it quickly faded, and he lowered his voice, pretending to be mysterious as he said:

"Brother Hao, you asked the right person this time. I heard that this operation is no small matter and is related to the future treatment of our Dongdu Branch."

"Whether we can show our Faces in front of that big figure depends on this single trip."

"If we do well, promotion and salary raises, beauties and luxury cars will be within our grasp! If we don't do well..."

He deliberately dragged out his tone and made a neck-slashing gesture.

Xu Hao's expression changed slightly, and he gave two dry laughs:

"I see, it seems this really is a big job this time."

He secretly calculated that once inside, he must listen more and speak less, so as not to muddle-headedly become cannon fodder.

The two walked side by side toward the meeting room.

Xu Hao was still fiddling with the few strands of hair on his forehead fixed with hairspray, trying to make himself look more in line with the image of an "Advanced elite of the organization."

But inwardly he muttered to himself:

"Have I been under too much stress lately? Not to mention having hallucinations, I don't look as charismatic as before."

"That's not right, I just Cultivate the Great Sun Burning Body Art, my vitality and spirit should be even more abundant..."

Fang Cheng listened to Xu Hao's inner murmurs with great interest, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

This feeling was indeed very wonderful, as if watching a movie where the protagonist came with built-in inner bullet screens.

As they spoke, the two quickly arrived at the door of the meeting room.

The huge double mahogany doors were half-open, emitting a buzzing sound of discussion like a swarm of bees restless in a beehive.

Xu Hao took the lead and stepped inside.

Fang Cheng's field of vision also suddenly widened.

This was a space much brighter and more spacious than the corridor outside.

A huge oval mahogany conference table was placed in the center of the room, its surface polished to a mirror-like shine, clearly reflecting the luxurious crystal chandelier on the ceiling.

The soft lighting poured down, yet it could not disperse the lingering tense atmosphere in the air.

At this moment, a dozen people were sparsely seated around the conference table, and a few others gathered in twos and threes in the corners whispering about something.

Occasionally, a fit of coughing sounded, along with a slight humming from electronic equipment.

That was an anti-wiretapping detector running.

Looking around, those sitting were almost all male, all dressed in suits and leather shoes, but their expressions varied.

Some had relaxed complexions and laughed and talked cheerfully, while others frowned with serious expressions.

Still others crossed their arms across their chests, closing their eyes to rest, as if indifferent to everything around them.

But without exception, these people all exuded a faint Killing Intent, as well as Qi and blood fluctuations far exceeding ordinary people within their bodies.

Concentrating his consciousness slightly, Fang Cheng could clearly perceive that there were at least three or four auras at the scene that were obviously much stronger and more condensed than the others around them.

These people should be the core cadres of the Noah Organization in the Dongdu Branch.

"Yo, isn't this Haozi? What a rare guest!"

A slightly teasing voice suddenly sounded, breaking the somewhat gloomy atmosphere of the meeting room.

Xu Hao looked toward the source of the sound, and a smile immediately piled up on his Face.

Fang Cheng's "gaze" also rotated along with Xu Hao's line of sight, seeing the man who called out.

On the side of the conference table near the window, a man wearing a flashy silk shirt was waving at him.

The pattern of that shirt was a tropical rainforest style, with various brightly colored flowers and birds whose names could not be called out printed on it, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding crowd in black suits.

The man had shoulder-length, slightly curly hair draped casually, and wore a pair of oversized brown toad-style sunglasses, which he hadn't removed even in the slightly dim indoor light.

The corners of his mouth habitually hooked upward, holding a trace of a cynical and dissolute smile.

"Brother Biao, you came too? I thought a busy person like you wouldn't bother attending such a small scene like ours!"

Xu Hao laughed loudly and walked unceremoniously toward the floral-shirt man, shouting loudly as he walked.

The man called "Brother Biao" by Xu Hao was precisely one of those strong auras Fang Cheng had sensed earlier.

His name was Ma Biao, nicknamed "Flower-Arm Biao," an 8th-Rank cadre of the Noah Organization, considered a local bully and veteran of the Dongdu Branch.

Fang Cheng learned from Xu Hao's memory that this Ma Biao had a lazy personality and not much ambition, belonging to that kind of impervious, hardened rogue type within the organization.

In his usual days, he liked teasing cats and dogs, eating, drinking, and making merry, and often outwardly complied with but inwardly disobeyed the organization's rules and regulations.

The top leadership had a huge headache over him, and several times wanted to transfer him away from this comfortable nest of Dongdu, but it all ended in nothing because of his intricate local connections and some unspeakable "human favors."

But precisely because of his "down-to-earth" personality, he got along quite well with many middle and lower-level members in the organization, belonging to the kind of character who had numerous brothers under him and commanded a response to every call.

"Go fuck yourself! No matter how busy I am, I still have to give Station Chief Feng and the imperial commissioner Face, right?"

Ma Biao laughed and scolded, pointing to an empty seat next to him.

"Come, come, come, Haozi, sit here with me, let us brothers have a good chat."

Xu Hao felt a bit off-taste, and couldn't help cursing inwardly: "Flowered-pants, who are you calling a rat?"

Yet his Face smiled even brighter: "Oh, that would be great, being able to sit next to you, Brother Biao, is my, Xu Hao's, honor!"

He was not polite either, sitting down with a plop in the empty seat next to Ma Biao.

Listening to Xu Hao's insincere rhetoric, Fang Cheng was somewhat speechless; this guy was not an honest sort either.

"Brother Biao, this outfit of yours is really getting more and more flamboyant."

Xu Hao looked at Ma Biao's floral shirt and clicked his tongue in wonder.

"That's a must! Living in this world, if you don't seek to be Xiaosa and happy, what's the difference from a salted fish?"

Ma Biao shook his head smugly, causing his long hair to flutter.

"Besides, how fucking depressing is wearing a black suit, it's like going to a funeral, I can't suffer that crime."

As he spoke, he felt out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket, pulled out one, and handed it to Xu Hao.

"Come, Haozi, try the good stuff Brother got from Nanyang, it packs a punch!"

Xu Hao took the cigarette, and Ma Biao pulled out a metal lighter with a peculiar shape, leaning in to help him light it.

The two began blowing clouds and exhaling mist, completely ignoring the eye-catching "No Smoking" sign on the meeting room wall.

The surrounding crowd seemed unfazed by this, and only a few people frowned, but didn't say anything.

Through Xu Hao's senses, Fang Cheng smelled a strong tobacco mixed with special spices, slightly pungent, but indeed having an unusually refreshing effect.

"Haozi, I heard your kid has been doing quite well over at the Red Tiger Gang recently?"

Ma Biao took a drag of his cigarette, squinting his eyes at Xu Hao, with a hint of playfulness in his tone.

"That blockhead surnamed He from the Red Tiger Gang hung up just like that, and now there's only a half-dead Old Ghost Lin left in the gang to hold down the fort."

"I heard that Sect Leader Chen Chen of the Red Tiger Gang favors your kid a lot, and intends to let you take Old He's vacancy and become a Protector Elder!"

Hearing this, Xu Hao couldn't help revealing a smug smile on his Face, yet modestly said:

"Where, where, Brother Biao, you flatter me too much."

"Aren't I still just a small hall master? With a position as high as Protector Elder, where do I have that qualification."

"Besides, although Protector Lin is in poor health, his prestige is still there. Matters of the Red Tiger Gang still have to be decided by his Elder self."

"Tch, stop pulling that fake routine with me."

Ma Biao curled his lips disdainfully:

"What abacus that fox Chen Chen is playing, how could I not be clear?"

"He fancied that your kid debuted as a plain person, clean and kneadable, and wanted to pull you into the gang to act as his backing."

Seeing this, Liu Yu nearby hurriedly chimed in to join the fun:

"Brother Biao, you don't know, Brother Hao is at the height of his glory and mighty in the Red Tiger Gang. Sect Leader Chen Chen will discuss many things in the gang with him and listen to his opinions."

Although Liu Yu's words were suspected of buttering up, they also told part of the truth.

Several familiar members around also gathered over and discussed all at once.

"Yeah, Brother Biao, Haozi is having a blast now. Among us people, his days are lived the most luxuriously, picking up chicks and playing dominoes every day."

"Damn, making so much money mixing in gangs, and still wearing a cheap suit to the meeting, do you have to be so stingy? When are you going to treat everyone to a happy time?"

Xu Hao was somewhat overwhelmed by everyone's chatter, with a few dry smiles hanging on his Face.

But inwardly he greeted the eighteen generations of ancestors of these guys all over again:

"Damn it, even if I have money I won't tell you a bunch of poor ghosts!"

But Fang Cheng learned a lot of useful information from their conversation.

The two Protector Elders of the Red Tiger Gang, one was the muscular hunk He Jingang who practiced hard-body external kung fu.

He was the guy who, on New Year's Eve, surrounded and captured Fang Cheng together with "Ghost," and had his head blown up by a single punch from Fang Cheng.

The other was Lin Xuan, who was proficient in mental secret arts. It was said he suffered severe mental trauma during a certain operation, and ever since he came back, he had been crazy and in seclusion, and it was hard to say whether he could return to normal.

Nowadays, the Red Tiger Gang severely lacked high-end combat power, and Sect Leader Chen Chen was eager to introduce new forces to stabilize the situation.

And Xu Hao, as a candidate among the organization's newly promoted members who performed relatively well and had ties to the Red Tiger Gang, naturally became a key cultivation target.

As long as he could render meritorious service in this operation, get promoted to a Rank 7 cadre, becoming a Protector Elder was almost a nailed-down certainty.

Through everyone's conversation and Xu Hao's inner activities, Fang Cheng also had a preliminary understanding of the Noah Organization's strength in Dongdu.

Don't look at the few people present today; this was almost the vast majority of middle and high-level elite forces that the Dongdu Branch could mobilize.

The internal architecture of the Noah Organization was like a large multinational corporation with strict hierarchies.

Member Ranks ranged from Rank 1 to Rank 13, clearly demarcated.

Ranks 1 to 3 all belonged to ordinary employees, not even counting as official members.

They were mainly responsible for some odd jobs and errands, with a huge number and no actual combat power.

Combat personnel started at Rank 4, possessing tougher physical fitness than ordinary people, considered to have truly stepped into the organization's threshold, but still belonging to the bottom class.

Ranks 5 and 6 were elite backbones or Elementary management within the organization, possessing certain permissions and resources, serving in special positions in various departments or all over the world.

Like Xu Hao, who was currently Rank 6, relying on his connections in the Red Tiger Gang, he served as a hall master.

If he performed well in this operation, or if Protector Lin of the Red Tiger Gang completely failed, he was very likely to directly be promoted to a Protector Elder.

Then his status in the Dongdu Branch at that time would be different again, and the resources and rights he could obtain would be even more.

As for Liu Yu, although he entered the organization earlier than Xu Hao, he was currently only Rank 5, which is why he appeared so polite to Xu Hao, calling him "Brother Hao" left and right.

Rank 7 could serve as action team leaders or certain important positions, possessing a certain right to command actions, just like the two Protectors of the Red Tiger Gang.

Rank 8 could serve as squadron leaders, department supervisors, or the person in charge of an ordinary local branch, managing affairs of a region, just like Ma Biao.

Reaching Rank 9, that was the brigade leader level, or capable of serving as the helmsman of important strongholds like the Dongdu Branch, holding real power, belonging to the Advanced cadres within the organization.

The former "Ghost" and the newly arrived Station Chief Feng were both Rank 9.

As for Rank 10, that was a minister-level big shot, qualified to enter the organization's "board of directors," participating in the formulation of core decisions, considered a heavyweight big shot in the entire Noah Organization.

Rank 11 and above was even more of a legendary existence, and members of Xu Hao's Rank level rarely even had the chance to hear of them.

The Noah Organization's influence penetrated extremely widely in the Xia Country.

The Dongdu Branch, because of its special geographical location and economic and political status, could be said to be a strategic focus of the organization in the entire Xia Country's power map.

Its Rank and the degree of importance attached to it were far beyond what other ordinary branches, such as small strongholds like Yongan Island, could compare to.

Therefore, those who could sit here today to attend the meeting were none other than the elites within the organization, and if placed elsewhere, they would all be figures capable of standing alone.

"Speaking of which..."

A voice lowered a few points, carrying a trace of imperceptible tremor:

"Protector He of the Red Tiger Gang died too miserably, I heard his head was blown up with a single punch by someone and thrown into a garbage hole dozens of meters deep; that murderer's methods were too cruel."

As they spoke, everyone's topic veered to the target of today's meeting, that mysterious expert.

Another person immediately took over the conversation:

"Ain't that the truth, our Dongdu Branch's former leader 'Ghost' was a Genius who was promoted to Rank 9 in his twenties!"

"His one-handed invisibility ability and Shadow Clone technique were superb, during usual training, we couldn't even touch his shadow."

"And the result? Didn't he still fold in the hands of that murdering devil! Even Leader Ghost fell, what on earth is that fellow's background? Just thinking about it makes one's scalp numb."

"Shh, keep it down!"

Someone nearby hurriedly stopped him: "Don't chew the tongue randomly, the higher-ups have issued a gag order regarding Leader Ghost's matter."

Although that was said, the fear towards that mysterious expert revealed in everyone's eyes could no longer be concealed no matter what.

Although they were all elites within the organization and considered figures who licked blood off knife blades on ordinary days, facing an existence that could easily wipe out Rank 9 big shots, the fear in their hearts was real.

Just as everyone was discussing animatedly, and the lively atmosphere was mixed with a trace of oppression.

A cold voice abruptly cut in, like pouring a ladle of cold water:

"A bunch of rabble, before the official action has even started, you are scaring yourselves first."

"That so-called 'murdering devil' is just a rat hiding its head and tail, is it worth you making such a fuss?"

Everyone looked toward the source of the sound, and saw a tall, arrogant-faced young man standing not far from them at some unknown time.

He wore a stiff, silver-gray suit, his hair combed meticulously, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's, and the corners of his mouth always carried a trace of an elusive look of contempt.