270: Chapter 270 Hongmen Asia Head - Lei Poshan

Below the helicopter, the dense vegetation lay across the entire valley like a thick, green velvet carpet.

Hidden within that valley was a castle-like building.

On the helipad at the top of the castle stood a middle-aged man with a cigar in his mouth. His face was resolute, making it impossible to tell his exact age, but the Aura emanating from his entire body made people afraid to look at him directly.

Standing two steps behind him was a woman in white robes, her face obscured by a thin veil.

A moment later, the helicopter landed on the helipad atop the castle.

The cabin door slowly opened with a mechanical sound, and Hong Ying's figure quickly leaped out. Her face carried a trace of urgency and guilt, and her steps were somewhat hurried.

Walking up to him, Hong Ying did not hesitate to drop to one knee. With her head lowered and her voice full of remorse, she apologized to the middle-aged man: "Godfather, I'm sorry. I failed the mission you gave me. Please punish me!"

This middle-aged man was the overall head of Hongmen's Asia region and also Hong Ying's godfather—Lei Poshan!

Lei Poshan looked at the kneeling Hong Ying and said nothing. He simply raised his hand slightly, and a powerful surge of energy was instantly released. Immediately after, Hong Ying's body was lifted up as if by a pair of invisible hands.

"Godfather..." Hong Ying stood up and looked at Lei Poshan with a confused expression, only to see her godfather looking at her with a profound gaze.

After a moment, a curve appeared at the corner of Lei Poshan's mouth. He took the cigar from his mouth and held it, while his other hand gently patted Hong Ying's arm. His tone was full of concern: "Alright, if the mission failed, then it failed. As long as you're safe. Come now, don't look so miserable. You've been drifting at sea for so long, you must be exhausted. Go back and rest; it's the same room as before."

Hearing this, the guilt and self-reproach in Hong Ying's heart grew even stronger. She took a deep breath and then looked at Lei Poshan with a determined gaze, pleading: "Godfather, I'm not tired. This mission's failure is all my fault; I was careless. Please give me another chance to redeem myself!"

Lei Poshan gave Hong Ying a long look, his eyes revealing a hint of scrutiny and deliberation.

After a moment, the curve of Lei Poshan's lips became more pronounced: "Alright, alright, there will be plenty of chances to redeem yourself in the future. Right now, your primary task is to go rest and recover your strength. I'll come find you a bit later; I have many more tasks to assign to you."

Hearing Lei Poshan say this, Hong Ying could not say anything more. She could only look at him gratefully, cupped her hands, and said: "Hong Ying thanks Godfather! Then I will return to my room to rest first."

Lei Poshan nodded and responded with a smile: "Mhm, go on. Take a bath, get a good night's sleep, and recover your spirit so you can better serve your Godfather."

"Yes, your orders will be followed!" After saying this, Hong Ying turned and left.

Watching Hong Ying's receding back, Lei Poshan's gaze became profound. He put the cigar back in his mouth and took two puffs, and his originally kind expression turned cold in an instant.

The white-robed woman standing beside Lei Poshan was named Bai Ruoxue. She was also an adopted daughter taken in by Lei Poshan and had joined much earlier than Hong Ying. However, because of Zhang Yu, Bai Ruoxue viewed Hong Ying as a thorn in her side!

At this moment, Bai Ruoxue noticed the subtle change in Lei Poshan's expression. Her mind raced, and she took a step forward, her tone carrying obvious dissatisfaction as she complained: "Godfather, are you really just going to let her go like that? If she hadn't failed the mission, the plan you spent so long preparing wouldn't have fallen into such a passive state. Why not let Ruoxue go give her a lesson so she remembers it?"

Lei Poshan glanced sideways at Bai Ruoxue, a smile curling on his lips as he said faintly: "Forget it. This mission's failure cannot be entirely blamed on Hong Ying. We can only say that our opponent was truly too cunning."

Bai Ruoxue's brow furrowed as she instigated: "Godfather, you protect her like this, but who knows if the enemy was truly cunning or if Hong Ying secretly leaked information to that Ye Qingcheng? The two of them were comrades-in-arms with a life-and-death bond. Perhaps this mission's failure was just a play the two of them put on together for us..."

Lei Poshan waved his hand, interrupting Bai Ruoxue: "Enough, Ruoxue. I know you and Hong Ying have never gotten along, but right now is when we need people. You know Hong Ying's skills well. If we discard her, who will make our disguise masks? Over the past few years, without Hong Ying, how could my plans have so easily evaded the Dragon Country Security Bureau's tracking?"

"But Godfather, if she really has cooperated with Ye Qingcheng, aren't we being played for fools? If she sends out the coordinates of this base, the consequences would be truly unthinkable," Bai Ruoxue pressed on, unwilling to give up.

"Don't worry," Lei Poshan reassured her, "I have already ordered surveillance devices to be installed in her room. Besides, the entire island is signal-shielded, and she has no communication equipment. As long as she doesn't leave the island, she has no chance to send news outside."

"Sigh," Bai Ruoxue sighed, appearing somewhat helpless. "Since Godfather has said so, Ruoxue has nothing more to say. It's just, Godfather, if there are missions in the future, please let me go. Aside from her Disguise Technique, what part of Hong Ying is better than me? Just let her stay in the base making disguise masks."

Lei Poshan burst into laughter upon hearing this: "Hahaha, don't be in a hurry. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to show your skills in the future." As he spoke, he walked toward the interior of the castle, asking as he went: "By the way, is there any new news from A-Yu's side?"

Bai Ruoxue followed closely behind and replied: "Since the wanted poster was issued that night, there hasn't been much new movement. There have been no obvious deployments from the Security Bureau or the Modu police. However, Ye Qingcheng was at the Security Bureau Modu Branch all morning; they might be discussing their next plan of action."

"Mhm." Lei Poshan grunted in response, his brow furrowed as he spoke as if to himself, "Ye Qingcheng! This woman is indeed not to be underestimated. She can be considered one of the more outstanding ones among Dragon Country's third generation."

Bai Ruoxue, however, was dismissive: "Godfather, you're inflating the enemy's morale again. That Ye Qingcheng is only at the Mingjin Stage. Ruoxue could destroy her with a flick of a finger."

Lei Poshan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Bai Ruoxue: "You... do you know why I often send A-Yu on missions but rarely send you?"

Bai Ruoxue smiled playfully: "Isn't it because Godfather dotes on me and can't bear to let me take risks?"

Lei Poshan gave a soft huff and shook his head helplessly: "You, I'm afraid you're too impulsive. Ye Qingcheng's identity is extraordinary; how can she be touched casually?"

"Isn't she just the third generation of the Ye Family of the Capital? What's so great about that?" Bai Ruoxue curled her lip. "No matter how powerful the Ye Family is, can they be more powerful than you, Godfather?"

Lei Poshan's face darkened as he explained: "Although the Ye Family is not one of the Ancient Martial Arts Families, their status and influence in Dragon Country cannot be ignored. If we touch Ye Qingcheng, it would be equivalent to completely tearing off the mask with Dragon Country's upper echelons. At that time, Dragon Country would certainly spare no expense to wipe out our Hongmen. Ruoxue, remember, no matter how strong a Martial Artist is, they cannot withstand the siege of a regular army. The times have changed. No matter how capable you are, can you block a missile?"

After hearing these words, Bai Ruoxue finally reined in her dismissive attitude: "Godfather is right, Ruoxue understands."

"Mhm." Lei Poshan nodded. "Go and notify A-Yu to keep a close watch on Zhang Min's movements. Chen Mo has already been arrested; we absolutely cannot let Zhang Min fall into Dragon Country's hands as well. If there is any change, there's no need to ask for instructions. If she cannot be brought back, kill her on the spot!"

Bai Ruoxue's heart shivered, and she quickly cupped her hands in acknowledgement. But when she looked up again, she found that Lei Poshan's figure had suddenly vanished in a flash, as if he had never appeared at all.

Following that, the heavy door at the lowest level of the castle closed tight with a 'bang.'

Bai Ruoxue stood in place, dazed for a moment, before finally letting out a long breath. Then, she pulled a satellite phone from her long, jade-like leg concealed under her white robe. Following her godfather's instructions, she dialed Zhang Yu's number.

...

At this moment, in a room on the top floor of the castle, Hong Ying emerged slowly from the mist-filled bathroom wrapped in a bath towel.

Hong Ying sat before the dressing table, looking at herself in the mirror. She couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh, a faint trace of sorrow appearing in her eyes.

For some reason, at this moment, Ye Qingcheng's figure actually surfaced before her eyes.

Those scenes of having fought side-by-side and having gone through life and death together replayed in her mind like a movie, scene after scene.

Hong Ying closed her eyes, her hands tightly gripping the edge of the dressing table, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force. She shook her head, wanting to throw the past memories out of her mind. But when she opened her eyes again, her gaze inadvertently drifted to her ankle.

There, several terrifying scars were like winding vines, entangling her and dragging her thoughts back to the battlefield of that year.