Chapter 1: The Gathering

The sound of car horns filled the air, and the exhaust fumes from the vehicles added to the already unpleasant smell on the street, making it even more unbearable. Zhao Shi waved his arms, directing the cars to pass one by one.

It was mid-July, and the weather in City C was abnormally hot. Sweat poured out of Zhao Shi's skin like a fountain, drenching his black leather jacket. From a distance, he seemed to be emitting steam, as if he were in a sauna.

Despite the discomfort, years of training kept Zhao Shi standing straight and tall. Under the scorching midday sun, his face remained expressionless as he mechanically waved his hands, allowing each car to pass.

Zhao Shi was now an ordinary traffic police officer in the Fifth Traffic Police Brigade of City C. City C was a small city with a strategically important location. Before 1990, there were artillery positions on the northern hill, aimed at the powerful neighbor to the north. Although they were now gone, the three garrison areas around the city still existed. The city was not far from the capital, and its economy had developed rapidly over the years. In just a decade, a small city with a population of less than 100,000, known for its three main streets, had grown into a medium-sized city with nearly a million people and towering skyscrapers. However, the city's infrastructure had not kept up, and with more people having money to buy cars, the streets were now congested like an anthill in chaos.

The officials, of course, did not care about this. They had moved to the newly built new district, leaving the old city like an unwanted stepchild, ignored and neglected.

In a small city like City C, there were over a dozen traffic police brigades, but half of them were there to manage traffic during the noon rush hour. After being discharged from the military, Zhao Shi easily found a job as a traffic police officer.

Compared to his past life, he preferred standing under the sun, feeling a hidden sense of peace and calm in this monotonous and boring job, rather than struggling for survival in the midst of gunfire or dealing with instructors who always seemed to think everyone owed them money.

Zhao Shi's past was actually quite simple, with only a few pages in his file. However, that file was a state secret, and while many people could see it, none of them would be in a small place like City C. The personnel department officials here could only see a clean file, stating that Zhao Shi was a native of City C, born, raised, educated, and discharged from the military, with a straightforward and clear background.

But Zhao Shi knew the truth. He was born in a small coastal city, where the people were known for their fierce and unruly nature. Shandong Province was a place that produced many heroes. In ancient times, during chaotic periods, this area was filled with outlaws, some killing officials and others rebelling, with a spirit of bravery and passion deeply ingrained in the people. However, Zhao Shi, who grew up in that dirty and chaotic city, was an anomaly.

When people said he was an anomaly, it wasn't because Zhao Shi was like the famous monkey in a novel, born from a stone. He had parents, who were educated youth sent to the countryside. They returned to their hometown during the wave of returning educated youth, when Zhao Shi was already four years old.

But city life was not as beautiful as they had hoped. They couldn't find jobs, had no place to live, and their few remaining relatives avoided them like the plague. Zhao Shi's father, who was somewhat pedantic, died of depression shortly after returning to the city. This left a deep but not incurable scar on the young Zhao Shi, who could barely remember what his father looked like.

Women, it seemed, could show unprecedented strength in times of hardship, and Zhao Shi's mother was one such woman. The strong character of Shandong people was absent in his father but was fully displayed in his mother. After handling his father's funeral, she carried a basket and walked the streets of the small city, collecting garbage or picking it from trash heaps to make a living, while also taking care of her child. Life was tough.

After the reform and opening up, his mother used the money she saved to set up a small stall, and life gradually returned to a normal track. Zhao Shi was a well-behaved and intelligent child, always at the top of his class, and was considered a promising candidate for university.

If things had continued this way, the mother and son might have been among the first to become wealthy. But life, the devil, did not spare them. Its only purpose seemed to be to wear down people's edges and break their backs.

When Zhao Shi was in the first year of junior high school, on his 13th birthday, two police officers found him at school and told him that his mother was in the hospital, having been stabbed seven times, three of which were fatal.

Zhao Shi was stunned. When he rushed to the hospital, he saw his mother's lifeless body, covered in blood.

Later, when he thought about that moment, his memory was blurry, but the pain was clear, a deep, bone-piercing pain that made him unable to shed a single tear. Zhao Shi knew that from the moment he saw his mother's body, his life had changed. Her death not only brought him pain but also awakened a wildness deep within him, like a beast that had broken free from its cage, impossible to contain unless he died.

The murderer was quickly caught. In the 1980s, China's public security had largely returned to normal, and catching a thug who committed a crime in broad daylight was easy. The matter seemed to be settled. In those days, killing someone in the street meant a death sentence, with no lengthy legal procedures.

If that had been the end of it, Zhao Shi would not have taken the path he did. He might have been sent to an orphanage or left to fend for himself, or he might have completed his education and built a career.

But the matter was not over. A few days later, the murderer was released. The same two police officers came to Zhao Shi's home, speaking evasively and telling him that the notorious thug from the city had only passed by and did not commit the crime. They released him after the investigation. The police officers also brought 2,000 yuan, which they said was collected by well-meaning people from the police station.

2,000 yuan was a huge sum at the time, but could a mother's life be bought for 2,000 yuan? Zhao Shi, who had already seen too much of the coldness of human nature, did not cry or make a scene. He quietly handled his mother's funeral, his body cold as ice, but his heart burning with a fierce fire.

What happened next became a legend in the small city. A 13-year-old boy, armed with a two-foot-long butcher's knife, stormed into the home of the notorious thug Li San in broad daylight, severely injuring four young men who were playing mahjong there. After cutting off Li San's hands and feet, he dragged the nearly lifeless thug through the streets for nearly a kilometer to the scene of the recent bloodbath.

There, Zhao Shi slit Li San's throat without hesitation. Blood spurted out for several meters, frightening the onlookers and causing many to be trampled in the panic.

The police arrived, trembling, and handcuffed the boy, who was now covered in blood, and took him away.

Zhao Shi thought he would be executed next. After all, murder required a life in return. As a legal novice, he could only have such a simple and naive thought.

But life seemed to play a big joke on him. Perhaps the unparalleled killing aura that seemed to be innate in him saved him. In a temporary detention center, a man in military uniform stood before him.

Zhao Shi disappeared. In the city's criminal records, it stated that Zhao Shi was sent to a juvenile reformatory in Shihezi, Xinjiang, for labor reform.

Training, going on missions, then more training, and more missions. This became Zhao Shi's life.

At the time, "Garrison's Commandos" was popular, and Zhao Shi had watched it a few times out of boredom, feeling a connection. Weren't they just like the guys in the movie, typical examples of redemption through service, recycling of scrap metal, and a life with no end in sight?

Zhao Shi did not like to recall these things, as they were always filled with blood and death.

Now, he was just a small traffic police officer in City C. Over the past 20 years, he had participated in the self-defense counterattack in South Xinjiang, pursued ruthless fugitives, combed through villages for drug dealers, clashed with poachers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and later fought against terrorists. From the late 1980s to the early 21st century, he was involved in almost every conflict related to China.

Twenty years of battlefield life made him stand out from those around him. To others, he seemed aloof and strange. They had no idea how much effort Zhao Shi put into maintaining a relaxed state. Every night, he would wake up in a cold sweat, instinctively gripping the Tiger Tooth under his pillow, haunted by the faces of the dead and the sounds of gunfire in his dreams.

The pleasant ring of a telephone interrupted Zhao Shi's thoughts.

"Hello? Who is it? Speak."

"Is this Zhao Shi?" The voice on the other end sounded like a sharp weapon, short words carrying a chilling threat.

"Captain?" Zhao Shi instinctively straightened up, then realized he was no longer in the military. "This is Zhao Shi. Wait... Xiao Liu, come take over for me, I need to take a call."

"What is it?" Zhao Shi had a premonition of something ominous.

"Come to City S. Call me when you get there, the same number. Hurry."

"Yes." Zhao Shi answered almost immediately, a reflex he couldn't shake. The other party didn't give him a chance to refuse, hanging up with a click. Zhao Shi didn't want to refuse either. The captain's word was an order, and following orders meant survival.

...

City S was a major military and industrial city in the north. The people there spoke as if they had eaten a mouthful of pepper, but they were also straightforward and honest.

Getting off the train, Zhao Shi tightened his small bag. Inside was nothing special, just a few changes of clothes and his beloved Tiger Tooth.

Exiting the station, Zhao Shi was not particularly tall, standing at 1.71 meters, just out of the second-class disability category. His appearance was average, nothing outstanding. His face, miraculously unscathed by the battles and smoke, stood out in stark contrast to his battered body. In the crowd of people leaving the station, he was inconspicuous.

As soon as he stepped out of the station, a feeling of being watched washed over him. Zhao Shi casually scanned the surroundings, his hand already reaching into his bag, gripping the Tiger Tooth tightly.

But he soon relaxed. A tall, muscular man, nearly 1.8 meters tall, pushed through the crowd. He wore casual clothes that looked expensive but seemed comical on his bear-like frame, which stretched the fabric to the breaking point. His towering figure, fierce eyes, and a face scarred from countless cuts made people step aside without resistance. When he reached Zhao Shi, they looked at each other for a moment before embracing tightly.

The man then released his grip, his voice deep and simple, "Stone, you're not late. Follow me."

They walked silently to the parking lot. After a while, Zhao Shi said, "Tiger, how is everyone?"

"Good, all of them. But..." the man paused, "Viper is dead, and... you'll know when you see the captain."

Silence fell again, but Zhao Shi felt a fleeting, inexplicable pain, a pain of shared sorrow. They were a unique group, each with their own past, some of which could be called legendary, but they never talked about their lives before joining the military. They didn't discuss ideals, knowing that only a few of them would ever return to society, while the rest would end up on the battlefield, perhaps without even leaving a corpse behind. Ideals were a luxury for people like them.

So, death did not cause much of a ripple in their hearts.

In an old jeep, they sat like strangers, Zhao Shi looking indifferently at the passing streets and buildings, just as he did in the military, where silence was the main theme.

The car stopped in front of a small tavern. They got out, "The captain is waiting inside."

Entering the only private room in the tavern, the atmosphere was heavy, almost suffocating. But when Zhao Shi saw the person at the head of the table, he straightened up and saluted, a standard military salute that looked somewhat comical with his short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

The other person nodded slightly, "You're here, sit down."

The captain looked older, with gray hair, and Zhao Shi thought, "The captain is getting old," but he didn't say anything more, sitting down silently.

The others nodded at Zhao Shi, but no one spoke. Zhao Shi's eyes swept over their faces: Wang Hongjun, Liu Guang, and Xie Aimin. Familiar yet strange faces made Zhao Shi uncomfortable. He turned his gaze to the captain, Wang Aiguo, who was much older than them, a strict and domineering middle-aged man, but a good captain, now probably a colonel.

"Wait, someone else is coming." The captain explained, perhaps noticing Zhao Shi's confusion.

The room fell silent again, with only the occasional sound of sipping water and the smell of cigarette smoke filling the air.

Zhao Shi didn't smoke. He knew that cigarettes were a good way to relieve stress, and most soldiers were heavy smokers, but he avoided it because he was a covert operative, and the smell of smoke could expose him to the enemy. As others smoked, he counted the ticks of the large clock on the wall and the number of times the attractive waitress entered, her face always looking as if she had seen a ghost, making him realize how different they were from the people around them.

The door opened, and Tiger entered, finding a chair and sitting down, making it creak under his weight.

Then, a man in his thirties, looking vibrant, followed. Compared to the others, this man had a lot more life in him. But when Zhao Shi saw him, he frowned slightly. He recognized the man and didn't like him.

But the others stood up, even the usually strict captain smiled and nodded. Zhao Shi sighed inwardly, cursing under his breath, and stood up.

"Brothers, I'm late. Sorry to keep you waiting. Old Wang, why did you choose such a shabby place? It took me a while to find it. Well, since I'm here, I'll treat you. Let's go to the Imperial City Hotel. We haven't seen each other in years, we should have a good time..."

The man spoke in the typical Beijing accent, with the characteristic teasing and carefree attitude of a Beijinger. Indeed, he was still the same.

Zhao Shi's dislike of this man, Jin Chengmin, wasn't just because of his attitude. Jin Chengmin was a typical high-ranking official's son, with a grandfather who was a founding hero and a father who became wealthy during the reform and opening up. But this young man's luck was poor. His grandfather, to make up for his father's inability to join the military, disregarded the family's objections and sent this pampered child into the military, specifically into their secret special forces unit. According to his grandfather, a man who didn't go to war was a coward, and his father was the biggest coward of all. Jin Chengmin didn't want to be a coward, so he joined.

But despite his words, Jin Chengmin, in Zhao Shi's eyes, remained a spoiled brat. He was not sent on dangerous missions, avoided hard work, and trained sporadically, almost like he was in the military for retirement. It was annoying to look at him.

But Jin Chengmin had connections, and Zhao Shi, a commoner trying to redeem himself, couldn't afford to offend him. He also knew why the others treated him differently. When they were discharged, Jin Chengmin had helped them stay in the military. When Zhao Shi was discharged, this young man had also approached him, saying that with his skills and experience, staying in the military as an instructor was a sure thing. But Zhao Shi, disliking the man and tired of military life, chose to become a traffic police officer in City C.