Chapter 18

Not long after the conversation between the young man and his adoptive mother, on the other side of the world.

A superliner named "Poseidon's Palace," nearly four hundred meters long, seventy meters wide, and with a displacement of 260,000 tons, sailed steadily in the sunny North Atlantic, the vast ocean between Europe and Africa. The massive ship, larger than an aircraft carrier, resembled a mythical behemoth, moving gracefully through the endless blue.

On this superliner, owned by a private consortium, the female attendants dressed in white gauze, styled in ancient Greek fashion, each possessed the slender figures and stunning beauty of international models, serving the social elites on board with charming smiles.

"Just how special are these 'elites' on board," a middle-aged man of Asian descent, of medium build, wearing a custom-made suit from Anderson & Sheppard on Savile Row in London, mused as he strolled along, casually scanning the passengers on the first deck of the cruise ship.

On the far right, by the railing, a white man accompanied by two bodyguards was smiling and chatting with a fiery beauty. He was the Russian super-oligarch, Roman Abramovich. Across from him, under a sun umbrella, a man sat with a carefree expression, sipping juice. He was the leader of the mercenary group "Black Mamba Party," which had just overthrown a country in Africa, Black Mamba Serak. Beside him, a gaunt, bearded man with a somewhat stern expression was chatting with him. He was the leader of another armed group, Osama.

In the distance, a pair of East Asians had just emerged from the cabin. They were the strongman of Japan, spanning politics, economy, and society, known as the "Light of Yamato," and the head of the far-right organization "Shinkoku Fukkai Kai," Daigo Shikirou, and his wife.

A Middle Eastern beauty, accompanied by three servants, was the heretical evil of the Arab Islamic world, the "Eternal Sacred Flame," a religious armed group that combined Zoroastrianism, Druze, and Sufi doctrines. She was the high priestess, Anahita Mazta. Her father, Husayn Mazta, was not only the leader of the "Eternal Sacred Flame" but also the most dangerous monster in the Arab world, known as the "Mad Sorcerer." It was said that he disliked having many guards and lived alone in a certain oasis in the Sahara Desert, meditating day and night. Many top assassins and even military forces hired by the leaders of several Islamic countries had tried to assassinate him, but all ended up as dried corpses in the desert.

"However, this monster's daughter is a rare beauty from a foreign land. No wonder she's the one handling diplomacy," the middle-aged man sipped his wine. As the leader of the Zhang family consortium and the group's president, Zhang Xiezu, he was also a major figure in both the legal and illegal circles of Southeast Asia. Although the passengers on board were all influential, he was not far behind.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get this ticket and have the qualifications to attend this private gathering of the elite group that influenced global military, political, and economic spheres.

Zhang Xiezu took a glass of champagne from a passing attendant. He was considering whether to approach Abramovich first or chat with the Middle Eastern beauty when he suddenly saw a familiar face walking onto the open-air bar. Zhang Xiezu immediately put on a smile and walked over quickly.

"Dear Di, my friend!" He opened his arms, showing just the right amount of warmth, "Your ship is fantastic! I just don't know these passengers very well. I'll need your help to introduce me later."

The young man he called "Dear Di" was an exceptionally handsome white man. With a straight nose, arched eyebrows, and deep purple eyes, his slight smile and thin lips exuded a charm that captivated both men and women. He had a natural, harmonious, and refined demeanor.

Gaal-Phoenix, a famous European billionaire and the fifth Golden King, was the owner of this superliner. But his close friends knew he preferred to use a Chinese name with a martial arts flair.

—Di Tiannia.

Hearing Zhang Xiezu's greeting, Di Tiannia stopped and smiled, "Of course, and I have some good news. Your application has been approved."

"Approved?" Zhang Xiezu took a deep breath, his pupils narrowing. He pondered for a moment, "Di, I'll remember your help with this."

"More because of your own outstanding abilities," Di Tiannia smiled, "But after joining, you'll still need to go through an observation period. You know, the old rules."

"Understood." Zhang Xiezu looked around and whispered, "No wonder you invited me to this gathering. Are all the people on this ship pre-selected for absorption?"

"Not exactly," Di Tiannia waved his hand, "In the past few years, only two 'observation seats' have been officially filled. You are one of them. The others are just normal business acquaintances."

"That makes the seat quite hard to get." Zhang Xiezu asked casually, "Can you tell me who the other one is?"

"Sure, you'll meet them eventually," Di Tiannia said nonchalantly, "That Japanese guy over there."

He said this in Chinese, using a term that was distinctly Chinese. Zhang Xiezu smiled, glancing slightly toward Daigo Shikirou, "So it's him... the heir of Japan's largest conglomerate, I heard several cabinet members were elected with his family's help?"

"Zhang, you're still misunderstanding something," Di Tiannia winked at Zhang Xiezu, "Your wealth and influence are valuable, but the fundamental reason for your selection is your own talent and potential. Especially your timely involvement in the 'Starship Debris' incident through your relationship with the Qin family. The higher-ups are very pleased with that."

"I just had a sudden idea. Too bad it landed in the East China Sea, right at the intersection of China, Japan, and South Korea. If it had flown a bit more south, I could have had more room to maneuver."

Zhang Xiezu finished his champagne in one gulp, "Alien stuff... who wouldn't be envious and angry? Especially the Americans, they must be going crazy."

Since last year's "Starship Crash" incident shook the world, technologically advanced countries like the United States have been causing a stir. The EU was drooling with envy but was too far from the Pacific to do much, so they tried to involve Australia and New Zealand. But they couldn't match the United States, which directly controlled Japan and South Korea.

Zhang Xiezu thought to himself: No wonder the head of the "Shinkoku Fukkai Kai" would connect with the "Serpent of Wisdom." He must be unhappy with the Americans getting involved in the Japanese waters where the starship debris landed.

After a few more words, several prominent figures from noble families and the political and business worlds approached, smiling, to greet Di Tiannia. Zhang Xiezu naturally got to know them as well. He even struck a business deal with Abramovich.

"Hey, Di," Abramovich, seemingly tired of the constant socializing, suddenly asked, "Is your black monster going to participate in this year's tournament?"

The "tournament" Abramovich referred to was the members-only World Fighting Challenge "Ultimate Arena." The original founder was the European super-billionaire, Duke Helmers. This wealthy man, who enjoyed exotic combat, and his close friends initially formed a private club called the "Arena Club." They organized combat matches with no rules except "no hands" and no weight classes. It gradually evolved into the world's most authoritative martial arts event, far surpassing K-1 and MMA. The membership fee was a million dollars, and each member could recommend up to two fighters. The top ten matches had betting funds exceeding several billion dollars per match.

For the past three years, the throne of the Fighting Emperor had been firmly held by a fighter recommended by Di Tiannia, "Behemoth." Incidentally, Zhang Xiezu knew this "friend" because he was also a member of the World Fighting Challenge and had a boxer who was in the top ten.

"Abu, you know, I have no reason not to let 'Behemoth' participate," Di Tiannia smiled at the Russian super-oligarch.

"Behemoth" was the nickname of his boxer, Gunnar Gorus, derived from the powerful creature created by God on the fifth day of creation in the Book of Job.

"Alright, I don't know where you found such a powerful guy. The thugs I found in Siberia's training camp are like helpless infants compared to him... Hey, would you be willing to transfer him to me?"

Abramovich waved his hand, "I can offer $120 million—no, $150 million in transfer fees! I swear, I want this boxer so badly!"

Di Tiannia just smiled at Abramovich's offer. Both of them knew that a three-time champion in the "World Fighting Challenge" could earn more than $100 million a year. Moreover, the upper echelons could resolve some disputes that couldn't be settled through face or legal means through boxer duels.

"Behemoth is not just my boxer, but also my friend," Di Tiannia raised his glass, "Don't be too disappointed. He's not the strongest in the world. You should look for more."

Abramovich clearly didn't believe him but didn't press the issue. As Zhang Xiezu and Abramovich discussed global political and economic trends, Di Tiannia tactfully excused himself from the group of political and business elites.

Back in his cabin suite, he picked up a magazine that seemed to have been read many times, his gaze filled with complex emotions as he stared at a particular page for three full minutes.

On that page was a photo that had won the latest Pulitzer Prize: in the largest third-world country in Asia, a girl and a boy sat in a somewhat dirty hospital corner. In the dim light and dust, their pure, innocent smiles shone like angels of life.

A few days ago, Di Tiannia had casually flipped through this magazine, but he quickly recognized the girl's familiar features and the unique deep purple eyes. With his resources, he quickly found all the information he wanted.

—Chen Xin, Chen Xian, and the Chinese boy named Li Pu.

He pulled out a slightly yellowed old photo from his pocket and placed it next to the magazine.

In the photo were three children, around ten years old, standing barefoot by the sea. The girl with a ponytail had a sweet, sunny smile that was very captivating. Her hands were holding those of two boys with completely different personalities, and the three of them looked very close.

"Li Tianhao, Chen Tianxin, Di Tiannia, we will never separate, and we will always be the best friends!" On the back of the yellowed photo, there was a round, innocent, and warm-hearted Chinese script, clearly written by a girl.