Chapter 14: Who Exactly Is This Guan Sheng?

After leaving Li Yuyan’s office, Guan Sheng returned to the Security Department.

Having been back in the country for two days, Guan Sheng felt deeply unsettled by the constant restrictions everywhere.

If those who had provoked him were abroad, they would have been dead hundreds of times over by now.

To maim them was only wasting his energy.

Wasn’t it easier to settle matters with a single stroke?

But there was no choice; after all, this was the Dragon Nation. While he could disregard others’ opinions, he still had to show some respect to that old man’s face.

Recalling the years spent carrying out missions abroad, that elder had extended many favors to recruit him.

Guan Sheng was merely cold, indifferent, and accustomed to solitude, but that didn’t mean he was ungrateful or utterly shameless.

On the contrary, he was more principled than most hypocrites.

Repay kindness with kindness, repay enmity with enmity—that was his rule!

Now that he had returned to that old man’s homeland, it was only right to show a little respect.

Thinking of the security guards who had already begun to regard him with awe, Guan Sheng sighed inwardly and thought: It seems I’m still not qualified to be a true strongman.

Yet the moment he arrived at the Security Department and saw the guards squatting in horse stance in the hall, he was stunned.

“Minister, the minister is back!”

Someone called out, and the guards, whose legs had been trembling and faces sweating, all turned to look.

Upon seeing Guan Sheng, each one smiled warmly and greeted him affectionately.

“Minister, how’s our horse stance? Is it up to standard?”

“Minister, we haven’t slacked off. As soon as our shift ended, we began squatting just as you ordered.”

“Yeah, minister, I have to admit, doing horse stance actually helped—I don’t have back pain anymore.”

“Minister, did the young lady give you a hard time? Are you alright, minister?”

At that moment, Guan Sheng was momentarily dazed.

These people had really followed his orders and were squatting here?

Their smiles didn’t seem forced.

And those warm greetings, those genuine concerns—were they real?

For a while, Guan Sheng felt out of place; such warm words were rarely heard abroad, where only the occasional concern from his master punctuated the cold, icy gazes.

Was this... respect?

He stood there in a daze for a while before quickly changing the subject: “How is Old Zhang?”

Wait, what kind of question was that?

He was actually... concerned about someone else?

A guard replied, “Minister, Old Zhang was sent to the hospital. They said it’s not too serious—he broke a rib, but since he was brought in promptly, a half-month’s rest will see him recovered.”

“Minister, you’re different from previous ministers. We all trust you. If anything comes up, just give us a word.”

Once he spoke, others chimed in.

“Yes, minister, we all trust you.”

“Minister, what should we do next?”

“Minister...”

The sudden shift in their attitude caught Guan Sheng off guard.

He was an assassin, skilled only in killing.

Managing a department was truly unfamiliar territory.

After a few moments of bewilderment, he waved his hand and told them to continue with their usual tasks.

He added only one extra rule: each person must spend an hour every day squatting in horse stance. Nothing more.

...

Meanwhile, at Jiangcheng First Hospital, Liu Long lay stiffly in a ward, his body wrapped in bandages.

A young man in a white suit stood coldly by the bedside, looking down on Liu Long with a dark, sinister gaze.

Beside them, Liu Long’s attending physician wore a fawning smile.

“Young Master Xu, that’s about the situation. Standing up again will be difficult; he’ll be disabled for the rest of his life.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Long’s eyes widened with anger and desperation. “No... no...”

“Young Master Xu, you must avenge me. You must make that Guan Sheng suffer a fate worse than death.”

“Young Master Xu!”

“Shut up.” Xu Tao snapped coldly.

Liu Long immediately fell silent, bloodshot eyes welling.

Xu Tao gestured for the doctor to leave.

“Don’t forget, that old security guard’s surgery must fail. Success is not an option.”

“If it weren’t for him, my men wouldn’t be in this state.”

“That Guan Sheng likes to protect his subordinates, right? I’ll make sure his men pay a painful price for his foolishness.”

The corpulent, greasy-faced attending physician hesitated.

“This…”

Xu Tao added, “If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility.”

“Just focus on the operation.”

“As long as no one dies, I can handle it.”

“If it’s done well, I’ll help you get your son into the elite school.”

Instantly, the doctor nodded repeatedly, slapping his chest. “Rest assured, Young Master Xu. I guarantee a flawless job.”

He then left the ward.

After he left, Xu Tao looked toward his subordinate coldly. “Have you found anything about that Guan Sheng?”

The subordinate lowered his head. “Sorry, Young Master Xu, we’re useless. We can’t find any trace of this guy. His records seem deliberately hidden.”

“Hidden?” Xu Tao narrowed his eyes and pulled out his phone, dialing a number.

“Beep... beep... beep...”

Soon the call connected, and a familiar voice answered.

“Hello?”

Xu Tao smiled. “President Wang, it’s me, Xu Tao.”

On the other end, Wang Sihu, who was smoking in frustration, changed expression sharply upon hearing it was the young master of the Xu family. “Oh, Young Master Xu.”

“Is there something you need?”

“No visit without a reason. Of course, I have a matter.”

“President Wang, I want you to investigate someone for me. That man is the trusted head of security at the Li Family Charity Group. His name is Guan Sheng.”

“Guan Sheng?” Hearing the name, Wang Sihu was startled and suddenly stood up from his chair.

“Say that again!”

“Who do you want investigated?”

“Guan Sheng!” Xu Tao repeated.

Wang Sihu trembled as he asked, “Do you have a grudge against him?”

Xu Tao nodded. “That guy crippled one of my men today.”

Is that so?

Wang Sihu’s face darkened. Thinking of his old commander’s warning, he instinctively wanted Xu Tao to avoid trouble, but recalling his disfigured daughter, he felt reluctant.

After a pause, a cold smile curved his lips.

“Oh, so that’s how it is. Don’t worry, Young Master Xu. Take care of him as you please. He’s just a powerless nobody, a small-time thug from Li Township, begging for scraps.”

Satisfied with the answer, Xu Tao hung up.

He had thought this was some high-level secret figure.

Turns out he was just a petty thug.

No wonder there were no records. A lifetime in the countryside—what information could there be?

He looked at Liu Long. “Rest easy.”

“That Guan Sheng... I’ll make him suffer a miserable death.”

Saying this, he turned to his men and ordered, “Issue a bounty in the underworld.”

“One million to whoever kills Guan Sheng.”

“Yes, sir!”

—

Elsewhere, after ending the call, Wang Sihu gazed out the window.

“Guan Sheng!”

“Come on! Let me see who you really are.”