Chapter 67: Bruce's Ambition

"Alright, alright! Enough fooling around!" Wu Ming paused, sitting down on the sofa. He rubbed his eyes and asked Ling Mei, "Senior Sister, we've finished reading the dossiers. How are the people we've chosen?"

"They're ready, Master. Here they are!" Ling Mei pointed at the dossiers on the table.

"What!" Wu Ming's eyes nearly popped out. "How are there still so many?" The others turned their heads in alarm.

"It's not that many, just a few!" Ling Mei glanced back and then laughed, "Oops, sorry, I pointed at the wrong pile." She pressed a hand to her forehead, clearly dizzy from exhaustion.

"You scared me!" Wu Ming patted his chest to calm himself. "In these times, being startled by people is enough to kill, Senior Sister!"

"This... was a mistake... really," Ling Mei said, embarrassed.

"Let me see who we have." Wu Ming reached for the files, looking through them one by one. "Blade Warrior, Blood Kirin, Quantum Fighter, Spacetime Hunter, and then the Phoenix King (unknown)." He frowned. "Why is the Phoenix King marked as unknown?"

Ling Mei shrugged. "I don't know either, but look at the note on that dossier. That's why I kept it."

"A note? What does it say?" Wu Ming looked closely and was startled. "This person has a deep connection with the Dao Gate, once wielded the Mirror of Mountains and Seas! What...?"

"So, I don't know much more. All that's left is the name, nothing else." Ling Mei had no further answers, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Alright... If they could wield the Mirror of Mountains and Seas, surely they're one of us!" Wu Ming asserted, acknowledging his own standing. He himself could do little but possessed the Mirror, and so valued others as he wished to be valued. As he glanced at Spacetime Hunter, he fell into memories. "It's her..."

"Hey, hey, Master? What's wrong?" Ling Mei deliberately shook him awake.

"Ah... nothing. She's from my hometown, that's all." Wu Ming explained.

"Hahaha... hahahaha!" Everyone burst out laughing. Ling Mei was the first to speak. "More like an old flame! The dossier is clear: the person she cares about most is someone called Brother Ming. Old hometown, indeed! The only reason she's on the list is because of those three words: 'Brother Ming!'"

Her words stirred Wu Ming's heart. He'd grown up with the girl, but after moving with his parents, they'd lost touch. Back then, she was just a little girl; now, she had become a graceful young woman. Wu Ming felt as if he'd found a girlfriend and could only smile sheepishly.

"So, what's for dinner tonight, Master? How will you thank Senior Sister?" Ling Mei pressed on relentlessly. "Thousands of files! Imagine if I'd tossed them, there'd be no Master’s wife... It's a great merit!" The others nodded in unison, echoing, "Right... right... right..."

"I'm poor. How about I treat you all to exotic beasts?" Wu Ming reverted to his stingy ways.

"Please! Stingy! Don't regret it later, Junior Brother. You have the dossiers, but not the people," Ling Mei posed another challenge.

"So?" Wu Ming was about to ask, but Ling Mei stopped him with an outstretched hand. "No, I don't know. I'd rather eat exotic beasts and go to bed. Look, even my crow's feet are showing." The others stood up, preparing to leave.

"Stay right there!" Wu Ming snapped. "You can't just leave! The Master is asking you!"

"Please instruct us, Master!" Ling Mei replied, feigning anger.

"Pick anything you want to eat!" Wu Ming finally relented, knowing he was about to be fleeced again. He covered his face and sighed, "Goodness, next month I'll be surviving on air..."

"Yay..." The group went wild. They had succeeded.

...

Inside Bruce's villa.

"Young Master, something strange happened today. I must report it to you myself," Ma Hu said mysteriously.

---

"Really? Something strange? Go on then!" Bruce was clearly uninterested, responding perfunctorily. Still, as a subordinate, Ma Hu deserved at least some attention.

"Two people want to join us... but both have superpowers!" Ma Hu thought he'd accomplished something great and excitedly described their abilities to Bruce.

"One is called Blood Prince. He claims he's skilled at bloodsucking; each time he drinks blood, his strength multiplies, and he can take on his victim's appearance. To demonstrate, our own people let him take a small sip—sure enough, it was remarkable!" Ma Hu was animated, while Yan Yu beside him looked nauseated.

"The other is Poison Prince. He loves filth, can absorb all the stench from sewer water, turning it clear, and the toxins he extracts can kill a cow. He demonstrated as well—I verified it myself." Ma Hu gestured energetically, describing both Poison Prince and Blood Prince.

"Is that so? What about the Dao Gate I asked you to investigate?" Bruce ignored the rest.

"Young Master, that's exactly what I wanted to say. The people I sent couldn't find anything, but these two knew all about it. They know Wu Ming is forming a squad, though specifics are unclear. He has no girlfriend, no family. But there is a woman who has liked him since childhood—she’s a university student; the exact school needs verification."

"Where are these two? Bring them to me in five minutes!" Bruce was now interested. He smiled at Ma Hu, "Ma Hu, good work. Make more connections with such people; they're useful for our business, understand?"

"Understood, Young Master!" Ma Hu was ecstatic, already calculating the one hundred million Hong Kong dollars in his mind.

"By the way, the hundred million I mentioned before—I'll add another hundred million, making it two hundred million!" Bruce was prodigal with his wealth.

"Young Master, this..." Yan Yu tried to speak, since the two hundred million was their week's revenue in Hong Kong.

Bruce raised his left hand to stop Yan Yu, then said to Ma Hu, "You did well. With the extra hundred million, find me two more talents like this and assemble an elite force of a hundred men. As for funding, you'll have control over thirty percent of all Hong Kong income."

Hearing this, Ma Hu nearly knelt in gratitude. "Thank you, Young Master! I will serve you with all my heart, risking everything!"

That thirty percent meant over a billion!

"Yan Yu, step aside for now. I can tell you can't handle those two pests," Bruce said, concerned.

Ma Hu quickly opened the door for Yan Yu, and then trotted out.

"Ma Hu, you almost disgusted me to death!" Yan Yu complained.

"Yan Yu, I had no choice. They really are talented," Ma Hu defended himself.

"I am Blood Prince."

"I am Poison Prince."

"Greetings, Young Master. May you accept us." The former Stench Bug and Filth Ghost greeted Bruce in unison.

"You are the Blood Prince and Poison Prince Ma Hu told me about?" Bruce spoke softly, unimpressed.

"That's us..."

"You stink! I can smell it from here!" Bruce laughed.

"Impossible! We disguised ourselves well," Stench Bug whispered.

"Haha, you bloodsucking bug, your aura is leaking," Bruce immediately spotted their weakness. Ever since absorbing the soul of a strange beast, Bruce's powers had greatly increased, and he could see through them at a glance. "And you, filthy water—you're holding too much garbage; are you not bloated?"

Their foreheads beaded with sweat as they knelt hastily.

---

"Please instruct us in arcane arts, Young Master! We pledge our lives to your service!" Stench Bug and Filth Ghost had now pledged themselves utterly to Bruce.

"Alright, seeing you have some ability, I'll grant you two beast souls, so you truly possess primal spirits." With that, he spat out two beast souls, one flying into Stench Bug's mouth, the other into Filth Ghost's.

"What’s happening... ah..." Their eyes glowed red and black, respectively. "This is power!" The souls fused perfectly with their bodies, and their strength visibly increased severalfold. Stench Bug spat out a puddle of blood, while Filth Ghost produced black, foul-smelling water.

"From today, you are my two Hall Masters. You, Hall Master of Bloodlust Hall; you, Hall Master of Five Venoms Hall. Look at what you've spat out," Bruce said.

They looked down. Stench Bug saw a red dagger before him; Filth Ghost saw a black gourd. "Are these our magical tools?"

"Thank you, Young Master, for your favor. Our lives belong to you. We will never forget your great kindness and will serve you unto death!" Both were nearly in tears with gratitude. They had become members of Bruce's evil organization. Previously, Ma Hu was the Hall Master among humans; now, with the addition of these two, Bruce had assembled all five Hall Masters.

"Now, I have a task for you both!" Having just given them a reward, Bruce was ready to send his new dogs out to hunt.

"Command us, Young Master!" Both responded eagerly.

"Go and bring me the woman you know about. Remember, I want her alive!" Bruce instructed them.

"Young Master, that may not be easy!" Stench Bug spoke up. Bruce noticed the issue.

"Is there a problem?"

"To answer, Young Master, the woman is odd. I’ve drunk the blood of many people, and in their memories, there’s always a segment that seems to rewind—as if reloaded..."

"Is that so? Reloaded memories? Could it be a reversal in time?" Bruce pondered for a moment.

"Yes, yes, yes! That’s it!" Stench Bug half-knelt.

"It's simple. Do this..." Bruce whispered instructions to the two Hall Masters.

"You are wise, Young Master. We will not disappoint and will capture this superhuman alive!" Both saluted and withdrew, leaving Bruce alone in the reception hall.

"Hmph... Dao Gate! Wu Ming! I will destroy you! The Mirror of Mountains and Seas will be mine!" Bruce’s eyes burned with hatred, recalling past grudges.

A knocking interrupted Bruce’s reverie.

"Come in..."

"Young Master, there is news of the Phoenix King. I plan to set out tomorrow morning to seize the Phoenix King’s soul for you!" Yan Yu reported the important news.

"Good! Good! Good! Good! Good!" Bruce repeated himself five times, so excited he could hardly contain it. "Today is truly a great day! Two generals recruited, and soon I’ll obtain the Phoenix King’s soul... Hahaha! Heaven favors me!" Bruce laughed heartily, while Yan Yu stood in silence, for she knew that if she failed to bring back the Phoenix King’s soul, she would not return.