In the afternoon, Hailong returned to the small fishing village. He had bought the car, but the time for Guan Daqiu's return was also approaching. Hailong needed to urge everyone to intensify their training.
As soon as he arrived at the beach, the group saw Hailong and ran to his side, all beaming with joy. Curiously, Hailong said, "Why are you all standing here grinning instead of training?"
The group laughed and said, "Good news, boss." They then parted to make way for Li Guohui, who walked over and knelt before Hailong. This action startled Hailong, who quickly stepped back and said, "Old Li, what are you doing? Get up quickly."
Li Guohui said, "Hailong, today you helped Li Guohui overcome his inner demon and restored his dignity. I have nothing to repay you with, but I have nothing to offer except my life. From now on, Li Guohui's life belongs to you. Whatever you command, I will do it without hesitation, and this vow is witnessed by heaven and sealed with blood." He then took out a dagger he had prepared, exposed his chest, and, like Liu Yongan and the others, deeply cut into his chest.
Seeing Li Guohui do this, Hailong's smile faded, and he stood solemnly before Li Guohui, accepting his loyalty. When all the formalities were over, Hailong helped Li Guohui up and said, "From now on, we are brothers. Welcome to the family."
Seeing Li Guohui cut his chest without flinching, the group cheered. Hailong had not expected Li Guohui to pledge his loyalty over this matter, but what Hailong didn't know was that over the past two months, Li Guohui had been deeply moved by Hailong's righteousness and had already decided to follow him, though not to the point of risking his life. However, today's events had completely won Li Guohui over.
After leaving the 4S store, Li Guohui, driving alone, came to the beach in the small fishing village, feeling troubled. Recalling what had happened at the Mercedes-Benz 4S store, Li Guohui never imagined that Hailong would help him so much. Despite being his boss, Hailong had been willing to lose face to help him regain his dignity in front of his ex-girlfriend. When Li Guohui returned to the 4S store, the manager specifically told him that Hailong's girlfriend had seen everything and seemed very embarrassed because Hailong had introduced himself as a driver, but Hailong had not offered any explanation. Li Guohui was truly impressed by Hailong's righteousness.
Sitting on the beach, he saw Liu Yongquan exercising alone by the sea. Li Guohui called Liu Yongquan over and said, "Yongquan, how about we chat for a bit?"
Liu Yongquan, who was running and sweating profusely, knew that the coach had something on his mind. He stopped and came to Li Guohui's side, saying, "Sure, Coach, what's up?"
Li Guohui smiled and said, "Nothing much, just wondering why you all follow Hailong."
Liu Yongquan replied, "The boss has been good to us, to all the young people in this fishing village."
Li Guohui asked, "Is it because he pays you?"
Liu Yongquan shook his head and said, "Even if the boss didn't pay us, we would still be happy to follow him. His kindness isn't just about money; it's about other things. And after two months of interaction, you can see the kind of person he is. He's not just fair to us; he genuinely cares about us. It feels good to follow him, both in life and in work."
Li Guohui chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Does the boss have a girlfriend? I haven't seen him bring her to the fishing village."
Liu Yongquan, feeling a bit frustrated, said, "Are women these days all crazy? The boss is such a good man, but she insists on being his sister first, saying they need to get to know each other better before deciding if they should date. Can't she see how much the boss loves her? Besides, the boss is rich and handsome, what else does she need to know?"
Hearing this, Li Guohui thought to himself, "This is bad. The incident at the 4S store will definitely affect Hailong's relationship with his girlfriend. I should have known better."
Liu Yongquan continued, "I don't know what's so great about that woman, but the boss always talks about her. I want to see what she looks like, to understand what makes the boss so infatuated."
After talking with Liu Yongquan, Li Guohui seemed to have made up his mind. He said to Liu Yongquan, "Yongquan, can the coach join your group?"
Liu Yongquan was confused and said, "We don't have a group."
Li Guohui was also confused and said, "Then what kind of organization are you? Why does everyone call Hailong 'boss'?"
Liu Yongquan said, "That's a secret, I can't tell you."
Li Guohui was speechless and continued, "Let me put it this way. I've been moved by your boss's righteousness and want to call him 'boss' too. What should I do?"
Liu Yongquan finally understood and said, "If you had said that earlier, I would have understood. Joining us isn't easy, but after two months of getting to know you, the brothers should have no objections to your joining. However, the conditions are strict. You must be completely loyal to the boss and never betray him. To show your sincerity, you must also cut your chest like we did." He then showed Li Guohui the long scar on his chest.
Li Guohui suddenly understood why each of the 24 people had a long scar on their chest. Whenever he asked about it, they would just smile mysteriously without saying anything. Now he knew why.
Li Guohui nodded and said, "I understand." Later that afternoon, after selling crabs and returning for dinner at Liu Yongquan's house, Li Guohui told everyone about his desire to join. Everyone was very welcoming of Li Guohui's joining, but to be cautious, Liu Yongan said to Li Guohui, "Coach, we're not trying to make it difficult for you, but I have one question. If you can answer it honestly, we'll make a decision."
Liu Yongan asked, "If the boss asks you to kill a stranger who has nothing to do with you, would you do it?"
Li Guohui laughed and said, "You young people underestimate me. Do you forget what I do for a living? In the five years I was a mercenary, I killed nearly 500 people with my sniper rifle. None of them had anything to do with me. Living in a world of blood and fire isn't easy."
Liu Yongan slapped his head, realizing he had forgotten about this. What seemed like the most difficult question to Liu Yongan and the others was the easiest for Li Guohui, who had once made a living by killing. With this issue resolved, everyone had no objections to Li Guohui's joining. This led to the scene at the beach.
After Liu Yongan bandaged Li Guohui's chest, Hailong told everyone to continue their training. Seeing everyone disperse, Li Guohui said first, "Boss, I know what you want to say. You don't need to. Seeing you train these people, I know you must have enemies. You're preparing to take them down, right?"
Hailong had also been thinking about this, but he wanted to persuade Li Guohui to leave. Since Li Guohui was no longer a mercenary, Hailong didn't want to involve him. He said, "The enemy is very strong. I'm afraid you might lose your life. It's too dangerous, so don't join."
Li Guohui patted his chest and said, "Boss, don't underestimate me just because I have a limp. I'm a sniper. My strength isn't in close combat but in long-range shooting. I forgot to tell you that my sniper rifle is still at home, and I have 10 bullets left."
Hearing this, Hailong was completely surprised and said, "How did you manage to bring a gun to Donghai? There are so many checkpoints."
Li Guohui smiled and said, "Smuggling, of course. Some of us mercenaries who returned from Myanmar started smuggling to make money. My sniper rifle was smuggled back this way. If you want to buy weapons, I can help you. I can also teach these guys how to shoot. Killing with a gun is my specialty."
Hailong was delighted and said, "Old Li, you really know how to keep things hidden. With your help, I'm even more hopeful about the future." During the evening gathering, Hailong had Liu Yongan and the others explain the purpose of their training to Li Guohui. Li Guohui then understood why Liu Yongan and the others were so devoted to Hailong. Hailong had done so much for them.
Whenever Guan Daqiu was mentioned, everyone was worried. Seeing their expressions, Hailong nodded at Liu Yongan and said, "Tell them."
Li Guohui said, "Don't worry. Since I've joined you, I'll show you my true skills. I have a way to buy weapons. I've already discussed it with the boss. We plan to buy a batch of weapons, and I'll use the remaining month to teach you how to use them. When Guan Daqiu returns, we'll give him a surprise."
Hearing that Li Guohui could buy weapons, everyone was thrilled. Liu Yongan was excited and said, "Boss, with guns, we don't have to fear Guan Daqiu. One shot will take him down."
Hailong smiled and said, "Exactly, that's what I was thinking. And Old Li has a Barrett sniper rifle with a range of 2000 meters. If we want to assassinate, Old Li can take care of Guan Daqiu alone. But I want to completely destroy Guan Daqiu's influence to prevent anyone from seeking revenge later. So, you all need to learn how to use weapons from Old Li. When the time comes, we'll take down Guan Daqiu and everyone who bullied us in the past." Everyone cheered loudly.