In a bustling market, a hooded figure moved through the crowd. He entered a modest restaurant and ordered his food at the counter in broken Chinese. Just as he found a table, he felt an unfamiliar gaze upon him.
He sighed as he pulled out a chair and sat down, waiting for his order to arrive. Someone called from behind, "Excuse me, Mr. Hanma?"
Baki sighed and looked up. "A polite mercenary?" When his eyes focused, he found a familiar face with bright red hair—Wu Zhangxun, one of the guards from Tian Wai Tian. It had been a while since he'd seen him, but he hadn't forgotten his face. Wu Zhangxun was one of a kind, after all. He'd fought against Tom Lee and Jinchoel Park head-on on their first meeting, though the result had been tragic.
Wu Zhangxun was unusually excited. "I hope you recognize me, Mr. Hanma. I am—"
Baki cut him off. "Yeah, I remember you. You're the guy from Tian Wai Tian who messed up when you came to escort Manager Kim to China."
Wu Zhangxun awkwardly scratched his cheek. "I-If that's how you remember me... that's good. May I sit here?"
Baki nodded. "If you want to, why not?"
A waiter arrived with Baki's order. Baki thanked him in broken Chinese, and the waiter left.
Wu Zhangxun looked pleasantly surprised. "You know Chinese?"
Baki took a bite of his food and nodded. "Yeah. It's been a while since I came to China—I couldn't help but pick up the language."
Wu Zhangxun's eyes widened. "Th-that's incredible. You picked up Chinese in less than a week!"
Baki continued eating. "So, are you keeping tabs on me?"
Wu Zhangxun waved his hand exaggeratedly. "No, no, no. I just came across the information when I started searching for you. You've become quite a celebrity on the internet. Albeit an evil one... according to the internet."
Baki chuckled. "That's something I expected. I am not exactly a good person, am I? I didn't want a bunch of rats coming after me. It was a warning sign, and it seems to have done its job."
Wu Zhangxun seemed surprised by Baki's answer. "I suppose you could say that. Though I'm sure the police gave you a difficult time."
Baki smiled. "Indeed, but they also tightened security and captured quite a few mercenaries after me. Overall, it was a win as long as I didn't get caught."
Wu Zhangxun scratched his cheek. "You're truly a genius."
Baki nodded. "I know that. Tell me something new, like why you were searching for me."
Wu Zhangxun slapped his forehead. "Pardon me. I almost forgot my original mission. I was actually sent by Gwigwan-Nim to assist you."
Baki lifted his fork. "And why would he do that?"
Wu Zhangxun's expression darkened. "After Pengguan-Nim's death, T Group came after Tian Wai Tian like a hungry wolf. Because of them, our stocks have dropped to the lowest in Tian Wai Tian's history. And they still haven't stopped their attacks. Fortunately, Taehwa-Nim and Gwigwan-Nim came together to address the situation."
Baki raised an eyebrow. "Cho Taehwa? I didn't expect Gwigwan to work with his father's killer."
Wu Zhangxun coughed slightly. "Yes.Though Taehwa-Nim wanted to redeem himself by surrendering, Tian Wai Tian's situation was too critical. So Gwigwan-Nim needed his help."
Baki took the last bite of his food. "So? How can you help me?"
Wu Zhangxun smiled. "We can take you to the president of T Group."
Baki raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Now that's unexpected. How will you do that?"
Wu Zhangxun smiled. "Shall we go somewhere more private?"
Baki nodded as he stood. "Why not? Let's go."
Baki followed Wu Zhangxun to a black limousine. Once inside, Wu Zhangxun continued his explanation. "You know Gwigwan-Nim was a teacher at Songdo S International School. You might even remember his students."
Baki nodded. Wu Zhangxun continued, "One of his students got invited by the T Group's president. If our information is correct, President Wang wants to marry off his daughter and is searching for a groom."
Vivi and Xiaolong's faces flashed before Baki's eyes. "I thought they'd make a good couple. I guess some things aren't meant to be," Baki murmured.
Wu Zhangxun asked, "Sorry, did you say something?"
Baki shook his head. Wu Zhangxun continued, "So that's the situation. We can send you with Gwigwan-Nim's student to T Group."
Baki leaned toward Wu Zhangxun and smiled coldly. "Is that Taehwa's idea? To borrow me as a knife to finish off Tian Wai Tian's opponent?"
Sweat formed on Wu Zhangxun's forehead. "I-I, we—"
Baki smiled. "It's okay. That's expected from that man's son. I dug into his backstory a while ago. His father, he was a great man. Albeit a little too dedicated to his work. But he created the God's Realm, I heard."
Wu Zhangxun awkwardly scratched his cheek. Baki tapped his shoulder. "It's okay. I guess you don't know about it since it's classified information. Instead, tell me when I get to go to T Group."
Wu Zhangxun nodded. "One week. The invitation is for one week from now."
Baki stretched his arms. "I guess I'll have to wait another week."
---
Red Dragon Headquarters
Hou Qing stood in a dark room with his head bowed.
A deep voice pierced through the darkness. "What is it?"
Sweat formed on Hou Qing's back. "Bro— Leader, an escort request has been issued to our organization."
The voice echoed once again. "Did you need to inform me about such a trivial matter?"
Hou Qing stuttered. "I-It's from T Group."
The voice hummed. "You don't need to ask permission to accept such missions."
Hou Qing's face was covered in sweat. "T-They want you to lead the escort. They're willing to pay up to 7 million dollars."
The room fell silent for a long moment before boisterous laughter broke through. "Hahahaha! They want the Dragon of Heaven to serve them? It's been a while since I moved around. Tell them to pay 10 million dollars and I'll show up. Hahaha!"
Hou Qing finally released a breath of relief. "Y-Yes. I'll be going then, Leader." With that, Hou Qing left.
A large figure emerged from the darkness. A massive dragon tattoo coiled around the figure's body as if the dragon were embracing him. His face remained shrouded in shadow. His white teeth glinted in the darkness. "Ah~ This dragon will go treasure hunting after a long time."