Chapter Fifteen: The WeChat Group

Special Operations Group C, Second Squadron, Eighth Team.

That is the official roster of the Eighth Team. One team leader, one deputy leader, and thirty-two officially commissioned members. Of course, the Special Operations Group is quite flexible; most members do not work standard office hours, and the majority of communication takes place in group chats. The Eighth Team has one WeChat group and one QQ group. The original group owner was Team Leader Hu Baiming, but after his sacrifice, the role passed to Deputy Leader Sun Hongshan.

Excluding the group owner, Sun Hongshan, there are thirty members online. The two newest recruits, Shen Ye and Hu Qi, have not yet been added to the group.

"Didn't two new members join the Eighth Team? One is Hu Qi, son of Captain Hu Baiming. The other is Shen Ye, grandson of Squadron Leader Shen." After a moment of stunned silence, Deng Xiaozi immediately posted this news in the group.

"I heard. But usually, these 'second-generation' types like Hu Qi just hang around in logistics and never go out into the field. Why bring him up? Is this new guy handsome? Did he charm you, Xiaozi?" asked Ma Nuonuo, a girl in the group known for her cute appearance and penchant for joking, despite being quite shy in person.

"Get lost. It’s not that easy to win my heart. This new guy, Shen Ye, recently took a mission in the Zengzhi District—to deal with Zuo Leng, the 'Left-Handed Swordsman' of the Kidney-Stealing Syndicate. I thought he’d hit a wall for sure. Zuo Leng is a real expert." Deng Xiaozi typed rapidly on her phone.

"Zuo Leng, the Left-Handed Swordsman, has the strength of a 'Three-Bag' tier. His left-handed sword techniques are erratic and unpredictable. Even a 'Four-Bag' weakling could easily fail against him. For a rookie to go looking for trouble with him is basically a death wish. Utterly ignorant of the heights of the world," commented Tang Mo, a veteran member of the Eighth Team with 'Three-Bag' strength. He had once clashed with the Left-Handed Swordsman by chance and lost. However, Zuo Leng had spared his life after realizing he was part of the Special Operations Group. Since then, Tang Mo had harbored a deep dread of the man, and he couldn't help but sneer at the thought of a rookie challenging him.

"He is Squadron Leader Shen’s grandson. If he plays that card, Zuo Leng will have to show some face. A rookie acting impulsively won’t necessarily die," said a man named Feng Leng in the group.

Most of those online in the WeChat group shared similar sentiments. Watching these reactions, the corners of Deng Xiaozi’s eyes curved into crescents. She sent four "laughing out loud" emojis, followed by, "You guys guessed wrong. The battle report I saw says Shen Ye won, and the Left-Handed Swordsman, Zuo Leng, is dead."

"..." Ma Nuonuo.
"..." Tang Mo.
"..." Feng Leng.
"..." Everyone else who had been lurking.

"Impossible. Is there a detailed report?" Tang Mo was the first to ask. "Send it over."

"None. The report is very brief. I asked the officer who delivered it, and he said the detailed version is with Squadron Leader Shen," Deng Xiaozi replied.

"A rookie defeating Zuo Leng? I don't buy it. That guy is incredibly troublesome," Tang Mo insisted. "Without a detailed report, I can only assume that Squadron Leader Shen sent other experts in secret to pad his grandson’s resume."

"That’s highly likely," Feng Leng agreed. "Squadron Leader Shen is getting old and nearing retirement. Before he steps down, he naturally wants to pave the way for his grandson. Even if he just wants him to coast in logistics, he needs a good track record."

"If this Shen Ye actually has the strength to defeat Zuo Leng, and with the Squadron Leader backing him, he’d be a strong contender for team leader," Ma Nuonuo suggested.

"Tsk, tsk. It seems there are quite a few people eyeing the team leader position," Deng Xiaozi said excitedly. "The selection is after the New Year; all sorts of monsters and ghosts are coming out of the woodwork now."

"We’ll see when the time comes," Broadsword Li Da chimed in. "Fakes can't be real, and the real can't be fake. When the competition starts after the New Year, we’ll see what Shen Ye is really made of."

Undoubtedly, the 'Four-Bag' strength Broadsword Li Da was also a strong candidate for the team leader position.

"By the way, since those two newcomers are in our Eighth Team, should we add them to the group?" Deng Xiaozi asked.

"The group owner is the deputy leader, and he’s currently on assignment in Fusang. I don't know if he has time to add them. There aren't any other administrators, so we’ll just have to wait until he returns," Ma Nuonuo replied.

"Fair enough."

...

The date of Shen Ye’s execution of the Left-Handed Swordsman was December 29th. Time slipped by, and it was now January 13th. The 2017 Spring Festival would fall on January 28th, just fifteen days away.

This area of Zhujiang was a university town. Once winter break began, eighty percent of the people vanished, and the streets grew quiet.

At the Seaside Cottage, Wen Xiuting was busy chopping meat with a knife. She had been practicing her culinary skills diligently, convinced that one day she would become a master chef—especially after Shen Ye had mocked her cooking, a slight she refused to let slide.

Lin Xiaolei was wearing a black-and-white maid outfit, admiring herself in the mirror. She loved playing dress-up at the cottage but disliked attending conventions. "Some of these cosplayers are brain-dead; they even scam people over clothes," she complained. It turned out that two months ago, she had joined a cosplay club, only for another girl to borrow her costume and never return it. Another time, she had booked a private room for a convention, but someone insisted on sharing it with her. When Lin refused, she was accused of being stuck-up. After discovering that some cosplayers stayed in rooms with men to save money, she avoided the scene entirely, preferring to play on her own.

Shen Ye pushed the door open. "Our restaurant is in a university town. With the break, nearby places have closed. We should probably take a year-end break, too."

Wen Xiuting was surprised. "But our business is still good. We could make more money by staying open."

"Sister Xiuting, you don't know how to rest. When it’s time to stop, you stop. If everyone else is closed and I keep working, I’ll feel like a fool," Shen Ye laughed. "Let’s tally up the year-end earnings."

"For the first few months, we were at Silver Beach, from March to July. We made about 50,000 in pure profit a month, totaling 200,000. From July until now, over six months, we averaged over 100,000 a month, totaling over 700,000. In just one year, my pure profit is nearly a million." Shen Ye was stunned by his own math.

"Sister Xiuting, you’ve worked hard with me for a year. Let me give you a big red envelope." Shen Ye pulled out 50,000 in cash and stuffed it into an envelope.

Wen Xiuting’s face flushed red. "No, I already get 8,000 a month, which is much higher than a normal server's wage. I can't take 50,000." She tried to hand it back.

Shen Ye grabbed her hand, feeling its warmth, and felt a surge of emotion. He firmly pushed the envelope back into her hand. "It’s not just for you. Everyone in the shop gets a bonus. When I make money, my staff should share in the joy."

Wen Xiuting felt her body soften as he held her hand, and somehow, she found herself accepting the envelope.

Shen Ye then grabbed another 20,000. "Xiaolei, this is for you. You haven't worked as long as Sister Xiuting, so it’s 20,000."

"Sure!" Lin Xiaolei, coming from a wealthy family, took the money gracefully. "This is money I earned myself! None of my cousins are as good at making money as I am. But, Brother Shen, you have to keep me company for two days. Otherwise, my winter break will be too boring. All my old classmates are in County N; I'm the only one in Yangcheng." She put on a pitiful expression, her eyes welling up with fake tears.

"What do you want to do?" Since he was free, Shen Ye decided to relax and agreed to her plan.

"Yay! You promised, no backing out!" Lin Xiaolei cheered, delighted. "One day at the amusement park, one day at the internet café—I’ve already planned it all!" She beamed, looking like a little fox that had successfully stolen a chicken.