h4Chapter 693: Chapter 698: Ghost Tiger (2)/h4

    So there’s more to the story.

    Ling Chen nodded to himself, realizing that if it weren’t for Qiu Yong bringing it up, nobody would have known about this past.

    Ghost Tiger had been in the game for over twenty years, with countless kills and innumerable opponents defeated, firmly holding the top spot on the assassin list, and nobody could shake his standing in the assassinmunity. Back then, Ghost Tiger could be described as the emperor of the assassin world. Both the assassin and mercenarymunities viewed him as an unbeatable myth.

    But when Ghost Tiger was in his thirties, for some unknown reason, he suddenly vanished without a trace. Many had looked for clues of Ghost Tiger’s whereabouts but found none, and in the end, they had no choice but to let the matter drop. Rumors circted that Ghost Tiger had been killed in revenge by an enemy, and others said he had been on a ne that had a bomb installed, blowing it out of the sky. Even someone as skilled as Ghost Tiger couldn’t possibly have survived a ne crash. In short, there were many rumors about Ghost Tiger.

    Since then, Ghost Tiger had be a myth in the assassin world.

    Ling Chen still vividly remembered that just a few years after Ghost Tiger’s disappearance, he had started his own career as a "ghost", hence missing the chance to witness Ghost Tiger’s elegance.

    Following Ghost Tiger’s disappearance, Blood Wolf, who had always been second on the assassin list, was moved up to the first position, while Ghost Tiger was subsequently demoted to second. The reason Ghost Tiger was still kept on the assassin list ranking was partly as a sign of respect from his peers, and partly because many assassins still held out hope that Ghost Tiger would return to the Martial Arts World.

    However, nobody would have expected that the once illustrious number one on the assassin list would be a restaurant owner, taking up the chef’s knife himself—an astonishing turn of events.

    Looking at Hu Fei with displeasure, Ling Chen said, "You... you’ve been hiding such a renowned master and didn’t even tell me. If it weren’t for what happened this time, were you nning on keeping it a secret from me forever?"

    Hu Fei helplessly replied, "How can you me me? Liu specifically instructed me to never reveal his identity. If people found out that Ghost Tiger was still alive, especially here in East Sea City, who knows how many enemies woulde knocking on his door."

    Hearing this, Ling Chen nodded. Hu Fei had a point; after all, Ghost Tiger’s identity was significant. If word got out, even Hu Fei could be implicated. Nevertheless, Ling Chen was curious and asked, "Fatso, how did you get involved with him?"

    "That’s a long story. I was one of the early starters in this business, learning from a senior for several years, and so I started my own gig at sixteen. Coincidentally, my very first business deal was with Liu. He contacted me back then, hoping I could help him change his name, conceal his identity, and find a ce where no one would ever find him. At that time, I didn’t know Liu was Ghost Tiger, and I thought, since it’s my first deal, I must do it right."

    "At first, I set Liu up on an ind nation abroad, but it didn’t take long for people to show up, pressuring me to give up Liu’s whereabouts. You know, in our line of work, reputation is everything. Eventually, when I was cornered with no choice left, I had to call Liu for help. I still remember that night, if Liu hadn’t arrived in time, I would’ve been dead. It was also that night when Liu confessed his identity to me, hoping I could help him."

    "I asked him why he needed my help when there were many more capable people in the industry. He told me he wanted someone clean, a newbie, because those veterans had tooplex awork of connections that could easily blow his cover. Since then, I’ve moved Liu around to several ces, finally settling in East Sea City, where I helped him open a small restaurant. As for what happened after, you know the story."

    After listening to Hu Fei’s tale, Ling Chen asked, "Did he ever tell you why he chose to retire?"

    "He said he had killed too many people, became numb, tired; he felt more like a beast than a human. So, he wanted to change his lifestyle, live like a normal person," Hu Fei added, "At least that’s what he told me."

    Qiu Yong interjected, "Even if he has some unspeakable secret, he wouldn’t disclose it. Let it go! Anyway, he did us a huge favor this time; both morally and emotionally, we ought to thank him properly."

    "You’re right." Ling Chen looked around at everyone present and said, "Guys, you’re all my friends. I hope you’ll keep what was just said in mind and not spread it around. I think he wouldn’t want his identity exposed. Otherwise, it would lead to a lot of troubleter on."

    Everyone echoed in agreement, "Don’t worry, we won’t talk."

    Having discussed Liu Dongsheng’s identity issue, Ling Chen shifted his focus to the recent loss. Thankfully, with the help of Liu Dongsheng and He Ziyun, the casualties among the base personnel were kept to less than ten. However, the death of those security officers still weighed heavy on Ling Chen’s heart.

    After all, these security officers were former thugs, who, under the training of Jiang Yunkai, had grown step by step into their roles. Later on, the base selected dozens of the finest among them and entrusted them with important duties within the base.

    When selecting these security officers, Ling Chen had considered many factors. Facing off against the God Organization, casualties were inevitable. So, he had specifically instructed Jiang Yunkai to make things clear to everyone involved.

    As a result, most of the security officers chosen by Jiang Yunkai were orphans with no parents. In this way, if they were unfortunately killed in action, there’d be no family concerns. Of course, in terms of sry and benefits, Ling Chen was very generous to the base’s security officers, offering them what they couldn’t get elsewhere.

    People risk their lives for your cause; they deserve ample rewards. Ling Chen was very willing in this respect, as he’d been through it himself.

    After spending the whole night cleaning up the base, Ling Chen was toozy to return to Wealthy Manor and chose to sleep over at the base.

    It wasn’t until noon that Hu Fei knocked on his door to wake him.

    Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Ling Chen opened the door and, while yawning, looked at Hu Fei standing outside and asked, "Fatso, what’s up? Are you waking me up for lunch?"

    "Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you ever think about. Hurry up ande with me, we’ve made a big breakthrough this time."

    "Breakthrough?" Ling Chen shook off his grogginess and quickly asked, "What kind of breakthrough?"

    With a mischievous grin, Hu Fei said, "Stop asking so many questions. Juste with me."