The two members of the Seven Fiends were named Gaoda, the towering giant, and Zehong, the diminutive but cunning counterpart. Both wielded dark psychic powers, and shared a singular passion—their fervent devotion to martial combat.
Thus, it was here, amidst the legendary Spartans' training grounds, that they honed their fighting skills. The battered arena bore the scars of their brutal duels.
Gaoda gazed curiously at Caesar. "Can you truly make us stronger?"
Caesar nodded gravely. "Indeed. If you're willing, we can begin now."
Glancing at Zehong, Gaoda saw his companion's sharp eyes briefly hesitate before declaring, "Since Jack vouches for it, I trust he wouldn't deceive us. Let's give it a try."
"Then I shall go first," Gaoda affirmed.
Though Caesar was tall, he still had to raise his right hand above Gaoda's head.
Instinctively, Gaoda stepped back. Jack chuckled reassuringly, "No need to worry."
Gaoda stepped forward, pressing his forehead against Caesar's outstretched palm.
—
When Xiaofeng returned to the New City, he bypassed any meal, heading straight to seek out Lei Yan. Inside a cramped command center room, Lei Yan and Lin were engrossed in a video game, clutching controllers with fierce concentration. The game was Lei Yan's own creation, a pastime to fend off boredom.
Xiaofeng peered over, surprised. "Isn't that... me?"
Lei Yan removed his headset, startled. "Boss Xiaofeng! How did you get here without making a sound? Trying to scare us?"
Lin stopped as well, casting a wary glance at Xiaofeng.
Frozen on the screen was the paused game, a charming little monster-slaying adventure starring Xiaofeng himself. Smiling, Xiaofeng said, "Not bad. I'll play soon, but first, you have some business to handle."
Lei Yan sensed the seriousness behind Xiaofeng's visit and set down his headset. "What's the matter?"
Xiaofeng removed the communicator from his wrist and placed it before Lei Yan. "Look at these symbols—can you decipher their meaning?"
Lei Yan took the device, connected it to his computer with a cable, and enlarged the images on the screen for clearer examination.
"What is this?" Lei Yan murmured, puzzled. He extracted a small symbol from the display, one that felt hauntingly familiar.
"That's the tattoo on the faces of the Evil Dragon Cult disciples," Xiaofeng explained.
Activating a search program, Lei Yan uploaded the symbol and said, "I'll see what this is all about."
He hit a button, and a frenzy of images began cycling rapidly on the adjacent screen—faces of cultists, mysterious glyphs etched into stone and walls.
Xiaofeng frowned. "Still no clue what these patterns mean."
Lei Yan, brow furrowed, studied the facial features, then suggested, "Let's search the Alliance military database for any relevant information."
His fingers flew over the keyboard, breaking through the system's defenses with practiced ease.
Minutes later, Lei Yan gained access and sifted through records, though the findings were trivial and unrelated.
Xiaofeng scolded, "Lei Yan, your hacking skills have deteriorated."
Embarrassed, Lei Yan replied, "Maybe you're overthinking. These symbols could just be empty mysticism from the Evil Dragon Cult, with no real meaning."
"No, I firmly believe these patterns hold deeper significance."
"I'm no clairvoyant—I can't crack their meaning either," Lei Yan admitted honestly.
After pondering, Xiaofeng suggested, "There's one more place we can check."
Lei Yan looked surprised. "Where?"
"The Victoria Corporation's database," Xiaofeng replied calmly.
Lei Yan's eyes lit up as he began typing swiftly. The company's logo appeared, followed by a prompt for a password.
Faced with a 24-digit dynamic password plus fingerprint recognition, Lei Yan grimaced. "This security is insane."
"Just tell me if you can get in or not."
Rubbing his aching fingers, Lei Yan said, "It's tough, but I'll try."
He resumed furious typing.
Meanwhile, Lin brought over two glasses, pouring Xiaofeng a whiskey and teasing, "Let him work. We'll drink."
Suddenly, Lei Yan cursed, "Damn it, I'm not giving up!" Glancing at Lin's half-full bottle, he snatched it, twisted the cap, and began drinking straight from it. By the time Lin regained composure, Lei Yan had drained half the bottle, belched, then returned to his computer, fingers dancing frantically to break through Victoria Corp's defenses.
Lin looked to Xiaofeng. "Well, the whiskey's gone... If you don't get in, I'm making you puke all of it out."
Xiaofeng smiled. "Half a bottle? Don't worry, I'll get you some more."
Stepping outside, Xiaofeng reached for his comm and called Rice. "Where are you?"
"Drinking?"
"At command center. Bring me two bottles."
"No time."
"Are you coming or not?" Xiaofeng threatened playfully.
Rice could never resist Xiaofeng's bluff. "Alright, alright, I'm on my way."
Xiaofeng smugly ended the call, then a car pulled up beside him. The door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out, standing before Xiaofeng.
"Xiaofeng, long time no see..."