5 Zhu Bao's Greeting Gift

At 7:30 AM, Xiwang's plane touched down at the Beijing Capital International Airport. The pilot had informed the Airport Authorities that they were carrying the incapacitated hijackers in their hold. So, the authorities were waiting for them at the runway. Things were a lot busier than usual at the runway with the authorities thrown into the mix.

The runway where the plane touched down was cordoned off by the authorities. The passengers were allowed to disembark first under the watchful eyes of armed guards. After that the hijackers were taken into custody. After exiting the plane, the passengers were still detained by the authorities for a while because their statements had to be taken. But, no one noticed a young man slipping through the guards and silently walking towards the exit of the terminal carrying a small bag. It was as if he did not exist and no one could see him at all as he quietly left the terminal.

After sending the hijackers away, the authorities started to take the statements of the passengers. By the time the plane landed, all the passengers had learned that their mysterious savior was the passenger from suite no.1. As they were giving their statements to the authorities, they talked excitedly about how the man from suite no.1 had arrived like a lightning bolt and knocked out the hijackers. The authorities were a little skeptical when they heard that it was a single passenger who had neutralized all the hijackers. However, all the witness statements were in agreement so they had no choice but to believe it. But, when they searched for the famous passenger from suite no. 1 they could not find him anywhere. In all the excitement it seems that no one had seen the man exit the plane.

It was unknown how the press had gotten word about the incident. They had come in droves with their cameras flashing and waiting to interview the passengers. After interviewing some passengers, they also learned about the existence of the mysterious passenger from suite no. 1. They were very excited and wanted to interview the man at all costs. But, like the authorities, they too were unable to locate the man anywhere.

The reporters were frustrated as they ran around everywhere trying to find him but ultimately failed. It was as if the man had just vanished like a ghost or a phantom. They checked the passenger manifest and found that it was a man named Lucien Boutroux. But, other than that, all the information they could get from the passengers was how handsome he was or how macho he was. No one knew anything about the man or where he had disappeared to except for one beautiful stewardess who was smiling happily in one corner of the airport.

Outside the terminal, Xiwang saw a dozen burly men dressed in black suits and carrying a big sign. From their appearance, one could tell that they were security personnel or more precisely, private bodyguards. Their heads were moving around actively scanning all over the place as if searching for something. It was obvious that they were waiting for someone. On the sign, written in big bold letters, was a single name-ZHU XIWANG.

Xiwang became thoughtful as he saw the burly men and the big sign that they were carrying. He was certain that his family would never send a single person to welcome him, much less a host of well-built bodyguards to escort him safely. Yet, those burly men were there and they were waiting for him. There could be only one reason for that. Xiwang smiled slightly as he thought, 'How crude! It looks like some clowns want to play games with me. Very well! Let the games begin.'

Xiwang slowly walked up to the men and said, "I'm Xiwang. What do you want with me?" One of the men-in-black answered, "Please come with us, sir. We were sent here by your family to escort you." His words sounded respectful. But, Xiwang could still detect the hint of condescension in his tone. He shook his head and smiled lightly. "Lead the way, then."

The men led Xiwang to the nearby parking lot where three black SUVs were waiting. Xiwang was escorted to the vehicle parked in the middle. After he entered he was followed into the vehicle by two men who seated themselves on either side of him. It looked as if they were protecting him, but Xiwang knew that they were there to make sure that he was seated there obediently until they reached their destination. He only smiled lightly and shook his head again.

Xiwang did not even bother to raise any objections even though he knew that they were going the wrong way. He just closed his eyes and sat there quietly. The two men guarding him sneered when they saw how calm he was. Inwardly, they thought to themselves. 'Do you really think we're here to escort you home? Little fool! Just wait a bit more and you'll really start to panic. Hehehe!' After driving for about an hour, the vehicles reached a vacant lot and stopped. There were no people around the area and it seemed like a good place to rough someone up.

Inside Xiwang's car, the man to his left opened the door and went out. As he did so he called out to Xiwang, "Let's go. Come on out." Xiwang silently followed him outside. Soon, he was surrounded by the burly men on all sides. He looked around at each of the men calmly and said, "So, gentlemen! What's going on here? I thought you were going to escort me to my family."

The men started laughing. One of them said, "Little fool! We never said we were going to escort you home. This is just a small greeting from Master Bao, your great-uncle. He has a message for you. He says, 'Little bastard, know your place. Behave yourself while you're here and leave quickly if you know what's good for you.' We're here to make sure that the message gets through to you, if you know what I mean." The men started to laugh again.

Xiwang looked at the laughing men and smiled happily, "So, it was old man Bao. I should have known it was him. Well then, I guess you're going to beat me up now, eh?"

"That's right."

The men stopped laughing and started to approach him. Their leader who was at the back, suddenly got an uneasy feeling in his heart. He did not like how Xiwang was still so calm in that situation. 'Why is he still not afraid? Does he have backup? No, no. That can't be right. ' While he was still thinking he heard Xiwang's calm voice again. "Before you start you should consider something. You men are just henchmen working for the Zhu family. But, you should know that I might become the patriarch one day. Once that happens, what will happen to you if you attack me today?"

The men hesitated after hearing what Xiwang had said. It was true. He had legitimate rights to inherit the family. If they acted against him, they might bring great trouble upon themselves later. But, then their leader said, "Don't hesitate. He's just trying to bluff his way out. Attack him quickly. Remember, Master Bao said that we should break a few bones. As long as he's still alive it's fine." The men no longer hesitated and rushed towards Xiwang.

Seeing them rush towards him, Xiwang chuckled merrily and said lightly, "Actually, seeing as how you might have families and all, I was just trying to save you some pain. But, I guess some dogs need to be beaten before they become wiser." As his voice stopped, Xiwang suddenly disappeared from the men's view. His form reappeared behind the leader of the burly men. The leader heard a cold voice behind him, "Break some bones, did you say? You first, then."

Crack!

The man's spine broke as Xiwang kicked him in the back. He would never walk again. Xiwang's form suddenly became a blur and he appeared before another man. Before the man could react, Xiwang punched him in the stomach. The man felt intense pain in his stomach as the wind was knocked out of him. He had never been hit so hard in his life. He blacked out immediately but Xiwang did not let him off. He broke both his arms before his unconscious form reached the ground. Behind Xiwang, another man brandished a heavy metal bat and swung it towards him. It was a fast and powerful strike. But, just before the hit connected, Xiwang's form suddenly disappeared and the bat hit nothing but air. In the next instant, the man felt a powerful kick to his stomach. This time, Xiwang broke both the man's arms and a leg.

At that point, the remaining men-in-black retreated and kept some distance from Xiwang. They were shocked and horrified by what had just happened. In an instant, three of their comrades had been knocked unconscious, including their leader. Why was the man so strong? Their target was just supposed to be a normal guy. How could he fight so well? They knew that the man before them was definitely not normal. He had just taken out three strong men in an instant. And those loud crunching sounds as their bones were broken were just horrible to hear. Would their bones be broken in a similar manner? These men suddenly started to feel afraid. Cold sweat flowed down their backs. They still outnumbered him, but they did not dare to take the initiative to attack any longer. The man was just too fierce and his attacks too cruel. They began to regret coming here today.

Meanwhile, Xiwang was staring at his trembling hands. He was not trembling due to fear, but excitement. He really liked his great-uncle's 'greeting'. The assassin inside him was telling him to be more efficient and start taking lives. He was just dying to bust out some killer moves. However, he still held himself back. These men were just too weak. Besides, it was his first day back in the capital and he did not want to go wild just yet. He would wait a while and enjoy himself in the capital a little before he really started letting loose.

Looking at the men backing away, Xiwang shook his head and said, "It looks like all of you have lost your nerve now. Let's end this, then." With a whoosh, his form suddenly disappeared and then reappeared in the midst of the retreating men. Using his inhuman speed, he moved through the men and mowed them down like weeds. In the face of such speed and precision, Zhu Bao's men had no chance to retaliate at all before they were taken down.

Crack! Crack! Snap! Crack!

The terrible sound of bones being broken filled the empty lot accompanied by the painful screams of Zhu Bao's men. Before long, all of Xiwang's 'escorts' were writhing on the ground, moaning and groaning in pain. Looking at the men on the ground, some of whom had tears in their eyes due to the extreme pain, Xiwang shook his head. He said in a preaching tone, "This is why people say 'never judge a book by its cover'. You guys should remember that you should never pick off more than you can chew. *sigh* Let me give you some free advice. It's usually the quiet ones who are the most dangerous. Remember that!"

He turned away from the groaning men and looked towards the centre of the city. He had a devilish grin on his face as he said softly, "I was afraid that it would be too boring here. But now, I think I'm really going to enjoy my stay in the capital." Then, he got into the car where he had left his bag and drove off towards the Zhu mansion.