Chapter Forty-Two Are You Alright?

  "Old Zhao, can this kid be trusted? He's a bit too young, isn't he? I think he's not even 20 years old yet." Yu Dazhi lit a cigar for Zhao Zhi, expressing his inner doubts. It wasn't that Yu Dazhi didn't trust Ye Kong, but rather that he felt Ye Kong was a bit too young. As the saying goes, "A mouth without whiskers can't do solid work." Zhao Zhi had already left the city, but at the city gate, he hastily met with Ye Kong for a moment before turning back and re-entering the city. It's worth noting that Zhao Zhi had cleaned out Xiao Cilang's store and money, so it's possible that the Japanese military police were looking all over for Xiao Cilang. For Zhao Zhi to return to the city at this time was like a moth flying into flames. All of this seemed to be for the sake of that young man, and Yu Dazhi felt that the cost was just too great.

  "Big ambitions, you don't understand," Zhao Zhi said, leaning on the sofa and blowing out smoke. "This kid is quite good, and he's also a skilled shooter, we need people like that. Most importantly, this kid is a lone wolf, if he didn't have some extraordinary skills, he would've been caught long ago." Before deciding to swindle Xiao Cilang's money, Zhao Zhi had already shared his idea of forming a mercenary group with Da Zhi and the others, letting each person decide whether to stay or leave on their own.

  Yu Dazhi and Meng Sanmolei were all old street faces, how could they not know what it meant to form a mercenary group? It was a life of putting one's head on the line. Moreover, Zhao Zhi didn't seem very interested in the Japanese. After some deliberation, Molei was the first to agree to follow Zhao Zhi, as long as Zhao Zhi could take care of his own elderly mother. As for Yu Dazhi and Meng San, they were won over by Zhao Zhi's abilities early on and naturally chose to follow him. If following Zhao Zhi meant a chance at a better life, that wasn't bad either.

  The thugs gathered by Yu Dazhi were all hired with money, and Zhao Zhi didn't force anyone to stay or leave. Mercenaries not only value skill, but also the ability to blend in together. People who aren't on the same page as him, Zhao Zhi wouldn't dare to keep. At the city gate, he ran into Ye Kong by chance, but the fleeting glance and the calluses on his right hand's tiger mouth and index finger were seen by Yu Dazhi. Zhao Zhi judged that this young man must be a frequent gun user, as only long-term shooters would have calluses on their index fingers and tiger mouths, just like him.

  So Zhao Zhi followed Ye Kong back to Beiping City on a whim, wanting to see what this young man with bloodthirsty eyes would do. Contrary to Zhao Zhi's expectations, the kid first wandered around the streets for half a day, then robbed a student, snatching his school uniform and bicycle, but left behind a stack of cash. This made Zhao Zhi more and more interested in Ye Kong, so he decided to follow him all the way, to see what other tricks this kid had up his sleeve.

  As for what happened later, everything about Ye Kong's sneak attack on Sasaki was within Zhao Zhi and Yu Daqi's line of sight. Zhao Zhi didn't expect this young man to be so bold, daring to kill someone in broad daylight, and it seemed that the one killed was some kind of traitor or special agent. It wasn't until Zhao Zhi followed Ye Kong to the Rokoku Restaurant, and then thought back to the invitation card found in the car, and the Japanese banner at the entrance of the Rokoku Restaurant, that he finally understood what this young man's purpose was for entering Beiping City.

  Through Betty's secret passage in the Rokoku Hotel, Zhao Zhi and Yu Dazhi successfully entered the hotel. After checking into their room, Zhao Zhi immediately instructed Yu Dazhi to use money to buy off Daniya to distract Ye Kong at the bar. The Rokoku Hotel was filled with Japanese spies and informants everywhere. Zhao Zhi did not want this young man to die here, and killing a high-ranking Japanese military officer would not have much impact on the current war situation.

  "Did you notice his handkerchief? That's a style and material only Europeans like, and the ring on his left hand is typical German style. His leather shoes are British handmade calfskin boots." Da Zhi seemed not to understand what he meant, Zhao Zhi laughed, "What I mean is that this young man should be someone who has been abroad or an overseas Chinese, it's very likely that he came back from Germany or the UK, but I tend to think it's Germany"

  There was another discovery that Zhao Zhi didn't mention, Ye Kong had been sitting very upright while drinking with Zhao Zhi, in a standard military posture. If it wasn't for Zhao Zhi's expectation, Ye Kong must have attended some kind of military academy abroad, such as West Point or the Munich Military Academy in Germany. However, to give Ye Kong enough space, Zhao Zhi didn't try to probe him with foreign languages, people who have been abroad for a long time value freedom and space, Zhao Zhi didn't want to push Ye Kong too hard, he was afraid that would scare him away, which would be a loss.

  "Knock knock knock knock knock" Zhao Zhi's door was knocked, Yu Dazhi asked with a look at Zhao Zhi, after Zhao Zhi nodded, he opened the door. Standing outside was Ye Kong, who looked a bit awkward. "Please come in, my father is waiting for you." Noticing Ye Kong's awkwardness, Yu Dazhi secretly laughed to himself and stepped aside to let Ye Kong enter the room.

  "I'm Ye Kong, just back from Germany. Can you tell me your name?" Ye Kong sat down under Zhao Zhi's indication, this time with a more casual posture, obviously having lowered his guard against Zhao Zhi and Yu Da Zhi to the lowest level. He had come to visit Zhao Zhi after careful consideration, and his doubts would not be resolved if he didn't get an answer tonight, so he wouldn't be able to sleep well. Ye Kong urgently needed to know which side this mysterious person was on and why he had specifically sought him out - could there be some deeper secret involved?

  "My name is Zhao Zhi, you can also call me Lightning. I've said it before, we're doing this for ourselves, we don't belong to any faction, we only do things for our own sake." Zhao Zhi smiled and poured another glass of wine for Ye Kong. Drinking red wine in such an atmosphere was quite pleasant, especially when he was about to get a powerful helper. As soon as Ye Kong entered the room, his hesitation was seen through by Zhao Zhi, who had a way with young people with heroic complexes.

  "So why did you look for me? I'm just a young man, and not even 20 years old yet." Ye Kong raised his head and downed the red wine in one gulp.

  "I have an idea, and I've been actively implementing it. I want you to help me," Zhao Zhi said as he poured another cup of wine for Ye Kong. "I'm going to form a mercenary troop, not too many people, just over ten will do." Zhao Zhi paused slightly, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust as he stared at Ye Kong's eyes, saying word by word: "In addition to taking on various bounty tasks, this mercenary troop will also kill Japanese people. As long as the Chinese can pay, 5 big yuan for killing one Japanese soldier. What do you think?"