Chapter Twenty-Five: Winning People's Hearts

  For Ying Tianlong, the most urgent thing now is to quickly win people's hearts and use them for himself. However, he cannot rely on the Eight Great Golden Guards and their henchmen, who are all deeply tied to Li Jiaxian and must be eliminated. These prisoners, on the other hand, are a usable intermediate force, having suffered the most and harboring deep hatred towards Li Jiaxian. If used well, they will respond with one call.

  Now that I've taken the first step to success, I'll personally come to train them. Of course, they will definitely go to hunt sharks, this is a harsh reality, and no one can escape. How to minimize casualties and get the greatest benefit at the smallest cost is the only choice. If this choice is made, I will become their benefactor and absolute leader, after all, who doesn't want to die, especially not in the mouth of a shark.

  Ying Tianlong walked down the mountain slope and came to the midst of the prisoners. First, he said to Lao Qi Gu Yonghui: "Old Seventh Master, now is the time to use people, one less person means one less bit of strength. This little kid, I think, should also admit defeat, let's give him a way out, what do you think?"

  Lao Qi Gu Yonghui smiled slightly: "The Ninth Master has spoken, how can I not obey? Big Brother has handed over the training task to you, and it's just as well that I'm tired, isn't it good to take a break?"

  Ying Tianlong said thank you, and beckoned Cui Dahong and the others to come over and untie Liu Nian. This little guy only opened his eyes when he saw Ying Tianlong, and then started crying. Ying Tianlong patted his head: "A man's tears are not shed lightly, this injury is nothing, it's a wonder you're also someone who crawled out of the water with fire."

  "Boss, Gu Yonghui is not human, he's a beast. I'll get revenge for this sooner or later." Liu Nian replied.

  "This is more like human language, a gentleman takes revenge, ten years are not late. Now it's time to heal as soon as possible, understand?"

  Liu Nian nodded.

  Ying Tianlong gathered everyone together again and made a mobilization speech: "Some of you know me, but the vast majority have never seen me. My name is Ying Tianlong, and I'm the ninth in line. Now that we're all in this together, eating from the same pot, not even one person has managed to escape from the island of death. What can be done? Dying isn't easy, standing on the cliff, closing your eyes, and taking a leap down - it's all over, no need to suffer anymore. But who really wants to go die? Isn't it better to live a life of dependence than to die easily? You all tell me, am I right or not?"

  Everyone remained silent, but they all nodded in agreement.

  "Surviving on the island isn't easy either. First, people need to eat and drink. 'Whirlwind Camp' has no fertile land, no water source, all controlled by 'Black Wind Camp' Luo Guoyong's hands. To get water, you have to exchange things, to eat, you have to risk your life. The only resource of 'Whirlwind Camp' is the sharks in the sea, and they are the most ferocious ones, great whites. What to do? Go into the sea to hunt them down or be hunted by them, it's that simple."

  "Who among you dares to disobey the orders of the master? If there is anyone, step forward and you can leave."

  Ying Tianlong looked at them.

  No one dares to stand up and say I dare to leave.

  "Ha! Being hunted by sharks, the worst that can happen is death, although it's terrifying, but also kind of liberating. But being caught by the big shots, you know what will happen, it's truly a fate worse than death. So now you've chosen to stay and be hunters, good, I admire your courage. However, we can't just go die for nothing, great whites are formidable, after all they're animals, while we're humans, with thoughts, hands, feet, and the ability to use weapons, how can we not defeat those speechless beasts? What do you say?"

  Choi Dae-hong said that what Jiu Ye said was right, and at worst it would be death, but if they fought hard, there might still be a way out.

  "Yes, Brother Cui is right. As a scout, I have received regular marine training, and how to fight and defeat sharks is also one of the military common senses. Now I will divide people into two groups, those with relatively strong bodies stand on the left, and those with slender but agile bodies stand on the right, let's start now."

  The prisoners were busy for a while, and people automatically dispersed.

  "From today on, people with slender bodies will practice rowing and steering to stabilize the boat. People with strong physiques will practice throwing harpoons. The shark's weak point is between its two eyes, where its brain is located, made of cartilage. If you hit that spot, it will lose its life instantly. So, you must train to make every shot count, so as to hunt down the sharks and preserve the lives of everyone on board."

  Everyone finally understood and together indicated that they would listen to Master Jiu's orders.

  Li Jiao stood on the hillside, watching attentively, and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

  Lao Qi Gu Yonghui walked over and said: "Big brother, Lao Jiu has just arrived, it's not clear if he's one of us or not, you trust him too much."

  "Is it good to do things your way? So many days have passed, and many people have died. What's the result? How many sharks have you killed? Now there are fewer and fewer prisoners, the government doesn't send people to the island, and you go out to sea to catch sharks. Lao Jiu's method is novel and practical, after all, he has been in the reconnaissance unit, much better than your mother."

  Gu Yonghui said I think he's up to no good, like he has some ulterior motive.

  "Let your mother fart, what scheme, what scheme can there be in a place where rabbits don't even shit? Who the hell is sick, sending an undercover here, I think you've got water on the brain, get out." Li Jiao said angrily.

  Lao Qi Gu Yonghui retreated to one side with a gloomy face.

  Li Jiao turned back to Lao San Lin Wei and said, "Don't have a mind that harms others, but don't lack a mind that guards against them either. Keep an eye on Lao Jiu for me, but don't be too harsh, this is a time when we need to use people after all."

  "Yes, I understand."

  Ying Tianlong returned to the mountain cave and told Wang Qing about today's events. Wang Qing said it was great, this is an opportunity. It seems that heaven is on our side. I also want to go to the training base, just to carry some rice and water, and help you make some decisions.

  Ying Tianlong is indeed a good candidate, Wang Qing is after all an old fox who knows people well and now needs someone like him by his side. Letting him stay in the mountain cave all day is not good either, if something happens, all previous efforts will be wasted.

  At night, Li Jiao set up a banquet to welcome Tian Long. All eight Vajras attended and the venue was at "Kiss Me" bar.

  Ying Tianlong saw that the dishes on the table were not very rich, mostly seafood, and there was little land-based green vegetables and meat. It seemed that even if Li Jiao and his party wanted to eat mountain delicacies every day, they couldn't do it. This proved a Chinese proverb: "Food and sex are human nature." Ying Tianlong and the Eight Great Golden Men, ten people in total, called over ten women to accompany them for drinks.

  Li Jiao raised his wine cup: "Today is to welcome Old Nine, as the master of 'Whirlwind Camp', I didn't take good care of you, please forgive me. Come on, let's drink this first cup."

  The eight Vajras were all drunkards. It was inevitable, in a place without hope, what else could they do but drown their sorrows in drink? The gang raised their cups and downed them in one gulp.

  Li Jiao said, "Old Nine has brought new weather to our 'Whirlwind Camp' this time. The people in the prisoner-of-war camp have been subdued by Old Nine. Brother Ying is right, people are the most important wealth. In the past, the government kept sending people to the island, and the old and new ones were replaced quickly, without finding anything wrong. However, recently there have been fewer prisoners coming, and the problem of people has become prominent. It's not working according to Old Seven's method, we need to keep people, we need to train them. People are dying one by one, and in the end, only we will be left, what can we do? So I agree with Old Nine's method. Come on, Brother Ying, today I want to toast you a glass."

  Ying Tianlong said: "Big brother, this is too much praise. Since Ying Tianlong is the old ninth of 'Whirlwind Camp', he must consider big brother in every way. We are now a family. Big brother, one family does not speak two languages."

  Li Jiao nodded in agreement: "We're a family, after all." He turned to Xi Xiumei and asked, "What interesting programs have you prepared for us today?"

  Sister Xi's body shook slightly as she replied: "Recently, I had them learn a dance piece, it's called 'Beautiful Women Flying to Heaven', it's Jiao Feng's masterpiece. The beauties will be dancing and stripping at the same time, in the end, you'll see for yourself."

  Li Jiao burst out laughing: "Great, that must be wonderful. Old Ninth, as a man, one should drink and sing, what's the point of life? We are now like a tiger fallen into a plain, a dragon trapped in a shallow pool, if we don't find some fun for ourselves, then what's the meaning of living? A spring night is worth a thousand pounds of gold, girls, let's dance!"

  A group of women came to the empty space in the middle, laughing and chatting. Tian Long saw that Alan was among them, gazing at him with a pair of affectionate eyes, feeling uncomfortable, so he said to Li Jiao: "Brother, I'll leave first, tomorrow we need to organize new training for the prisoners, I need to rest my spirit. Isn't there a saying, 'the power of example is boundless'?"

  Li Jiao thought for a moment, waved his hand and said: "Laojiu is right, let's call it off today. You all retreat now. Come on, we'll have some drinks and food too, get an early rest, and tomorrow go to support Laojiu."

  After drinking, she came out and met Jiao Feng. She was still wearing red, had a smell of alcohol in her mouth, and was staggering. When she saw Ying Tianlong, she came over, put her hand on his shoulder, and flirted with him with drunken eyes: "I said who it was, it turned out to be Ninth Master, how about accompanying me for a drink?"

  Ying Tianlong gently pushed her away: "You've had too much to drink, go back and rest."

  "Fart, who drank too much? You're the one who's drunk." Jiao Feng shot back.

  Behind them, Old Eight "Thunderfire" Qin Ming walked up, seeing sparks flying out of their eyes. Ying Tianlong thought to himself that this was not good timing, as "Thunderfire" Qin Ming had a violent temper and was unreasonable. It was best to avoid provoking him, so he pushed Jiao Feng forward: "Someone who can drink with you has arrived." After saying that, he wanted to leave.

  Jiao Feng looked at Qin Ming and said: "Do you dare drink with me?"

  Qin Ming was overjoyed and hastily agreed: "Alright, I'll die with you."

  "What kind of gentleman are you, a hooligan mixed with a bastard." Feng cursed.

  The dragon should have flown away early.

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