Chapter 716: Something Seems Off?

Zeng Jin was certainly looking forward to witnessing Wanlong Society’s true capabilities, but he remained confident that even their grandest display wouldn’t exceed his expectations.

He recalled his youth back in Taiwan—still green, full of piss and vinegar, following his family’s elders into a turf war that erupted into a heart-stopping firefight in a night market street.

That night, both sides had numbered at least three or four hundred men combined. He’d watched the whole thing from behind a roadside trash bin, and hadn’t felt a lick of fear.

As for why he was more timid now… well, maybe he was just getting older.

Later, the family had cleaned up its act and gone legitimate, and he’d gradually left those days of bloodshed behind. But that old-school gangster spirit in his bones? That never faded.

In his view, Wanlong Society’s so-called reception would just be a bigger show of force—some extra men standing in neat formation, a few loud slogans, maybe some fancy cars to boost their image.

He’d seen that playbook plenty of times.

No matter how powerful Wanlong Society was, could they really conjure up a thousand black-clad men out of thin air?

Back in the States, those twenty-odd black-clad men had already been more than formidable. If there were actually a thousand men at that level…

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

A little over an hour later, the motorcade entered the boundaries of Pearl City, finally stopping in front of a building called Shunchang Tower.

Zeng Jin stepped out of the car, looked up, and silently read the name to himself.

Shunchang… Those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish. Bold, indeed. Very much Liu Yutong’s style.

In reality, the building’s actual owner—the landlord—had chosen the name Shunchang years ago purely for its literal meaning: smooth and prosperous business.

Yet everyone who came here saw that name and thought of that phrase—those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish. Wanlong Society had definitely left its mark.

After getting out, Zeng Jin saw two neat rows of black-clad men at the main entrance—about seven or eight of them, each standing ramrod straight and full of energy.

Only when Liu Yutong appeared did they chorus their greeting: “Young Mistress!”

Zeng Jin watched and gave a mental oh.

Just as he’d suspected—the black-clad men were limited in number, maybe even fewer than he’d guessed.

“President Zeng, Engineer Liang, please come inside.” Liu Yutong turned and gave them a slight nod, then led the way into the building.

Entering the first-floor lobby, Zeng Jin looked around but didn’t find anything particularly special.

The decor was modern minimalist—reception desk, lounge area, potted plants. It looked like the lobby of any ordinary company’s headquarters.

Of course, except for the extra black-suited men.

“Chairman Liu, should we head to the conference room first, or…?” Zeng Jin asked.

“No rush.”

Liu Yutong beckoned to one of the black-clad men: “Cheng Gang, come here.”

Cheng Gang, who’d been waiting at a distance, immediately trotted over and respectfully greeted her: “Young Mistress!”

Liu Yutong looked him over and asked, “Have your gunshot wounds healed up?”

Cheng Gang nodded. “All better. Thank you for your concern, Young Mistress!”

Zeng Jin’s eyelid twitched at those words.

What? Gunshot wounds?

Holy shit, Wanlong Society really wasn’t your average outfit… with mainland China’s strict gun control, they were still daring enough to use firearms in firefights?

Impressive! Truly impressive!

His assessment of Wanlong Society’s power quietly ratcheted up another level.

Using these things wasn’t unusual in Taiwan or Hong Kong, and it was even less remarkable in the States. But in mainland China? That was a completely different story.

Then Liu Yutong asked about family matters—how his younger brother was adjusting after transferring schools, whether he was keeping up with his studies. Her tone didn’t sound like a boss asking a subordinate; more like family.

Cheng Gang’s heart warmed as he answered the Young Mistress’s questions one by one.

His brother had transferred to a city school with the company’s help and was temporarily living in his rented apartment. Of course, the company provided a housing subsidy, so he wasn’t actually paying a cent out of pocket.

Plus, the new house the Young Mistress had awarded him would be ready soon, not far from Wanlong Society’s under-construction headquarters—the same land Liu Yutong had bought at auction.

That property was being built in sync with the Wanlong Society headquarters and was expected to be topped out by year-end, with keys handed over then.

The Wanlong Society headquarters would need more time before they could move in—expected to be fully completed by the end of 2010 or early 2011, about a year later than the Wanlong Society residential complex.

This timeline wasn’t actually slow—it was quite fast, after all. Building a corporate headquarters and a residential complex were completely different matters.

A rough rendering from Doubao!

After Liu Yutong finished chatting about family matters with Cheng Gang—one of Wanlong Society’s most ordinary core members—she instructed him: “Take President Zeng and Engineer Liang on a tour of the company first. Bring them to my office when you’re done.”

Cheng Gang immediately nodded. “Yes, Young Mistress!”

Once Liu Yutong turned and left, he went straight to Zeng Jin and Liang Mengsong, gesturing invitingly: “President Zeng, Engineer Liang, this way, please.”

Zeng Jin and Liang Mengsong exchanged glances and followed Cheng Gang toward the elevators.

The elevator first stopped at the third floor.

In the beginning, Wanlong Society had only rented the top ten floors. Later, as staff expanded dramatically, they’d simply rented the entire building.

The martial arts gym and training facilities originally located on the upper floors had been moved to the second and third floors.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Zeng Jin and the others heard a series of low shouts and grunts.

Three regulation-sized professional boxing rings appeared before them, with several pairs of black-clad men in helmets and protective gear engaged in high-intensity combat training.

The visual impact of those solid blows could be felt from meters away—truly imposing.

On the other side was an open fitness equipment area—treadmills, rowing machines, squat racks, barbells… The equipment was comprehensive, its specs and professionalism rivaling any top-tier commercial gym.

More black-clad men were working out here too, upper bodies bare, each sporting eight-pack abs. You didn’t need to touch them to feel the explosive power contained in their bodies.

Zeng Jin silently watched those training figures and suddenly understood why Yun Cheng and Chu Yang’s twenty men back in the States had been able to brutally dominate those foreigners, even professional fighters.

This level of training intensity and professionalism probably rivaled many professional fighters.

Too damn professional!

“Building strong bodies is part of our corporate culture,” Cheng Gang calmly explained. “Having a healthy physique benefits both the individual and their work. Of course, all training emphasizes discipline and control. Private duels are strictly forbidden, and bullying the weak is absolutely prohibited.”

Zeng Jin nodded silently.

He had to admit, Wanlong Society was indeed more professional than many organizations he’d seen, even more so than the Zeng family at its peak.

Just look at this training intensity—what they’d done back then was playing at society; these guys were the real society!

Seems his guess was right: anyone in Wanlong Society who wore a black suit could fight.

After touring the boxing gym and fitness area, Cheng Gang led them to the floors where the law firm was located.

The law firm occupied two floors—one for offices, one for study. They’d arrived at the study area.

This place was completely different from the boxing gym—thick with studious atmosphere and much quieter.

The first thing that caught the eye was a large banner reading: 【Cautious, Meticulous, Bold, Law-Knowing—Unity of Knowledge and Action】.

Just seeing those words was enough to inspire awe—what a proper attitude toward learning!

Truly worthy of a law firm!

But the layout was slightly baffling. Both sides of the corridor were divided into rooms of varying sizes, each filled with dozens of desks and chairs like school classrooms.

Most of the rooms were empty at the moment. Only the first classroom still had its lights on, with seven or eight black-clad men scattered inside.

If the boxing gym and fitness area had struck Zeng Jin as relatively normal—after all, he’d seen these black-clad men’s capabilities in the States, so Wanlong Society having a gym and boxing facilities was within his expectations.

But this so-called study area truly baffled him, even left him in awe.

He saw that the people sitting in that occupied classroom weren’t the lawyers he’d imagined, but Wanlong Society’s black-clad men?

And they weren’t smoking, playing cards, or gathering around to brag and bullshit like the gangsters he’d imagined. Instead… they were reading?

Yes, actually reading books!

And the scene felt somehow off, no matter how you looked at it.

What were hardcore gangsters doing reading books?

Especially since the books they were reading clashed so hard with their image and demeanor.

Because those books were actually Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, Public Security Administration Punishments Law… all legal texts. It was absolutely absurd!

But that wasn’t even the main point. The main point was that they did comprehension exercises while reading.

Just… not the kind of comprehension exercises one would normally imagine.

For example, on the whiteboard at the front of the classroom was a comprehension question, written by who knew who.

And next to it was a simple schematic of the human skeleton, marking some vital points on the body.

When Zeng Jin made out the words clearly, his eyes went wide.

It was a case study analysis.

【Case Analysis: If an enemy charges with a weapon, and we dodge sideways then strike the side of their knee from behind with an expandable baton, does this constitute self-defense? Please analyze using Article 20 of the Criminal Law and principles of biomechanics.】

Below were several lines of smaller notes.

Note 1: Striking the side of the knee can instantly incapacitate the opponent without causing permanent disability, meeting the necessary limits of defense.

Note 2: Remember to avoid vital areas like the back of the head, neck, and spine, otherwise it may easily become excessive defense.

Note 3: In actual combat, it is recommended to first shout “Don’t come over here!” to strengthen on-site evidence of defensive intent.】

???

Zeng Jin completely lost his composure.

What the hell is this?

He couldn’t help himself. He turned to Cheng Gang and asked, “You… normally study like this?”

Cheng Gang nodded calmly. “Yes, this is our daily legal studies. A bit fewer people today.”

Hearing this, Zeng Jin couldn’t help but mentally rant: I’m not asking about the attendance! Is this learning content aimed at obeying the law or exploiting legal loopholes? Learning legal knowledge to this level, shouting first before a fight to preserve evidence—what the fuck… Are these gangsters or a bunch of legal fanatics?

Cheng Gang seemed to sense Zeng Jin’s confusion and explained further: “Wanlong Society is a legitimate enterprise. Obeying the law is our bottom line. All core members must regularly study and be tested on legal knowledge to ensure everyone operates within the legal framework. Knowing the law allows you to better obey it, and better fight… er, protect your own rights and act righteously.”

Zeng Jin: “……”

Liang Mengsong: “……”