"Gabriel Xue? No way!" The moment Harvey "Million" Jin heard that name, he shot up, blurting out excitedly, "He’s a legendary figure in Jiangdong’s military—deputy commander of the Jiangdong Special Operations Corps, a hero famous for wiping out Japanese forces with zero prisoners. My father-in-law idolizes him; he always says if Commander Xue wanted, he’d give up his own military post just to be a regimental commander under him!"
"That’s right, Gabriel Xue really is on another level. Back when I was fighting in the Middle East, not just Chinese soldiers—even foreign mercenaries would give a thumbs up when his name came up. They say he’s the backbone of China’s modern military—a true national hero. And get this: in the provincial capital, he absolutely despises the Azure Dragon Society. He never attends any of their events. Guy’s got real personality!" Jason Lin quickly added.
"Ryan, you can’t let Commander Xue wait outside. Go greet him right now—heroes like him, we’ll always be juniors in front of!" On the sickbed, Lily Liu struggled to sit up and urged.
"Alright, I’m going!" Ryan Ling didn’t hesitate. With praise like that, there was no way he’d shut the door on someone like Gabriel Xue—especially after hearing he hates the Azure Dragon Society. Deep down, Ryan genuinely wanted to meet him.
"Let’s all go together!" Harvey Jin quickly stood up, and Jason Lin, Warren Yuan, and the others followed him out.
Outside, Leonard Liu had already gone to greet them. But with too many people crowding the main entrance, he had to open a small side gate in the alley. Waiting outside were two soldierly-looking men—one older, clearly Gabriel Xue, and one young bodyguard whose power was obviously at grandmaster level, and just like Ye Nanfei, already an orange-realm grandmaster.
"Commander Xue, I’m so sorry to keep you waiting—please, come in!" Ryan Ling stepped forward respectfully.
"Ryan Ling, Jiangnan’s young martial king—turns out seeing you in person beats all the rumors! You’ve got the makings of a real soldier. If only I had someone like you on my team!" Gabriel Xue laughed heartily, speaking bluntly without any commander airs.
Warren Yuan, Harvey Jin, Jason Lin, and the rest all greeted Gabriel Xue one by one. Gabriel nodded to each in turn; when he saw Harvey Jin, he even stopped to chat for a moment, coming off as genuinely friendly.
Ryan Ling scratched his head. He’d thought this War God would be super serious, but turns out he’s actually really easygoing. Hanging out with him just felt totally free and relaxed.
Soon, Gabriel Xue was welcomed into the guild hall. The group sat by the pool, sipping tea and chatting.
Gabriel Xue didn’t beat around the bush. He said openly, “Ryan Ling, I’m the type who likes to get straight to the point. I rushed here from the provincial capital tonight because I want to invite you to take on a major task. But I’ll be upfront—I’m not rich, just a poor commander. I can’t offer you billions in appearance fees, but if you’re willing to step up, you’ll earn an honor no amount of money can buy. Are you in?”
Commander Xue, I’m a straightforward guy too. Just tell me what you need—if I can do it, I will. After all, I respect you.
“Good, I like it—painfully direct. You’re definitely not some ordinary guy!” Gabriel Xue’s face turned serious. He glanced at his bodyguard, who immediately pulled out a stack of photos from a black bag and handed them over.
“Take a look at these first,” Gabriel Xue said, passing the photos to Ryan.
Ryan took the photos. At a glance, his brows furrowed—the images showed a massacre: villagers along the coast beheaded, hearts gouged out, livers dug out. Even children weren’t spared, strung up with machetes—pure brutality.
“Monstrous!” Seeing the final photo—pregnant women and children all slaughtered—Ryan slammed his palm on the stone table, shattering it completely.
“Commander Xue, who did this?” Ryan turned to Gabriel Xue.
Gabriel Xue let out a cold laugh, his eyes flashing with killing intent. “The dwarf bandits.”
“The dwarf bandits? They dare attack our people?”
“They even dare kill our citizens? Outrageous!”
“Commander Xue, why haven’t you wiped out these bastards yet?”
...
At those words, Harvey Jin, Jason Lin, and the others all jumped to their feet.
Gabriel Xue didn’t respond immediately. He lit a cigarette, paused for half a minute, then said, “Since the founding of the nation, China and Japan have seemed friendly on the surface, but inside Japan there’s always been an ultra‑right faction persecuting innocent Chinese. Now they’ve even seized Shark‑Hook Island, enslaved Chinese workers, and built a military fortress. I want to wipe them out more than anyone, but this time the enemy is strong. That’s why I’m asking you, Ryan Ling, Jiangnan’s young king, to take them down!”
Commander Xue, with your reputation as a famous anti‑Japanese general, surely the Jiangdong Special Operations Corps could crush these invaders. Why not just wipe them out?" Ryan asked, puzzled.
Gabriel Xue chuckled. “If we used the army, we could crush them easily, but China‑Japan relations are delicate—now’s not the time for all‑out war. Plus, the force occupying Shark‑Hook Island isn’t the Japanese government, but a civilian kendo sect called the Water‑Breaker Sword Sect. They’re targeting Jiangdong’s martial arts, calling us trash not worth fighting. That’s why I want the martial world to answer their challenge—and you’re the perfect champion.”
Seeing Ryan nod, Gabriel continued, “To be honest, I’ve secretly sent top soldiers and martial experts to challenge them over the past few months, but all failed. The Japanese are getting bolder, so I came to find you. I watched your whole tournament—I know you can win!”
Everyone turned to Ryan Ling. Their hearts burned with patriotism—these Japanese bastards were way too arrogant.
“Alright, if Commander Xue thinks so highly of me, I won’t refuse—I’ll go!” Ryan Ling stood up and agreed without hesitation. This was about national honor; he couldn’t say no. Besides, he wanted to see what the Water‑Breaker Sword Sect was really capable of.
“Good, that’s the spirit! I know you’ll wipe out every last one of those bastards!” Gabriel Xue jumped up, clearly excited.
Everyone nodded. Fighting the invaders was not just a duty—it was an honor.
That night, the brothers started planning their expedition to Shark‑Hook Island. Ryan Ling wondered if he could push his strength even further. Last time, Granny Soul gave him two Fire‑Eye Orbs, but he hadn’t used them yet—he just knew they were mysterious, but hadn’t figured out their secrets.
“Hey kid, what are you thinking about?” Just as Ryan hesitated, the System suddenly popped up.
“System, you’re just in time—I was about to ask you something.” Ryan’s eyes lit up as the System appeared.
“No need to say anything—I already know. You did great in the martial arts tournament, made Harbor City proud, and Hell won’t shortchange you. They’re thinking about promoting you—maybe one or two ranks. With your ‘Dad Yama’ connection, jumping straight to Seventh‑Grade official is no problem!” The System’s ghost laughed.
“Promotion’s nice, but if there’s no perks, what’s the point?” Ryan Ling muttered, speechless.
“How could there be no perks? Seventh‑Grade in Hell is a division‑level cadre—they’ll assign you subordinates, maybe some ghost soldiers and generals to help out!” the System replied quickly.
“That’s pretty good. I’m about to head to the East Sea to wipe out some invaders, and I was thinking about bringing more help. If Hell can send me some tough ghost‑dao warriors, that’d be perfect!” Ryan nodded.
“You’re going to the East Sea?” The System blinked, surprised.
“That’s right, I should be heading there soon,” Ryan said.
“If you’re going to the East Sea, remember to look for the Hell Furnace. A squad of ghost soldiers recently spotted it there—it’s a super artifact lost from the Eighteenth Level of Hell’s Oil Cauldron Hell. If you recover it, Hell will owe you big. Plus, Granny Soul gave you two Fire‑Eye Orbs. If you smelt them in the Hell Furnace and apply them around your eyes, your Fire Eyes will fully awaken!” the System explained.
“The Hell Furnace?” Ryan Ling was stunned. It looked like the real focus of this East Sea trip had just shifted.