Chapter 143: Lin Fan's Plan

In truth, Lin Fan was never much of a tea enthusiast, which explained why he knew nothing about the supreme grade of tea known as Immortal's Intoxication. However, ever since his recent trip to the Blue Flag Army, he had grown genuinely fond of it. Every time he finished a cup, he felt refreshed, invigorated, and thoroughly at ease. For a mercenary like him, who frequently stayed up late and fought through high-stakes missions, this tea felt tailor-made for the Dragon Soul. Yet, Jin Zhengyang had told him that the tea was exceedingly rare; if he wanted to get his hands on a few catties of it, he would apparently have to target his uncle or the old master.

"You certainly know your tea, young man," Elder Tang praised with a smile.

Knowing his tea? Far from it. If Jin Zhengyang hadn't explained the tea's origin and characteristics during his time in the Golden Triangle, and if Immortal's Intoxication hadn't actually knocked Lin Fan for a loop, he would never have recognized it at a single glance.

"I was out the other day and just happened to hear someone mention it," Lin Fan said, draining his cup of Immortal's Intoxication with an aftertaste of lingering appreciation on his face.

Elder Tang naturally knew that Immortal's Intoxication was not something an ordinary person could casually produce. Since Lin Fan had only been away for a few days before getting to drink it, the old master was naturally curious about where Lin Fan had actually been. Still, since Lin Fan didn't mention it, he felt it impolite to pry, assuming it must have been to handle affairs concerning the Dragon Soul organization.

Elder Tang set down his teacup and said to Lin Fan, "Back then, after the War of Liberation, the domestic situation was still rather chaotic. A few of my sworn brothers and I dabbled in the underworld around the Central Plains region. One evening, the bunch of us drank quite heavily and, unwilling to head home, we were wandering aimlessly through the streets. Never did we expect to stumble upon a teenager in his teens. At the time, several men were trying to kill him, and all his bodyguards had already been wiped out. Seeing how pitiful the boy was, we stepped in and saved him. If we had arrived even a moment later, he surely would have been murdered—he had already taken so many knife wounds!"

"Since a few of my old brothers had participated in the Liaoshen Campaign and dealt with hunters along the Russian border, we naturally picked up a bit of Russian. When the boy woke up in the hospital, without any language barrier, it was very easy for us to learn his situation. It turned out that the child was the only son of the current patriarch of Russia's then-prominent Kono family. He told us that he had been hunted all the way here by his own cousin. At first, we didn't quite believe it, but later, people from Russia actually came to the Central Plains to assassinate him. Seeing how wretched his plight was, we decided to keep him with us."

"He lived and stayed with us in the Central Plains for several years. When we rescued him, he was only fourteen; by the time he left, he was already a twenty-year-old young man. We originally thought we would never have the chance to see each other again, but who could have known that a few years later, he would return to the Central Plains? By then, he had already become the patriarch of the Kono family. He had always harbored deep gratitude toward us and handed over Russia's arms sales monopoly in Asia at the time. It was precisely because of that financial backing that I was able to unify the underground forces of the Central Plains region so quickly."

As Elder Tang spoke of these past events, his eyes were filled with nostalgia. Of his old friends from those years, only he and Uncle Wu remained, and the young Kono of yesteryear had already become an old man. It seemed that the most merciless thing in the world was time itself. Years urge men toward old age—that saying was truest of all.

Listening to the old master finish his story, Lin Fan felt a touch of envy toward the old man's good fortune. He had casually saved a person who turned out to be the future head of a Russian arms syndicate. Why didn't he ever have such good luck? Ah, well, envy aside, it was best to deal with the present matter first. Besides, his own luck was already good enough: he had managed to cheat death back in the United States, and now he possessed so many loyal brothers who had shared life and death with him, alongside a woman who loved him deeply... A person shouldn't be too greedy. With this thought, a faint smile appeared at the corners of Lin Fan's mouth.

"Young man, I've said everything I needed to say. Shouldn't you also tell us what you're really thinking?" Elder Tang asked.

Lin Fan gave a mischievous chuckle and said, "Actually, there's not much to it. To put it simply: robbery. After the Russian arms dealer trades with the Black Dragon Society, I'll go and rob the Black Dragon Society of all their weapons. As for what happens next, we'll deal with it when the time comes."

Lin Fan didn't care much about how the spoils would be divided, and he trusted that the old master wouldn't let him get shortchanged. Besides, if it weren't for Elder Tang, he wouldn't have even crossed paths with this affair. Since he had bumped into it, it would simply be out of character for him not to stir things up thoroughly.

"You have quite some nerve, young man," Elder Tang remarked, knowing that while Lin Fan made it sound simple, actually pulling this off meant risking one's life at the slightest misstep.

"Is it big? Just so-so," Lin Fan replied with a cheeky grin after hearing the old master out. He then poured himself another cup of Immortal's Intoxication. "Since the Black Dragon Society has asked you to help them purchase one billion US dollars worth of weapons from the Russian arms dealer, with a commission of two hundred million US dollars alone—heh, since the little Japs are delivering the money right to our doorstep, we have no reason to refuse. As long as we plan it properly and make the Black Dragon Society suffer a minor setback... After all, didn't the islanders claim they were very wealthy? I imagine they won't mind a mere one point two billion US dollars."

"Haha, a minor setback? I like your style, but the risks involved..." Elder Tang left his sentence unfinished, trusting that Lin Fan understood the implication behind his words.

Indeed, Lin Fan had already roughly mapped it out in his mind. When the Black Dragon Society transacted with the Russian arms dealer, neither side would ever allow the other to bring too many people for the sake of security. As long as he made preparations in advance, the Dragon Soul's current strength should be more than enough to handle it. Furthermore, Lin Fan had carried out operations of this sort back in Falcon. Although those were official missions assigned by the state, they had nevertheless provided him with a wealth of experience in this domain.

"Leave the robbery to me; I'll arrange it properly. As for the Russian side, you, old master..." Lin Fan sipped his Immortal's Intoxication, wearing an expression of utter enjoyment.

"You calculate every which way, and in the end, you even scheme against an old man like me who has one foot in the grave," Elder Tang cast an affectionate, reproving glare at Lin Fan.

Lin Fan sat there, laughing awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head, tacitly admitting to the old master's accusation. He knew that if he were to approach the Russian arms dealers on his own, while a mutual interest existed, his bargaining chips clearly wouldn't be enough. With Elder Tang's relationship bridging the gap in the middle, Lin Fan was confident the Russian side would agree to sell arms to the Black Dragon Society, and with that, half his plan would already be a success.

"Very well, I will handle the Russian end of things. But the Black Dragon Society will undoubtedly send their elites, and you certainly won't be able to bring many men yourself. Are you confident you can handle it?" Seeing Lin Fan sitting there smiling without speaking, Elder Tang asked with a hint of worry.

Although he knew Lin Fan commanded a massive mercenary organization like the Dragon Soul, mercenaries excelled at group combat. For a heist like this, they couldn't afford to bring too many personnel; otherwise, the target would be too large and easily exposed, shifting the burden onto individual combat capabilities. Having never witnessed the Dragon Soul's combat prowess firsthand, Elder Tang still harbored a lingering trace of anxiety.