Chapter 54

Shen Changze was efficient in handling the arrangements. He purchased passports and visas at a high price, booked their plane tickets, and two of them flew directly to France.

As soon as everyone heard that they were going on a trip, several of them expressed their desire to join. Shen Changze anticipated this, so he kept all the arrangements a secret until the day before their departure. He had no intention of allowing these idiots to disrupt his and his dad’s vacation.

When they arrived at Cannes Airport, it was already past 11 pm. The airport had arranged a car to pick them up. Since they had a good rest on the plane, both of them were still quite energetic. They engaged in conversation with the driver, asking about the local attractions and specialties.

Their French was taught by a Moroccan in the mercenary group, which carried a slight Arabic accent. The driver was quite intrigued by their accent and became greatly surprised when he learned they were Chinese. Then he inquired about the legendary Chinese martial arts and finally, when he discovered they learned French from a Moroccan, he asked them in a mysterious tone if they had ever heard of “Cloud Summit.”¹the original text is “YunDing”, this exists in real life in malaysia by the name “Genting”

Shan Ming raised an eyebrow, pretending not to know. “Are you referring to the casino in Malaysia?”

“No, no, even though when someone mentions Cloud Summit, most people would think of that one, but the Cloud Summit I’m talking about isn’t on the mountain, it’s underground.”

Shen Changze seemed to have a vague impression of this word. Perhaps the team had mentioned it while drinking.

Shan Ming then asked, “Then, what kind of place is that Cloud Summit?”

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“Ysasnns wple vs cl y Waldnb nszsdu qsa y zsdt vkxl. Yu taydeqyvbla plahle vblal yp y pszekla, yde bl jdlo xydu zltldep ycswv vbyv rzynl,” Mbl Waldnb eakhla okvb y rasxkdldv dspl yrrlyale hkpkczu lmnkvle yde lytlazu nsdvkdwle, “Xhla y bwdeale ulyap yts, ewakdt vbl kdhypksd sq Ysasnns cu Owasrlyd yde Gxlaknyd nswdvaklp, vblu lpvyczkpble yd wdelataswde qktbvkdt yaldy dlya vbl Elpvlad Fybyay csaela yde xydu pvyvksdle pszeklap oswze ts vblal. Rdkvkyzzu, kv oyp fwpv vs okd y csvvzl sq clla sa kxralpp y clywvkqwz osxyd. Tsolhla, yp xsal rlsrzl tsv okde sq kv, lhld bktb-aydjkdt sqqknlap pvyavle ryavknkryvkdt, yde vbl pvyjlp talo bktbla. Mbl wzvkxyvl rakgl qsa vbl hknvsa clnyxl kdnalekczu ypvsdkpbkdt. Mbkp qktbvkdt yaldy oldv vbaswtb rlaksep sq ycydesdxldv ewl vs oya yde Elpvlad Fybyay’p nzyxsa qsa kdelrldeldnl shla vbl rypv bwdeale ulyap, cwv kv alhkhle zyvla sd.”

Mbl eakhla awccle bkp dspl yde nsdvkdwle, “Yu taydeqyvbla xldvksdle vbyv bl bye vakle vs ryavknkryvl, cwv bl bye bkp dspl casjld cu yd Odtzkpbxyd yp pssd yp bl pvlrrle kdvs vbl akdt. Gqvla vbyv, tkhld bkp zlhlz sq pjkzz, bl dlhla bye vbl srrsavwdkvu vs ldvla ytykd. R talo wr zkpvldkdt vs bkp pvsaklp, yde R yzoyup clzklhle vbyv Ysasnns bye pwnb y qktbvkdt yaldy qsa xld, y rzynl oblal lkvbla kdfwaklp, elyvbp, sa alvwadkdt vakwxrbydvzu okvb blqvu aloyaep olal vbl dsaxp.” Mbl eakhla’p lulp tzlyxle okvb yd wdwpwyz zktbv, yp kq yv vbyv xsxldv, bl vaydpqsaxle kdvs yd kdhkdnkczl oyaaksa, ayvbla vbyd y xkeezl-ytle xyd obspl clzzu oyp ycswv vs vswnb vbl pvllakdt obllz.

Fbyd Ykdt pxkzle yde zlydle cynj kd bkp plyv, vlypkdtzu pyukdt, “Mawpv xl, vbyv’p dsv y rzynl usw’e oydv vs ts.”

Ebld vblu tsv sqq vbl nya, Fbld Ubydtgl tyhl vbl eakhla y tldlaswp vkr yp y aloyae qsa pbyakdt y qypnkdyvkdt pvsau ewakdt vbl vakr.

Gqvla vbl vos ldvlale vbl bsvlz assx, Fbyd Ykdt qasodle yp bl zssjle yv vbl jkdt-pkgl cle kd vbl nldvla sq vbl zwmwakswp pwkvl vbyv xlypwale vos yde y byzq xlvlap, okvb aspl rlvyzp pnyvvlale yzz shla kv.

Fbld Ubydtgl ralvldvkswpzu rwv sd y vaswczle lmralppksd yde lmnzykxle, “Tso eke kv clnsxl zkjl vbkp?”

Fbyd Ykdt tzyale yv bkx, “Zsw xydytle vs xlpp wr lhld cssjkdt y assx.”

Fbld Ubydtgl lmrzykdle, “Ebld R xyel vbl rbsdl nyzz, R fwpv ypjle qsa vbl clpv assx. R yzps esd’v jdso bso kv clnyxl zkjl vbkp. Jwv vbkp assx’p ynvwyzzu iwkvl dknl. Nssj, Pye, usw nyd pll vbl ygwal nsypvzkdl qasx blal.”

Shan Ming rolled his eyes in response. No wonder the bellboy who was helping them with their luggage was giving them such a weird look.

Shan Ming walked up and wanted to shake the bed sheets, intending to get rid of the heap of red petals. Shen Changze exclaimed, “Wait!”

Shan Ming glanced at him and asked, “What? Don’t tell me you want to keep it?”

A tinge of disappointment appeared in Shen Changze’s eyes, he took out his phone and said, “Dad, at least take a photo.”

“You spent ten years in the Peregrine Falcons, you’ve endured every hardship and savored every pleasure, what else is left for you to relish? Photo my ass.”

“No, this is our first time going out alone. We must take a photo,” Shen Changze exclaimed, rushing forward and holding Shan Ming’s shoulder. He aimed the camera at them, with the massive bed of roses serving as the background, and snapped a picture. After that, he joyfully went aside to look at it.

Shan Ming grabbed the bedsheet and shook off all the flower petals onto the floor, then flopped onto the bed and let out a comfortable sigh.

Shen Changze also lay down on the bed. “Dad, are you sleepy?”

“Not exactly sleepy, it just wasn’t comfortable sleeping on the plane.”

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

“No, and no.”

“So what should we do now?”

“I don’t know.”

Shen Changze turned to the side, gazing at Shan Ming’s long, curled eyelashes as they peacefully rested. Feeling an irresistible itch in his heart, he softly said, “Let’s chat then. Dad, that Cloud Summit that the driver mentioned, have you ever heard of it?”

Shan Ming slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the luxurious golden ceiling. “Mn, I’ve been there.”

“You’ve been there?”

“Yes, when I was fourteen years old, the former leader of the Peregrine Falcons died, and there were hardly any members left in the group. So, Tiger Shark, Ayer, and I went there together.”

Shen Changze knew that Shan Ming had suffered a major setback in Yunnan when he was fourteen, but Shan Ming hadn’t told him that it was caused by his own kind. He asked, “What did you guys go there for?”

“The purpose of our visit was originally to recruit new members and earn some prize money. We were in a pretty bad situation back then. With so many people dead and little money left, we needed both people and money to rebuild the Peregrine Falcon.”

“And after that?”

“After we arrived there, we did manage to earn some money, but we didn’t bring a single person back with us.”

“Why?”

Shan Ming narrowed his eyes, and a flicker of disgust flashed on his face. “Because it wasn’t really a fighting arena anymore; it should be called a beast arena. Those who stepped into the ring for money were nothing but beasts.”

Shen Changze asked, “Why do you say that?”

“They injected themselves with drugs for the sake of winning high prize money. This was tacitly allowed in the fighting arena. After the drug injection, those individuals became excessively bloodthirsty, violent, and devoid of humanity. Even if their opponents surrendered, they would continue to attack until they killed them. And that’s exactly what the audience wanted to see. It was a disgustingly inhumane place, and those people eventually forgot who they once were.”

Shen Changze became more intrigued and pressed for further details. “So they couldn’t win without the drug injections? If they knew the harm, why didn’t they just quit? They must have had some purpose for earning the money. If they ended up forgetting who they were, what meaning did it all hold?”

“It’s not that simple. Another reason why we couldn’t take anyone out of there was because most of the people there were deceived into accepting money and signing contracts with their employers. If they breached the contract, they would have to pay hefty fines. Imagine this, they enter the arena with confidence only to discover that they couldn’t defeat anyone. They may die on the platform at any moment while having contracts hanging over their heads. They had no choice but to use the drugs because everyone else was doing it. It became a vicious cycle. People like us, who knew nothing and signed up for so-called free fighting back then, are almost nonexistent now. If entering the arena came with the possibility of getting killed, who dares to step into the ring without drugs? Therefore, Cloud Summit has lost its original meaning of free fighting and has become an arena where wealthy owners purchase beasts at a high price, tame them, and make them fight for substantial bets.”

Shen Changze lay next to Shan Ming and gently touched his ear with his hand, “Dad, did you almost die in there too?”

Shan Ming wasn’t very willing to recall that experience, not because of fear, but because of the sight of those who turned into beasts after the injection of the drugs. He found it both sad and disgusting. Moreover, he nearly lost Ayer back then. He nodded and said, “Yeah, almost. But luckily we didn’t sign a contract. As long as we came out of a match alive, we can take the money and leave. Several hundred thousand or even millions of dollars, they didn’t care at all. But things are different now. The last time I heard about that place, I heard that if someone strong enough won a match, the wealthy owners would do everything in their power to keep them there. Even if they wanted to leave, they might not be able to.”

Shen Changze smiled faintly, “Interesting. I’d like to give it a try.”

Shan Ming glanced at him and said, “No, you can’t.”

“Why? Are you worried that I’ll lose?”

“No, you won’t lose. But once you’re pushed to a dead end and transform into a Dragon Blood Kin in front of thousands of people, do you still think it’ll be fun? The Dragon Blood Kin Project, I don’t have to say, you already know it’s the highest state secret of the country, right? Although I don’t have an obligation to keep secrets for others, I know that if this secret is leaked, it will definitely bring trouble to myself. So you better settle down and stop thinking about these useless things. We’re just here to have fun this time.”

It was just a casual remark, Shen Changze had no intention of risking his life during this vacation. Upon hearing Shan Ming’s words, he contentedly replied, “Dad is just worried about me.”

Shan Ming yawned and said, “I’m getting hungry from all this talking. Go get me something to eat.”

“What does Dad want to eat?”

“Anything.”

Shen Changze walked to the living room and flipped through the menu for a while. Then he made a call for room service. By the time he returned to the room, Shan Ming had already fallen asleep.

This habit was developed through Shan Ming’s years as a mercenary. In order to maintain optimal physical condition, qualified soldiers must be able to endure several days without sleep and also force themselves to sleep whenever an opportunity arises. Now, Shan Ming could fall asleep at any moment just by closing his eyes. So it seemed that he had fallen asleep right now.

He lay sprawled on the rose-colored large bed, his slightly long, untrimmed black hair scattered around his face, accentuating his handsome features with a touch of fairness. His long legs were enclosed in jeans, with half of them hanging off the bed, giving off an air of casual laziness. The raw, unadorned sexiness exuded by Shan Ming made Shen Changze’s face burn instantly.

His dad, in the top-notch honeymoon suite by the azure coast, slept so defenselessly before him, lying on the rose-colored sheets, just as if… just as if he was his bride…

Shen Changze couldn’t contain his vivid fantasies. How he longed to walk over, climb onto his dad’s body, and do the things he had always wanted to do.

He walked slowly towards him, and Shan Ming became aware of someone approaching. Regardless of how tired he was, he immediately woke up and asked, “The food’s here?”

“No, it will be delivered shortly.”

Oh, ” Shan Ming flipped over.

“Dad, after being on the plane for so long, why don’t you take a shower first?”

“No,” Shan Ming was lazy when it came to personal hygiene, to the extent that Shen Changze even washed his underwear and socks for him. Expecting him to take a shower every day was highly unlikely.

“Then let me wipe your face for you.”

“Mn.”

Shen Changze dampened the towel with warm water, sat at the bedside, and pulled Shan Ming’s head closer. He gently wiped Shan Ming’s face and, once finished, used his fingertips to trace his facial features, giving him acupressure massages.

Shan Ming closed his eyes comfortably, fully enjoying the moment.

After massaging for a while and seeing Shan Ming looking drowsy, Shen Changze helped him take off his shoes and stiff jeans. Then, he gently kissed his forehead and whispered, “Dad, go to sleep. I’ll wake you up when the food arrives.”

Shan Ming softly murmured, “Mn,” and a smile formed at the corners of his mouth.