Shadow Winds Compound, Main Headquarters.
Lu Zihao and his subordinates worked tirelessly in the last few months to obtain more resources and manpower. They already destroyed quite a number of small to medium gangs. For now, they hadn’t touch any of the biggest triads in the country yet.
Those powerful triads, however, were already cautious and guarded against the Shadow Winds. The group’s rise to power was too rapid and yet stable that it was alarming. The Shadow Winds were disturbing the power balance in the country’s underworld. And many weren’t happy with it. Some of these triads even reached out to the Shadow Winds, wanting to acquire and swallow it within their own respective organizations as a subordinate division. Of course, Lu Zihao declined.
Apart from his most trusted subordinates, nobody else knew Lu Zihao’s identity as the grandson of the business legend, Sir Lu Jianhong. He was only known as Mr. Z.
He also started wearing a mask even when inside the Shadow Winds headquarters as a precaution to the new members of the group. Although he was fairly confident that the original members of his group were loyal to him and wouldn’t betray him, the same couldn’t be said to the new members.
After an exponential growth in the number of members, Lu Zihao recently slowed down recruitment. He wanted to focus on training these new members, while at the same time weeding out those whose loyalty he wasn’t sure of.
Aside from their exploits in the underworld, they also targeted publicly “upright” businesses and organizations but were actually running illicit activities behind closed doors. As a result, Shadow Winds had now acquired several legitimate businesses they used as cover for their own activities. These businesses also served as major and sustainable streams of income to the group.
Lu Zihao also ordered several small branches to be established in different parts of the country and even in select other countries abroad. The teams he sent to build these branches were small in number. A team ranged from only two to six members each. This was to avoid arousing the suspicion of both the authorities and the local criminal groups.
Overall, the Shadow Winds had grown quite powerful. And standing behind this rising power was its leader, the mysterious Mr. Z.
Inside the control room, Lu Zihao played with his black blank mask with his hands. The subordinates present were among the original members. They were fiercely loyal to him and knew his real identity. They were also only the ones allowed to refer to him as “Boss Hao”. The new members had to call him “Master Z” instead.
Lu Zihao stopped playing with the mask. His eyes narrowed.
“This might be an indication that the biography is nearing completion or maybe it’s already finished. We are not sure,” the hacker leader said.
His subordinates didn’t visibly cower anymore when Lu Zihao released a murderous aura. Their intense training helped a lot in hardening their bodies, minds and wills into sharp blades of steel. Nevertheless, their hearts still trembled inside at their leader.
“Get me a copy of that f*cking biography,” he ordered.
“We’ll do our best, Boss Hao.” The hacker leader hesitated before saying, “But we can’t guarantee that we’ll succeed. We already tried many times to obtain a copy or even just some parts of the biography but to no avail. That man is very careful. We suspect that it’s either he’s writing the book by hand or he’s using a separate device to write it that isn’t connected to the internet. My hacker team is helpless in these cases. That is unless we send a team to where he’s at—wherever he is—and snatch the biography directly from him.”
Lu Zihao stood up and started pacing back and forth in the control room. He moved like a restless and bloodthirsty panther. Silent and dangerous.
“What else?” he asked in a tone that exerted a very heavy pressure upon his subordinates.
“There is also the possibility that he’s using a highly-advanced concealment or encryption software that prevents us from accessing his data, specifically his files regarding the biography. If this is the case, we still have a chance. We just have to dig harder and deeper.”
“Do that, then.”
“Spit it out.”
“I…Boss Hao, we already suggested this before but…uh…”
Realization flashed in Lu Zihao’s eyes. Then he scowled. “No. I already said before that we will not involve Drakon in any of this business.”
The hacker leader already expected his boss’ decision, but he still wanted to try persuading him to change his mind. “Boss Hao, I think you should reconsider your decision. Boss Drakon is the only top-tier hacker that we know of who’s the most likely to willingly help us because of your connection to her. All of us in the hacker team are confident that she could gather everything you need more quickly.”
Lu Zihao glared at his subordinate, making the guy lower his eyes to the floor.
“Boss Hao! We got a hit!” an excited voice interrupted them. It was a female hacker who barged inside the control room carrying a tablet. She panted as he handed the tablet to Lu Zihao. Then she explained, “We found traces of our target in South America.”
“South America?” Lu Zihao frowned as he studied the information displayed on the tablet. The information was incomplete but his eyes widened when he realized something. He instructed, “Continue monitoring him. Do everything you can to get me a copy of the biography. And also…”
The hacker leader and the female hacker paid attention.
“Look into the latest activities of the Alcatraz Organización.” Hatred boiled within Lu Zihao when he mentioned this group which was one of the biggest archenemies of the Vetrovs in the past.
All of the subordinates inside the control room paled.
“Shush! What are you doing? I already told you to control your mouth when in front of the boss,” the hacker leader reprimanded her. Then he turned to Lu Zihao and bowed, forcing the female hacker to bow as well. “Boss Hao, please forgive her this once! She’s still young and doesn’t yet know what’s good for her!”
Lu Zihao nodded but made sure to give the female hacker a warning look. Although he didn’t really mind what she said, he needed to instill discipline to all of his subordinates or things within the Shadow Winds might spiral out of his control.
“Sorry, Boss Hao,” she mumbled, trembling.
After instructing his subordinates on what to do next, Lu Zihao dismissed everyone. They went to do the tasks assigned to them. As for him, he wore his mask and headed to his room.
He wasn’t really sure whether the Alcatraz Organización had something to do with the man writing the biography about the Vetrovs. It was possible that the Alcatrazes might have something to do with the Vetrov’s downfall and annihilation. Everything was still a conjecture on his part, though.
Lu Zihao wanted to know the truth. It was an obsession. The progress of his hacker team was too slow that he was starting to run out of patience. There was also a sense of urgency, especially now that the biography might be published soon.
He fished his phone from his pocket. He tapped on it a few times but suddenly stopped when he realized what he was doing. His thumb hovered over Iris’ phone number.
‘No. It’s better not to involve her in this dangerous business. She’s living a great life now. I should let her enjoy a life of peace and happiness,’ he told himself.
‘She chose her path and I chose mine. Better keep it that way.’
Lu Zihao looked straight ahead, determined not to falter in his path of revenge.
