Chapter 127: The White Glove

"How much do you know about the Club?"

Gonggong did not answer Chen Xiao's question directly, instead posing one of his own.

Chen Xiao thought for a moment. "At the very least, I know that my parents' deaths are connected to the Club."

Gonggong nodded. "I understand how you feel. It's just that..."

He stared at Chen Xiao with a grave expression. "Chen Xiao, I don't know if you'll be able to take these words to heart right now... but I feel it is necessary for me to say them!"

Chen Xiao looked at Gonggong, seeing absolute sincerity in his eyes. "Go ahead. I know you wouldn't lie to me."

Gonggong seemed to smile faintly, and his voice dropped a register.

"The Club is not necessarily evil... and the Agency is not necessarily righteous."

The words were spoken softly, but Chen Xiao sensed a strange and complex undertone to the tone in which they were delivered.

He lowered his head, pondered for a moment, and then gave a bitter laugh. "You're not the first person to tell me that."

"Old Tian said it too, didn't he?" Gonggong laughed heartily, giving Chen Xiao a pat on the shoulder. "We all know about Old Tian's situation. He, too, is... a heartbroken man."

Chen Xiao looked into Gonggong's eyes, trying to read something in the gaze of this tough, rugged man.

It seemed... not just Old Tian, but the trio of the Unfinished Street all appeared to be... people with heavy pasts.

Gonggong pulled Chen Xiao along, casually sitting down on a wooden bench beside the pedestrian street. Being neglected and lacking maintenance, the bench on the Unfinished Street was naturally dirty and worn, yet Gonggong did not seem to mind at all, sitting right down. He patted the spot beside him. "Come, let me tell you something. Since you asked, whatever can be said, I will tell you."

Chen Xiao sat beside Gonggong and heard him slowly begin:

"When I was young... well, that was many, many years ago." Gonggong gave a self-deprecating smile. Chen Xiao curled his lip inwardly—these old fellows must have been young many decades ago...

"Back then, I was only in my twenties. I've been different from others since I was a child. My abilities made people treat me like a monster." Gonggong glanced at Chen Xiao. "Do you know where I grew up?"

"Where?"

"A pirate den."

Gonggong dropped an answer that took Chen Xiao completely by surprise.

"P-Pirates?" Chen Xiao's eyes widened in genuine astonishment.

Still, one could imagine it: this big, rugged, fierce-looking man, wearing a ferocious expression, a bandanna tied around his head, a short jacket, and wielding a butcher's knife while standing on the deck of a pirate ship...

"It was in Southeast Asia, the Strait of Malacca," Gonggong smiled. "I used to be a pirate. The Strait of Malacca was a golden maritime trade route back then. I was a notorious pirate lord in those parts, with three ships and hundreds of brothers under my command."

That was... Chen Xiao gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose. "I'm just surprised that you were actually a pirate."

"Then, by pure coincidence, a merchant ship we plundered happened to have people from the Agency on board." Gonggong smiled. "That time, I hit a snag. It was my first failure, and back then, I was no match for that guy."

"That guy?" A flicker of intuition stirred in Chen Xiao's heart.

"K." Gonggong uttered a name familiar to Chen Xiao—wasn't this the very man who brought sorrow and hatred to Old Tian? The figure from the Agency who broke the heart of the ancestors of Phoenix, the great Miss Mingyue of yesteryear?!

"That guy ran into me. He defeated me, and... the rest was simple. He brought me into the Agency. Although I was untamed and rebellious back then, his strength genuinely surpassed mine. My supernatural abilities weren't as formidable as they are now, and I was no match for him at all. Besides, among pirates, strength is law. Survival of the fittest; whoever has the hardest punch is the boss. Since he was stronger than me, I conceded. I followed him into the Agency, and then..."

Gonggong smiled. "Actually, the fact that I've lived this long is thanks to him."

The implications of these words left Chen Xiao deeply astonished!

"K is a madman, but also a true genius. At the time, he was dedicated to the research of supernatural abilities. He always believed that through scientific research, abilities could be elevated, human bodies and destinies could be altered, and everything could be transformed... or rather..." Gonggong seemed to smile faintly. "I feel... he practically regarded himself as God! Though... he really did look a lot like an omnipotent God!"

He then gave a bitter laugh: "After my body was modified, subjected to some medical alterations by him, my lifespan was extended... Oh, by the way, I wasn't the only one who underwent the modification... there was her, too."

With that, Gonggong nodded toward the coffee shop.

"Big Sister Zhurong?" Chen Xiao was dumbfounded.

"Back then, she was quite a gentle little girl," Gonggong said, his eyes narrowing with a smile.

Gen... gentle?!

Perhaps no matter how rich one's imagination was, it would be impossible to connect the word "gentle" with Zhurong!

"She really was very gentle back then." A hint of blissful nostalgia suddenly surfaced in Gonggong's eyes. "She didn't like to talk much. If anyone looked at her a second too long or spoke a few extra words to her, she would blush. She spoke very softly—a very meticulous girl. Girls at seventeen or eighteen mostly go through a phase like that."

Seventeen or eighteen...

Counting Zhurong's age today... when Zhurong was seventeen or eighteen?

A sudden realization struck Chen Xiao!

Connecting this to the story Old Tian had told him before, it was clear that by the time Zhurong, Gonggong, and K met, the tragedy between Old Tian, Mingyue, and K had already occurred!

In other words, by that time, K had already abandoned Mingyue, abandoned romance, and transformed into a mad scientist.

"Zhurong and I were both his experimental subjects. However, at least in our cases, the experiment was a success. Our bodies were successfully modified. Through long-term observation, our metabolic rates were forcibly suppressed and slowed down, effectively extending our lifespans and halting the human aging process." Gonggong touched his chin. "My appearance now is almost indistinguishable from when I was in my thirties."

"And then?" Chen Xiao frowned.

"Then? Both Zhurong and I joined the Agency, becoming core members." Gonggong smiled. "We worked together as partners and were placed in the same unit. We participated in several confrontations between the Agency and the Club, gradually making quite a name for ourselves in the supernatural community. I earned the moniker Gonggong, while she came to be called Zhurong. However, we weren't a couple back then."

"Ah, I guessed as much," Chen Xiao said with a feigned, relaxed smile. "In ancient mythology, the two great deities Gonggong and Zhurong fought and shattered the pillars of heaven, leading to the legend of Nuwa repairing the heavens... Judging by your codenames, you two should be enemies."

"Actually... calling us enemies wouldn't be wrong either." Gonggong gave a wry laugh, his expression dimming. "Back then, Zhurong... her heart had always belonged to a man. That man was... K."

K again?

Did this K guy really possess such charm?

"Actually, it's not hard to understand," Gonggong chuckled bitterly. "A young, inexperienced girl with a shy and gentle temperament suddenly finds herself in the company of a powerful, charismatic man with an iron will, decisive actions, intelligence, and poise. Furthermore, during the experimentation process, he showed deep concern for us—even though that concern was solely for the sake of the experiment itself. To a young girl, that kind of attention inevitably..."

Gonggong shook his head. "It's all in the past. There's no point in talking about it now."

"And you?" Chen Xiao suddenly smiled. "Did you have a thing for Zhurong back then?"

"...Uh, actually, no. Back then... I was always on my own. It wasn't until later that I met Alice."

The Poison Queen?

Chen Xiao wasn't too surprised by this, as subtle hints had already suggested that there was definitely a story there.

"I won't bore you with the dusty old tales of us old folks," Gonggong shook his head. "Later on, a few major events happened within the Agency, followed by a series of changes, and we successively resigned from the Agency. I ran into a few fellows from the Club and was recruited by them to work as a mercenary for a while."

"You joined the Club?!"

This revelation shocked Chen Xiao.

"There's nothing strange about that," Gonggong smiled. "In the supernatural world, these things happen often. If you view the Club and the Agency as two major corporations, this behavior is simply job hopping. Besides, I left the Agency first, spent some time on my own, and was then recruited by the Club as a mercenary. It wasn't a formal joining; I was just doing paid work. Later on... due to a special circumstance, I returned to the Agency."

"What circumstance?"

"K found me and said he needed my help. I owed him a favor, so I had no choice but to agree and return to the Agency." Gonggong gave a bitter smile. "I just didn't expect that by the time I went back, the Agency had changed a great deal, with many internal shifts. By then, I was already considered an old veteran in the Agency. Upon my return, with K's support and my own efforts, I pulled off several impressive operations. And then... I joined the Committee."

Chen Xiao was even more astonished.

The Committee?!

Did that mean... Gonggong was once a Flower Card holder?!

"Not just me, Zhurong too. She was also a Flower Card holder." Gonggong seemed to smile. "Only, by the time we returned then, Zhurong had changed. She was no longer that gentle, innocent little girl. She had changed so much that even I found her somewhat unrecognizable. I suppose a person's temperament only undergoes a drastic change after experiencing profound agony."

"You've said a lot... but you still haven't gotten to the point," Chen Xiao said wryly. "That collar, and the commission..."

"What I said before stands: if I don't want to tell you and won't tell you, then I won't," Gonggong refused firmly. "Chen Xiao, you must not get involved in these matters. Do it for my sake, and for your own! However, I still want to tell you this: since you've decided to join the Agency, you still have no reason to harbor hostility toward the Club. Although your parents' deaths are connected to the Club... the Club is a massive organization, and that doesn't make it inherently evil. As for the Agency, I've said it before... it's hard to call it righteous. At least, during my time as a Flower Card holder on the Committee, I saw and heard far too many things."

The United States always styled itself as the world's policeman, brandishing the banner of righteousness everywhere... but was the United States truly righteous?

Without Gonggong spelling it out, Chen Xiao naturally understood the principle.

Yet... the Club?

No matter what, emotionally, it was very difficult for Chen Xiao to develop any favorable feelings toward the Club.

"The Club also has fifty-four cards! Its organizational structure is very similar to the Agency's. After all... perhaps Old Tian told you, the Club split off from the Agency more than a century ago."

Fifty-four cards as well??

"I've said all I should say. As for the rest, you must make your own choice. This is your life, your path. As much as we old folks want to protect you... ultimately, you have to walk your own road." Gonggong smiled. "I only hope that no matter what, you don't become extreme. Keep your mental equilibrium, and don't let your heart be thrown into chaos by hatred! I hope you will remember these words forever!"

"I'll remember them," Chen Xiao nodded, though... whether his heart would truly accept them was hard to say for now.

After chatting for a bit longer, Gonggong looked up at the night sky. "Let's go back. They definitely still have things to tell you."

Just as the two of them stood up, a white luxury car slowly rounded the corner of the Unfinished Street. It drove directly onto the pedestrian street and, under the gaze of Chen Xiao and Gonggong, slowly came to a halt right at the entrance of the coffee shop.

Chen Xiao noticed that upon seeing the white car, Gonggong's expression shifted slightly!

And the license plate of that white car... instead of a combination of numbers and letters, it was...

A bizarre grinning face!

Gonggong's gaze turned solemn as he stood alongside Chen Xiao, watching coldly as the car stopped in front of them.

The car door slowly pushed open. First, a white ceremonial cane extended from inside, followed by a man stepping out of the vehicle.

The man was dressed entirely in a white suit, a white fedora, and even his tie was white. The left breast pocket of his jacket revealed the tip of a white handkerchief.

Even his leather shoes were white!

His complexion was also fair, though not sickly pale, but rather clear and healthy-looking, set against handsome facial features.

Stranger still...

The man was wearing gloves.

White, pristine silk gloves that looked exquisite and luxurious.

"Good evening, gentlemen." His voice carried a slight nasal twang, as if he had a cold, which only added a touch of magnetism to his tone. "Today is Thursday, isn't it? Are you taking commissions?"

He removed his hat, smiling amiably, and gently touched his nose with his white-gloved hand.