Ye Fan and the six others were unaware that the underground boss, Boss Zuo, whom they had never met, was filled with hostility towards them.

The reason was simple: Boss Zuo was displeased because he wanted to meet the seven of them, but it didn’t happen.

Ultimately, Boss Zuo blamed the seven for only being first-rate fighters, but in the Underworld, while fighting ability is important, it’s not the decisive factor. Connections and relationships can determine a lot of things. Many times, problems can be solved without force—this is the capability and skill of an experienced underground boss.

From Boss Zuo’s perspective, Ye Fan and the other six were being shortsighted by disappearing without waiting for his summons, which he considered foolish.

Initially, Boss Zuo wanted to recruit the seven, but now it seems that all those thoughts were in vain.

The reason Boss Zuo felt this way and got angry was because he didn’t consider Ye Fan and the others very important.

There weren’t many people he valued anymore, so it’s natural for him to harbor malice towards Ye Fan and the others.

As Peng Bird said, Ye Fan and the six others missed an opportunity. Had they met Boss Zuo, they could have gained his friendship by taking down his two arch-enemies, General Hawan and the Poison Dragon Mercenary Corps.

Unfortunately, Ye Fan and the others missed this chance. Even Peng Bird felt sorry for them.

Peng Bird also blamed himself for not clarifying Bos Zuo’s intention to summon them earlier.

What Boss Zuo and Peng Bird didn’t know was that Ye Fan and the others disregarded their friendship, a point that Boss Zuo failed to understand. If he realized this, he would have been even more dissatisfied, labeling Ye Fan and the others as arrogant and overbearing.

Boss Zuo’s usual arrogant style tolerated no dissent and didn’t allow for any loss of face.

Ye Fan and the others also didn’t understand why Ma De was relentlessly pursuing them, determined to seek revenge.

The casualties among the Black Cat were a disgrace and a deep vendetta.

Ma De knew that the Black Cat Team wasn’t a match for Ye Fan and his group, but with sufficient preparation, they could lure them as bait and coordinate with other units to annihilate all seven. This was Ma De’s chance to exact revenge and wash away his shame.

However, Ye Fan and the others were neither aware of nor interested in all of this. At this moment, they were on their way back.

Three days later.

After some travel and a long journey, the seven finally crossed the border and entered the country.

Upon receiving the news, Chu Erzhu and Fu Huixia led people to welcome their return.

As Ye Fan and the others appeared within sight, everyone, including Chu Erzhu and Fu Huixia, broke into smiles.

Among them was Qin Yi, captain of the Longyin Team. He initially acted with Ye Fan, but after repulsing the Black Shark, he returned with the martyrs’ bodies, leaving the subsequent tasks to the seven.

Qin Yi had hoped to continue working with Ye Fan, but circumstances forced him to miss this mission.

Regardless of the case, the mission was extremely successful and perfect, achieving an unprecedented accomplishment with zero casualties, which greatly excited Qin Yi and the other members of the Longyin Team.

Chu Erzhu led everyone in saluting, to which Zhang Lu and others responded, while Ye Fan showed less formality.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone." Chu Erzhu looked at Ye Fan and the others with a smile and said, "All of you, take a rest and wash away the fatigue, and then I’ll celebrate with you."

Ye Fan and the six others were indeed exhausted, particularly Zhang Lu and the rest who were both physically and mentally drained. Now that they returned safely, they naturally felt relaxed.

After Ye Fan took a shower, Chu Erzhu came over, preparing tea with some tea utensils.

"Come, sit down," Chu Erzhu invited warmly, "Have some tea."

Ye Fan sat down, picked up the teacup, blew on it, and drank it all in one go, reminiscent of a cow munching on a peony. Chu Erzhu chuckled and didn’t mind; Ye Fan wasn’t particular about enjoying it, as long as it was satisfying.

"The tea is nice, most people wouldn’t get to taste it." Ye Fan smacked his lips and poured himself another cup.

Chu Erzhu smiled and said, "The number-two leader remembered my hard work and sent this to me especially because he thought I was getting old."

He spoke while casting a sharp gaze towards Ye Fan.

"Why are you telling me this? It has nothing to do with me, and I’m not interested." Ye Fan replied blandly.

Chu Erzhu had his reasons for saying this, but Ye Fan’s lack of interest was meant to shut him down.

Unfazed, Chu Erzhu continued, "It’s exhausting to play dumb with a smart person."

As Ye Fan remained silent, Chu Erzhu said seriously, "Don’t you want to be noticed by the top brass and be rewarded with good things? That’s a great honor."

"I’m not interested," Ye Fan unapologetically replied.

"Interest can be cultivated over time," Chu Erzhu kindly suggested, "It’s unwise to be so resolute. Don’t you think?"

Ye Fan took a sip of tea, not bothering to respond to Chu Erzhu’s words.

Chu Erzhu wanted to read Ye Fan’s expression, hoping to extract more useful information from his words, but failing that, he proactively steered the conversation, "This mission was extremely well-executed, a classic among classics. Both the overwhelming force and intellectual strategy were astounding."

Ye Fan replied impatiently, "If I didn’t feel guilt towards Chi Qinyuan and want to avenge him, do you think I would involve myself in these matters?"

"Since you’ve said so, I guess it’s impossible," Chu Erzhu admitted, realizing that appealing to authority and honor wouldn’t work either.

Still hopeful, he said, "I was thinking, if you could take on significant responsibilities and lead a special unit to address discreet problems, it would provide unprecedented benefit and value to us."

"Is that all my value and worth amount to?" Ye Fan smiled dismissively, saying bluntly, "I advise you to abandon this idea—whether it’s people above or your own thoughts, you should get rid of them as soon as possible."

"I knew I couldn’t convince you," Chu Erzhu shook his head, "But in my position, some things have to be said. The results, whatever they are, are for others to worry over."

"Don’t make it sound like you’re innocent; you share the same thoughts as many others, wanting me to serve you and follow your leadership," Ye Fan pointed out, revealing Chu Erzhu’s true intentions.

Chu Erzhu could only smile wryly and said, "Let’s not talk about these things, let’s drink tea."

Shortly thereafter, Qin Yi arrived to invite Ye Fan to participate in the celebration banquet.