Everything happened too quickly, the chaos started and ended in just eight days, and a new person took over as the director. Rumors among the people spread that the newly appointed Peter was removed due to corruption. Steven came out unscathed. Louis walked to school, enjoying the fresh air, and feeling good. Anne was in the hospital, and without her by his side, Louis felt a bit uneasy.

Passing by a small park, Louis noticed many people exercising in the morning. The most captivating for Louis was an elderly man with white hair, practicing martial arts every time he passed by.

Today, in a good mood, Louis took the initiative to strike up a conversation, "Can your martial arts hurt someone?"

The old man looked at Louis, smiled, and said, "Practicing martial arts is not for fighting!"

Louis said, "Martial arts seem impressive in movies or on TV, but in reality, they aren't that useful. Such slow movements wouldn't be effective in a fight. Most people who practice are just doing it for fitness. But there are many ways to stay fit, so why do I always see you practicing martial arts?"

The old man said seriously, "Don't underestimate martial arts; it has been passed down for centuries for a reason!"

Seeing Louis's skeptical look, the old man said, "Alright, if you don't believe me, try punching me!"

Louis, seeing that the man was at least seventy years old, didn't dare to hit him and just shook his head.

"Go ahead, I'm fine. Didn't you say martial arts are not useful in a fight? I'll show you. Come on!" The old man looked at Louis with a smile.

Louis, seeing the old man was serious, confidently said, "Okay, I'll punch you!"

"Go ahead and punch with confidence!"

"Alright!" Louis used thirty percent of his strength to punch the old man in the chest. The old man shook his head and easily caught Louis's fist with an open hand, saying, "Young man, didn't you have breakfast this morning? Put some more effort into it!"

Louis blushed and withdrew his fist, saying, "Be careful this time, I'm going to use more force!"

Saying that Louis used eighty percent of his strength to punch the old man. The old man remained calm, slightly turned his body, gently retreated Louis's arm, making his punch miss, and at the same time, instantly kicked.

Seeing that his punch missed and the old man easily pushed his fist away, Louis was surprised and thought to himself, "Impressive." He looked at the old man, who was reaching towards his chest. Louis lowered his head and saw his chest completely imprinted with a shoe mark, and he couldn't figure out how he had taken that kick.

The old man laughed and said, "Young man, how about it? Do you understand the power of martial arts now?"

The old man's words sparked a rebellious feeling in Louis, thinking he had been too careless and the old man had held back. He roared, "Can I try it again?"

"Sure! Come on!" The old man stood ready.

This time, Louis didn't dare to be careless. He used all his strength, shouted, and threw a punch at the old man. The punch was swift, and Louis, based on his previous experiences in fights, believed that strength determined speed, and speed determined everything. The old man, seeing Louis's punch, also showed a surprised expression. He didn't expect such explosive force from a seemingly slender young man. Not daring to be careless, he turned his body, dodged to the side, and lightly pushed Louis's incoming fist, changing its direction.

Unable to stop his momentum, Louis passed by the old man, rushing out several steps.

Finally stopping and stabilizing himself, Louis quickly turned around, and the old man was smiling at him. Louis's forehead was sweating, realizing that if this had been a real fight, his entire back would have been exposed to the opponent's attack, with unimaginable consequences. Louis now truly respected the old man, and he humbly said, "Grandpa, I admit defeat this time! I apologize for what I said earlier. Martial arts are indeed impressive!"

The old man nodded and said, "Young man, practicing martial arts is not just for physical fitness and self-defense; it's mainly about cultivating character. Do you understand this?"

Louis shook his head, looking at the old man. The old man continued, "Martial arts use gentleness to overcome strength, stillness to control movement. When faced with strength, retreat; avoid the sharpness, and attack the vulnerabilities. When faced with weakness, be strong; seize the opportunity, don't give the opponent a chance to breathe!"

Louis listened to the old man's words and vaguely thought of things he hadn't thought of before but didn't know what they were. Louis bowed to the old man and said, " I hope to practice martial arts with you in the future. Can you teach me?"

The old man smiled and said, "Sure. Young man, I quite like young people like you. Come here every day at four o'clock, and we'll practice together. It's getting late now, and I need to go." With that, the old man walked away.

Watching the old man's leisurely departure, Louis finally understood what enlightenment meant! He shouted, "I'll come find you tomorrow, make sure to be here!"

The old man didn't say anything, only laughter echoed. Louis shook his head, thinking, "He's truly a strange old man!"

From then on, regardless of whether he went to school or not, Louis reported to the park every morning at four. He and the old man never asked about each other's identities; it seemed like both sides were avoiding that question.

Louis often visited the hospital to see Emmanuel and Anne. Emmanuel recovered quickly and was almost healed, while Anne, although not completely recovered, could move freely. The only drawback was Anne's eyes, which would take a long time to recover and require additional surgery.

Emmanuel didn't mind these things. He spent his days by Anne's side, talking to her, or helping her take walks. Anne gradually accepted Emmanuel, but she wasn't good at expressing her feelings. She could only silently appreciate the tenderness Emmanuel showed her in her heart.

One day, both Emmanuel and Anne were discharged from the hospital. Louis brought the backbone of Nightmare and Dragon to pick them up. Arriving at Emmanuel's hospital room, they saw him packing up miscellaneous items, sweating and busy. He laughed and said, "You're finally discharged; I can relax now!" Then, he told Steven and the others, "You guys help Anne pack up; I'll stay here!"

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Emmanuel smiled, "Don't say that so soon. I have a plan to tell you in a while!"

While helping Emmanuel pack, Louis, with a poker face, casually asked, "I wonder what plan you're going to tell me later?"

"Don't be in such a hurry; you'll know in a while!"

Louis was intrigued and took off the necklace around his neck, handing it to Emmanuel. "You're discharged; you should take this back." The necklace was the Dragon gang leader token that Emmanuel gave to Louis during his hospital stay.

Emmanuel shook his head, a happy smile on his face, sitting on the bed and looking at Louis. "Keep this necklace. Although it's a family heirloom, you're not an outsider, and I don't plan to be the leader of Dragon anymore."

Louis was thrilled, but confusion was written on his face as he asked, "Why would you say that? Dragon is yours; I have no intention of taking over."

Emmanuel saw that Louis misunderstood him and hurriedly explained, "I didn't say you're taking over Dragon! During my time in the hospital, I thought a lot, and I feel that, as Vic said, I'm not suitable to be the leader. If I continue leading Dragon, there's no future!"

Louis said, "Why would you say that? You did well before!"

"You're wrong. Before we allied, Vic handled everything in Dragon, and he's indeed talented but too arrogant, completely disregarding me. After joining forces with you, we accomplished many great things and achieved success, but I didn't do much; it was all your ideas."

Louis could sense Emmanuel's sincerity and felt joy. Now Dragon would rightfully belong to him, that's what he thought internally. However, he still had to save face and tried to convince Emmanuel, "Now that Vic is dead, no one will interfere with you anymore. You can make your own decisions in Dragon."

Emmanuel clarified, "You still don't understand. I'm simply not suitable to be a mafia boss. I've longed for a peaceful life for a long time, but I can't have it because Dragon is my responsibility, a duty passed down from generation. I don't have the right to choose. Do you know, I aspire to lead an ordinary life, without fame, without scheming, just living peacefully is enough. During my time in the hospital, I realized what fulfillment and happiness mean, as long as I can live peacefully with Anne..." Emmanuel was somewhat excited, but his eyes revealed a yearning light.

Louis was moved by Emmanuel's words, feeling a sense of unworthiness within himself. Compared to Emmanuel, he saw himself as too selfish. Sincerely, Louis said to Emmanuel, "Whatever decision you make, I hope you find happiness!"

"Thank you!" Emmanuel grabbed Louis's hand and happily responded, "I also hope you treat Emily and Emma well. I can't quite understand the relationship between you three. Maybe it's the generation gap since I'm a few years older than you!"

Strictly speaking, Louis couldn't be considered a good person. He was a downright villain, calculating and ruthless in his actions, willing to take risks with his life. It was these traits that allowed him to rise quickly in the underworld. However, when it came to emotions, he was quite foolish. Emmanuel's words made him blush from his face to his neck. He couldn't even be sure if he liked Emma, and he began to doubt his feelings for Emily as well. He didn't know if he had fallen for both of them at the same time or if he didn't like either of them. If it was the latter, it would be simpler, but if it was the former, Louis couldn't accept it.

Seeing Louis open and close his mouth without speaking, Emmanuel shook his head, thinking that the affairs of young people should be left for them to decide on their own. Changing the subject, Emmanuel said, "Anne and I have made a decision."

Louis asked in surprise, "What decision?"

"We plan to get married next month!" Emmanuel was a bit shy but excited.

"Really?" Louis asked in amazement. He hadn't expected their relationship to develop so quickly, especially considering their significant personality differences. Louis widened his eyes and saw Emmanuel nodding seriously. Overjoyed, Louis jumped up and exclaimed, "Congratulations! Although Anne may be a bit reserved, she's a good girl!"

"I know. Regardless of what kind of person she is or how she may change, love has no reason. I just love her!" Emmanuel said.

Louis looked at Emmanuel with some envy. "You've finally found your happiness! And me...?"

At that moment, a choked voice came from the door. Emmanuel turned to look, and Anne, with tears streaming down her cheeks, stood at the entrance of the hospital room. Emmanuel hurried over, embraced Anne, and asked, "Anne, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Anne couldn't control her emotions after hearing Emmanuel's words.

Emmanuel cupped Anne's face, gently wiping away her tears. "Don't cry. I hate seeing you cry; it hurts my heart..."

Louis quietly left the room with Emmanuel's belongings, closing the door behind him. He looked at the person outside and smiled, "Let's go first. Let's not disturb them."

Jack stepped forward and took the bag from Louis' hand. As Steven walked, he asked, "Emmanuel has been discharged. You don't intend to return Dragon to him, do you?"

Jack, displeased, replied, "That's not right. Dragon originally belonged to him. Louis is just temporarily helping him manage it."

"Now is a rare opportunity. Letting it go like this would be a waste!"

Jerry nodded and said, "Steven is right. It may not be very righteous, but once the opportunity is missed, there's no room for regrets!"

Louis listened to the three arguing and suddenly said with a smile, "After you three go back, discuss with the other brothers how to integrate Dragon into Nightmare."

The three were surprised, and Steven asked anxiously, "Are we going to forcibly take it?"

Louis shook his head and said, "Emmanuel has given up the position of Dragon's leader. From now on, I am the rightful leader of Dragon, and the merger is just a matter of time."

After a while, the three of them jumped in excitement. Li Shuang exclaimed, "Great! From now on, Nightmare is the only leader!"

Jerry asked, "What about Emmanuel in the future?"

"Emmanuel is going to marry Anne and live a normal life."

"Oh, I see. Looks like I'll need to find a new bodyguard!"

From this moment on, Louis's conquest stopped, making him the absolute kingpin of the underworld.

A month later, Louis officially merged Dragon into Nightmare. The members of Dragon did not resist much, and they were satisfied working under Louis. Nightmare's numbers surged to five thousand, and Louis controlled eighty percent of the businesses in the city, truly becoming a local hero.

In August, Emma graduated and went to study abroad. The day before her departure, Louis, Emmanuel, Emily, Anne, and Emma had a meal together. Everyone enjoyed the meal, drank a lot of wine, and eventually got drunk. Louis was no exception. He vaguely remembered Emma hugging him, shedding many tears, crying sadly. He forgot how he comforted her, only hearing Emma asking him to wait for her.

After Emmanuel and Anne got married, they opened a small bar not far from home. It was well-decorated and quickly gained some regular customers. Jack joked, "This is the only place in the city not under the control of the underworld, but no one dares to cause trouble here."

A year later, Louis's influence gradually spread to the surrounding areas of the city. Nightmare's various departments expanded their territories. In August of the same year, Emily also went abroad for studies. On the day she left, Louis once again tasted the pain of parting.

Another year passed, and Louis prepared to study abroad. Two days before leaving, Emily found Louis. The two sat in a private room in silence for a long time. Emily spoke first, "Louis, I'm leaving tomorrow, and you're going abroad too. I don't know when we'll see each other again."

Louis just smoked without saying a word.

Emily lowered her head and said softly, "Can you come to my house tonight? I want a sweet night before leaving!" Saying this, Emily's face blushed even more.

Louis was stunned, and the smoke ring in his hand accidentally fell to the ground. He understood Emily's meaning, though he hadn't experienced intimate relationships between men and women. Influenced by what he had heard and seen; he knew a bit about it.

After Emily finished speaking, blushing, she left. Louis stood in the room for a long time, finally making a decision—to go! The whole afternoon, Louis couldn't concentrate, and finally, after enduring until evening, he came to Emily's house but hesitated to knock on the door. He had to turn around and leave, going to a nearby bar to drink and gather courage. He drank so much that he couldn't remember, but in the end, he crawled to Emily's house.

Nightmare's black notice spread to the surrounding influential gangs. Within three days, the leaders of the receiving gangs were either assassinated or died in battle, none escaping their fate.

Louis: I'm not a hero; I'm a villain! But I promise, one day I will become the underground emperor of the whole country!

This is the end of the section. Stay tuned for future updates!