Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

Central, Golden Harvest International Building.

Lu Chen stood before the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling traffic below, which resembled ants. He held a cigar between his fingers, and amidst the swirling smoke, his expression was thoughtful.

There was a knock on the office door, and Little Ma pushed it open and entered.

At this moment, Little Ma had changed out of his gangster-style trench coat and put on a well-tailored black suit. Although his legs were still a little unnatural when he walked, the fierce and courageous spirit that emanated from his bones could not be concealed by the suit.

"Boss, I've got my eye on the person you wanted."

Little Ma walked to his desk, picked up the water glass on the table, and took a big gulp, seemingly trying to suppress some emotion in his heart.

"Oh?" Lu Chen turned around, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes. "How was it, Mark? Is he the 'skilled' you mentioned?"

"They're more than just skilled..." Little Ma smiled, but then his expression turned serious. "However, these few people... are a bit special."

"How so?" Lu Chen asked, intrigued.

For the once-renowned "Double-Gun Pony" to give such an evaluation, the other party is definitely not a kind person.

"Yesterday I asked a friend in the underworld to spread the word that I needed to find a few bodyguards who had seen blood and were skilled enough to go on a business trip to Europe. A few people who used to work in the police force came, and I checked their character and skills and they seemed alright. But this morning, as soon as I parked my car in Sham Shui Po, I was surrounded by a few people."

Little Ma recalled the scene from that morning, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Seven people. Six men and one woman. Although they didn't fight, I could smell it—it was the smell of gunpowder and blood, exactly the same as the mercenaries I'd seen in Indonesia before, even more ruthless."

"Did they come back from South Vietnam?" Lu Chen keenly grasped the key point.

"That's right." Little Ma nodded. "The leader chatted with me for a bit. They said they had just arrived in Hong Kong and were short of money and legal status, urgently needing a job to support their families. Later, when I got to the hideout, I fought with the leader. My two best fighters couldn't even last a single move against him."

"What's your name?"

"The names are strange." Little Ma frowned. "They all have the compound surname 'Tianyang.' The one in the lead is called Tianyangsheng."

"ha?!--"

Upon hearing those three words, Lu Chen gasped.

Nature nourishes life!

That super villain in the movie "Invisible Target" who single-handedly beat the three main characters to the point of questioning their existence!

Although he was a villain, he possessed an extremely strong personal charisma and was a tragic hero who would fight against the whole world for his brothers!

That's not just good skill, that's practically pulling an UR card in a single gacha pull! Plus, six SSR cards as a bonus!

In the original storyline, these seven siblings were a group of war orphans trained by warlords in South Vietnam, surviving like wild dogs amidst the flames of war. Later, they were manipulated by corrupt policeman Zhang Wenyao to plan a shocking armored truck robbery. Ultimately, betrayed, most of the seven were killed, and the remaining Tian Yangsheng and his gang stirred up a bloody storm in their quest for revenge.

But right now, it's still early in the timeline.

Tian Yangsheng has not yet been betrayed, nor has he become a devil consumed by revenge. Right now, he is simply an older brother who wants to help his younger siblings survive in this unfamiliar city.

"Heaven is helping me!" Lu Chen suppressed his elation and a confident smile appeared on his lips.

"Mark, I want these guys," Lu Chen said decisively. "Call them."

"Boss, these guys aren't just stray dogs, they're wolves," Little Ma said with some concern. "Wolves can't be tamed."

"If they can't be tamed, it's just because the method is wrong." Lu Chen's eyes gleamed with confidence. "If a wolf turns back, there's always a reason. It's either to repay a debt of gratitude or to seek revenge. Believe me, they will be Jiahe's sharpest fangs in the future."

"Contact them, I need to see Tian Yangsheng."

……

An old building in Tai Po District awaiting demolition.

This is the edge of the New Territories, surrounded by overgrown weeds, with only a few lonely tenement buildings standing there. The plaster has peeled off, revealing the blackened red bricks underneath, and a musty smell permeates the air.

Seven young people were crammed into a dimly lit room of less than forty square meters.

Although the room was dilapidated, it was kept extremely tidy. There was no extra furniture, only a few cots neatly stacked in the corner, and in the middle was a round table with a missing leg propped up by bricks.

On the table were seven boxes of the cheapest char siu rice and a large bowl of freshly cooked vegetable soup.

"Have a meal."

The man sitting in the main seat took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of eyes as sharp as a hawk's, yet unfathomable.

He wore a black leather jacket, and even while eating, his posture resembled that of a javelin thrower. His face was expressionless, but when his gaze swept over his six younger siblings sitting around the table, a subtle tenderness flickered deep in his eyes.

He is Tian Yangsheng, the eldest brother of this group of siblings.

"Brother, this char siu is delicious!"

The speaker was a burly man with a kind, honest face; his name was Tian Yangyong. He shoveled food into his mouth and mumbled, "This is much better than what we ate in the forest!"

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." A short-haired girl sitting next to him—Tian Yang'en, the only girl among the Seven Sons—placed two pieces of char siu from her bowl into Tian Yangyong's bowl. "Yong, you should eat more. You're big, you get hungry quickly."

"Hehe, thank you, Sister A-En!"

Seeing this heartwarming scene, Tian Yangsheng didn't say anything, but simply took a sip of soup.

These seven people, who were not related by blood, met in a South Vietnamese training camp filled with the smoke of war and death.

Back then, they were all just children. To survive, they had to learn to kill, to tear apart like wild beasts. Of hundreds of children, only seven survived.

Later, they killed the warlord who had been raising them like poisonous insects, avenging themselves. Then they fled, crossing borders and smuggling across the strait, finally arriving at Hong Kong Island, a place rumored to be paved with gold.

But reality slapped them hard in the face.

They have no ID cards, no education, and know nothing but murder, demolition, fighting, and investigation.

In this civilized society governed by the rule of law, they are an outcast and an oddball.

"Big brother."

Sitting to Tian Yangsheng's left was a young man with a refined appearance but a cold gaze—the second brother, Tian Yangyi.

He put down his chopsticks, his expression somewhat grave.

"What's wrong, Ayi?" Tian Yangsheng didn't look up, still chewing slowly.

"Is that guy named Mark... really trustworthy?" Tian Yangyi lowered his voice, seemingly afraid of disturbing his younger siblings' appetite. "The price he offered is too high. Five hundred thousand per person, plus a daily allowance. At that price, it's enough to buy our lives. I'm worried... he's trying to trick us into becoming scapegoats, or making us do something that will get us killed."

Tian Yangsheng fell silent.

He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of char siu, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

He recalled those days and nights in the jungles of South Vietnam. Back then, they were killing machines kept by warlords, and the first thing they thought about every day when they opened their eyes was how to survive. When they finally killed their enemies and escaped that hell, Tian Yangsheng had sworn to his younger siblings: he would take them to a place without gunpowder and let them live normal lives.

They have enough to eat and a place to live, and they don't have to worry about having their throats slit in their sleep.

But when he arrived at Hong Kong Island, which was rumored to be paved with gold, reality dealt him a heavy blow.

There is no smoke of gunpowder here, but the indifference and rejection here are more suffocating than venomous snakes in the jungle.

"Big brother, actually..." The youngest brother, Tian Yangyong, was straightforward and couldn't help but mutter, "We have guns and skills, why don't we go and pull off a big heist! Rob a gold shop or an armored truck, and with the money we can go to Southeast Asia and buy an island, nobody can stop us!"

"Shut up!"

Tian Yangsheng abruptly put down his chopsticks, his eyes piercing Tian Yangyong like knives.

"Rob? And then what? Be hunted down by the police all over Hong Kong Island? Hide and run like a rat? How is that any different from what we did in South Vietnam?"

Tian Yangsheng's chest rose and fell slightly, suppressing his anger and helplessness.

"We're here to live like human beings, not to be wanted criminals!"

He looked into the longing yet confused eyes of his younger siblings and softened his tone slightly.

"Besides what we're in the military, what else can we do? Nobody taught us how to do business, nobody taught us how to work. All we know is how to shoot, how to fight, how to set traps."

Tian Yangsheng gave a self-deprecating laugh, a laugh filled with bitterness.

"Are we really going to become assassins? This isn't the military anymore. We have no logistics, no support, not even legal status. Every mission we take on means we're one foot in the grave. If we get injured, we don't even dare go to the hospital."

"I'm not afraid of dying. But I'm afraid something will happen to you."

Tian Yangsheng's gaze softened and hardened. He reached out and patted Tian Yangen's head.

"I brought you all out here not so you could die in the gutter. I promised you that I would let you live like human beings, that you could walk openly in the sun..."

"Big brother..."

Tian Yang'en's eyes reddened. She knew that her eldest brother had always carried the heaviest burden.

"I've inquired about that guy named Mark in the underworld," Tian Yangsheng continued. "He's a big shot, and he's loyal. You could trust him this once."

Tian Yangyi took a deep breath and nodded heavily: "Big brother, I'll listen to you. Wherever you go, we'll go. Even if it's a den of dragons and tigers, the seven of us siblings will brave it together!"

"Yes! Let's go together!"

"Brother, my life is yours!"

Seven hands, tightly clasped together.

That is the bond of blood, the vow to share life and death.

Just then, a black mobile phone placed on the corner of the table suddenly rang. It was the contact information that Little Ma had left for them.

Tian Yangsheng's eyes narrowed, and he put his signature sunglasses back on, concealing all the emotions in his eyes.

He picked up the phone and pressed the answer button.

"Feed." His voice was as calm as a stagnant pool.

On the other end of the phone came a voice with a touch of江湖气 (a kind of chivalrous spirit) yet also a bold and forthright tone: "Hey, Tianyang, this is Mark."

Little Ma's voice came through the noisy electrical circuit.

"My boss knows about you. He's...very interested in you."

Tian Yangsheng narrowed his eyes: "Interested? We're just a bunch of scoundrels with no status."

"Haha, hooligans? My boss doesn't think so. Are you free now? My boss would like to meet with you and help you with your immigration status."

Upon hearing the word "identity," Tian Yangsheng instantly held his breath.

This is his Achilles' heel.

"He wants to see us?" Tian Yangsheng asked.

Yes. Now.

Tian Yangsheng gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles turning white.

It's a gamble.

If they win, they can clean up their act, get out of trouble, and live the peaceful life they've always dreamed of.

If you lose, it could mean utter ruin.

But he had no choice. He never had a choice in the face of that damned fate.

Tian Yangsheng raised his head and looked around at the trusting eyes of those around him.

"Okay," Tian Yangsheng replied succinctly.

"Great!" Little Ma laughed. "Then get ready. A car will pick you up in two hours. Our boss wants to see you."

After hanging up the phone, Tian Yangsheng looked at everyone.

"Everyone, check your equipment."

"yes!"

A series of clicking and clacking sounds rang out.

Although they didn't have heavy weapons, everyone skillfully pulled out all sorts of things from under the bed and in the cracks in the wall—modified pistols, bayonets, and even triangular spikes made from steel pipes.

"Let's go see this big boss. Let's see if he wants to give us a way out, or if he wants to... use us as disposable tools."

The door opened.

The midday sun shone brightly, casting long, long shadows of the seven people.