Ace of the Dragon Division

Chapter 255: Being Invincible is a Lonely Road (Part one)

Xu Cheng was shocked. “That’s the most important rule? Didn’t you say that the Dragon Division is a department that’s above all others? Won’t the organization be afraid that someone might use their identity to reap personal gains?”

The old man faintly smiled. “If you don’t say that you are a Dragon Blade, who would know your identity and try to bribe you? And the moment you reveal your identity, wouldn’t that break that number one rule? Also, I can tell you, members of the Dragon Division have no special identity in any police system, so other than your old identity and everything else about you that can be looked up when someone searches your profile, they wouldn’t be able to find anything on you belonging to whatever secret system. So, the moment you break the law, there’s no support from us that you can use to escape the punishment and you will have to follow the same process as everyone else and maybe go to jail. However, you can still use your network of people outside the Dragon Division to help you out. You just can’t use your identity as a Dragon Blade, because it won’t help at all. Even during operations, if you hinder the police at work and shout, ‘I’m from the Dragon Division!’ most people wouldn’t even have heard of it. If you are going to get shot, you are still going to get shot, and you deserve it if you die.”

Xu Cheng didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. “So it turns out that the Dragon Division actually doesn’t get any privileges… Can I even happily boast to others if I get in?”
The old man also bitterly smiled. “To be honest, that’s pretty much the case. It’s indeed useless. But speaking of boasting, even your commander has to respectfully greet me and bow when he sees me. Also, every year, the government will send top-of-the-line supplies to my house, things that you can’t get even if you are filthy rich. Do you think this is enough?”

Xu Cheng’s mouth dropped wide open. “What do you mean enough, that’s enough boasting for me to take off from this earth.”

The old man: “Thanks, but I never boast, because it’s a fact that I’m this awesome.”

Xu Cheng felt that this old man was truly shameless sometimes and didn’t have the traditional virtue of modesty of someone from Huaxia. Later on, Xu Cheng would realize that this old man was truly too awesome.

He thought of something and asked, “Old man, have you ever thought about a Dragon Blade betraying the group? If there was betrayal, wouldn’t that expose the existence of the Dragon Division?”
The old man faintly smiled. “And that’s the smart thing about us. We don’t belong to the police system nor the political system. To be blunt, we don’t exist, nor do we have power, because the moment we get involved with either one, it will be the demise of the Dragon Division. So, even if a Dragon Blade betrays the organization and tells the enemy nation what he or she knows about us, they wouldn’t be able to find any intel on us. Even if they broke through the nation’s firewall and hacked the National Security Intelligence Database, they still wouldn’t find anything related to the Dragon Division at all. Just with the information fed to them by one Dragon Blade, it wouldn’t be believable because we are just like shadows with no real entity.”

Xu Cheng nodded. “Then now I’m basically a member of the Dragon Division, right? Do I have any way to prove that I’m a member? Would there be a code name?”

The old man: “Yes, the Dragon Division has code names and words, and we also have a structure based on Poker cards. There are four divisions in total – Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clovers. The four groups conduct missions separately mostly, and big missions would be handled by the entire group of 13 people collaborating. Every group also has their own secret language.”

Xu Cheng’s eyes brightened. “Like Morse code or something?”

The old man grinned. “Kind of, but not as high level. For instance, let’s say that you are Diamond 2, then the communication code between you guys will be conducted in block digital language. For instance, ‘520’ means I love you, but we do the opposite which makes it ‘you love me’.” (TL note: it’s an internet language used in China)

Xu Cheng’s expression felt like he was being trolled. “Old man, who thought of this kind of communication code?”

Chapter 255: Being Invincible is a Lonely Road (Part two)

The old man: “Why?”

Xu Cheng: “I really want to slap him! I originally thought the Dragon Division was a legendary existence that’s mysterious, dreamy, and sophisticated, but this low level communication code shattered that sacred image instantly.”

This was like seeing a beautiful dream-like image of someone’s back with a perfect figure and graceful hair dancing in the wind everyday , yet one day she turned around picking her nose with a pig-like face. That kind of contrast might even be enough for your heart to stop.

The old man: “You don’t understand. Right now, the communications codes used by spies are all becoming more and more complicated, but we actually thought of taking a different approach. Just think about it, if the enemies gets ahold of our code and instantly see through what the numbers we use are communicating, their expression and mood would be like you right now. They would think, ‘What the f-ck is this, the real answer can’t be this easy! Do they think we are idiots?’. Then, they would throw that answer away and decode it with all kinds of other methods. Even if they don’t, let’s take the code ‘87’ for example, the normal answer is ‘not going’, but our answer is ‘going’. Either side has a 50% chance of being correct, which do you think the enemy would guess under that situation?”

(TL note: e.g. in the context of English, it would be like, brb means be right back, and the Dragon Division uses the opposite which is won’t be back.)

Xu Cheng: “I actually don’t know what to say.”

The old man proudly said, “So, the person that came up with this system is actually a genius.”

Xu Cheng: “But I still want to slap that guy, he’s too evil.”

Old man: “What do you mean?”

Xu Cheng: “Think about it. Even if a Dragon Blade betrayed the organization and admits that he was from the Dragon Division, an organization that they had never heard of, the enemies would already be skeptical, and when they try to expose the communication code, I think the Dragon Blade traitor would be beaten to death if they were to speak the truth.”

Because when such an easy code comes out from the Dragon Blade’s mouth, the first reaction of any normal person would be: “Is this guy teasing me? The communication code is that simple? Beat him to death!”

Then, the Dragon Blade would say with great difficulty as he coughs up blood, “It’s true!”

He would only get himself a heavier beating.

The Dragon Blade traitor would shout, “You guys are really the true ret-rds! I’m already speaking the truth, that is how we roll! Why can’t you just believe me?!”

And then the enemies might even kill the guy, thinking that he wouldn’t confess.

Now, Xu Cheng felt that only the stupid ones would confess to be a part of the Dragon Division, because the enemies simply wouldn’t believe what the traitor says and would even think that they were teasing them. This was indeed brutal.

The old man coughed. “Now you know how smart it is? I’m telling you, the guy that came up with this is a real genius! If I was a woman, I would beg to marry this guy.”

Xu Cheng was speechless. “Now’s not too late too, you can still go and get a sex-change. Technology is strong these days.”

The old man sighed. “It’s a pity, heaven is always jealous of geniuses (TL note: idiom for the great have great hardship to contend with, like Stephen Hawking), and he may only have a few more years to live. In the past, he was able to command the wind and clouds, and even when 8 nations teamed up and invaded the nation, he was able to kick them all out and make the country proud. After that battle, he felt lonely, the loneliness that only someone invincible could feel.”

If Xu Cheng knew that this guy was actually talking about himself, he wouldn’t be able to help himself but mock, “Hardship my a$$! If heaven is really jealous of you, would it let you live to be this old?”