Chapter 415: Old Acquaintances, Familiar Faces, Identity
A Black-Clothed Bodyguard walked into the Spaceship's Main Control Room. His gaze warily swept over the tall Elder sitting on the sofa opposite Boss Tang, his upper body bare. His body was a mass of gnarled muscles, like countless old vines intertwined; though an old man, he was terrifyingly robust. However, bruised marks covered his tough face, as if he had just been beaten. The Black-Clothed Bodyguard warily sized up the Old Demon Dragon. He had been guarding the Spaceship's Entrance and hadn't seen anyone enter. Who was this old man? The Black-Clothed Bodyguard curled his right middle finger back, resting it three inches below his palm. As his fingerprint was recognized, the nanometer particles within his body began to operate within his blood vessels. The blood in his heart and throughout his blood vessels simultaneously began to surge with high temperatures like scorching lava. This new generation of modified Nano Extremis Virus was enough to make the Black-Clothed Bodyguard enter the "Red Dog" mode, a name bestowed by the Boss, in one-tenth of a second! The Black-Clothed Bodyguard secretly observed the Boss's expression. Once he received his signal, he would immediately pounce forward to stop the Intruder before him, buying time for the Boss to retreat...
"Alright, bring the people in!"
Tang Song waved his hand and said with a smile towards the Black-Clothed Bodyguard.
"Yes, Boss!" The Black-Clothed Bodyguard bowed and retreated, turning to walk outside the Door.
"This is also your Subordinate, weak as insects from Hell, but the Strength contained within his body is quite good. His Intensity can match that of an ordinary seventeenth or eighteenth generation Dragonborn! Hmm, his soul's will just now carried a deathly intent. Your Subordinate is very loyal!"
The moment the Black-Clothed Bodyguard opened the Door, he heard the deep voice coming from behind him. As the silver-white Hatch slid open to both sides, the Black-Clothed Bodyguard's face remained expressionless.
Although the people in their Security Department were jokingly called "Red Dog" within the Group, who within the Group wouldn't want to become one of them? Three times the Salary of mid-level Supervisors within the Group, active around the Boss and various Presidents/CEOs, offering opportunities for visibility. Moreover, once they truly encountered an Enemy and fell in battle, their families would not only receive Compensation equivalent to twenty years of their Salary in a lump sum, but the Group would also be fully responsible for the further education, employment, and work of their immediate family members in the future. Furthermore, once they fell in battle, they might become Existences with Immortality like Heroic Spirits—this was Information that a certain High-level Staff member of the Security Department accidentally let slip while drunk.
For the Security Department, which was always active and served the High-level Staff of the Group, the numerous Transcendental Beings within the Group were not a Secret. This was just like the modified Type IV, codenamed "Red Dog," Extremis Virus they were injected with. After being injected with this Virus, they not only possessed immense Strength, radiating Heat like high-temperature lava throughout their bodies, but could even easily crush steel into Molten Iron. The Group not only had various Black Technology Potions that could turn Ordinary Persons into Supermen as Bodyguards. Among the people responsible for Security reception duties when they were on Earth, besides the High-level Staff within the Group, there were also colleagues from Alien Branches, and legendary Mythical Beings... The Black-Clothed Bodyguard had once led a Security Team responsible for receiving the Jotun King who visited Tang Group Earth Headquarters, that Loki from Norse Mythology. Among the Tang Group Internal Employees, there was a consensus that their Boss was not an Ordinary Person, but a true Deity! To personally protect a Deity, and even pay with their lives for this, was a great sacrifice for the Black-Clothed Bodyguard, a risk where their souls could return to the Heavenly Court. However, precisely because the Boss and the various Presidents/CEOs possessed Strength Comparable to Gods, many times, the use of Bodyguards like them was merely to open car doors and maintain order during travel...
After the Black-Clothed Bodyguard left the Main Control Room, Tang Song sat on the Sofa with his legs crossed, spinning a transparent Wine Glass between his fingers, seemingly appreciating the deep red liquid in the glass.
The Old Demon Dragon watched Tang Song's expression, the mocking words from his mouth growing softer and softer, until he finally closed his mouth completely.
"Finished speaking," Tang Song said, shaking the Wine Glass in his hand, and drained the red wine in the glass in one gulp.
Clink! Tang Song placed the Wine Glass on the table in front of him, crossed his hands, and sized up the Old Demon Dragon with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Mephisto, Azazel, Lilith, Yahweh..."
One by one, names were spoken from Tang Song's mouth. His casual attitude was as if listing dishes on a menu, but the Old Demon Dragon felt more and more panicked the more he listened. All these "people" Tang Song mentioned were dead, and among them were Existences at the level of Hell Lords, just like him... Especially God Yahweh among them. One must know that Lucifer, who inherited six-sevenths of His power, fell into Hell and then took the name Satan. His Strength was such that even the Old Demon Dragon felt Fear towards Him. "He" also died at the hands of this human before me? While the Old Demon Dragon was inwardly shocked, he was also somewhat puzzled, wondering why Tang Song was mentioning these dead people. He had already reported his True Name in full. For a Demon, having one's True Name known is like handing over most of one's Life, not to mention having one's Life and Death controlled by another. Could this not be enough... The Old Demon Dragon felt more and more panicked the more he listened.
Tang Song calmly finished listing the seven or eight names. Then he looked up at the Old Demon Dragon: "What do you think your advantage is compared to them?"
"My True Name, I've already told you my True Name!"
The Old Demon Dragon's answer didn't satisfy Tang Song. His gaze towards the Old Demon Dragon became more scrutinizing.
The Old Demon Dragon looked at Tang Song's scrutinizing gaze. That terrifying memory of his Soul being dragged out of his body resurfaced in his mind once again.
"I'm more obedient than them!" After saying that one sentence impulsively... The Old Demon Dragon immediately stood up, walked in front of Tang Song, and bowed deeply towards him: "From now on, you are my Master. I and the four Hell Abysses under my rule are all your territory. You are my King!"
Tang Song didn't say anything. He turned and looked towards the position of the Hatch. His large Palm gently stroked the smooth armrest of his Sofa. The Old Demon Dragon maintained his bowing posture, motionless, like a Sculpture...
Ding—
The Hatch slowly slid open to both sides at this moment. Just as the Shadows outside the Hatch were about to appear, Tang Song patted the Sofa armrest and spoke slowly and unhurriedly: "Get up! From now on, we're all on the same side. Don't be so formal, and you don't need to call me Master. Just call me Boss. I like this Appellation. One more thing, I don't like my Subordinates slandering each other, understood?"
"Understood, Boss!"
As the Old Demon Dragon, who had lived for countless millennia and had spent time in a cruel place like Hell, a Hell Lord, an Abyssal Lord, the leader of the Dark Demonic Dragon Race, how could he not know that this Boss before him was reprimanding him precisely because he had just spoken ill of that human, weak as an insect? And precisely because he understood, the Old Demon Dragon felt a lingering fear in his heart. What he feared was Tang Song's completely indifferent look. He, a Hell Lord, an Abyssal Lord, the leader of the Dark Demonic Dragon Race. Any intelligent leader would know how to choose between him and an ordinary human. But the feeling Tang Song gave him was that his Life and Death seemed to be treated the same as that human's, or even worse than his. Those names seemed to be warning and reminding him that this new Boss wouldn't mind adding one more name to the list he'd just recited, even if his own name was long enough!
Looking at the Old Demon Dragon's submissive expression, Tang Song tossed his Palm towards the table. Two streaking light-filled Golden Hoops clattered onto the table. Above the Golden Hoops, Golden Light faintly flowed. Upon closer inspection, the fragmented Golden Light was composed of countless golden Buddhist Sanskrit Script. These Sanskrit scripts faintly combined to form three powerful Restriction Inscriptions: Jin, Jin, Jin.
"This is a Gift from me as your Boss, for you and Beelzebub. They are good Things that can protect the Soul! Try them on!"
The Old Demon Dragon glanced at the Golden Hoops shimmering with Golden radiance, and then glanced at Tang Song, who wore a gentle smile. He understood in his heart that these Things were definitely meant to Control them.
But if he didn't wear it, he doubted if he could leave this place today.
Tap, tap, tap—
The sound of Tang Song's fingers tapping on the armrest echoed in his ears. That sound was like a death knell. Although he had revealed his True Name, the Old Demon Dragon still had his own little plan in mind. At worst, he could leave this place. After returning to Hell, he would take his treasures and find an uninhabited Abyss to hide in, and sleep for tens of thousands of years. Given the vastness of the Abyss World, He didn't believe this person before him could find Him in the vast Abyss Dimension. But once he put on this headband, then... The Old Demon Dragon's corner of the eye secretly glanced at Tang Song and met his gentle gaze. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but the Old Demon Dragon seemed to see above Tang Song's head the Phantom Shadows of several Strong men holding Great Halberds, full of fighting spirit and eager to try their hand against him. Damn Beelzebub, that shitting, stinking fly. If only he had known, he shouldn't have volunteered to come and negotiate. The Old Demon Dragon thought of his hundreds of mountains of treasure. If he was truly finished, he would never again be able to enjoy those sparkling jewels and the happiness brought by the golden Gold rubbing against his Scales! The Old Demon Dragon didn't want to die, nor did he want to give up the joy of rolling around in piles of jewels and on mountains of Gold. Steeling his heart, he directly picked up one of the Golden Hoops from the table, closed his Eyes, and put it on his Head.
The moment the Golden Hoop landed on his Head, the Old Demon Dragon immediately regretted it. He clasped the Golden Hoop with both hands, wanting to take it off, but the Golden Hoop seemed to have grown roots, automatically transformed to a perfectly fitting size, and clung tightly to his Forehead. The Old Demon Dragon's action of trying to remove the Golden Hoop seemed to activate some kind of reactive mechanism on the Golden Hoop. The Golden Hoop, seemingly cast from Gold, instantly Etherealized into Golden Lotuses and Sarira/Relics, blooming with Buddhist Radiance, and merged into his body. The Old Demon Dragon's hands were empty, and when he touched his Head again, the Golden Hoop was gone.
"Alright, you can go back now. Take the Golden Hoop to Beelzebub."
At this moment, the Hatch of the Main Control Room opened, and the Black-Clothed Bodyguard led three people inside. Tang Song waved his hand and said to the bewildered Old Demon Dragon. The Old Demon Dragon picked up the remaining Golden Hoop on the table, held it in his hand, and asked hesitantly:
"Boss, what if Beelzebub doesn't want to wear this Golden Hoop?"
Tang Song gave the Old Demon Dragon a kind smile in return. The Old Demon Dragon's heart trembled and he immediately understood the fate of Beelzebub if he didn't agree!
"Boss, I shall take my leave!" As an Evil Dragon who could be called a tyrant of the Abyss World and Hell, he behaved extremely politely in front of Tang Song. He even turned back and nodded towards the Black-Clothed Bodyguard and the Guests he had brought, only then did he walk towards the outside of the Hatch!
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
As the Old Demon Dragon walked past him, Abad felt all the Mechanical Parts in his body trembling. His Energy Detector and danger Alarm on his body all emitted buzzing sounds at this moment. Countless high-energy alarm messages were transmitted through various artificial nerves to his information center and artificial spinal center. They constantly stimulated his Brain, reminding him to escape this place as quickly as possible.
Abad watched the Old Demon Dragon walk past him, so nervous his back teeth were almost grinding together. The last time his modified Prosthetic Limb issued such an emergency evacuation danger warning was when he faced a powerful Space Beast. At that time, the Pirate Group he led had bought a piece of Intelligence and set up an Ambush beside a Natural Wormhole, planning to rob a merchant Fleet.
Unexpectedly, that time the Intelligence was wrong. What came out of the Wormhole wasn't a merchant Spaceship, but several Hunter Spaceships.
These Hunters, active throughout the Universe, relied on selling strange new species and rare Exotic Beasts to make a fortune. For these Hunters, an undeveloped Desolate Planet was an unmined treasure. They would hunt various species on this Planet, labeling them according to their rarity, and sell them.
The Headquarters of these guys was located on Sakaar. The Collector Tivan's brother, the Grandmaster, was their major client. Of course, when Knowhere still existed, these Hunters would also screen for unique Prey and sell them to Tivan at a high price. The entire Universe knew that when it came to finding Collection Items, Tivan was always generous with Money.
To ensure the uniqueness of their Prey, these Hunters would sometimes slaughter an entire Race, leaving behind only the Prey they had selected, solely to sell them at a high price.
To some extent, these Hunters were even more infamous than them, the Space Pirates.
When he encountered these Hunters, Abad was originally hesitating whether or not to attack them, when all the various mechanical Prosthetic Limbs on his body simultaneously issued a danger alarm. It was also during that time that Abad truly saw a Space Beast for the first time. The Hunter's modified spaceships were merely snacks for that massive Space Beast, swallowed in single gulps.
Besides its enormous Body Size, this Space Beast seemed capable of freely traversing between the Dark Dimension and the Real Universe. The Ship Cannons and various Weapons on the Hunter's spaceships couldn't cause it any harm at all. It even seemed as if layers of Space Folds existed on its surface. If he hadn't decisively ordered a retreat, and if those few Hunter spaceships hadn't somehow angered that Space Beast and kept attracting its Rage, they might not have been able to escape, considering the Space Beast could freely traverse the Dark Dimension.
Gulp!
Abad's gaze couldn't help but follow the Old Demon Dragon. The reaction this danger warning gave him was even stronger than the time he encountered the Space Beast.
What kind of Monster is this!
"You're Tang? Wow? They are all your people. So you really are an Important Figure?"
Little Frog Diego, however, completely failed to notice Abad's Look. As for how terrifying the Old Demon Dragon was, his little Head couldn't possibly imagine.
He saw the "Acquaintance" sitting on the Sofa and couldn't help but exclaim.
Diego's voice also pulled Abad's attention back. He turned back to look at Tang Song. His gaze was solemn, mixed with a hint of Wary.
"Tang Song? You are Tang Song, the President/CEO of Tang Group!?"
Compared to the two Aliens, MODOK undoubtedly had more right to speak regarding Boss Tang's Identity. Before his company was acquired, he had previously investigated Tang Group, this Giant Creature.
Although at that time, Photos and Video Data of Boss Tang were no longer available on the Internet, however, for truly high-level figures, Boss Tang's appearance was not a Secret.
MODOK blinked his Eyes, somewhat suspecting he was having a hallucination. He would never have thought that he would actually meet Tang Song on an Alien Planet tens of thousands of Light-years away from Earth.
One must know that when he was on Earth, he had gone to Tang Group Earth Headquarters multiple times to visit this guy named Tang. He was either told that the schedule was booked for three years out or politely asked to leave by the Security Guards.
He had even considered transforming into Ant-Man Form to sneak into Tang Group...
(end of chapter)