~More than a Member and Leader~

Chapter 1 - Context and Leaving

Yitingzhen, China.

July 1st, 2018 - 9am

A town in China named Yitingzhen holds one of the most famous gangs. This gang is a special one, designed to protect China from any enemies prone to attack, therefore being held in a smaller town. This group mainly fights another gang named the 'WNF', White No Face. Although this is the nickname for the leader of the group, it is also the name of the whole gang overall, thought up by previous members of the gang in Yitingzhen, believing it fit them perfectly since any other members seemed as if they were just robots controlled by their leader. But, the protecting, good gang, is truly to blame for these mini wars.

In Shang Xi Zhen, April 19th 1990, A handsome man, Jun Wu, had turned his back on WNF's leader. Although still young, WNF's leader had never forgiven him, resulting in a continued hatred. As the years went by, Jun Wu never even tried to communicate to this stubborn leader, making the anger grow. Once WNF's leader heard about Jun Wu's new gang, he had finally decided to make one himself. Well, more like force one. He bought a bunch of guards and made people enlist in his gang. This meant he had already-trained professionals in his group. But, for Jun Wu, he was different.

Jun Wu didn't dare to force anyone into his gang. He wanted people to join only if they wished, and a lot did. Yet, these people did not join quickly. Truthfully, it took Jun Wu 10 years just to get enough members for the government's permission to legally fight against others. But, in the first few months, 3 other members did join. All 4 people in this gang were considered strong and independent. Then, after a few months, only 2 more joined. Over the years, stronger and stronger people joined and they finally got a lot of members. But, once they had, in 2016, Jun Wu and his gang were instantly put under attack. The group which did attack them - WNF.

The fight was brutal, mainly one-sided. Jun Wu's members fell as WNF's members only fought harder. Blood, bodies and bones were scattered across the once-fairytale-like town, resulting in dark dryness. As WNF's team left to go back to their hometown, Jun Wu and one other member quickly found out they were the last remaining survivors of this gang. In frustration and sorrow, Jun Wu tried to leave this gang behind, to put its name in a grave and bury it, never to be seen or heard of again. Yet, the other member did not allow him to give up this easily, telling him to try his best to keep the spirit up. Jun Wu, not wanting to leave this member behind since he was still quite young, only being 16, agreed to continue the gang.

For another year they tried to gain more members and they succeeded, all members ignoring the bad title for this group. Yet, all these members could easily be categorised into different groups based on their personalities. There were:

The 'Cool' ones - the ones who would make fun of others if they looked or sounded the tiniest bit weak and would always act as if they weren't afraid of the young boy who kept the gang and Jun Wu alive, but were truly petrified of this person, if you could even call him one.

The 'Try Hards' - These were the ones who would always only practise near this young boy or Jun Wu, wanting to show off their strength. But, there was no point for this since, no matter how hard they tried, the young boy wouldn't even bother to glance at them, Jun Wu only sharing a small nod to get them to train harder if they showed a pinch of weakness for even a second.

The 'Proper' ones - The people who trained when possible, followed the planner, always greeted Jun Wu with politeness, the young boy often being greeted too but he would never look at them, sometimes telling them to get back to training.

The 'Shy' ones - These are the ones who were afraid of the young boy and Jun Wu and would visibly show their fear. One step closer to these people by the youngen and Jun Wu and these people would cower away, not wanting to be seen by these two.

The 'Unique' ones - Finally, these were the ones who did not fit into any of those categories or all of them, this group only having 2 members, Nan Feng and Fu Yao.

By now, Jun Wu's gang had quite a popular view, being well known across towns. Not only by how strict they are with their training nor how they made sure no spies hid across their gang, but because of the Younger boy who everyone had feared. Anyone who had met him could agree you would be frozen on the spot when you first see him and anyone who hadn't met him would either think why are people scared of someone so young? Or What is so bad about him? Yet, the stories about this young man spread quickly, making people who hadn't met him yet pray to the heavens that they shall not ever meet him. Who was this young boy who protected Jun Wu in war, kept the gang alive, put members in hellish training, never bothered to share a glare and was feared by the whole town? Well, with his name scattering around the town, one boy was especially interested in him.

Being only a year older at 18, this boy dressed in white, covered with bandages and a unique yet beautiful look to him, would always ask about this peculiar boy. He had met him a few times before, when the war had just started. This person would give food to the boy, feeding him since he could not afford any himself. But, they did not know each other at all, only their names. This boy picked up a leaflet, showing how they needed new members. He smiled slightly and picked up his bamboo hat from the café table, putting it on as his friend, Ling Wen, noticed.

"Xie Lian, where are you heading off to now?" Xie Lian gave a small wave, adding to his bright, shining smile. He placed down the leaflet, knowing where to go.

"Some place further up. I might come back with a new friend for us to drink tea with too which would be fun, wouldn't you agree?"

"Really? Do you know this man?" Ling Wen saw the leaflet and looked up at Xie Lian, instantly understanding where he was going and what he meant, speaking once more, a sigh coming on first.

"You just be careful, you know the stories about... Him."

"Yes, I do. But, I would like to see if those rumours are true or if they are just merely people's views on him. Besides, I've met him before, you know that. Three years ago, when the 2-year war just started, I would feed him to help him gain some weight to carry the needed guns."

"I remember you would brag about how you got to help such a strong boy. Yet, he is only a year younger than you, so do not get too cocky, alright?" Xie Lian let out a fake gasp as he placed his hand on his chest, pretending to be upset.

"Me? Cocky? Ling Wen, you look down on me too much. Plus, this boy may not even remember me since we only exchanged names."

"Xie Lian, you aren't very good at remembering names, would you even remember it if it wasn't for all these rumours?" Xie Lian was already opening the door when he turned around, sharing a single smile with Ling Wen.

"Of course I would. How on earth could I forget him... Forget Hua Cheng, lead member of the gang the Four Calamities?"

(1335 words)