A little over ten minutes later, a convoy of armored patrol cars rolled into Lakefront Park. After a thorough inspection, they confiscated all the firearms and equipment left at the scene and loaded the bodies onto a hauler.

A Patrol Officer approached the lead captain, saluted, and said, "Captain Qian, we’ve confirmed that all the deceased individuals at the scene were armed assailants."

Captain Qian grunted in acknowledgment and asked impassively, "Have their identities been confirmed?"

"Preliminary identification indicates they were a mercenary group from out of town. The leader is a man named Suo Pingtou, who has a prior criminal record. I’ve cross-referenced the records, sir. The entire crew is here, not a single one missing."

Captain Qian sighed. "The younger generation is truly formidable. Captain Nian... Captain Nian is a lucky man." He then added, "Remember to set aside a copy of the report for Captain Nian after you’ve processed everything."

The Patrol Officer immediately complied.

"Are we done here? If so, let’s pack it up."

"Yes, sir."

A few minutes later, the armored patrol cars drove away, leaving only the lake and its reed beds shrouded in the night.

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan had already returned to the training hall on Xiuyi Street. When he entered, the security guard didn’t notice anything unusual about him, simply smiling and greeting him for returning so early.

Once upstairs, he placed the Snow Monarch Blade on its rack and made a call to Gao Ming. He didn’t say anything, just let it ring a few times before hanging up.

But just a few minutes later, his phone rang. He picked it up, and it was Nian Fuli’s voice on the other end. "Xiaochuan, were you attacked by armed militants?"

As he was leaving the park, Chen Chuan had made a quick call to the Patrol Bureau. He knew that as a captain, Nian Fuli would definitely hear about the incident, and he had no intention of hiding it.

"Yes. They were after me. Uncle, something has come up recently. I’ll need some time to handle it."

Nian Fuli said gravely, "I understand, Xiaochuan. Remember, you’re one of the Patrol Bureau’s own."

Chen Chuan nodded. "I know, Uncle."

In his office at the Patrol Bureau, Nian Fuli hung up the phone. He thought for a moment, then took out an official document, signed it, and told the on-duty Patrol Officer outside, "Get me Xiaowu."

A moment later, a young, sharp-looking Patrol Officer entered the office and saluted. "Master."

Nian Fuli handed the document to Xiaowu and instructed, "Take a team from the Bureau to Quanzhou District. The instructions are written here. The local bureau there will cooperate with you."

"Yes, sir!"

Xiaowu stepped forward, took the file, saluted again, then exited the office, closing the door behind him.

Back at the training hall, Gao Ming rushed over to meet Chen Chuan as soon as he got the signal call.

Chen Chuan first poured Gao Ming a cup of tea before saying, "I was just attacked, but I’ve already taken care of it. The Patrol Bureau should be handling the scene by now."

Gao Ming asked for the details and then said, "No problem. In Yangzhi City, openly carrying firearms means that ordinary citizens automatically have the right to kill the perpetrators. Plus, the Patrol Bureau arrived immediately. They won’t be able to use this to get any leverage on you, Brother Chen."

Chen Chuan said, "Then it’s time for step two."

Gao Ming pushed up his glasses. "Yes. Since those thugs couldn’t handle you, Brother Chen, their next move will be either to stubbornly try again, or to send someone with a clear advantage in Martial Force Level—someone they believe you can’t possibly resist—in an attempt to eliminate you before you can go into hiding.

But this is also our opportunity. An expert of that caliber won’t be without a background or connections. Whether we capture them alive or kill them, we’ll be able to unravel what comes next."

Chen Chuan continued, "And after that comes step three."

"Right. Step three is the crucial part." Gao Ming’s expression turned serious. "If they really make that choice, then you can go all out, Brother Chen. Try to solve all our problems in one fell swoop."

Chen Chuan nodded slowly. It didn’t matter if things didn’t go as predicted. He and Gao Ming had prepared several contingency plans to respond to different scenarios.

The Mutual Aid Association wanted to control the situation, but he was doing the same, trying to steer events in the direction he desired.

Barely an hour later, news that the armed thugs had failed to assassinate Chen Chuan and had been completely wiped out reached Shao Xiaobie. Upon hearing it, he kicked over his desk and started cursing the incompetence of the hired guns.

He paced around his office irritably, muttering an endless stream of curses.

He had confidently taken on this whole affair, puffing out his chest and promising he could handle it, but now he’d fucking screwed it up and alerted the target.

After pacing for a long time, he sat down and called for his butler, the one who handled the details. With a dark expression, he said, "Can you send more people? Not those useless hacks, send someone who can fucking get the job done!"

The butler, familiar with his temper, said patiently, "Young Master, Suo Pingtou’s crew rarely failed. Their elimination was either an accident or the target’s strength far exceeded our estimates. I’ve reviewed the target’s file. It’s possible we underestimated him."

Shao Xiaobie was impatient. He waved his hand dismissively. "Stop with the useless chatter. Find me someone! Find someone to get this done!"

The butler said, "Young Master, this is difficult. We had worked with Suo Pingtou’s group a few times; they were trustworthy. Other people might just take the money and not do the job. And the Patrol Bureau has been cracking down lately. It will take some time to find someone willing to take this on."

"Then offer more money! If the price is high enough, someone will take it, right?"

The butler explained, "News travels fast in this circle. With Suo Pingtou’s failure, anyone else who might take the job will be cautious. I’m afraid we’ll still have to wait."

There were some things he couldn’t say aloud. These armed groups were not easy to deal with. If you raised the price, they’d immediately see how desperate you were. Then they’d wonder if you might raise it even further if they waited. They would all just watch and wait. This couldn’t be resolved quickly.

"How fucking long do we have to wait?"

"From posting the job to someone accepting it, ten to fifteen days."

"That’s too late! I can’t wait! The fucking semester is about to start!"

Shao Xiaobie couldn’t possibly wait that long. Once the semester began, Chen Chuan would be living at the academy. It was obvious the school administration was backing him—how else could he have gotten away with all that? It would be impossible to make a move on him at school.

Besides, once the semester started, Chen Chuan might even apply for his Defense Certificate. And he might fucking take the test with Wei Jun! How awkward would that be?

"If you’re in a hurry, Young Master," the butler said, "then our only option is to use locals."

"No! Absolutely not! We can’t use locals!"

Shao Xiaobie refused on the spot. Using locals could easily lead the investigation straight back to him. Others might get away with it, but he would be the one to take the fall. He wasn’t stupid enough to take the blame for someone else’s dirty work.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He slapped the table, then pointed a finger. "Right! His family! If we can’t get him, we’ll get his family first!"

The butler said, "Young Master, this student was raised by his aunt and uncle. His uncle, Nian Fuli, is a captain in the Patrol Bureau. All family members live in the Patrol Bureau Family Area. Young Master, you must be cautious."

"Fuck!" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Shao Xiaobie swore again, knowing it was a dead end.

The Patrol Bureau was an extremely tight-knit group. Due to the nature of their work, all their families lived in the Patrol Bureau Family Area, protected by dedicated armed personnel. Forget about outsiders getting in; even if they did, and things got out of hand, the entire Patrol Bureau would erupt. He couldn’t handle that kind of fallout.

Just then, the butler said, "Young Master, using locals doesn’t necessarily mean we have to get involved ourselves. We don’t have to do anything directly. That way, it won’t be traced back to you."

Shao Xiaobie sat up straight. "Explain."

The butler said, "Besides the student’s file and records, I also made some inquiries. This student recently had a conflict with the Blood Mark Gang. One of their Five Claws, Zhuo Bao, had his hand cut off by him. He even tried to sue him over it, and the matter is still ongoing. We can leak Chen Chuan’s location in South City to Zhuo Bao."

Shao Xiaobie was skeptical. "The Blood Mark Gang? Aren’t they busy fighting the Iron Chain Gang right now? Do they have time to deal with this? Besides, is Zhuo Bao just going to do what you say? You think he’ll go just because you tell him to?"

The butler said, "Zhuo Bao is a madman, mentally unstable. But his thirst for revenge is immense. He never forgets anyone who has harmed him, let alone someone who took his hand.

He now has a new hand implant, and we’re the ones supplying his Anti-Differentiation Medicine. This time, we can add a little something to Zhuo Bao’s medication. Combined with some psychological suggestion, he won’t be able to resist.

With the Blood Mark Gang’s manpower and weapons, a surprise attack might just succeed. And even if he fails, the Blood Mark Gang will have lost face and won’t let the matter drop. It will have nothing to do with us."

"Excellent idea."

Shao Xiaobie loved this kind of plan—one where he didn’t have to lift a finger, just manipulate others into doing the work. Besides, if the Blood Mark Gang really got involved, the previous job could be blamed on them too.

"Let’s do it that way. I don’t care how it’s done, I just want to see results as soon as possible."

The butler nodded respectfully. "Young Master, I’ll take my leave now."

"Go, go."

The butler’s arrangements were highly efficient. Just one day later, Zhuo Bao received some information about Chen Chuan. Someone had even sent him photos of Xiuyi Street, noting that Chen Chuan lived there.

He was extremely sensitive to the name Chen Chuan. Because of this man, he had lost an arm and become the laughingstock of the gang. They said he’d been taken down by a first-year Wuyi student, that he was washed up, and that he might as well give his position to one of his underlings.

Although he had now been fitted with an implant arm, which seemed even stronger than his original, the thorn remained stuck in his heart.

This time, after taking the newly delivered Anti-Differentiation Medicine, he felt a fire burning inside him. The name Chen Chuan repeatedly grated on his nerves, battering at his sanity.

CRASH! The glass in his hand was crushed by his implant. The underlings around him watched him nervously.

Zhuo Bao looked up and found himself sitting in a bar. He frowned. ’When did I get here? What was I doing before? Can’t remember. Doesn’t matter.’

He stood up, his voice laced with a chilling coldness. "With me."

The surrounding underlings all scrambled to their feet. Zhuo Bao had inexplicably summoned them here, and they had just watched him drink glass after glass. They knew their boss’s temper had become even more volatile since he lost his hand, so they didn’t dare ask any questions, only keeping him company.

After Zhuo Bao got into a car, his burly lieutenant sat in beside him and closed the door. "Boss, where to?"

Zhuo Bao rubbed his temples, his expression grim. "Number 17 Xiuyi Street. Tell the boys to grab their hardware."

The lieutenant’s heart tightened. ’Hardware means guns. And we’re in the city...’

But he didn’t dare disobey Zhuo Bao’s order. The reason he’d lasted so long by Zhuo Bao’s side was that he did whatever his boss said without question.

"Got it, boss. I’ll have the boys grab their hardware right away."

...

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