Inside the Weishi villa, Wei Jun ended the call, put down the receiver, and looked up. "Senior Brother Zhao has agreed. He’ll make some calls to coordinate with all parties and give us his support."

He looked at Jiang Wei and Shao Xiaobie and said slowly, "Back then, we eliminated Shen Zheng under Senior Brother Zhao’s leadership. We can do the same to that Chen Chuan now."

Jiang Wei said, "We shouldn’t be the only ones involved in this."

Wei Jun nodded. The elites in the Mutual Aid Association’s Upper Layer must all be involved. Although they were the ones doing the work, the benefits would be shared by everyone. Even if the others didn’t contribute to the process, they should share the same fate and bear the risks together.

They were already convinced that Chen Chuan had a powerful faction supporting him. Therefore, only by uniting could they quell the potential storm and allow Yangzhi to maintain its old order.

Just like three years ago.

"Go back and start making calls. Notify everyone."

Jiang Wei immediately stood up from the sofa and walked out.

Shao Xiaobie nodded and left with him.

Over the next few hours, as calls were made to one villa and manor after another, a dark undercurrent began to stir in Yangzhi City.

In the training hall, Chen Chuan stood on the terrace, carefully wiping the Snow Monarch Blade. Below him, the river flowed ceaselessly. After the thunderstorm, the sky had cleared considerably, though a few wisps of cloud remained.

As he finished wiping, a blood-red line on the spine of the Snow Monarch Blade became increasingly clear. Holding it, he could feel their breaths resonating with each other. A slight exertion of his Power would cause the blade to hum in response.

He grasped the blade, slowly sliding it into the Sword Scabbard. Once it was deep enough, he switched his grip to the hilt and, with a CLICK, slid it all the way in. He then stood up, returned to the living room, and placed the blade on its stand.

After returning to his seat, he picked up the bundle Tan Wang had been carrying and pulled out its contents. Gao Ming had already looked through them but said there was nothing of value, only things related to Tan Wang’s personal training.

He picked it up and flipped through it. The most noteworthy item was a drawing of a ferocious black snake. The snake had three heads—or, more accurately, a frontal view and two side views cleverly connected to a single body, creating the artistic effect of three heads on one torso.

On the snake’s body were three concentric circles. Within each circle were different guiding lines, the ends of which pointed to various parts of the snake’s torso.

At first glance, he thought it was some kind of Secret Transmission technique, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was actually an order form. It listed over twenty items, all related to Implant modification technology, covering almost everything from inside the body to its surface, from the skin to internal tissues.

The three circles likely represented the First to Third Limits. On the largest circle, several items were already checked off. He took a look; these must be the modification projects Tan Wang had chosen, some completed and some not.

For example, two checked items were "High-Density Muscle Implantation" and "Multi-Jointed Bone Modification." The former was probably complete. The latter modified the limbs and torso to be like a snake’s skeleton. Tan Wang’s neck seemed to have undergone this change, but the rest of his body was normal, so it was likely only partially done.

Individual sub-projects also had upgrade and progression options. For instance, an Implant surgery could be performed on a base of First-Limit Mutated bones to increase the number of muscle fibers while also altering the shape and structure of the muscles, granting the limb unconventional stretching abilities.

There were also surface modifications like "Hardened Scale Implantation," "Subcutaneous Gland Implantation," and "Serrated Sheath Implantation," which had to be done in sequence.

"Serrated Sheath Implantation" was a particularly vicious implantable weapon. After a successful surgery, the user could use muscle contractions to extrude fine or long serrated blades from between their scales, which could be used with Secret Snake Sect techniques to entangle and slice opponents. Tan Wang must have only completed the first step, not the latter two.

It seemed that Tan Wang hadn’t been at his "full" combat strength when they fought. If he had completed all the checked Implant surgeries, his fighting capabilities would have been completely different.

’However, for my Second Self, its eight-hour duration was more than enough to wear him down all night long.’

’And none of the items on here list an Implant that directly increases speed. I wonder if they don’t have one, or if it just isn’t listed.’

’But based on this alone, even if Tan Wang had all these implants, he still wouldn’t have won. Being a fraction slower is the line between life and death. The result would have been the same.’

His gaze then shifted downwards, and he noticed the words "Internal Order Form" written at the bottom of the page. ’So,’ he thought, ’the Secret Snake Sect not only modifies its own members but also sells special Implants to outsiders.’

’But seeing how much Tan Wang cared about a single set of clothes, this so-called internal order form probably isn’t cheap.’

Just then, he heard a car pull up downstairs. A moment later, a security guard came up and said, "Brother Chen, a Song Litigation Master is here. He says he’s come on behalf of someone else and would like to speak with you."

Gao Ming heard the commotion and came out of a nearby lounge. He said, "Cousin, you don’t need to see him. I’ll talk to him."

Chen Chuan nodded.

Gao Ming went downstairs with the guard. Downstairs, he saw a middle-aged litigation master in his forties with his hair slicked back, who introduced himself as Song. Gao Ming walked up, shook his hand, and said with a smile, "My name is Gao Ming. I am the fully authorized litigation master for Mr. Chen Chuan. If you have something to discuss, Song Litigation Master, you can speak directly with me."

"Ah, Gao Litigation Master. And where might you be practicing?"

Gao Ming smiled. "Mi’s Law Firm."

"Mishe..." Song Litigation Master’s expression grew a little more serious. "Alright. Then let’s take our time with this discussion."

After the two sat down, Gao Ming motioned for him to wait, then pulled a case from under the table. He placed it on the desk and opened it to reveal a prepared wire recorder. He pressed the record button, gestured invitingly, and said with a smile, "Song Litigation Master, we can begin now."

Two hours later, Song Litigation Master drove away.

Gao Ming went back upstairs and said to Chen Chuan, "Cousin, they want to invite you for a talk. They said they hope it can happen in the next day or two."

Chen Chuan asked, "Do they think I’ll definitely go?"

Gao Ming smiled. "Song Litigation Master made a point of mentioning your elementary and middle school, and even named some of your old classmates. It was probably a threat."

Chen Chuan grunted in acknowledgment. He did have many friends and acquaintances from his school days, but it was foolish of them to think that could be used as a threat. He wouldn’t change his course of action because of it; he would simply find a way to deal with the bullies afterward.

’Sometimes, the more you care, the more brazen they become. The less you care, the more they fear you.’

Gao Ming said, "I told Song Litigation Master that we need to consider it and will give him a reply before midnight tonight." He looked up. "Cousin, I suggest you accept the meeting for tomorrow. We can resolve this sooner, and the short notice will give them less time to prepare, making it more likely for them to make mistakes."

Chen Chuan nodded. "Then set it for tomorrow."

Gao Ming said, "But the specific time and place probably haven’t been decided yet."

Chen Chuan said, "That’s fine. I won’t be sitting idly by, either."

He thought for a moment, then walked over to the telephone and dialed Cheng Zitong’s number. When the call connected, he said, "Teacher, someone from the Mutual Aid Association came. They’ve invited me for a talk, and I’m planning to go."

Cheng Zitong said gravely, "Xiaochuan, what do you need your teacher to do?"

Chen Chuan told him what he was thinking.

Cheng Zitong said, "Xiaochuan, I know you’ve always been prudent, but I’ll say it again: you must be careful. Your teacher will do everything in his power to support you."

"Thank you, Teacher."

After hanging up, Chen Chuan dialed Director Lei’s number. When the call connected after a moment, he said, "Director Lei, I’m going to a meeting tomorrow, but things might get out of control. I’ll need to ask you for a favor."

Director Lei said, "I told you, you can come to me and He Nan anytime you need something."

Chen Chuan told him his request, and the director agreed without hesitation. After ending the call with Director Lei, he began to make his last call.

"Hello, Patrol Bureau? This is Chen Chuan. Yes, Captain Nian’s nephew. I need to speak with him." After the call was transferred, he said, "Uncle, there’s something I need to tell you in advance..."

When all the calls were finished, he slowly placed the receiver back on the telephone and looked up at Gao Ming. "Gao Ming, you can give them our reply now."

Gao Ming nodded and turned to leave.

In an office on the top floor of the Wuyi Administration Building, a white-haired old man was practicing calligraphy with a two-meter-long brush. A young teacher hurried in and said, "Teacher..."

The white-haired old man didn’t look at him. His brush remained steady against the paper on the wall as he asked, "What’s the rush?"

The young teacher walked over and whispered a few words.

"Oh?"

The white-haired old man spun around. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He tossed the two-meter-long brush aside, took two steps, and said, "Good. Very good."

He said, "Three years ago, we couldn’t react in time. Not this time. Not only is this a good blade, but it’s a blade we hold in our own hands. Excellent, truly excellent. Since the blade is already drawn, we can’t let it return to its sheath empty. Let’s add to its momentum. Hmm, have the students get moving as well."

The young teacher was confused. "Teacher, will they be of any use?"

The white-haired old man said, "A large number of people isn’t necessarily useful, but a large number of people definitely creates momentum. When that momentum gathers, it becomes a raging torrent. We’ll see if this torrent can break through that thick dam."

Back in the training hall, Gao Ming returned from outside. "Cousin, the time and place are set. Four in the morning tomorrow, at the Li’an Machinery Old Factory Area in the west of the city."

The name sounded familiar to Chen Chuan. He thought for a moment, his eyes flickering slightly. "That place?"

Gao Ming said, "I checked. That’s the one."

Chen Chuan nodded. "Tell them I’ll be there on time." Gao Ming said, "Alright," and turned to leave.

After he left, Chen Chuan glanced outside. It was just evening, and fiery clouds were gathering. It looked like tomorrow would be a clear day.

He slowly sat down on a soft cushion and began to guide his inner and outer breath in unison. As he settled into a deep meditation, the scenery outside changed, seeming to move both slowly and quickly at once as the sky gradually darkened.

At a certain moment, he suddenly opened his eyes. He glanced at the mantle clock nearby, stood up, and went to wash up. He then changed into a formal suit, walked to the blade stand, and took the Snow Monarch Blade in hand. Picking up a case from the floor, he walked out of the building.

Gao Ming was already waiting there. The car and driver sent by He Nan had also arrived, its door open.

Chen Chuan glanced up. The summer night sky was full of twinkling stars, though dark clouds occasionally drifted over to block their light. He walked over and got into the car. Gao Ming closed the door for him and tapped lightly on the car’s body. The headlights flared to life, instantly illuminating the road ahead, and the car slowly drove off.

...

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