Chaos

The Wuyi students were equally stunned to see Director Liu and the councilor shot. With their attention focused outside, they never expected the Maka students to make a break for it, nor could they fathom what was happening. Though suspicions crossed their minds, most chose to step out of the way before the facts became clear. The instant the gunshot rang out, Chen Chuan turned his head to locate the shooter. Right then, however, a figure flashed as Qiu Chengzu lunged violently toward him from not far away. Chen Chuan simply reached out to block him. Before Qiu Chengzu could even figure out what had happened, he went tumbling backward, hearing a voice by his ear: "Now is hardly the time to spar." By then, the security detail within the venue had also swung into motion. In the absence of explicit orders, however, the Maka delegates were still considered VIP guests. Even if the guards had their suspicions, they were not about to stick their necks out, allowing the group to easily break out. Yet because events had unfolded so quickly and at some distance, the crowd of onlookers behind still had no idea what was happening. Packed tightly in place, they inadvertently formed a human barrier. Right at that moment, another burst of gunfire erupted from the rear. Several people were instantly struck and fell to the ground. Only then did the crowd react. Screams and shrieks rang out as panic gripped the mass, sending people fleeing in terror in all directions. Coupled with the smoke spreading everywhere, the scene descended into utter chaos. Chen Chuan's gaze narrowed. Turning toward the gunfire, he saw that the shooter was a man in sunglasses. Behind him stood several expressionless figures, and parked a little further back were several two-wheeled motor vehicles. The direction Douma was fleeing toward was clearly right where they stood. Brushing aside another charging Maka student, Chen Chuan strode swiftly toward them. Not far away, Zhuang Zhi saw Chen Chuan give chase, his eyes flickering. Delivering a sharp snap of parting force, he mercilessly struck down two Maka students rushing at him and followed behind. Chen Chuan started at a brisk walk, but as his stride accelerated, his speed steadily rose. In barely a breath or two, he had already caught up to the rear of the fleeing Maka crowd. Someone stopped and tried to block him, but with a casual wave of Chen Chuan's hand, they were swept aside, looking as effortless as swatting away a few bugs. Nali and Shani had originally been flanking Douma to clear the path ahead. Nali was measured and knew when to hold back, but Shani shoved aside anyone in his way without restraint, caring nothing for whether they could take the blow. Seeing that the students at the rear could not hold Chen Chuan back at all, the two immediately turned back to intercept him. Hot-tempered Shani charged ahead first. Harnessing his momentum to gather force through his body, he let out a snort through his nose and whipped a kick straight toward Chen Chuan's face. Chen Chuan casually met it with a punch. Shani's leg bone snapped first, and then, swept up by an enormous force, he flew backward through the air and tumbled onto the side of the road. Seeing this, Nali felt a chill run through him, knowing he was no match for this opponent. Casting aside concern for his own safety, he threw his entire body forward in a tackle just to stall him. Chen Chuan remained calm, showing no intention of trading moves. He sidestepped, his speed abruptly surging, and brushed past Nali in an instant, darting forward like an arrow released from a bow. Nali took over a dozen lunging steps before checking his momentum. Realizing two more Wuyi students were sprinting past him, he grew frantic and hastily turned to chase after them. Although Douma was running forward, he remained alert to what was happening behind him. Seeing that Nali and Shani had failed to delay Chen Chuan in the slightest, he frowned in bewilderment. He knew there was a gap between the Maka students and the Wuyi students, but surely it could not be this vast. Faced with such an opponent, Douma dared not turn his back. He halted and wheeled around, preparing to engage. Yet the expected attack never arrived. Chen Chuan did not even glance at him, sweeping right past Douma with his eyes locked firmly on the gunman who had just fired. Douma was startled. Having no intention of helping those gunmen either, he was about to step away when a figure flashed behind him. Zhuang Zhi had caught up. Arriving close, Zhuang Zhi pushed off the ground, leaped into the air, and drove a flying knee straight toward him. Douma shook his head. He took a half-step forward, evading the head-on brunt, and pressed his shoulder and arm against Zhuang Zhi's knee. Zhuang Zhi instantly felt as though he had struck a tough, resilient arresting cable. Before he could follow through, the muscles across Douma's shoulders, back, and arms suddenly snapped taut, like a bowstring drawn tight and instantly released. An irresistible force surged through Zhuang Zhi's body. He was abruptly bounced back, tumbling several times across the ground before stabilizing himself. Though largely uninjured, Zhuang Zhi looked at Douma with lingering fear, recognizing the vast difference between them, and the urge to retreat took root. Suddenly sensing something amiss, he rolled forward, dodging a sharp gust of wind from behind—Nali had rushed in to attack him upon seeing him strike at Douma. Zhuang Zhi scrambled up smoothly. Seeing the assailant was Nali, he sneered. *If I can't handle Douma, I can certainly handle you.* By now, Chen Chuan had closed in on the gunman. The shooter hastily raised his pistol to aim, but Chen Chuan moved too fast, weaving from side to side in erratic footwork. With the muzzle swinging constantly, the shooter found no opening to fire. By the time he realized the danger, Chen Chuan was already right in front of him. Gritting his teeth, the gunman hastily pulled the trigger, but Chen Chuan ducked low and darted forward, thrusting upward at the man's elbow. With a crack, his arms snapped as they were driven high into the air, the pistol launching skyward. At the same time, Chen Chuan slammed his shoulder forward. With a heavy thud, the gunman flew backward, crashing into a middle-aged man who was just walking up. That middle-aged man moved with steady steps and sharp eyes. Reaching out with a catch and a press, he absorbed the momentum carrying the gunman, laid him on the ground with one hand, cracked his neck, and strode coldly toward Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan reached out and snatched the falling pistol from midair, instantly raising the muzzle. The middle-aged man's cold composure instantly shattered, and he hurriedly ducked his head aside to dodge. Yet Chen Chuan shifted his aim, firing several shots toward a nearby building and blasting masonry fragments everywhere. The sniper crouched up there aiming a rifle at him scrambled flat against the rooftop. Seeing Chen Chuan divert his aim, the middle-aged man seized the opportunity and charged forward. Once close, he launched a kick aimed straight at Chen Chuan's head. Chen Chuan ignored the attack completely. Releasing his grip to let the pistol drop, he pivoted and drove a punch straight into the man's centerline. Seeing that Chen Chuan seemed intent on mutual destruction, the middle-aged man knitted his brows. He stomped his raised foot heavily onto the pavement with a boom, twisted his waist and torso, exhaled sharply, and drove a punch of his own to meet Chen Chuan's oncoming blow. Bang! Like two steel hammers colliding, their fists smashed together. In almost that same instant, the pavement beneath their feet fractured with sharp cracking sounds. Both held their punching postures. Moments later, a flush of crimson surged across the middle-aged man's face, followed by a continuous cacophony of snapping and splintering bones throughout his body. He collapsed like limp clay—most of the bones in his frame had been shattered outright by the force of Chen Chuan's punch. Just then, Chen Chuan caught a glimpse of something in his peripheral vision and tilted his head. Something grazed past his cheek. With a thud, chunks of bark burst off a nearby tree trunk, leaving behind a fresh bullet hole. He moved his feet rapidly. From above, bullets rained down periodically, rustling the surrounding foliage and sending gravel spraying across the pavement. Up on the rooftop along the street, the sniper fired a few more rounds before suddenly feeling a rush of wind behind him. Just as he tried to swing his rifle around, a hand clamped onto the crown of his head. With an effortless twist and a sharp snap, his head was wrenched to the side. Luo Kaiyuan shoved the man's head aside, discarding the corpse, and deftly took the rifle from the sniper's hands, raising and aiming it downward with practiced ease. Yet something crossed his mind. After a brief hesitation, he drove his knee up to snap the rifle in two, tossed the pieces aside, and pressed down on the ledge to leap sideways off the four-story building. Clinging briefly to handholds on the way down to shed momentum, he rolled upon landing to absorb the impact, scrambled to his feet, and charged forward. On Chen Chuan's side, he scooped up the discarded pistol mid-evasion and fired several shots at the men by the two-wheeled motor vehicles, sending them scattering for cover. Douma had been running toward those vehicles, but seeing the drivers scatter, he was forced to stop—he had no idea how to operate them. In that moment of pause, a figure rushed up behind him, throwing a punch while letting out a crisp shout. Douma recognized the young female voice—evidently a female student. Shaking his head, he slipped past the oncoming fist, caught her slender wrist, and slammed her into the ground. With a crash, the pavement fractured beneath her. He assumed this would be enough to incapacitate her, yet she acted as though completely unfazed. Without missing a beat, her legs coiled up to lock him in a scissors hold. Caught by surprise, Douma flung his arm outward and hurled her far away. Tossed to the roadside, the female student rolled several times, then pushed against the ground and flipped back to her feet. Aside from some fraying of her clothes and a bit of dust, she appeared entirely unharmed. Chen Chuan glanced over and recognized Guan Xinyin. However, he could see clearly that whether against Zhuang Zhi or Guan Xinyin, Douma had not used lethal force. Otherwise, both would surely be dead or crippled by now—likely because Douma was still mindful of diplomatic relations between the two nations. In truth, if Douma had merely taken the oak leaf, Chen Chuan would have had no need to give chase before the rights and wrongs of the matter were clear. But these Maka people were in league with an unidentified faction that had killed and wounded numerous innocent bystanders. There had to be an accounting for that; they could not be allowed to escape so easily. Looking at Douma, Chen Chuan said, "Teacher Douma, you won't be getting away." Douma merely shook his head. He first tossed the case containing the oak leaf to a student nearby, gesturing for him to leave, and then ripped off his shirt, exposing a bronze, robust physique defined by smooth, flowing muscles. In a deep voice, he said, "I remember you attended my karmic pulse study class. In that case, let me teach you the next lesson right here."