Although it was only three to four hundred meters from the hostel to where Fist Lion's crew was staying, anything could happen, so Hu Xian and the others decided to drive over.
Sitting in the car, Chen Chuan noticed another vehicle trailing them from a distance. He could not make out the people inside, but since the car made no deliberate effort to hide, they were likely on their side as well.
Hu Xian held the steering wheel, easing the car forward while keeping her eyes on their surroundings. "Let me tell you something," she said. "Even though the assessment team won't pry into how a candidate operates, nor can we offer active assistance, there's always room for flexibility. If you run into danger, you can call on us for help."
From the back seat, Chen Chuan asked, "Doing that would mean voluntarily giving up the exam, wouldn't it?"
"That's true, but you'll have to weigh for yourself which is more important: that or your life."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Thank you, Sister Hu."
"All right, Little Brother Chen," Hu Xian replied. "Since you call me Sister Hu, if things get dangerous, I'll definitely look out for you. This time I'm having Old Wan go in with you. You're a buyer, after all; having nobody by your side hurts your standing. A bunch of snobs like Fist Lion's lot might not take you seriously otherwise."
"Understood," Chen Chuan said.
He picked up the canteen he had brought along and took a sip. Seeing him drink continuously ever since getting into the car, Hu Xian assumed he was nervous and found it mildly amusing. "Listen, little brother, don't drink so much water right before a negotiation."
Chen Chuan did not answer, merely taking a few more mouthfuls.
The car halted about fifty meters away from Fist Lion's residence. Hu Xian said, "This is as far as we go. Getting any closer will make things awkward. Hey, want me to go in with you?"
"No need. Thank you, Sister Hu."
Chen Chuan pushed the door open, stepped out, said his farewells to Hu Xian, strapped the Xuejun Saber onto his back, and walked toward the four-story building ahead. Old Wan also stepped out, nodded to Hu Xian, and silently followed behind.
Hu Xian watched their silhouettes make their way over. Her eyes then fell upon the canteen left tossed on the back seat; it looked completely weightless, clearly emptied to the last drop.
A touch of surprise crossed her mind, accompanied by an amused scoff. Drinking that much water—wasn't he worried about... Wait. Her brow knitted as a realization struck her. She looked back toward the building. Could this Little Brother Chen... be planning something?
By this point, Chen Chuan had reached the entrance. This time, he only brought a concealed Wuji pistol and the openly displayed Xuejun Saber.
The two thugs standing guard gave him a once-over before stepping aside. "Please come in, Mr. Chen."
Neither asked him to disarm. This was the Chaotic Lands; even if it was merely the fringe, demanding someone come to one's own turf for business without weapons was no different from asking them to walk to their deaths. No one would ever agree to that.
Ran Xiaoli, the Bee Woman, came forward to greet them. She had changed into a long red slit dress and wore vivid lipstick. As the only woman present, she served as the greeter—a gesture to give the buyer face and keep the encounter from feeling overly aggressive.
Upon spotting Chen Chuan, she tapped her painted fingernail against her lips and cast him an alluring glance. "Mr. Chen, this way."
Chen Chuan followed her inside. The building was fairly spacious, and the entire ground floor had been arranged into a reception lounge. Beneath a chandelier, several large sofas encircled the center, leaving a wide open space in the middle, seemingly meant for demonstrations later on.
He saw a heavily built, dark-skinned man sporting a thick mane of small braids seated on the sofa across from him. Four thugs stood on either side of him. Ran Xiaoli walked straight up to his side, whispered a few words in his ear, and turned to stand facing them. This burly brute had to be Fist Lion.
Chen Chuan could sense that the man's breathing was remarkably rhythmic; he had clearly practiced combat and reached no small degree of skill. Moreover, the man's muscles remained coiled in a state of taut readiness, his massive bulk sinking deep into the cushions, hinting at his staggering weight.
No bio-armor was visible on his exposed flesh, but judging by the dense, hardened texture, it was likely grafted beneath the skin—technology far more advanced than the bio-armor used by Scarface and Fang Dawei's crew.
Behind Chen Chuan, Old Wan grew visibly vigilant, keeping his hand hovering where he could draw his firearm at any second. Although Fist Lion appeared relaxed and normal on the surface, a faint madness flickered beneath his gaze, giving off the sense of a predator ready to pounce and devour someone whole.
Seeing the two enter, Fist Lion looked Chen Chuan up and down, baring his teeth in a grin. "You must be the buyer introduced by the Fox Fairy? How should I address you?"
Chen Chuan let his gaze naturally sweep over the room before replying, "My surname is Chen."
"Mr. Chen, a pleasure. Please, have a seat."
Fist Lion politely offered a seat, yet he did not make the slightest move to stand.
Inwardly, he did not look down on Chen Chuan just because of his youth. Young men capable of throwing around such large sums of money always had serious backing. If nothing else, his own current run from the law was caused by crossing just such a youth.
Even so, if he failed to project dominance, the other side would assume he was desperate to unload the merchandise, which would make haggling over the price difficult. Besides, Chen Chuan was not the only buyer today, and since Chen Chuan was the one seeking him out, there was no need to lower his posture.
At that moment, two thugs shifted positions to stand behind Chen Chuan and Old Wan, while those on either side fanned out to flank their left and right. Every man held a firearm, standing poised to shoot at a moment's notice.
Chen Chuan glanced toward the corner. The fourth-in-command, Tuoqi, stood sideways there like two men conjoined back-to-back—one wielding twin blades, the other holding a handgun, dangerous glares continuously sizing them up from head to toe.
Following Fist Lion's inviting gesture, Chen Chuan walked over to the sofa slightly to the left opposite him, handed the Xuejun Saber to Old Wan beside him, and took a seat. Glancing at the empty sofa across the space, he remarked, "What, are there other guests today?"
Fist Lion spread his hands. "Just bad timing. When you inquired about buying the goods, Mr. Chen, I happened to be negotiating with another buyer. Business is first come, first served, isn't it? But we still have to give face to the Fox Fairy, so we invited you over all the same."
"It's my fault, really," Bee Woman said in a soft, flirtatious tone. "These past two days, I was so anxious to carry out the boss's instructions and sell the goods as quickly as possible. If I'd known a buyer like Mr. Chen was around, why would we have gone looking so far afield?"
Chen Chuan leaned against the sofa backrest. "Spare me the nonsense. Since you know what I came for, Mr. Fist Lion, can I see the goods first?"
Fist Lion grinned. "That wouldn't be right, would it? How about we wait until everyone arrives before taking a look? That's fair to both of you. Running on the streets, I have to stand by my credibility."
Chen Chuan remained silent, but Old Wan spoke up from his side: "How much longer do we have to wait? Young Master Chen's time is precious. He doesn't have the leisure to dawdle around here."
Fist Lion glanced at Bee Woman. "Go check. Why aren't they here yet?" The time he had set was roughly around now. Chen Chuan had arrived, yet the other party was still missing, which displeased him; he felt as though the other party was deliberately keeping him waiting.
Bee Woman stepped outside.
Fist Lion glared at the men around him and cursed, "Are you all blind? Pour some tea for Mr. Chen."
"No need," Chen Chuan said. "I only drink the tea I brought myself." He gestured to Old Wan, waited for the latter to lean down, and instructed, "Go fetch my tea leaves."
Old Wan gave him a deep, searching look, set the Xuejun Saber against the sofa backrest, nodded, and turned to walk out.
Fist Lion merely smirked at the display. Wealthy scions were all like this. Still, as long as there was money to be made, he could tolerate it. Besides, his offer had only been polite chatter; where would he get good tea in a place like this?
Bee Woman soon returned, whispered a few words to Fist Lion, and then smiled at Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, the other guest is already heading our way and should arrive in about five minutes. Please wait just a bit longer, honored guest."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Five minutes? That's plenty."
"Plenty for what? What do you mean, Mr. Chen?" Bee Woman kept her smile, thoroughly baffled.
Fist Lion, however, sensed an instinctive twinge of foreboding. Unable to pinpoint where the problem lay, he unconsciously straightened his posture.
The moment Chen Chuan finished speaking, he calmly raised his hand, took a reverse grip on the hilt of the Xuejun Saber behind him, leaned forward, and suddenly lunged! The blade cleared its scabbard with a crisp shing, cleaving directly toward Fist Lion five meters away!
In that split second, time seemed to slow in Chen Chuan's perception. His powerful mutated heart pumped furiously, driving oxygen- and energy-rich blood to every corner of his frame.
Under the command of his willpower, strand after strand, layer after layer, the mutated tissues in every minute crevice were mobilized to their utmost, ultimately converging into an incomparable surge of raw power.
This force transmitted into the Xuejun Saber, causing the steel to hum with vibration. A brilliant crescent of blade-light burst forth across the hall, forcibly searing itself into the minds of everyone present!
Fist Lion's pupils dilated instantly, his nostrils flaring wide. In that fraction of a heartbeat, his mind raced frantically, trying to urge his body to evade or parry. Yet his limbs felt as heavy as a thousand jin, failing to move in time. He could only watch helplessly as that exquisite arc of blade-light drew closer and closer until it cleaved down.
The razor-sharp tip slashed into the crown of his skull, tearing smoothly downward along his face, neck, and torso like slicing through a sheet of thin paper, finally halting steadily just a finger's breadth above the floor.
Chen Chuan held the follow-through of the downward slash, one foot stepped forward, the other hand pulled back, his sword hand resting near his ankle. The slender blade lay nearly flush with the ground, while his eyes remained locked dead ahead.
Fist Lion sat rigidly in place, appearing largely intact on the surface, his raised hands still frozen in a blocking gesture. But a heartbeat later, a straight, bright-red vertical seam appeared down the center of his face and body. Blood began to seep outward, and the two halves of his bifurcated corpse slowly parted to either side.
As the halves split apart, the internal organs and various implants could be seen severed in perfectly symmetrical cross-sections, like anatomical specimens showcased in a glass display case. Interstitial fluid mingled with blood and strange secretions spilled downward. The expression frozen on his face created the bizarre illusion that the two halves might still be pieced back together.
The men in the lounge stared at the scene in utter shock. It had all unfolded far too quickly for them to process.
Fist Lion's bullet-resistant implants, his flesh-corroding glands, and the terrifying martial prowess that had once intimidated everyone had proved entirely useless throughout the encounter.
Chen Chuan's burst of speed in that singular instant had exceeded the limits of his reaction time. Though it appeared to be merely a hair's breadth faster, that hair's breadth was the chasm between life and death!
"He killed the boss!!"
The thugs finally snapped out of their daze. Amid furious roars of panic and rage, they raised their guns, preparing to fire upon Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan's focus remained razor-sharp, his gaze intensely calm.
As he initiated his motion, the floor tiles beneath his feet cracked in spiderweb fractures. Faint wisps of white vapor drifted off his frame—the massive heat generated within his body dissipating alongside evaporating moisture.
Snapping his wrist, he turned the blade outward, drove his back foot off the ground, and unleashed a ferocious burst of power. Amid shattering tiles, he executed a spinning sweep. With the 1.6-meter blade combined with his arm span, the arc encompassed nearly everyone on one side. The four thugs nearest to him were instantly sliced in half at the waist, their severed limbs and torsos raining down onto the floor.
A sudden sound came from behind: Tuoqi, positioned in the corner, lunged forward with all four legs driving simultaneously, a blade cleaving toward him amid a berserk howl. Yet to Chen Chuan, the strike seemed painfully slow. Merely carrying forward on his existing momentum, Chen Chuan not only avoided the gunfire from the other side but caused Tuoqi's blade to slash empty air.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Bee Woman bolting toward the window, seemingly attempting to escape. But then he spotted a cloth-draped object near the sill and realized her true intention: she was going to unleash that bioengineered combat weapon!
Wheeling around, he brushed past Tuoqi. As one torso swung a blade to cut him down, the other drew a pistol aimed at his head. Yet Chen Chuan was simply too fast; he flashed past him in the blink of an eye, and the bullet cracked out to embed itself harmlessly in the opposite wall.
Simultaneously, both heads felt the world spin wildly. Midair, their eyes met in stunned disbelief—in the split second of their crossing, both had been struck clean off their shoulders by the incoming Xuejun Saber!
Just as Chen Chuan charged toward Bee Woman, the seemingly vacant wall beside him suddenly stirred. A figure nearly blended into the environment lunged from the flank, thrusting two short daggers straight toward his ribs.
Chen Chuan showed not the slightest trace of surprise. He neither dodged nor slowed his pace; instead, the mutated tissues within his body swelled and surged in tight waves.
The next instant, the two collided. Yet amid a sickening cascade of splintering bones, the assailant went flying backward, slamming into the wall he had emerged from. With a squelch, a smear of mangled flesh and shattered bone adhered firmly against the plaster.
By this point, however, Bee Woman's fingers had already gripped the cloth-covered box. The Tayana combat spider resting beneath was merely in a state of brief hibernation; as long as its handler administered the specific external stimulant, it would awaken immediately and slaughter every target in the vicinity that had not passed its blood verification!
Chen Chuan locked his eyes onto her. Checked by that brief interception, his speed had lagged slightly, even if he remained unhurt. At this distance, he might not close the gap in time. Drawing a sharp, rapid breath, he expanded his chest cavity and unleashed a thunderous roar toward her!
With a concussive boom, a visible shockwave seemed to detonate outward around him. The windows from the first floor through the fourth rattled violently before shattering into a spray of glass. The remaining gun-toting thugs stumbled as if drunk, growing light-headed and wobbling off balance.
Bee Woman let out a shrill, agonized shriek, clapping her hands over her ears as blood seeped between her fingers. Her superhuman senses caused her to bear an exponentially greater brunt of the concussive assault. Her vision went black, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she collapsed limp onto the floor.
Out on the street, Old Wan had already walked back to Hu Xian's car. She frowned and asked, "Why are you out here? Didn't I tell you to stick with Little Brother Chen?"
Old Wan said in a deep voice, "I saw that he had his own plan. He wanted to make a move and was afraid of dragging me into it, so he chased me out. You know the rules: I can't interfere with an examinee's assessment; I have to respect their choices."
Hearing this, Hu Xian felt a jolt of alarm. She slammed her fist into the steering wheel, cursing furiously, "What the hell is he playing at!" She could not fathom how someone who seemed so composed and cautious could suddenly make such a reckless decision. She only hoped they wouldn't end up having to collect his corpse.
In a tense voice, she ordered, "Old Wan, ready your gun."
Old Wan nodded.
Hu Xian stared solemnly ahead. If things went sideways, she would charge in to save him. As for the rules—to hell with the rules! She refused to watch a promising youngster throw his life away before her very eyes!
Yet at that exact moment, an earth-shattering roar erupted from the building, ringing out across the street like a clap of thunder. Glass instantly blew out from every window of the structure ahead.
Hu Xian's expression changed. "Something's wrong. Move!"
She shoved the car door open, and the two dashed up to the building in a single breath. Kicking open the entrance, they waited a fraction of a second before rushing inside under mutual cover. But the moment they reached the parlor and took in the scene before them, both stopped dead in their tracks.
Chen Chuan stood facing away from them in the center of the spacious hall, long saber in hand. Delicate wisps of white vapor steamed off his body. With the shattered windows letting in the chill exterior air, his ochre-red scarf fluttered in the draft, while all around him lay a floor paved with corpses.
Chapter 149