Safe

The rain in the sky had stopped. Chen Chuan dragged Tan Wang by one leg back from the lakeshore and dumped him beside a car. The drivers of the two cars had already fled. They were merely ordinary people, and he had no intention of doing anything to them anyway. Besides, it worked out well having them carry word back. After checking both inside and around the vehicles, he walked over to a telephone booth at the edge of the park. Inserting a coin, he dialed a number, then walked back and waited, leaning against the car's body. About ten minutes later, a silver-gray sedan drove up, its headlights piercing through the dark night. The vehicle pulled over not far away, and with the click of an opening door, Gao Ming stepped out. Flashlight in hand, he walked forward, visibly breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Chen Chuan unscathed. Then his eyes fell on Tan Wang lying beside Chen Chuan's feet. His expression did not waver in the slightest at the gruesome sight as he asked, "Cousin, this is..." "Tan Wang," Chen Chuan said. "A teacher from Center City. He once instructed a certain recommended student." Gao Ming's eyes instantly lit up. For that moment, the gleam seemed too bright for even his glasses to conceal. "This man is crucial." Chen Chuan gave a nod of agreement. Tan Wang was unmistakably someone of status. For a person of his standing to initiate an assault on Chen Chuan offered plenty to uncover if pursued deeply. With this bargaining chip in hand, he could advance or retreat as he pleased, firmly holding the initiative. The Mutual Aid Society's subsequent reaction would be one of two possibilities. The first was to send someone to reach out to him, placating him as much as possible to soothe the situation, and then look for another opportunity elsewhere. But there was another possibility—and that one was far more likely. As it happened, he preferred to resolve things that way as well. "They should be sending someone soon," Gao Ming said. "All we have to do is wait." "Let's head back first," Chen Chuan replied. "Get in my car." Gao Ming shone his flashlight toward Tan Wang. "Should we treat this guy's wounds first? He's injured so badly, it would be bad if he died halfway." "Just stuff him in the trunk. His vitality is tenacious; he won't die so easily." "What about the other one? Looks like there's another over there." "Not important." Chen Chuan grabbed Tan Wang and hauled him up. Once Gao Ming popped open the trunk, Chen Chuan shoved the man inside, slammed the lid, and locked it. Then he went to the front passenger seat and sat down, casually tossing a bag onto the back seat. This was an item Tan Wang had been carrying. With the poor lighting right now, Chen Chuan hadn't had the chance to examine it closely yet and planned to look over it after returning. The car started up and drove out of the park. "Where to?" Gao Ming asked, gripping the steering wheel. "Back to the training hall first. There are constabulary officers patrolling there, so there's no need to worry about any trouble. Once we're back, I'll make a few calls." *** Inside the Wei family villa, Wei Jun remained seated on the edge of his desk, arms crossed as he gazed out the window. He was waiting for word from Tan Wang. Until he received definitive news, his mind could not rest easy. According to his schedule, he was set to take the exam for the unlimited defense license in two days. Before that, he had to settle this matter once and for all, lest any further complications arise regarding the quota for next semester. Just then, footsteps sounded in the hallway, and the butler walked in from outside. Wei Jun's spirits rose. He immediately stood up, turned around, and asked, "Well? Is there news?" The butler hesitated. Wei Jun frowned. "Out with it. Did Teacher Tan change his mind again?" Tan Wang was notorious for acting on whims. It was entirely possible he had abruptly changed his route halfway to go somewhere else. Fortunately, Tan Wang's reputation had always been solid; whatever he promised, he would certainly deliver. More importantly, Tan Wang was strapped for cash right now, so Wei Jun wasn't worried about him breaking his word. "The two drivers who drove for Mr. Tan have returned," the butler said. Wei Jun froze. "What do you mean?" Suddenly sensing something was off, he glared fixedly at the butler. "Just speak plainly." "The two drivers said... Mr. Tan seems to have been brought down." The butler paused, then added, "It's just that the news isn't confirmed yet, because in the pouring rain they couldn't see very clearly." A prolonged silence abruptly descended upon the study. After what felt like ages, Wei Jun finally reacted, erupting in sudden fury. "Are you fucking kidding me? In a place like Yangzhi, who the fuck could bring down Tan Wang? Who? Who could it be?" The butler lifted his eyes to look at him and uttered a single name: "Chen Chuan." Wei Jun's movement froze. He stared at the butler in disbelief. Only after a good while did he speak slowly, "Say that again. Who?" "Chen Chuan," the butler answered clearly. "At least that is what the two drivers said. I am currently looking into the exact situation." Wei Jun massaged his temples hard. This outcome shattered his ingrained perceptions, throwing everything he had ever understood into complete disarray and leaving him at a loss as to where to even begin processing it. After a long silence, he slammed a vicious fist onto the desk. With a booming crash, the thick desk collapsed, sending wood splinters flying across the office. The butler hastily retreated several steps. Wei Jun turned around and stared out the window. After a long while, his breathing gradually steadied, seemingly returning to his usual composure. In a chilly voice, he said: "Bring those two drivers here and interrogate them thoroughly. I want every single word they said confirmed repeatedly. Also, send people to the scene to see for themselves and verify the situation." "Yes, Young Master." The butler nodded and stepped out. Before long, he brought the two drivers in. Of course, Wei Jun would not question them personally; instead, he summoned people skilled in such matters. After applying interrogation methods, they ultimately determined that both men were telling the truth. However, both stated they hadn't seen the exact details of the fight between Tan Wang and Chen Chuan. They had only heard the continuous, explosive booms, until finally seeing Tan Wang being smashed into the ground fist after fist by Chen Chuan, never moving again. That was when panic seized them, and that was when they fled. Meanwhile, the men sent to the scene had also returned. When the two arrived there, they had been left utterly dumbfounded: trenches had been plowed across the ground, and crater after crater pitted the entire lakeside. It didn't look like the aftermath of a duel between fighters at all, but rather like the ground had been bombarded by artillery shells. There, they also found the heavily injured and unconscious Jing Lin and carried him back. A medical examination revealed that jin had penetrated into his brain. He could survive, but regaining consciousness seemed very unlikely. Judging from Jing Lin's condition combined with the scene itself, it seemed to corroborate from another angle that the news brought back by the two drivers was accurate. Chen Chuan truly had brought down Tan Wang in a head-on duel. Upon hearing this news, Wei Jun sat with his elbows resting on his knees, his head lowered as his thoughts churned. After a long time, the butler broke the silence. "Young Master, if this is true, then this person has either received help from some faction, or his strength has already reached Mr. Tan's level. Either way, this is no longer something that ordinary means can resolve." "Impossible!" Wei Jun's eyes turned bloodshot. He refused to believe such a possibility. Chen Chuan was merely a first-year student; how could he possibly defeat Tan Wang? Something was fucking wrong here! Gritting his teeth, he said, "It has to be some kind of implant and drugs." The butler considered this and said, "That is indeed possible, but it also indicates there is someone backing him, because he could never have achieved this on his own." Wei Jun's gaze turned dark and ominous. "Go make the calls. Summon Jiang Wei and Shao Xiaobie over. Tell them to come right now—immediately, at once!" The butler nodded and promptly went to carry out the order. Half an hour later, Shao Xiaobie and Jiang Wei arrived at Wei Jun's villa. Once the butler laid out the whole situation, the two, beyond their shock, also realized that this matter could probably not continue as planned. Shao Xiaobie muttered, "This isn't right. This shouldn't be..." Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Since those two drivers escaped back here, that makes two eyewitnesses! We can press charges against him!" "Useless," Jiang Wei dismissed directly. "Given Mr. Tan's status, setting aside how the facts would even be determined, even if charges could be filed, Chen Chuan could simply claim he wasn't at the scene. What's more, Mr. Tan's life or death can't even be confirmed yet. Using this to eliminate him is completely impossible; at best, it would only cause him some minor annoyance, which is utterly pointless. "Besides, there is another thing we need to worry about. If Mr. Tan is dead, then so be it. But if he isn't dead, Chen Chuan—or the forces behind him—will definitely leverage Mr. Tan's status to implicate us in return. "Once the matter is dragged into the open, all factions will be able to intervene. In particular, certain people in Wuyi Academy certainly won't sit idly by this time, and then we truly won't be able to suppress him." Shao Xiaobie asked anxiously, "Then what do we do?" Jiang Wei smiled faintly and said, "There is only one way left." "What way?" Jiang Wei said slowly, "The way we dealt with Shen Zheng. How we handled Shen Zheng back then is how we handle him now. I don't imagine that should be difficult." Hearing this, Shao Xiaobie quickly looked toward Wei Jun. "That's right, Brother Wei! Let's use that method! Since we were able to get rid of Shen Zheng back then, we can definitely get rid of him now." Wei Jun leaned back against his chair and said slowly, "This matter isn't for us to decide." Being able to employ that method back then was because Shen Zheng's threat had prompted the families and corporations behind them to join forces and make it happen. The person who spearheaded the operation was already in Center City now. While using it again wasn't out of the question, it wasn't something they had the authority to call the shots on. Jiang Wei looked at Wei Jun. "Only this method will work, and we must use it. Because only this can serve as a proper warning to those who cling to their delusions, ensuring that no one ever tries to step over that line again." Wei Jun pondered for a long time. Finally, he reached out, picked up the desk phone, and dialed a number. After waiting for a while, the call finally connected, and a mellow, deep male voice came through: "Ah, Jun, what is it?" Wei Jun hastily said, "Brother Zhao, I ran into a bit of trouble on my end." The voice on the other end said unhurriedly, "Don't panic. Take your time. I have time right now." *** Inside the training hall on Xiuyi Street, Chen Chuan and Gao Ming had returned and were discussing the next steps. Gao Ming said, "Cousin, they won't give up. As long as you are trying to cross that boundary, they will spare no effort to suppress you. "Now that Tan Wang is in our hands and they have no viable cards to play for the moment—and might even fear us using him against them—path dependency dictates that they will very likely resort to the method they used against Shen Zheng. This is their final chance, but it is also yours, Cousin." "I know," Chen Chuan said. Taking Shen Zheng's case as a warning from the past, he had looked into it. After reviewing Shen Zheng's injury report, he had formed some deductions of his own. Just then, the telephone in the living room rang shrilly. Chen Chuan walked over and picked up the receiver. "Little Chuan?" Cheng Zitong's voice came from the other end. "Teacher, it's me." "Are you at the training hall?" "Yes." Cheng Zitong seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then hastily warned him with urgency: "Someone tipped me off that Tan Wang is back, and he's very likely coming after you! Hide yourself immediately! This man is—" At this point, Chen Chuan interjected, "Teacher, I've already seen Tan Wang." "You've seen him? Where?" Cheng Zitong's tone tightened instantly. Chen Chuan glanced at a large crate placed in the corner of the room. "He is in a very safe place right now. Yes... safe for him, and safe for everyone else."