Resistance

Caijia Stockade. Guan Xiaohui was busy hosting guests from the city. Watching the firearms and weapons being unloaded from the truck, she said in pleasant surprise, "Sister Zhen, you brought this many weapons this time?" Standing beside her, Zhen Ping said, "During the gang fights in the city earlier, we raided one of the Blood Mark Gang's warehouses and found a lot of guns, plus we managed to get some from the wasteland. That should resolve your pressing crisis." Guan Xiaohui nodded, then said indignantly, "I heard from the seniors in the organization that Bao Yuan and his bunch do everything under the organization's banner purely for personal gain, and now they want to join forces with the Blood Mark Gang to seize our village! How could someone do something so vicious?" Zhen Ping said, "Many of the officials in Yangzhi City are newly appointed right now, and they don't have time to look after matters outside the city for the moment. We don't need to fear fighting them." Guan Xiaohui grew a bit worried again. "It's just that I heard there are skilled fighters in the Blood Mark Gang." "Don't worry. The organization sent several seniors with me this time; they should be able to help you." Zhen Ping pointed into the distance, where several men who clearly looked like combatants noticed them looking over and offered a friendly greeting. Guan Xiaohui said happily, "That's wonderful." Ordinarily, guns alone would suffice, but having combatants on the field changed everything. Once a combatant donned a protective suit, they could charge rapidly. Not only was it difficult for riflemen to hit them, but even if a bullet struck, it caused little harm. That made them extremely dangerous; once they closed the distance, it would be a slaughter. Because of that, they needed matching personnel to intercept them. Yet Zhen Ping knew that time had been short, the organization was strapped for manpower, and very few people could actually come. However, she herself was a Class A student at Wuyi and counted as a qualified combatant, capable of stepping forward to help at a critical moment. "Sister Zhen, you'll be graduating next semester, right? Where do you plan to go? Will you follow the organization's arrangements?" "I might not be able to graduate," Zhen Ping sighed softly. "Why?" "Old Cai might send me to Center City. I hear our comrades there are facing extreme difficulties right now and need a lot of reinforcements, but it's very hard to obtain an identity. "Fortunately, because many in Yangzhi City's upper ranks were purged, the identity vetting for people heading to Center City isn't as strict anymore. So the organization plans to draw personnel from Yangzhi. When the time comes, the higher-ups will probably arrange for me to accompany a senior in the organization. Nominally, I'll be her apprentice." Guan Xiaohui felt reluctant to part. "I see. If you go to Center City, Sister Zhen, it'll be hard to see you in the future." Zhen Ping smiled and said, "It's alright. I'll have comrades deliver letters to you." After chatting for a bit, seeing that all the firearms had been unloaded, they helped distribute them among the villagers. Guan Xiaohui spotted faint silhouettes appearing in the distance, pointing in their direction, and immediately said, "It's Bao Yuan's people!" She gritted her teeth. "Last time, Bao Yuan led Fang Dawei's gang to occupy the village. Only later did we learn he had been taking Molan Company's money all along. Fortunately, Student Chen helped deal with those fugitives back then, avenging the folks in our village." Zhen Ping heard her mention Chen Chuan. "Student Chen..." Guan Xiaohui said, "Lately I've often heard Student Chen's name on the radio, talking about how he stood up against children of the powerful. Sister Zhen, I remember you said you were the one who received Student Chen when he enrolled. Do you think he might become one of our comrades?" Zhen Ping shook her head. "I used to think so, but Student Chen has always lived a secluded life. Aside from training, he hardly interacts with the outside world. He's also closely watched by the school administration, so I was afraid that approaching him rashly would arouse suspicion, and I never met with him again after that. Besides, the organization suspects he might have ties to the upper ranks of the government..." "Is that so..." Guan Xiaohui felt a bit disappointed, but quickly perked up. "It doesn't matter. As long as we hold out, more and more brothers and sisters will join us." Zhen Ping nodded solemnly. In a dilapidated guard post a little over three li away, Uncle Han stood gazing toward Caijia Stockade. He was dressed in the same city attire as before, leaning on a walking cane, his hair groomed without a strand out of place, looking not the least bit down on his luck. He had already established contact with a certain big shot above. In the future, he would continue his pharmaceutical smuggling business, and the Blood Mark Gang could return as well—at most under a different name. The Iron Chain Gang had swallowed up too much this time. Certain big figures believed the Iron Chain Gang couldn't be allowed to dominate the scene entirely; someone was needed to balance them out, and he was undoubtedly the best candidate for the role. Even so, he had learned his lesson from this ordeal and realized he couldn't put all his chips inside the city. He needed solid outposts outside. Caijia Stockade occupied the best location. Originally, he thought he could take it without breaking a sweat, but who would have thought these villagers actually possessed weapons and a degree of combat ability? That left him no choice but to find a way to eliminate them. Leaving such a threat right beside them made doing business uneasy; they had to be cleared away. He had already worked out the plan: once he took the stockade, he would capture the villagers, hold an esoteric ritual to transfer their vitality, and then dismantle and sell off whatever remained. That would recoup at least part of his losses. When he set out this time, he had brought along Du Mian, one of the Five Claws, as well as several other skilled fighters from the Blood Mark Gang. That would be more than enough to deal with these villagers. Just then, a man ran over from afar and said to him, "Uncle Han, the people in the village say they won't accept your terms." Uncle Han gave an expressionless grunt. A man beside him spoke up: "Uncle Han, these villagers really don't know what's good for them! Uncle Han gave them a chance, yet they make excuses. They deserve to eat dirt out here for the rest of their lives!" Another chimed in, "They're just wilderness villagers who never got an education. It's only natural they have no vision." "If talks fall through, then we fight." "Yeah, fight! Let's hit 'em!" "It depends on Uncle Han. If Uncle Han says fight, we fight." The crowd looked toward Uncle Han, waiting for his decision. Uncle Han spoke slowly, "Du Mian, can you take it?" Among the men, a fellow in his thirties with coarse skin and heavy stubble around his mouth stepped forward. His voice came out raspy: "Uncle Han, no problem. I scoped it out earlier. There are no real fighters in the village; they aren't enough to take on even one of my hands." Uncle Han said, "The villagers aren't simple. They have ties to that resistance organization bunch. Play it safe; don't get careless." Du Mian replied at once, "I'll follow your lead, Uncle Han." Uncle Han was very pleased. This Du Mian was far more obedient than Zhuo Bao. Zhuo Bao had fought without fear of death, making him exceptionally useful for dirty, grueling work, but sadly the constabulary had gunned him down in the end. "Uncle Han, the goods arrived." Another man hurried over, pointing to one side. Uncle Han glanced over. A crate was being carried up. Through his contact with that big shot, he had acquired quite a few good items, including this batch of smoke grenades. These things weren't heavily restricted, but they were remarkably practical. Tossing them in would guarantee the villagers fell into disarray on their own, saving them ammunition. Although he had brought a sizable sum of money out with him—enough to arm everyone if he spent it—he couldn't very well use his personal savings to subsidize the gang, could he? He instructed, "Have the boys grab their gear. Once everyone is ready, let's begin." "Right!" The gang members answered in unison and dispersed to prepare. Within barely ten minutes, they had fanned out and begun slowly creeping toward Caijia Stockade. Du Mian took the lead. He raised a hand in signal, and several Blood Mark Gang fighters branched out from both sides, intending to breach from different angles. Seeing this unfold, the villagers in Caijia Stockade grew tense, raising their guns and taking cover atop roofs and behind buildings. Right at this moment, a car driving out from the city had arrived near Caijia Stockade. In the back seat of the off-road vehicle, Chen Chuan could already faintly see the outline of Caijia Stockade. He said to Driver Xiao Wei, "Stopping the car here is fine." "Understood." Driver Xiao Wei brought the vehicle to a steady halt. Chen Chuan pushed the door open, stepped out carrying the Xuejun Saber, and glanced into the distance before walking toward the stronghold occupied by Uncle Han's men. With so many people gathered together, they were visible from far away; it was hard not to notice them. This time, he wore the State Administration Bureau's stab-resistant vest on the outside, wrapped a gas-filtering scarf around his neck, and wore the protective suit he had retrieved from the armory underneath. This suit felt comparable to Guan Yuming's, offering broader coverage while feeling like only a thin layer, without hindering his internal breathing technique in the least. "Uncle Han, someone's coming over there." A man on the guard post spotted Chen Chuan's figure. Uncle Han glanced back. At first, it was just a casual look, but then his hand grabbed the edge of the parapet, staring intently. "Those clothes..." Cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, but he tried to maintain his composure, speaking in as steady a tone as possible: "Tell Du Mian and the others to pull back. Leave those villagers alone for now." "Uh... oh, right away!" The gang member was surprised, but seeing Uncle Han's icy glare, he shrank his neck and hurried down to relay the order. Meanwhile, over by Caijia Stockade, Du Mian was already sprinting forward. The villagers across from him couldn't help opening fire—crack, crack, crack! But it was useless. He moved too fast, darting left and right while shielding his head with his hands. Even when bullets hit him, the protective suit stopped them from piercing his body. He quickly reached the entrance of the village. With a single leap, he landed atop the fence, pushed off with his hand, glided several meters through the air, and cleared the trench behind the fence. Landing in a roll, he lunged toward a terrified, gun-toting villager, aiming to kill him with a single punch. Suddenly, something felt wrong. Someone charged in from the flank. He altered his move instantly, limbs colliding—bang! The man was knocked reeling backward by his punching force, staggering away. Du Mian was also stopped in his tracks. At that moment, a basket behind the villager was kicked open, and a figure burst out, arms wide, tackling him around the waist and abdomen. The instant contact was made, grappling jin surged forward. But the ambusher immediately felt his jin blocked by an opposing layer of jin. The man was horrified. "Not good—second-tier jin!" Before he could react, Du Mian wrenched his arms, raised a leg, and flung the man away. The man tumbled to the ground, his heart sinking. They had coordinated a plan: one to parry the strike, the other to grapple, catching the intruder right when his jin ran out. Yet they hadn't expected him to possess second-tier jin—a technique rarely seen. That meant the plan had failed. If the two of them couldn't resolve this quickly, the other positions wouldn't hold either. They were done for! Du Mian sneered, just about to counterattack the two of them, when a sharp whistle sounded from outside. Without the slightest hesitation, he abandoned the pair and sprinted back the way he had come. The two were left stunned. What was going on? A member of the resistance organization stationed high up pointed outside. "Look over there..." The two scrambled onto the roof, only to see, about half a li away, a young man clad in a black trench coat, carrying a long blade, walking slowly in their direction.