The convoy of motorbikes slowed as it emerged from the tunnel mouth and pulled to a stop before the crowd. Leading them was a woman wearing a motorcycle helmet and a stab-resistant suit.
After bringing the bike to a halt, she took off her helmet, revealing her face.
She appeared to be twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with chin-length hair, sharp eyes, and brows shaped like blade edges. Her cheekbones were sharply defined and her nose bridge was straight, yet when brought together, her features were strikingly radiant.
A crisp efficiency radiated from her every movement. Dismounting from her motorbike, she gave only a few brief instructions, and her subordinates immediately set to work.
It was clear that she commanded great prestige here. From the moment she arrived, the convoy's campsite seemed to find its pillar of support, and the agitation among the crowd gradually subsided.
Lu Ke murmured to Chen Chuan, "That's Senior Sister Nan."
Yu Gang spoke up then: "Her name is Lan Xinnan. Her father used to be a good friend of mine. When she was nine, she studied combat skills under me until her father passed away, after which she followed her mother to Center City. That was when I returned to Yangzhi, which was right around the time I took Xiao Ke on as my apprentice."
Chen Chuan nodded. By that timeline, Yu Gang had taught this student from childhood up until she reached adulthood, so their bond was indeed quite close.
Yu Gang added, "She has genuine talent, and her natural aptitude is quite high. If she could focus solely on martial training, her achievements today would be even greater."
After arriving, Lan Xinnan walked over to the side to confer with the bearded man and a few others. Chen Chuan noticed that Old Zhan, who had brought him here, was also among them.
However, some kind of argument seemed to break out over there. One of the men stalked off in fury, waving aside the crew inspecting and repairing the vehicles. He climbed into one of the cars that was still riddled with bullet holes and sped straight away.
Lan Xinnan spoke a few words, prompting another person to jump into a vehicle and give chase. Old Zhan stepped forward and said something to her. She glanced toward Yu Gang and Chen Chuan, then walked over in their direction.
Arriving before Yu Gang, she greeted him first: "Master." When her eyes shifted to Chen Chuan, she couldn't help sizing him up a bit longer.
She had seen the footage Lu Ke had shown her and knew this was a third-limit fighter. Thus, she spoke with considerable solemnity: "You must be Brother Chen. Hello." She extended her hand proactively and said, "I'm Lan Xinnan."
Chen Chuan shook her hand and said, "Hello, Captain Lan."
Lan Xinnan said, "My apologies. It's rare for us to have a guest, and we ought to be hosting you properly, but something has come up and I need to handle it first." Turning to Lu Ke, she added, "Xiao Ke, make sure to look after our guest on my behalf."
"Don't worry, Senior Sister," Lu Ke said. "Besides, Brother Chen isn't an outsider."
Chen Chuan said, "Captain Lan is being too polite. Your business comes first. If there's anything you need help with, feel free to tell me. Teacher Yu was my first combat mentor and helped me immensely in the past, and Brother Lu is also a friend of mine. If you're facing difficulties, with my abilities, I should be able to lend a hand."
Lan Xinnan looked at him with some surprise. In her experience, third-limit fighters were headstrong and eccentric, yet Chen Chuan was exceptionally polite and easy to talk to.
She gave a nod, excused herself, and walked alone to the opposite side of the tunnel. She appeared to be speaking with someone over her boundary credential. After a moment, the call ended, and she called out, "Old Cao, Uncle Shen, Xiao Ding, Sister Yun, come over here for a moment."
Once the four gathered around, she said, "I've reached an understanding with Old Bian. We will handle this matter ourselves, and he guarantees that the third-limit fighter on the other side won't make a move. However, the money and supplies we give him must be increased by another twenty percent."
"Another twenty percent?!"
Xiao Ding—the white-haired youth—shouted in outrage, "Old Bian hasn't done a damn thing!"
Lan Xinnan replied, "Even if he does nothing, as long as he's there, the third-limit expert on the other side won't act against us. That alone makes all the difference."
Xiao Ding couldn't hold back: "He's just too greedy! We've lost so many territories, and business isn't what it used to be. If we have to give him another twenty percent, what are we supposed to eat? Won't the brothers have worked for nothing?"
Uncle Shen was a man in his sixties who wore thick glasses and had the look of a gentle peacemaker. He asked, "Xiao Nan, can't we get Old Bian to come down a bit?"
Lan Xinnan shook her head. "He originally asked for thirty percent."
Uncle Shen sighed. "Then I'll see what else I can scrape together. If everyone tightens their belts, we should be able to squeeze out a bit more."
"Damn it," Xiao Ding cursed, spitting onto the ground. "That Old Bian is just too greedy."
Old Cao was the bearded burly man. Crossing his thick arms, he frowned and said, "But right now, we can only rely on Old Bian."
Sister Yun was a woman in her thirties with a slightly plump figure, but she looked shrewd. She remarked, "Old Bian has his finger right on our pulse. He knows that if we don't strike back this time, the team will fall apart, and he knows we can afford this much without starving to death.
"I don't think we necessarily have to rely on Old Bian.
"That Brother Chen who arrived today—I heard he's Mr. Yu's student..."
She glanced around at the others. "You probably don't know, but he's a third-limit fighter, and supposedly a top-tier one at that. I say we might as well ask him to step in."
"Third limit?"
"Really?"
Old Cao was rather taken aback. At most, he had initially assumed Chen Chuan was on the same level as Lan Xinnan; he never imagined the young man was actually a third-limit fighter.
Xiao Ding's eyes lit up, and he immediately voiced his support. "If we have to give away that twenty percent, I'd rather give it to Brother Chen than that insatiable bastard Old Bian!"
Lan Xinnan said seriously, "I don't recommend involving Brother Chen. This is our own business, and there's no need to drag someone else into the mud. Besides, Brother Chen is from the Upper District and has a respectable status. Even if he solves this trouble for us once, can he keep solving our problems forever? When that happens, things will only become more complicated."
The others fell silent at once. That was a very practical reality.
Xiao Ding didn't see it that way. If Chen Chuan truly helped them settle it, the other side would know they had such backing and might not dare step out of line again. But he clearly lacked sufficient influence in the outfit.
Uncle Shen said, "Then let's leave it at that for now."
Old Cao agreed. "Greedy as Old Bian is, didn't we make it through past troubles by relying on him? I say we stick with that."
Sister Yun said, "Ah, I was just tossing out an idea."
Having settled the matter, Lan Xinnan saw that Lu Ke had taken Chen Chuan back toward the motorhome, leaving only Yu Gang standing where he was. She walked back over with a smile and said, "This time, I found a suitable implant source for you, Master. It should match you well, and once it's in, you'll be able to toss away that walking stick."
Yu Gang replied, "I've been like this for a long time, so there's no rush. Xiao Nan, like I said, look after yourself and the matters in front of you. You don't need to waste so much effort on a useless man like me."
Lan Xinnan merely smiled.
Just then, a communication tone sounded from her boundary credential. "Old Bian is calling," she said. Taking a few steps away, she answered the call. Her sword-sharp brows shot up. "What? Another twenty percent?"
A deep voice came from the other end: "That's right. Another twenty percent."
Lan Xinnan frowned. "We just agreed on the terms. Why change them now?"
The voice replied, "It's not that I want to change them. The other side changed their minds, and this time their stance is extremely firm. The possibility of violence can't be ruled out.
"If I clash with them, victory is far from guaranteed. I'd be putting my life on the line, so I need more compensation.
"Xiao Nan, as you well know, I don't have to fight him. The only reason I'm staying and looking out for your outfit is out of respect for your mother and our past history together.
"If you aren't willing, I won't force you."
Lan Xinnan said, "Uncle Bian, I just discussed it with the team and barely managed to convince them. Please give me a little more time."
Old Bian replied, "Your Uncle Bian understands. You have a hard road to walk. But don't take too long. I can afford to wait, but the other side might not."
"I'll have to trouble Uncle Bian to stall them for a bit. I will resolve things as quickly as possible on my end."
Lan Xinnan ended the call. After pondering in place for a moment, she walked back over.
Yu Gang asked, "Old Bian changed his mind?"
Lan Xinnan said, "Yes. Old Bian has informants here, so he knows everything down to the smallest detail. I suspect either he genuinely doesn't want to fight the other side, or he found out Brother Chen came here and wants to test whether we're thinking of replacing him."
Yu Gang asked in a deep voice, "What do you think?"
Lan Xinnan said decisively, "I know Old Bian is greedy. With people like him, it's better not to use them than to offend them, because while he lacks the ability to accomplish things, he can ruin them with ease.
"Yet once he swallows something, he never spits it back out. If I agree today, it will be like this forever.
"I lead this team so that everyone can make a decent living. In the past, I could swallow my pride for the team's sake, but now he is trampling on our bottom line. I don't want to bend to his whims anymore."
She lifted her head and said frankly, "Master, I originally had no intention of troubling Brother Chen. This isn't his fight, and there was no need to pull him into it. But now, it seems I have no other choice. I want to talk to him."
Chen Chuan was over by the motorhome chatting with Lu Ke when he saw Yu Gang and Lan Xinnan walking toward them, seemingly with something on their minds. Once they drew near, Yu Gang said to him, "Xiao Nan wants to discuss something with you."
Chen Chuan nodded.
"I'll leave you two to talk," Yu Gang said, then gestured for Lu Ke to walk away with him.
Lan Xinnan said, "Brother Chen, I'll be blunt. Our team has run into some trouble, and we may need a third-limit fighter to step in. So, we'd like to ask for your help."
She added earnestly, "We will pay a hiring fee that satisfies you. That said, I know our problems have nothing to do with you, so if you're unwilling, Brother Chen, we won't press the matter."
Looking at her, Chen Chuan said, "Captain Lan, there's no need to be so formal. As I mentioned earlier, Teacher Yu and Brother Lu are here too. If there's something within my ability to help with, I certainly will. Tell me the specifics of the situation."
Chapter 405