Having said that, Chen Chuan walked over to the entrance of the grand hall and gazed in the direction indicated on his boundary credential.
He studied it for a moment. An instant later, accompanied by an explosive crack, he vanished from everyone's sight almost instantaneously, leaving behind only caved-in ground and swirling dust.
Since he had already smashed through many of the barricades on his way in, the return trip went far more smoothly. In mere breaths, he arrived at the designated location. Releasing his spiritual field, he immediately pinpointed Tu Liu's position.
As another third-limit fighter among the younger generation, Tu Liu possessed an exceptionally distinct field, shining as conspicuously as a bright lantern in Chen Chuan's perception.
The man was quite cautious. At this very moment, he was holed up inside an elevated brick-and-stone building, broadcasting his speeches outside only through the men around him and his boundary credential—likely to prevent someone from sniping him from afar.
To Chen Chuan, however, it made no difference.
Locking onto the target, Chen Chuan lowered his center of gravity slightly, adjusting his rushing posture before planting his foot with a violent stomp. The ground instantly cracked in a circle, and he vaulted straight toward the building.
Tu Liu was talking to someone over his boundary credential. Having just received some news, his expression flickered. But right then, he sensed something coming. Snatching a submachine gun off the table, he aimed it squarely at the spot Chen Chuan was hurtling toward.
With a thunderous crash, the wall blew inward.
Chen Chuan saw the muzzle raised toward him. He made no attempt to dodge. With a single thought, his second self merged with him instantaneously, and he charged forward with undiminished momentum.
Tu Liu's face contorted in vicious malice as he pulled the trigger all the way down.
In the perception of both men, the world suddenly slowed to a crawl. Behind Chen Chuan shone glaring light piercing through the breach, swirling alongside the shattered masonry as he surged ahead.
Flashes of flame burst from the submachine gun's muzzle. Bullets tore out one after another amid fierce vibrations, but upon striking Chen Chuan's body, they flattened and deformed on impact before ricocheting away one by one.
Staring into those bright, luminous eyes fixed upon him, Tu Liu's expression twisted in horror. But terror swiftly gave way to ferocity; twisting his torso, he drew a dagger from his waist and lunged forward with a savage thrust.
Chen Chuan extended a hand, meeting the dagger's tip directly with his palm. As their opposing forces collided, the blade warped and snapped into several pieces with a sharp crack. Chen Chuan's hand continued forward along its path, first pinning Tu Liu's weapon hand, then forcing that hand back directly against Tu Liu's own forehead.
In that very instant, a ferocious burst of jin erupted from his palm. The entire building seemed to shudder.
Tu Liu's head snapped back. Lifted clean off his feet, his body smashed through the opposite wall and went flying out, crashing hard onto his back with a heavy thud in the open clearing below, followed by an avalanche of crumbling bricks and mortar from both ruined walls.
Chen Chuan landed steadily on his feet. Walking to the edge, he looked down and saw Tu Liu sprawled flat on his back.
The struck forehead, mangled hand, and shattered dagger fragments had mushed together, his limbs twitching intermittently. That single strike had pulverized his brain tissue from the inside out; he was far beyond saving.
Chen Chuan had reviewed the records earlier: Tu Liu had over a dozen wanted warrants against him. Thus, he had seen no reason to show any mercy whatsoever.
As for the man's ties to the Swordfish Gang or the Ferris Wheel Company, the latter was not the type to leave behind actionable evidence, making interrogation pointless.
Because it all unfolded so quickly, the people outside still had no clear idea of what had happened. They had heard only gunshots, followed by walls blowing out as if struck by artillery shells. Only after a beat did panicked, chaotic footsteps begin hurrying over.
Standing above, he tapped his boundary credential and spoke into it: "It's taken care of here. Your turn."
Back in the hall, Tu Man and the others could hardly conceal their shock.
Tu Liu had been one of the gang's top combatants. Alongside Tu Nai, he had repelled countless attacks from the Swordfish Gang, surviving innumerable bullet and arrow wounds and recovering from every one of them with astonishing speed.
Even when facing third-limit fighters from the Swordfish Gang, Tu Liu had been fierce enough to take on two at once at his peak. Yet such a man had been killed by Chen Chuan in mere moments—not even counting the time it took to reach him.
The shock this dealt them was immense.
Was this the caliber of power wielded by a Disposal Bureau fighter?
Tu Man and several elders exchanged glances. Immediately using their boundary credentials, they broadcast an explanation to all gang members: Tu Liu was the one who had secretly colluded with the Swordfish Gang to murder the chieftain. His scheme was to kill the chieftain first and then incite the gang to charge blindly into the waiting trap of the fully prepared Swordfish Gang!
Whether this was the absolute truth hardly mattered; Tu Liu was dead and could no longer speak, and considering everything he had done, pinning it on him was hardly an injustice.
At the same time, Tu Man ordered Tu Nai to immediately lead men to apprehend Tu Liu's confidants. If some fled, so be it, but those who remained were to be brought under control at once, thereby temporarily suppressing the crisis.
Yet the matter was clearly far from over. The murder of their gang leader could not simply be forgotten. Still, given their current situation, they lacked the capability to strike outward; managing self-defense was already an achievement. Willing or not, retribution had to be deferred.
By then, Chen Chuan had departed the residence. Waiting alone outside beside his Jiade car for a short while, he saw Tu Nai emerge from within and say to him, "Captain Chen, I'll go back with you."
Chen Chuan replied, "No need."
Tu Nai paused, startled.
Chen Chuan said, "Now that things have been cleared up, there's no reason for you to come with me. I came here primarily at Miss Deng's request. Rest assured, she's currently in a safe place and out of harm's way for now. I don't think it's wise for her to return to the Elephant Gang just yet. Once you've settled gang affairs, you can go see her whenever you wish."
Tu Nai realized what had happened. "She asked you for help?" He slammed his own head in self-reproach and remorse. "If only I'd believed her sooner, the old chieftain wouldn't have been murdered!"
Chen Chuan said, "If the Ferris Wheel Company set their sights on you, they would have found a way regardless. If not your gang leader, it would have been someone else. You wouldn't have been able to prevent it."
Tu Nai let out a pent-up breath and looked up. "Thank you, Captain Chen. Only..." He hesitated. "Did Xiao Xin tell you about her ability?"
Knowing what troubled him, Chen Chuan said, "I didn't report to my superiors that she possesses the ability to foresee events. Since she placed her trust in me, I won't tell anyone without her permission, nor will I mention it in my report."
He understood well that exposing Deng Xin's ability might not bring her any good; that choice was hers alone to make.
Tu Nai said with deep gratitude, "Thank you, Captain Chen. If there is ever anything you need from me in the future, just say the word. I, Tu Nai, won't knit an eyebrow in hesitation."
Chen Chuan said, "Alright, I'll keep that in mind."
He was willing to talk with Tu Nai because, unlike Tu Liu, this man valued camaraderie and loyalty. Though a fighter involved in gang struggles, he never abused his martial prowess to run rampant. Such character was rare among gangsters, and in the prevailing atmosphere of Center City, someone like him was already quite decent.
After exchanging contact details with Tu Nai, he opened the car door, slid inside, and drove off.
On the road, he reflected on the situation. In truth, the Ferris Wheel Company's maneuver this time had been quite clever. With the old gang leader dead, Tu Liu's faction was bound to try seizing power.
Meanwhile, Tu Nai had the elders behind him. Once the two factions clashed, regardless of who prevailed or which of the two third-limit fighters fell, the Elephant Gang would be crippled.
The Ferris Wheel Company undoubtedly had follow-up moves planned, but Chen Chuan had already filed his report. How to handle things next was for the Disposal Bureau to deliberate; he did not need to lose sleep over it.
The crucial thing was that he now knew why the Ferris Wheel Company was targeting him. Next came figuring out how to counter them. If nothing else, Canglong Company would definitely be interested in such intelligence.
He then contacted Ni Xixi. "Sister Ni, I'm out of Elephant Gang territory. Heading to the bureau? Good, thanks for the trouble, Sister Ni."
This had been arranged between him and Ni Xixi: sheltering Deng Xin at the bureau as a witness would keep her safe from danger. So long as Deng Xin did not voluntarily disclose her ability, she would draw little attention, and she could leave whenever she wished once the storm blew over.
With these matters settled, he headed back to Wuyi. Today's events had consumed quite a bit of time, and he needed to seize every remaining moment to train.
He needed to master everything Teacher Xue had taught him before April.
He had already gained a preliminary grasp of the Spirit-Shaking Hammer and the Empty Heart Seal, yet his application remained somewhat unpolished, as had been apparent during his match against Miki Arata.
In the end, he had subdued Miki Arata by relying on physical superiority, while his spirit had been mostly on the defensive throughout, as the other man always had an answer whenever Chen Chuan employed those techniques.
Even so, it proved that these two techniques were exceptional; even someone like Miki Arata, whose strength lay in spiritual force, had been unwilling to engage him in a direct spiritual clash.
Part of this stemmed from Chen Chuan's own deep foundation, of course, but the techniques themselves played a major role. Once he wielded them with complete fluidity, they would unleash even greater power.
Returning to his dormitory, he immersed himself in cultivation once more. Several days passed swiftly.
On the thirty-first, he arrived early at the training class.
Today was the last day of March. Since the class was scheduled to end before April, this was their final session.
His training under Chen Bitong over these days had not been without reward.
Although much of it involved techniques tailored against Confluence creatures, it had genuinely enhanced his combat adaptability—especially methods for absorbing and neutralizing violent external forces, which applied anywhere. As for those explosive bursts of jin, so long as one possessed sufficient physical conditioning, there was no reason they couldn't be deployed against fellow fighters as well.
While he was pondering this, Chen Bitong stepped in from outside.
Seeing everyone present, he wasted no words and got straight to the point: "Today is the final day of the training course. I will conduct an assessment on all of you. For those who pass, I will submit a recommendation report for priority consideration to the Defense Department, along with granting certain rewards."
Chapter 515