Outside the redoubt, because gunfire from above had ceased for some time, a squad of constabulary officers crept up along the ramp under the cover of sporadic fire from below.
By now, they had covered nearly half the distance and reached the second bend.
This was fraught with immense danger. If even a single person rushed out from the redoubt and opened fire down at them, it could instantly kill or wound the entire group.
After all, they were on an open ramp. Even if the officers in the lead wore protective suits and steel helmets, shots to the limbs or face—or tumbling from the height—could easily prove fatal, and there was nowhere to retreat.
Had the person storming the redoubt belonged to another contractor firm, they would never have taken such a risk; they would have waited until the final outcome was decided. But the one who had charged in was Chen Chuan—one of the constabulary's own kin. They had no face to cower behind.
Just then, they suddenly saw an object fly out from the redoubt. Their expressions shifted, and they dropped low. When nothing followed after a moment, they looked up and saw that it was a severed head.
The head landed on the exterior platform. Because of the slight slope, it rolled onward after a moment, slid over the edge, bounced down the steep slope with a series of dull thuds, and finally came to rest below.
Seeing this, Wei Laohu tipped his cap up with his gun muzzle and said, "Go identify it, quick!"
An officer dashed over immediately and returned moments later, saying, "Captain, it's Tong Qianjiang!"
Wei Laohu's spirits soared. "You're sure you didn't mistake him?"
"No mistake! Some parts got smashed up, but you can definitely tell!"
Wei Laohu was overjoyed. "Beautifully done!" Pointing his gun to the sky, he bellowed commands: "Move up right now! If this is happening, Little Chuan has definitely seized the upper hand! We can't just stand here and watch!"
"Hold on."
He called them back, his face fierce. "I'll lead the squad myself!" With that, he flung his cap to the ground, raised his handgun, and charged toward the ramp.
After slaying Tong Qianjiang, Chen Chuan flicked his saber and turned back around. Casting a glance upward, his gaze met the spider-like man, but the creature recoiled as if terrified, instantly scuttling away across the ceiling and vanishing into a crevice.
Chen Chuan looked forward again. By this point, only Fang Dawei remained before him.
He had no idea what kind of implant this man bore. Slashing him with the blade earlier had proved almost useless. Not only that, when Chen Chuan had struck him with jin, the point of contact had produced a slippery deflection, rendering the force ineffective.
Standing there, Fang Dawei seemed not the least bit nervous. He spoke up: "Young brother, surely these heads are enough, aren't they?" Seeing Chen Chuan's gaze fix on him, he repeated, "All these bodies should be plenty for you to report your mission complete, right?"
Chen Chuan stared at him without answering.
Seeing his silence, Fang Dawei slowly spread his arms. "To tell the truth, this set of implants severely restricts my abilities. The jin I spent twenty years cultivating seems to have vanished entirely. But at least it makes me impervious to blades and bullets. Your saber won't cut me, and bullets won't do a thing either."
Doctor Lin, who had been leaning against the wall almost like part of the scenery, suddenly spoke: "You're merely in the adaptation phase. Once it passes, your strength will gradually return. Tong Baitao adapted far quicker than you, though of course, his implant was a finished product, whereas yours is only a prototype."
"Even if it recovers, that takes time," Fang Dawei said. Turning to Chen Chuan, he continued, "Frankly, without these brothers weighing me down, escaping alone is even easier. As long as you let me go now, I won't come seeking revenge later—nor do I have the capability to, since I need to hide from certain people and will never show my face in Yangzhi City again."
He could tell Chen Chuan was exceptionally fast and possessed immense strength. Even if Chen Chuan couldn't kill him, intercepting him would be simple enough. Once a large force came up, they would have plenty of ways to handle him; a simple net could capture him. But if Chen Chuan let him leave, he was confident he could break through the unsuspecting officers below.
He added, "Brother, when we hit the banks before, we made off with a massive amount of cash. It's buried in a safe place. I can give you the location, or take you there afterward. You can take that money and live whatever life you want. No need to worry about marked bills either—once you're in another city, who's going to care?"
At that moment, he heard footsteps slowly shuffling closer from outside. He said, "Sounds like the folks from below are coming up. Well? Have you thought it over?
"If you really force my hand, it'll just be mutually assured destruction. Before I die, I'll definitely drag some people down with me. Hmm? You think I mean by force?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "No, that's too crude. I'll simply reveal a secret in front of everyone—a secret Molan Company doesn't want the outside world to know. And when that happens, how do you think Molan Company will react?"
Chen Chuan turned his head toward the entrance and called out loudly, "Stay outside! Don't come in!"
The movement outside halted. A moment later, Wei Laohu's voice carried in: "Little Chuan, is that you? What's the situation in there?"
Chen Chuan said, "The situation is under control. Uncle Wei, trust me. Don't come in yet."
Wei Laohu answered immediately, "All right, I trust your call. Little Chuan, if you need anything, just shout. Whatever comes, the constabulary brothers will shoulder it with you!"
A smile formed at the corners of Fang Dawei's mouth. Looking at Chen Chuan, he said, "Seems you've seen reason. Very good. I'll keep my word and tell you where the money is hidden. You should know, as long as I stay alive, Molan Company won't do anything to you, because harming you wouldn't keep the secret safe anyway."
Chen Chuan spoke slowly: "I was just thinking about something."
"What's that?"
Fang Dawei was slightly surprised. He added, "I have to remind you, Molan Company's people are on their way. I don't have much time to waste here. If you have questions, ask them quickly. What, do you want to know the secret?"
He smiled. "If you really want to know, I can tell you."
Chen Chuan said, "I was thinking: though your implant makes you impervious and covers your whole body, it's impossible to maintain that state around the clock. After all, you still need to breathe."
Fang Dawei's expression shifted slightly, his eyes turning cold. "What do you mean by that?"
In the corner, Doctor Lin looked over with keen interest.
Chen Chuan said, "While you were talking, I observed closely. Even though the implants are attached to your body, activating their defensive function requires conscious effort.
"When you need to breathe, you must force them to expand outward, opening a seam to let oxygen in. In that moment, they become relatively fragile. Only when you hold your breath and contract them do they become impenetrable."
Doctor Lin clapped lightly with a few soft smacks and praised, "Well said, very well said! You're quite the observant young man."
Fang Dawei's face turned completely cold as a chill rose from the depths of his heart. "So what?"
Chen Chuan tightened his grip on the hilt, slowly raising his arm until the saber's tip pointed at Fang Dawei. "It means your implant's protection is far from invulnerable. So stop claiming to be impervious to blade and bullet."
Fang Dawei sneered. "Then it seems we have no deal. I might not be able to beat you right now, but speaking a few sentences is easy enough. It seems you couldn't care less about the lives of those constabulary men outside?"
Chen Chuan replied calmly, "You won't get that chance."
With that, he strode forward, raised the Xuejun Saber, and slashed straight at Fang Dawei.
Fang Dawei retreated rapidly, but the experimental implant felt like a constricting shroud. While it protected him, it also dulled his speed and reflexes far below what they had been prior to the surgery. Right now, he could muster less than thirty percent of his normal strength; against Chen Chuan's strikes, his only choice was to endure them head-on.
He had claimed he could blurt out the secret, but in truth, Chen Chuan had judged correctly—the moment they clashed, beneath the violent exertion of movement and the relentless onslaught of blade strikes, he had no way to string together a complete sentence.
Seeing the flash of blade light dancing around him, he instinctively held his breath to maximize the implant's defensive rigidity, while waiting for a pause in the attacks to draw in oxygen.
Yet he quickly realized something was wrong. Chen Chuan's blade could be blindingly fast or deceptively slow, governed by an elusive cadence that struck precisely at his most awkward moments. Under this suffocating pressure, he had no chance to catch his breath.
Thus, he could only scramble to evade, desperate to find an opening.
It was futile. Chen Chuan's speed and strength far outmatched his. Whenever he tried to disengage, the saber followed like a shadow, clinging to him relentlessly.
The violent exertion burned through his oxygen even faster. After holding his breath for so long, he realized that continuing this way would suffocate him to death. He had no choice but to expand the membranous coating and draw a breath.
Chen Chuan's eyes glinted. The instant Fang Dawei inhaled and the membrane expanded, the saber tip darted forward, driving straight into his chest and shoulder. Reeling back several paces, Fang Dawei reached up to touch the wound, only to pull away a hand covered in blood, filled with shock and rage.
Chen Chuan nodded. "So it really works."
Fang Dawei wheeled around and bolted toward the second floor, but Chen Chuan kept pace with a single stride, lashing his blade across the back of the man's knees. Stumbling forward, Fang Dawei crashed to the ground. Scrambling forward a few paces on all fours, he grabbed a discarded gun from the floor, turned, and fired twice at Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan saw it with utmost clarity: Fang Dawei's control was so poor the muzzle wasn't even properly aligned. He didn't bother dodging or shielding himself as the stray bullets flew off who knew where.
Chen Chuan stepped forward and brought his blade down again and again. Every time Fang Dawei struggled to his feet, he was hacked right back down.
Whenever Fang Dawei attempted to breathe, a swift slash cleaved right through the relaxed membrane. Before long, Fang Dawei was drenched in blood. The clothes on his body and the scale-like membranes of his implants were shredded to pieces. Unable to even crawl, he lay sprawled on the ground, gasping frantically for air.
Chen Chuan took two steps to the side, flicked up a coil of rope from the ground with the tip of his saber, walked back, and knelt heavily on Fang Dawei's still-slick back.
First, he looped the rope around the man's crotch and armpits, then wound several coils around his neck. Rising, he dragged Fang Dawei up toward the second floor.
Sensing what was about to happen, sheer terror filled Fang Dawei's eyes. His hands clawed desperately at the rope while his feet kicked wildly.
Upon reaching the second floor, Chen Chuan tied the other end of the rope securely to a crate filled with miscellaneous clutter, then kicked Fang Dawei off the ledge.
……
……
Chapter 90