Chapter 445: Chapter 175: Recent Situation
Lu Ke led the way, and Chen Chuan followed him into the vehicle.
He glanced around at the interior layout. The amenities were quite complete, and the use of space felt very efficient. The main reason was the vehicle’s wide body and high ceiling, which eliminated the cramped feeling of a typical RV.
Lu Ke said, "So, what do you think? Not bad, right? This is the vehicle Sister Nan assigned to Master and me. It was modified by one of the pros on the team. This is where we’re living for now. Oh, Sister Nan is that former student of Master’s that I mentioned to you before."
Chen Chuan said, "Looks like your Sister Nan holds a high position here."
"After the old captain was gone, she was the one mainly in charge of security. Lu Tong Logistics split up later, and our branch became the biggest. We also took on the rest of the main business, so she more or less became one of the team’s leaders."
Lu Ke gestured for Chen Chuan to sit on the sofa, poured him a glass of soda, and grabbed a flyer to use as a coaster before setting the drink down on the table. "Have a taste." He added, reminiscing, "It’s a shame we can’t get Shazhen soda from Yangzhi here. I really liked that flavor."
Chen Chuan took the glass and had a sip. It had a clean, sweet taste. "This is pretty good," he commented. Lu Ke chuckled, "Right?"
Chen Chuan set down his glass and looked at the training equipment and pairs of boxing gloves hanging on the wall. "Have you guys just been traveling with the convoy ever since you came to Central City?"
"Not exactly."
Lu Ke sat down and poured himself a glass, gulping it down. "The team used to have a permanent base," he said, "but we got into a conflict with another logistics team recently, so we had to leave. Ugh, let’s not talk about depressing stuff. Let’s talk about you, Brother Chen! I saw you in that recording. You were incredible!"
He looked at Chen Chuan in disbelief. "Master said you’re already a Third Limit Fighter, Brother Chen. Is that really true?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "Not too long ago."
"For real!"
Lu Ke couldn’t help but get excited.
He had personally watched Chen Chuan transform from someone who knew nothing to a formidable Fighter who was now far beyond his reach. Perhaps he had been a little jealous at first, but now that had completely given way to sincere admiration.
Even their past friction now seemed like a memorable interlude in his life when he looked back on it.
Chen Chuan then asked, "And Teacher Yu?"
"Master is teaching students."
Chen Chuan learned that it wasn’t just the team members; their families traveled with them too. And all the children, regardless of talent, were taught Fighting Skills by Yu Gang.
In an environment like the Lower City District, physical strength was a basic survival skill. If you didn’t know some basic Fighting Skills or how to use a gun, you could hardly survive.
Chen Chuan then asked, "How’s Teacher Yu’s leg?"
Lu Ke’s expression darkened a little. "A cheap Implant works, but it’s only good enough for a basic lifestyle.
"But Master is a Fighter. It’s hard to find an Implant that’s compatible enough to let him use his full strength. They’re either too expensive, or they don’t allow him to perform at his peak. We used up all the money the Iron Chain Gang gave us just to get him an implant leg that’s barely serviceable for now."
Chen Chuan said, "If Teacher Yu is willing, I can help with that."
Lu Ke was tempted, but he hesitated. "Master... probably wouldn’t be willing."
Chen Chuan understood. "He doesn’t have to worry," he said. "He can just treat the money as a loan. I’m sure that with his skills, once he’s back to normal, paying it back will be easy."
Lu Ke felt that made sense. He checked the time again and said, "Class is over in ten minutes. Let’s finish this soda and go find Master."
Chen Chuan nodded. As he was drinking, he glanced at the flyer being used as a coaster. A man’s portrait was printed on it. He was a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard, a firm chin, and eyes that looked incredibly reliable.
The flyer read: "The Lower City District needs its own mayor. I am Meng Xiang, and I can build a happy future for you."
He asked, "You guys elect a mayor here?"
"Hardly," Lu Ke said. "I heard the guy used to be a salesman, then one day he got the crazy idea of becoming the mayor of the Lower City District. He gives speeches in different zones every day. Word is he’s been beaten up plenty of times. It’s been six or seven years, and he still refuses to give up. I’ve got to admire him for being able to stay alive through all that."
"If it’s not a coincidence, there must be a reason for it," Chen Chuan said.
"Maybe."
About five or six minutes later, Lu Ke led Chen Chuan out of the RV and toward the longest multi-section vehicle in the convoy.
This vehicle looked like it was converted from a large truck and a passenger bus. It was about thirty meters long and roughly five meters high. Judging from the two rows of windows, upper and lower, and the light shining through, it seemed to be split into two floors.
The two entered through a sliding door on the side. Just inside was a wash area and some storage lockers. As Chen Chuan changed his shoes, he noticed the lockers were full of small boots, all neatly arranged in pairs. Faint sounds came from deeper inside. After they rounded a partition, he saw a reasonably spacious internal Training Ground.
Yu Gang stood in the middle, surrounded by thirty or forty children, all sitting obediently in place. Only one child was up demonstrating, and Yu Gang was using a cane to correct his posture.
Seeing the two of them enter, Yu Gang’s gaze lingered on Chen Chuan for a moment, but he didn’t stop his lesson.
They didn’t want to disturb the lesson, so they moved to the side. Lu Ke pulled two folding chairs and a small folding table from the wall, set them up, and they both sat down to wait.
A little over two minutes later, the class ended. Yu Gang let the children have some free time, and he walked over. Chen Chuan immediately stood up. "Teacher Yu," he greeted.
"Sit," Yu Gang said. "How long have you been here?"
Chen Chuan said, "Not long. I was just chatting with Brother Lu outside for a bit."
Yu Gang used his cane to slowly sit down. He looked at Chen Chuan and said, "Lu Ke showed me your recording the other day. A Third Limit Fighter. I haven’t seen many people reach such an achievement at your age."
Chen Chuan said earnestly, "I wouldn’t be where I am today without your guidance back then, Teacher Yu."
’This was no exaggeration. The initial breakthrough was the hardest part, especially since he’d had no foundation back then. If not for Yu Gang’s patient instruction, he might have turned out very differently. Even with his Second Self, he might have achieved something, but he would likely be on a completely different path now.’
But Yu Gang said, "With your talent, as long as you were determined to follow this path, you were bound to succeed."
Just then, a childish shout rang out from up ahead. One of the kids had thrown another to the mat, but he immediately helped him back up in a friendly way.
Chen Chuan glanced over. "Looks like you’ve taught these students well, Teacher."
Yu Gang said grimly, "They might train hard and become decent, but that only raises their floor. Talent is what determines a Fighter’s ceiling. That’s something many people will never achieve, no matter how much they practice."
Chen Chuan didn’t argue; it was the truth. ’But talent alone isn’t enough. Without ample resources and the right guidance from a teacher, even a talented person might not make it.’
He said, "Times are always changing. That was true in the past, but technology is advancing. Implants can make up for certain shortcomings and give people a chance to raise their ceiling."
Yu Gang just shook his head.
Lu Ke went to the side and poured them two cups of tea. Yu Gang asked, "From the recording that day, it looks like you’ve joined the Processing Bureau?"
"All students at Wuyi Academy accept outside sponsorship," Chen Chuan explained. "Either from a corporation or the government. The Processing Bureau sponsors me, so I hold a position with them now."
Yu Gang said grimly, "The Processing Bureau is good. Much better than some corporations. A corporation’s benefits might look better, but they want a lot more in return."
Just as they were speaking, a commotion erupted outside, followed by the sound of running footsteps. "Go check it out," Yu Gang immediately said to Lu Ke.
Lu Ke immediately went down. After a moment, he came back up. "Master, it’s the squad responsible for Zone 703. They were attacked by people from Poison Ant Express."
"Let’s go take a look," Yu Gang said at once.
Chen Chuan had only been here a short while, but he’d already heard Poison Ant Express mentioned several times. The rivalry was clearly intense. He got out of the vehicle with Yu Gang and Lu Ke. In the distance, several trucks and cars were parked. Their bodies were riddled with bullet holes, all the windows were shattered, and the cars were even missing their doors.
Someone was being carefully carried out from inside a vehicle, while the lightly injured were being bandaged and treated on the side.
The bearded man stood at the front, his expression grim. He appeared to be questioning one of the lightly injured members about what happened.
Lu Ke said angrily, "Poison Ant Express has been causing trouble for us nonstop. We’ve backed down so many times and even gave up business in several areas, but they still won’t leave us alone."
Leaning on his cane, Yu Gang said grimly, "When a predator gets a taste of meat, its appetite only grows. And if that meat doesn’t fight back, just sits there looking tempting, there’s no reason for the predator to stop eating."
"Master," Lu Ke said, "if Old Bian were willing to take the lead, we wouldn’t have to be afraid of Poison Ant’s people at all."
Yu Gang made no comment.
"And this Old Bian is...?" Chen Chuan asked.
"He was a security consultant hired by Lu Tong Logistics, a Third Limit Fighter who escaped from up top. After the company split, he accepted our employment, but he’s reluctant to get his hands dirty. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be in this situation."
"Brother Lu, that injury on your face... did you get it in a clash with them?"
Lu Ke looked a bit embarrassed. "I was just careless that time," he said.
At that moment, someone shouted, "Sister Nan is back! Sister Nan is back!"
Lu Ke’s spirits lifted. "Sister Nan is back!"
Following his gaze, Chen Chuan saw a fleet of two-wheeled motor vehicles roaring out of the tunnel entrance and heading toward their convoy.
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