Chapter 448: Chapter 178: The Challenge
Old Bian sat for a moment with a sullen face, then asked the apprentice standing not far from him, "Have you found out anything about that kid?"
His apprentice immediately replied, "Master, I’ve got it figured out. The guy is from the Upper City District’s Processing Bureau."
"Someone from the Processing Bureau?"
Old Bian was taken aback. He frowned and asked, "You figured it out that quickly? Are you sure?"
’Third Limit Fighters don’t just appear out of nowhere, but investigating them should take some time, right? Especially someone from the Upper City District. It’s not like his background is written on his forehead. It should take some effort. It’s barely been any time at all. When did this idiot apprentice get so efficient?’
"It’s true!"
Seeing Old Bian still looking at him suspiciously, the apprentice hurriedly said, "It is! Master, look at this. I pulled it from the network..." He quickly tapped his Realm Token a few times, sending a video file over to Old Bian.
"That’s him in the video. The other one is Wei Wusheng of the Celestial Forgiveness Gang. You’ve told us about him before, Master."
"Wei Wusheng? Old Yu of the Celestial Forgiveness Gang’s apprentice?"
Old Bian watched the recording in surprise. Wei Wusheng was quite famous, mainly because Yu Hongming of the Celestial Forgiveness Gang was a benchmark that his own master’s, and even his grandmaster’s, generation could never surpass.
And since Wei Wusheng was acclaimed as Yu Hongming’s most prized student in nearly thirty years, Old Bian naturally paid him some attention, often using him as an example to admonish his own apprentices.
Then he saw the scene of Chen Chuan pinning Wei Wusheng to the ground and brutally pounding him, which made his eyelids twitch. He was especially struck by the end—the power and speed displayed as a single palm strike pierced straight through Wei Wusheng’s chest. When he imagined himself in that situation, his blood began to race, his breath grew short, and his entire body tensed up uncontrollably.
The apprentice didn’t notice his master’s expression and said, like he was presenting a treasure, "Master, there’s this clip too..." He then sent over another video.
This clip showed Chen Chuan emerging from the water, holding the head of the Viper Corps’ leader, Xu Xianwen. The person who filmed it was highly skilled, masterfully blending the scenery’s light and shadow with the subject. To an ordinary person, it would have been quite shocking, but for Old Bian, it lacked the visceral impact of the previous video.
He asked in a flat tone, "And whose head is that in his hand?"
"I hear it’s Xu Xianwen’s, Master."
"Xu Xianwen..."
Old Bian knitted his brows. He felt like he’d heard that name somewhere. Generally, a Fighter of his caliber could recall memories even from childhood, but he usually couldn’t be bothered with anything he deemed irrelevant.
But before he could try to remember, his apprentice had already helpfully sent over Xu Xianwen’s file. Not just Xu Xianwen’s, but the files for every single member of the Viper Corps. Old Bian fell silent.
The apprentice said, seeking praise, "Master, I was quick and thorough with the intel this time, wasn’t I?"
A muscle in Old Bian’s jaw pulsed. "Yes," he said. "Very thorough."
The apprentice then asked eagerly, "So, Master, when are you going to teach that kid a lesson? I’ll call the other apprentices to come and cheer you on."
Old Bian frowned and snapped, "When did I ever say I was going to teach him a lesson? They may be ruthless, but I can’t be dishonorable. Have you forgotten what I’ve told you? Brute force and killing don’t solve anything."
The apprentice was confused. ’Isn’t that what Master meant just now? But it’s true, he hasn’t gotten his hands dirty much in recent years. He can make opponents back down just by relying on his old reputation. I guess that makes sense.’
He asked again, "Then what should we do, Master?"
Old Bian’s brow was deeply furrowed. He’d previously heard that the newcomer was just a Third Limit Fighter, not even twenty years old. Back then, he’d felt pretty confident he could handle him.
But now, having seen Chen Chuan in combat, he couldn’t help but waver. Even in his prime, he knew he couldn’t have withstood that kind of fighting prowess.
He’d long since lost the fiery spirit of his youth. Hiding out here, avoiding fights for years on end, had eroded his will. He just wanted to live out his retirement in peace and squeeze out as much profit as possible. That was why, in recent years, he’d relied solely on the reputation he’d built in his early days to intimidate others.
But this current situation was intolerable. He could choose to leave on his own terms, but he absolutely could not be kicked out by someone else!
He said in a low voice, "Inform Poison Ant Express that Lu Tong Express has found a new Third Limit Fighter. Tell them I wasn’t willing to get involved, so they found someone else."
"Master, should I send them the files I found?"
"No."
Old Bian said, "You worked hard to find that. Let them do their own digging."
"You’re right, Master. Let them do their own digging."
Old Bian sneered inwardly. ’If I give Chen Chuan’s file to Poison Ant Express, what if they get scared and back down? Then the whole issue of me being forced out will just be dropped, won’t it?’
’It’s better to just let the two of them fight it out.’
’If Chen Chuan loses, I’m sure Lu Tong Express will still come crawling back to me to clean up the mess.’
’And if Poison Ant Express loses, that’s fine too. I refuse to believe one victory for Lu Tong Express will solve all their problems.’
’The Moss Gang backing Poison Ant Express will never let this go. Sure, he’s a deterrent while he’s here, but as soon as he leaves, Lu Tong Express won’t be able to handle the pressure. Sooner or later, they’ll have to beg me to come back. And when they do, my price won’t be the same.’
’Of course, I’m not a bad guy. I’ll leave a few scraps for the folks at Lu Tong. After all, I couldn’t bear it if they couldn’t survive.’
Lan Xinnan, for her part, moved quickly. Since a number of Lu Tong Logistics personnel had already defected to Poison Ant Express, some channels of communication still existed between the two. As a result, in less than two hours, Chen Chuan had the file on their rival’s Fighter.
The man’s name was Gai Er, thirty-five years old. In his photo, he had a vicious look in his eyes. He wore a martial arts uniform with a thick belt wrapped around his waist and stood barefoot, exuding an indescribable aura of malice. He was holding a metal Three-Section Staff.
According to his file, he came from a martial arts dojo. Thanks to his outstanding talent, he quickly distinguished himself and was even taken as a son-in-law by the dojo’s master.
However, it wasn’t long before a rival dojo made him a better offer, and he abandoned his wife and child. A few years after that, he worked with a gang to destroy and absorb his former dojo. From then on, he specialized in doing dirty work for various gangs, worked as an underground assassin, attacked government officials, and assassinated corporate executives.
Because his list of offenses was so long, he was wanted by corporations, the government, and even other gangs, with bounties on his head from all sides. In the end, he had no choice but to hide in the Underground City District.
A Third Limit Fighter could find a place for themselves anywhere as long as they hadn’t committed serious crimes. To be so thoroughly despised by so many different factions was, in its own way, a special kind of talent.
On the surface, the man was a pure scumbag and a lunatic. But Chen Chuan knew character had nothing to do with strength. He could sense that the Third Limit stage placed great importance on one’s Heart Thought.
This kind of unwavering, start-to-finish villainy actually proved that the man’s Heart Thought was incredibly resolute; it had never once wavered due to external circumstances.
If so, his strength was likely no simple matter. That much was clear from the fact that he had so many enemies yet was still alive and kicking today.
Next, he looked over Old Bian’s file. The man was already sixty-nine. The more detailed records were all from his younger days, back when he went by the moniker "Fierce Bear." A photo from his youth showed a towering, burly man over six-and-a-half feet tall. He had shrunk considerably since then but still stood over six-foot-three.
In the last seven or eight years, however, the man had no credible combat record. It seemed he hadn’t fought anyone at all during that time.
If a master Fighter goes too long without sparring with peers of the same level, their combat abilities will atrophy. Forget seven or eight years—if one’s talent is lacking, their form can weaken after just a few days of no practice.
Still, it was possible he had deliberately hidden his recent fights, so caution was still necessary.
After reviewing the files, he said to Lan Xinnan, "I’m new to the Lower City District, so I don’t know how you solve problems here. If I want to arrange a duel with that man, are there any specific customs I should know about?"
Lan Xinnan replied, "The standard procedure is that if two organizations have a conflict, they usually have their Third Limit Fighters step in to mediate. If mediation fails, the Fighters themselves don’t fight; they let their subordinates handle it. I heard from the old captain that this is a sort of unwritten rule among the Third Limit Fighters in the Lower City District."
"Is that so..."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and found it understandable. ’Most Fighters don’t train their skills to fight to the death, but to secure a better, more comfortable life. Constant fighting doesn’t guarantee greater rewards; in fact, it’s more likely to result in losses. So, a rule like this benefits all Third Limit Fighters.’
Lan Xinnan continued, "But if the conflict is irreconcilable, or if one side refuses to back down, then they will schedule a formal duel. That was the excuse Old Bian used to demand another twenty percent of our resources from me."
Chen Chuan said, "Since that’s an option, Captain Lan, please arrange a duel with the man from Poison Ant Express on my behalf."
Lan Xinnan said, "Alright! But if they find out we’ve replaced Old Bian and manage to learn about you, Brother Chen, it’s possible they’ll feign agreement while trying to stall for time."
Chen Chuan wasn’t from the Lower City District, after all; he couldn’t stay here for long. If Poison Ant Express was smart, they wouldn’t need to fight at all. They could simply drag things out until he had to leave.
This was her biggest worry.
But Chen Chuan said calmly, "That doesn’t matter. I just looked it up—Poison Ant Express has a headquarters. If they’re unwilling to fight, I’ll just go directly to them."
Lan Xinnan couldn’t help but nod. Faced with someone bringing the fight directly to their doorstep, there was no way the other side could back down.
Even if the leadership didn’t care about their headquarters, they would have to worry about Chen Chuan leading his own people to attack their subordinates. If that happened, they’d be forced to give back all the territory and business they’d stolen, an outcome no one in their organization, from top to bottom, could tolerate.
She said, "I’ll issue the challenge to Poison Ant Express right away." With that, she immediately went to make the arrangements.
However, Lan Xinnan had worried for nothing. Poison Ant Express clearly had no intention of avoiding the battle. Only half an hour after she sent the challenge, they sent back a clear reply. Once both sides confirmed, the duel was set for the following morning.
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