Chapter 450: Chapter 180: Crushed Underfoot
Gai Er attacked without any warning. The strike itself was swift, fierce, and utterly sudden. Most people would have reacted cautiously to such a move.
The tip of the staff loomed larger in Chen Chuan’s eyes, yet he stood his ground, not moving an inch. Just as the staff section was about to strike his face, it snapped taut with a ZING and halted.
His keen eyes had already determined that the strike would stop at that exact distance. The opponent’s Domain also told him this was merely a feint, a test. The true killing blow would come later, depending on his reaction.
Sure enough, seeing that he didn’t dodge, Gai Er quickly followed up. He thrust the hand holding the last section of the Three-Section Staff forward. Power surged through it, and in an instant, the three linked sections transformed into a true Long Staff. The tip HISSed through the air as it lunged forward.
Chen Chuan didn’t draw his blade. He simply raised a hand slightly, precisely meeting the tip of the Long Staff. BANG! A ring of air exploded from the point of contact.
Yet his hand didn’t even waver in the slightest.
Seeing his initial strike fail, the "Long Staff" separated back into three sections with a ZING. Gai Er spun with incredible speed, his back and waist powering the three sections. With a WHIR, they completed a full circle. Power rose from the ground, transferring through his body, and culminated in a powerful single-armed whip-like strike, lashing diagonally upward!
At that moment, the Three-Section Staff moved like a steel whip, letting out a deep, powerful howl as it cut through the air.
This lash was, in fact, the second part of a continuous technique called the "Armor-Piercing Whip." First, a Fierce Strength lunge forces the enemy to either dodge or block. If they block, the force of the lunge flows into their body from the point of contact, stunning them in place.
At the same time, the staff’s separation into sections dissipates the recoil, buying a fraction of a second. Finally, all of the user’s strength is gathered for a finishing blow intended to kill in a single strike.
This was his killing move. It had never failed him, and he rarely made a mistake with it.
Faced with this attack, Chen Chuan seemed unable to dodge, as if stunned by the initial lunge. The steel staff slammed smoothly against the side of his neck with a deafening CRACK!
The two had moved so fast that no one present could clearly see what happened. It was only when the Three-Section Staff struck Chen Chuan’s neck that they realized something was amiss.
The people from Lu Tong Express were horrified, their hearts seizing in their chests. In contrast, the men from Poison Ant Express couldn’t help but look excited. They had once personally witnessed Gai Er slice a car in two with a single strike.
Yet, even after taking such a blow, Chen Chuan stood perfectly still. He merely tilted his head slightly, looked calmly at Gai Er, and asked, "Is that all?"
Gai Er’s pupils shrank. He scrambled to retract his weapon and strike again.
However, he had put too much force into the last attack, causing him to lean too far forward. His retraction was a fraction too slow. In that instant, Chen Chuan took a step forward, closing the distance between them in a flash.
Alarm shot through Gai Er’s heart, and he hastily tried to retreat. But Chen Chuan matched his speed perfectly, sticking to him like glue. To an observer, it was as if neither of them was moving at all.
Just then, he felt a tyrannical aura wash over him. It felt like a force capable of crushing him completely. For a moment, his breath hitched.
Chen Chuan swiftly raised his hand and clamped it around Gai Er’s neck. A surge of Capturing Force seeped in. With a light lift, he hoisted Gai Er into the air, and at the apex, slammed him viciously down onto the ground!
BOOM! The ground beneath Gai Er cracked. The bones in his legs below the knees shattered from the impact. Because of the Capturing Force, his Mutated Organization couldn’t provide any protection. He had to endure the full force of the collision. His skin split open, and threads of blood seeped out. Blood even trickled from his seven orifices.
Only then did Chen Chuan release his grip. Gai Er dropped to his knees with a THUD. The slam had nearly stopped his breathing, leaving him completely paralyzed.
But he was, after all, a Fighter who had clawed his way up from the bottom. He clung to consciousness with sheer grit, refusing to collapse. His eyes remained fixed on Chen Chuan as his flesh began to slowly writhe and knit back together under the effect of his Essence Blood.
Chen Chuan looked down at him for a moment, then reached out, gently placing a hand on his forehead. With a light push, Gai Er lost his balance and toppled backward.
Chen Chuan calmly walked over to where Gai Er’s head lay. Realizing what was about to happen, Gai Er’s eyes filled with panic and terror. He seemed to want to say something, but his breath hadn’t yet recovered from the blow. His lips moved, but only a faint whisper escaped, unable to form complete words.
Chen Chuan raised his foot and stomped down on his head. BOOM! A crater formed in the ground, sending shattered brick and stone flying. Gai Er’s body convulsed violently.
When he pulled his foot back from the crater it had nearly sunk into, all that was left below was a twisted, deformed face mixed with gravel and broken brick.
Watching this scene through the Realm Token, Old Bian couldn’t help but flinch, as if trying to flee from his spot. His heart involuntarily began to pound in his chest.
At the scene, an absolute silence fell, broken only by the sound of everyone’s own ragged breathing.
The leader of the Moss Gang was stunned. A chill ran up his spine. He swallowed hard and spoke into the Realm Token, "Gai... Gai Er’s finished. His head was... crushed..."
The person on the other end seemed equally shocked. They said nothing and simply ended the connection.
Chen Chuan didn’t spare the body another glance. He just walked away. From start to finish, he hadn’t even drawn his blade, killing Gai Er with his bare hands.
Strictly speaking, he had neutralized his opponent in a single move. If this had been a sparring match, the fight would have ended at that moment.
As he passed the Three-Section Staff, he hooked it with his foot, flicking it up from the ground. He caught the end, and with another flick, the three sections snapped together.
On the Lu Tong Logistics side, Lan Xinnan was the first to recover. Suppressing her excitement, she immediately used her Realm Token to warn the people behind her to stay alert. She was worried that Poison Ant Express might do something desperate now that they were cornered.
But fortunately, everything remained calm. The people from Poison Ant Express weren’t that foolish. They knew exactly what kind of destructive power a Third Limit Fighter possessed and wouldn’t dare provoke one at a time like this.
The Moss Gang leader was frantically waving his hands, urging his driver to get him out of there immediately. He didn’t want to stay a second longer. If that Third Limit Fighter decided to turn his attention on him, he knew he probably wouldn’t leave this place alive.
Lan Xinnan walked up to Chen Chuan and gave him a solemn nod. Then she continued forward, stopping before the Poison Ant Express crew. She looked at the men hiding behind their fortifications and said:
"You lost. According to our prior agreement, Poison Ant Express must relinquish all the territory it has seized. If you break this agreement, then we at Lu Tong Logistics won’t feel bound by the rules either."
After a long wait, no one stepped forward, but a voice called out, "Captain Lan, we understand the rules. We’ll honor the agreement. But you have to give us some time."
Lan Xinnan replied crisply, "Two days. That’s more than enough. If you’re not gone in two days, we’ll take it ourselves." Without another word, she turned and walked back.
Chen Chuan was already back in the RV. He picked up the hot drink he hadn’t finished and took a sip. The temperature was about the same.
’The exchange had ended almost as soon as it began. Gai Er had been unable to put up any real resistance, but in reality, he wasn’t that weak.’
’In my judgment, he was at least a bit stronger than Xiaosheng and Xian Quanfeng from the Viper Team. If he had been fully prepared, taking him down in one move wouldn’t have been easy.’
’When our Domains made contact, I discovered he was extremely self-serving. If he sensed things were going south, he would’ve abandoned everyone and fled without hesitation, completely disregarding any agreement about a duel.’
’If he had actually gotten away, he would have been a huge problem for Lu Tong Logistics. That’s why I had to make sure to kill him on the spot, and I had to do it quickly.’
’I intentionally took that hit to shock him psychologically and blunt his momentum. Then I closed the gap, using my Domain to apply pressure and unsettle his mind. That’s what made the final blow a success.’
’On the surface, it looked like an easy victory. But behind the overwhelming physical attributes and fighting ability, it was really a matter of choosing the correct tactics.’
’Still, Gai Er’s strike looked ferocious, but it wasn’t as powerful as I’d expected. I was prepared to take it with my Second Self, but I didn’t need to. I was able to neutralize the force just by using my own Essence Blood and the dissipation techniques of my Mutated Organization.’
Just then, his Realm Token chimed. An unknown number was displayed on the screen. He thought for a moment, then accepted the call.
A generic-sounding voice came from the other end. "Mr. Chen, you’re wading into some deep waters. Are you sure you want to get involved?"
Chen Chuan asked, "Who is this?"
The person on the other end didn’t answer his question. Instead, they said, "Mr. Chen, we know what you’re capable of, and we respect you for it. But the affairs of the Lower City District are not something you can just interfere in as you please. It will cause a lot of trouble for many people, including yourself and those around you.
"If you back out now, we will give you a satisfactory reward. We hope Mr. Chen can make a rational choice. If you decide to do so, you can contact me using this number."
After saying this, they hung up.
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