Chapter 1641: Chapter 1943: Trouble Comes Knocking (2)
Ling Chen quickly stepped forward and asked, "Did you find anything?"
Zhu Qing pointed to a pile of ashes on the ground and said, "This was just found in the car; it should be metal, because the explosion’s impact shattered it. Porridge girl and I are collecting fragments to see if we can piece them back together."
"Notify everyone to strengthen the defense of Dragon Tiger Hall and closely monitor any suspicious individuals nearby," Ling Chen said solemnly. The occurrence of such an incident at this time is definitely not a coincidence. Originally, Dragon Tiger Hall hoped to peacefully weather this storm, but it seems someone doesn’t want them to have an easy time.
As soon as he finished speaking, Kaelina hurried over from not far away, her face looking troubled as she said, "Just received news that the Beijing Branch, Jinhai Branch, Liancheng Branch, and Zuo Zhou Branch have all been attacked by unknown assailants. No casualties have been reported yet."
After hearing Kaelina’s report, Ling Chen’s heart sank. Longhu Martial Arts Hall headquarters and four branches have all been attacked; someone must have planned this. What do those people want? Are they planning to start a war? Even at its peak, Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion might not have the ability to do this, let alone other forces. Who could it be?
Ling Chen furrowed his brow, deep in thought. Beside him, Chen Junfeng spoke up, "I think this might be a harassment attack intended to catch our attention."
Harassment attack? Hearing this, Ling Chen said puzzledly, "Sir Chen, who would be so free as to cause trouble? Dragon Tiger Hall has never provoked anyone; those people coming to us, do they really think we’re easy to bully?" After speaking, he walked to the side, took out his phone from his pocket, and dialed Hu Fei’s number.
Last time, because of the Netherworld Snake incident, the surroundings of Dragon Tiger Hall were filled with surveillance facilities, and each intersection and corner was closely monitored. Since they couldn’t find those responsible for the attacks, perhaps the surveillance caught some valuable clues.
After the call, within ten minutes, the surveillance video was sent to Ling Chen’s phone. Opening the video, the screen soon showed a few people driving an off-road vehicle slowly approaching Dragon Tiger Hall. Among these people was a woman, whom Ling Chen instantly recognized as Mo Shuiyan, who had come to discuss cooperation last time.
Heavenly Dragon Sect! Ling Chen narrowed his eyes as a sharp glint flashed through his ink-like pupils.
He had already expressed his attitude to the people of Heavenly Dragon Sect, having no interest in cooperation, yet they secretly did this. It seems his feeling at the time was correct: Heavenly Dragon Sect wasn’t sincere about wanting to talk cooperation with Dragon Tiger Hall but had other intentions.
After closing the video, Ling Chen went directly to the office, followed by Chen Junfeng and his team, ready for instructions.
"Ling Chen, should we continue to investigate that vehicle..."
Zhu Qing hadn’t finished speaking when Ling Chen waved his hand, saying, "It’s a waste of time." Since they already knew who’s behind the trickery, there’s no need to check the clues left in the off-road vehicle.
"Notify all branches later, let them strengthen their defenses. Heavenly Dragon Sect’s sudden action must not be just simple harassment; they must have other moves."
"Heavenly Dragon Sect?" Chen Junfeng said sternly, "Are you saying that all of this is orchestrated by Heavenly Dragon Sect behind the scenes?"
Ling Chen nodded and said, "Today Zhu Qing gathered intelligence about Heavenly Dragon Sect, one of which mentioned their closeness with Dangyang Sect’s Qi Yong. I suspect they’ve long reached an agreement. Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has suffered repeated setbacks with diminished strength. Besides Dragon Tiger Hall, the other influential force in Martial Arts is Qi Yong-led Dangyang Sect. As everyone knows, Qi Yong is very cunning, he has consolidated some minor factions to boost his own strength. Right now, if Qi Yong can suppress Dragon Tiger Hall, then Dangyang Sect will certainly become the most powerful force in Martial Arts."
"Hmph! That idea is too naive," Zhu Qing said. "Any strong force has a rich heritage; even if he gains the upper hand temporarily, what good will it do?"
"Everyone has their own ideas, which doesn’t concern us," Ling Chen rubbed his eyebrows. What he wanted to know most now was what Heavenly Dragon Sect’s next move would be. Just as he pondered, the phone on the desk suddenly rang.
Ling Chen picked up the receiver and barely had time to speak before his face turned dark. Noticing the change in Ling Chen’s expression, porridge girl asked with concern, "What’s wrong?"
"Jinhai Branch has been besieged."
"What?" Everyone was shocked and hadn’t managed to say anything before the phone rang again.
"Zuo Zhou Branch, Liancheng Branch, Changtian Branch, Xinlin Branch have all been besieged simultaneously." After hearing these messages, the atmosphere of the office instantly became overwhelmingly tense, with everyone falling into silence.
"This can’t be possible!" After a while, Chen Junfeng spoke, "Even if Heavenly Dragon Sect and Dangyang Sect collaborated, they couldn’t mobilize so many people; the disciples of these five branches combined number nearly a thousand, where did they get so many people?"
Ling Chen nodded slightly, "Sir Chen is right; it’s impossible for Heavenly Dragon Sect and Dangyang Sect to send out so many people. As far as I know, Dangyang Sect’s total strength doesn’t exceed two hundred, and Heavenly Dragon Sect has only about one hundred people. Zhu Qing, I’ll trouble you with this matter, quickly find out the situation."
Zhu Qing responded and, without another word, turned to leave the office.
"Ling Chen, what now?" porridge girl asked, "Should we send reinforcements?"
Ling Chen shook his head, "It’s too late; each branch’s location is far apart. Even if we hurry now, it will take several hours, by then the battle will be over. Clearly, the opposition came prepared; we’ll have to swallow a silent defeat this time." Pausing, he looked at porridge girl and Kaelina, "You two go prepare for the aftermath arrangements; there will definitely be significant personnel losses this time."
After assigning all tasks, Ling Chen leaned against the chair, lightly tapping his forehead. The sudden occurrence of so many things indeed made him feel overwhelmed. All along, Dragon Tiger Hall was managed by Tong Zhentian and He Ziyun. But since he’s been in charge recently, he felt pressure from various fronts.
Heavenly Dragon Sect... Qi Yong... Ling Chen squinted slightly, with a hint of chilling murderous intent in his deep-set eyes.
In this Martial Arts upheaval, he originally intended to preserve neutrality, not getting involved in the disputes of major forces. But now it seems some things can’t be avoided even if one tries. Even if he doesn’t seek trouble with others, someone will come to him willingly.
So be it! Since they want to fight, he’ll accompany them to the end and see who laughs last.
