Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 323 - 54: Threat

"So he’s Master Cheng’s student."

The man sighed. Cheng Zitong had left Central City, but the student he taught had returned and even defeated the most formidable peer of their generation. So, was his choice back then really a mistake?

He glanced back. Many of the older people in the hall knew what had happened. On the surface, they said nothing, but in private, they had scorned Cheng Zitong’s choice, even using it as a cautionary tale for the younger generation. But now...

He chuckled. ’Looks like few people will be bringing that up again,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, they’d just be eating their own words.’

Xiaojing, beside him, wasn’t concerned with any of that. She just stared worriedly in the direction where Liu Yin had fallen. She truly hadn’t expected Liu Yin to lose, and so quickly at that. She muttered to herself, ’Next time, I have to tell Brother Liu Yin not to fight with his back to the west!’

As for the other young people in the hall, their feelings weren’t as profound as the elders’, but they all felt uncomfortable and frustrated. Mostly, they were just baffled. What kind of Force Technique did Chen Chuan even use? Why could his speed suddenly increase so much? Why was he so strong during the clashes?

Because a Fighter in the early stages of training couldn’t utilize many Mutated Organizations, they had to focus on one area. Thus, Chen Chuan’s performance seemed incredible to them.

A few disciples couldn’t figure it out and involuntarily went to Sister Bai for an explanation.

Sister Bai thought for a moment before saying, "It’s likely that his Mutated Organization has broader coverage, so he can use a variety of moves. My guess is that his true specialty is the Scattering Hand he showed at the end. The Wrestling Takedown and Capture he used earlier were just executed at opportune moments. It’s very likely those are the only two such moves he knows.

"His goal was probably to make you think he specialized in those two techniques, causing you to misjudge your battle strategy. As it turns out, his strategy was very effective."

Liu Yin was now sitting on a chair, his chest still feeling tight. After silently listening to her analysis, he was thoroughly convinced. He had been completely fooled. The man had truly taught him a lesson.

After hearing this, the young people had a sudden realization. ’So he was acting the whole time?’

Someone said indignantly, "So cunning!"

But Sister Bai said very seriously, "Using tactics and strategy in a fight is perfectly normal. Not to mention he was facing so many of us alone. Arranging things this way was the correct approach; it shows he has a brain. You all need to learn from this, not just rush in recklessly. A real battle offers no room for error."

Meanwhile, outside, Ni Qianqian was driving her red sports car. "Brother Chen," she said, "that last move was pretty cool. You really didn’t hold back. By the way, how did you do that?"

She was very curious how he had managed to stand his ground during those last few impacts and even send Liu Yin flying back. On the surface, the gap between them shouldn’t have been that large.

"That? I recently learned a little something from a teacher the Bureau recommended. It’s really useful..."

Chen Chuan hadn’t used his Second Self at the end. He had used the force-dissipating method Teacher Zheng had taught him. The most crucial part was that he could call upon more of his Mutated Organization than his opponent.

When one part of the Mutated Organization was immobilized from absorbing the force, another part could push forward. By the time that part was spent, the first part had already recovered and could take over, creating a continuous cycle.

’Actually, it was also because my bones, muscles, and internal organs had recently been strengthened to a certain degree,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, even if I could do that, I might have torn my own muscles and ligaments or put too much strain on my organs. Of course, with my Second Self, I probably don’t have to worry about that for now, but I really didn’t rely on it just now.’

"Looks like the Bureau will have to raise your evaluation again."

As the car sped up, Ni Qianqian pulled down her goggles. "I’ll have your payment for this transferred to your account when we get back. They might send you something extra, too, so remember to check for it. Hmm, interested in another round?

"You don’t have to be afraid of hurting them. The harder you hit them, the more satisfied those old-timers will be. They all look pretty unconvinced. How about we compete with weapons next time?"

Chen Chuan said, "Let’s find another chance next time. Sister Ni, what was it you mentioned earlier?"

Ni Qianqian’s expression turned serious. "A situation has come up less than five kilometers from here. A violent incident occurred at a well-known Fighting Hall. We don’t have the full details yet, but there are likely many casualties. The city patrol team is already there. The Processing Bureau needs us to go check it out."

Chen Chuan understood. Incidents involving Fighters like this fell under the jurisdiction of the Processing Bureau. This time, they just happened to be the closest agents with the strength to handle it, so they were being sent to investigate.

As they spoke, information gathered by the patrol team was already being sent over the Realm Token.

Judging from the pictures, the scene was horrific. There were broken limbs, cracked skulls, and caved-in chests. One victim’s spinal Implant had even been forcibly ripped out.

Below the images was a brief analysis from the patrol team. The attacker was likely a single, powerful Fighter. He had entered through the main gate of the Fighting Hall and fought his way in. Everyone he encountered was killed, all with a single, fatal blow.

The perpetrator didn’t rob anything and showed no signs of stopping along the way. It was suspected to be a revenge killing, but the possibility of the attacker being a patient with Functional Disorder Syndrome couldn’t be ruled out.

After all, when the symptoms of that condition flared up, they could do all sorts of irrational things.

Chen Chuan stared at the injuries on the corpses. All of them had been killed by blunt-force trauma and heavy-handed techniques. It gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

Less than two minutes later, the car arrived at the scene. The two of them got out. Although it wasn’t even noon, the sky was gloomy, as if it was about to rain.

The city patrol officers stationed around them looked over. After confirming their identities with a Realm Token scan, they moved the barricade tape blocking the entrance.

Chen Chuan surveyed the area. The Fighting Hall was a relatively isolated building, with the nearest structure over fifty meters away, across the street.

On his Realm Token, he could still see the light-box hologram showing two Fighters dueling, letting out explosive roars. As one of them fell, the three words "True Intent Fighting" popped up. The huge, inky characters leaped out one after another, creating a powerful impact.

The two of them went straight through the main entrance, looking at the bodies marked by the patrol team. They already knew from the information sent over that there were thirty-five victims in total.

Aside from the hall master and his son, a friend visiting them, his disciples, and the hired cleaning staff, the victims also included seven security guards. Even though it was a martial arts hall, a place this large with its assets inside still needed protection.

After looking around, Ni Qianqian said, "The information logs show this happened half an hour ago. At the time of the incident, only the hall master’s youngest son wasn’t here, so he escaped."

Chen Chuan asked, "Where is he now?"

"That kid is at the Hell Chain Bar. We’ve notified him, but he hasn’t replied yet. Today’s a rest day, so he’s probably partying hard."

Ni Qianqian seemed to be contacting someone. After a moment, her expression became extremely serious. She turned to Chen Chuan and said, "The Bureau’s Power information comparison results are in. There’s an over eighty percent probability that the perpetrator is Wei Wusheng."

"Wei Wusheng..."

Chen Chuan’s eyes flickered. He’d had that sense of familiarity from the start.

Ni Qianqian said, "There was Domain interference here earlier, and no one saw Wei Wusheng enter or leave. There was probably a Resonator helping him, erasing his tracks. It’s going to be very difficult to track his whereabouts now."

’Wei Wusheng didn’t do this to cover up his crime,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’He’s already a wanted man; one more charge won’t make a difference. This was just to cover his tracks. So the question is, why did he choose this moment to resurface, just to slaughter everyone in this Fighting Hall?’

He asked, "Does Wei Wusheng have a grudge against this Fighting Hall?"

"Possibly," Ni Qianqian said. "Let me check... Hmm, people from this hall clashed with the Celestial Forgiveness Gang ten years ago. It’s not impossible for a ten-year-old grudge to be settled today. But why now? Why not sooner or later? Why do it while he’s a wanted fugitive? Has he just given up and decided to go wild?"

But Chen Chuan thought of a possibility. "Sister Ni, have any of the people from this hall been on the Rhino Cruise Ship recently?"

Ni Qianqian immediately had a colleague at the Bureau check the records. A moment later, she had an answer. "You’re right. The hall master’s eldest son was also on the cruise ship that day, watching the matches in the fighting arena."

She turned to look at Chen Chuan. "Brother Chen, I read the report you submitted about Wei Wusheng’s supposed Heart Thought. The Bureau currently has no definitive conclusion on the matter.

"But if Wei Wusheng developed an obsession from what happened then, what we’re seeing today is likely just the beginning. He might come for you, too. You need to be careful."

Chen Chuan nodded. That was possible. He wasn’t afraid, and he had a feeling Wei Wusheng wouldn’t come for him just yet. ’If he really wanted to deal with me, he wouldn’t have killed these people first and exposed himself. That would only put me on alert.’

But just because he wasn’t afraid didn’t mean others weren’t.

He stepped to the side and used his Realm Token to contact Tan Zhi, Pan Xiaode, and Qi Huixin, warning them to be careful recently. Since they were also present back then, Wei Wusheng might target them if he had the chance.

When he returned, Ni Qianqian glanced at the darkening sky, frowned, and said, "There were so many Fighters on that ship. We can’t possibly protect all of them, and they wouldn’t accept it anyway. They’ll just have to be careful themselves. The best solution is to capture Wei Wusheng ahead of time... Hmm?"

She stopped mid-sentence as another communication seemed to come in. She listened for a moment. When she was done, she looked up at Chen Chuan. "There’s something I need to tell you. The school administration just held a meeting. Since I was out, I had an assistant sit in for me. She just told me..."

She paused briefly, then said, "The principal’s assistant, Ling Jianxing, made a proposal at the meeting. He suggested that students with a Third Limit assessment below fifty percent should serve as guidance instructors at the fighting tournament organized by the academy."

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