Chapter 408: The Challenge
Chapter 408: The Challenge
Lao Bian sat calmly for a while, then turned to his disciple who was sitting nearby and asked, "Have you found out the details about that young man?"
The disciple quickly responded, "Master, I've figured it out. The person who came is from the Processing Bureau of the Upper City."
"Someone from the Processing Bureau?" Lao Bian was surprised and immediately furrowed his brows. "Did you find out so quickly? Is this information accurate?"
While the Third Limit Fighters were not without their own resources, it would still take some time to gather information, especially about someone from the Upper City. Their personal details weren't written on their foreheads, and it would take some effort to uncover them. How much time had passed since the incident? When had his foolish disciple become so efficient?
"It's true!" the disciple assured.
Noticing Lao Bian's skepticism, the disciple quickly added, "No, Master, look at this..." He tapped on the Boundary Vessel a few times and sent a video recording to Lao Bian.
"The person in this video is him, and there's also Wei Wusheng from the Heaven Forgive Gang. Master, you mentioned him before."
"Wei Wusheng? The old man's disciple from the Heaven Forgive Gang?" Lao Bian was surprised.
Wei Wusheng was quite renowned, especially for his age. In his generation, the Heaven Forgive Gang's Hong Ming had been a barrier that even his master and grandmaster couldn't surpass.
Wei Wusheng was known as the most accomplished student of Hong Ming in the past thirty years, so Lao Bian had taken an interest in him and often used Wei Wusheng as an example to admonish his disciples.
In the video, he witnessed Chen Chuan pinning Wei Wusheng to the ground and mercilessly pounding him. Lao Bian's eyelids twitched as he watched, especially at the end when Chen Chuan's palm directly pierced Wei Wusheng's chest, displaying incredible strength and speed. As Lao Bian imagined himself in the situation, his blood raced, his breath quickened, and his body tensed up.
Unaware of his master's reaction, the disciple continued, "Master, and there's this other part..." He sent another video.
This video showed Chen Chuan holding the head of the Viper Team's leader, Xu Xianwen, emerging from the water. The videographer had excellent skills, capturing the scene with well-balanced lighting and composition. It was impactful for ordinary people, but not as direct as the previous one for Lao Bian.
Lao Bian asked calmly, "Whose head is he holding?"
"Master, they say it's Xu Xianwen's."
"Xu Xianwen..." Lao Bian's eyebrows furrowed. He felt like he had heard the name somewhere, as he usually remembered even childhood memories from his limit. He just didn't bother thinking about unrelated matters.
Before Lao Bian could recall, his disciple thoughtfully sent over Xu Xianwen's information, along with details about every member of the Viper Team. Then, he fell silent.
The disciple, seeking approval, said, "Master, did I find the information quickly and thoroughly enough?"
Lao Bian's cheek twitched slightly as he said, "You've been very diligent."
Eagerly, the disciple asked, "Master, when are you going to teach that guy a lesson? I'll bring my fellow disciples to support you."
Lao Bian frowned and said, "When did I say I was going to teach him a lesson? They don't follow the rules, but I won't. Remember what I told you? Just fighting won't solve the problem."
The disciple was confused; wasn't that what his master meant earlier? But it made sense; in recent years, his master had rarely taken action, relying on his past reputation to intimidate opponents into submission.
The disciple asked, "Master, what should we do then?"
Lao Bian's eyebrows knitted together. He had just learned about Chen Chuan, and this situation was beyond his control. He could leave on his own, but he couldn't bear being kicked out by someone else!
Lao Bian spoke in a low voice, "Inform Luotong Logistics that I've found another Third Limit Fighter and won't get involved. Let them find someone else."
"Master, should we send the information we found to Luotong?"
"No need." Lao Bian said, "You worked hard for this information. Let them do their own research."
"Master, let them do their own research."
Lao Bian smirked inwardly. If they had Chen Chuan's information, what if they backed down? His plan would be ruined.
It's better to let the two sides fight.
If Chen Chuan wins, he believes Luotong will still ask him to handle the aftermath.
If Luotong loses, it's not a big deal. Does he really think winning this battle will solve all their problems?
The Moss Gang, backing Luotong, will never give up. Even if they have deterrence while their leader is present, once he leaves, Luotong won't withstand the pressure. Eventually, they'll have to call Lao Bian back, but by then, the price will be different.
Certainly, he wasn't a malicious person either, and he would leave some leeway for Lu Tong's people, but if this group couldn't survive, he wouldn't have the heart to let them be.
Lan Shennan acted swiftly, as a portion of Lu Tong Logistics' personnel had already defected to Ant Toxin Transport, and there were still some communication channels between the two sides. So, within two hours, Chen Chuan obtained information about the opposing fighter.
The man's name was Gai Er, 35 years old. In the photo, his brows and eyes exuded a fierce aura, dressed in a Wushu Uniform, with a thick waist belt, standing barefoot, and radiating an indescribable killing intent. In his hand was a metal Three-Section Staff.
According to the information, this person was from a Martial Arts Hall, but due to his exceptional talent, he quickly stood out and was even adopted as a son-in-law by the Hall's owner.
However, not long after, another Martial Arts Hall offered better terms, so he abandoned his wife and child. But a few years later, he teamed up with a gang to take over that Martial Arts Hall, and since then, he specialized in doing dirty work for gangs, even becoming a hitman, attacking government officials and killing company executives.
Due to his numerous crimes, he was wanted and had bounties placed on him by companies, the government, and even gangs. Eventually, he could only hide in the Underground City.
A Third Limit Fighter, if not for his crimes, would have a place anywhere, but being wanted by multiple parties made him a talented individual.
On the surface, he seemed like a pure scumbag and madman, but Chen Chuan knew that character and strength were unrelated. He could sense that at this Third Limit stage, one's mental state was highly valued.
This consistent attitude, from beginning to end, was that of a villain, which instead showed a firm mental state, never wavering due to external circumstances.
This indicated that his abilities might not be simple, as with so many enemies, he was still alive and kicking, evident from his survival to this day.
Subsequently, he looked at Lao Bian's information; this person was already 69 years old. The detailed records were mostly about his achievements in his youth, when he had the nickname "Fierce Bear." Looking at his younger photos, he was a towering figure over two meters tall.
But in these past seven to eight years, this person hadn't achieved anything notable, seemingly not having fought anyone during this period.
If a martial arts expert doesn't spar with others of the same caliber for a long time, their skills will decline. Not to mention seven to eight years; if their talent isn't sufficient, even a few days without practice could lead to a weakened state.
However, it was also possible that he was deliberately hiding his achievements, so caution was necessary.
After reading, he said to Lan Shennan, "I just arrived in the Lower City, and I'm not familiar with how you handle problems here. If I want to challenge that person, is there anything I should know?"
Lan Shennan replied, "The common practice is that when there's a conflict between two organizations, usually a Third Limit Fighter will mediate. If they can't resolve it, they won't take action themselves, leaving it to their subordinates. I heard from the old captain that this is the unspoken rule among Third Limit Fighters in the Lower City."
"I see..."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment, understanding that most martial artists honed their skills not to fight to the death but to gain more enjoyment. Sparring and competing led to losses more often than gains, so this rule benefited all Third Limit Fighters.
Lan Shennan continued, "And if the conflict can't be resolved or one side refuses to back down, they'll challenge each other directly. Old Bian is using this to ask for two-tenths of our resources."
Chen Chuan said, "Since there's this method, then Captain Lan, please arrange the challenge with Ant Toxin Transport's fighter."
Lan Shennan said, "Sure! But if they know we've replaced Old Bian and have also inquired about your situation, Chen, they might respond insincerely while trying to stall."
After all, Chen Chuan wasn't from the Lower City, and he couldn't stay there long. So, if Ant Toxin Transport was smart, they wouldn't need to fight; they'd just need to stall until Chen Chuan left.
This was her biggest worry.
Chen Chuan calmly said, "That's fine too. I just checked, and Ant Toxin Transport does have a base. If they're unwilling, I'll just go to their base directly."
This was a situation they absolutely wouldn't yield to, as even if the decision-makers didn't care about their base, they'd still worry about Chen Chuan attacking their subordinates. That would mean they'd have to give up the territory they'd seized, something the entire team wouldn't tolerate.
She said, "I'll send the challenge request to Ant Toxin Transport right now." As she spoke, she immediately arranged for it.
However, Lan Shennan was worried, as Ant Toxin Transport clearly wasn't avoiding the challenge. Her challenge signal was met with a clear response within half an hour, and after both sides confirmed, they set the duel time for the next morning.
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(End of Chapter)
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