Chapter 425: The Pursuit
Chapter 425: The Pursuit
The location provided by Lao Qi was deep within the Uncharted Zone. As Chen Chuan made his way there, he spotted Lao Qi's vehicle parked in a lot, not far from a private tax point.
Lao Qi was well-versed in parking etiquette. While city patrol teams might be unreliable at times, one could always trust the armed forces at the tax collection offices. If gang members were to show up here, whether you were a citizen or not, they would scrutinize your tax records from birth, leaving no stone unturned.
Chen Chuan used his Boundary Token to contact Lao Qi, "Lao Qi, I've arrived."
Lao Qi promptly responded, "Chen Xiaoge, I'm here."
Chen Chuan saw the door of the off-road vehicle open, and Lao Qi stepped out, waving at him.
Chen Chuan drove along the scanning path of the parking lot and parked in an empty spot. With his Handling Bureau identity, he didn't need to pay for parking, so the parking fee that had just been charged was immediately waived.
As he exited the lot, he approached Lao Qi, who, despite his unshaven beard and dark circles under his eyes, seemed physically unharmed. In the back seat of the car, a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl with big eyes and two small braids sat; she must be Lao Qi's daughter, Qi Qi. She noticed Chen Chuan looking at her and said, "Hello, big brother."
Chen Chuan nodded and smiled, "Hello." Then, addressing Lao Qi, he asked, "What's the situation now?"
Lao Qi sighed, "After I hid here, those people haven't come looking for me. But this can't go on; Qi Qi hasn't been to school for days."
"Is it because of the Venomous Snake Sect materials?" Chen Chuan asked.
"Probably," Lao Qi replied.
Chen Chuan found this a bit odd. While the sect materials were hard to come by in the upper city, they weren't exactly rare. Was it worth all this trouble?
Lao Qi explained, "I initially thought it might be because my friend got involved with something he shouldn't have. That's why they came after us."
Chen Chuan thought this was plausible. If that were the case, Lao Qi was merely an innocent bystander. "So, they're watching your home?"
"Yes, that's why I dare not return," Lao Qi admitted.
"Which gang are they from?"
"They're from a small gang nearby. If it were just them, I could handle it myself. My clients aren't pushovers, but with the sect materials involved, there's definitely a bigger gang from the lower city and some faction backing them. I don't want to take the fall or implicate others, so I decided to hide first."
Chen Chuan understood that Lao Qi didn't want to trouble him, hoping the gang would give up if they couldn't find him. "Let's go back now. I'll handle this."
"Alright, then. I appreciate your help, Chen Xiaoge," Lao Qi said, his spirits lifting slightly. Chen Chuan's intervention should make things easier, but he felt guilty, "I'm sorry for troubling you with this..."
"Lao Qi, don't say that," Chen Chuan interrupted. "I told you we're a team, and I asked you to buy those sect materials. This matter involves me; it's not something you should handle alone."
They got into their respective vehicles and drove towards Lao Qi's residence, an eighty-story rental building in the Wuding District, home to many middle and low-income citizens.
Most of Lao Qi's earnings from his commissions went towards maintaining their livelihood and his daughter's school fees; otherwise, renting a better place wouldn't be difficult.
They parked outside the building, entered, and took the elevator up.
As they reached the corridor leading to Lao Qi's home, Chen Chuan's gaze swept once, spotting two men hiding in the shadows, occasionally glancing our way. And the moment they saw Lao Qi, they started fiddling with their Boundary Tokens."
"Lao Qi, take Qi Qi and go back inside. Don't come out for now," Chen Chuan instructed.
"Okay!"
Lao Qi, understanding the situation, escorted his daughter to their apartment, unlocked the door, and stepped inside, closing it behind them.
Chen Chuan didn't bother with the two men; instead, he immediately contacted Wu Bei, asking him to trace the signals of the two men.
Wu Bei quickly tracked the signal receivers, finding that they were sent to two locations: a small gang's hideout and a bar in the deep uncharted zone. Moreover, the map showed a nearby tunnel entrance.
The latter was clearly an outpost of a lower city faction in the upper city, as many gangs seemed to favor converting such outposts into bars or inns.
Chen Chuan hadn't been well-informed about the lower city's gang distribution in the past. The Handling Bureau had information, but it was mostly outdated, given the complex and ever-changing nature of the lower city's factions.
However, Chen Chuan now had a channel. He directly contacted Roadway Logistics and sent them the marked tunnel location, inquiring which gang's territory it fell under.
After waiting for over ten minutes, Roadway Logistics responded, suggesting that the gang operating near the tunnel was likely the Plague Gang, providing a description of the gang for reference.
Chen Chuan took a look at the gang's profile. It wasn't a large-scale operation, but it was unique in its composition. Most of its members were technical specialists, including former R&D personnel from major corporations, implant doctors, and bioengineers.
On the periphery of the gang were members who largely subscribed to a certain evil deity. They would willingly infect themselves with communicable diseases and then treat themselves with experimental medications, a process they referred to as "filtering," believing this brought them closer to their god. They also frequently abducted people for human experimentation and were widely despised in the Lower City.
If not for the gang's loose structure and the fact that certain parties needed them, they would have been eradicated long ago.
As Chen Chuan read, he shook his head. Many gangs with clear organizational structures could be reasoned with, and they would at least have some reservations. But for gangs with cult-like tendencies, their actions were not only insane, but their members were mentally unstable, making them impossible to deal with through conventional means.
As he was reviewing the information, Wu Bei sent a surveillance feed to his screen, showing a group of gang members leaving their base in two vehicles, clearly heading for Lao Qi.
Instead of confronting them directly, Chen Chuan contacted the City Patrol, briefing them on the situation. The patrol team nearby received his notification and immediately took action.
Although the Handling Bureau and the City Patrol were not in a direct hierarchical relationship, they maintained a close cooperative partnership. After all, when the patrol encountered strong implant users or fighter criminals, they relied on the Handling Bureau to resolve the situation. The faster the Handling Bureau responded, the fewer casualties the patrol would suffer. Therefore, they generally respected the bureau staff, especially a Second-Level Executor.
Within five minutes of leaving their base, the two vehicles were stopped by the City Patrol.
In less than half an hour, the patrol informed Chen Chuan that the person had been detained and the other gang members from the base were taken in for questioning.
With their various illegal activities, the City Patrol could keep them in custody as long as they wanted.
Chen Chuan received the notification and expressed his gratitude. At that moment, Wu Bei's voice sounded in his ear, "Chen Xiaoge, I checked the records from a few days ago. The person who took Lao Qi's friend is from that bar. They haven't moved in the past few days, so the person should still be there."
Chen Chuan thanked him, knowing that locating the person was the first step. Understanding the cause of the incident was crucial for an effective solution.
However, several days had passed, and he wasn't sure if the person was still alive. He could only go and check.
Chen Chuan asked Wu Bei to keep an eye on Lao Qi's home and inform him of any developments. Then, he got into his car and drove to the bar, arriving at the location in about twenty minutes.
The bar was housed in a renovated old building, appearing quite ordinary from the outside. It had a prominent sign, flashy neon lights, and a flickering holoscreen.
He parked his car and went inside, where the flickering lights continued, and the floor was made of glass panels, revealing glass pipes below with a blood-like liquid flowing through them.
It was daytime, so there weren't many customers yet, but as soon as Chen Chuan entered, his Second Self detected faint fade signs coming from the middle of the room, seemingly originating from a sealed decorative wall.
He averted his gaze and approached the bar, saying, "I have a friend who was brought here by your people a few days ago. Is he still here?"
The bartender, wearing a short-sleeved shirt that revealed his muscular arms covered in tattoos, had been watching Chen Chuan warily. Hearing this, his expression changed, and he denied, "I don't know what you're talking about."
He signaled to two thugs sitting in the distance, who immediately started using boundary tokens to contact the outside.
Chen Chuan acted as if he hadn't noticed and sat down at the bar, saying, "Then I'll have a drink."
"We only serve alcohol here, no drinks."
"A glass of water will do."
The bartender, seeing that the person using the boundary token was still communicating, turned to pour a glass of water for Chen Chuan, adding a couple of ice cubes. He pushed the glass towards Chen Chuan, "Sir, here's your water."
Chen Chuan picked up the glass and took a slow sip.
The few customers in the bar, sensing the unusual situation, quickly paid and left. Even those hoping to watch the excitement were persuaded to leave by the bar's thugs.
Soon, a group of people entered from outside, led by a well-dressed man in his thirties. Despite the dim lighting, he didn't remove the sunglasses covering his face.
He gave a command, and the bar's exterior door was pulled down, while the interior door was locked shut. Then, he led a group of men carrying weapons and firearms towards Chen Chuan.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
