Chapter 75: Swimming Against the Current
Chapter 75: Swimming Against the Current
Wei Chang'an stared at Scar Face, his eyes filled with utmost vigilance.
He was aware of Scar Face's military-grade implants, as noted in the previous dossier on this individual. However, he had assumed they were civilian-grade, capable of surpassing some normal physical limitations in combat, but their effectiveness was still limited. For those like them, who were trained through official channels, this advantage wasn't as significant.
But military-grade implants were an entirely different story.
Military implants were designed to counter hot weapons on the battlefield, and some advanced implants rendered ordinary weapons ineffective against them.
However, these implants typically required medical teams and large amounts of medication for support; it wasn't as simple as just implanting them and calling it a day. How did Scar Face manage this alone? Even with access to Chou Huzi's drugs, it couldn't sustain him for long.
But pondering this now seemed futile; he could only think about how to deal with the situation.
At this moment, most of the personnel involved in the capture operation had arrived, and many of them witnessed this scene, causing them to pause in surprise. However, they were unaware of the military implants, assuming Scar Face was wearing some kind of armor.
Among the crowd, there were several members of the Boxing Club. Seeing Scar Face being shot earlier and appearing slightly disadvantaged, a few boxers thought they had an opportunity and rushed forward without a second thought.
Wei Chang'an immediately shouted a warning: "Be careful, it's dangerous!"
Unfortunately, his voice was partially drowned out by the sound of firecrackers, and he wasn't sure if they didn't hear him clearly or simply didn't care, as they showed no signs of stopping.
This time, three people rushed to the forefront. One approached head-on, one aimed at the lower body, and another circled around from behind.
The positioning of the two in front was well-calculated. Experienced individuals could tell from their eyes and posture that they intended to take their opponent down.
This strategy wasn't wrong. No matter how sturdy Scar Face was, once he was on the ground, they could deal with him however they pleased.
Seeing someone approaching, Scar Face swung his hammer with a wave of his hand. The person in front seized the opportunity to dodge and then leaped forward, swiftly and powerfully grabbing one of Scar Face's legs. Meanwhile, the other person nimbly evaded the broken knife and counter-grabbed his arm.
When Wei Chang'an fought with Scar Face earlier, he noticed his movements were slightly sluggish, as if the implants were affecting him, causing some coordination issues. He suspected there might be a problem with neural conduction.
Although these boxers didn't know this, they could still judge how to handle the situation based on their experience. As the two held Scar Face, the third person saw his chance and, with a grunt, stomped on Scar Face's leg bend, causing him to half-kneel.
But in the next moment, Scar Face took a deep breath, and his upper body seemed to expand. He jerked his knife-wielding hand, and the person holding his leg was stabbed in the mouth by the sharp, broken knife tip.
The other two boxers were also startled, but they knew they couldn't retreat. The person behind grabbed Scar Face's throat, while the other exerted all his strength to tightly lock his knife-wielding arm.
No matter how strong a person is, they still need to breathe. Being choked at the neck, they would lose their resistance in just a few seconds.
After being choked at the neck, Scar Face paused for a moment. Then, he released the hammer in his hand, and it fell to the ground. Just as everyone thought the effects were kicking in, he grabbed his shoulder and clutched the person's arm. With a squeeze of his palm, the person screamed in agony as his arm bone was crushed.
Scar Face grabbed his arm and threw him forcefully to the ground with a thud. The person twitched and then became still.
The person whose arm was grabbed was shocked and immediately tried to retreat, but the next moment, he was caught by the collar. He struggled to break free, but with a tear, his clothes were torn from his clothes, and he fell backward, rolling and crawling to escape.
However, before he could get out, Scar Face picked up the engineering hammer from the ground and swung it with a wave of his hand, hitting the person's shoulder. The person was knocked forward and fell to the ground, seemingly lifeless.
Wei Chang'an sighed softly. Although these people weren't his allies, he genuinely didn't want to see anyone lose their life in this capture operation. He turned around, wanting to find Cai Sai, but seeing no one, he immediately instructed an older-looking man in the crowd: "Old Wu, go get some rope."
As soon as Old Wu understood his intentions, he rushed out to search for a rope.
Scarface ignored them, undeterred by the interruption, and strode towards the trade market ahead.
Wei Chang'an wasn't about to let him escape. If he reached a crowded area and a chase ensued, it would likely result in heavy casualties, not to mention the potential chaos. They had to stop him before he broke through the street. "Hold him back!" he shouted.
Wei Chang'an remained at the back, not because he didn't want to charge forward, but because he needed to coordinate the team, which included his own men and company personnel. If he, as the commander, lost his fighting ability, the entire capture operation would likely fail.
Hearing his order, many rushed towards Scarface, attempting to impede his progress.
The previous scene hadn't frightened them. They realized Scarface wasn't moving very fast, and since he was only focused on escaping without engaging, they just needed to be cautious, slow him down, and wait for suitable tools like ropes to arrive.
Meanwhile, Cai Sai had cleared the flour from his eyes and observed the situation. He shouted to a nearby shop owner, "Bring out all your oil, peanut, soybean, or any kind of oil! Pour it on the street, but be careful not to spill it!"
The shop owner was startled, then his eyes lit up. Others nearby also realized the plan and rushed to collect oil from other shops.
With oil covering the ground, even if Scarface broke through, it wouldn't be easy for him to advance. A few lassos would be enough to restrain him. Everyone understood this, and the initially chaotic atmosphere calmed down.
As Scarface moved forward, he waved his weapon to keep the encroaching crowd at bay. He seemed to be breathing heavily, and within seconds, some keen observers noticed his body expanding and his skin turning red, especially around his face. His breath felt scorching hot.
Scarface's movements were no longer slow; he became more agile, transitioning from a brisk walk to a light jog, and his speed kept increasing.
Just then, a man from the commissioned company tried to step forward but was stopped by someone who seemed to be in charge. He shook his head at the others, and one of them asked, "Qu WeiTuo, what's wrong?"
Qu WeiTuo replied sternly, "That Scarface has likely undergone heart and lung modifications, and his blood vessels, skin, and bones might have been enhanced as well. These are battlefield implants used to break through enemy lines. We can't stop him with our current strength. Don't go up there to die. Wei Chang'an won't complete this commission."
As he spoke, Scarface suddenly charged forward, brandishing his engineering hammer. Due to his increased speed, those in front either got knocked aside by his brute force or were struck by the hammer, causing them to fall in various directions. One person was even flung onto a nearby roof.
Wei Chang'an was startled and quickly followed, shouting, "You in front, what are you waiting for? Hold him back!"
Unlike before, only two people responded to his call this time, while the others hesitated or were a step too slow. These two tried their best to stop Scarface, but it was a close call for them as well.
Someone produced a crossbow arrow temporarily issued by the Patrol Bureau and fired at Scarface. Most arrows bounced off, but a few managed to pierce his thick arm, yet they seemed to encounter resistance and only lodged shallowly, failing to halt his advance.
Wei Chang'an took a deep breath. At this point, he had no choice but to engage personally; the consequences of failure were too great.
Chen Chuan, who had been observing from the back, witnessed this scene. Fixing his gaze on Scarface, he moved towards the tall figure through the retreating crowd.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
