Chapter 681 - 32: Interception

Upon receiving the order, an armed vehicle equipped with a ramming plow on its front immediately accelerated, surging past the others to take the lead. It aimed for the blocking vehicle ahead and smashed right into it.

Under the force of the armored vehicle’s impact, the opposing car was sent flying like a lightweight toy, tumbling all the way to the side of the road.

The rest of the motorcade followed, quickly driving through the newly created opening.

Watching this from a distance, Ji Xinmin, who was following behind, muttered a few curses. He used his Realm Token to say a quick word to his two companions, then pushed the door open and jumped straight out of the speeding car.

The moment his feet touched the ground, his legs began to pump. Within a few strides, he had already surpassed the speed of the cars, his body becoming a blur as he chased after the motorcade ahead.

Farther down the road, Ji Xinmin’s two companions appeared, standing in the path of the motorcade.

This was part of their plan. If the vehicle blockade failed, they would get out and stop the motorcade themselves.

Both men wore sunglasses and stood with their legs spread in a wide stance. Their arms were held slightly out from their sides, each hand gripping an exquisite metal baton. For Third Limit Fighters, stopping moving vehicles was no difficult task, provided they had the right tools and weapons.

By now, Ji Xinmin had reached them. He took a running leap, flying over the top of the motorcade and landing in front of his two companions with a THUD before turning to face the approaching vehicles.

Chen Chuan saw the situation up ahead. He knew the motorcade’s security team was no match for three prepared Third Limit Fighters. Ramming them would likely result in casualties on his own side. So he said, "Stop."

The motorcade came to a halt some twenty-odd meters from the three men.

An aide first got out and ran over to open Chen Chuan’s door. Chen Chuan stepped out of the vehicle and motioned for everyone to stay put. He then walked forward alone until he was standing before the three men.

He looked at Ji Xinmin and said calmly, "Mr. Ji, you should know that your actions are extremely dangerous and could lead to unforeseeable consequences. I hope you have a reasonable explanation."

Ji Xinmin and his men suddenly felt a crushing pressure, something they had never experienced back in Yangzhi City. He despised the feeling. He fought the urge to step back, using the motion of straightening his wrinkled clothes to conceal his discomfort.

He said, "Manager Chen, we mean no offense. We were simply asked by someone to have a few words with you. But since you wouldn’t accept our attempts to contact you, we had to resort to this."

Chen Chuan said, "If you truly wished to speak with me, you could have tried sending a message. You could have asked my staff or my colleagues to relay it. If I deemed it appropriate, I would have responded. There are many ways to go about this, none of which involve such an unpleasant approach."

The corner of Ji Xinmin’s eye twitched. He was right, of course. They did have other ways to contact Chen Chuan. They were operatives for the Refinement Sect, and their methods had always been aggressive.

They had always been able to meet with whomever they pleased. They were the ones who did the rejecting, not the other way around. Therefore, they simply could not tolerate being refused by Chen Chuan.

Besides, they didn’t believe there would be any consequences for their actions, so they had proceeded without a second thought.

Outwardly, however, he didn’t appear so obstinate. He took a breath and said, "Manager Chen, my apologies. This matter is truly of the utmost importance, which is why we were forced to meet with you in this manner. Moreover..."

He added pointedly, "The one who sent us with this message is a very important person, Manager Chen. I suggest you hear what he has to say."

Chen Chuan’s voice was flat. "I don’t care what you want, nor do I care who this ’important person’ of yours is. I have even less interest in hearing what he has to say."

I’m currently on leave. If this is official business, you should be speaking with the Processing Bureau. If it’s a personal matter, then I’m sorry, but I have nothing to discuss with you.

Now, please step aside."

Ji Xinmin’s face instantly turned cold. "Manager Chen, we know you’ve joined the Pure Sect, but don’t think their protection means you can act without consequence. I can tell you that the person who sent me here has enough Energy to determine your entire future and destiny."

"There are some people you still can’t afford to offend."

Chen Chuan ignored them and turned to walk back. He had already given his warning. If the three of them didn’t move, he would have his security team open fire.

Ji Xinmin watched his retreating back. He raised a hand, and one of his companions produced an old-fashioned radio and twisted the knob on top.

A burst of static erupted from the device, followed by a voice that spoke directly into his mind: "Come to our side."

Chen Chuan stopped in his tracks.

A smile spread across Ji Xinmin’s face. When the important person had sent them, he had also given them a cassette tape with instructions to play it when they met Chen Chuan. It was clearly working.

Chen Chuan turned back and stared at the radio. The voice was repeating the same phrase over and over. He glanced at his Second Self; signs of dematerialization were rippling from it like disturbed water, and the informational Domain around him seemed to be in disarray. He then raised his eyes to look at Ji Xinmin and his men.

Ji Xinmin and his men suddenly had a sense of foreboding. He gestured to turn the radio’s volume to maximum.

But it was useless. Even as the Spiritual Power relentlessly assailed Chen Chuan, his eyes only grew deeper and more serene.

Ji Xinmin was suddenly overwhelmed by an intense feeling of danger. Before he could react, a palm filled his vision.

Alarmed, he tried to raise a hand to parry, but his body couldn’t keep up with his thoughts. Before he could move, the palm was already pressed against his face, sending him flying backward.

The other two men, seeing Chen Chuan make his move, immediately charged him. One swung his baton at Chen Chuan’s right shoulder, while the other dropped low, aiming for his knees.

Their movements were fast and their coordination was masterful, their attacks landing on Chen Chuan almost simultaneously. But he didn’t budge an inch. To them, it felt like hitting a thick, resilient tire. Their metal batons were repelled by the rebound force, and a jarring numbness shot through their arms.

Chen Chuan reached out, grabbed one of the men by the wrist, and swung him bodily into his companion. The second man had already started to retreat, but Chen Chuan’s movement was too fast. In the blink of an eye, his partner’s body smashed into him.

A sickening thud of colliding bodies rang out. The two men seemed to hang in mid-air for a moment before falling to the ground in a tangled heap, most of the bones in their bodies shattered by the impact.

Only then did Ji Xinmin land on the ground with a heavy THUD. The whites of his eyes were showing; he had apparently lost consciousness the moment he was hit.

The radio he had been holding tumbled away, but the voice from within had already vanished before the attack. All that remained was the soft HISS of the cassette spinning.

Chen Chuan had heard it clearly. The phrase had repeated a total of seven times, and his Domain had returned to normal the moment the voice disappeared. He placed a hand on his Realm Token and contacted the Processing Bureau directly. "An Shield, I was just attacked. I have neutralized the assailants. Please file a report."

An Shield’s voice replied, "Domain information disturbance detected thirty seconds prior. Analysis indicates informational interference. On-site conditions confirm assault. Report filed, Manager Chen."

Chen Chuan lowered his hand.

’It would be hard to explain exactly what just happened because of the Domain interference,’ he thought. ’But given their series of actions—intercepting my vehicle, then using a Domain interference—it’s perfectly logical to classify this as an attack. And they did attack, just with a less obvious spiritual assault.’

He walked over to the radio and picked it up. This was evidence. Leaving it with the Processing Bureau might not yield any results, but the Pure Sect would likely be able to find something out.

He turned and walked back to the motorcade, instructing Yu Xiao, "Captain Yu, bring these three with us."

"Yes!"

Yu Xiao and the security team members shouted in affirmation.

They had always known their manager was powerful, but they had never seen just how powerful he was. Now that he had so casually dispatched three clearly exceptional Third Limit Fighters, they were filled with both excitement and awe.

The team members went forward, cuffed the three unconscious men with special restraints, and dragged them into one of the vehicles. The motorcade then started moving again.

Once he was back in the car, Chen Chuan resumed his call with Wu Han. "Sorry, something came up and I was delayed. Senior Brother, are my classmates and Senior Brother Wei all settled in?"

Wu Han hadn’t noticed anything unusual. "Rest assured, I’ve taken care of everything," he said, then added, "Old Qi is here helping out."

Chen Chuan understood. If Old Qi was there, then everything was truly settled.

Wu Han continued, "I’ll send you their address right now..." As he spoke, an address appeared on Chen Chuan’s device. "Oh, by the way, Junior Brother, guess who I ran into a few days ago?"

After a moment’s thought, Chen Chuan smiled. "For you to bring it up like that, Senior Brother, it must be some of our old classmates, right?"

"Heh, you nailed it, Junior Brother! You know, Geng Zheng? Remember him? And Tai Dongwei, and that Deng Fu, too?"

Chen Chuan nodded. "I remember."

’Those were the three who joined the Mutual Aid Association,’ Chen Chuan recalled. ’They never did anything evil themselves, but they were ostracized just for having been members. It seems they left Yangzhi City afterward, but I never knew where they went.’

Wu Han said, "Turns out they came to Central City a long time ago, even earlier than I did. It was a few months after you arrived, Junior Brother. I chatted with them, and they’re all working for a client with a lot of Energy. The only thing is, I heard from Old Qi that this client is crooked and has a terrible reputation in the business."

Chen Chuan considered this for a moment. "Senior Brother, do you have their contact information?"

"I do."

"Send it to me in a bit, then."

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