Chapter 733: Surprise Attack

Chapter 733: Chapter 84: Surprise Attack

Haverford’s words sounded like an explanation, but they were filled with thinly veiled provocation.

Chen Chuan’s tone was flat. “If you’re finished and have nothing else to say, then please stop following my convoy, Mr. Haverford. I’ve already warned you. If you continue to follow, you’ll have to bear the consequences.”

“Wait.”

Seeing him about to turn back, Haverford took two steps forward. “I’m only here as a Fighter.” He shrugged. “If Manager Chen is a true Fighter, I’m sure you can understand my eagerness.”

Chen Chuan stopped in his tracks and replied, “I’m sorry. As a Fighter, I don’t object to sparring with others, but it depends on the time and the person. First, I don’t appreciate your discourtesy. Second, with your current strength and status, Haverford, you are not qualified to spar with me.”

With that, he turned and walked directly to his car.

Haverford wanted to say more, but as he stepped forward, the armed guards in the convoy suddenly aimed their guns at him. From the looks on their faces, it didn’t matter if he was part of a diplomatic team; if he dared to take another step, they would open fire on the spot.

“Alright, alright.”

Haverford raised his hands. Despite the gesture, his expression was relaxed, as he had no fear of these firearms. Still, he didn’t want to force a confrontation. This was their territory. Even if he defeated the men in front of him, he wouldn’t be able to handle the endless stream of reinforcements that would surely follow.

He took a few steps back. Seeing Chen Chuan about to get into the car, he called out, “Manager Chen, I’m willing to give you a piece of intelligence that you’ll find satisfactory—intelligence that will satisfy your Processing Bureau. I think we can establish a friendly relationship. Perhaps this will change your mind.”

As he spoke, he gestured, pulling an envelope from his jacket pocket. He waved it in his hand, then with a flick of his wrist, tossed it toward Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan motioned for his men not to shoot and caught the envelope. He felt it; there were no documents inside, just what felt like a few photos. He slid them out just a fraction of an inch before pushing them back in. Then he continued on his way and got back into the car.

‘As for his request… I didn’t agree to anything. He gave this to me of his own free will.’

Haverford watched with regret as the convoy started up again. He returned to his own car and spoke into a special Realm Token. “Report. Mountain Eagle has lost his bighorn.”

Inside the temporary Foreign Affairs Hall of the Lynx Federation, a middle-aged man was communicating with him over a temporarily established, secure channel.

The Federation’s diplomatic team had its eye on the Lost Object and was now preparing to enter the Merging Land. Before doing so, they planned to initiate contact and test the strength of some of the powerful Fighters from the Jibei Dao Central City Government.

Chen Chuan was ranked somewhat low on their list of targets to probe. As a manager, it seemed unlikely he would enter the Merging Land like a frontline combatant. However, with the pretext of an academic exchange, they weren’t about to pass up the opportunity.

But for now, it seemed they had failed.

But one failure wouldn’t stop them. The reply came back: “Wild Ox copies. Mountain Eagle, find another opportunity.”

Haverford replied, “Mountain Eagle is a little tired today. I’m going for a drink.”

The man on the other end joked, “Did Mountain Eagle fly a little too far last night?”

“Hey, don’t underestimate Mountain Eagle. He can fly all day with ease.”

But just as he was speaking, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. A figure was rushing toward the side of his car. The person’s speed was incredible; one moment they seemed to be hundreds of meters away, and the next they were right beside the car, kicking at the door.

His pupils contracted.

BOOM! The vehicle he was in was also armored, but in that instant, the entire midsection was kicked inward, caving under the impact.

His reaction was just as fast. He immediately threw himself backward, leaping out through the open window.

He squirmed out through the narrow window. But at that very moment, an immense force shoved the dented car body forward. The tires shrieked against the pavement with a maddening, high-pitched screech. As a result, his body—which should have cleared the vehicle—was caught, with the lower half still inside.

At that moment, the attacker suddenly slammed a hand down. The already mangled roof of the car collapsed, and the window frame was crushed shut, trapping Haverford’s lower legs.

Haverford sensed the danger and frantically twisted his torso, trying to wrench open the window frame binding his legs. He only needed a fraction of a second. But in that same instant, the attacker used the downward momentum from crushing the roof to launch himself forward like a pouncing cheetah, a fist rocketing toward Haverford’s head.

Haverford saw the fist was wreathed in a visible, air-shattering shockwave. His expression changed drastically as he crossed his arms to block in front of his face.

The punch first slammed into his forearms, twisting and shattering the bones. Then, with its momentum barely diminished, it continued relentlessly forward and crashed into his jaw.

A thunderous CRACK echoed through the air. One side of Haverford’s face completely caved in, his head wrapping around the fist like a wet noodle as a spray of shattered teeth, blood, and saliva erupted from his mouth.

But the force of the blow didn’t end there. It carried his head along with it, and a series of gruesome tearing sounds echoed from within his body, like tough, twisted steel rebar being ripped apart.

The bones, muscles, tendons, and blood vessels inside Haverford’s body were forcibly stretched and torn. By the time the punch’s momentum finally dissipated, his entire body had been elongated like pulled taffy, now half again his original length. His narrow, deformed head was unrecognizable, with only his long, lolling tongue left dangling to the ground.

Even then, because of the tenacious Life Force of a Third Limit Fighter, he was still breathing. One eye, nearly popping from its socket, stared at the attacker, as if trying to make out his face.

The attacker now stood atop the car, having retracted his fist. He looked down condescendingly at the remains. The afternoon sun was harsh, but it highlighted a powerful physique, with muscles and sinews that seemed to contain explosive power. The man stood up straight and turned his gaze toward Chen Chuan’s convoy.

Chen Chuan sat in the back seat. He had sensed the attack the moment it began and had witnessed the entire thing. Although he felt nothing for the dead man, Haverford was, after all, a foreign official with whom he had just interacted. He couldn’t simply pretend he hadn’t seen it.

Besides, given the attacker’s displayed skill and utter lack of restraint, he couldn’t just let him be.

By this point, the convoy had already driven some distance away. After coming to a stop again, the guards immediately formed up, all aiming their weapons at the figure in the distance.

Chen Chuan stepped out of the car. Feeling the wind sweep across the open ground, he adjusted the brim of his hat. He then ordered everyone to hold their positions while he walked forward alone.

The armed squad watched him go, their guns still trained on the distant figure standing on the ruined car.

But just then, the figure seemed to flicker. The armed guards were horrified to find that the man had instantly appeared less than fifty meters away from them.

He was a young man with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and medium-length hair. He wore a sleeveless training shirt, the thin but durable fabric clinging tightly to his frame. A few strands of hair fell across his forehead, and beneath blade-sharp eyebrows, his gaze was intensely aggressive.

Chen Chuan stared at the face, which was a ninety-percent match to the one in the drawing. ‘I can’t believe it,’ he thought. ‘The intel was just handed to me, and now the man himself has appeared.’

Observing him up close, he found the Painter’s rendering of the man’s aura was remarkably accurate. ‘I’ll have to give that Painter a raise when I get back,’ he decided.

Qi Qianyang was a little taller than Chen Chuan. His broad shoulders and thick back muscles gave him an intensely oppressive presence just by standing there.

He looked at Chen Chuan and spoke. “I was looking for you, but it seems you were looking for me, too. So I came. But just showing up like this felt a bit rude…” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing behind him. “So I brought you a written challenge. Are you satisfied with it?”

Chen Chuan’s voice was calm. “I would be, if you could deliver a few more.”

Qi Qianyang froze for a second, then burst out laughing, his laughter wild and unrestrained.

Just then, a low BUZZING sound came from the distance. A swarm of combat creatures was rapidly approaching, and city security vehicles were also quickly converging on their location.

Although they were in Hongsheng District, their proximity to the Deep Unexplored District meant that as soon as An Shield detected the danger around Chen Chuan, it immediately dispatched armed forces from the zone’s border as support. At the same time, an armed patrol Airship from the Deep Unexplored District was also heading their way.

He pointed a finger at Chen Chuan. “I only came to say hello today. But the battlefield isn’t your call to make.”

As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. An invisible Spiritual Power Force Field radiated outward. Instantly, the approaching combat creatures dropped from the sky like rain. The armed guards behind Chen Chuan also lost consciousness one by one, slumping against their vehicles.

At the same time, a large, blue-black bird launched itself from a distant skyscraper. In a flash, it swooped in over Qi Qianyang’s head, dropping a long rope from a harness strapped to its body.

Qi Qianyang did a backward somersault, grabbed the rope, and was instantly hoisted high into the air by the great bird. Dangling from the rope, he called down, “Well then, until next time.”