Chapter 181: Safe
A moment later, the rain stopped. Chen Chuan dragged Tan Wang by the leg from the lakeside to one of the cars.
The drivers had already fled.
They were just normal people, so Chen Chuan did not go after them. They could also bring news of Tan Wang’s defeat back to their master.
Chen Chuan inspected the cars and every spot around them before he went to the phone booth at the edge of the park. Once he inserted a coin, he made a call and returned to wait while leaning against the car.
Around ten minutes later, a silver-gray sedan drove over. Its headlights stood out like a sore thumb in the darkness. Gao Ming parked not too far away, opened the door, and came out.
With a flashlight in hand, he approached Chen Chuan. Once he saw that Chen Chuan was unharmed, he sighed in relief. Then, he noticed Tan Wang lying unconscious beside the car. His expression didn’t change in the slightest even when he saw how badly beaten up he was. “Who’s this, cuz?”
“Tan Wang, a lecturer from Central City. He taught a recommended student before,” Chen Chuan answered.
Gao Ming’s eyes lit up so brightly that even his glasses couldn’t hide his excitement. He said, “This man is an important piece of our plan.”
Chen Chuan grunted in agreement. A crucial part of the third phase of their plan was to capture someone of great importance. Chen Chuan was going to do everything he could to get some answers.
Tan Wang was definitely someone who fit the criteria. There was plenty of information that could be extracted from him. With him in his hand, Chen Chuan was free to strike or retreat as he pleased.
The Mutual Aid Group would react in one of two ways next. The first option was to placate him so they could take their time finding a better chance to take him down in the future. The second option was a more likely candidate, though.
Coincidentally, Chen Chuan also preferred the second option.
“They should approach you soon. We just need to wait,” Gao Ming said.
“Alright. Let’s go back now,” Chen Chuan replied.
“Get in my car.” Gao Ming shone his flashlight on Tan Wang. “Should we treat his wounds? He’s badly injured. It’d be bad if he died halfway through.”
“Just stuff him in the trunk. He won’t die that easily.”
“I can see another one over there. What about him?”
“He’s not important.”
Chen Chuan grabbed Tan Wang. Once Gao Ming opened the trunk, he stuffed the man inside and went to the front passenger seat after throwing a bag to the back seat.
He had gathered all that Tan Wang had brought with him. It was dark, so he couldn’t take a proper look at them. He would check them once he went back.
Gao Ming started the car and left the park.
“Where are we going?” Gao Ming asked while turning the steering wheel.
“Let’s go back to the training center. Constables are on patrol there, so we won’t have to worry about anything happening. Once we’re there, I’ll need to make a few calls.”
***
Wei Jun sat behind his desk in his family’s villa with his arms crossed as he stared outside the window. He was waiting for news from Tan Wang. Before getting any confirmation of Tan Wang’s victory, he could not rest easy.
He had to take the unrestricted defense permit in two days. Before he left, he had to deal with this problem so that nothing happened to the allocation of recommendation slots in the next semester.
Just then, he heard footsteps in the corridor. The butler came into his study.
Wei Jun immediately felt invigorated and stood up. He turned around and asked, “Well? Is there news?”
The butler hesitated.
“If you have something to say, say it. Did Mr. Tan change his mind again?” Wei Jun scowled.
Tan Wang always acted on a whim. It was entirely possible that he suddenly went somewhere else. Fortunately, Tan Wang had a reputation for being trustworthy and carrying out his promises. Even more importantly, he needed money, so Wei Jun wasn’t worried about him not fulfilling his promise.
“The two drivers with Mr. Tan came back,” the butler said.
“What do you mean by that?” Wei Jun wasn’t expecting this. There was something off about the situation. “What is it? Just tell me.”
“They said that Mr. Tan... was defeated.” The butler paused for a bit. “But they aren’t too sure. It was raining, so they couldn’t see clearly.”
A long period of silence descended on the study.
After a long while, Wei Jun finally wrapped his head around the news and flew into a rage. “Are you fucking kidding me?! Who on earth in Yangzhi City could have possibly defeated Tan Wang?! Who is it?!”
The butler looked him in the eye. “Chen Chuan.”
Wei Jun froze and stared at the butler in dumbfounded shock. It took some time for him to recover. “Say that again?”
“Chen Chuan, or at least, that’s what the drivers said. I’m still looking into the specifics,” the butler answered.
Feeling the strength drain from him, Wei Jun massaged his temples. This result went against his ingrained understanding of the world and threw all that he had accepted as fact into chaos. He didn’t know how to take the next step.
A moment later, he slammed his desk, and with a loud thud, the thick wood shattered. Shards of it flew all over the office.
The butler quickly stepped back.
Wei Jun turned around and looked outside. A long while passed before his breathing finally calmed down. As if he had regained his usual composure, he said coldly, “Bring those drivers over for questioning. I need to verify every word from their mouths. Also, send someone to Reed Lake to make sure that they were telling the truth.”
“Understood.” The butler nodded and left.
Soon, he brought the drivers over. Of course, Wei Jun wasn’t going to interrogate them himself. Instead, he got a professional. After the man used various interrogation methods on the drivers, he got his answer—they were telling the truth.
But they also stated that they weren’t able to see the fight between Tan Wang and Chen Chuan. They heard countless loud blasts, then saw Chen Chuan punching Tan Wang repeatedly until he collapsed and stopped moving. It was then that they panicked and ran away.
Right at that moment, the servants the butler had sent to Reed Lake came back. They shared seeing a shocking sight at the park: deep trenches and pits covered the lakeside. It looked as if the place had been bombarded by artillery shells instead of there only having been a fight between two men.
They had found a heavily injured and unconscious Jing Lin, so they brought him back. After they examined him, they found that refined force had seeped into his brain. While he could survive, it would be difficult for him to regain consciousness.
Based on Jing Lin’s condition and what the servants saw, they could indirectly confirm that the two drivers were telling the truth.