Negotiation

Lin Zhen's spear churned in his hand like a black dragon, wisps of spear light spilling from its tip and leaving small dents on the dummy from afar.

But the Gale Spear Technique emphasized not frequency, but ferocity and surprise attacks—an unstoppable force like a gale.

After becoming a Level Seven Warrior, Lin Zhen's physical strength had become exceptionally formidable. As he charged forward, he even left behind an afterimage. Gripping the spear shaft tightly, he gave it a fierce shake.

"Pfft!"

A massive burst of spear light suddenly shot out from the gale, violently piercing through the dummy's chest!

The dummy was made of New Soft Rubber, a kind of rubber that automatically sealed itself at an extremely fast rate. Yet Lin Zhen's incomparably powerful strike had punched a hole as large as a washbasin through it, and it took a long time to fully close.

Lin Zhen stood behind the dummy. The wild momentum from before had faded, and he held the spear in one hand as his emotions gradually calmed.

"I succeeded! I've finally mastered the Gale Spear Technique again. And I can feel that my understanding now is deeper and more thorough than in my previous life. This body is younger, and my mindset is completely different. Unlike in my past life, when I was already in my twilight years—even mastering the spear technique then gave me little reason to rejoice."

"With the Gale Spear Technique under my control again, I now have roughly the strength of a peak Warrior. Though I'm still no match for a War General, with my spear technique and Mental Power, I can at least protect myself against a Beginner War General."

"In this life, I won't let anyone trample me underfoot again. Not even gods!"

Once Lin Zhen had completely calmed down, he checked the time and realized it was almost time for his appointment with Zhang Huai and the others.

He quickly tidied up, slid the one-hundred-and-fifty-pound Black Dragon Spear into a spear case made from Mutated Deer Hide, and carried it on his back.

That weight was nothing to the early Level Eight Warrior Lin Zhen. After putting five Alloy Flying Knives into the small compartments on his belt, he walked out of the small training ground.

The moment he stepped outside, he saw Zhao Liang standing there with three men.

"Brother Zhao, sorry to keep you waiting. My fault—I lost track of time while training."

Zhao Liang waved it off. "It's nothing. We came early. Come on, Lin Zhen, let me introduce you."

He led Lin Zhen over to the other men. "This is Shi Lei, captain of our Demon Hunter Squad. A Level Three War General, and the strongest member of our team."

"Hello, Brother Shi." Lin Zhen took the initiative to greet him.

"Mm. I've heard Zhao Liang mention you many times. You've made quite a name for yourself lately, too. But when someone becomes famous before proving their strength, they attract plenty of attacks. Lin Zhen, you need to keep that in mind. Find an opportunity to shut up those who doubt you."

Lin Zhen smiled and nodded. The captain spoke plainly, and Lin Zhen liked dealing with people like that.

"This is Gao Yan, a General Level sniper. Whenever we go out to hunt monsters, many of them get their heads blown off with a single shot from Gao Yan. He has the highest kill rate in our squad."

"Hello, Brother Gao." Lin Zhen greeted him again.

"Hello, kid. Just focus on killing monsters from now on. I'll deal with any threats lurking in the dark."

Gao Yan said nothing more. They would all be members of the same squad from now on, but he still needed to observe what Lin Zhen was really capable of. If Lin Zhen proved useless, Gao Yan would not bother with him.

"This is Ye Tiancheng, a Level Two War General. His dual swords are extremely powerful. Though his rank is a little lower than mine, he's the second strongest member of our team."

Ye Tiancheng did not look much older than Lin Zhen. He glanced at Lin Zhen. "Kid, what I hate most are people who get in the way. I hate playing babysitter even more. If I still don't approve of you after a month, I'll definitely recommend that Boss Shi kick you out. We Demon Hunters go out to kill monsters and make money, not to play around."

"Don't worry, Brother Ye. If I become a burden, I'll leave on my own. There'll be no need to trouble you."

Though Ye Tiancheng spoke bluntly, Lin Zhen knew that people like him were genuine and could be trusted as teammates. He felt no dissatisfaction.

"All right, then the five members of our Demon Hunter Squad are complete. You all know why we came today—to help Lin Zhen settle a problem with those little bastards from the Dragon Slayer Blood Hand Squad. Lin Zhen will do the talking, and we'll back him up. Lin Zhen, remember this: never back down."

"Don't worry, Brother Zhao. I know what to do."

"Good. I also had the Police Station release the people who hurt your father today. They're in the vehicle outside, watched by police officers. We'll bring them over in a moment to add to our bargaining chips. Let's see whether that bastard Zhang Huai still cares about his brothers."

"All right, then let's go." Shi Lei spoke, and several of them got into a vehicle. It was a heavily modified SUV; its original make was no longer recognizable, but it looked exceptionally sturdy and imposing.

A police car followed behind them, carrying two officers and the hooligans who had injured Lin Zhen's father.

Their agreed meeting place was an Abandoned Warehouse in the City Central District.

Logically, there should not have been unused land in a Base City where every inch of ground was precious. But this district of abandoned warehouses was an exception—it had been built as an Arena for Martial Artists.

Martial Artists always had plenty of grudges to settle. Some matters were resolved in the wilderness, while smaller disputes were handled through negotiations at arranged locations. If talks broke down, fights could erupt. Since Martial Artists possessed tremendous destructive power, ordinary places could not withstand their damage, and so this abandoned warehouse district came into being.

The vehicle wound its way into the deserted area. Broken walls and ruins lay everywhere, along with rusted cargo containers in terrible condition. Some had rotted away into huge holes, while others were covered in moss. It was said they were relics from the Anno Domini Era.

There were even bullet holes, sword marks, and other traces of past battles scattered along the road.

"They're over there!"

Zhao Liang, who was driving, pointed ahead. Two Modified Off-Road Vehicles were parked in the distance, and several people lounged around them crookedly, waiting for Lin Zhen and the others.

The two vehicles arrived one after another and came to a stop. Everyone got out.

Shi Lei walked at the front with a thick cigar clenched between his teeth. The Demon Hunter Squad members followed behind him, while the two police officers brought the four young hooligans over at the rear.

The four hooligans were bruised and battered. At Zhao Liang's instruction, the police officers near Raging Wind had given them a good beating as well. But in Lin Zhen's eyes, that was far from enough. Everything would have to wait until the negotiation reached a conclusion.

When Raging Wind's people arrived, the Dragon Slayer members straightened up as well, watching their opponents with cold smiles.

Both sides stopped less than five meters apart.

Without any pleasantries, Shi Lei spoke first as the Demon Hunter Squad's captain. "Du Yanhu, Zhang Huai is a member of your Blood Hand Squad, right? He instructed his men to injure Lin Zhen's father, a member of our squad. Does he not know that disputes between Martial Artists should not extend to their families? How are we settling this debt?"

Du Yanhu was Blood Hand's captain, a Level Four War General and the strongest person present.

Du Yanhu did not directly answer the question. Instead, he asked Zhang Huai, "Did something like that happen?"

Zhang Huai spread his hands. "Boss, this has nothing to do with me. Who knows what kind of madness these Demon Hunters are up to? Something happened, and they're pinning it on me."

Then Zhang Huai looked at the hooligans. "You lot are indeed people I have at Black Swan, but I never told you to do something like that, did I?"

Once the hooligans saw Zhang Huai, the fear on their faces vanished. One of them immediately said, "No, Boss. We beat up that old man because the breakfast he made was too disgusting. The meat was rotten. We argued with him, but he refused to admit it, so we hit him a few times."

Zhang Huai smiled at Lin Zhen. "So, Lin Zhen, this can't be blamed on me, can it?"

Lin Zhen did not argue with Zhang Huai's blatant denial. Instead, he asked, "So you're saying this matter has absolutely nothing to do with you, Zhang Huai?"

"Of course!" Zhang Huai glared.

"Fine. Then no matter how I deal with these hooligans, it has nothing to do with you."

"Hmph! I was about to talk to you about that. They've been locked up for half a month already. It's time to let them go, isn't it?"

"Letting them go is possible. But I, Lin Zhen, am a member of Raging Wind. My family was beaten and injured like this. If we don't get an explanation, won't people laugh their heads off when word gets out? These little hooligans won't need their legs for walking anymore!"