Unexpected Turn

Red Glow Club, East District of Huaisha City.

The East District was the most prosperous area in the entire city, and the Red Glow Club was one of the most magnificent landmarks in the district.

The eighteen-story, retro manor-style club featured a uniform dark red decor, from its luxurious and exquisite furnishings to the beautiful, uniformed greeters wearing practiced smiles.

It offered every guest who stayed there the finest environment in all of Huaisha City.

Chen Tan sat alone before the pond in the club's back garden, staring at the lotus leaves floating on the water, lost in thought.

His father, Chen Hang, was the elder of the Chen Brothers, who controlled all the casinos in Huaisha City.

He was also the man behind the scenes of this very club.

As for Chen Tan himself, he had taken over half of his father's businesses at the age of only twenty-one. Though he looked like an ordinary bookworm, he was, in reality, quite notorious throughout the Huaisha City underworld.

"Brother Tan, we found him."

The sliding sound of the balcony door came from behind.

A steady, powerful, and tall man wearing a black T-shirt and dress slacks walked in, bowing his head as he spoke loudly to Chen Tan.

"What's his background?" Chen Tan turned around to look at the man.

"His family runs a small shop, just a grocery store. No background to speak of," the man replied quickly.

Chen Tan's expression remained flat, his index finger tracing circles on the chair's armrest.

"Chen Huan is my woman, and I don't want her to be sad. So, the usual rules."

The man nodded.

"I'll handle it. Rest assured."

"Keep it discreet; the wind is blowing hard lately," Chen Tan frowned.

"It'll be fine," the man laughed.

"There are a few people over at the Steel Scale Club with some family background, making them hard to touch, but his old man is easy to deal with. Business always involves conflicts. It's perfectly normal for someone with a short temper to run into a little trouble."

Chen Tan nodded slightly, saying no more.

If a family member ended up in the hospital and a message was passed along, he believed that Lin Sheng would know exactly what to do.

"I'll send people over this afternoon. Please, get some rest," the man bowed his head and quickly retreated.

On the bus.

The passenger count was moderate.

There were only a few scattered seats available in the front, middle, and back.

Lin Sheng nodded at Xiayin. The four of them dispersed, each finding a seat.

They were heading out for field combat training.

Combat sword techniques could never be mastered by practicing indoors alone.

Therefore, Lin Sheng had incorporated field training into his instructional curriculum.

Xiayin and the other two had never trained outside the club before, and they seemed to find this first excursion quite novel.

Xiayin and Madilan chatted as they sat together, while Russell sat behind Lin Sheng, looking drowsy and sleep-deprived.

Lin Sheng sat alone in the middle of the bus.

Their destination was the infamous Fallen District of Huaisha City—the Blackwater District.

It was a gathering place for prostitutes, gangs, and bars; it was even rumored that one could find places to purchase firearms there.

As the most chaotic neighborhood, the Blackwater District's public security was equally poor. Whites, Asians, Blacks—anyone who couldn't make it elsewhere sought out the cheap rent here.

Because it was also the place with the lowest average rent in all of Huaisha City.

The bus moved along, stopping and starting.

After about twenty minutes, Xiayin, who was sitting in front, suddenly pulled out her phone and answered a call.

At first, her expression was relaxed, but within a few minutes, her face changed.

"Teacher Lin." Xiayin stood up from her seat and walked quickly toward Lin Sheng.

Madilan followed behind her, his own expression looking rather grim.

"What's wrong?" Lin Sheng was slightly stunned, confused.

Xiayin's pretty face turned cold, and suppressing her anger, she whispered, "I just received news that someone is planning to target your family!"

"What?!?" Lin Sheng's expression shifted, his back straightening instantly.

"Who? When! Where!"

Xiayin shook her head.

"It's happening today. I don't know the location. I only had people keeping watch as a precaution because of rumors that someone had been sabotaging contestants before the matches. I thought they were just rumors, but..."

"Who! Who would dare to pull something like this on the Steel Scale Club's turf?!" Madilan's face was dark with fury.

"Is it targeting my dad or my mom?"

Lin Sheng calmed down rapidly. Panic was undoubtedly useless at a time like this. The only thing that mattered was to clarify the situation as quickly as possible and rush to provide aid.

"It's Uncle Lin!" Xiayin answered quickly. "Let's get off the bus immediately and hail a taxi to get there; we should make it in time!"

"Get off!"

Lin Sheng stood up abruptly.

The bus arrived at the stop just in time.

Xiayin and the others pulled the drowsy Russell along, and the four of them quickly got off the bus together.

The original plan to head to the Blackwater District was completely disrupted.

Lin Sheng's expression was grim as he stood by the roadside without saying a word.

Madilan soon hailed a taxi, and the four of them got in, turning around to rush toward the location of Lin Zhounian's shop.

It was in the border zone between the East Huaisha District and the Port District.

Lin Zhounian was busy unloading boxes from a tricycle, with a porter helping him on the side.

The weather wasn't particularly hot, and he wasn't wearing thick clothing, but after working hard, he was still sweating profusely.

The shop was called the Lin Family Shop, and it was only the size of a bedroom, no more than eight meters in length and width.

Business had been good lately; Lin Zhounian had just brought in a new batch of goods and sold most of them quickly.

That was why he had decisively brought in another new batch today.

"Boss Lin, business is booming! Getting new stock so early," the owner of the clothing store nearby greeted him with a smile.

"Small business, not much profit, just thin margins and high turnover," Lin Zhounian waved his hands repeatedly and laughed.

"Regardless of thin margins, a booming business and high foot traffic are always good things," the clothing store owner replied.

Lin Zhounian knew well the principle of not flaunting wealth, so he quickly put on a bitter smile and began to complain to the other man, saying how little profit he made, how some goods were sold at a loss, and how he had to work from dawn till dusk every day.

At a roadside morning tea stall not far away.

Several burly men with light yellow hair and faint blue tattoos visible on the backs of their hands exchanged glances, slowly stood up, and approached Lin Zhounian's direction.

Thwack.

They hadn't walked more than a few steps.

Suddenly, a tall, black-haired boy walked across their path diagonally, blocking them.

It was none other than Lin Sheng, carrying his sword case on his back.

He stood there with a calm expression, blocking the men without saying a word.

"Move aside, don't block my path!"

The lead man looked impatient and reached out to shove Lin Sheng.

He didn't know Lin Sheng at all; he only knew to complete the task assigned by his superiors. As for anything else, they didn't care.

Thwack.

The burly man's palm slapped onto Lin Sheng's left shoulder.

"You pushed me?" Lin Sheng's eyes widened.

"If you push me, you want to hit me! If you want to hit me, you want to harm me! I was just trying to ask for directions, and you actually want to harm me—you must even want to kill me!"

The burly men were stunned, completely at a loss for how to react.

Before they could recover their senses, Lin Sheng gripped the hilt of the sword on his back, his pupils narrowing slightly as he stared at them like a snake eyeing a frog.

"You're finished."

A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.