Huaisha City's East District, Red Glow Club.
The East District was the busiest part of the city, and the Red Glow Club was one of its grandest landmarks.
The eighteen-story club was built in the style of a vintage manor and decorated throughout in deep red. Its luxurious, exquisite furnishings and impeccably dressed, smiling receptionists—
Everything about it ensured that any guest who came to stay would enjoy the finest accommodations in all of Huaisha City.
Chen Tan sat alone before the pond in the club's back garden, gazing at the lotus leaves floating on the water, lost in thought.
His father, Chen Hang, was the elder of the Chen Brothers, who controlled every casino in Huaisha City.
He was also the man behind the club.
At just twenty-one, Chen Tan had already taken over half of his father's business. Though he looked like an ordinary bookworm, he was actually quite well known in Huaisha City's underworld.
"Brother Tan, I found out."
The sliding balcony door sounded behind him.
A tall, sturdy man in a black T-shirt and long trousers walked in, looking awkwardly dressed. He bowed his head to Chen Tan and spoke loudly.
"How's his family background?" Chen Tan turned and looked at him.
"They run a small shop, just a grocery store. No connections," the man answered promptly.
Chen Tan's expression remained placid as he traced circles on the armrest with his index finger.
"Chen Huan is my woman. I don't want her to be heartbroken. So, do it the usual way."
The man nodded.
"I'll take care of it. Don't worry."
"Keep it discreet. Things are tense lately." Chen Tan frowned.
"It'll be fine." The man grinned.
"There are a few people at the Steel Scale Club whose families have some connections, so they're difficult to touch. But her father will be easy to deal with.
"Business always brings a few conflicts. If you run into someone with a short temper, it's only natural that something might happen."
Chen Tan nodded slightly and said no more.
If someone in her family ended up in the hospital, and word got around, Lin Sheng would understand what he needed to do.
"I'll send someone over this afternoon. You can rest easy." The man bowed his head, turned, and quickly left.
On the bus.
There were neither too many nor too few passengers.
Only a few seats were vacant, scattered across the front, middle, and back.
Lin Sheng nodded to Xiayin. The four of them split up at once and took separate seats.
They were heading out for wilderness combat practice.
You couldn't master practical swordsmanship by practicing indoors alone.
That was why Lin Sheng had included outdoor drills in his lessons.
Xiayin and the others had never practiced outside the club before. It was their first time, and they all seemed excited by the novelty.
Xiayin and Madilan sat together chatting, while Russell sat behind Lin Sheng, looking drowsy and as if he hadn't slept enough.
Lin Sheng sat alone in the middle of the bus.
They were headed to Blackwater District, Huaisha City's notorious Fallen District.
The area was packed with prostitutes, gangs, and bars. They even said you could find guns for sale there.
As the city's most chaotic district, Blackwater District had poor public safety. White people, Asians, and Black people who couldn't get by elsewhere all came there to find cheap housing.
It was also the place with the lowest average rent in all of Huaisha City.
The bus trundled along, stopping and starting.
About twenty minutes into the ride, Xiayin, seated up front, suddenly took out her phone and answered a call.
At first, she seemed relaxed. But within minutes, her expression changed.
"Mr. Lin." Xiayin sprang up and hurried over to Lin Sheng.
Madilan followed close behind her, looking troubled too.
"What's wrong?" Lin Sheng froze, unsure what was going on.
Xiayin's pretty face was icy. Suppressing her anger, she said in a low voice, "I just got word that someone's going after your family!"
"What?!" Lin Sheng's expression changed, and he straightened up at once.
"Who? When? Where?"
Xiayin shook her head.
"Today. I don't know where. I'd heard rumors that someone might sabotage competitors before the match, so I arranged for people to keep watch just in case. I thought it was all just talk, but I didn't expect..."
"Who would dare cause trouble for the Steel Scale Club?!" Madilan's face darkened with anger.
"Are they targeting my dad or my mom?"
Lin Sheng quickly calmed down. Panicking now would do no good. The only sensible thing was to find out what was happening as quickly as possible and rush to help.
"It's Uncle Lin!" Xiayin answered quickly. "Let's get off and grab a taxi. We should make it in time!"
"Get off!"
Lin Sheng stood up abruptly.
The bus had just reached a stop.
Xiayin and Madilan pulled Russell, who was dozing in the back, along with them, and the four of them hurried off together.
Their original route to Blackwater District had been completely thrown off.
Lin Sheng stood by the roadside, his expression grim, without a word.
Madilan quickly flagged down a taxi. The four got in, and it turned around and headed for Lin Zhounian's shop.
On the outskirts between Huaisha's East District and the Port District.
Lin Zhounian was busy unloading boxes of goods from a three-wheeled cart. A porter was helping him.
The weather wasn't particularly hot, and he wasn't wearing especially thick clothes, but the hard work had still left him sweating profusely.
His shop was called the Lin Family Shop. It was about the size of a bedroom, no more than eight meters long and wide.
Business had been good lately. Lin Zhounian had recently stocked up on new goods, and more than half had already sold.
So today he'd decisively bought another batch.
"Business is good, Boss Lin. You're stocking up this early?" the clothing store owner nearby called out with a smile.
"It's a small business. There's hardly any profit—just low margins and high volume." Lin Zhounian waved his hands and smiled.
"Whether it's low margins or high volume, a busy shop with plenty of customers is always a good thing," the clothing store owner replied.
Lin Zhounian knew better than to flaunt his wealth. He quickly put on a bitter smile and began complaining about his meager profits, how some goods had to be sold at a loss, and how he worked from dawn till dusk every day.
At a roadside breakfast stall not far away.
A few burly men with pale yellow hair and faint blue tattoos visible on the backs of their hands exchanged glances. They slowly got to their feet and headed toward Lin Zhounian.
Smack.
They hadn't gone far when a tall, slender young man with black hair happened to cut across their path, blocking their way.
It was Lin Sheng, a sword case strapped to his back.
He stood calmly in their way without saying a word.
"Move it. Don't block my way!"
The leader scowled impatiently and reached out to shove Lin Sheng aside.
He didn't know Lin Sheng at all. He only knew he had to carry out the orders he'd been given. He didn't care about anything else.
Smack.
The burly man's palm landed squarely on Lin Sheng's left shoulder.
"You shoved me?" Lin Sheng's eyes widened.
"You shoved me, so you want to hit me! If you want to hit me, then you want to hurt me!
"I was only trying to ask you for directions, and you tried to hurt me. You must want to kill me too!"
The burly men stared at him, utterly dumbfounded, with no idea how to respond.
Before they could recover,
Lin Sheng gripped the hilt behind him. His pupils narrowed slightly as he fixed his gaze on them, like a snake eyeing frogs.
"You're done for."
A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Before you continue