Chapter 202: Intercept

Chen Chuan found the situation odd and asked, “Am I the only one going, Mr. Cao?”

“Lao Feng will go with you,” Mr. Cao answered.

“May I ask why?”

In a grave voice, Mr. Cao said, “Luo Qi might have records of private deals between Black Orchid and other government officials. He should also be carrying a large number of gold certificates. With these things, some people in the government would choose to welcome him to their side.

“If he were to get someone to support and recommend him for promotion, in just a few years, he would become a high-ranking government official and sit across from us. We need to kill him before he’s taken under a government official’s wing.”

Chen Chuan thought about this, then nodded. “Got it, Mr. Cao. I’ll head out now.”

“It’s 2:30 p.m.. If you head out from the headquarters, you should reach the cargo terminal in half an hour. They agreed to meet at 4 p.m., but we can’t exclude the possibility that the person picking him up will arrive earlier. You might only have half an hour to kill Luo Qi.

“As the External Operations Department’s director, it’s been a long time since Luo Qi fought against anyone. He won’t be as skilled as Tan Wang, but he has good equipment and weapons to make up for his rusty skills. You can make any request that you think might help you kill him. As long as it’ll be beneficial for the fight, I’ll give it to you.”

Chen Chuan understood what he was trying to say. As long as Chen Chuan took up the mission, Mr. Cao would agree to all his requests, even if they were somewhat outrageous. “Alright, Mr. Cao. I’ll get ready now.”

“Do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. This won’t go into your file,” Mr. Cao said grimly.

Chen Chuan looked him in the eye and nodded.

Then, he left the meeting room. He didn’t care about whether it was going into his file. There were plenty of restrictions placed on everyone in the world. Either one thing or another was going to stop them from doing certain things, but once a person was strong enough, they could break free of those restrictions.

When he stepped out of the headquarters, he found Lao Feng already waiting for him. With him by his side, Chen Chuan went to the logistician and asked for a large batch of medicine.

He was going to face a Third Limit martial artist at full strength, and he would only have half an hour to kill him. Due to this, Chen Chuan didn’t hold back and asked for a lot of things. He also got himself the best protective gear available to him.

Ten minutes later, he got into a car and headed to the north of the city.

On the way there, he kept drinking water mixed with a lot of medicine while holding the Frost King Saber.

Other people might be worried about getting hurt by the medicine, but not Chen Chuan. He had his second self, who could absorb all the damage from it, so he could use medicine without any worry.

Still, it made Lao Feng give him concerned looks, and he cautioned him, “You should cut down on the medicine in the future, Chen Chuan.”

“Thank you, Mr. Feng. I know,” Chen Chuan said sincerely.

Lao Feng grunted and said gravely, “Even if Luo Qi doesn’t have the information we think, we can’t let him live. He has to be killed. I have a record of the things he’s done as the director of Black Orchid’s External Operations Department over the years, and a majority of them are records of him killing civilians.

“Some of them weren’t even on company orders. He was just venting. Someone with no morals like that shouldn’t live in this world. While we don’t represent justice, we have no reason to tolerate such evil.”

Chen Chuan nodded and said seriously, “I’ll kill him.”

At around 3:15 p.m., they passed Wu Neighborhood and approached the cargo terminal.

“It’s right ahead. If you go now, he should think that we’re there to pick him up. Do you think you can make use of that?” Lao Feng asked.

Chen Chuan thought about it. “I don’t think so. He should be able to recognize me. Even if I wear a mask, he will recognize my physique, so there’s no way for me to ambush him. I have to fight him head-on.”

“Then, be careful. I’ll support you from the back. If you find the situation going south, retreat to the car. I’m pretty good with a gun and should be able to hold him back for a while,” Lao Feng said with a solemn look.

“Thank you, Mr. Feng. If necessary, I’ll do that.”

Chen Chuan tossed the emptied water bottle aside and put on his mask and top hat. Then, he wrapped the scarf around himself. This was just as a precaution, in case Luo Qi carried any poisonous gases or liquids. Those things could easily catch people off guard. While Chen Chuan could have his second self absorb the damage, it was better to use other methods to block the attacks if possible.

Then, he picked up the warmed up Frost King Saber and got out of the car. After casting a glance at the warm afternoon rays of the sun, he took a box from Lao Feng, then stepped on the flat, spacious cement floor and headed to the box-filled cargo terminal.

After defeating Tan Wang, his overlap time with his second self had increased by five hours, and after killing the people from the Mutual Aid Group, it had increased by two more. Now, he had fifteen hours of overlap time with his second self.

But he only had half an hour to defeat and kill Luo Qi.

If he managed to win this fight, he should get an even higher increase in overlap time, and he would be a step closer to his twenty-four-hour overlap time goal.

This was a chance in a blue moon. Having reinforcements and logistical support while he fought was really rare, especially before he went to Central City.

That was why he decided to use a simple strategy—trade blow for blow. He was definitely going to lose if he tried to outclass Luo Qi through techniques and skill. It was only by meeting Luo Qi’s attacks with his own would he be able to win.

He had read up on Luo Qi.

He wasn’t from Martial Valor University, but rather a talented martial artist who had learned his techniques from the orthodox traditions of old martial arts. He had been able to become a director mainly because of his personal talents, not because of his skills as a martial artist, and he was infamous for being ruthless and having no morals. Not only that, but he had also been the one responsible for many of the company’s dirty deeds over the years.

There were no records of him fighting anyone over the years, and once a martial artist neglected actual fighting experience, be it in spars or real fights, even for just a few days, their skills would plummet. Since Luo Qi hadn’t fought anyone in years, Chen Chuan was sure that he wasn’t at the peak of his strength.

Still, Luo Qi could use implants and medicine to make up for this flaw, so Chen Chuan should still be careful.

When they reached the port, Luo Qi was waiting there while smoking.

He wore black gloves and Black Orchid Co.’s uniform. Strapped to his waist was a long sword, and he had a metal box by his feet, along with some simple diving equipment and a diving membrane tossed casually to the side.

He noticed Chen Chuan walking and looked over.

Chen Chuan had never met Luo Qi before, but he had seen his photo. Luo Qi was forty-six years old but only appeared to be around thirty. He had a decent-looking face, but there was a vicious look in his eyes. Since he always kept a stony face, he gave off a dark, brooding air.

When Chen Chuan walked over with the Frost King Saber and the box, Luo Qi flicked off the ash from his cigarette and adopted a casual stance. “You sure came early.”

“I was in a hurry,” Chen Chuan replied.

Luo Qi’s eyes landed on the box Chen Chuan brought over, and he asked, “Did you bring what I asked?”

Chen Chuan set the box down and plunged the Frost King Saber’s sheath into the cement floor. “Stop pretending, Mr. Luo. You recognized me already.”

Luo Qi raised an eyebrow at that and let out a playful huff. “Smart.” He looked behind Chen Chuan. “Did you come alone?”

“Of course not.” Chen Chuan met his gaze.

“Is that so?” Luo Qi said and rolled his neck and shoulders. “If someone wants to kill me and you aren’t the only one here, then am I right to assume that someone other than the person I spoke to wants me dead to stop me from joining the government?”

Chen Chuan didn’t give him an answer. He grabbed the Frost King Saber’s hilt and stepped forward. As he did, the saber slid out from its sheath.

He didn’t have a lot of time and wouldn’t waste even a second of it chatting with Luo Qi.

While on the way, he had been communicating with the Frost King Saber. Even when he was talking to Mr. Cao, he held the saber to keep in contact with it. Now, it had been warmed up to the point where he could chain multiple Heavy Slash Force attacks.

Luo Qi continued talking. “You’re the one who took out that cultist from the Secret Python Cult, aren’t you? Interesting. Looks like you’re already using the medicine the National General Affairs Bureau gave you. The top government officials must have sent you forward. Yes, that must be it. Alright, show me how long your medicine can last.”

He grabbed the sword hilt and drew it out in one smooth motion. The black blade did not reflect any light.

Chen Chuan brought the Frost King Saber up and walked forward. In the beginning, they only exchanged glances, but once Chen Chuan reached a certain distance, they charged at the same time and disappeared from sight.

Luo Qi chose to hold his sword with both hands and performed a thrust, while Chen Chuan delivered a downward slash also with both hands. It seemed like he had no intentions of dodging Luo Qi’s attack.

Luo Qi’s speed had been the same as Chen Chuan’s, but the tendons in Luo Qi’s legs pulled him forward. After two steps, he became even faster.

Chen Chuan’s expression didn’t change, nor did he change the trajectory of his slash.

Luo Qi narrowed his eyes. If this continued, he was bound to pierce Chen Chuan’s chest. Even if the young man wore protective gear, Luo Qi was confident that he could run him through.

But if Chen Chuan didn’t die, the saber was going to cut him. Based on his observations, the saber slash was no ordinary attack. It made alarm bells ring shrilly in his head.

That was why when Chen Chuan refused to dodge, seemingly ready to die with his enemy, Luo Qi was forced to change his attack right before they clashed. He brought his wrist up and used his sword to parry the attack and change its trajectory.

Yet since he had changed his technique in haste while Chen Chuan had attacked fearlessly with both hands on the saber hilt, Chen Chuan’s attack held his full power, yet Luo Qi’s did not. He felt his sword tremble, as if it was about to fly out of his grip, and a refined force charged into his body.

Luo Qi felt a pressure in his chest, and he quickly activated his mutated tissue to absorb the refined force. At the same time, he made use of the durability of his implanted tendons to retreat a few paces to the side and neutralize the remainder of the refined force.

Chen Chuan, too, felt a refined force coming from the sword, which charged into his body. It made his second self blur out a little, but Chen Chuan was not affected in the slightest. He flipped his wrists, twisted his waist, and delivered a diagonal upward slash.

He was going straight for Luo Qi’s neck.