Chapter 21: Walking Out Of The Alley To See Light

Chen Chuan could overlap with his second self for more than one minute. That was enough for his current self.

Once they overlapped, he became astonishingly fast. In the span of one breath, he arrived in front of the person at the forefront of the group ahead of him. That person quickly lifted his steel pipe, but with a flick of his wrist, Chen Chuan threw the two stones he had been holding.

The person immediately shouted in pain. Chen Chuan then stomped on the ground and slammed his knee into that man. Before he could even finish crying out, Chen Chuan had already knocked him backwards, causing the people behind him to be unable to go forward as well.

Once Chen Chuan landed on the ground, he grabbed that person’s collar and yanked him to the right, lifting him off the ground and blocking the path of the people trying to close in on him from the side.

With wind whooshing behind him, Chen Chuan bent down. A steel pipe swept past the top of his head. Without turning back, he leaned back and rammed his elbow into his assailant’s stomach. The person instantly fell on his knees.

Someone moved to his side, and another steel pipe came swinging down on Chen Chuan. He blocked it with his left arm and, without batting an eyelid, grabbed the steel pipe and punched the person in the nose. The man’s head fell back, and he was forced to release his steel pipe. He cradled his nose and staggered back into the oncoming crowd.

Just then, Chen Chuan heard hurried footsteps and curses behind him; the people behind were rushing over.

He ignored them and continued going at the group in front of him. When he was about to reach them, he took a step to the right and swung the steel pipe in his hand. Naturally, he used Major Sanshou’s Whip Strike to put power into his swing. He spun using his waist and swung his arm like it was a whip. Instantly, he hit the arm of a person charging at him, and it bent in an unnatural angle. The steel pipe that person was holding fell on the ground with a clatter.

Chen Chuan’s movements were all chained together. Using his waist to drive his arms, after swinging the steel pipe to the right, he swung it to the left and hit another person’s knee caps. The man had not seemed to have noticed it, but when he took half a step forward, his knees gave out under him, and he fell on the ground cradling his legs and howling in pain.

Chen Chuan never stopped moving. He kept on going, and after the two swings, he managed to make it through the group. Two people tried to grab him. If they managed to hold him back, the others would surge forward, and it would be difficult for Chen Chuan to use any of his techniques.

But with the additional strength from his second self, Chen Chuan could move like lightning. He brushed past the two people, and they fell forward after losing their balance. They even ended up dragging down the people beside them.

Chen Chuan had managed to make it out of the group when a built man in overalls appeared in front of him. He was standing firm on his feet and gave off a different feeling from the rest. He lifted his steel pipe and thrust it at Chen Chuan’s solar plexus.

Chen Chuan took a step to the side and brought up his unoccupied hand to block the steel pipe with a sweep, then pushed forward. He spread his fingers a little. If he did not manage to sweep the steel pipe aside, and it continued pushing forward, all he needed to do was close his fist, and he could grab it. But the man’s arm did not budge. With a quick flip of his wrist, he moved the steel pipe out of Chen Chuan’s grasp and swung it abruptly at his face.

But Chen Chuan was even faster. Before the steel pipe could touch him, he moved out of the way. Even so, the man was not done with his attack. He brought his right leg up and stomped down. At the same time, he bent backward, and the steel pipe came at Chen Chuan again like a spear. This attack was fast, precise, and would have caught anyone else off guard.

Chen Chuan stomped down on the ground as well. This time, he did not retreat. Instead, he charged forward while tilting his head to the side and bending his back. He let the steel pipe brush past his cheek while he punched the man in the ribs. The fierce punch made the man stumble, and he grunted.

He was still holding onto the steel pipe tightly and did not seem to have given up on fighting, so Chen Chuan brought his knee up and rammed it against the man’s chin. Broken teeth flew out, along with blood and spit. The man got thrown off his feet, and after a moment, he came crashing down on the ground.

Chen Chuan pulled his leg back and turned to look behind him. Only one person remained standing. His eyes were filled with fear, and when he saw Chen Chuan look over, he took a few steps back before he threw away the steel pipe and ran away.

Meanwhile, the hurried footsteps from the other end of the alley gradually slowed down until they completely faded away.

Chen Chuan turned around and walked over to this group of people with a steel pipe in hand. Even though there were about eight of them, when they saw him approaching them, they shuffled back unconsciously.

Chen Chuan calmly walked past the howling and moaning people on the ground until he arrived at the spot where he was before the fight began. He threw the steel pipe away. The clattering sound when it hit the ground terrified the remaining thugs so much that they stepped back again.

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan went to the side to pick up his jacket. He brushed off the dust on the fabric before placing it over his shoulder and walked toward the end of the alley, where the sun shone.

This time, the thugs did not try to stop him. They just watched him leave with fear and respect in their eyes.

Dou Qi stood at the window of the rented room with his cigarette having gone out. His eyelids twitched, while the man in the floral-checkered shirt was so surprised that his jaw was slack from disbelief. There was even a hint of fear in his eyes. “That kid is that good at fighting...”

Wei Dong had jumped down from his balcony to help Chen Chuan, but when he jumped to a wall that offered a bit of footing and was about to get down, the fight had already ended. Surprised, he watched Chen Chuan leave. “Seriously? Isn’t that a little too ridiculous?”

The entire fight had only taken around eight seconds. The agility, strength, and reaction speed Chen Chuan displayed were something Wei Dong had never seen among his peers.

He stared at the spot where the fight had happened. Then, as if the fight had fired him up, he turned around and climbed back into his room. Soon, loud thuds of fists and legs colliding against a punching bag came from his room.

Chen Chuan had already walked out of the alley at this point. He stopped in front of a phone booth, picked up the receiver, put a coin inside, and made a call. Once the call went through, he said, “Hello, is this the Constabulary? I’d like to speak to Captain Nian Fuli. I’m his nephew, and I need his help.”

After a while, Nian Fuli’s voice came through.

“Chen Chuan? What is it?”

Chen Chuan told him about the ambush. He had not interrogated the thugs about who they were and where they came from because he knew that the Constabulary would definitely figure it out, so he did not need to waste any energy on that.

“Are you okay?” Nian Fuli asked.

“I’m fine. But I was pretty rough on them.”

“Did you bring your bag with you?”

“I’ve been going to and fro training these days, so it wasn’t convenient to bring the bag around. I left it back at home.”

“Got it. Go back. I’ll handle this.”

Back at Sealed District’s Constabulary, Nian Fuli’s expression sank once he hung up, and he called out, “Xiao Wu, come here.”

A young and competent constable walked over. “Sir?”

“Take some men with you to the West Post District,” Nian Fuli said, then gave Xiao Wu more instructions. Xiao Wu nodded, saluted Nian Fuli, and left. Soon, shrill whistles came from outside, followed by neat footsteps.

Nian Fuli picked up the phone receiver and called a number. Once it went through, he said, “Hello, Lao Yu, it’s me, Nian Fuli.”

Chen Chuan walked out of the phone booth. His second self seemed to have become even more tangible.

He looked at the vast, blue sky. Not a single cloud was blocking it.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Tomorrow was going to be his first day in Martial Valor University.