Chapter 67: Chapter 64: Fierce Alley Fight

TAP, TAP, TAP!!

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed across the concrete plaza before rapidly fading into the distance.

Watching Lu Chao’s back disappear in pursuit, Chen Xiao finally turned his head, his expression dark as he glared at the impassive Qin Guangrong.

"Qin Guangrong, you dare obstruct the Patrol Department’s business."

"You should be well aware of the consequences."

He gripped the black pistol tightly, unceremoniously turning it to aim through the iron gate and chains, pointing it directly at Qin Guangrong’s bald head.

His form of address had subtly changed. A cold light rose in Chen Xiao’s eyes; he wanted an explanation.

But then...

"Heh heh, why blame me, Chen Patrol?"

Qin Guangrong’s expression was nonchalant. He shook his head and reminded him, "There are some people I can’t afford to offend. Isn’t it the same for you?"

"What do you mean?"

Chen Xiao frowned, sensing something was wrong.

Then, he saw footsteps approaching from a shadowy corner of the plaza.

Qian Hu of the Second Squad had appeared nearby at some point. He walked over with two men, a wide grin on his face. He even clapped as he approached, saying, "Chen Xiao, oh, Chen Xiao, you sure talk big."

"Too bad you don’t speak for the entire Patrol Department."

"Qian Hu?!"

Chen Xiao’s pupils contracted. He never expected to see him here.

Meeting his gaze, Qian Hu, who wore a brown leather jacket, gave a chuckle and walked straight to Qin Guangrong’s side, a mocking look on his face.

As their eyes met, he declared righteously, "Lord Qin has always been a friend to our Patrol Department, providing numerous leads on major cases."

"Unfortunately, the Third Squad was arrogant and unprepared, which led to the suspect’s escape and a failed capture."

"And as it happens, our Second Squad was on patrol in the area. We’re stepping in to rectify the situation and bring the suspect to justice."

He paused, then asked with a grin, "What do you think of closing the case like that?"

Chen Xiao’s face changed drastically. He instantly understood everything.

The Second Squad had been pulling the strings behind the scenes all along.

"You dare!"

Chen Xiao roared, but he was completely trapped.

Seeing this, Qian Hu sneered, then turned his head to Qin Guangrong. "Lord Qin, Captain Ruan said it’s his honor to know a friend like you."

"Vice Director Ruan and the Biotechnology Company will also remember this favor."

"Heh heh, you’re too kind, too kind."

Chuckling softly, Qin Guangrong rubbed his bald head, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.

As he spoke, he waved a hand, beckoning one of his subordinates forward.

"If you’re interested, Qian Patrol, you can go watch the show."

"By my calculations, that man should have been recaptured by now."

Oh?

Qian Hu grinned at his words and nodded, about to go and enjoy the show.

But then...

BZZZT! BZZZT!

Qin Guangrong’s brow furrowed. The wristwatch on his confidant behind him suddenly vibrated with an incoming call.

"What is it?"

"L-Lord Qin, it’s... it’s bad!"

"That kid from the Patrol Department is too damn strong!!"

...

...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!!

In a narrow alleyway.

Two figures, one chasing the other, darted left and right through the labyrinthine alleys.

Their rapid footsteps kicked up a gale, sending dust in the corners swirling and drawing the gazes of local residents.

Lu Chao shot forward, leaping over a motorcycle blocking the path. He landed firmly with a THUD, his eyes locked on the fleeing figure in black as he steadily closed the distance.

He had guessed that this arrest wouldn’t be easy, but these twists and turns were still somewhat unexpected.

SPLASH!

As the thought crossed his mind, someone from the rooftop shanties threw out a basin of water, which splattered onto the ground below.

Lu Chao had just run past. A drunkard slumped against the wall was soaked to the bone and jolted awake with a shiver.

WHOOSH!

The next instant, as if anticipating his distraction...

The fleeing figure in black moved in a flash, lashing out with a kick.

In a matter of moments, several old, unused wardrobes up ahead were kicked off the ground, sent tumbling toward him.

His vision was instantly obscured, and the light grew dimmer.

The path ahead was completely blocked.

"Rock Tremor!"

His expression unchanged, Lu Chao’s muscles tensed. He charged forward without slowing down in the slightest.

BOOM!!

The old wooden wardrobes instantly exploded, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere.

He was like a human beast, ramming straight through and carving out a path. He darted through the shifting light and shadow, continuing his pursuit.

The huge commotion drew the gazes of more residents of the walled city. A few young men and women who had stayed up late and just gotten out of bed stood on the rooftop shanties brushing their teeth, their eyes wide with amazement.

"Who was that? He passed like a gust of wind."

"Looked like someone from the Patrol Department."

"He sure runs fast..."

As they watched, the figures in the alley were about to dash into a corner where paths intersected.

But right at that moment...

Two movers appeared from the end of the alley, gritting their teeth as they struggled to carry a large piece of furniture in a cardboard box, about to block the path.

"Heh heh."

The figure in black saw his chance and let out a cold laugh.

He suddenly burst with speed, taking advantage of the moment he brushed past them to be the first to reach the end of the alley.

VWOOM!

In an instant, the narrow path was completely blocked. The two movers in gray and the large piece of furniture stood in Lu Chao’s way.

His gaze sharpened as he scanned his surroundings.

Lu Chao didn’t hesitate for a second.

SWOOSH!!

He pushed off with his left foot, kicked off the alley wall with his right, and spun in mid-air, using the momentum to vault three meters into the air.

THUD!

He landed instantly.

Like an agile goose in flight, he easily cleared the furniture obstacle, then followed his intuition and charged into the alley around the corner to the right.

"That... that young man’s skills are incredible."

"Is he some kind of expert from the Patrol Department?"

"So fast!"

The men and women brushing their teeth on the rooftop looked on in amazement. Their previous nonchalance vanished, replaced by surprised whispers.

The two movers were clueless as to what had happened. They only felt a cold wind brush past their heads before the person was gone.

"Stop right there!"

WHOOSH!!

Unaware of what was happening behind him, Lu Chao accelerated again, bursting forward and heading straight for the man in black.

Only the two of them remained in the narrow alley. The drunkards in the corners were all jolted awake by his explosive shout.

The distance between the two grew shorter and shorter. The curious crowd of onlookers on the rooftops grew larger and larger, feeling that their boring lives had finally been disrupted.

Then, just as the distance closed to the final two meters...

At the very moment he was about to tackle the man in black...

WHOOSH!!

The man snatched a wooden stick that was leaning against the wall, spun around, and lashed out with it like a bolt of lightning.

The air was violently torn apart. The wooden stick seemed to transform into a flood dragon, and the fierce wind it carried was so piercing that Lu Chao’s skin stung with a slight pain before it even hit.

In that instant.

[Carbon-Based Human]

[Life Energy: 37 (Moderately Injured)]

At such close range, his intuitive senses finally activated.

Lu Chao’s eyes were calm. All stray thoughts vanished, leaving only one.

’I can take him!’

VWOOM!!

A fist covered in white ash shot out like a cannonball, tearing through the air with a howl.

BANG!!

A muffled explosion erupted. The wooden stick shattered at the moment of impact, a quarter of its length disintegrating into splinters.

Lu Chao seized the opportunity to step forward, closing the distance once more.

For the first time, he finally got a clear look at the man’s face.

He was in his thirties, with sallow skin, a long face, and thick eyebrows. A ring of bluish stubble surrounded his mouth, and there seemed to be a trace of blood on it.

His breathing was slightly ragged, which corresponded exactly to the injury status from his intuitive senses.

"Kid, who do you think you’re looking down on?"

The corners of the man’s mouth lifted into a sudden, cold smirk.

Alarm bells rang in Lu Chao’s mind as he sensed a chill.

He glanced down and saw the man flick his sleeve. Two steel nails had appeared in the palm of his left hand.

SHING!!

The wind tore as the man in black abandoned the stick for a new move.

He flicked his fingers, sending the two steel nails shooting out like bullets, aiming to pierce Lu Chao’s abdomen.

A bone-chilling cold washed over him. Lu Chao’s pupils constricted, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

At the critical moment, his muscle memory reacted faster than his conscious mind.

WHOOSH!

Twisting and stepping back, he converted his forward momentum into a sideways dodge.

RRRIP!!

The steel nails tore through his patrol uniform. A fiery, stinging pain flared across the skin of his abdomen, as if the flesh had been grazed.

With two sharp THWIPS, the nails struck the concrete wall behind him, kicking up two small puffs of gray dust.

"Hm?"

His sure-kill strike having missed, the man in black’s eyes narrowed, a hint of surprise in them.

He recovered quickly, twisting and turning. With a subtle flick of his right sleeve, two more steel nails appeared.

Then, with a WHOOSH!

Two glints of cold light shot through the air again, speeding toward Lu Chao’s head like bullets.

Three feet... one foot... half a foot...

Just as they were about to pierce his flesh and puncture his skull...

SWISH!!

Lu Chao’s left arm struck out, a Palm Seal cutting through the air.

The blow was like a projectile of hard stone, his tough Rock Hide deflecting most of the impact.

CLINK! CLINK!

With two crisp sounds, the two steel nails were knocked away, striking the corners of the concrete alley to the left and right.

Lu Chao’s eyes turned icy. He completely abandoned all defense.

"Die!"

VWOOM!!

His right fist, covered in Rock Hide and coiled at his waist, shot out with a dull boom, tearing through the air.

The whistling sound grated on the eardrums as it flew straight for the man’s chest.

In his vision, the clothing there was a darker shade, clearly the location of his injury. Lu Chao had made a precise judgment based on his intuitive senses.

BANG!!

Instantly, a muffled explosion erupted, like a cannon firing.

The man in black’s eyes bulged, and he violently spat out a large mouthful of blood.

His body instantly bent like a shrimp as he was sent flying backward off his feet.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

He smashed into the old wooden wardrobes on one side of the alley, shattering them to pieces and sending splinters flying. His face was visibly pale, his breathing rapidly weakening as he collapsed onto the gray ground.

He coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood, soaking his black clothes a deeper shade as it dripped to the ground.

But Lu Chao’s expression remained unchanged. Instead, he stopped and looked coldly down the alley, both in front of and behind him.

TAP, TAP, TAP!

Several figures appeared, surrounding him from the front and back.

They formed two new walls, intending to stop him from taking his captive away.