Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 80 - 70: Drugs

Chen Chuan’s gaze shifted, and he instantly realized something.

Illegal drugs!

These were all illegal drugs!

He glanced at the fallen men nearby. ’Looks like they were planning on making a deal here tonight, and just happened to run into me.’

He shook his head. ’They can only blame their own bad luck.’

He tossed the medicine he had taken out to the side and walked over. He kicked each of the men who were still groaning and writhing on the ground, and they immediately fell silent.

He brought over a flashlight and checked his watch. It was already past 8:50. It was almost time.

He returned to the well, lowered the bucket, and gave it a little shake. Since he wasn’t very skilled at it, he only drew half a bucket of water, but that would be enough.

He took the black beans and soybeans he had prepared beforehand from his bicycle rack, poured them in, and placed the bucket near the mouth of the well before slowly backing away.

Nine o’clock quickly arrived. He watched his watch for a few minutes, but there was no activity.

Just as he began to wonder if he’d gotten the location wrong, he suddenly heard a soft splash, followed by a rustling sound. The noises were exceptionally clear in the dead of night.

He switched off his flashlight. By the faint moonlight, he saw what looked like an adorable child slowly climbing out of the well, babbling like an infant.

But after a few more glances, his gaze involuntarily hardened.

This was no child, but a fat, bloated monster, something between a worm and a fish. Its lower half was a row of prolegs, and the bulging mound of flesh on its back looked just like the upper body of an infant several months old!

After the creature climbed out of the well, it let out two cries, "WAA! WAA!" It seemed to be sniffing for something, then dove headfirst into the wooden bucket with a PLOP.

Chen Chuan immediately grabbed a sturdy, waterproof bag he had prepared, rushed forward, and threw it over the bucket. He then inverted the bucket, dumping the creature and the water inside the bag. After pulling the bucket out, he quickly tied the bag shut, leaving only a small gap.

Just then, he suddenly noticed his Second Self showing faint signs of turning illusory. He felt a stir in his heart; this was rather similar to what had happened near Jiaoshan last time.

’Is it because of this Well Doll? What is this thing?’

Fortunately, the effect was extremely faint and had almost no impact on him. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to dwell on it. He stood up, lifted the bag, and prepared to leave.

As he was walking away, Brother Tian, one of the men on the ground, seemed to be coming to. Chen Chuan hadn’t hit him hard enough to kill, but the man was still groggy. Seeing Chen Chuan walking away with the bag, he mumbled deliriously, "Brother Tong, you can take the goods, but you still have to pay."

Chen Chuan ignored him. He hung the bag on his bicycle and was about to wheel it away when he suddenly stopped short.

’Brother Tong?’

He seemed to recall something.

He thought back carefully and suddenly remembered.

He parked his bike again, hurried back to the well, and untied the plastic bag of medicine. He emptied its contents. Inside were several boxes of drugs: one box of Awakening Clearing Capsules from Celestial Hundred Herbs, and the rest were all small injectable vials from the Talide Company.

’This is... Anti-Differentiation Medicine.’

He took a deep breath. After a moment’s thought, he walked over and kicked Brother Tian again. The man passed out without another sound.

He gathered the medicine, wheeled his bike out of the alley, and found the nearest phone booth. He picked up the receiver and was about to dial the Patrol Bureau, but then immediately hung up.

After a moment’s thought, he fished a slip of paper from his bag and dialed the number written on it.

After a short wait, the call connected. A booming voice came through the line. "Hello? Who is this? It’s the middle of the night."

Chen Chuan said, "Uncle Wei, I’m looking for Wei Chang’an. I’m his classmate."

The voice replied, "A classmate? Hold on."

A moment later, Wei Chang’an’s slightly weary voice came on the line. "Hello? Who is it?"

"Brother Wei? It’s Chen Chuan," he said.

"Junior?"

Wei Chang’an’s voice grew a little more alert. "It’s late. Are you in some kind of trouble? Tell me what’s going on. If I can help, I absolutely will!"

Chen Chuan said, "Brother Wei, I think I just saw Tong Qianjiang."

"Who?"

Chen Chuan slowly repeated the name. "Tong Qianjiang."

Wei Chang’an’s breathing hitched. He immediately lowered his voice and asked rapidly, "Where are you?"

"North City, near the Old City God Temple," Chen Chuan replied. "Specifically..." He glanced across the street, using the light from a streetlamp. "There’s a Beitun Department Store here."

Wei Chang’an asked, "Are you safe right now?"

"I’m safe," Chen Chuan said.

"Good. Stay somewhere safe. Don’t call anyone else, and don’t wander off. I’m on my way now!" Wei Chang’an urged. "Remember, don’t take any risks. Your safety comes first!"

"I know, Brother Wei," Chen Chuan said.

After saying his piece, Wei Chang’an hung up.

Chen Chuan considered for a moment, then rode his bike back into the alley. Seeing that Brother Tian was still unconscious, he took out a rope he had prepared, tied the man up, and hauled him out with one hand.

Just as he stepped out of the alley again, he heard the sound of many footsteps running from the far end of the street. He looked up to see a group of twenty or thirty men charging toward him. When they saw him, one of them pointed and shouted, "That’s the kid!" Another cried out in alarm, "He’s got Brother Tian!"

Seeing the approaching crowd, Chen Chuan put down his bicycle’s kickstand and slowly walked toward them.

Wei Chang’an drove fast, making it from the southwest of the city in just over fifteen minutes.

But when he arrived, he found the street littered with bodies. People were lying all over the ground, stretching from the mouth of the alley to the shadows beyond several distant streetlights, every one of them groaning in pain. The ground was scattered with broken clubs, bent machetes, and twisted steel pipes. Next to the phone booth stood a bicycle, and Chen Chuan was leaning quietly against its rear rack, reading something by the light of a streetlamp.

He let out a low whistle, slowly brought the car to a stop, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out. He walked over to Chen Chuan. "Junior, you okay?"

Chen Chuan stood up. "I’m fine."

"That’s good," Wei Chang’an said. "So, what happened?"

Chen Chuan recounted what had happened and showed the medicine he’d recovered to Wei Chang’an.

After listening carefully, Wei Chang’an’s expression turned serious. "Your guess was right. That man was very likely Tong Qianjiang!"

He clapped Chen Chuan on the shoulder, relieved. "It’s a good thing you didn’t get into a fight with him. The guy’s a hell of a fighter. Even I wouldn’t be confident in taking him on. Besides, he was probably armed, which would’ve made it even more dangerous."

In his mind, Chen Chuan’s skills were still what they had been two months ago. While impressive for a Wuyi freshman, he didn’t think it was nearly enough to face Tong Qianjiang, who was a hardened desperado. Plus, there was no telling if Tong Qianjiang had backup; none of those fugitives were to be trifled with.

Chen Chuan asked, "Brother Wei, can you find Tong Qianjiang’s whereabouts through these guys?"

Wei Chang’an shook his head. "It’ll be tough. Finding Tong Qianjiang through these small-time thugs is next to impossible. However..." He grinned. "I have a hunch. And if it’s right, Junior, you and I are both in for a major commendation!"

He walked over to Brother Tian and grimaced. With a look of disgust, he reached out and pinched the man’s philtrum a few times. A few seconds later, Brother Tian groggily came to. Wei Chang’an snatched his hand back as if it were contaminated, wiped it with a handkerchief, and asked, "Hey. You know a guy named Scarface?"

Brother Tian shuddered. He looked at the two of them and said, "N-no, I don’t know him."

"So you do know him."

After wiping his hands, Wei Chang’an tossed the handkerchief aside and said to Chen Chuan, "Junior, we can’t find Tong Qianjiang right now, but we can follow this lead to Scarface. He’s holding all of Moustache Chou’s merchandise. Tong Qianjiang must have come here to make a deal with him!"

He said excitedly, "I’ve been looking for that bastard Scarface for almost two months without a single lead. I can’t believe he finally slipped up. This is all thanks to you, Junior!"

He walked over to the phone booth, dropped in a few coins to make some calls, and then walked back, looking excited. "Junior, I’m taking these guys in. If we can find Scarface, we might be able to track down Tong Qianjiang’s crew. You know, this case has eyes on it all the way up in the Administrative Affairs Hall. I’ll add your name to the report. Why don’t you come with me now?"

Chen Chuan patted the rear rack of his bike. "I’ve still got something to do, Brother Wei."

Wei Chang’an was decisive. "Alright. Don’t worry about things here; someone will be by to clean up. If I get a lead on Scarface, I’ll let you know."

...

...