The High Tech Startup Zone in Northern Mountain City was expansive. Since it was still under development, the numerous factories and vacant sites made it feel quite desolate. Along the deserted roads, the only signs of life were the dim streetlights and the late-night bus weaving its way through the chilly breeze.

When Chen Fei boarded the late-night bus heading for the California Garden Grand Hotel, he noticed only a few passengers were on board. He silently walked to the back, opened the window, and gazed at the night scenery, squinting his eyes as he lost himself in thought.

Before long, the bus stopped at the next station, and a few more people boarded, catching Chen Fei's attention.

Murderous intent?

He narrowed his eyes. He could sense a distinct killing intent from them, a stark contrast to their deliberately scholarly and ordinary appearances. The sheer intensity of it, enough to make even him frown, could only have been accumulated by killing many people.

He also noticed that these newcomers seemed to be split into two groups. The first was a young woman in a teacher's suit, wearing silver-rimmed round glasses. Her looks were rather plain, but the moment she stepped onto the bus, her figure became the focus of every man's gaze. She had a curvaceous, hourglass figure that was exceptionally provocative and sultry.

It had to be said, there was no need to look at this woman's face; her stunning body alone was enough to conquer anyone.

The second group consisted of three men, all wearing black knit hats pulled low, obscuring their features. However, Chen Fei caught the cold gleam that occasionally flashed from their eyes and noticed the distinct bulge in the pouches at their waists.

These guys... Chen Fei understood immediately. He had obviously stumbled upon something interesting. This was clear from the fact that the three men's attention had been fixed on the woman from the very beginning.

RUMBLE!

The late-night bus started moving again. Aside from the ordinary people who were completely oblivious, the atmosphere between the woman and the three men grew palpably cold and oppressive. Chen Fei watched the scene dispassionately, his subtle movements going unnoticed.

Yet, the faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips betrayed his true thoughts.

His mood was already sour, and now that something interesting had come up, how could he not join in the fun?

About ten minutes later, the bus drove onto a wide, silent road on the outskirts of a factory district.

"Driver, please stop. I need to get off here," the woman in the teacher's suit suddenly said, her pleasant voice sounding sharp in the quiet bus.

"Miss, it's midnight already. This area is in the middle of nowhere, and the workers in those factories have probably all gone home for the night. Are you sure you want to get off here..." the driver kindly reminded her.

Before he could finish, one of the three men abruptly yanked off his black hat, revealing a fierce, menacing face. He snapped coldly, "Old man, she wants to get off. What business is it of yours? Stop the bus, and make it quick."

As he finished speaking, the temperature inside the bus seemed to plummet.

"This..." The driver's expression changed instantly. His experience told him something was wrong, and his body began to tremble slightly.

"Driver, please stop the bus. My friend is waiting for me in the factory, and I need to go talk to him," Chen Fei interjected, suddenly standing up and walking to the front of the bus.

His words stunned everyone. The driver, the other passengers, the woman, and the three men all stared at Chen Fei with peculiar expressions. The three men hadn't acted too aggressively because they were afraid of arousing suspicion. If something happened later and the passengers recognized them, it would cause a lot of trouble.

Although they already had the blood of more than one person on their hands, there were at least seven or eight other passengers on the bus. Killing them all would cause too much of a stir and be needlessly vicious. They had been trying to figure out how to get the damned woman off the bus, and now someone else was asking to get off as well. It suited their plans perfectly.

Seeing this, a peculiar expression crossed the woman's face, but she seemed just as determined to get off and settle matters. She spoke to the driver indifferently, "Driver, please pull over. I need to get off."

"Oh, alright then..."

This time, the driver didn't protest. By now, even a fool would have realized something was wrong. Most of the other passengers likely understood what was happening, too, their faces pale and their legs trembling. Once Chen Fei and the others were off the bus, the driver floored the accelerator, and the vehicle quickly vanished into the night.

"Colorful Garment, we go way back, don't we? You've got some serious nerve this time, daring to steal from the boss himself. I advise you to hand it over obediently. We'll give you a quick death, for old times' sake." One of the three men took off his hat, revealing a surprisingly delicate face. He smiled at the woman, but his words sent a chill down the spine.

"Poison Scorpion, there's still someone else here," the fierce-faced man grumbled, his cold eyes turning to Chen Fei with a sneer. "Kid, it's your bad luck you heard our secret. Looks like you'll have to stay here with her tonight."

"Enough talk. Let's move. The boss's item is definitely on her. We can't let her pass it to someone else," the last man said coldly, pulling a handgun with a cold metallic gleam from his waist pouch.

That's right, it was a real gun.

Chen Fei's playful mood instantly turned grim. He had suspected this wasn't a simple matter, but he never expected them to brazenly pull out a gun—and a real one at that. Looks like this is going to be trouble.

With his current power, amplified by Spiritual Energy, his overall strength had reached the peak of a Second-Rate Expert. But facing a gun, to be honest, still made him apprehensive.

However, while he was startled, he wasn't terrified. After all, he was no pushover.

"Look, this has nothing to do with me. Are you sure you want to drag me into this?" Thinking this, Chen Fei let a faint smile touch his lips and spoke slowly.

As soon as he said this, the expressions of both the woman and the three men shifted, revealing a hint of surprise.

"You seem pretty confident in your skills, don't you?"

The vicious-looking man sneered and stepped forward. He drew a cold, black pistol from his waistband and pressed the muzzle against Chen Fei's forehead, mocking him contemptuously, "The fact you haven't pissed your pants is impressive, kid. But in front of me, Black Bear, who the hell do you think you are?"

"Black Bear, stop!" the woman commanded, her gaze fixed coldly on the man holding the gun to Chen Fei's head. "This doesn't involve him. Let him go!"

"Let him go? You're as naively kind as ever, Colorful Garment..." The man called Poison Scorpion smirked maliciously. He spoke to her in a chilling tone, "Colorful Garment, hand over that letter and the account statement right now. Otherwise, I'll count to three, and I promise this kid's head will have a new hole in it!"

"You..." The woman glared at him, her eyes flashing with hesitation and anxiety.

"You know something? I really hate it when people point things at me," a cold voice suddenly declared, ringing in everyone's ears.

"What did you sa—"

Poison Scorpion's face contorted, but before he could finish his sentence, Chen Fei was no longer standing in front of him. He became a blur of motion, his five fingers clenched into a fist like a cannon shell. Bursting with astonishing momentum like a tiger descending a mountain, he landed two punches with lightning speed on the fierce-faced man's shoulder, dislocating his arm with a sickening CRACK.

BANG!

The third man, who had spoken only once before, was decisive. Seeing his companion disabled, he immediately opened fire.

"Watch out!" the woman screamed. The shot was aimed at Chen Fei.

"Damn it..."

As the man pulled the trigger, the sound of the gunshot made the hair on Chen Fei's body stand on end. A terrifying pressure tore through the air toward him, making his nerves taut and his focus absolute. In the nick of time, he barely dodged the bullet, scrambling for cover by the side of the road.

It had to be said that his reflexes were incredibly fast. At such a close range, any other Second-Rate Ancient Martial Artist would have most likely been unable to dodge.

"You damn bitch! I didn't expect you to have backup! Die!" The delicate-faced Poison Scorpion, his face now a mask of murderous rage, drew a black pistol from his waistband and fired at Colorful Garment.

BANG!

Colorful Garment seemed highly experienced. Her counter was swift; even before Poison Scorpion could draw and fire, she had already executed a clean roll to the side, dodging the bullet. She landed near the patch of grass where Chen Fei was taking cover.

"Hey, give me a hand!" she yelled at him.

"A hand? I don't want to fight!" Chen Fei replied with a wry smile, already regretting his involvement in this mess.

This was the first time in his life he had ever been in a real gunfight. It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

His answer came in the form of two more gunshots.

BANG! BANG!

Amid his panic, Chen Fei could clearly see the two men charging toward them, guns in hand. Their faces were twisted into grim smiles, and a palpable killing intent radiated from them.

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