Chapter 69: Zhang Li Reveals Her Hand, The Night Watch Bureau Appears!
In the corner, Chen Guodong froze like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, abruptly halting his retreat.
Immediately, a smile of the utmost sycophancy plastered itself onto his face.
Taking two steps in one, he lunged forward, spreading his arms wide while still two meters away from Chen Yu.
He looked like a father reuniting with a son he hadn't seen in ages.
"Yu'er! Daddy's wonderful son! Come, let's go home!" He deliberately raised his voice so everyone around could hear.
As he spoke, he even theatrically wiped away a non-existent tear and reached out to pat Chen Yu on the shoulder.
But Chen Yu sidestepped with a cold gaze. "Head of the Chen family, we aren't that close, are we?"
Chen Guodong's movement stiffened. He rubbed his hands together to alleviate the awkwardness. "I know you have anger in your heart."
"When I scolded you before, it was for your own good! I wanted you to have a promising future!"
"I always said that Chen Chen was an ungrateful white-eyed wolf that couldn't be tamed!"
"I saw early on that his heart wasn't in the right place, and I tried to persuade him many times to get along with you."
"But him? He actually dared to try and kill you. Ending up like this is purely his own fault!"
"Daddy isn't angry. Let's go home. The celebration wine is already opened for you."
Chen Yu chuckled. "Head of the Chen family, didn't I cut ties with your Chen family?"
"Don't try to act friendly with me."
Hearing this, a flash of anger flickered in Chen Guodong's eyes. "Yu'er, don't lower yourself to that rebellious son's level."
"At the end of the day, you carry my, Chen Guodong's, blood. You are the legitimate heir of the Chen family."
"When your mother, Lin Lan, was with me, she loved you the most. We are connected by blood and bone; how can you hold a grudge?"
Chen Guodong felt that he had already humbled himself enough. For Chen Yu to leave him no way out was somewhat unappreciative.
But the moment he thought of the talent Chen Yu had displayed—a future with limitless prospects—he knew the Chen family would rise with the tide.
When that time came, the Chen family wouldn't stop at being a mere prominent family in Lanjiang.
So, he softened his tone again. "I will make it up to you."
"I'll have the best courtyard in the house prepared for you. It's much bigger than the one Chen Chen lived in!"
"From now on, all the Chen family's resources are yours to use. You can do whatever you want. Father and son, together, we will bring glory to the Chen family..."
"Father and son?" Chen Yu finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice. "Now you know how to say 'father and son'?"
"I don't have a biological father like you."
"Have you forgotten how many years I ate cold leftover rice in the Chen family?"
"Forgotten that you let Zhang Li kick me out to live in the woodshed?"
"Or have you forgotten that when Chen Chen called my mother a 'short-lived ghost,' you were standing right there watching?"
These words were like slaps to Chen Guodong's face. The smile on his face stiffened, but he immediately piled it on thicker. "That... that was all a misunderstanding!"
"Zhang Li acted on her own authority; I scolded her afterward! I also lectured that rebellious son Chen Chen, but he wouldn't listen..."
Chen Yu interrupted him loudly, "I will return to the Chen family."
Hearing this, Chen Guodong rejoiced. "That is truly wonder—"
"But my Chen family will not belong to you, Chen Guodong."
Chen Guodong's expression froze. "No, you..."
Pa!!
Before Chen Guodong could finish, he felt a burning pain on his face.
"Shut your hole."
Chen Yu's indifferent words drilled into his ears. Chen Guodong realized he had just been slapped.
He, the dignified Head of the Chen family, was actually slapped?!
And by his own son?!
Chen Guodong flew into a rage out of humiliation. "You rebellious son..."
Pa!!
Chen Yu delivered another backhand slap across Chen Guodong's face. "You really are trash. A mid-tier Awakener, yet you can't even dodge my slap."
Chen Yu's words were like knives stabbing into Chen Guodong's most fragile spot.
He really was trash. His cultivation realm was entirely boosted by drugs and pills; he couldn't stand on a real stage.
Now, his dignity was being trampled ruthlessly under Chen Yu's feet. This was more unbearable than killing him.
"Chen Yu, you..."
He wanted to say more, but suddenly, a black shadow darted out from behind the crowd!
The speed was so fast it left only an afterimage. Clearly, they had been prepared for a long time, waiting for the exact moment Chen Guodong distracted Chen Yu to launch a sneak attack!
Chen Yu's Observation Haki had sensed it long ago. The attacker's strength was not low.
He instantly activated Hybrid Form, covering his whole body in Armament Haki.
The black shadow lunged straight for Chen Yu's heart. Only when it got close did Chen Yu see that it was an old acquaintance.
It was the old hag who was always by Zhang Li's side.
She drilled out from the shadows entirely, her body faintly wrapped in a layer of flowing darkness!
"Shadow Clone · Encirclement Kill!"
The old hag gave a low shout, her body splitting into several dark shadows that rushed to surround and kill Chen Yu.
Chen Yu's pupils constricted. The Shadow-Shadow Fruit!
He immediately used Moonwalk to soar into the air, dodging the encirclement.
However, the old hag fired shadow arrows from her fingertips. They grazed Chen Yu's shoulder, drawing a line of blood in the air.
Before Chen Yu could react further...
Everyone suddenly smelled a pungent, sickly-sweet scent.
It was gas!
Chen Yu's eyes narrowed as he looked toward Zhang Li!
He saw Zhang Li, who at some point had started dangling a long ladies' cigarette from her mouth, holding a silver lighter engraved with a carnation.
Click—
A flame rose from the lighter.
BOOM!!!
The location where Chen Yu stood suddenly exploded, a mushroom cloud rising into the air.
Whoosh!
With Chen Yu's physique, a mere ordinary explosion couldn't hurt him.
He used Shave, instantly appearing in front of Zhang Li. The blade Ace unsheathed, fully infused with Conqueror's Haki. "Done pretending?"
Zhang Li exhaled a puff of white smoke. "Land of Nothingness."
In the next instant.
Everyone felt as if a stone were blocking their chests; they couldn't breathe.
Chen Yu had a deep understanding of the Gas-Gas Fruit. His movements didn't pause for a second. Holding his breath, he swung his sword.
Ace, wrapped in a biting Conqueror's Haki slash, chopped straight toward Zhang Li's face.
But Zhang Li was fast. Her body suddenly transformed into pale blue gas, drifting away in an instant.
"Heaven One Slash!" Wei Tianyi threw out a blade of energy, slashing at Zhang Li.
But the sword energy passed right through her, leaving Zhang Li unharmed.
"Logia Type?!"
The crowd was shocked.
Meanwhile, the old hag shouted, and several black shadows shot toward Chen Yu like sharp arrows. "Die!"
The old hag erupted with her true cultivation level—a peak Tier 6, a half-step High-Tier Awakener.
Her speed was extremely fast; Wei Tianyi couldn't return in time to defend.
Zhao Lie's aura surged, releasing the pressure of a mid-Tier 6. His muscles bulged as he entered the Ox-Ox Fruit Hybrid Form, blocking in front of Chen Yu.
However, the old hag's shadow clones dispersed upon contact, only to reform behind him, entangling him so he couldn't support Chen Yu in time.
At that critical moment, a red light suddenly tore through the crowd, plunging straight into the battlefield with fierce wind pressure. "Night Watch Bureau Law Enforcement!"
"Surrender now!"
A middle-aged man, bearing a striking resemblance to Wei Tianyi, appeared in front of Chen Yu.
Clad in a silver-white uniform, the long blade in his hand hummed. The moment the blade wind slashed out, it annihilated all of the old hag's clones.
"Brother Wei!" Ling Wenhe rejoiced.
Seeing the tide had turned, the old hag retreated to the side and looked at Zhang Li. "Master?"
"Wei Hailai? Why is the Night Watch Bureau here?! Retreat!"
Zhang Li's face changed drastically. Without any desire to continue the fight, she fiercely detonated all the gas she had spread around the area.
BOOM!!!!!
The explosion covered almost the entire square, and thick smoke instantly swallowed the venue.
By the time Wei Hailai dispersed the smoke, Zhang Li had already grabbed the old hag and fled without a trace.
Around the perimeter, several Night Watch Bureau members dressed identically to Wei Hailai appeared to maintain order.
Wei Hailai sheathed his blade and stood tall, looking at Chen Yu. "Are you alright?"
"Those two are members of a secret organization lurking within the Chen family. We've been tracking them for years, and they finally revealed themselves today."
"I'm fine." Chen Yu patted the dust off his body. "Secret organization?"
Chen Yu thought of the secret organization Old Kui had told him about, the one that used a carnation as its symbol.
Adding in Zhang Li's attempt to kill him and her attitude toward Lin Lan... "Has this person been targeting me for over ten years?"
Wei Hailai paused for a moment. "What?"
Chen Yu waved his hand and pointed at Chen Guodong. "Big brother, how are you going to handle this thing?"
Chen Guodong looked into Wei Hailai's tiger-like eyes, his legs went soft, and he slumped to the ground.
The Night Watch Bureau was a supervisory agency exclusive to the Alliance and directly subordinate to the Alliance's 'Four Great Heads'.
Their core function was to catch Awakeners like Chen Guodong who violated laws and discipline.
Chen Guodong couldn't help but let his tears and snot flow freely. In just a moment, his trouser legs were soaked. "I... I didn't know anything!"
...
(To be Continued)