The overlap with Chen Chuan's Second Self now lasted over a minute, which was more than enough time for him.
Once merged, his speed was astonishing. In the span of a single breath, he rushed in front of the first man. The man scrambled to raise his steel pipe, but with a flick of his hand, Chen Chuan sent two stones he'd been clutching flying out ahead of him.
A pained scream immediately rang out from up ahead. Chen Chuan kicked off the ground and lunged forward with a knee strike. The man's cry was cut short as the blow sent him flying backward, blocking the path of those behind him.
As he landed, he grabbed the man's collar and yanked to the right, swinging the man's entire body around to block an attacker from the side.
Hearing the whistle of air behind him, he ducked to evade a steel pipe sweeping over his head. Without turning, he leaned back and drove an elbow into his assailant's stomach. The man instantly collapsed to his knees.
A figure flashed before him, swinging a steel pipe down. He raised his left arm to block it, his expression unchanging. With a reverse grip, he snatched the pipe while simultaneously throwing a punch that landed squarely on the attacker's nose. The man's head snapped back. He let go of the pipe and stumbled backward into the charging crowd, clutching his face.
Just then, he heard the sound of urgent footsteps and curses from behind, realizing the others were catching up.
He ignored them and met the crowd in front head-on. As he drew near, he took a step to the right and swept the steel pipe in a wide arc. The strike naturally incorporated the force of the Whip Hand from the Great Scattering Hand. Twisting at the waist, his arm lashed out like a whip, and the pipe cracked against an oncoming man's forearm. The bone visibly bent, and the steel pipe in the man's hand clattered to the ground.
His movements were fluid. Using his waist to power his arm, he whipped the steel pipe to the left, striking another man on the knee. At first, the man seemed not to notice and tried to move again, but after half a step, his leg suddenly gave way. He fell to the ground, clutching his knee and wailing in pain.
Chen Chuan never stopped moving, his feet constantly in motion as he swung the pipe. After those two strikes, he had already broken through. Along the way, two men tried to grab hold of him. He knew that if he got tied up, the others would swarm him, and he would be unable to display his skills.
But empowered by his Second Self, his steps were incredibly fast. He flashed past the two men, who grabbed at nothing but air. They lost their balance and stumbled forward, taking down those around them in a tangled heap.
Chen Chuan had now broken through the crowd. Another man appeared before him—a burly fellow in work pants. His stance was firm, giving him a completely different feel from the others. Seeing Chen Chuan approach, the man raised his steel pipe and thrust it straight at his centerline.
Chen Chuan took a step to the side, raising his free hand to parry. His fingers were slightly open; had the pipe continued on its path, he could have simply closed his hand to grab it. However, the large man kept his upper arm still and rapidly flicked his wrist. The pipe was whipped around, evading Chen Chuan's grasp and snapping abruptly toward his face!
But Chen Chuan was faster. Before the pipe could reach his face, his footwork had already carried him out of range. The burly man in work pants didn't let up his assault, however. He lifted and kicked with his right foot while simultaneously bending backward, leaning into it as the steel pipe in his hand shot forward like a spear. The strike was fast, accurate, and utterly unexpected.
Chen Chuan kicked off the ground. Instead of retreating, he advanced, ducking his head and lunging forward. He let the steel pipe graze his cheek as he simultaneously drove a fist into the man's ribs. The sheer, violent force of the punch lifted the man's body off the ground, and he let out a muffled grunt.
Seeing that the man still gripped the steel pipe tightly, apparently not giving up the fight, Chen Chuan's knee shot up, and he fiercely kicked him in the jaw. Broken teeth, blood, and saliva flew out. The burly man in work pants was sent flying backward, head lolling, followed moments later by the heavy thud of his body hitting the ground.
He retracted his leg, his body still, and glanced back. Only one man was left standing. His eyes were filled with terror. When Chen Chuan's gaze swept over him, the man involuntarily stumbled back a few steps, then simply tossed his steel pipe aside, turned, and ran.
And at the other end of the long alley, the sound of footsteps that had been rushing over gradually slowed, then fell silent altogether.
Chen Chuan turned around and, pipe in hand, walked toward this group of men. Although seven or eight of them remained, they all unconsciously backed away at his approach. As he advanced, they continued to retreat.
With a calm expression, Chen Chuan walked through the men groaning and wailing on the ground, returning to where he had first stood. He tossed the steel pipe forward. It hit the ground with a loud CLANG, scaring the group into retreating several more steps.
He then walked to the side to pick up his clothes, patted the dust off, and draped them over his shoulder before walking toward the sun-drenched end of the alley.
This time, the remaining men made no move to stop him, merely watching him leave with gazes full of fear and awe.
In the temporary rental unit, Brother Qi stood by the window, the cigarette in his mouth long extinguished. The corner of his eye was twitching. The man in the floral shirt stood with his mouth agape, his face a mask of disbelief mixed with a trace of fear. "Th-that kid... he can fight like that...?"
On the other side, the teenager, Weidong, had already jumped down from the building, preparing to go and help Chen Chuan. But by the time he landed on a wall that offered a foothold, before he could even climb down, the entire battle was over. He stared blankly in the direction Chen Chuan had left, his face a picture of astonishment. "Hey, hey, isn't that a little over the top?"
From the moment Chen Chuan attacked to the point where he had taken all those men down, the whole thing had taken only seven or eight seconds. Weidong had never seen such speed, power, and reflexes in anyone his age.
He watched for a few moments more, then, as if he'd been galvanized, turned and quickly scrambled back into his room. The sound of rapid THUMPS and SMACKS against a punching bag soon followed.
By this time, Chen Chuan had already walked out of the alley. He went to a phone booth, picked up the receiver, tossed a coin in, and dialed a number. When the call connected, he said, "Is this the Patrol Bureau? I'm looking for Captain Nian Fuli. I'm his nephew, and I have something to discuss with him."
After a moment, Nian Fuli's voice came through. "Chen Chuan? What's going on?"
Chen Chuan explained the ambush. He hadn't bothered to find out who was behind the attack because he knew the Patrol Bureau would be able to figure it out. He didn't need to waste his energy on it.
Nian Fuli asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I was just a little rough with them."
"Did you have your satchel with you?"
"I've been running back and forth these past few days, so it wasn't convenient. I didn't bring it."
"I see. Head on home. I'll take care of this."
Inside the Baofeng District Patrol Bureau, Nian Fuli hung up the phone. His face darkened as he called out, "Xiaowu, get in here."
A young, sharp-looking Patrol Officer immediately came over. "Sir?"
Nian Fuli said, "Take some men to Xigang District." He then gave a few more instructions in a low voice. Xiaowu nodded, gave a salute, and went out the door. A moment later, a sharp whistle blast sounded from outside, followed by the rhythmic stomp of combat boots.
Nian Fuli picked up the receiver again and dialed another number. Once it connected, he said, "Hello, Old Yu? It's Old Nian..."
Back in the phone booth, Chen Chuan hung up the receiver and walked out. At that moment, the figure of his Second Self trailing behind him seemed to have become a little more substantial.
He looked up at the vast, azure sky. It was perfectly clear, without a single wisp of a cloud.
Tomorrow was enrollment day.
...
...