infodatos Chapter 43 Establishing Authority in Tianlan City: 1 vs. 3, Defeating the Wang Family's Lackeys
Chapter 43 Establishing Authority in Tianlan City: 1 vs. 3, Defeating the Wang Family's Lackeys
The high-speed train sped along the ground at 300 kilometers per hour, blurring the fields and buildings outside the window into patches of color. Lin Chen gripped his phone tightly, the screen still displaying Zhao Lei's tearful voice message.
The Star Martial Core within his dantian spun uncontrollably at high speed, silver star power surging through his meridians, emitting a faint glow beneath his skin. The air around him seemed to freeze, and the passenger next to him subconsciously moved aside, not daring to meet his icy gaze.
Forty minutes felt like an eternity. When the high-speed train finally pulled into the Tianlan City Station platform, Lin Chen practically slammed the doors open and rushed out. He didn't wait for the elevator; he leaped down the stairs and dashed out of the station, pulling open the door of a taxi parked on the side of the road.
"Master, go to the alley behind the Provincial Martial Arts High School, as fast as you can!"
"Okay!" Seeing his ashen face, the driver didn't dare to ask any more questions. He stepped on the gas pedal and the taxi shot into traffic like an arrow.
Fifteen minutes later, the tires screeched as they rubbed against the ground. Lin Chen opened the car door, and a stench of blood mixed with dust hit him.
Deep in the alley, Zhao Lei huddled on the cold cement ground, his school uniform torn to shreds, his face bruised and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His right hand was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken off. Three burly men in black tight-fitting clothes surrounded him, the leader, a scarred-faced man named Black Tiger, grinding the sole of Zhao Lei's hand with the sole of his shoe, making a teeth-grinding scraping sound.
"Kid, still got your nerve?" Black Tiger spat out a mouthful of phlegm and sneered, "Tell your Lin Chen that the Wang family's affairs are none of his business, you peasant. If you know what's good for you, hand over the Star Martial Core obediently, or next time I'll break your arm!"
"Pah!" Zhao Lei suddenly raised his head, blood splattering all over Black Tiger's face. "Lin Chen won't let you get away with this! You lackeys of the evil race, you'll be torn to pieces sooner or later!"
"How dare you insult me!" Black Tiger roared in fury, raising his military boot and kicking Zhao Lei hard in the knee—if that kick landed, Zhao Lei would never be able to practice martial arts again.
"stop!"
A furious shout, like a thunderclap, shook the walls on both sides of the alley.
Black Tiger and the others turned around abruptly, only to see Lin Chen standing at the alley entrance, his backlit figure like a demon returning from hell. His eyes were so cold they could freeze bones, and the murderous aura emanating from him seemed to solidify the air.
"Lin Chen!" Zhao Lei's eyes instantly turned red, and the pent-up grievances and pain burst forth at this moment.
"I'm here." Lin Chen's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable power. He quickly walked to Zhao Lei's side, carefully helping him up, his fingertips gently brushing against Zhao Lei's twisted wrist. Star power slowly flowed in, temporarily sealing his pain.
"The bone is broken, but the meridians aren't damaged." Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief, looked up at Black Tiger and the other two, his eyes almost overflowing with killing intent. "Who did this?"
Black Tiger sized Lin Chen up and down, and seeing that he was just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, he immediately relaxed and sneered, "I thought he was some kind of three-headed, six-armed genius, but he's just a kid who hasn't even grown his hair yet. What? You want to stand up for your good-for-nothing brother? I suggest you kneel down and kowtow to me three times, or I'll cripple you too!"
"I'll ask you one more time, who did it?" Lin Chen's voice turned even colder, and the Star Martial Core in his dantian began to emit a faint hum.
"So what if I did it?" Black Tiger patted his chest arrogantly. "Young Master Wang said he's giving you a warning. If you dare investigate the Wang family again, next time it won't be his hand that gets broken, it'll be your neck!"
"Wang Hao?" Lin Chen's lips curled into a cold smile. "Very well. Since you're his dogs, I'll break your legs first, then I'll go settle accounts with him."
"Arrogant!" Black Tiger roared in fury, yelling at his two henchmen behind him, "Attack! Cripple him! Young Master Wang will take responsibility if anything goes wrong!"
Upon hearing this, the two bodyguards immediately pounced on Lin Chen from the left and right. The bodyguard on the left, with a fist as big as a clay pot, delivered a whistling wind as he aimed straight for Lin Chen's face; the bodyguard on the right crouched down and swept his leg, attacking Lin Chen's lower body. The two worked together seamlessly, clearly seasoned and ruthless criminals.
Lin Chen neither dodged nor evaded, but lightly tapped his feet with the "Star Chasing Step," his figure shifting like a ghost as he dodged their attacks. At the same time, he clenched his right fist, silver star power condensing at the tip, emitting a dazzling light.
The first move of the "Star Martial Arts Basic Boxing Manual" - Starfall!
This punch, devoid of any fancy moves, contained pure stellar power. Wherever the fist's force passed, the air was compressed into visible shockwaves.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Lin Chen's fist collided violently with the fist of the bodyguard on his left.
"Snap!"
The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible. The bodyguard let out a heart-wrenching scream as his arm snapped backward at the elbow, white bone fragments piercing through his skin. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the wall and losing consciousness.
One move! With just one move, he crippled a martial artist at the mid-stage of the Qi and Blood Realm!
Black Tiger and the other bodyguard turned deathly pale instantly, a flicker of fear in their eyes. They hadn't expected this seemingly frail young man to possess such terrifying strength.
"Attack together! He's all alone!" Black Tiger gritted his teeth, drew his short knife from his waist, and pounced on him along with the remaining bodyguard.
Black Tiger's short sword gleamed with an eerie black light, clearly coated with a potent poison from the evil race. His every strike was deadly, targeting Lin Chen's vitals; the other bodyguard wielded an iron chain, swinging it with ferocious speed, blocking all of Lin Chen's escape routes.
Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. He unleashed the full power of his "Star Chasing Step," weaving through the flashing blades and chains with effortless ease. His "Star Martial Basic Fist Manual" was now complete and perfected, granting him masterful control over star power. Every punch he threw precisely struck the weaknesses in his opponent's moves.
"Star Martial Bone-Shattering Fist!"
Lin Chen let out a low shout, dodging the short knife that Black Tiger was thrusting at him, and at the same time punched the bodyguard holding the iron chain on the shoulder.
"Snap!"
The sound of a shoulder blade cracking rang out. The bodyguard screamed, the iron chain in his hand fell to the ground, and he clutched his shoulder, writhing in agony.
In the blink of an eye, only Black Tiger remained of the three bodyguards.
Large beads of sweat appeared on Black Tiger's forehead, and his hand gripping the short knife trembled slightly. He knew he was no match for Lin Chen. But relying on his peak mid-stage Qi and Blood Realm cultivation and his mastery of the Evil Clan's techniques, he still wanted to make a final stand.
"Black Tiger Claws Out the Heart!"
Black Tiger roared, his black inner force surging, and the black light on his short sword intensified. He concentrated all his evil inner force into the tip of the sword and thrust it towards Lin Chen's dantian—this strike embodied his life's work, and if it struck, Lin Chen's dantian would be destroyed, and his Star Martial Core would be corrupted by the evil inner force.
Lin Chen's eyes turned cold; he had already seen through his tricks.
He stomped his left foot hard on the ground, leaping into the air to avoid the fatal blow. At the same time, he spun in mid-air, his right foot, imbued with immense star power, slamming into Black Tiger's chest.
"Bang!"
Black Tiger was sent flying backward as if hit by a truck, crashing heavily into the wall of the alley, spitting out a mouthful of black blood. He struggled to stand up, only to find that all the meridians in his body had been shattered by the star power, and he could no longer muster any strength.