Chapter 96 Startling the Snake in the Grass

CRACK! The military students clearly heard the sound of a nose bridge breaking, followed by a burst of fresh blood spraying from Liu Zhekang’s face. The thugs from Darkray jumped and cheered like cheerleaders! If it weren’t for their lack of training, Darkray’s crew even thought of doing a sedan toss or building a human pyramid! But Chen Gu didn’t let Liu Zhekang off that easily. He hooked his foot around his opponent’s and pulled him down, then kicked him in the stomach, sending White-Haired Liu flying like a ball for more than ten meters. He rolled right out of the venue! The staff from the martial arts hall rushed over. "That’s enough, it’s over..." Chen Gu glared. "Scram!" The martial arts hall staff refused to back down. However, Chen Gu had brought his bodyguards this time; several top security personnel stepped forward, subtly displaying various advanced weapons in their arsenal. Seeing this, and then looking at Liu Zhekang, who was just a regular visitor, the staff decided it wasn’t worth endangering themselves and silently retreated. Chen Gu grabbed Liu Zhekang by the collar, became Lu Tixia, and with fists as big as vinegar bowls, he let loose a punch that seemed to burst an oil and soy sauce shop, with all the salty, sour, and spicy flavors rolling out in one hit. The second punch... Well, let’s skip the details. No need to pad the word count, after all. The public Chapters are free anyway. After three consecutive punches, Liu Zhekang was already limp like a dead dog. Chen Gu threw him aside, glanced left and right, grabbed the confused person in charge of the martial arts hall, and wiped the fresh blood from his hands onto his white uniform. The person in charge had his face flushed with anger, but he dared not react. Chen Gu’s acting skills skyrocketed, performing way beyond standards! He looked at Liu Zhekang on the ground with a sneer. "Dare to plot against my brother? Who gave you the guts?" He raised his hand, and a bodyguard immediately handed over several photographs. Chen Gu tossed the photos onto Liu Zhekang’s face. "I’ve looked into your family, your secret lover, everything. Tomorrow morning, have those little bitches go to the police station and turn themselves in, or you know what the consequences will be!" "Idiot, just so you know, there are some people in this world you just can’t afford to offend!" Having said that, Chen Gu waved his hand. "Let’s go!" Darkray’s group, oozing with sycophantic vigor, strutted out triumphantly behind Chen Gu. Once outside the martial arts hall, Chen Gu chuckled and asked, "How was that?" Darkray gave a thumbs-up. "Wickedly brilliant!" "Hahaha!" Chen Gu laughed heartily, having thoroughly enjoyed playing the villain—he’d long wanted to give those classic villainous lines a ’soulful’ portrayal, and at last, his wish had been fulfilled. Darkray was still a bit worried. "Bro Chen, do you think that bastard will really listen?" Chen Gu smirked. "Don’t worry, he wouldn’t dare disobey." After Chen Gu left, nearby the martial arts hall, the head of the action team gave orders through the communications channel. "From now on, keep a tight watch on the target’s every move." "Everyone must be cautious and not expose ourselves." Chen Gu’s strategy, in a nutshell, was called "startle the snake in the grass." The people from True Knowledge Sin had not yet made a move, and the Bureau of Mystic Security didn’t know their real target. Monitoring on such a large scale for a long time created a lot of pressure and was prone to errors. The plan was to give them a push and make True Knowledge Sin act early. Liu Zhekang underwent rudimentary treatment at the martial arts hall, then was rushed to the hospital. Having only just regained consciousness, Liu Zhekang hastily posted a message on a desolate forum on the Interstellar Quantum Web, after which he waited anxiously. At half-past midnight, the curtain of the hospital room where Liu Zhekang lay fluttered, and a silhouette slipped in through the window. "How did you end up like this?" The figure frowned disapprovingly upon seeing Liu Zhekang’s condition. Liu Zhekang stammered. The shadow snorted coldly. "You should understand, we gave you an opportunity, but we can take it back at any time!" Not daring to withhold anything, Liu Zhekang came clean. The figure pondered, assessing whether Liu Zhekang had blown his cover. "Was it you who provoked Lubei Middle School first?" Liu Zhekang snorted in what amounted to an admission. The shadow then asked, "Think carefully. Before you decided to take action against Lubei Middle School, did anyone or anything suggest it to you, making you come up with that idea?" Liu Zhekang’s mind raced, mistaking the query for a hint. "If there was..." The shadow rolled his eyes in the dark, thinking, This idiot. "Just answer my question truthfully." "I’ve long disliked those from Lubei Middle School; I just lacked the ability before." The shadow understood that it was a random incident—not entirely random, but rather Liu Zhekang’s own foolishness. "Do as he said!" Having said this and noticing Liu Zhekang’s evident resentment, the figure reassured, "We will protect you and your family, but don’t worry, you’ll soon have the chance for revenge yourself!" The team leader and others were monitoring covertly. Soon, this statement was relayed to Director Mei. The assertive woman smiled with satisfaction. "It seems they’re about to make their move." With that, the objective of the operation was achieved. Marcus straightened his attire and declared with ease, "This kid Chen Gu is not bad. His ability to grow so quickly... as his team leader, I played a crucial role in guiding and educating him." Director Mei gave him a look, and Marcus’s old face turned red. His blatant attempt to slice off a piece of the credit cake was rather undignified. But there was no helping it. Team leaders were poor, and scraping together any merit one could was still something. The next morning, Mao Yisheng was released and returned to school for afternoon classes. In the military training area, there was a joyous uproar around Mao Yisheng. Having heard about what happened from Darkray, Mao Yisheng sincerely said to Chen Gu, "Big Brother Chen, great kindness doesn’t warrant thanks. If you’ll have me as a brother, then you’ll always be my big brother!" As Chen Gu was about to respond modestly, he saw Coach Ouyang approach with a stern face, whistle fiercely, and bellow, "You all seem very idle, don’t you? Today’s training load will increase by 50%!" A chorus of groans ensued among the military students. Coach Ouyang glared fiercely at Darkray and Mao Yisheng. "Can you get any more foolish? Still daring to complain? With your pig brains, if you don’t train hard, what future can you have?" Darkray and Mao Yisheng accepted the scolding and obediently went off to train. Coach Ouyang pulled Chen Gu aside, hesitating as if he wanted to say something, but finally just sighed. "You...should I criticize you or praise you?" Chen Gu said nothing, knowing well in his heart that he was not like Darkray, driven by hot-blooded impetuosity. In fact, facing Coach Ouyang, he felt somewhat guilty. "Forget it, go train," Coach Ouyang waved him off. To Chen Gu’s surprise, after Mao Yisheng’s return, his image in the students’ minds seemed to have grown. During breaks, unfamiliar classmates would offer him smiles, and some even gave him thumbs-ups. After school that afternoon, Chen Gu saw Liu Shichan and her circle of close girlfriends at the school gate. They were a group of youthful and attractive girls, and their presence caused the male students to dawdle at the gate, reluctant to leave. For a time, a large crowd gathered at the entrance.