Celestial Human Diagram

The Elephant Gang guards in the main hall exchanged glances and stepped aside.

Chen Chuan walked in, striding across a smooth floor covered in intricate, colorful patterns. He had now entered the second stage of his development. After learning a few techniques, his presence was no longer as sharp and overt as it had been in the first stage. When he met with Deng Xin earlier, he had reined in his spiritual presence.

But on his way here, he had intentionally unleashed his Spiritual Power and his Domain. The sheer force was too much for ordinary people to bear; they would lose consciousness instantly.

This move was a clear announcement of his arrival. Otherwise, if he had rushed in, no one would have had time to react.

Once inside the main hall, his gaze swept across the room. He saw four elderly men and one middle-aged man, all dressed as Shen People.

The Elephant Gang was built on kinship ties. These elderly men were both gang veterans and patriarchs to the younger generation. The middle-aged man was powerfully built. He wore a jadeite earring, held a whip, and radiated a fierce aura.

Surrounding them were more than twenty guards, aiming their guns at him nervously.

In the center of the room, a young man was bound and kneeling on the floor. His muscles bulged from his frame. Even on his knees, he had a more commanding presence than most others present, immediately drawing the eye. ’This must be Tu Nai,’ Chen Chuan thought.

A tall elder stepped forward, his tone polite but cautious. "I didn’t expect Captain Chen of the Processing Bureau to grace us with his presence. To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit, Captain Chen?"

Chen Chuan wasn’t surprised the man recognized him. If the gangs of Central City didn’t know ranking Fighters from the Processing Bureau like himself, they wouldn’t have lasted this long.

The man spoke flawless Dashun, without the slightest hint of an accent. Despite living in Central City, the Shen People kept to their own insular circles and maintained their own language. For that very reason, they were also looked down upon and ostracized by the city’s other residents.

The people from the Outer Ocean Island Countries were the complete opposite. Nearly all of them spoke Dashun, effortlessly sprinkling their speech with classical allusions and idioms. Ignoring their clothing and customs, they were virtually indistinguishable from the people of Dashun, which gave them a significant advantage in Central City.

He asked, "Your name?"

The elder replied, "Tu Man."

Chen Chuan mentally cross-referenced the information he’d recorded beforehand. ’This must be Tu Ge’s brother, the one in charge of the gang’s daily affairs.’

He said, "Mr. Tu, I’m here on behalf of the Bureau, tracking an important lead. I suspect your chief’s death is connected to the Swordfish Gang and their backer, the Ferris Wheel Company. Therefore, I need to speak with whoever is in charge here."

His words caused an immediate uproar. Wasn’t the story that the old chief had died because Tu Nai had negligently given him the wrong medicine?

So it was the Swordfish Gang and the Ferris Wheel Company?

That explanation seemed far more plausible.

Even Tu Nai, still kneeling, jolted and turned to look at Chen Chuan. The middle-aged man stepped forward and lashed him across the back with the whip, bellowing, "Kneel!"

Tu Nai slowly sank back to his knees.

Tu Man said in a grave voice, "Captain Chen, are you saying the Swordfish Gang and the Ferris Wheel Company were scheming behind the scenes?"

Chen Chuan said, "I’m investigating it. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. The Processing Bureau received a tip-off. I was just starting to look into the situation when I heard there’s already been an incident here."

The middle-aged man stepped forward. "Captain Chen, do you have concrete evidence for this?"

Chen Chuan glanced at him but didn’t answer.

"Tu Han!" Tu Man snapped at him. "Captain Chen is an Execution Captain for the Processing Bureau. He wouldn’t speak recklessly without a solid lead."

They were not a powerful gang like the Celestial Forgiveness Gang, which boasted numerous Fighters. Nor were they like the Swordfish Gang with the Ferris Wheel Company at its back. They had no patron; they had started as nothing more than a group of foreign laborers banding together for mutual protection.

While the younger gang members scoffed at the authorities, old-timers like them still held a healthy fear of them.

Besides, he felt that if Chen Chuan weren’t investigating a lead, there would be no reason for him to come to the Elephant Gang at all, which made his words highly credible.

Chen Chuan looked down at Tu Nai. "A moment ago, you all believed he was the cause of your chief’s death?"

The middle-aged man shouted, "He was in charge of the old chief’s medicine. The old chief died after taking what he was given. Of course we have to investigate him!"

Chen Chuan said, "Of course it needs to be investigated. I need to take him with me to get this cleared up."

’This was the simplest solution.’ He never even considered defending Tu Nai; that would be pointless. It was enough to simply take the man away. It would also be a good opportunity to investigate.

Tu Man hesitated for a moment.

The middle-aged man quickly looked at Tu Man. "Uncle Man, this is an internal gang matter," he urged. Investigating leads was one thing, but they didn’t want the Processing Bureau meddling in their affairs. It would only cause trouble later on.

But Chen Chuan’s tone was indifferent. "You seem to be mistaken, sir. I’m informing you, not asking for your opinion."

"You..." The middle-aged man’s face flushed with anger.

Tu Man, however, raised a hand to stop him. He turned to Chen Chuan and said in a low voice, "Captain Chen, we will show you this courtesy. You can take him. But we expect the Processing Bureau to give us a definitive answer."

’In truth, it wasn’t a courtesy he could afford to withhold.’ Chen Chuan’s presence alone was an overwhelming deterrent. When he’d entered, almost no one outside had been able to withstand him. Tu Man had a keen eye; he had no doubt Chen Chuan could easily knock down everyone present before taking the man away.

’Besides, if he could get in once, he could get in again. They really didn’t want to face a man like that, let alone with the entire Processing Bureau behind him.’

Chen Chuan said, "You’ll get your answer."

Tu Man looked at the kneeling Tu Nai. "Tu Nai, did you hear that? You will go with Captain Chen and get this investigated thoroughly. If you can’t clear your name, don’t bother coming back."

Tu Nai had been listening intently to their conversation. Now, he shot to his feet. With a wrench of his arms, the iron shackles binding him snapped apart. He took a deep breath and said, "I’ll go with Captain Chen. I will find a way to uncover the truth behind Uncle Zu’s death."

"Let’s go, then," said Chen Chuan.

"Wait."

Tu Man called out again, stepping forward. "Captain Chen, may I have a word with you in private?"

Chen Chuan looked at him. "Certainly."

Tu Man gestured, leading Chen Chuan to an open area to the side. When they were a fair distance from the others, he said, "Captain Chen, truthfully, I don’t believe this is something Tu Nai would do."

"My brother, Tu Ge, has been in poor health for a long time. We were already preparing for the succession. The plan was to hand the position to Tu Nai—we wouldn’t have put him in charge of the daily medication otherwise. Why would he possibly harm him?"

"The problem is, Tu Nai is bull-headed. Someone just has to say a few words to prod him, and he insists on taking all the responsibility himself."

"Tu Nai has a lot of prestige among the young people. Punishing him is difficult, but so is letting him off. I believe this is exactly the chaos the Swordfish Gang and the Ferris Wheel Company were hoping for. So, you taking him away is a good thing, really. I’m hoping the Processing Bureau can truly get to the bottom of this."

"I know the Processing Bureau doesn’t want to see the Swordfish Gang become the sole power in Yinglu District. The Elephant Gang can still be of use to you."

’This old man has a sharp mind,’ Chen Chuan thought. The man’s meaning was clear: he wanted the Processing Bureau to ensure Tu Nai was truly exonerated so he could return and inherit the leadership, thereby stabilizing the gang. He was also subtly offering to cooperate with the Bureau.

He said, "The matter will be cleared up."

"Then I must thank you, Captain Chen."

Just then, a clamor arose from outside—the sound of many people shouting. One of the gang’s guards used a Realm Token to make a call, and his face suddenly changed.

He looked up and said, "It’s Tu Liu! He’s out front telling everyone that Tu Nai conspired with the Swordfish Gang to poison the old chief. He’s riling people up, saying he’s going to lead them to get revenge on the Swordfish Gang. A lot of men have been swayed by him."

"That Tu Liu!" The faces of the elders present were masks of shocked fury.

Chen Chuan glanced outside. ’Looks like the situation has changed.’

He had acted quickly, but someone had acted even faster.

This was likely all part of a larger plan: first, kill Tu Ge, then incite everyone to avenge their chief.

The timing was perfect. It would be easy to exploit the Elephant Gang’s grief and outrage, inciting them to attack the Swordfish Gang.

No doubt the Swordfish Gang was already prepared, just waiting for them to arrive. That way, the Swordfish Gang wouldn’t be held responsible for instigating the conflict.

He turned back. "Mr. Tu, for things to escalate this quickly, it seems this Tu Liu is highly suspicious. You need to make a decision. But be quick. If you’re too late, no one can save the Elephant Gang. Or... I could always make the decision for you."

Tu Man’s expression shifted. He quickly exchanged a look with the other elders behind him. He knew that once the gang members were riled up, they would be like a runaway vehicle, hurtling forward recklessly until they crashed and smashed themselves to pieces.

The other elders might not be as farsighted, but they knew this was an extremely dangerous moment. They couldn’t let the rank-and-file run wild. Moreover, they were now extremely wary of Tu Liu.

As the gang’s staunchest Conservative Faction, they had no desire to be swept along by their subordinates. That would mean a loss of their influence, a shift in the gang’s entire power structure.

Thus, the elders quickly reached a consensus.

Tu Man walked back over. "Captain Chen, can you do it?"

Chen Chuan answered bluntly, "Tell me where he is."

Tu Man immediately had someone indicate Tu Liu’s location on a Realm Token and sent a contact frequency to Chen Chuan. "Captain Chen, Tu Liu’s disposal is in your hands. We will handle calming things down afterward."

Tu Nai took a step forward. "Captain Chen, Tu Liu is powerful, and he has a lot of men with him. I’ll go with you."

But Tu Man stopped him. "Tu Nai, you cannot show your face right now. Stay here!"

Chen Chuan said, "Mr. Tu is right. Your appearance now would only complicate matters. I’m all that’s needed."

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