154: Chapter 154 He was well-versed in the ways of survival in this world.

"What's wrong? Did Gu Changming send you another message?"

Lin Jianqiu sat on a rattan chair at a street corner, holding a drink with ice cubes, and tilted her head to look over.

As their levels increased, some non-essential survival supplies became available for sale in the shops.

For example, the drink in her hand cost fifteen points.

It wasn't cheap, but Lin Jianqiu felt it was worth it.

Nowadays, every time they entered and exited a secret realm, the points they earned were around one or two thousand.

So, as the Vice Commander, she could afford to spend ten or so points.

Su Wan moved her gaze away from the pale blue light screen and shook her head. "No, it's another message."

"Hmm?" Lin Jianqiu hummed curiously, her straw stirring the ice in her cup as she continued to ask, "Where is the message from?"

"Someone is causing trouble over in the South District," Su Wan briefly explained. "It's quite a commotion; it seems they've even injured several Enforcers..."

"Is it those thugs and lowlifes scheduled for arrest?" Lin Jianqiu asked.

"Mm." Su Wan nodded and closed the message interface. "They say it's violent resistance against enforcement."

Lin Jianqiu stood up from the rattan chair, stretched her body, and said, "Let's go take a look too."

Su Wan looked up at her, a questioning look in her eyes.

Lin Jianqiu's eyes curved into a smile as she explained, "Isn't that guy Gu Changming in the South District too? Maybe... we'll run into him."

Su Wan thought about it and stood up as well, but she still clarified:

"Why would we want to run into him? He has serious business to do. Shouldn't we head over to prevent things from spiraling out of control?"

Judging by the message, the person violently resisting seemed to be quite powerful.

To prevent further casualties, it was better for stronger people to go and resolve it quickly.

"Yes, yes, yes," Lin Jianqiu nodded agreeably. "It's all for the sake of maintaining the safety and stability of the Stronghold."

Su Wan rolled her eyes at her, said nothing more, grabbed her coat, and headed toward the South District.

...

Fang Shouzheng frowned as his figure streaked rapidly across the sky above the low buildings of the South District.

As soon as he received the emergency message from below, he was the first to set off.

The message said that the individual 'violently resisting enforcement' was extremely troublesome and had already taken down several Enforcers.

Right now was a critical period for executing the 'Cleanup' plan. He didn't want the already stretched Enforcer forces to suffer any more losses, which might affect subsequent arrangements.

Left with no choice, he had to come personally to suppress the matter as quickly as possible.

While charging forward at high speed, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura from his side and rear.

He turned his head to look.

On the rooftop of another street not far away, Su Wan and Lin Jianqiu were also looking his way.

The three of them locked eyes. Without any unnecessary words, they adjusted their directions simultaneously and quickly converged.

"Did you also come because you received the message?" Fang Shouzheng asked.

"No," Lin Jianqiu replied.

However, as soon as she spoke, Su Wan glared at her.

Then Su Wan took over the conversation: "We just happened to be nearby."

Fang Shouzheng had grown somewhat used to Lin Jianqiu's occasional sniping at him, so he followed up with, "With three C-Class Ability User here now, that guy's luck has run out."

With the brief conversation over, the three of them sped up again in perfect sync, racing toward the location specified in the message.

Before long, the alley where the incident occurred came into view.

In the open space outside the alley entrance, a dense crowd of nearly twenty Enforcers had gathered. Each held a weapon, staring into the alley with tense expressions, yet none dared to rush in recklessly.

Not just outside—seven or eight Enforcers were also stationed on the buildings above the alley.

The small alley was surrounded so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

Fang Shouzheng, Su Wan, and Lin Jianqiu descended from above.

Upon seeing them appear, the originally tense and oppressive atmosphere visibly relaxed.

The gathered Enforcers hurriedly nodded respectfully to the three of them.

These three were all C-Class Ability User; two of them were even among the true power-holders of the Xinhuo Stronghold today.

It was impossible for their attitude not to be respectful.

"What's the situation?" Fang Shouzheng asked in a deep voice.

A man who looked like a squad leader immediately stepped forward and reported, "The opponent is very strong and has already taken down four or five of our Enforcers. However, he's currently trapped inside by us and hasn't made any further moves for the time being."

Fang Shouzheng nodded and, without stopping his pace, walked straight into the alley.

"Have the Enforcer who was involved from the beginning come over and tell me the details."

"He... he's still inside..." the squad leader answered quickly.

...

Inside the alley.

Zhao Chenghan's face was tense, and his breathing was slightly hurried.

Opposite him, at Gu Changming's feet, four or five Enforcers were already lying scattered about. Some were groaning softly, while others had already fainted.

This was something he hadn't expected at all—that the opponent's strength would be so formidable.

Even when they swarmed him together, they couldn't take him down.

Instead, four or five of them had been knocked down by the opponent...

Deep in the alley.

Behind Gu Changming, after swallowing a potion, Li Yangze's originally heavily injured body had recovered slightly. Once he fully regained consciousness, he stared blankly at the chaotic and inconceivable scene before him.

His mind was a complete blank. How did things get this big? How was this supposed to end?

With so many Enforcers here now, they couldn't escape... What should they do next?

His gaze couldn't help but fall on Gu Changming in front of him.

Had he... implicated this person who had saved him?

Just as his thoughts were racing...

The light at the alley entrance was blocked once again as three figures walked in unhurriedly.

Li Yangze looked up instinctively, and his heart suddenly constricted.

He recognized two of them. They were big shots in the Stronghold whom he could occasionally catch a glimpse of from afar on public notices or at major events.

After the three entered, Li Yangze clearly saw the guy with glasses who had beaten him up. An excited look flashed across his face as he jogged over to the three of them.

Zhao Chenghan was indeed overjoyed. He hadn't expected these two people to be drawn here as well.

Now, this guy is as good as dead!

Reaching the three of them, Zhao Chenghan immediately straightened his back, his face assuming an expression that was a mix of grievance, indignation, and dutifulness.

He reached out and pointed at Gu Changming and Li Yangze deep in the alley.

"City Lord Fang, Regiment Commander Su, here's what happened..."

These were the titles used for the two. Su Wan was called that because she commanded a Battle Group of nearly a hundred D-Class Ability Users; Fang Shouzheng's title was more of an exaggerated moniker others gave him: since his strength was so great, he was practically turning the entire Stronghold into his own.

"These two guys are well-known thug brothers in this South District! They usually bully others, dominate the market, and disrupt order. Many people have been bullied by them."

"Today, the two of us were on patrol as ordered and caught them planning to bully the ordinary residents here in the South District again, trying to forcibly transfer the curse on their bodies to others."

"We immediately spoke out to stop them, but not only did they refuse to listen, they became enraged and attacked us! We pursued them all the way to this alley before finally cornering them..."

Listening to Zhao Chenghan's bold-faced lies, Li Yangze felt all the blood rush to his head, so angry his vision went dark.

"You're lying! You were the one who did those things! The injuries on my body... they were all from you..." Li Yangze was so furious he didn't know how to organize his words.

However, Zhao Chenghan merely turned his head slightly and glanced at him.

There was no panic in that gaze, only a trace of faint, almost contemptuous indifference.

Zhao Chenghan didn't even bother to open his mouth to argue.

In this world, do truth and facts matter?

They don't.

What matters is that he is a member of the Enforcer team, part of the same group as Fang Shouzheng and the others.

And the other two are just insignificant nobodies in this Stronghold.

More importantly, Gu Changming has already tangibly injured several Enforcers. With the situation having reached this point, it was already irredeemable.

An insignificant person, someone nobody knows, had injured so many Enforcers within the Stronghold.

It was a severe provocation to the authority of their Xinhuo Stronghold.

Therefore, to quickly settle the matter and control the fallout...

There was only one possible end for this guy.

And that was to be killed on the spot!

He understood the way of survival in this world.

The development of events would surely proceed exactly as he had envisioned.