"Hello."
"This is Chen Jinzhao."
Chen Jinzhao walked onto the balcony to answer the unknown call.
A voice Chen Jinzhao was all too familiar with came from the other end of the line, "Chen Jinzhao, find a place to hide immediately. My grandfather has issued a kill order online, hiring an assassin organization to assassinate you. I've looked into that assassin organization; they are said to be extremely famous worldwide. You are no match for them. I advise you to leave at once."
Yu Mengzhi had gone to Chen Jinzhao's residence and found him missing.
Therefore, she had to use a public phone to call Chen Jinzhao, to avoid Yu Lingxiao from monitoring her conversation.
Chen Jinzhao was stunned for a moment.
It took him a while to react, "I already knew about the bounty order. I just didn't expect it to be from your grandfather. But thank you anyway. Otherwise, I'd still be in the dark."
Yu Mengzhi felt Chen Jinzhao was focusing on the wrong thing and quickly said, "Since you already know, quickly find a place to hide. Once you're targeted by people from 'Shadow', the consequences will be severe."
Chen Jinzhao's heart warmed.
Initially, he thought he would become an enemy of Yu Mengzhi, but unexpectedly, she still cared about him.
"Ms. Yu, don't worry. No matter how capable the people from 'Shadow' are, they are no match for me. I told you before that I have some connections with the military, and they will send people to protect me." Chen Jinzhao's words slightly reassured Yu Mengzhi, and she repeatedly said, "That's good. In any case, don't have any accidents, or I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life."
Chen Jinzhao teased, "Ms. Yu, why are you suddenly thinking of caring about me?"
"If Qin Fengwu finds out, he'll probably turn green with anger and take it out on your Yu family."
Yu Mengzhi let out a soft snort, "It doesn't matter if Qin Fengwu knows. Am I afraid of him just because I'm alive? Besides, whether I marry Qin Fengwu or not is up to me."
"Alright."
"I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go to the company. I'll find you for a meal when I have time later."
Chen Jinzhao hummed in response.
Not long after hanging up, another call came in. This time it was Xu Nianqing. Chen Jinzhao was wondering why Miss Xu was calling him so early in the morning when Xu Nianqing said in a low voice, "Jinzhao, Teacher Wen found a bounty order targeting you on the dark web last night. The reward is a full 100 million US dollars. As of now, the 'Shadow' organization has accepted the bounty order. You need to be careful."
Chen Jinzhao: "..."
So the whole world knew about this, and he was the last to know?
He patiently told Xu Nianqing that he was currently at the Jiangnan Military Region and that the people from 'Shadow' couldn't do anything to him.
Xu Nianqing felt slightly relieved, then hung up.
Chen Jinzhao stood on the balcony, lost in thought. Before he could return to his room, his phone rang again. This time it was his mother, Li Qiurong. Chen Jinzhao adjusted his tone, trying his best not to let his mother hear anything amiss. However, Li Qiurong got straight to the point, "Jinzhao, your uncle said he saw online that someone wants to kill you. You'd better find a place to hide. If that's not possible, then go to the capital and seek refuge with your uncle."
Chen Jinzhao: "..."
Got it!
Even his mother, who was in a county town, knew about this.
It took Chen Jinzhao a lot of persuasion to make Li Qiurong believe that nothing would happen to him, and only then did she hang up the phone with peace of mind.
"Speaking of which, what is the background of my uncle? How can he get such information?" Chen Jinzhao became increasingly curious about Li Qiutao, and even more curious about the influence behind Li Qiutao.
He returned to the room.
Chen Jinzhao told Shangguan Yongan about what had just happened. Shangguan Yongan listened and said with a strange expression, "Shadow probably never dreamed that this matter would become common knowledge before they even made a move."
Chen Jinzhao also laughed, "Let's not worry about them."
"If one comes, kill one. If two come, kill a pair. I will make sure they never return."
Shangguan Yongan pursed her lips and smiled.
After breakfast, the two of them went to the main entrance of the Jiangnan Military Region to welcome Xu Hanchen and Wu Dingfeng, who had just arrived from the capital. Xu Hanchen held Chen Jinzhao's hand and spoke at length, also asking him about his chances of winning.
Chen Jinzhao's answer remained three-seven.
Xu Hanchen frowned, "If that's the case, can we postpone the match? I believe in your strength. If you could train for another two months, your chances of winning would be higher."
"No need. I want to give it a try," Chen Jinzhao said with a confident smile.
"At least there's still a thirty percent chance, which is much better than having no chance at all, isn't it?"
Xu Hanchen laughed heartily.
What he valued was Chen Jinzhao's mindset, not to be overly concerned with immediate victory, but to win in the end.
"Good!"
"Then do your best, and don't push yourself too hard."
Chen Jinzhao nodded in agreement.
After lunch, the group went to a closed building within the Jiangnan Military Region, which was the venue for Chen Jinzhao's match with Xuanwu. Apart from certain high-ranking officials, basically no one knew about this martial arts competition.
It was conducted in a highly secretive manner.
Inside the venue, there was a temporarily erected arena, measuring 10 by 10 meters.
When Chen Jinzhao arrived, Xuanwu, wearing a vest, was standing on the arena. As if sensing Chen Jinzhao's arrival, Xuanwu jumped off the stage and walked straight towards Chen Jinzhao.
Xuanwu was thirty-two years old, at the peak of his vigor.
He looked directly into Chen Jinzhao's eyes, trying to intimidate him, but Chen Jinzhao had seen all sorts of situations. Xuanwu's gaze did not put any pressure on Chen Jinzhao.
Xuanwu smiled.
Full of fighting spirit, he said, "As expected of Zhu Long. Even after three years of silence, you still possess a demeanor different from others."
"You flatter me," Chen Jinzhao replied with a smile.
Xuanwu glanced at the single tassel and single star on Chen Jinzhao's shoulder, and couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. He had almost obtained that military rank back then, but Chen Jinzhao had snatched it away.
However, Xuanwu also admitted that Chen Jinzhao had earned it deservedly.
He was just unwilling in his heart.
Xuanwu checked the time. There was still an hour before the match began. He smiled again, "In the past three years, I have thought of surpassing you every moment. I am also confident that my gains over these three years are substantial, and I have surpassed the you of three years ago. With the increase in my strength and your stagnation, you are definitely no match for me. Therefore, I think it's best for you to surrender directly and save yourself from being thrown off the stage by me."
Whoosh!
The atmosphere in the venue instantly became oppressive.
No one expected Xuanwu to unleash his full ferocity. Even Wu Dingfeng frowned, wanting to ask Xuanwu to restrain himself. Xu Hanchen stopped Wu Dingfeng, saying, if not for this, would he still be a young man?
Chen Jinzhao chuckled, "Alright, then I'll await your defeat."
"But I believe I still have the strength to fight. You might not be a hundred percent sure. Perhaps, the one who gets thrown off the stage will be you."
The people in the venue began to feel excited.
This was a battle between the younger generation, a clash of titans, like sparks colliding with a meteorite!
Who would emerge victorious?