Outside the abandoned factory, two cars slowed to a halt.
The car doors opened, and over a dozen men and women quietly exited.
On the collars of these individuals, a golden sword was embroidered.
They were the elites of the Li Jian Bureau.
“Load your bullets. If you encounter resistance, shoot to kill.”
Although Chu Xiaoran was only twenty-six, she was already a squadron leader in the Li Jian Bureau.
This operation was under her command!
Because the opponent was too strong, Chu Xiaoran had made an exception to approve the use of firearms.
“Understood!” Everyone nodded softly.
“Action!” Following Chu Xiaoran’s command, they stealthily moved towards the abandoned factory.
Before long, they had infiltrated the factory.
“Something’s not right. It’s too quiet.” Chu Xiaoran’s brows furrowed.
“Could they have escaped?” a subordinate whispered.
Chu Xiaoran slightly straightened up and then looked through the window into the workshop.
“How could this be!” Seeing the corpses on the ground, Chu Xiaoran rushed into the workshop.
“All dead? Who did this?”
“According to the information, Shadow Demon was at the initial stage of the ninth rank. Who managed to kill him?”
Chu Xiaoran’s subordinate said in surprise.
Chu Xiaoran cautiously scanned her surroundings. After confirming there was no danger, she knelt beside the scarred man.
“Defeating Shadow Demon in two moves, this person must be at least at the later stage of the ninth rank.” Chu Xiaoran said after a careful observation.
“Are there any martial artists at the later stage of the ninth rank in Island City?”
Hearing her subordinate’s question, Chu Xiaoran said softly, “There is one!”
“Who?”
“Qin Hanchu!” Chu Xiaoran replied.
“The kid who wiped out the Han family?”
The people in the Li Jian Bureau were no strangers to Qin Hanchu’s name.
In fact, the Li Jian Bureau had already established a file for Qin Hanchu!
Chu Xiaoran nodded, “In Island City now, only he has this capability.”
“Should we summon him?”
“I’ll go talk to him. You guys handle the scene,” Chu Xiaoran said.
…
At noon, Qin Hanchu and Lin Ying went to the academy’s cafeteria.
As a key institution, the military academy had excellent cafeteria food.
“Look, that’s Qin Hanchu.”
“I can’t believe he has peak seventh-rank strength at such a young age.”
“I heard he reached the eighth rank!”
“How is that possible? Didn’t they say he was repelled by Instructor Niu in ten moves?”
“Instructor Niu suspected he didn’t go all out.”
“If he’s this strong now, won’t he reach the ninth rank by graduation?”
After a morning of buzz, the news of Qin Hanchu challenging Instructor Niu had spread throughout the academy.
Seeing Qin Hanchu enter the cafeteria, many people looked at him and whispered.
“You’re the talk of the school now.” Lin Ying smiled.
Qin Hanchu was nonchalant and casually said, “Aren’t you a celebrity too? You became the top of the campus beauty rankings as soon as you entered the academy.”
“I rely on my looks, you rely on your strength. It’s different,” Lin Ying said.
“A beauty paired with a hero, that’s us,” Qin Hanchu said in a joking tone.
Lin Ying smirked, “Are you flirting with me?”
“The interpretation is yours to decide,” Qin Hanchu replied.
“If I fell in love with you right now, would you give up your other engagements for me?” Lin Ying asked jokingly.
Qin Hanchu: “…”
Just as they were eating and chatting, Chu Xiaoran sat down next to Qin Hanchu. She said apologetically, “Sorry to disturb your private time.”
“The Li Jian Bureau?” Lin Ying asked, glancing at Chu Xiaoran’s collar.
Chu Xiaoran nodded, “That’s right!”
“Did you come about Dark Star?” Qin Hanchu asked.
“So it was you!” Chu Xiaoran exclaimed.
Qin Hanchu didn’t hide it and nodded, “Yes, do you need to arrest me?”
“You killed someone from Dark Star, and we’ll have to give you a reward, not arrest you.”
Dark Star was an overseas underground organization, considered dangerous individuals within the Great Yan Kingdom.
Martial artists who killed them were not only not committing a crime but were actually credited.
“There’s a bounty? How much?” Qin Hanchu hadn’t expected there to be a reward for killing members of Dark Star.
Although he wasn’t short on money, free money was still money.
“For a killer at the ninth rank, the bounty is two million. For a killer at the eighth rank, the bounty is eight hundred thousand.”
“So, you’re owed six million,” Chu Xiaoran said.
“What did you say? He killed a ninth-rank killer?”
Lin Ying had only known Qin Hanchu for two days, so she wasn’t aware of his true strength.
Qin Hanchu being able to spar with Instructor Niu had already shocked her.
But she hadn’t expected Qin Hanchu to be hiding his strength.
Being able to kill a ninth-rank killer meant Qin Hanchu himself must be at least at the ninth-rank.
“Calm down, it’s not a big deal,” Qin Hanchu said with a smile.
“This isn’t a big deal? You’re only twenty years old and you’ve reached the ninth rank!” Lin Ying suppressed the shock in her heart, saying in a low voice.
“A reminder, admiration and love are not the same thing. Don’t agree to marry me just because you admire me,” Qin Hanchu quickly reminded her.
“No wonder my dad was so eager for me to marry you. You’re this strong.”
“In a few more years, won’t you be able to reach the Grandmaster realm!”
Lin Ying felt incredibly dejected. At the same age, she was only at the fifth rank.
Yet Qin Hanchu had reached the ninth rank.
It was truly a case of comparing oneself to others leading to despair.
Seeing Lin Ying’s shocked expression, Qin Hanchu’s vanity was slightly satisfied.
He handed his bank card to Chu Xiaoran and said, “Transfer the bounty to this account.”
…
After a good half-hour of conversation, Chu Xiaoran finally left.
Once Chu Xiaoran was out of earshot, Lin Ying excitedly asked, “How do you cultivate? Teach me.”
“Have you heard of dual cultivation?” Qin Hanchu lowered his voice, pretending to be mysterious.
“Dual cultivation? What does that mean?” Lin Ying looked puzzled.
“It means cultivating together, without clothes.”
“You’re trying to die, joking with me like that!” Lin Ying finally understood, her face flushing red as she punched Qin Hanchu’s shoulder.
Seeing Lin Ying flustered, Qin Hanchu laughed, “Alright, I was wrong. When we get back, I’ll guide your cultivation, and I guarantee you’ll break through your current realm quickly.”
“That’s more like it.” Hearing Qin Hanchu say this, Lin Ying finally smiled in satisfaction.
Chatting as they walked, the two of them left the cafeteria.
However, not long after, their path was blocked by a “senior.”
This senior politely said to Lin Ying, “Hello, junior Lin Ying. My name is Hua Shixin.”
“Is there something?” Lin Ying asked.
“Nothing really, I just wanted to be friends with you,” Hua Shixin said with a smile.
Lin Ying glanced at Qin Hanchu, then said, “Haven’t you heard that I have a fiancé?”
“I’ve heard, but that doesn’t stop us from being friends, does it?”
“There are many kinds of friends. You don’t have to pursue me to be friends.”
Hua Shixin’s demeanor remained polite, giving a very approachable impression.