章 26: Chapter 26: Negotiation
Lin Zhen's spear in his hand rolled like a black dragon, each stroke overflowing with spear light, leaving dents on the dummies from afar.
However, Stormy Wind Shooting Skill focuses not on frequency but on fierceness and surprise attacks, like an unstoppable gale.
After becoming a Seventh-level Warrior, Lin Zhen's physical capabilities became incredibly strong. As he lunged forward, he even left an afterimage, gripping the shaft of his spear tightly and suddenly flicking his wrist.
"Pu!"
A huge spear light suddenly burst from the gale, penetrating the dummy's chest violently!
This dummy was made of a new soft rubber that would automatically solidify, and it did so at an incredibly fast speed. However, Lin Zhen's powerful thrust managed to pierce a hole the size of a washbasin, and it took a long time for it to solidify completely.
Lin Zhen stood behind the dummy, his fierce momentum just moments ago now gone, as he held his spear in one hand and his mood gradually calmed down.
"I've succeeded! I've finally re-mastered the Stormy Wind Shooting Skill, and I also feel that my insight now is deeper and more thorough than before, as my body is much younger and my mindset is completely different. In my previous life, I was already at an old age when I reached the mastery of the technique, so it wasn't as exciting."
"Regaining the Stormy Wind Shooting Skill means I'm also regaining the power of a Warrior Peak, even though I'm still not a match for a War General. However, with my spear technique and spiritual power, I can handle early-stage War Generals and protect myself."
"In this life, I won't let anyone step on me again, not even gods!"
Lin Zhen calmed down completely and checked the time, only to find that it was almost time for his appointment with Zhang Huai and the others.
He quickly packed up, putting the 150-pound Black Dragon Spear into the mutated deer leather scabbard and slung it on his back.
This weight was already nothing for Lin Zhen, an Early Stage of Level Eight Fighter. Lin Zhen also put five Alloy Flying Knives in the small compartment of his waistband and walked out of the small training ground.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Zhao Liang and three men waiting.
"Brother Zhao, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. It's my fault for losing track of time while practicing."
Zhao Liang waved his hand: "It's nothing. We just arrived early. Lin Zhen, let me introduce you."
He brought Lin Zhen to other men: "This is Shi Lei, our Demon Hunter squad's captain, and a Second-Level War General. He is also the number one in our team."
"Hello, Brother Shi," Lin Zhen politely greeted.
"Hmm, I've heard about you from Zhao Liang. You seem to be quite popular lately. But remember, being famous means you will attract a lot of challenges. Make sure you prove your strength and silence the doubters. Just a friendly piece of advice."
Lin Zhen nodded with a smile. He liked dealing with down-to-earth people like the captain.
"This is Gao Yan, a War General-level sniper. When we go hunting monsters, many of them are killed by Gao Yan's headshots. He is our team's number one in killing rate."
"Hello, Brother Gao," Lin Zhen greeted again.
"Hello, young man. In the future, you can just focus on killing the monsters. I will take care of any hidden threats."
Gao Yan didn't say much. After all, they were going to be on the same squad, and whether Lin Zhen was up to their standards still needed to be observed. If Lin Zhen didn't perform well, he wouldn't bother with him.
"This is Ye Tiancheng, a Second-level War General, powerful with his twin swords, and also the second-strongest in our team."
Ye Tiancheng looked like he was only slightly older than Lin Zhen. He glanced at Lin Zhen: "Kid, I hate being held back, and I don't like babysitting. If I don't approve of you in a month, I'll suggest to Captain Shi that you be kicked out. We Demon Hunters are here to kill monsters and make money, not to have fun."
"Don't worry, Brother Ye. If I become a burden, I'll leave on my own. There's no need to trouble you guys."
Although Ye Tiancheng's words were harsh, Lin Zhen knew that people like him were genuine and could be relied on as teammates without any complaints.
"Alright, now that our Demon Hunter squad is complete with five people, our purpose today is to help Lin Zhen resolve an issue, confront the Blood Hand Squad of the Dragon Slayers, and negotiate with them. Lin Zhen, remember never to give in."
"Rest assured, Brother Zhao. I know what to do."
"That's good. I also had the police release those who hurt your father today. They're in the cars outside, watched by the police. We'll bring them along to increase our bargaining chips. Let's see if that bastard Zhang Huai still wants to follow his brothers."
"Alright, let's get going." Shi Lei spoke up, and they all got into a car. The vehicle was a modified large SUV, barely recognizable by the brand, but it was incredibly sturdy and imposing.
Behind their car, a police car followed, with two police officers and the hoodlums who had injured Lin Zhen's father inside.
The agreed-upon location was an abandoned warehouse in the city center area.
In Base City, where land is valuable, there shouldn't be any idle land. However, this abandoned warehouse district was an exception, as it served as a battleground for martial artists.
Martial artists often had disputes to settle, and while some matters were resolved in the wild, minor issues would be negotiated at a previously agreed-upon location. If an agreement couldn't be reached, fighting might ensue. As martial artists had immense destructive power, ordinary places couldn't withstand their destruction, so the abandoned warehouse district was born.
The car snaked its way into the uninhabited area, surrounded by broken walls and rusted, unrecognizable containers. Some had rotted holes, others were covered in moss; it was said that they were from the era of the Gregorian calendar.
Along the road, bullet holes and sword marks from previous battles could be seen everywhere.
"They're over there!"
Zhao Liang, who was driving, pointed to two modified off-road vehicles in the distance, with a few men leaning against them, waiting for Lin Zhen and the others.
The two cars arrived one after another, stopping with a screech. People got out of the cars one after another.
Shi Lei took the lead with a thick cigar in his mouth, followed by the members of the Demon Hunter Squad. At the end were two police officers escorting the four hoodlums.
The four hoodlums had bruised faces. Under Zhao Liang's instructions, the police officers who approached Gale hadn't been gentle with them. However, in Lin Zhen's eyes, this punishment was far from enough. Everything had to wait for the outcome of the negotiations.
Seeing the people from Gale approach, the few from Dragon Slayer stood up straight, cold smiles on their faces as they watched the other party.
Both sides stopped within five meters of each other.
Without any pleasantries, Shi Lei, the Demon Hunter Squad leader, spoke first: "Du Yanhu, Zhang Huai is one of your Blood Hand Squad, right? He ordered his men to injure the father of our squad member, Lin Zhen. Don't you know that a martial artist's disputes should not involve family? How are we going to settle this?"
Du Yanhu was the captain of the Blood Hand Squad, a Four-Level War General, and the most powerful among those present.
Instead of answering directly, Du Yanhu asked Zhang Huai, "Is there such a thing?"
Zhang Huai spread his hands: "Boss, this has nothing to do with me. Who knows what those Demon Hunters are making up? They're just trying to pin the blame on me."
After speaking, Zhang Huai looked at the hoodlums: "You guys are indeed my men at Black Swan, but I never asked you to do such a thing."
The hoodlums appeared less frightened when they saw Zhang Huai, and immediately replied: "That's right, boss. We beat up that old man simply because his breakfast was too awful. The meat was rotten, and he wouldn't even admit it. That's why we fought."
Zhang Huai looked at Lin Zhen with a smile, "What do you think, Lin Zhen? You can't blame me for this."
Instead of arguing with Zhang Huai's blatant denial, Lin Zhen asked, "So this matter has nothing to do with you, Zhang Huai?"
"Of course!" Zhang Huai's eyes widened.
"That's fine. Then, however I deal with these hoodlums, it's none of your business."
"Hmph! I actually wanted to talk to you about this matter. They've been detained already for half a month. It's time to let them go."
"Releasing them is fine. However, I'm a member of Gale as well, and my family was harmed like this. If there's no explanation, people will laugh at us if it gets out. These hoodlums don't need to use their legs to walk in the future!"
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