Light Fortress
Chapter 125 - 113: Support

Chapter 125: Chapter 113: Support

The music came to an abrupt halt.

In the dim light, countless eyes filled with terror and fear converged on one man.

The man who took off his cap looked back calmly, meeting those gazes head-on... just as Crow had said, he was a rough man, and rough men have their own rough ways of solving problems.

Throwing a punch was his method.

The man knocked unconscious and embedded halfway into the wall... Once the cap was removed, everyone recognized Crow’s identity, and the seething crowd went deathly silent in an instant.

Several men also bearing pocket watch tattoos rushed to the collapsed wall, where someone checked the unconscious comrade’s breathing... and then exhaled a sigh of relief.

Still alive.

Then, a voice from among the fallen man’s companions rose in anger.

"Crow, you’ve gone too far..."

A hulking man with a beard, towering at two meters tall, slowly emerged from the crowd. He wore only a black T-shirt, his large upper arms knotted with muscle, faintly revealing the shattered stopwatch tattoo. With a sullen expression and anger in his voice, he said, "In broad daylight, attacking without cause... do you really think we from South Hall don’t have tempers?"

Not long ago, there had been an incident of Crow beating up Chen Jingtan.

Chen San had sent word that Crow was wanted underground, intending to flay him... Of course, after the lady intervened to mediate, Chen San generously expressed his forgiveness, explaining it was just a remark made in anger.

But everyone knew that surface forgiveness did not equate to turning a new leaf.

Sincere Heart South Hall was actively hunting for this unreasonable brute.

Not only did he not hide... but he also became even more defiant!

"Really?"

An unexpected reply.

Crow, hands in pockets, slowly lifted his head to gaze at the man who was a full head taller than himself and asked indifferently, "This question... I’m just asking you, do you have a temper?"

The strong man was taken aback.

The reason he dared to stand out... was his certainty that Crow was in the wrong, especially given the current situation with Sincere Heart South Hall so incensed. No matter how good a fighter he was, he should be lying low.

The moment Crow made his move, the message had already been sent to several of Chen San’s sworn brothers; people would soon be arriving. If he didn’t want trouble, he should quickly leave the scene.

He looked warily at Crow’s hands tucked in his pockets, sweat beads forming on his forehead, but ultimately, he chose silence.

Of course he had a temper.

But he didn’t want to be punched... Despite his large frame, he could predict that if he opened his mouth, Crow would send him flying even further than the previous fellow.

"..."

Song Ci was somewhat disappointed.

He turned his head to look at the Transcendents on the third underground level and asked, "What about you guys?"

Not a single response.

"Truly disappointing... Where’s your backbone? Living in the underground and not having a hint of fire in your hearts, that’s truly a waste of life." Crow slowly walked over to the unconscious man, while those few who had been checking and supporting the fallen man chose to retreat actively, driven by a mixture of anger and fear. They just wished to keep their distance from this dangerous individual.

Crow crouched down, rifled through the man’s pockets, and pulled out a small medicine jar.

"I thought something about him was off, and sure enough, a search turns up something right away..."

Song Ci chuckled softly, stood up, and raised the white medicine jar, saying lightly, "This is contraband... You all know that, don’t you? The third underground level of Huazhi Building is meant for Transcendents to cultivate, and it’s one thing for you to congregate and revel here, but you mustn’t cross the line."

In this world, there are two sets of rules.

One is meant to be seen on the surface... for instance, the third underground level of Huazhi Building is a place for Transcendents to cultivate.

The other is an unwritten code, the rules behind the rules.

Any Transcendent living in Da Du knows not to cultivate on the negative third level of Huazhi Building. This is a meeting place for the Sincere Heart Association, where the underground Transcendents party... and occasionally conduct unsavory deals, trades, and seek forbidden pleasures.

The Sincere Heart Association is like a blackened blade.

Sharp, yes... but also tainted with filth.

Those in power who wield this blade need to ensure they look spotless themselves, and that the blade remains clean. For the dirty work unfit for the public eye, they rely on those underground folks to wipe it away, of course, if problems arise, the solution is quite simple.

Eliminate the problematic individual.

You see, the rules in Da Du are actually quite simple, and it is precisely this survival of the fittest ethos that led to the emergence of figures like Song Ci.

The bigger the fist, the stronger the reason.

The Sincere Heart members with stopwatch tattoos quickly gathered together, now realizing how foolish their actions had been...

Trying to talk about rules and reason in front of Song Ci...

This guy, the moment he threw his punch, he was ready to be unreasonable.

"Make way."

"I’ve got this guy detained," Crow said, dragging the man by the collar. "Let whoever it is come to claim him. It doesn’t matter who... Just tell them I’ll be waiting for them at the river bank. I’ll release him when you all arrive."

The crowd was silent, as if stricken dumb.

The Transcendents from Sincere Heart South Hall had readied themselves for a big battle right here, some even covering their stopwatch tattoos... in case they were the next unlucky ones.

But now it seemed, this fierce person didn’t want to cause more trouble...

Was it simply a provocation?

What did it mean?

...

...

"Looking for them is too much trouble. Better to have them come to me," Crow said while gripping the man’s collar and leaving Huazhi Building. He turned his head to look at Gu Shen and grinned, "The look in your eyes is quite interesting right now, like you’re looking at... an idiot."

Gu Shen’s expression was complex.

"Is this what you call the brute’s way? Luring the entire Sincere Heart South Hall to the river bank to start a major conflict?" he sighed softly. "What does this have to do with Shi Li’s case..."

"Although Sincere Heart Association is an underground organization, often regarded by me as a trash bin... the so-called trash bin naturally refers to the trash inside it," Song Ci said with lowered eyes, speaking slowly. "However, it’s not that easy to join the Sincere Heart Association. Every Transcendent who joins needs a nominally ’introducer’."

"...An ’introducer’?"

"Most of the information in this world can hardly escape the scrutiny of Deep Sea, I believe every member of the Sincere Heart Association is on the record. But something like ’introducer’, which is hidden in the deepest part of the unspoken rules, is not something Deep Sea can comprehend or will record," Song Ci continued indifferently. "It only exists in our minds. The introducer pushes the Transcendent into the Sincere Heart Association, and the intermediary is responsible for the simple assessment... unlike the rigorous evaluations by those from the three Institutes, we only need to confirm that the guys joining the Sincere Heart Association are alive and controllable, and that’s it."

Judgement Institute, Prison Institute, Command Institute, they draw in the elites, attract talents.

Obviously, the Sincere Heart Association doesn’t have the luxury to choose; those who join the underground organization are often the ones who have been eliminated in competition or discarded ’inferior products’ upon awakening.

While it’s not right to classify people into ranks...

In fact... these people, they are indeed ’defective goods’.

What need is there for so much assessment to select the defective goods? Alive and usable, that’s enough.

"I understand what you mean..."

Gu Shen’s eyes brightened; Shi Li was a pawn of the Changjiu Foundation, and that had been decided even before he joined the Sincere Heart Association.

The one who introduced Shi Li into the Sincere Heart Association... was the target.

He took another look at Song Ci.

This guy, he really had some finesse beneath his rough exterior.

"The south is Chen San’s territory. Before any trouble, perhaps I could have gone to ask with a thick skin, but now..." Song Ci smiled, "As you know, that bunch is crazily looking for me. Going to their territory is like throwing meat buns to a dog."

"Those people are already rushing to the river bank," Gu Shen massaged his temples. "You’re not really planning to fight, are you?"

"Before... I did want to fight," Song Ci cursed with a smile. "But I’m not an idiot. If really a hundred or so guys come in a swarm, you think I can take them on? Most importantly, even if I win, so what? The issue with the introducer is still unresolved..."

"To my knowledge, important data of the Sincere Heart Association is stored offline as a closed circuit for two reasons. One is to prevent theft, the other for security. Those two members of parliament are very aware of the power of ’Deep Sea,’ so the underground organization they personally created... uses the most ancient methods. This data is etched and condensed, typically read and written only when links are disconnected," Song Ci spoke with his head lowered.

"If one day, the Sincere Heart Association needs to disappear... then these data would be lost forever."

He lifted his head to look at Gu Shen and said softly, "Huazhi Building, South Bay Building. The Sincere Heart North and South, in fact, both know each other’s lairs inside out. Here is also where the main server for the closed-circuit of the Sincere Heart Association’s important data is located, with strict handlers and patrols. Disparate data is managed by different people, but the core is definitely inside the building."

When you spoke to me about this..." Gu Shen felt a tingling in his scalp.

"Relax, this has nothing to do with you. But..."

Song Ci raised his eyebrows, speaking in a very relaxed tone, "Those guys at the Sincere Heart South Hall are probably too busy trying to kill me right now. The guards at South Bay Building will be much more relaxed... perhaps the most relaxed in years. It’s a rare opportunity. The information about the introducer might be in the mainframe of South Bay Building. Don’t you want to know?"

"That’s just your speculation..."

"And!"

Gu Shen spoke angrily, "Even if the guards are relaxed, is South Bay Building a place you can just waltz into? What if you infiltrate it and don’t get the information about the introducer?"

"It doesn’t matter."

"What you heard about the North and South Confluence was pure nonsense. A battle between the two... was inevitable."

Crow patted Gu Shen’s shoulder, persuading forcefully, "If we get the data from the mainframe, even without the introducer’s information, it’ll be enough to give Chen San a headache. Young man, having arrived in Da Du, you must choose a strong ally... Do me this favor, and after tonight, the lady will become your strongest support."