Madman!

Chapter 71: Metamorphosis

At noon, Huang Meizhen headed to the dental clinic, where she would be helping out for the afternoon.

Chen Wuhong changed his clothes and limped out of the house. His left leg still ached slightly when he walked, but it was nothing serious.

He was desperate to know if this "Chen Wujun" everyone talked about was actually his younger brother.

Once downstairs, Chen Wuhong felt that even the putrid stench of the Walled City smelled sweet.

After being cooped up at home for months, he was going stir-crazy.

However, because of the last incident, he kept his head on a swivel as he walked, his eyes darting in every direction, terrified of running into trouble again.

He hadn't even reached Lung Tsun Road when he heard the rapid thud of footsteps and shouting coming from behind.

"Hey kid, where do you think you're going?!"

Chen Wuhong's heart pounded wildly, and his instinct was to bolt.

But he quickly realized they probably weren't chasing him. Turning his head, he saw a man with bleached-blond hair sprinting toward him, pursued by three others."Get lost!" The blond shoved him aside as he ran past, sending him tumbling.

"Fuck!" No sooner had Chen Wuhong hit the ground than someone stomped on his ankle. Then another foot landed on it.

"Freeze!" The pursuers, in their haste, naturally trampled right over his ankle one by one.

Chen Wuhong rolled on the ground, his face twisted in agony.

"It was like this last time, and now it's happening again. How can it be so coincidental... Second Brother!"

In a flash of clarity amidst the pain, Chen Wuhong figured it out.

It was the same pattern every time. He wasn't an idiot.

No wonder Second Brother was always so concerned about his legs. These were clearly his people!

That evening, Chen Wujun returned home.

"Where's Big Brother?" Chen Wujun asked casually, noticing his brother wasn't in the living room.

"He's in his room. Hurt his foot again! I don't know if he's been cursed or what, he's always getting injured lately..." Huang Meizhen said as she served the dishes, inwardly planning to find someone to take a look at her eldest son.

"I'll go check on him," Chen Wujun nodded and entered the bedroom.

He found his brother, Chen Wuhong, lying on the bed, glaring at him with resentment.

"Did you do this? It was definitely you!" Chen Wuhong's first sentence was a question, but the second was an accusation.

Chen Wujun closed the door and smiled. "What happened to your foot? Why were you so careless?"

"Don't give me that fake act!" Seeing the smile on Chen Wujun's face, the anger in Chen Wuhong's gut exploded. He suppressed his voice into a low growl:

"Don't think I don't know—you're the one who ordered this! Do you believe I'll tell Mom and Dad right now? You are the Chen Wujun from Hetu!"

Chen Wujun kept smiling, his gaze resting on his older brother. "Why so angry? Brother, I'm doing this for your own good!"

Then he bent down, staring intently into his brother's eyes. The smile slowly vanished from his face, replaced by a look of savage brutality. "I'm afraid that one day, I might just beat you to death!"

Looking into Chen Wujun's eyes, the older brother felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. He shivered uncontrollably, his anger popping like a balloon pricked by a needle, disappearing without a trace.

"I'm doing this for you, and for Mom and Dad," Chen Wujun said gently as the savagery faded from his eyes. He reached out and patted his brother's chest.

"Isn't this lifestyle good? You eat hot meals at home every day, watch TV, and keep our parents company..."

"Number Two, please let me go, okay? I won't gamble anymore, I really won't... If I gamble again, just throw me off the building..." Chen Wuhong begged pitifully.

"But I don't trust you," Chen Wujun said airily.

"However, no need to worry too much. In a while... you should be able to go out."

'In a few months, I'll find a way to get enough money to send Mom and Dad out of the Walled City.'

'By then, I won't have to manage Big Brother anymore.'

"Just stay home and recover for now. What did the doctor say this time?"

Chen Wuhong just gritted his teeth and stared at Chen Wujun, saying nothing.

Chen Wujun shrugged and opened the door to leave, dropping one last airy comment:

"Rest well."

"How is Big Brother's foot? How could he be so clumsy?" Chen Wujun resumed his role as the good younger brother the moment he stepped out.

"The doctor said his ankle is badly injured—damage to the sinew and bone. He needs to rest for at least two months... Tomorrow I'll get Auntie Liu to take a look at him, see if he's bumped into some evil spirit..." Huang Meizhen said worriedly.

Chen Hanliang also felt the situation was bizarre. It was as if something was targeting his son every time he went out, so he didn't object.

"After Auntie Liu takes a look, I'll go to the Tin Hau Temple to pray and ask for a protective talisman."

...

For the next few days, Chen Wujun continued to practice martial arts during the day and went to the martial arts hall at night.

The copy of "Cold Steel Combat Arts" at home was nearly worn out from his constant reading.

He felt that if he had been this diligent during his school days, he wouldn't have missed out on high school.

But back then, schoolbooks made him sleepy the moment he looked at them; he couldn't keep his eyes open.

Yet with these martial arts books, he could absorb everything completely, reading for hours at a time.

It wasn't until three days before the competition that he stopped training. He didn't even visit Ah Yue. Instead, he stood on the rooftop, staring blankly at the distant city center.

Two days before the match, Chen Wujun stood on the rooftop and extended his hand, looking at the city center through his spread fingers, as if his palm could grasp the entire place.

He felt that he could do it; he just needed some time.

His phone rang. Chen Wujun picked it up and heard Shark Jiu's voice. "Jun-zai, come downstairs! Come to East Zheng Road."

Chen Wujun went downstairs and left the Walled City, where he saw Shark Jiu's luxury car parked by the roadside.

"Senior Sister, where are we going?" Chen Wujun asked as he climbed into the car.

"Taking you to see the scenery! Have you ever looked down from Fei Ngo Shan?" Shark Jiu smiled, placing a cigarette in her mouth and tossing the pack to Chen Wujun.

"No," Chen Wujun replied as he lit a cigarette.

"Then you really should see it," Shark Jiu laughed.

The car drove all the way to the parking lot at Jat's Incline. When they got out, there were still a few people hiking nearby.

The moment the two stepped out of the car, they drew immediate attention.

Chen Wujun had grown to five feet nine inches tall. His muscles filled out his shirt, giving him an aura of explosive power.

Shark Jiu, wearing flat shoes, was still half a head taller than him. Dressed in trousers and a shirt that accentuated her long legs, combined with her short hair and heroic features, she looked remarkably dashing.

They walked along the small path to the summit of Fei Ngo Shan. There was a protruding platform here—a notorious spot for suicides.

The view from this vantage point was magnificent. Ahead lay Incense Burner Peak; in the distance, the port and the vast ocean; and below, one could look down upon half the city center, a forest of skyscrapers.

The entire North Port area of East District 9 was within their field of vision.

Standing there, Chen Wujun felt his chest expand and his spirit lift. A mountain breeze blew past, bringing a sense of immense relief to his heart.

"Well? The view isn't bad, is it?" Shark Jiu turned her head, smiling as she looked at the scenery.

"It is truly spectacular." Chen Wujun felt the limits of his vocabulary; aside from "spectacular," he could hardly think of another word.

"In the eyes of some people, East District 9 is just a chessboard. The big shots live over there... manipulating this game of chess." Shark Jiu pointed toward Incense Burner Peak, her eyes narrowing slightly.

That was the core of North Port in East District 9. The uppermost echelon of society—the politicians and the foreign tycoons—lived there.

In East District 9, those foreigners held the highest status.

People of Hua-Yan descent, whether in politics or other fields, faced restrictions.

Even wealthy local tycoons fell far short of the foreign tycoons in terms of status and influence.

"Actually, the world is quite unfair. They are born with everything—wealth, status. With a turn of their hand, they summon clouds and rain. To them, we are just small figures struggling to survive. They probably don't even see us."

"Even Master Xin, the Dragon Heads, and the wealthy locals... in their eyes, we're all just little ants."

"I often think... East District 9 is so big, there ought to be a place for me!"

Shark Jiu spread her arms as if to embrace North Port before her. Her meaning was clearly not just the district itself, but that Incense Burner Peak opposite them. She wanted to become a big shot; she wanted to be one of the people controlling the board.

"Senior Sister, there will be!" Listening to Shark Jiu's bold words, a surge of ambition rose in Chen Wujun's heart.

He felt that there should be a place for him there, too.

"Of course there will be!" Shark Jiu laughed heartily and patted Chen Wujun's shoulder. Then she sat down on the edge of the platform, with a drop of hundreds of meters just below her.

Chen Wujun remained standing, gazing into the distance.

In the past, he had only looked at the tiny area of the Walled City, staring out from within its confines.

Standing here allowed his perspective to transcend the Walled City for the first time. He was no longer looking up from a rooftop in the slums, but looking down upon the city center of East District 9.

Compared to this sight, the duel in two days was nothing more than a small stumbling block.

After standing there for a long time, Chen Wujun felt a flash of enlightenment. His feet shifted and locked, assuming the Green Dragon Reaches Claw stance. He began to move his feet, his palms changing with every step. His sleeves snapped in the air, making a crisp sound like a flag flapping in a gale.

Shark Jiu turned her head, eyes narrowing with a smile as she watched Chen Wujun practice.

She saw that as he moved, his Swimming Dragon Palm gradually began to exude a fearless, all-conquering majesty.

Chen Wujun practiced continuously for an hour before slowly coming to a halt.

He didn't speak. Instead, he stood there looking into the distance, occasionally running through the Swimming Dragon Palm moves again.

Gradually, the majesty in his technique transformed into a domineering intent: Those who block me die.

They didn't head back until evening.

"Senior Sister, you will definitely become a big shot!" Chen Wujun said as they walked.

'And so will I.'

Shark Jiu grinned, revealing her sharp teeth, her smile tinged with a scent of bloodlust.

"By the way, Jun-zai. Did you know a wealthy backer recently put twenty million on Yu Wei?" Shark Jiu asked suddenly.

"I heard. I didn't know who it was. You know?" Chen Wujun replied.

"It was Uncle Wu!" Shark Jiu said playfully.

"Looks like he's decided I killed Old Ghost Bing's family!"

"Then he deserves to die. Since he and Old Ghost Bing were so close, he might as well go down and keep him company!" Chen Wujun narrowed his eyes, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Hearing this, Shark Jiu's eyes gleamed with approval.

She had brought Jun-zai here today hoping his mindset would break through before the gambling match.

Jun-zai never disappointed her.

She liked his way of thinking; it suited her perfectly.

When Chen Wujun returned to the Walled City, he went straight to the rooftop. However, he didn't gaze at the distant city center this time. Instead, he practiced the Swimming Dragon Palm incessantly, his eyes growing brighter and his presence growing stronger.