Madman!

Chapter 83: The Assessment

"How much do you know about the Special Task Department?"

Seeing Chen Wujun shake his head, Snake Aunt continued.

"This department's primary focus is hunting down martial artist criminals. However, since there aren't that many external offenders, they mostly keep an eye on us. They have five teams in North Port, with eight members in each squad. Harris is the Group Leader of Team Three."

"He should be between forty-two and forty-three years old this year. His Enhancement Reconstruction is around 80%... His Mutation ability has been confirmed as Super Speed."

"His speed is one and a half times that of a New Arts expert at the same level. That puts him at roughly twice your speed."

"You should know what that implies... In martial arts, a hair's breadth of difference is as wide as a chasm. And here, the gap is boundless—he's twice as fast as you."

"He's spent twenty years in the Special Task Department. His combat experience isn't any less than yours; if anything, he has more."

"The number of Old Arts experts who have died at his hands isn't just one or two."

Snake Aunt looked at Chen Wujun, examining his expression with keen interest.

As Snake Aunt spoke, Chen Wujun's eyelids twitched slightly.Anyone else hearing this news would have been thrown into a panic, but Chen Wujun had always possessed nerves of steel. Aside from that slight twitch, his mind immediately began to whir, analyzing the situation.

Just as Snake Aunt said, a marginal difference in skill creates a massive disparity in outcome.

With the opponent possessing double his speed, the gap during an exchange of blows would be overwhelming.

As they spoke, there was a knock at the door. A waiter of Hindustani descent entered, carrying a tray with two servings of lentil pancakes, along with onion salad and four types of dipping conniments.

Snake Aunt spread the onion salad onto her crisp pancake with a spoon, added the sauce, and took a bite. The sound was a loud, satisfying crunch.

She continued speaking while she ate. "Three years ago, an expert smuggled himself in. He was only a step away from the Transformation Realm and wanted to eat 'Big Tea Rice' here. In the end, he fell into Harris's hands."

"Big Tea Rice" was slang for high-stakes, oil-rich criminal undertakings—high profit, high risk. It usually referred to armed robbery.

"That guy got greedy, though. He pulled three jobs in a single month and Harris got on his tail."

Chen Wujun mimicked Snake Aunt, preparing his pancake, while his subconscious turned over the information. If it had been a mobile operation—strike once, vanish without a trace, hide for a while, and then re-emerge to spend the money—it would have been very difficult to get caught.

Committing consecutive crimes within a short window indeed carried massive risk.

Chen Wujun took a bite of the thin pancake. The bread itself was crispy and carried a hint of sweetness, but combined with the sharp onions and spices, the flavor profile was strange.

Especially the sour and spicy chutney; it had mint in it.

"Is there any other data?" Chen Wujun set the food down after one bite.

"I have information on a few shops he likes to frequent and his general area of activity. I'll get that to you later. I can't offer more than that; people from the Special Task Department are hard to investigate, and I don't want to provoke them," Snake Aunt said.

"I owe you a favor. I might need your help with something else later, Sister Snake," Chen Wujun said.

Information like this wasn't something that could undoubtedly be bought with money alone.

"You've already called me Sister Snake; how could I not help you? Of course, I won't show my face personally, nor will I go head-to-head with the Special Task Department." Snake Aunt smiled.

"I understand." Chen Wujun nodded. naturally, he didn't need Snake Aunt to intervene personally.

This was his own affair, and he needed to resolve it himself.

Since the opponent had Super Speed... he had to find a way to limit that speed... and his range of movement.

Chen Wujun already had the beginnings of an idea. In a one-on-one scenario, he wasn't necessarily without a chance.

For example... the wooden stakes he used in the morning, slicked with oil. If there were sharp blades underneath... even a speed advantage would be impossible to utilize.

The only problem was how to lure him into such a trap.

The other issue was... the gun in his hand.

"The Special Task Department... how much ammunition do they usually carry on a mission?" Chen Wujun asked.

"Six rounds in the gun, plus one speed loader. Twelve rounds total. That's more than enough for them, especially since they rarely need to use their guns anyway," Snake Aunt replied.

After finishing the meal, Chen Wujun bade farewell to Snake Aunt and returned to the warehouse.

'Trying to lure him to a specific location... isn't impossible! As long as he finds clues to a case, he'll bite. Even if there is no case, I can create one for him to investigate...'

'Then, I'll set up an environment where I possess the absolute advantage...'

'I need some time to prepare. I can use this period to settle myself as well.'

By the time he returned to the warehouse, a complete strategy had formed in his mind.

All that was missing was a detailed plan.

Planning took time, and preparation took time. He could use these days to straighten out other matters.

Back at the warehouse, Chen Wujun cast the thoughts of Harris aside and focused on walking the oil-slicked wooden stakes.

He didn't head to the gambling den until evening. The place was filled with smoke and quite lively.

This gambling den on Lung Tsun Road was the most profitable business in Chen Wujun's hands.

The business at his other two dens was far inferior.

"Brother Jun!"

"Plan a promotion. Every person who comes to play gets 100 in free chips. Give them the money directly. Steal customers from the other dens. Have someone figure out the specific rules," Chen Wujun told Ah Fei as he walked in.

"Got it, Brother Jun," Ah Fei nodded.

They went to the back room. After sitting down, they started discussing the arcade machines.

"I asked around. The circuit boards for Street Fighter 2 are being sold by a company called Bird of Paradise Enterprise. They want 50,000 for a single board. It's practically robbery. In District 11, a Street Fighter 2 board only costs 20,000... But since it's the hottest game this year, you can't get it without connections, so that company dares to mark it up."

"And aside from the board, they force you to bundle it with the cabinet. Calculated together, one machine costs 70,000."

"Does this Bird of Paradise have any relationship with the Luoyue People gangs?" Chen Wujun's mind stirred.

Tall Guy was currently collecting debts from Bird of Paradise. He wondered how that was going.

If Bird of Paradise Enterprise was backed by the Luoyue People... he might be able to contact Tall Guy's people.

"There shouldn't be any relation; they just happen to share the name 'Bird of Paradise'. The enterprise is backed by those Yamato People," Ah Fei explained.

"Then I asked about the pirated versions. A board is only 8,000. Although they have some minor glitches and freeze up occasionally, the players don't have anywhere else to play."

"Plus, we can buy second-hand cabinets from other arcades. We can get them for 7,000 or 8,000."

"Who is selling the pirated ones?"

"Brother Jun, it's the same group you bought the car from. They have connections with the Yamato People. As for those smuggled cars, I heard many are stolen vehicles from District 11, shipped here to be sold on the gray market."

"Brother Jun, the scheduled delivery time for your car is tomorrow. We can ask them then."

Chen Wujun nodded slightly.

"What's the situation with that teacher?"

"She's a top finance student at City University. Theoretically, she's also a writer. Her family is from the Walled City, and her cousin is one of our junior underlings, a kid named Xiang Zai."

"She happened to be in a car accident recently and has nothing to do. I told her the pay is 100 an hour."

"She's at home right now. Does Brother Jun want to go over and take a look? Moving around isn't convenient for her. If she's not suitable, I'll find someone else."

"Let's go see," Chen Wujun said.

"Brother Jun, let me call the guy over first."

moments later, Ah Fei brought back a young man. He looked about twenty, with thick eyebrows and small eyes. His muscles were solid, showing signs of training in New Arts, but his strength wasn't high. He was likely only in the Induction Phase, with a reconstructed magnetic field of less than 25%.

"Brother Jun, I'm Ah Xiang. You can call me Xiang Zai." The young man wore a smile full of admiration.

"That's my cousin. I've always been close with her since we were kids. As soon as I mentioned it, she agreed."

"Xiang Zai... not bad." Chen Wujun smiled. "Work hard. Everyone willing to work gets opportunities here."

He estimated that the reason the high-achieving student agreed likely had something to do with this Ah Xiang.

Otherwise, ordinary people wouldn't dare teach someone like him.

"Thank you, Brother Jun!" Having received praise, Ah Xiang smiled so widely his eyes disappeared.

"Brother Jun, it's just ahead in the Wanli Building."

The three of them arrived on the third floor of a building. The corridor was lined with rows of iron gates; behind each door was a space hardly bigger than a pigeon cage.

"Third Uncle, open the door," Ah Xiang banged on the metal.

A moment later, the inner door opened. A gray-haired man wearing glasses looked out, his gaze immediately landing on Chen Wujun.

Although young, the man gave off an aura like a ferocious tiger.

The man subconsciously glanced at Ah Xiang.

"Don't worry, Third Uncle. This is Brother Jun. He's a good person," Ah Xiang quickly patted his chest to guarantee.

Chen Wujun didn't go to the gambling dens often, didn't beat or scold his underlings without cause, and wasn't known for any unsavory vices. Moreover, he was imposing.

And he was younger than Ah Xiang.

Third Uncle actually felt that Chen Wujun seemed like a decent sort. If Ah Xiang caught his eye, it would be easier for the boy to climb up the ranks.

Third Uncle opened the door and stepped aside, though his heart still held a trace of apprehension.

Chen Wujun walked into the room. It was smaller than his own home, and dirtier.

At least his own place had a window facing outside the Walled City. The window here faced the corridor, which permanently reeked of diverse odors.

Beside a sofa, a woman wearing glasses and a leg splint struggled to stand up.

She wasn't old, looking to be in her early twenties. She was thin—he could probably throw her against the wall with one finger. Her appearance was plain, and she had a large forehead.

"Sister Qi, this is Brother Jun!"

"Brother Jun, you can just call me Ah Qi."

"Hello..." Ah Qi sized up Chen Wujun, feeling a strange sensation in her heart.

He looked very young, yet her cousin—who had never been well-behaved since childhood—was so respectful toward him...

Furthermore, he gave her an extremely dangerous feeling.

Facing him felt like encountering a wild beast, like a tiger. It instilled an instinctual fear.

"Alright, enough talk. Find somewhere to wait," Chen Wujun said to Ah Xiang. "If you have nothing to do, go smoke outside."

He didn't want people to know his actual literacy level.

He had a reputation to maintain.

"Sit down and talk. It's a struggle just to stand; how are you supposed to speak propped up like that?" Chen Wujun said to Ah Qi.

Though he had just entered, he immediately took charge as if he were the host.

"What do you want to learn?" Ah Qi asked after sitting down and thinking for a moment.

"I'll learn everything... but answer a question for me first," Chen Wujun said.

"Go ahead." Ah Qi assumed Chen Wujun wanted to test her proficiency and found it vaguely amusing.

"I want to open an arcade. The cost of one machine is 15,000. There are ten machines in total. It costs 2 per play... How much can I earn in a month, and how long will it take to recover the cost?"

Chen Wujun formulated the question as he sat down, thinking.

"Huh?" Ah Qi froze.

(End of Chapter)