Secret Buyer-Chapter 33: Hong Tianbao Unrestrained

The fact proved that the gunman was very professional.

He had cut off all the surveillance in the vicinity.

After confirming this fact, Zhang Fusheng quietly left the villa area but did not immediately return to the Martial Arts Dojo.

"Other things aside, only Master and the others knew about the Spring Thunder Technique at Minor Perfection."

He opened the gunman’s phone and repeatedly watched the video within.

In the video, it was a rundown room where the gunman’s parents, wife, and daughter were tied up and thrown into a corner.

The window beside them was half-open, and due to the violent shaking of the footage, the outside scene couldn’t be seen clearly.

He turned up the volume to the maximum, and apart from crying and pleas for help, there were car horns and vendors’ shouts.

Zhang Fusheng carefully discerned the sounds.

"Two vendors shouting about sesame cakes, one selling candied chestnuts, a woman’s voice luring customers..."

He raised his eyebrows, prostitutes were illegal in Jiangzhou City, and openly soliciting only happened in the Lower Three Districts.

He listened to the audio several more times.

"Huh? Why is there someone selling medicine?"

Zhang Fusheng pressed his ear to the speaker, confirming there was a faint call for ’selling medicine,’ which sounded somewhat familiar.

It reminded him of what he had heard outside Ankang Tumor Hospital.

After recalling the scene outside Ankang Hospital and repeatedly confirming the audio, he squinted slightly:

"This is outside Ankang Hospital."

Should he investigate?

He absolutely must; if the mastermind isn’t found, today it’s a sniper rifle, what about tomorrow? The day after?

Open attacks are easy to dodge, hidden ones are hard to guard against. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He needed to investigate, but not alone.

After pacing back and forth for a moment, Zhang Fusheng made a phone call.

"Master, it’s me, someone tried to assassinate me."

On the other end of the line, the originally cheerful chubby old man’s demeanor abruptly turned solemn, and the teacup in his hand cracked.

The old man asked:

"Do you know who?"

"I’m not sure. The killer took a public job at No. 19 Bar, and the employer gave him my detailed information, including First Refinement cultivation, Great Success Contemplation Technique, and..."

"Spring Thunder Technique at Minor Perfection level."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other end of the call fell silent.

For a long while.

Hong Tianbao spoke softly:

"Where are you?"

"Outside the eastern villa area, on a pedestrian street, a lot of security officers have gone to the villa area, and they’ve put up tape lines."

Zhang Fusheng inquired:

"Should I come back now?"

"No rush, wait for me there."

So said the master.

After hanging up, he looked towards the distant villa area, security officers, riot squads, and even two helicopters hovering in the sky.

Zhang Fusheng shrugged his shoulders, such efficiency, if it were in the Lower Three Districts, a few gunshots and explosions, it would be a wonder if even one officer came.

He waited silently.

A few minutes later, he only felt a blur before his eyes, and the chubby old man had already appeared before him.

"Did you... run here?" Zhang Fusheng was stunned.

"Not far, taking a car would have been too slow."

The chubby old man wore a stern and cold expression, asking:

"Did you offend anyone recently?"

"Apart from Zhou Quan, I can’t think of anyone else, but he has no reason to know about the Spring Thunder Technique."

"Hmm."

Hong Tianbao pondered for a moment:

"I asked your three senior brothers and sisters, none of them leaked a single piece of your information, let alone the Spring Thunder Technique... How about yourself?"

"No, I haven’t."

Zhang Fusheng shook his head, then thought for a moment and added:

"But there was one person I used the Spring Thunder Technique against, he might know."

"Who?" Hong Tianbao asked coldly.

"Uh, he seems to be quite familiar with you, named Huang Qiuxian."

"Who?!"

Hong Tianbao’s cold expression suddenly dissipated, he froze for a moment, then shook his head after a brief silence:

"It won’t be him."

He didn’t ask how Zhang Fusheng met Huang Qiuxian or how they crossed paths.

Zhang Fusheng still gave a simple explanation and then said:

"I ran into him again this afternoon, he embedded a spell into my body, asking me to pass it on to you, said it was an apology... It’s called the Five Thunders Technique."

Hong Tianbao’s expression changed unpredictably, he sighed softly:

"Let’s talk about this later, are you sure the mission was posted at No. 19 Bar?"

"That’s what the gunman said, he poisoned himself to death." Zhang Fusheng handed over the phone and briefly described his findings.

"Ankang Hospital?"

Hong Tianbao frowned, suddenly asking:

"You’ve never been there, right?"

Zhang Fusheng was taken aback:

"Occasionally passed by, is there something wrong with that hospital?"

"Yes, very big, but not clear on specifics yet."

The chubby old man thought for a moment:

"First, let’s go to the bar."

"Yes, Master."

A chubby old man, who looked amiable, and a clean-looking, gentle young man, walked side by side, approaching the long line of security tape at the villa area.

"You two."

A security officer hurriedly stepped forward to stop them:

"There have been some sudden incidents here, you’ll need to wait a while before you can enter."

His attitude and tone were very polite, without the slightest contempt for the plain-clothed old man and young man.

This is the Upper Three Districts.

Zhang Fusheng felt emotional, thinking that the attitude of the security personnel changed completely in a different place. If it were the Lower Three Districts, hehe...

First meeting starts with three sticks; even a little non-cooperation means emptying the clip, followed by an unexpected vacation.

The Federation is a federation with clear class divisions.

"Have your person in charge come over." The fat old man said calmly, "Quickly."

The security officer’s expression changed; this tone, this demeanor, a VIP had arrived.

He nodded and bowed while urgently calling through the intercom, and within half a minute, a middle-aged man hurried over.

Zhang Fusheng glanced and saw two silver stars on his shoulder, an Intermediate Inspector, one level below the Deputy Director from that night.

The Federation’s security system ranks from the most ordinary officer level, to detective level, inspector level, supervisory level, and governor level. An Intermediate Inspector already holds a quite high position, likely a director of a district branch in the city.

"Elder Hong!"

Even though they had never met nor interacted, the inspector still immediately recognized Hong Tianbao,

Recognizing people and remembering photos are their most critical basic skills, even more important than forensic abilities.

"Explain the situation." Hong Tianbao glanced at his watch, "I’ll give you one minute."

The inspector began speaking without hesitation, in a manner of reporting to a superior:

"It’s preliminarily determined to be an assassination attempt. The deceased is the attacker, identified as an advanced painter from District Three, carrying a Type I standard sniper rifle and a Type II anti-martial artist sniper rifle. The cause of death was poisoning, with a poison capsule found in the molar. The specific toxin is still under analysis."

He continued fluently:

"The attacked individual hasn’t been identified yet. Nearby surveillance was completely cut. We are searching for biological traits left at the scene, and the cracks on the ground are awaiting expert evaluation."

"Within two hours, we can analyze the attacked individual’s power level and complete the model construction to re-enact the process. If necessary, I can also apply for Jiangzhou City’s satellite Celestial Eye system to replay the footage..."

Hong Tianbao raised his hand to interrupt:

"Destroy all traces, giving you half an hour."

The inspector responded without hesitation:

"I’ll notify the nearest construction and cleaning companies to repair and clean the roads, ensuring no useful information is left behind."

"What about the satellite?" Hong Tianbao asked indifferently, "Will you perform a system reboot or should I shoot it down?"

What-what?

Shoot down what?

Zhang Fusheng shivered.

"I’ll immediately notify the Celestial Eye department to perform data cleaning and submit the system logs to you shortly, ensuring no unauthorized access or retention." The inspector remained respectful.

"Mm, go do your work then."

"Yes, Elder Hong." He left without a sideways glance, and the surrounding security personnel consciously cleared the area, leaving it empty.

Zhang Fusheng swallowed:

"Master, you can even shoot down satellites??"

He was wondering if he should reset his understanding of a ’Martial Arts Master’?

"Low-altitude satellites."

Hong Tianbao pointed to a spot in the sky and said calmly:

"Low-altitude satellites, only a hundred kilometers from the ground, within my visual range, can be shot down with an arrow."

Zhang Fusheng’s lips trembled.

Shoot down a satellite hundreds of kilometers up with an arrow?

Are you Hou Yi?

Is the gap between a martial artist and a martial arts master really that wide?

Or is it that the master is actually more than just a martial arts master?

While lost in these thoughts, suddenly Zhang Fusheng felt something stir in his heart.

Someone was watching him.

No, surveilling him.

The Minor Perfection level Contemplation Technique brought about a powerful spiritual sense, already exceedingly close to the realm where an autumn wind doesn’t blow without first alerting the cicada.

He almost immediately locked onto the source of the surveillance but forced himself not to look in that direction.

Because his master had already turned to look.

’Only’ with Great Success Contemplation Technique, he shouldn’t have been able to detect it.

"Master, what’s wrong?"

He asked casually, following his master’s gaze, and saw in the distance, a white van quietly parked on the roadside.

......

"Target Number One, Chen Nuanyu, has left No. 19 Bar. Captain, there’s been some disturbance on the west side of the villa area, with explosions and gunfire, and the Public Security Bureau has arrived. Do you wish to proceed for observation?"

Listening to the report, the rough man waved his hand dismissively:

"The west? Have Car 3 observe, but no need to interfere."

"Understood, syncing Car 3’s surveillance footage now." The girl nodded, adjusting the screen to the side display.

Suddenly, she paused:

"Captain, it has identified... Hong Tianbao."

"Hong Tianbao?"

The rough man was taken aback, looking at the screen, the surveillance image enlarged, revealing a fat old man and the young man named Zhang Fusheng standing right inside the police line.

After a pause, his voice grew urgent:

"Immediately notify Car 3 to cease observation and return, tell them..."

Before he could finish, on the surveillance screen, across a kilometer, the fat old man had already turned around, looking directly at the van’s camera.

As if locking eyes with them through the screen.

The next second.

In the footage,

the chubby old man picked up the delicate youth with one hand, slightly bending his knees, shot off like a cannonball, suddenly breaking the sound barrier,

the shockwave he created even overturned nearby police cars and security personnel!

One second.

Less than one second.

The chubby old man had already stopped in front of the white van, put down the youth, extended his hands, and tore.

With the sound of metal twisting and breaking, the van was like a piece of soft toast bread, ripped into halves, with the people and equipment inside all falling to the ground.

"Damn it!"

The rough man cursed, took off his headphones and tossed them aside, opened the car door, leaped tens of meters into the air, and floated lightly back to the ground like a feather.

"Old instructor, long time no see." He spoke cautiously.

"Are you... from the Investigation Bureau’s Vanguard Team? Liu?"

The fat old man raised an eyebrow, his expression slightly softening but then suddenly stern:

"All of you being here, are cultists conducting large-scale activities in Jiangzhou City?"