Xiang Jingzhu pushed open the car door, but Chen Fan stopped her before she could give chase.
Spider possessed the strength of the Hua Jin realm, coupled with his marksmanship and killing skills. For Xiang Jingzhu to face him would be akin to suicide.
Within the Brotherhood, Spider’s status and standing could not be low.
Ordinary ancient martial artists were not as terrifying as Spider. Even if they were powerful, their expertise lay in martial arts techniques, making them less troublesome to deal with.
Chen Fan walked towards the two bound individuals.
Upon closer inspection, they were none other than the Hound Yu Min and Old Cat Nie Boyan.
Both were covered in wounds, barely clinging to life.
However, they were still alive.
Quickly freeing them, Chen Fan and Xiang Jingzhu each took one, helping them into the car.
The two men moaned and groaned.
“Officer… I’m, I’m sorry…” Nie Boyan rasped.
“Why are you saying that now?”
Chen Fan replied, “Don’t speak. We’re taking you to the hospital now.”
“I…” Nie Boyan panted, “We didn’t reveal our identities…”
“I know.”
Chen Fan’s expression was filled with emotion.
This was also why Spider had initially mistaken them for Ye Yunchen.
In other words, encountering Chen Fan had caught Spider somewhat off guard.
After helping the two into the car, Chen Fan immediately drove out of the garage.
The car had also sustained numerous bullet holes, looking rather battered.
Fortunately, Xiang Jingzhu had heeded Chen Fan’s advice and hidden well inside the car, thus avoiding being hit.
Exiting the garage and reaching the area outside the residential complex, several vehicles from the Dawn Squad were parked outside. Luo Yan and others had apprehended a few escapees and were interrogating them.
Upon inquiry, it was discovered that the Dawn Squad had not encountered Spider and his group, only managing to capture some minor henchmen.
After sending Nie Boyan and Yu Min to the hospital, Chen Fan looked at his somewhat dejected team members and said with a smile, “It’s nothing. We’ll catch that Fan Songnian sooner or later.”
Despite his words, the team’s spirits remained heavy.
After this incident, they had alerted the enemy, and with the Brotherhood’s involvement, the chances of successfully capturing Fan Songnian if he went into hiding somewhere were slim.
Moreover, most of them feared the possibility of the Brotherhood silencing him.
If Fan Songnian died, all their efforts would be in vain.
Just then, Chen Fan’s phone suddenly rang.
He pulled out his phone and saw it was an unknown number.
He pressed the answer button, and a cold, arrogant voice came through:
“Heh heh, Chen Tianjiao, you’re looking for Fan Songnian to get a list of the Brotherhood’s higher-ups, aren’t you?”
It was Spider.
Chen Fan’s gaze sharpened. “You dare to call me?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Spider chuckled, “I’ll give you a chance to catch Fan Songnian. Don’t leave Yuzhou. I’ll call you tomorrow morning and tell you where Fan Songnian is.”
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and smiled, “Are you this kindhearted?”
“Chen Tianjiao, why pretend to be oblivious?”
Spider sneered, “Fan Songnian is bait. My goal is to bury you in Yuzhou. With your arrogant personality, I assume you won’t call for backup, will you?”
“That’s not necessarily true.”
Chen Fan said calmly, “As long as Fan Songnian is still in Yuzhou, I can summon thousands of people to search for him. We’ll find him eventually!”
“Heh heh.”
Spider laughed wildly, “By the time your people enter the city, I guarantee Fan Songnian will have already left Yuzhou.”
“Enough nonsense. I’ll call you at seven tomorrow morning.”
He paused, then continued, “If a large number of troops enter Yuzhou, you won’t get this call. Of course, you can try to find him yourself. You have one night. If you can capture Fan Songnian within this time, then I’ll admit your capability!”
With that, he hung up with a click.
“Whose call was that?” Xiang Jingzhu asked.
Chen Fan shook his head. “You guys go to the hospital. Take Nie Boyan and Yu Min and withdraw. Return to the capital overnight!”
Xiang Jingzhu’s expression changed. “And you?”
“I’ll stay.”
Chen Fan said, “Don’t worry about me.”
“No, you’re the commander. We must advance and retreat together!”
Xiang Jingzhu stated.
“Boss, we can fail, but we won’t accept this kind of failure!”
The young Ye Cheng also walked over, his face full of determination.
“Boss, we request to fight alongside you!”
“We don’t want to withdraw!”
“…”
One by one, they looked over, their voices like forged iron, their faces filled with resolve.
Chen Fan felt as if he had returned to the battlefield of yesteryear, facing waves of enemies, where young soldiers refused to retreat, their persistence in defending the borders even unto death.
Chen Fan pondered for a moment and said, “Then stay. Xiang Jingzhu!”
“Yes.”
“Mobilize a batch of weapons overnight. They must be delivered to everyone before five in the morning.”
“Understood!”
“Then let’s find a place to rest,” Chen Fan said. “There will be an operation tomorrow morning. Everyone must strictly follow my orders and not take any unauthorized actions!”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“…”
Responses came one after another, decisive and resolute.
Immediately, the group relocated, choosing not to stay in a hotel but renting a secluded guesthouse.
The rest of the night was uneventful. At 4:30 in the morning, a transport vehicle arrived, carrying standard issue weapons.
At 5:00 AM, Chen Fan arranged for Wang Yan and Zhang Yi to go undercover, driving around the city.
At 5:15 AM, Liu Dacheng and Guan Wentao departed undercover.
Then came Luo Yan and Ye Cheng, driving the command vehicle.
By 6:30 AM, only a few people remained at the guesthouse.
Chen Fan gave another order: “Xiang Jingzhu, contact the local police. Mobilize their forces to cooperate with you, and await orders!”
“Understood!”
At 6:50 AM, Chen Fan’s phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Heh heh.” Spider’s triumphant voice came from the phone. “The western suburbs of Yuzhou, on the national highway towards Kuazhou, there’s a Kuashui Bridge. Go there first!”
With that, he hung up with a click.
Chen Fan gestured for Xiang Jingzhu to have the police force follow later, while he drove there himself.
Twenty-five minutes later, he arrived at Kuashui Bridge.
He got out of the car, looked at the small river flowing beneath the bridge, and took out his phone.
The phone indeed rang.
“Keep driving forward. After three kilometers, turn right at the fork towards Dawei Town. In town, inquire about the location of Yingzi Mountain. Fan Songnian is on Yingzi Mountain, and we’ll be waiting for you there!”
Chen Fan hadn’t expected Spider to be so straightforward. “Alright.”
He hung up, got into his car, and drove towards Yingzi Mountain.
That place would be the final battlefield in Yuzhou.
Fan Songnian might not be there, but Spider certainly would be, and the reinforcements he had called would also be present.
In fact, he knew that the Brotherhood feared him greatly.
After their confrontation last night, the Brotherhood realized this was an excellent opportunity to eliminate him, the God of War.
Therefore, the reinforcements Spider had called overnight would possess extremely formidable combat power.
It was even possible they included martial arts grandmasters!
Spider had calculated that Chen Fan would definitely fall into this trap.
And Chen Fan, indeed, would never miss an opportunity to grasp the enemy’s tail and weaken their strength.