Just by helping with this favor.

After tonight, the Madam will be his most solid backing in the capital…

Gu Shen looked at Crow with amusement and exasperation. This guy claimed he was a boor, a simpleton, not quick-witted, but his ability to sweet-talk people was endless. At least, Gu Shen couldn’t see any signs of him being a fool.

He was clearly a sharp one.

Anyone else would probably be carried away and lose themselves at this moment.

“You should know my strength…”

Gu Shen said, “The kind who can beat ten guys with one punch. Why are you asking me for help with something so important?”

“You might be overestimating yourself. Someone like you? I could beat twenty with one punch.” Crow smiled, then said seriously, “The reason I’m asking you for help… is because you’re my only friend.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll mess things up?”

“Afraid? Of course, I’m afraid.”

“I started being afraid the second time we met, when you were going to treat the Madam. I was worried you’d make a mistake.” Song Ci pointed to his head and smiled brightly, “Later, it proved that my worries were unnecessary… Knowing you, if you can’t do something, you’ll say you can’t. Since you didn’t directly refuse me, it means you also think you can do this.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Gu Shen said, “I’ll try, I’ll do my best.”

He chose to act, not because he was moved by the words "the Madam will be his backing."

Crow didn’t know his real identity.

The moment Gu Shen received the S-level rating from the Tribunal, he didn’t really need a "backing" anymore. His teacher was the only Grand Arbiter in East Continent, the "Sky-Reaching Tree," with disciples all over the world. His senior sister was the "Heavenly Eye," surpassing the twelfth level of the Deep Sea. This lineage all knew of his existence as a new junior brother.

It wasn’t entirely because of Crow’s request either.

Among the many reasons, there was one undeniable point…

The introducer behind Shi Li was very likely the owner of the compass.

Finding clues about Blood and Fire was too important to him.

Song Ci was truly a cunning fellow. He must have guessed that he was also very interested in this incident…

“You’re really going to the riverbank?” Gu Shen frowned, “Can you handle it?”

“You’ve already agreed to go to Nanwan with me and risk danger, so how can I not go to the riverbank for the appointment?” Crow grabbed the collar of the unlucky guy who had fainted, straddled his motorcycle, and waved with a smile, “Don’t worry, I’ve seen this kind of scene many times, it’s a piece of cake…”

Before he could finish speaking.

He sped away, leaving a trail of dust.

…

…

The roar shattered the silence of the night.

The motorcycle隊 from the Nanwan district started up, one headlight after another illuminating the long night, dozens of dark shadows speeding on the highway.

As more and more vehicles from branch roads joined, the team continued to grow, becoming a mighty force. The journey from Nanwan to the riverbank, which usually took forty minutes, took only fifteen minutes tonight.

Chen San, who shared the capital with Mr. Zhao, had taken in four adopted sons. It was said that these four were all miserable people born from dust, lonely and humble, so much so that no one would give them a second glance.

But because Chen San took one more look at them.

Thus, the South Hall of the Chengxin Society was born…

The team finally stopped in front of the Jiangtan Bridge.

This place was far from the crowds, desolate and lonely, with only the turbid waves rolling. On the bridge embankment, one could vaguely see a figure standing alone, the wind blowing wildly… the person’s clothes fluttering.

This was actually a very artistic picture—

If that guy wasn’t wearing a tattered, flowery shirt.

After the team stopped.

A wiry man slowly took off his helmet, and the crowd spontaneously moved closer to him.

Another fat man stood beside the wiry man, looking dazed, frowning and saying, “Third Brother… I don’t understand, what is Crow doing?”

The moon was dark, and the wind was high.

He stood alone by the great river.

But tonight’s duel was to settle old and new grudges. What was the point of looking handsome?

“…If you don’t understand, it doesn’t matter.”

The man called Third Brother, whose name was Qi Lu, ranked third among Chen San’s adopted sons. He stared at the man on the river embankment, expressionless, opened the back seat, and took out a black box.

Inside were disassembled firearms.

Qi Lu squatted down and placed the black box across his lap. He quickly began to assemble, his hands like phantoms, as if growing six arms in an instant, so that the clicking sounds of the firearm parts aligning into place burst out in a continuous, dense series.

“Click!!”

A large sniper rifle was set up in the night wind of the Jiangtan embankment.

The fat man, ranked fourth, was patted on the shoulder.

“Crow is as flamboyant as ever.”

A soft laugh.

Wu Yong, the second-ranked adopted son, said with sarcasm in his eyes, “But what era is this… what’s the use of being flamboyant? Who still duels one-on-one?”

He raised his hand.

“Click!”

“Click!!”

The team, all in uniform black windbreakers, began to assemble their personal firearms the moment Wu Yong raised his hand. The silent night was torn apart by the mechanical sounds of violence. At the same time, an invisible barrier rose above everyone’s heads, a azure blue,穹窿-like projection, like a natural gun mount, shrouding the long night of the Jiangtan Bridge.

Outsiders could not see anything within this blue arc-shaped barrier.

This was the perfect disguise for tonight’s battlefield.

“Big Brother’s ‘Sky Curtain’ has been raised, we can fire.”

Wu Yong raised his head, put his hands in his pockets, looked at the distant, misty figure on the river embankment, and asked softly, “Third Brother, are you confident?”

Qi Lu didn’t answer.

He just silently pushed a turquoise sniper rifle bullet into the chamber, which was the best answer. As the bullet entered the chamber, he slowly closed one eye, and the other pupil gradually lost its white, the entire pupil covered in black ink.

A boiling, roaring sound of some kind of liquid rang out within the sniper rifle.

It was like… it had come alive!

This was a special sniper rifle, the inside of the barrel made of a special material that could withstand strong logical characteristics, combined with a 7.62mm caliber, inlaid with purple-silver bullets. This was, in this era, one of the few effective means to suppress transcendents with technology.

The best range for this shot was around a thousand meters. The wind on the river was strong… but even the strongest wind couldn’t affect his aim. As long as he wanted to hit, he would definitely hit.

Qi Lu had already aimed at the opponent.

But he didn’t fire.

Because… the man standing on the river dam, slowly crouched down and raised a "shield."

It was a person.

Qi Lu frowned… Although the night was very dark, the river wind was strong, and there were waves surging, he still saw the face of the man in Crow’s hand, but he couldn’t figure out the other party’s identity even after racking his brains.

Who was this?

“That’s the hostage who was knocked down in the bar. Although we’re here to kill Crow… the reason for tonight’s operation is ‘rescuing subordinates’.” Wu Yong calmly looked at that figure, and instructed in a low voice, “As for what his name is, I can’t remember either, but it doesn’t matter. If you can take that noisy Crow away with one shot, you can try it without considering the consequences.”