Chapter 2901

Peace North Town's construction is getting better and better, the rudimentary form of the new school building has been erected, spacious and bright, different areas have been planned, the warehouse now has two more rooms, the supplies stored inside are gradually becoming richer, letting this town that once merely struggled to survive show vigorous vitality and hope.

Such changes naturally attract all kinds of looks—some envious, some curious, some wanting to learn and emulate.

But likewise, it inevitably draws the scrutiny of those with ill intent.

Several nearby survivor gathering places more chaotic than North Town have twice made half‑hearted probes and provocations, bringing a few misfits, hoping to stir up trouble on the town's outskirts or sneak in to steal something.

Naturally, they were soundly beaten by Huo Zhaoye and his men.

Huo Zhaoye's skill and North Town's increasingly tight defenses let them see how formidable it was, they got a bloody nose, and no longer dare act recklessly.

North Town's reputation spreads under the double guarantee of fists and order.

Yet no one expected that the first to lose patience and show up aggressively would be the Flowing Fire Base.

This afternoon, Jin Chen had just finished preparing his lesson in the newly tidied office next to the temporary school building, saw that it was still early, and planned to go find Huo Zhaoye.

Jin Chen had just stepped out of the office, strolling down the dirt road in the town center, when he saw Monkey leading seven or eight able-bodied youths from North Town, each holding homemade earthen guns and machetes, rushing toward the town gate with anxious expressions, faces taut as if facing a great enemy.

Jin Chen frowned slightly, "Monkey."

Monkey, head down and charging, heard the voice and skidded to a halt, looked up to see Jin Chen, and the few people behind him also stopped abruptly, panic flashing across their faces.

"Professor Jin!" Monkey scratched his head, "You're here? Class is over?"

His words were incoherent, his eyes darting, clearly guilty.

Jin Chen didn't return his awkward greeting, "What are you doing?"

They're in trouble.

The boss repeatedly warned that this matter must absolutely not alarm Professor Jin!

Monkey's mind raced, but Jin Chen didn't press further, turning and walking toward the town gate.

"Professor Jin! Wait!"

Monkey panicked, wanting to stop him but daring not to, so he jogged after, shouting, "Don't go! Over there… there's nothing to see!"

Jin Chen didn't look back, "Nothing to see—what are you doing with those things? Sightseeing?"

Monkey was at a loss for words, seeing Jin Chen hurry faster, soon to reach the gate, realizing he couldn't hide it, he lowered his voice and urgently explained.

"It's people from the Scorched Fire Base; a convoy has come! They specifically asked… to invite you and Professor Yan as guests!"

The Scorched Fire Base isn't exactly near Peace Town—about two days' drive—but its scale far surpasses that of a small settlement like Peace Town.

As a mid-sized base, it's said to have retained much old-world technology and weaponry, with considerable talent and material reserves.

Yet it is notorious for burning, killing, and plundering; in these years when natural disasters and anomalies have eased and survival pressure has slightly eased, the Scorched Fire Base has grown even more ruthless, using its strong military to raid small survivor outposts everywhere, making nearby towns fear it more than the remaining mutant monsters and disasters.

It seems the changes in North Town over this period have still attracted unwanted hyenas.

The walls' main gate of North Town stood open, blocked by Huo Zhaoye and dozens of armed townsmen; Huo Zhaoye stood at the front, having taken off his coat, wearing only a dark vest, his face bruised, cheekbones purple, the corner of his mouth split and oozing blood.

Opposite him, about ten meters away, ten modified off-road vehicles were parked, each flanked by three or four burly, fierce-eyed ruffians wielding an assortment of weapons, all exuding a murderous aura.

At the front of the convoy were five mutant wolves with sturdy builds, wearing rough metal collars.

They pawed the ground uneasily, unknown flesh and blood still clinging to their fangs; the fact that they could tame mutant wolves as weapons and path‑clearing tools shows the base's strength and cruel methods.

The scarred man sat cross‑legged on a vehicle's hood, half‑smiling as he stared at Huo Zhaoye.

Meanwhile, Yan Tengu was tightly shielded by several North Town residents behind him, his face somewhat pale, a scrape on his forehead, and his glasses askew.

"Lord Huo, don't be so tense." The blood‑scarred man exhaled a plume of thick smoke, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, "We, the Scorched Fire Base, come with sincerity."

Huo Zhaoye wiped the blood from his mouth, his voice cold and hard, leaving no room for compromise, "Professor Yan is a guest we invited to North Town, and Jin Chen is one of our people—nowhere else are they going."

Hardly had he finished speaking when the blood‑scarred man suddenly tossed away his smoke, gave a sinister grin, stood up, and looked behind him.

Huo Zhaoye's heart jumped; he whipped his head around and indeed saw Jin Chen parting the crowd and stepping forward, with Monkey and others trailing behind, anxious yet unwilling to block him.

"Jin Chen! How did you get here? Go back quickly!"

As soon as Huo Zhaoye saw him, his face changed drastically, and he almost shouted in a sharp, stern voice.

He rarely spoke to Jin Chen in such a stern, even menacing tone, but now he was truly anxious.

Jin Chen quickly scanned the scene, paused a moment on Huo Zhaoye's blood‑stained chest, his eyes imperceptibly darkening, then glanced at the smirking leader of the Scorched Fire Base.

Then he saw the protected Yan Tengu, inwardly despising Lu Jun, thinking this kid should pay more attention to people lately—where had he run off to at a critical moment?

"Yo!" The burly man beside the blood‑scarred man's gun snorted, sizing him up, "Looks like this is the recently famous Professor Jin? Tsk, he seems… easier to persuade than that professor."

"Kid, our chief came in person to invite you—it's giving you face! How about… you come with our chief to the vehicle for a chat? If we talk it out, maybe we won't need to resort to force, huh?"

The Scorched Fire Base men behind him burst into jeering laughter, their eyes unfriendly.

Huo Zhaoye's hand on the knife bulged with veins as he stepped forward, ready to erupt, but Jin Chen appeared relaxed, "Just a few words? Then let's talk."

Huo Zhaoye's heart tightened; he snapped his head toward him, "Jin Chen!"

Under everyone's gaze, Jin Chen reached out to grasp Huo Zhaoye's hand, then pressed it to his forehead.

"Don't worry," Jin Chen said in a voice only Huo Zhaoye could hear, his tone accustomed, relaxed and confident, "I'm quite good at winning people over with reason."

Huo Zhaoye wanted to reach out and pull him back, but he also knew that once Jin Chen made a decision, there was hardly any room for compromise.

He could only watch helplessly as that slender figure stepped forward, moving toward that pack of wolves and tigers.

He feared Jin Chen might come to harm, and also feared… that if the Scorched Fire Base could truly offer terms impossible to refuse…

No, it won't happen.

Huo Zhaoye clenched his palm tightly; Jin Chen isn't that kind of person.

But… what if?

Huo Zhaoye, more urgently than ever, hoped that Peace North Town would become stronger, larger, and more formidable—so strong that it need fear no external powers' covetousness or threats, so strong that Jin Chen could deploy all his talents without worry and do whatever he wished.

【Villain Heartthrob Value detected +5, total now 72!】

Just as Jin Chen was about to reach the convoy, a hurried running sound came from the town's side.

Lu Jun arrived with a group, panting from running; having heard the news, he rushed over, immediately spotting Yan Tengu sheltered behind the crowd, looking unwell, his heart tightened, he took a few strides forward and, without a word, grabbed Yan Tengu's shoulders to examine him up and down.

"How are you? What did those bastards do to you?"

Yan Tenggu was grabbed by him until his shoulders ached, but seeing Lu Jun like that, he only shook his head, "I'm fine, just a scrape."

Lu Jun, however, gripped even tighter and pulled him further behind himself, completely a protective stance.

Yan Tenggu froze for a moment, lifted his eyes to Lu Jun's broad back, and that strange feeling in his heart surged up again.

Lu Jun let out a slight breath, but his anger flared; he turned his head to look at the ashen-faced Huo Zhaoye, who was glaring fixedly at the convoy, and asked urgently, "Where's Jin Chen?"

Huo Zhaoye gritted his teeth and squeezed out two words from between his teeth: "... Over there."

Lu Jun followed his gaze, and his heart sank as well.

The fearsome reputation of the Liuhuo Base, he knew it even better than Huo Zhaoye.

——

Time passed second by second, each second feeling like being fried in an oil pan.

Each second felt as long as an era.

The people of Beizhen gripped their weapons tightly, eyes red; Huo Zhaoye's chest wound was still bleeding, yet he felt no pain, all his senses focused on the distant black car.

Lu Jun protected Yan Tenggu, equally anxious and uneasy.

The Liuhuo Base people, meanwhile, crossed their arms, wearing a cruel, amused smile.

On the other side.

Ten minutes passed, and the people guarding outside the convoy and the Vice Chief heard two knocks.

Jin Chen lowered the car window a bit, yet inexplicably appeared sinister and moist, looking at the Vice Chief standing outside the car.

"This... Vice Chief, right? Come up in the car, let's talk."

The Vice Chief froze for a moment, brows furrowed, "Are you sick?"

Moreover, the tone of this pale-faced person sounded strange.

Jin Chen tilted his head slightly, using a tone tinged with regret and provocation, and said slowly, "Your second-in-command looks... like he doesn't really obey you."

As his words fell, a cold snort came from inside the car.

The Vice Chief's face changed instantly, his gaze dark and vicious as it swept over the tightly shut car door.

Chief Xuesha was suspicious and tyrannical, most intolerant of subordinates having divided loyalties; moreover, the commotion inside this car was a bit strange.

He hesitated a few seconds, then still opened the co-pilot's door and bent to climb inside.

After the door closed, Jin Chen slipped a dagger into the Vice Chief's hand, the dagger bloody.

The Vice Chief stared up in shock; his lord, the infamous Blood Scar, slumped in the seat, a hole in his chest, the wound on his neck still oozing blood, eyes wide open, dead without peace.

Jin Chen leaned back in the opposite seat, taking an old handkerchief and slowly wiping the blood from his fingers.

"You!" the Vice Chief exclaimed in horror, reaching for his gun, only to find his waist empty; he tried to open the car door, his fingers fumbling the handle, but the door wouldn't budge.

What's more strange, the sound from just now didn't leak out at all; this person is very weird.

Jin Chen finished wiping his hands, tossed the old handkerchief onto the Chief's face, then lifted his eyes to the Vice Chief, slowly spreading his hands, "Too bad, the talks fell through."

Vice Chief: "..."

A chill ran down his back; after all, the one who climbed to the position of second-in-command by licking blood from the blade, "Then why did you give me the knife? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Jin Chen leaned forward slightly, curling his lips with some interest, "As I said, I win people over with reason; he wouldn't listen to reason, so something went wrong."

"Now you are the chief."

The Deputy's pupils contracted sharply, his heart pounding.

"You... what do you mean?"

"What I mean is..."

Jin Chen's hand, casually resting on his leg, had somehow acquired a small knife.

The Deputy didn't even see clearly how he drew the knife!

Jin Chen flicked his wrist, the small knife coated in strange green poison pressed against the Deputy's throbbing carotid artery.

"This new chief, you should be able to reason, right?"

He tilted his head slightly, meeting the Deputy's instantly pallid face, tone regretful, "This poison is extracted from the sap of mutant plants; it's hard to cure."

"Unfortunately, the blade tip just now might have lightly grazed you."

Deputy: "..."

Time passed again, about two or three minutes.

The co-pilot's door was suddenly pushed open from inside.

The Vice Chief, face cold, stepped out stiffly; under everyone's shocked gaze, he went to the other side of the car and personally opened the rear door.

Jin Chen alighted from the car leisurely, looking at the Liuhuo Base guards outside who were uncertain and wary after seeing the Vice Chief's abnormal behavior.

A few guards with sharp eyes, through the gap of the lowered window, faintly saw Xuesha slumped in the back seat.

"Chief!" someone shouted, instinctively raising his gun!

In an instant, over a dozen gun barrels were aimed at Jin Chen, who had just stepped out of the car, and the Vice Chief standing beside the vehicle.

The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point, killing intent permeating the air.

Jin Chen slightly lifted the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile that inexplicably chilled one's heart.

"Look behind you."

The Liuhuo Base guards froze, some turning to look behind.

The five mutant wolves tamed by Xuesha, after his death instinctively became restless, their fangs ready to lunge at them, yet they alone lowered their heads to this seemingly frail youth, tails tucked between their legs.

The guards' faces turned deathly pale, their hands gripping the guns beginning to tremble.

They weren't afraid of death, but afraid of dying obscurely, afraid that even their corpses would be torn apart by these uncontrollable mutant beasts.

Jin Chen looked again at the guards, "Now, can you properly listen to what your new chief has to say?"

The Vice Chief's face went white, then green, then white again, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

What happened inside the car, only he and Jin Chen knew.

Those few short minutes were the strangest, most terrifying, and also most... involuntary negotiation he had ever experienced in his life.

But he had no choice. Either die, or cooperate.

The deputy leader hoarsely shouted: "Put down your guns!"

The guards looked at each other, hesitantly put down their guns, while another part still hesitated.

The deputy leader… no, the current new lord's forehead veins bulged, he kicked a nearby subordinate hard: "You're deaf! Put them down!"

Now, everyone slowly lowered their gun barrels.

Thus, when Huo Ye's patience ran out and he was about to charge into the convoy's encirclement, he saw the deputy lord of the Lihuo Base, escorting the guard unit, respectfully sending Jin Chen out.

All the townspeople:???

The new lord still wanted to come and shake hands with Huo Ye.

Huo Ye froze, didn't move, and instinctively looked toward Jin Chen.

Jin Chen nodded at him, and then Huo Ye hesitantly reached out and touched the other's hand.

Then he heard this person start reciting like a menu, reading out a long list of supplies.

"... fifty bags of food, thirty sets of various tools, ten barrels of fuel, five crates of medicine, metal raw materials..."

All together, the quantity was astonishing, almost equaling several years of savings for Beizhen.

Finally, the new lord addressed Huo Ye and all the people of Beizhen: all the above supplies, within three days, we will send people to deliver them in full to Peace Beizhen. Consider it... a greeting gift from our Lihuo Base and Teacher Jin.

"Hopefully, we can maintain... a good cooperative relationship in the future."

Everyone: "..."

After the new lord finished speaking, regardless of everyone's reaction, not daring to linger longer, he respectfully nodded to Jin Chen and said softly: "We await your word."

Jin Chen lowered his eyes slightly, then slowly nodded.

The new lord, as if pardoned, led the convoy and turned around and left in near-panic speed.

Dust rose and gradually drifted away.

Left at the gate of Beizhen was a group of townspeople seemingly petrified.

Huo Ye was the first to come to his senses, striding a few steps to Jin Chen, grabbing his wrist, afraid to see any injury: "Are you alright? Did they do anything to you?"

Jin Chen raised his hand to pinch Huo Ye's nape, but his gaze fell on Huo Ye's right chest stained red with blood.

"I'm fine, but... our Lord Huo looks pretty bad."

Jin Chen sighed, then suddenly reached out, gently pulling the still-dazed Huo Ye into his embrace, lightly stroking his tense back.

"You got hurt for me and still won't tell me, saying nothing... Huo Ye, are you a mute gourd?"

Not at all.

Huo Ye objected in his heart.

He buried his face in Jin Chen's neck crook, his arms also tightening.

Although he appears weak as a chicken, he can, in casual talk, make the feared leader of the Lihuo Base change, make the whole convoy bow and submit, and send generous gifts.

Mysterious, powerful, handling things with ease, as if everything is within his grasp.

Such Jin Chen makes him obsessed, reassured, yet also gives rise to an anxiety he can't grasp.

He seems, so far away from him.