Chapter 358: Shocking Discovery

"I told Sister Ju Wuying I wanted to learn martial arts from her, but she refused."

In the car, Su Xiaoya spoke weakly, pouting helplessly, feeling deeply dejected.

"What did she say?"

Zhang Su asked casually.

"She said the martial arts she masters belong to the Ju family lineage and can't be taught lightly, and that my foundation is too weak—even if I wanted to learn, I couldn't."

Su Xiaoya twisted her fingers nervously, looking lost—was she really that bad?

"Hah..." Zhang Su chuckled lightly. "You're weak, that's true. When she fights, you might think she's frail and floating, but her core strength demands extreme precision. As for this so-called Ju family lineage—it's nonsense. You're in my camp now, and you still think you can hoard secrets? Not a chance!"

Not just Su Xiaoya—even Zhang Su had been intrigued the moment he saw Ju Wuying fight. He didn't just want to learn it himself—he wanted more core members trained in it!

"Can we find a way to make her teach us?"

Su Xiaoya looked at Zhang Su curiously.

Zhang Su smiled faintly. "There's always a way. But I'd rather she came to it willingly."

A forcibly twisted melon might not be sweet, but it's better than having no melon at all!

"Willingly?"

Su Xiaoya was even more confused, but she didn't press further, falling silent and settling into the passenger seat.

The car turned onto the provincial highway heading toward Tianma Island. Less than three kilometers later, just after rounding a bend, Zhang Su's gaze sharpened!

"Attention—there's something ahead!"

Speaking into the radio, Zhang Su slammed the accelerator, speeding forward.

In the passenger seat, Su Xiaoya felt the strong push of acceleration, her bladder tightening. Before she could speak, two vehicles appeared ahead!

"Wait—aren't those the two cars Sister Ying mentioned?"

Su Xiaoya's eyes widened. The two cars racing toward them were a white sedan and a gray SUV!

Zhang Su wasn't the only one who noticed—the vehicles behind, driven by Lu Yubo and Wu Lue, also saw them. Both men's faces fell, unsure what to say.

Lu Yubo stole a glance through the rearview mirror at Ju Wuying, who sat in the back, eyes closed, seemingly unaware.

"Damn! Someone's been tailing us—and these idiots actually got ahead of us? Hah!"

In the Senna, Wang Xin looked startled.

"Huh? Then… are we in danger?"

Yi Xiaoling peered nervously ahead.

"If danger's the concern, you should be worrying about them."

Chen Hanzhou spoke coldly.

*Hssss. *

Zhang Su calculated the distance, then slammed the brakes, stopping dead center on the road. The two vehicles behind him moved in perfect sync—one to the left, one to the right—blocking the entire lane. If the others tried to force through, there'd be no gap—unless they rammed straight into him.

*Squeak. *

Su Xiaoya gripped the handle tightly. She couldn't pretend she wasn't afraid they'd crash into them.

Thankfully, the feared collision didn't happen.

The white Toyota Corolla stopped about thirty meters ahead of the FJ Cruiser. The Buick Enclave behind it also came to a halt.

Five cars parked on the road—back then, this would've caused instant traffic chaos. Now, even if they sat here for days, it didn't matter—as long as the people inside could endure it…

Just like now: no one stepped out. Everyone sat quietly inside, waiting. The scene froze—only the faint plumes of exhaust from the tailpipes proved this wasn't a painting.

*Gurgle. *

Inside the FJ Cruiser, Su Xiaoya's stomach growled loudly. It was already past three in the afternoon, and none of them had eaten since noon.

"Sis… sis…"

"Call him Brother Su!"

Hearing Su Xiaoya about to call him "brother-in-law," Zhang Su cut her off sharply.

"Brother Su… how long are we gonna sit here?"

"Until they get out first."

Zhang Su answered calmly.

"I… I think this is dangerous. Won't they shoot us from inside their cars?"

Su Xiaoya shrank back.

"The windows are tinted. Outside's too bright—they can't see us."

Zhang Su dodged the question. If they really wanted to shoot, they wouldn't need to aim—just spray the windshield. He was certain they wouldn't shoot because he could clearly make out the interior of the other vehicles.

The sedan's angle only revealed two men in the front; the back seat was unclear. The SUV, however, was obvious: only one man driving. Excluding the trunk, they had three people total.

"Brother Su, Brother Su—what do we do now?"

Less than a minute after Su Xiaoya asked, Lu Yubo's voice crackled over the radio—he couldn't hold out any longer.

"Wait until they get out first."

Zhang Su picked up the radio and told the other two vehicles, then sat quietly, watching the two men in the sedan whispering to each other. But the windows were sealed shut, and the distance was too great—he strained to hear, but only caught faint, indistinct murmurs.

"My hearing's still too weak…" Zhang Su sighed inwardly. If only it were stronger—even double the power—then he could make out their words.

As he thought this, he suddenly noticed the three energy bars in his mind flickered briefly.

"Huh?"

The sight stirred his thoughts. Recalling past games, he realized the flicker must mean he could activate a function.

"My current energy is 76%. Just now I was thinking about improving my hearing—and the bar flickered. Could it be…?"

Thinking it through, Zhang Su mentally shifted the standby energy slot onto his main bar. A flash—and his energy instantly filled to 100%.

"Inhale… exhale…"

Su Xiaoya, still tense, suddenly heard Zhang Su take a deep, heavy breath. She flinched. "Y-you okay?"

"Shh!"

Zhang Su raised a finger to his lips, his eyes gleaming—nothing like before. Before refueling, he hadn't been tired; now, he felt invigorated.

The change was obvious: his hearing had indeed improved. He could now faintly make out the voices from the other cars!

"Enough stalling. No point. Get out. Act like you know nothing."

"Right. First find out where their base is, then bring people to wipe them out. Come on—get out."

He'd only caught two sentences, but already saw the men in the other car checking gear, putting on coats, preparing to exit…

Even those two lines held plenty: why say "act like you know nothing"? What did they know? It was obvious.

The biggest gain wasn't the information they'd revealed—it was realizing that when fully charged, other abilities could improve too. He'd never noticed this before.

If hearing could be enhanced, he naturally turned his gaze farther ahead—and saw his vision had also improved. Without instruments, he couldn't measure the exact boost, but he guessed a 30–50% increase. Significant!

These discoveries made Zhang Su realize he needed to thoroughly explore the fully-charged state—there might be even more hidden benefits.

But that could wait. Right now, he had to deal with the immediate threat. As the others opened their doors, he grabbed the radio: "Gear up. Get out."

As he spoke, he heard the distinct sounds of magazine clips being chambered and bolts being racked. Last time he'd activated the standby energy slot, he'd been too distracted to notice the hearing boost. Interesting experience.

"Should I get out too?"

Su Xiaoya asked.

"Of course."

Zhang Su answered, then opened his door and stepped out.

"Hey, friends! Hello!"

No sooner had his feet touched the ground than a cheerful greeting came from the other side. He looked up—it was the man from the driver's seat, now wearing a thick military coat, hands in pockets, shivering as if freezing. He looked sleazy yet sharp, like a trader skulking around Russia for profit.

"You too. Where are you three from?"

Zhang Su smiled, as if the standoff had never happened, walking slowly forward.

"We're from Shanhai District. Here, have a cigarette."

Seeing Zhang Su's friendly tone, the man in the coat stepped forward, pulling out a pack and offering cigarettes. "Brothers and sisters, I've got to ask—where'd you get that car?"

Zhang Su followed his gaze—it was aimed at Da Gou. He slipped the cigarette into his pocket without a word. "Why does it matter where my car came from?"

"To be honest, our camp lost some supplies a few days ago. Heh… one of our guys saw a car that looked just like yours."

The man in the coat was around forty, but his face was deeply wrinkled, his smile full of creases.

"Ha! Brother Su, they're after Liu Shijie's crew!"

Lu Yubo chuckled upon hearing this, his tension easing.

Many others shared his mindset. Even the man in the coat sensed it, pressing quickly: "Liu Shijie? Do you guys know something? Is this car… not yours?"

Zhang Su's face held a faint, knowing smile. "Correct. This car isn't ours. We seized it from a guy named Liu Shijie. But when we took it, there was nothing inside. You're not suggesting we stole from you, are you?"

"No, no!" The man waved his hands. Then he shifted tone: "Since the matter's cleared up, we've got no more questions. When we saw the car in the county, we were shocked—hah! Well, brothers and sisters, goodbye!"

"Goodbye."

The two men beside him bowed slightly, but their faces were blank—no expression, like wooden masks.

With that, the three turned and walked away slowly.

(End of Chapter)