Chapter 117: Crystal Clear (Combined Chapter)

Let me explain: This book does not have much of a connection to *Imposing Evil*. It is not a sequel of any kind; it simply borrows certain materials from *Imposing Evil*, such as... the ring! And that mysterious substance research organization mentioned in *Imposing Evil*. In a way, it also makes up for certain areas and realms that I was unable to explore and depict in greater depth when I was writing *Imposing Evil*. After all, the issue of the luck ring is a piece of material that is well worth expanding and describing in detail.

As for everyone's worry about whether Chen Yang or Little Five from *Imposing Evil* will make an appearance... Haha, I can only say that this book is not a sequel to *Imposing Evil*, not even a companion piece. However, I will consider having a few classic characters make an appearance.

Chapter 117: Knowing Everything Like the Back of One's Hand

"What did my father say to you?" Young Master Xu asked with a smile as he watched Chen Xiao walk over.

"Nothing much." Chen Xiao thought for a moment. "I made him a bowl of noodles, and then... he talked to me about... your mother." He looked straight into Young Master Xu's eyes.

Young Master Xu shrugged and said nothing, though a hint of warmth could be seen in his eyes.

"Actually... when your brother arrived, your father was visibly happy, it's just that neither of them seems good at expressing themselves." Chen Xiao smiled. "After all, they are both men; you can't expect them to hug and cry their eyes out and instantly forgive and forget."

After a pause, he frowned. "Your brother... actually, I've always wondered why he..."

Young Master Xu let out a cold snort. Holding a wine glass, he looked into the distance as Old Man Xu, the Miss from the Chen family, and the black bodyguard walked into the house. Watching their receding figures, Young Master Xu tilted his head and finished his drink in one gulp, a somewhat helpless smile playing on his lips. He pointed into the distance. "Do you know who that girl is?"

"No idea." Chen Xiao shook his head honestly. "I only know her last name is Chen, and her nickname is something like... Little Little Five? An interesting name."

"Ha!" Young Master Xu gave an exaggerated, deliberate laugh. "Her name is interesting, but her father is even more interesting!"

With that, Young Master Xu glanced around. Only Baicai was nearby, with no other idlers in sight. Baicai looked curious. "What Little Little Five?"

Young Master Xu lowered his voice. "That young lady's background is no small matter! In fact... hehe! Her family—well, do you know the name Huaxing?"

Chen Xiao and Baicai shook their heads blankly at the same time.

Young Master Xu let out a whistle. "Alright, neither of you are people from this circle, so it's no surprise you don't know. But... do you know about the Billy Hill Film Company in Hollywood? What about Blue Ocean Entertainment Company domestically?"

This time, Chen Xiao and Baicai both nodded. The two companies Young Master Xu mentioned were renowned film and television entertainment giants in the United States and domestically, respectively, and both were industry heavyweights.

"Both of those companies are subsidiaries belonging to Huaxing." Young Master Xu smiled. "It's no surprise you haven't heard of Huaxing. After all, that company... is actually a shadow; its primary business scope is actually world trade. All kinds of trade, including arms, smuggling, and plenty of contraband... Oh, no, no, no, not the simple kind of smuggling you're thinking of... but genuine contraband! For instance, many transactions between nations are inconvenient for governments to carry out openly—things like precision instruments, cutting-edge technology, and so on. Yet these can be moved through certain channels to bypass official red tape. And these actions are officially condoned or even secretly supported, while Huaxing is the one specializing in doing this! You could say that over the past few years, one phrase best describes Huaxing Company!"

"What?"

Young Master Xu let out a breath. "Hands reaching up to the heavens!"

He glanced at Chen Xiao. "Do you really not know the name Chen Xiaowu? In fact, when I first met you back then, I also thought your name was very strange, because your last name is also Chen, and your nickname is also Little Five."

"Are you referring to that Fifth Master?" Chen Xiao frowned. "It seemed like I heard your father and that Miss Chen mention him just now."

"Yes, Fifth Master." Young Master Xu nodded. "That Fifth Master is this Miss Chen's godfather. He is no ordinary person. Uh... do you know about Daquan? Or the North American gang, the Hells Angels?"

Baicai couldn't help losing interest. "So he's just a gang leader... Hmph, what's so great about the underworld?"

"He's not just some ordinary gang leader." Young Master Xu frowned. "That was many years ago, and I don't know much about it, only by hearsay. Back then, that person was extremely famous, but suddenly announced his retirement at the height of his glory. Since then, he has kept a low profile for many years and rarely appeared in public. Back in those days..."

He gave a wry smile. "I heard he possessed enormous influence back then. As long as he said a single word, all the Hollywood giants would willingly run errands for him. And... he had very close relations with the military and several major American families... Even the Rothschild family were his allies!"

Having studied economics in school, Baicai and Chen Xiao both recognized the prominent name Rothschild! They couldn't help but be deeply moved!

"There's a very interesting saying in Canada." Young Master Xu chuckled. "It's a famous quote known to people in Canadian upper society: In Canada, daytime belongs to the government, and nighttime belongs to the Hells Angels, the largest underground organization in Canada—however, all of this depends entirely on that person's mood!"

That person, obviously, referred to the "Fifth Master" mentioned by Old Man Xu and the others.

"That guy is a true legend... That person once said something back then..." Young Master Xu suddenly wore a look of yearning. "He said: All my friends live well; all my enemies have paid the price!"

Baicai couldn't help but feel awed. "Such an overbearing statement!"

"And then?" Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes.

"And then?" Young Master Xu smiled. "Now, many years later... His friends truly do live well, while his enemies are pretty much all dead."

The young people fell silent all at once.

After a moment, Young Master Xu's face displayed a look of admiration. "However, as far as I'm concerned, what I admire most is... I heard that person had several confidantes accompanying him all at once!"

"Bah! He turns out to be a playboy," Baicai said angrily, shooting Young Master Xu a fierce glare.

Young Master Xu immediately changed the subject. "My older brother heard about that person's deeds a few years ago and instantly turned into a zealous little fan. Then he desperately ran off to join the underworld... Oh, it was also because the Miss Chen he fell in love with was that Little Little Five. Ah, it's just ghosts; back then, that Little Little Five was only fifteen years old, yet she infatuated my older brother to the point of obsession, even telling him that she would only ever love a real man like her godfather. And then my older brother, with his head getting hot, ran off to join the underworld."

It wasn't until past ten o'clock at night, after the birthday banquet had progressed for some time, that Old Man Xu and the young Miss from the Chen family finally finished discussing matters and emerged from the house.

Although the guests had been waiting until ten o'clock for the banquet's reserved highlights—cutting the cake and making toasts—Old Man Xu letting the guests wait like this seemed somewhat lacking in respect. Yet given his current status and position, others could only wait, and even if they felt discontent in their hearts, they dared not show the slightest bit of it on their faces.

Chen Xiao symbolically waited until Old Man Xu cut the cake before taking Yaya to say their goodbyes. As for Baicai, Young Master Xu seemed to have used some method to make her stay, claiming he would personally drive her home later.

Yet after Chen Xiao walked out of the gates of the Xu family's luxury mansion with Yaya, he found himself in a bit of a dilemma...

It was already close to eleven o'clock. The Xu family's mansion was not located in a bustling downtown area, but rather in a rather secluded, scenic mountainous spot. Naturally, people who lived in such places drove their own cars in and out, and no taxis would ever wander out here to drum up business. Standing at the entrance, the roadsides were parked with the luxury cars of tonight's guests, but Chen Xiao calculated that it would probably take at least an hour to walk from here to the outer roads to find a place with taxis...

I... surely I can't carry Yaya and run with her in front of all these people around? Although Chen Xiao had immense strength and could carry someone while running, his speed definitely wouldn't be slow. Furthermore, he could use instantaneous movement... but there were simply too many people around.

Just as he was hesitating, a red commercial vehicle slowly drove up beside them. The window rolled down slowly, revealing a pair of bright, sparkling eyes looking at Chen Xiao with a smile: "Xiaowu, can I give you a ride?"

Chen Xiao was slightly stunned. It was precisely that "Miss Chen." "You... what did you call me?" Chen Xiao felt a bit awkward. After all, the nickname Xiaowu was only used by close friends who were very familiar with him. Being called that by a stranger he had only met once felt rather uncomfortable.

"Hehe, I've always hoped that one day I'd have the opportunity to call you Xiaowu," Miss Chen said with a smile. As she spoke, she deliberately stared at Chen Xiao with a bold gaze. "What's the matter? Are you afraid to get in the car?"

"Why would I be afraid?" Chen Xiao puffed out his chest. "Thank you for the ride."

He pulled open the car door and got in with Yaya. Miss Chen was seated in the back row of the vehicle, shifting inward to make space for the two of them.

In the driver's seat in front, the black bodyguard drove with a cold expression.

After the car door closed, Miss Chen sat next to Chen Xiao, looking at Yaya, who looked innocent and was leaning tightly against Chen Xiao's shoulder, a playful smile inevitably appearing on her face. "Right now... I actually really feel like you do resemble Xiaowu in certain respects."

"Resemble that godfather of yours?" Chen Xiao snorted.

He looked at Miss Chen. "Which aspect do you mean?"

"You have great affinity with women." Miss Chen squinted with a smile. "Just now when we were cutting the cake, I noticed there was another pretty girl wearing a blue qipao by your side, and now you have such an obedient and lovely little sister by your side as well... Hehe, you won't deny this point, right?" Chen Xiao thought for a moment. "Fifth Master... must be a very old man by now, and I certainly don't like being compared to an old man."

"An old man?" Miss Chen's eyes widened in surprise, and then she burst into laughter as if she had heard something utterly absurd. She laughed until she was swaying back and forth, then stared at Chen Xiao with a teasing look. "Let me give you a piece of advice: you had better never say that sentence in front of any of my godmothers, otherwise, one of them will slice you into pieces."

Pausing for a moment, she added with a light smile: "My godfather is only in his early thirties this year... When he adopted me back then, I was thirteen and he was twenty-five. I'm nineteen this year, so do you think he counts as an old man?"

Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback.

The car drove forward smoothly, driven with exceptional steadiness by the black man. The few people sitting in the back remained silent. Chen Xiao held an indescribable sense of vigilance toward this Miss Chen in his heart—perhaps this feeling stemmed from those bright, sparkling eyes of hers! This girl was far too smart; it felt as though anything he said in front of her would be seen right through!

Chen Xiao did not like this feeling.

"I can tell... you don't seem to have a very good impression of me." Miss Chen looked at Chen Xiao with a smile, breaking the silence in the carriage. "Let me guess why you hate me? Ah, men never like women whose brilliance is too sharp, right?"

Chen Xiao frowned and looked seriously at Miss Chen. "Miss Chen, this is our first meeting. Don't you think saying these words to me is somewhat inappropriate?" "Ha! I'm merely curious about you. I just find it fascinating that there happens to be another Xiaowu in this world, so I really wanted to find something on you that interests me."

"And now, has your curiosity been satisfied?" Chen Xiao put on a stern face.

"I don't know." Miss Chen didn't seem to care about Chen Xiao's displeasure at all.

"Then do me the favor of dropping me off at the first intersection ahead. I'm sure I can flag down a taxi from there."

Miss Chen did not object. The car came to a halt once it reached the first slightly bustling intersection.

Chen Xiao pulled Yaya out of the car, but instead of leaving immediately, he turned around and looked very seriously at Miss Chen. "Forgive my intrusion... but I still don't know your name."

"Oh? My name? Why do you need to know?" Miss Chen's eyes lit up. "My name is Chen Wei. My surname follows my godfather, and as for my given name, it follows one of my godmothers."

"I merely wanted to thank you for the ride. Since I'm thanking you, I can't very well not even know the other person's name; that would be too impolite." Chen Xiao's tone was calm. "Thank you, Miss Chen Wei."

He turned as if to leave, but Chen Wei from behind poked her head out of the car window and smiled at Chen Xiao's retreating back. "Remember, next time we meet, you can call me Weiwei."

Chen Xiao did not look back, but directly led Yaya forward.

Inside the car, Tu, who was driving in front, finally spoke in a cold tone without turning his head, his eyes still fixed on the road ahead: "Miss, since when did you go by Weiwei? I recall no one has ever called you Weiwei."

"But my name truly is Chen Wei." She smiled triumphantly, leisurely stating, "Uncle Tu, look... another Xiaowu, and another Weiwei. Isn't that a rather interesting thing?"

Tu remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Miss, I feel it necessary to remind you that you have a severe father-complex tendency."

After saying this, Tu restarted the car. However, just as the vehicle had driven a few dozen meters, he casually glanced into the rearview mirror and said coldly: "Miss, I need to remind you, it seems your Xiaowu is in a bit of trouble. Someone is eyeing him."

Chen Xiao held Yaya's hand as he watched the car drive away, his furrowed brow finally relaxing slightly. He truly hadn't enjoyed the atmosphere in that car just now, especially the aggressive and sharp attitude of that Miss Chen Wei.

Yet right after that, trouble struck.

Right at this intersection, several motorcycles suddenly roared over from behind at high speed, swiftly surrounding Chen Xiao and Yaya right in the middle!

The motorcycles kept their engines running as the riders coldly trapped the two in the center, one by one taking off their helmets.

One of them had dyed his red hair and stared at Chen Xiao: "You're Chen Xiao?"

"It's me." Chen Xiao frowned, looking coldly at these individuals.

"Humph!"

The red-haired man gave a cold smile, swiftly pulling off his gloves. The nails on his fingers instantly lengthened, the thin nails gleaming with a metallic luster like sharp razor blades!

"Someone wants to see you. Will you obediently come with us of your own accord, or should I beat you half to death and drag you back?" The red-haired man sneered. "Anyway, the person who sent me didn't specify that I had to bring you back in one piece. I heard you've pulled off some impressive feats lately? I've been quite eager to give it a try!"

"Who are you people?" Chen Xiao stared fixedly at the other's fingernails!

"The Club." The red-haired man let out a cold laugh, then slowly stepped off his motorcycle. His fingers lightly grazed the motorcycle seat, and his knife-sharp nails effortlessly sliced right through the thick leather cushion!

"Humph."

Chen Xiao wasn't actually panicking in his heart; he now possessed considerable confidence in his own strength. Looking at those knife-sharp nails of his opponent, he sneered coldly: "The Club? Dragging me back?"

He took a deep breath, released Yaya's hand, and slowly groped inside his clothes, pulling out a handful of iron pellets—these were items Chen Xiao now carried with him constantly.

Ever since acquiring telekinetic abilities, he no longer needed to carry weapons like electromagnetic guns. Under the manipulation of his telekinesis, these metal spheres could all be transformed into highly lethal weapons!

He pinched a few pellets between his fingertips. Soon, those metal pellets began to float upward slowly...

"People from the Club? Let's see if you have the ability to drag me back." Chen Xiao snorted, a strange glint flashing in his eyes, and immediately afterward, the pellets whistled through the air!

The dense sound of breaking air accompanied the pellets as they surged forward like bullets!

Yet the red-haired fellow wore a sneering smile, not even dodging, simply standing there leisurely...

Very soon...

The confidence in Chen Xiao's eyes vanished in an instant!

Bang!!

It was as if an invisible shockwave had appeared out of thin air. The pellets darting through the sky seemed to lose their momentum instantly, dropping silently to the ground right in front of the red-haired man!

Chen Xiao's expression shifted, yet no matter how desperately he urged his telekinesis, the pellets lying on the ground remained motionless, completely unresponsive!!

"Don't waste your energy." The red-haired man smiled. "We don't act recklessly! We know what abilities you possess now! However, we wouldn't have come without certainty. I know you possess more than one energy-release superpower! For instance, telekinesis, and metal molecular bursting..."

He slowly walked toward Chen Xiao step by step: "Unfortunately... at this very moment, your energy-release abilities cannot be deployed! Because I brought along a companion... his ability, quite coincidentally, happens to be the counter to energy-type superpowers! Energy Shielding!"

Saying this, he pointed toward the circle of people behind him: "Within this range, you cannot manifest energy; you can only rely on your pure physical strength to contend with me!"

Chen Xiao instinctively tried again. True to his fears, his telekinesis had absolutely no reaction whatsoever! Even trying to remotely detonate the iron pellets on the ground yielded zero response!!

Fortunately, his physical strength had not been stripped away!

Watching his opponent slowly walk closer step by step, Chen Xiao quickly pulled Yaya back a few steps, then let out a low roar, clenched his fists, twisted his body, and lunged forward!

B-grade strength!

The striking force of his fists exceeded several tons, the force of his blow stirring up a gale-force wind!

Yet the red-haired fellow before him maintained his cold sneer, refusing to dodge Chen Xiao's punch as he closed the distance instead. Just as Chen Xiao's fist swung out, the man's body suddenly flashed with agility, brushing past the very edge of Chen Xiao's fist, while his five sharp nails lightly slashed through the air...

Swish!

Chen Xiao's clothes across his chest were instantly sliced into five neat tears! His outer garment and inner layer were cut open simultaneously, and beads of fresh blood quickly welled up from five delicate scratches on his skin!

The pain caused Chen Xiao to instinctively step back. But this fellow's speed was extraordinary; clearly, his physical reflexes far surpassed Chen Xiao's. With just a single bound, he rushed to Chen Xiao's side. As Chen Xiao threw another punch, the man had already slid smoothly behind Chen Xiao's back, followed immediately by Chen Xiao's muffled grunt. The clothes on his back were instantly slashed open, his muscles cut by the sharp nails, causing him to stagger forward.

"Speed!" The red-haired man stood behind Chen Xiao, looking at him with a smile. "You have brute strength, but no speed! What a pity! If you still had your telekinesis, I wouldn't be your match, but now, in pure hand-to-hand combat, you are no match for me!"

Damn that Energy Shielding!!

Under Lao Tian's guidance over the past few days, Chen Xiao had learned a great deal of knowledge concerning superpowers!

Among them, Energy Shielding was one of the abilities Lao Tian had warned him to be most careful of! When mentioning this power, Lao Tian had cautioned Chen Xiao: given Chen Xiao's current strength, Energy Shielding happened to be one of his greatest weaknesses!

The so-called Energy Shielding merely shielded energy released outside the body, rather than truly blocking all superpowers—in Lao Tian's words, if there really existed an ability that could completely nullify all superpowers, then the rest of us superpower users might as well just quit! If such an ability truly existed, that superpower user would instantly become the target of every single supernatural being in the entire world!

Even so, Energy Shielding was already terrifying enough! Simply put, this superpower doesn't lock down the superpower user's internal capability, but it restricts them by making it impossible for any energy to exist in a form released outside the body. In other words, you cannot project or remotely control anything!

Even superpower users like Zhurong or Gonggong would be restricted by Energy Shielding.

"Simply put... if Zhurong encountered Energy Shielding, she could still create fire, but she could only keep the fire confined to her own body, unable to hurl fireballs outward as she normally would! Understand?" That was how Lao Tian had explained it back then.

As for how to break Energy Shielding?

"There are three ways. First... your energy value vastly exceeds your opponent's, so from a pure energy comparison, the opponent falls far below you, allowing you to use overwhelming energy contrast to suppress them! But this is very difficult. According to research statistics compiled by the Service Bureau, generally speaking, this kind of Energy Shielding requires your level to be two tiers higher than your opponent's in order to suppress them back! In other words, such a comparison puts the shielded party at a huge disadvantage! To put it simply, if the opponent casting Energy Shielding on you is C-grade, you must reach at least A-grade to suppress them! If the opponent is B-grade, you must possess S-grade! This... is simply too difficult.

The second method... flee! Because every superpower has an effective coverage range! As long as you can run outside the zone covered by the opponent's superpower, they can no longer restrict you.

As for the third method... kill the opponent!!

Chen Xiao, I must remind you that although you possess multiple superpowers, in terms of your combat style, you are a superpower user who relies heavily on energy-release modes. Your abilities, including telekinesis and metal molecular bursting, belong to the category of attacking by releasing energy outside the body! Also... the Yaksha ability you absorbed, instantaneous movement, is also considered an energy-based power. In other words, if you encounter an Energy Shielding user, given your current strength, your most powerful superpowers cannot be deployed! Of course, strength-type superpowers will not be interfered with.

However, rest assured, people in this world who possess the Energy Shielding superpower are extremely rare and precious. Even if they do exist, they are high-ranking treasures within major organizations, and you won't have many opportunities to run into one."

When Lao Tian was explaining the various superpowers to Chen Xiao back then, he had specifically highlighted those that posed the greatest threat to Chen Xiao currently, and Energy Shielding was among the most crucial ones...

Chen Xiao was nursing wounds both front and back, his mind spinning rapidly...

The first requirement—having an energy value higher than his opponent's—was clearly something he could not achieve right now.

The second... escaping the opponent's range was also unlikely under the current circumstances—because this red-haired fellow was clinging to him relentlessly, and his speed was terrifyingly fast. No matter what direction Chen Xiao tried to flee in, he couldn't outrun him! Furthermore... he had Yaya with him right now!

As for the third...

He looked at the circle of people mounted on motorcycles. The Energy Shielding superpower user had to be among them! The problem was... with so many people, he couldn't accurately pinpoint who it was! And this red-haired guy would definitely stop him!!

Swish!!

Five blade-sharp fingernails slashed toward him. Chen Xiao instinctively dodged to the side, but from his thigh down to his knee, his flesh was sliced open deeply!!

Chen Xiao let out a grunt, suddenly let out a loud shout, and smashed his fist viciously into the ground! The asphalt road surface cracked instantly under the blow! Chen Xiao grabbed a chunk of the pavement and hurled it fiercely forward!

The red-haired man sneered, his body effortlessly drifting aside before twisting in mid-air and surging forward again with a swift pivot! This retreat and advance happened with incredible speed!

Seeing the cold glint rushing right at his face, Chen Xiao side-stepped, but still failed to avoid it! The sharp edge grazed lightly across his face, instantly leaving a fresh scratch, and fresh blood trickled down from his forehead, blurring his vision...

"Chen Xiao, I don't want to kill you." The red-haired man sneered. "Oh, right, don't bother trying your blood toxin; we all injected toxin antibodies before we came."

Damn it!

These guys seemed to know everything about him like the back of their hands?!

May I have some recommendation votes, please? I don't even dare to dream about monthly tickets anymore, but please spare some recommendation votes!)