Chapter 127: I Am His Son-in-Law!

Zhang Ze and his companion followed the information regarding their new mission and headed toward the next target location.

Zhang Yue was driving at breakneck speed, and having been followed for a while, she naturally sensed something amiss. Glancing at Zhang Ze, she furrowed her brows and said, "There's a van following us!"

Zhang Ze cast a glance at the rearview mirror upon hearing this. "Are you overthinking it? Could it just be a coincidence that they're heading the same way?"

Zhang Yue frowned slightly and retorted, "Even so, they wouldn't be speeding and running red lights just to follow us, would they?"

Seeing the deep concern etched on Zhang Yue's face, Zhang Ze realized she was likely certain. He quickly made up his mind and said, "Keep heading to our destination, but slow down a bit."

...

About half an hour later, Zhang Yue parked the car in a residential complex parking lot. What concerned Zhang Ze was that the van had indeed followed them inside.

The two parties locked eyes but did not rush to act. The van stopped in the distance, and a moment later, Duan Hong and Wen Qing stepped out.

Zhang Ze was astonished to see these two. He wondered how they had managed to track him down. The simultaneous appearance of Wen Qing and Duan Hong made him uneasy. Suddenly, it dawned on him why Wen Ran had tried to kill him last time! It must have been the work of the Jiuhua Sect behind the scenes!

*Is it really necessary to go this far just because I took one piece of inner armor?*

...

However, Zhang Ze knew this was not the time to dwell on such things. He frowned and said to Zhang Yue, "I'll run first later."

Zhang Yue looked at him in disbelief. The implication was clear.

Zhang Ze hurriedly explained, "Do you think I'm the type to abandon my comrades? They are after me. I'll lead them away, and you take the car to call for backup!"

With that, Zhang Ze bolted toward the distance. Zhang Yue was so taken aback by his final words that she didn't react immediately.

...

Wen Qing and Duan Hong exchanged a look and, ignoring Zhang Yue entirely, gave chase after Zhang Ze. To put it bluntly, if their goal was simply to capture the pair and find out the whereabouts of that batch of equipment, controlling either Zhang Ze or Zhang Yue would suffice. In fact, since Zhang Yue’s cultivation was lower, it would have been easier to restrain her first. However, both of them held grudges against Zhang Ze, so they silently agreed to pursue him instead.

In the van behind them, Wei Can and Duan Qingkuang realized their cover was blown. The two Fourth-Rank martial artists no longer waited for Duan Hong and Wen Qing; Duan Qingkuang drove toward Zhang Ze, while Wei Can stepped out and headed straight for Zhang Yue.

As a Fourth-Rank martial artist, Wei Can was incredibly fast when pushing his full speed. Since he was only about a hundred meters from Zhang Yue, he reached her in just three to five seconds. Knowing it was too late to start the car, Zhang Yue turned and dashed in the opposite direction.

...

Wu Di had actually discovered the danger Zhang Ze and the others were in long ago. Seeing that Zhang Ze and Zhang Yue had split up, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. To avoid being detected by Duan Qingkuang and his companion, Wu Di had been keeping a distance. In his desperation, he had no choice but to chase after Zhang Yue. As for Zhang Ze... he could only hope that his Third-Rank cultivation would allow him to hold out for a while.

...

Zhang Ze was running as fast as he could, using every ounce of his strength. Although Duan Hong and the other man had reached the Third-Rank, it wasn't easy for them to catch Zhang Ze in a short time. However, it was equally difficult for Zhang Ze to shake them off, as they were all Third-Rank and on foot. Zhang Ze’s physical strength was higher, which meant he could simply keep running further.

It is worth noting that Zhang Ze wisely ducked into a small alleyway off the street, forcing Duan Qingkuang to stop his car and pursue on foot. Duan Qingkuang was inwardly furious, regretting that he had let Duan Hong and the other man show themselves first. But who could have predicted that Zhang Ze would turn and run the moment he saw them?

...

Through his system, Zhang Ze knew exactly what the stats of the three were. Wen Qing and Duan Hong had physical strength ratings of 569S and 524S respectively—they had just broken through to the Third-Rank, so he didn't care about them. But Duan Qingkuang’s stats shocked him: 1965S! That was the peak of the Fourth-Rank. Even if he wasn't strong enough to kill him with a single palm strike like Wen Ran, if Duan Qingkuang caught up, he probably wouldn't need ten moves to finish him off. Given that Wen Ran had tried to kill him before, Zhang Ze was under no illusions that these people were here for a friendly chat.

...

The speed of a Fourth-Rank expert was clearly superior. Within two or three minutes, Duan Qingkuang was less than a hundred meters behind Zhang Ze.

Duan Qingkuang shouted at Zhang Ze’s back, "You have insulted my Jiuhua Sect time and time again; do you really think we are easy targets? Hand over our equipment, or today will be your funeral!"

"Go to hell!" Zhang Ze, having already been backstabbed once and nearly killed, had no patience left for them. He turned back and roared, "Didn't I just take a piece of inner armor from Duan Hong? That was something I won fairly with Senior Zhao Jinghong as a witness! What's the matter? You don't want to admit it? Is your damn Jiuhua Sect really that petty?"

Duan Qingkuang, livid at being berated, said coldly, "Return our three alloy sabers and two pieces of Scarlet Moon inner armor!"

Zhang Ze understood now, but he wasn't going to give them back.

...

Zhang Ze knew that if he kept running, it was only a matter of time before Duan Qingkuang caught him. He made a call and said urgently, "Captain Zhuang, quickly call Coach Ma from your action team!"

This was the only nearby powerhouse he could think of who could save his life. As for his mentor? He probably still thought he was at the Anqing Martial Arts Bureau.

Zhuang Ning, having just picked up the phone, was confused. "How did you know we have a Coach Ma on our action team?"

Zhang Ze was in a desperate situation and had no time to explain. He urged, "Just call him and tell him I agree to let him marry his daughter to me!"

"What?" Zhuang Ning was stunned on the other end. "Coach Ma wants to marry his daughter to you?"

Zhang Ze secretly felt relieved that the man actually had a daughter, but he feigned extreme composure. "Don't talk nonsense! He saved me from a heretic martial artist before! Just call him quickly and tell him I’ve brought him a dowry and am waiting for him at the Jinsheng Hotel!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Qingkuang was right on top of him.

*Bang!*

With a violent shock to his body, Zhang Ze was sent flying by a palm strike from Duan Qingkuang. He didn't even have time to pick up his phone as he scrambled toward the unfinished building ahead. Duan Qingkuang did not hesitate and followed him inside.

...

At the Investigation Department office, Zhuang Ning asked with a puzzled expression, but there was no response from the other side of the phone. He muttered to himself, "I think Coach Ma's daughter is only in high school, isn't she?"

Zhang Ze's excuse was so absurd that Zhuang Ning didn't have time to wonder why Zhang Ze, if he were supposedly the future son-in-law of Ma Junguo, didn't have the man's direct contact number. Still muttering, he dialed Ma Junguo's number.

As soon as he relayed Zhang Ze's message, he heard Ma Junguo’s roar: "What did you say?"

"Damn him! Is Zhang Ze that brat who caused a scene at the Anqing Provincial Bureau? Wait until I tear him limb from limb!"

*Beep.*

The call was disconnected. Zhuang Ning’s forehead was covered in creases.

...

After disabling Wei Can with two moves, Wu Di stepped on the man's chest and said coldly, "You're one of Zhu Wu's men! Has the Jiuhua Sect joined forces with you?"

Wei Can didn't answer. Wu Di, either too impatient to wait or too worried about Zhang Ze’s situation, applied a slight pressure with his foot. A muffled thud came from the Fourth-Rank martial artist's chest, and he fell completely silent.

Zhang Yue, standing next to Wu Di, said anxiously, "Zhang Ze’s phone isn't going through..."

"Why did you two think it was a good idea to split up!" Wu Di snapped. Not daring to delay further, he took Zhang Yue and rushed rapidly in the direction they had just come from.

...

"Damn it! You little brat, just you wait!"

They say a daughter is a father's little sweetheart. Zhang Ze’s desperate lie had now drawn the ire of a Sixth-Rank powerhouse!

His speed reached its limit. Ma Junguo, a Sixth-Rank expert, was now flying almost at ground level, leaving cars behind in his wake. Just then, his phone rang again.

...

Cold sweat drenched Zhang Ze’s back. Hiding in this unfinished building was not a long-term solution. Looking through the window, he glanced at the tall Jinsheng Hotel in the distance, muttering to himself, "It’s been almost ten minutes; surely a Sixth-Rank martial artist can make it here, right?"

"I should have told him his wife took a fancy to me instead..."

Even as he mumbled, Zhang Ze jumped straight down from the third floor. In his line of sight, the Jinsheng Hotel loomed ahead.