Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 83 - 73: Breakthrough

Chen Chuan had no objections to Wei Chang’an’s arrangements. "Okay, I’ll follow Brother Wei’s plan," he said. Seeing that Wei Chang’an seemed to have more to discuss with Cai Si, he added, "Brother Wei, I’ll head downstairs to get familiar with the area. I’ll be back in a bit."

Wei Chang’an said, "Alright, be careful."

After Chen Chuan left, Cai Si said to Wei Chang’an, "Brother Wei, this Junior Chen is pretty good."

Generally, new guys Chen Chuan’s age love to show off, especially the ones with skills and talent. They absolutely hate being told to stay in the back.

But their lack of experience means they often mess things up. He’d been there himself, which was why he generally disliked having rookies on the team. However, Chen Chuan was not only the source of the lead but also a key participant, so they couldn’t just leave him behind. Thankfully, Chen Chuan knew his place, which made everything much easier.

Sometimes, it wasn’t the danger they feared, but their own teammates holding them back.

Wei Chang’an said, "Don’t underestimate him. He might be a couple of years younger than us, but on that last assignment, I was supposed to be his lead. Fatty Guo pulled some stunts, and things almost went south for me. It was thanks to him that we caught our man. This junior is highly skilled and extremely decisive. Give him a year or two of real-world experience, and he’ll likely surpass both of us."

"Really?" Cai Si said, surprised. "He’s that good, huh?"

Wei Chang’an said, "Enough about him for now. All of you need to be careful this time. All the intel we have comes from that ’Brother Tian.’ Due to time constraints and various restrictions, we haven’t been able to verify every detail. We have no choice but to trust it, but the actual situation is unpredictable. Nothing is ever foolproof, so you all have to stay on high alert."

Cai Si nodded. "Brother Wei, you must be under a lot of pressure."

Wei Chang’an said, "It’s my first time leading this kind of mission. It’d be a lie to say I’m not feeling the pressure. The Patrol Bureau specifically requested me for this assignment, which rubbed a lot of people at the company the wrong way. I’m sure plenty of them are just waiting to see me make a fool of myself."

"But if we pull this off, follow this lead to nab Fang Dawei and his whole crew, this will be a huge boost to our records. Everyone here will have a better shot at becoming an Advanced Client. That’s our only path to striking out on our own, so we have to give it everything we’ve got."

Cai Si nodded silently.

He thought for another moment, then said in a low voice, "Brother Wei, I have to remind you. Aside from our own guys and former classmates, most of the others were sent by the company. I’m worried someone might try to sabotage us. You know how it is—it’s hard to make things work, but incredibly easy to screw them up."

Wei Chang’an said, "I know. That’s why our own guys have to hold the key positions. And speaking of which, Junior Chen is trustworthy. You can count on him when it counts."

Cai Si smiled. "So you didn’t put him in that spot just to look out for him, Brother Wei. Okay, I get the picture."

By then, Chen Chuan was already downstairs. Knowing there was business today, he hadn’t worn his student uniform, instead changing into a plain jacket.

He first took a stroll through the trade market. The front section mainly sold daily necessities and clothing. The bulk of the business seemed to be wholesale, with numerous three-wheeled carts bustling back and forth. Not far off, there was also a produce market and a fruit market.

Walking along the main path through the market, he could look back and see a row of windows in the building facing them, visible through the large characters on the market’s main sign.

The intersection Wei Chang’an would have him guard was just a short way ahead, flanked on both sides by shops selling groceries and sundries.

After making a full circuit, he bought a bag of apples and three bottles of soda on his way back, keeping to the side of the street. As he rounded a corner, he glanced toward the building and saw a woman walking out. He involuntarily found himself watching her for a few extra moments.

Although she was a middle-aged woman, her walking cadence suggested she was a trained practitioner. But in this day and age, plenty of people had some form of training, so he only gave her a single glance before looking away. He continued on his way back to their rendezvous point, placed the apples on the table, and handed a bottle of soda to each of the other two men.

Cai Si took it with a smile. "Hey, Junior Chen, you brought us treats? You’re too polite. Don’t worry, Brother Si will look out for you later."

Wei Chang’an accepted the soda but didn’t drink it. He went to wash and eat an apple, then changed his clothes. When he came back out, he checked his watch and said, "We have another Hour and a half. Time to get ready. I’ll get you all in position, then go check on each station. Follow me."

He led the two of them to the road in front of the trade market. They entered a grain and oil shop on the side of the street, where he greeted the owner and led them to the back. He handed a slip of paper to Chen Chuan and began his instructions.

"Junior Chen, here’s the plan. We move at ten o’clock. At ten-fifteen, our people will assemble on the roof in waves. Around ten-twenty, the firecrackers will go off—there might be a slight delay. We move thirty seconds after the firecrackers start. So, at exactly ten, I need you to make this call and have them cut the phone line."

This was a precaution to prevent any lookouts they might have missed from phoning Scarface. While it was possible his lookouts used other methods to communicate, the chance was slim. Better safe than sorry.

Chen Chuan glanced at the number and agreed.

Wei Chang’an then looked at Cai Si. "Stay sharp." Cai Si nodded gravely.

After Wei Chang’an left, the two men waited patiently, chatting occasionally.

Cai Si told Chen Chuan that it wasn’t just the two of them; there were other helpers around to provide support. For instance, the shop owner was one of them. If they needed anything done, they could ask him.

They waited patiently for over an Hour, and soon it was ten o’clock. Cai Si, who had been watching the time, looked up. "Junior Chen, Brother Wei’s team should be moving upstairs now. You can make the call!"

Chen Chuan was already stationed by the phone. He immediately picked up the receiver, dialed, and once the call connected, recited the phrase from the note: "This is the arrest team. Requesting immediate termination of the phone line."

The voice on the other end replied, "Understood. Executing immediately."

Chen Chuan hung up the phone and nodded to Cai Si, who walked to the front of the shop. He kept looking up toward the building, glancing at his watch every so often.

About five or six minutes later, a commotion suddenly erupted from the market street behind them. A cacophony of shouting and running footsteps followed. "They’re fighting! They’re fighting!" someone yelled.

Cai Si froze. He glanced back toward the target building and muttered, "This could be trouble."

At that very moment, Wei Chang’an and five others had already crept onto the rooftop. They had ascended one by one from their designated spots, so they had gone unnoticed. They were still waiting on half of their team, but they weren’t worried. There were still seven or eight minutes before the scheduled time, which was more than enough.

But right at that moment, they heard a commotion from the market to the north. It sounded like a riot was breaking out. One of them peeked over the edge. "Brother Wei, we’ve got a situation."

Wei Chang’an frowned. Riots were common in this trade market, but the timing of this one was a problem. It could easily draw Scarface’s attention to that side of the building.

Besides, the timing of the disturbance was too much of a coincidence. His instincts screamed that they couldn’t wait any longer. "Something’s not right," he said urgently. "The plan might be compromised. We have to move now!"

Someone reminded him, "But Brother Wei, the rest of the team isn’t here yet."

Wei Chang’an said, "We’ll go in first and pin them down. The others will know what to do when they arrive!"

"Wait." One of his men grabbed his arm. "Mr. Wei," he said gravely, "we can’t be sure if Scarface’s attention is on the commotion or not. If that’s the case, why don’t we break in from the south first? The others can enter from the north when they arrive. A pincer attack from both sides would give us a better chance, wouldn’t it?"

All eyes turned to Wei Chang’an, waiting for his decision.

Wei Chang’an considered it. The plan simply reversed their original north-then-south breach order. He made his decision instantly. "Fine, we’ll do it that way. Stop waiting. Let’s move!"

Wei Chang’an and his men carefully moved to the south side of the roof, their steps as silent as possible. Three men anchored one end of a rope, while the other three grabbed on, leaped off the edge, and used the pendulum swing for Force Application, crashing into the old-fashioned window.

CRASH! The window shattered. Wei Chang’an crashed through, rolled, and sprang to his feet, only to find the easternmost room completely empty. The sounds of curses and combat echoed from the other rooms. He immediately charged for the nearest door.

The moment he pushed the door open, a fist flew at his face. He dodged with a tilt of his head and pushed back with his hand. His opponent met him with a kick. Amidst a burst of Power, both men shuddered from the impact. Wei Chang’an didn’t yield a single step, but the other man stumbled backward. The man shot him a look, scrambled to his feet, and without a second thought, vaulted out of an open window on the north side.

Wei Chang’an ignored him and charged into the inner room. He saw a teammate grappling with an enemy, who yelled at him, "Scarface is in the next room!"

Wei Chang’an immediately bolted for the last room. He was only halfway there when—BOOM!—the wall ahead of him exploded outward. A teammate was sent flying along with a shower of bricks and rubble. Wei Chang’an quickly threw up his arms to shield himself, stumbling back several steps.

When he brushed the dust away, he saw a burly man standing behind the gaping hole in the wall. The man wore a gray-blue work coat, his legs were thick and powerful, and a stitched scar ran across his face. He held a large machete in one hand and a sledgehammer in the other.

His expression hardened. "Scarface!" he growled.

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