Chapter 89: Just Being Alive is Enough

Killing intent swirled through the carriage, and the temperature plummeted!

Chen Ling was trapped in his seat, staring blankly at the murderous Han Meng, his mind momentarily blank...

Han Meng leaving District 3 to appear here suddenly, and blowing up the train's driving wheel with a single shot—this was no coincidence... The only explanation was that he had come for him.

But how did he know the Star Chamber of Commerce was going to make a move on him?

The man was locked in Han Meng's sights, enveloped by a wave of killing intent. He stared at Han Meng, frowning for a long time, as if remembering something.

"Han Meng... I think I've heard that name." A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"I heard that a few years ago, a rookie District 3 Executor killed the nephew of the Star Chamber of Commerce's chairman inside the Ancient Path of the Military Dao. After being detained, he endured three rounds of Soul-Shattering Interrogation and still kept his sanity... That incident even shocked the top brass at headquarters."

"That Executor... was his name Han Meng?"

"Is that so?" Han Meng said flatly. "What a coincidence."

His finger rested on the trigger, and beneath his black trench coat, a domain rapidly expanded outward!

Feeling the terrifying aura contained within that domain, the man's expression grew even uglier. He raised his hand without hesitation, about to sketch something in the void, when a thick beam of light flashed past his temple in an instant!

The invisible power of deconstruction acted like a bullet, grazing his hair and instantly piercing through every carriage of the train, leaving behind a massive, perfectly circular hole!

"What makes you think your characters are faster than my gun?"

Han Meng remained in the same posture, holding the gun with one hand, faint smoke drifting from the muzzle. His face was expressionless.

But now, a few cold beads of sweat were sliding down the man's temple... His pale face flashed with lingering fear and terror.

If Han Meng's shot had been even a fraction off, his head would have been deconstructed into nothingness... He survived not because the opponent missed, but because the opponent hadn't intended to kill him at all.

"That was a warning... Never try to attack a [Judge] head-on, you idiot."

Han Meng pointed the gun at the man, then gestured toward Chen Ling. "Release the characters on him, or the next shot will be through your head."

The man was both shocked and furious. As a fellow Tier 4 powerhouse, he was being completely suppressed by Han Meng's [Judgment Court], which made him feel incredibly stifled... He had a wealth of Book God Dao skills, but in front of that gun barrel, everything he did was too slow.

But he had no choice. Most God Dao frontal combat capabilities could hardly surpass the Military God Dao, and the [Judgment] path was the most lethal among all Military God Dao paths!

As a Book God Dao practitioner, once locked on by the opponent, what could he possibly use to fight a [Judge]?

Can characters be faster than bullets?

The man's expression shifted repeatedly. He stared at Han Meng for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying:

"You know what the consequences of offending the Star Chamber of Commerce are..."

"No one knows better than I do." Han Meng narrowed his eyes, a wisp of killing intent spreading through the carriage again. "Don't make me repeat myself a third time... Let him go."

Seeing that a second bullet was about to be fired, the man gritted his teeth and wiped his palm through the void, remotely undoing the characters controlling Chen Ling.

Chen Ling immediately felt his body lighten; control had returned to him!

"Don't think that just because you're hiding outside Aurora City, they can't get to you..." The man stepped backward. As he moved, mysterious characters appeared one after another on the floor of the carriage.

"Next time we meet, you won't have the chance to point a gun at me."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. The next moment, those mysterious characters suddenly lit up!

Right before Chen Ling's eyes, his form turned black, as if the ink was being dismantled into individual strokes—horizontal, vertical, slashes, and hooks—rapidly vanishing into the void.

He can turn his own body into characters?

Chen Ling witnessed this with his own eyes, his heart filled with astonishment. All the skills of the Book God Dao seemed to transcend his understanding...

Seeing the man leave, Han Meng calmly retracted his gun and looked at Chen Ling.

"Still not leaving? Do you really want to follow him to Aurora City?"

With that, he turned and walked out of the train.

Blowing up the train's driving wheel with a single shot had shocked the conductor and other pedestrians on the platform. They watched the black-coated Han Meng walk off the platform, their expressions as if they were looking at a monster.

Chen Ling pushed through the crowd and walked up to him. "How did you know I was here?"

"There's only one train to Aurora City per day, and it only departs from Winter Harbor. This was the only place."

Chen Ling wanted to ask how he was so sure the Star Chamber of Commerce would secretly take him away... but recalling what the man had said earlier, he decided not to ask.

According to him, Han Meng had offended the Star Chamber of Commerce in the Ancient Path of the Military Dao years ago and had undergone three Soul-Shattering Interrogations... What Chen Ling had already experienced, and even what he hadn't yet, Han Meng had gone through years ago.

No one understood the methods of the Star Chamber of Commerce better than this victim.

The two walked side by side through the snow.

Han Meng didn't ask what happened in the Ancient Path, and Chen Ling didn't ask about Han Meng's past experiences. They both remained silent, like two fellow travelers heading home in quiet contemplation.

Finally, Han Meng's voice broke the silence:

"I still underestimated you."

"What?"

"I thought you'd kill a few people at most... I didn't expect that you'd be the only one to come out." Han Meng's voice was unreadable—was it praise or reproach? "This time, you've caused quite a stir."

Chen Ling suddenly remembered the words Han Meng had left for him before he went to the Ancient Path:

—If you encounter some... things in the Ancient Path, don't be too timid. You are an Executor of our District 3. Even if you stir up trouble, I'll be here to back you up.

Chen Ling hadn't been timid;

And Han Meng had indeed backed him up...

When Chen Ling walked out of that small cabin, all the other Executors and Executives had chosen to close their eyes.

Only Han Meng had rushed hundreds of miles, blown up a train with a single shot, and raised his gun against the power within Aurora City... Without him, Chen Ling would likely have been forcibly dragged into Aurora City, and his fate would have been unknown.

Chen Ling was silent for a long time before saying two words, earnest and serious:

"...Thank you."

Han Meng glanced at him, his black trench coat continuing toward the end of the snow.

"...Just being alive is enough."