Chapter Forty-One: The Gale Approaches

December 14th.
Lunar calendar: November 16th.
Auspicious for demolishing houses, breaking walls, and treating illnesses.
Inauspicious for moving or moving into a new residence.

Being in the Guangdong region, even in December, the temperature was not particularly low.
By just past noon, a flood of office workers poured out from the Wandé Building.
These workers were originally scheduled to work in the afternoon, but all had been told they could skip work.
Clearly, this was an early evacuation.
The Wandé Building itself housed many office workers, causing quite a commotion.
Qin Zhengtian feared that the Chopstick Hero might slip in amidst the chaos.

As the workers exited the building, most wore cheerful smiles.
“Who would’ve thought we’d get an unexpected afternoon off,” one said.
“What’s the plan for the afternoon?”
“Of course, gaming—five of us teaming up for some League of Legends.” These recent graduates were still avid LOL players.
“Sounds good, gaming in the afternoon. But we should find something to do tonight,” a chubby man nearby chimed in.

The skinny one who mentioned gaming perked up. “Seriously? You mean the Big Sword? I’ve only heard of it but never experienced it. Brother Wang, will you take me to see this legendary Big Sword? I heard virgins get red envelopes when they go.”
The man called Brother Wang widened his eyes in surprise. “Wait, you’re still a virgin? Didn’t your teaching university claim not to let a single virgin graduate?”
The skinny man sighed deeply. “That’s just a rumor, definitely a rumor. I entered the teaching university with high hopes, but out of eight roommates, four were still virgins by graduation. It’s heart-wrenching. I’m 26 now and still a virgin. Four years from now, I’ll be an evil-level mage.”
“So tonight, let’s go to the Big Sword. Brother Wang, be my experienced guide,” he said with hopeful eyes.
Brother Wang shrugged helplessly. “The Big Sword can wait. Tonight’s the real show.”

The skinny man blinked. “What show?”
“Obviously, the Chopstick Hero. According to the forum, he posted ten death notices, but five of those targets fled abroad. That leaves five in the country, and Qin Zhengtian, the boss of Wandé Group, is a likely target. After we finish LOL and dinner, we’ll find a high vantage point near the Wandé Building.”

Brother Wang proudly shook a package in his hand. “Look, I just got this telescope from JD.com. Up high with this, we can clearly see the Chopstick Hero. I’m a big fan—finally meeting my idol in reality, so exciting!”
The skinny man looked dismayed. “Brother Wang, why only one telescope? Buy another!”
“How would I know you wanted one? You can get one yourself at the mall,” Brother Wang replied.

***

Many shared Brother Wang’s sentiments.
Numerous white-collar workers planned to rest in the afternoon and watch the show at night.
By five o’clock, the crowd in front of Wandé Building was massive—like a sea of people.
Yet, no one dared approach the building’s interior.

Brother Wang, whose real name was Wang Lei, not only accompanied the skinny man but also organized a gathering of Chopstick Hero fans from the official forum. Wang Lei was known online as the one “waiting on the wall for the red apricot to bloom.”

Amidst the surging crowd, on the 31st floor of a nearby high-rise, two figures stood.
One was Nangong Zhu, over 1.7 meters tall with slender legs. She excelled in swordsmanship and was incredibly fast. These were publicly known facts, but how many hidden deadly techniques she possessed remained a mystery. In the martial world, one must have secret moves.

The other was a petite girl, barely 1.4 meters tall, with a childlike figure but actually in her twenties. Her name was Tong Chuchu. She specialized in a pair of Emei daggers—swift, fierce, and unpredictable.

Neither learned their arts from the ten major sects.
Long ago, the head of the Red-Clad Guard, Liang Zijin, was the world’s top master.
He slew enemies across the land; no sect dared challenge him.
He collected secret skills from all sects, slaughtering those who refused to hand them over.
He fused these arts into countless extraordinary techniques.
Eventually, in his quest to create the supreme martial art by combining the strengths of a hundred styles, he went mad.
Yet, he left the Red-Clad Guard with a wealth of martial knowledge.

The Special Operations Group was simply the Red-Clad Guard under a new name, inheriting Liang Zijin’s martial arts.
Nangong Zhu and Tong Chuchu were both squad leaders, formidable in their own right.
A squad leader’s strength was impressive—after all, the strongest stationed in Yangcheng was just a company leader.

***

Across the Guang region, the strongest on site was merely a battalion leader.

“Soon, the Chopstick Demon should arrive. According to what we know, there’s no need to rush to act.”
“Qin Zhengtian is wealthy and has hired numerous experts to face the Chopstick Demon.”
“The two sides will clash fiercely.”
“If the Chopstick Demon loses and dies here, it’s no concern of ours.”
“If he wins, then we’ll move in to capture him.”
“Rest assured, Sister Zhu. This time, we’re not just two people; four squad leaders will guard the east, south, west, and north, each bringing many skilled fighters. Except for Captain Shi, everyone is deployed. This is our Special Operations Group’s largest operation. Even if the Chopstick Demon has the powers of Sun Wukong, he can’t escape Buddha’s Five Finger Mountain.” Tong Chuchu said confidently.

Yangcheng’s company had only eight squad leaders in total.
Deploying four at once was an immense show of force.

Besides Nangong Zhu and Tong Chuchu, the other two were Monk Jierou and Seer Kandu.
Monk Jierou loved meat and often said, “Ah, the last bite—this really is my last bite of meat. If I eat more, I’ll chop off my hand.”
“Wait, last time I said the last bite of pork; this time it’s dog meat, so I can’t chop off my hand.”
“Last time I said the last bite of dog meat; this time it’s lamb.”
And so on, endlessly cycling.

Seer Kandu loved dressing like an immortal hermit and setting up a palm-reading stall in alleys. “Miss, your palm shows wealth. Wait, I haven’t quite got it, let me feel again.”
After the reading, he would thoroughly examine the lady’s hand.

***

Meanwhile, Qin Zhengtian stood on the 33rd floor, gazing through bulletproof glass at the scene below.
Beside him sat a powerful figure exuding an unfathomable aura.

(Second update delivered; the third will come tomorrow. Please kindly recommend and vote!)