Chapter Thirty-Five: Hu Tu Faces Setbacks

Zhang Desen glanced at Hu Tu, who stood before him, and said,
“If Deputy Commander Hu wishes to sue for peace, just say so—there’s no need to put on such an air of arrogance. It must be exhausting.”
At these words, Hu Tu immediately retorted,
“Seems you’re one who rejects a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Here’s my offer: if you break your own arm right now, I’ll let you go. I’ll lighten your punishment, give you some gold, and you can leave the Liu residence at once.”
Zhang Desen’s expression remained blank as he replied,
“I’ll give you a chance as well. If you can mind your tongue and apologize to me right now, I’ll overlook your previous offenses and let you walk away. What say you?”
“What?”
At Zhang Desen’s words, Hu Tu couldn’t help but burst into manic laughter, his face growing twisted and fierce.
“Did I hear you correctly? Do you really think that with Zhao Chengming backing you, you can be so self-important? You have no idea—there are few in this residence who don’t know my skills…”
Zhang Desen interrupted him coldly,
“All right, enough madness. If you won’t apologize, you’ll reap what you sow soon enough. I’ll see you at the arena.”
With that, Zhang Desen ignored their reactions and headed straight for the arena. But no sooner had he moved than a burly man beside Hu Tu, named Wu Bin, called out,
“Hold it right there, boy!”
Without waiting, Wu Bin charged at Zhang Desen. Truth be told, Wu Bin’s massive frame exuded an oppressive force; many were terrified just by the sight of his fierce demeanor.
Still, Zhang Desen walked onward, unperturbed, though he’d readied himself for an attack. At such close range, Wu Bin could easily unleash his explosive power.
In less than the span of a breath, Wu Bin’s foot lashed out toward Zhang Desen’s head—so fast there was almost no time to react.
Yet, in the nick of time, Zhang Desen bent low and spun aside, causing Wu Bin’s kick to strike nothing but air. In the same instant, Zhang Desen’s right foot shot out, swiftly kicking Wu Bin’s supporting left leg below the knee. A crisp crack rang out; Wu Bin’s left leg fractured instantly.
Pain shot through Wu Bin’s broken leg, and he collapsed to the ground, howling in agony.
Zhang Desen sneered,
“You’re strong and fast, but it’s a pity you rely only on brute force. And unfortunately for you, you ran into me. Too bad!”
Hu Tu grew even more furious, half-drawing his sword and shouting,
“Zhang Desen—!”
But at that moment, Zhao Chengming rushed over, stepping in front of Zhang Desen and addressing Hu Tu,
“Deputy Chief Hu, what are you trying to do?”
Hu Tu replied,
“Chief Zhao, good, I was just looking for you.”
Sheathing his sword, Hu Tu pointed at the writhing Wu Bin and said,
“Look at what Zhang Desen has done to my man. How are you going to make this right?”
Zhao Chengming gave a cold chuckle,
“Deputy Chief Hu, you really have a talent for lying with your eyes wide open. If I hadn’t witnessed the whole thing and been told by others, I wouldn’t have believed you’d stoop so low. You started this trouble, and now you’re framing the innocent?”
Hu Tu snarled,
“Chief Zhao, I doubt you have any real witnesses. You keep covering for your own. Claiming you have witnesses—are they just your subordinates?”
Unexpectedly, before Zhao Chengming could reply, a woman’s voice rang out,
“I am. I am the witness.”
All turned to see Miss Liu Yuting, daughter of the Liu family, approaching with her maids. Everyone paused, then hastily bowed to the young mistress.
Hu Tu, taken aback, also bowed and tried to speak to Liu Yuting,
“My lady, perhaps you’re mistaken…”
But Liu Yuting cut him off sharply,
“What? Deputy Chief Hu, are you doubting me? Are you going to have someone attack me as well?”
Hu Tu, now both anxious and angry, said,
“My lady, this outsider has only just arrived; no one knows his background. What if he’s here to steal from the household? Please don’t be taken in by him.”
Liu Yuting’s voice rose with anger,
“How I deal with my affairs is none of your concern. Your job right now is to prepare for the arena match; failing to do so is already dereliction of duty. Chief Zhao has already performed your tasks for you, and you’re still here stirring up trouble? If you don’t do your job, you may as well leave the Liu residence. As for the one lying on the ground, if his pain isn’t enough to stop him from meddling, he can get out too!”
With no choice—unable to offend the only heiress—Hu Tu conceded,
“Please forgive me, Miss. I’ll take him for treatment at once. I beg your pardon for my offenses.”
He quickly ordered another subordinate to carry Wu Bin away for treatment, then withdrew to prepare for the arena match. Zhang Desen and Zhao Chengming both thanked Liu Yuting, but she smiled and waved away their courtesies.
To the crowd’s surprise and envy, Liu Yuting took a protective charm she’d embroidered by hand and tied it around Zhang Desen’s neck, wishing him victory.
Yet, receiving this charm filled Zhang Desen with complicated feelings. He now knew his old comrades’ whereabouts, and if he suddenly reestablished contact with headquarters, he planned to return to his original universe. This public gesture from the Liu family’s heiress was surely more than simple admiration for a hero. If he returned home, how could he respond to such feelings?
Nevertheless, Zhang Desen thanked her and accepted the charm before joining Zhao Chengming to prepare for the family guards’ arena contest.
Despite the earlier delay caused by Hu Tu, the matches began as scheduled.
...
Meanwhile, at headquarters in Zhang Desen’s original universe, a heated debate was underway. General Li Guoshou spoke first,
“Comrades, we shouldn’t abandon any of our fellows. Every life is precious. If we just leave our comrades stranded in another universe, are we not betraying all our past efforts—and the pioneers who bravely explored before us?”
Opposite him, Jing Lin, deputy leader of the Multiverse Travel Program, immediately voiced his objection,
“General Li, we appreciate your loyalty. But as you know, our superiors have ordered us to avoid any conflict with unknown civilizations. This isn’t about abandoning our own; it’s about acting responsibly for the greater good. Any rescue that risks conflict with unknown powers is irresponsible to our civilization.”
Li Guoshou countered,
“Now, Jing, don’t twist our superiors’ intentions. They want us to avoid conflict, yes, but they never forbade rescue attempts. Rescue and non-interference aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, rescuing our comrades swiftly is the proper course.”
Jing Lin replied,
“If we attempt a rescue, conflict is inevitable. It’s clear—if a conflictless rescue were possible, why did Zhang Desen lose contact? Because conflict happened.”
He looked at Li Guoshou and continued,
“That’s why any further action on our part will trigger new conflict. That’s not the outcome our superiors want. Only by halting all efforts can we avoid that. If some have to be sacrificed, so be it. I’m sure they’d understand.”
Li Guoshou grew angry,
“Jing Lin, don’t think your influential background gives you free rein. If you care so little for your comrades, retribution will come for you sooner or later.”
Their argument ended unresolved. Li Guoshou was reluctant to make a complete enemy of Jing Lin—after all, though Jing Lin’s rank was lower, his family was powerful. Li Guoshou wasn’t afraid of him, but decided to focus on repairing the multiverse travel machine before taking further action, so he dismissed the meeting.
Afterward, Li Guoshou summoned his orderly, Xiao Wu,
“Xiao Wu, didn’t the technical department say there was still hope of repairing the multiverse travel machine?”
Xiao Wu replied,
“Yes, General, they did. But…”
“What is it?”
Xiao Wu said,
“I’m worried whether Zhang Desen and the others can hold out until we’re able to bring them back. Repairing the machine will take considerable time.”
Li Guoshou responded,
“I’ll handle all communications. Don’t forget who supports me. Is the machine still able to maintain some communication with that universe?”
Xiao Wu answered,
“Yes, but it will break down completely in about an hour, and it can’t transport any materials—not even small items like watches.”
Li Guoshou said,
“Good. At the very least, I need to inform Zhang Desen of our situation so he can prepare for anything. Get ready for the next transmission slot—I’ll contact Zhang Desen personally.”
“Yes, sir!”