Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 24: The center of the world

The prison was eerily quiet, and everyone vaguely guessed that after the bald Guo Huchan entered, there would be friction with Uncle Li Dong, so everyone wanted to see what would happen.

At this moment, Guo Huchan, following the gaze of the crowd, headed straight for Uncle Li Dong.

He said in a loud voice, “Let’s not beat around the bush. I’m here for the ACE-005 Taboo, just tell me where it’s housed in the prison, and I’ll take it and leave.”

Uncle Li Dong patted the big cat, signaling it to move aside, and then replied with a gentle smile, “You should be more polite to your elders to avoid losses, huh?”

Guo Huchan said unconcernedly, “Give me the ACE-005 Taboo, and naturally, I’ll be more courteous to you.”

Uncle Li Dong curiously asked, “Why has the Spades Organization suddenly become interested in taboos too? From your tone, I thought you had joined the Contraindicated Courts.”

Guo Huchan slowly walked to a spot five meters opposite Uncle Li Dong and stopped, “My Spades need to oppose those behemoths and cannot overlook any aid, and your Knight Organization should understand our situation since our goals ultimately align.”

Uncle Li Dong smiled and asked, “But why come looking for the taboo in Prison 18 first?”

“Rumors say that Chen’s Consortium made a deal with you, promising you absolute freedom inside Prison 18 as long as you can contain and suppress it. Considering it was personally contained and suppressed by you, Uncle Li Dong, it must be exceptionally powerful,” said Guo Huchan.

“You’re mistaken, I haven’t made any deals with the Chen Clan,” Uncle Li Dong patiently explained, “Don’t make hasty judgments based on hearsay.”

Qing Chen listened silently, recalling that the last time he saw the words ‘Contraindicated Courts’ was in He Xiaoxiao’s strategy video.

And these Contraindicated Courts seemed to exist specifically for the Taboo.

He realized that the Taboo mentioned by Guo Huchan must also be what he was searching for, and it could be the test he faced in the conflict of shadows.

At that moment, Guo Huchan took another step forward: “Where is ACE-005?”

Uncle Li Dong shook his head, “I know, but I won’t tell you.”

“Why?” Guo Huchan took another step forward, his tattoo-like totem seemingly coming alive, the twisting and changing patterns writhing crazily.

With a thud, everyone felt the ground tremble slightly as he stepped down.

Uncle Li Dong just smiled, “No reason, I just quite like ACE-005.”

The over three thousand prisoners began to riot, having been stifled inside Prison 18 for too long, constantly monitored by guards, the invisible order binding everyone like shackles. And now… chaos reigned at last.

Above in the Iron Sky, 72 Metal Storm devices activated, with 36 of them spinning rapidly into action.

The prisoners cried out in astonishment as it typically took a riot of half an hour before mechanical guards lost control and the Metal Storm was deployed.

But this time was different; they had activated immediately without waiting for the riot to start!

At this moment, apart from the whirlpool’s center of Uncle Li Dong and Guo Huchan, only Qing Chen was undistractedly looking up at the Iron Sky.

In the chaos, no one noticed he had taken a few steps back, then turned and walked in another direction.

In an instant, Guo Huchan lunged forward, punching out as fast as lightning, his bell-like fist swiftly aiming at Uncle Li Dong’s face.

Following his movement, the barrels of the Metal Storms turned, with 36 cold machines beginning to fire indiscriminately, suppressing all the inmates of Prison 18 with gunfire.

Not with metal bullets, but rubber ones.

These 36 Metal Storms were purely for suppression, while the remaining 36 were the real heavy artillery.

Rain-like rubber bullets poured down, throwing the prisoners off their feet.

Guo Huchan’s punch thundered like a storm, adding thunder to the rain in Prison 18.

But in the next instant, his fist suddenly stopped. There was Uncle Li Dong with a smiling face, raising his hand in front of him, stunningly halting the thundering force of the punch.

Uncle Li turned to Guo Huchan, steady as a rugged mountain.

He turned back to check if Qing Chen was all right, knowing that this young man was different from them, being just an ordinary person.

But suddenly Uncle Li Dong was taken aback.

Because right behind him, two meters away, Qing Chen sat calmly at his usual dining table spot, the place he would sit daily to look at chess company.

Thirty-six Metal Storms peppering the uprising prison with rubber bullets, crisscrossing trajectories densely, yet Qing Chen sat right in the only blind spot of all their firing paths.

The only blind spot in Prison 18.

The rain poured down.

Not a single drop landed on the boy.

It was as if the boy was the center of the world.

…

The black rain from the Iron Sky gradually ceased.

Apart from Qing Chen, Ye Wan, Guo Huchan, Uncle Li Dong, and Lin Xiaoxiao, all the prisoners were in agony, clutching their heads to the ground.

Everyone was in pain, and some who got down slowly were even battered by the metal storm to the point of bruised faces.

In contrast to these people’s disheveled appearance, Qing Chen, sitting calmly at the dining table, possessed an almost transcendent and dust-free aura.

For some reason, Uncle Li Dong always felt that although he had known this boy for only a few days, he grew fonder of him more and more.

The other’s temperament and capabilities were beyond those of his peers.

Is this the Shadow that Qing’s Family is about to choose?

When would his side be able to find such a successor?

Thinking this, he pushed Guo Huchan’s fist away with his palm—an action that seemed casual, yet Guo Huchan’s figure was thrown back five or six meters before he could barely stabilize himself.

Guo Huchan didn’t act rashly anymore but sat down on the spot to regulate his breathing.

From the beginning to the end of the battle, he had only managed to make the white exercise suit on the other person flutter a few times.

There had always been rumors that Uncle Li Dong was a demigod of this era, but he became famous so long ago that younger generation experts like Guo Huchan had never seen him in action.

This time, the Spades Organization had sent him to Prison 18 to find the ACE-005 Taboo, and also to see what level of strength Uncle Li Dong had attained nowadays.

Now, Guo Huchan understood that the gap between him and Uncle Li Dong was still as vast as a chasm.

Uncle Li Dong shifted his gaze from Qing Chen and looked at Guo Huchan with a smile, “Shall we continue fighting?”

The tattoo-covered bald man, now calm, said in a deep voice, “No more fighting, no more. If I can’t win, why continue? Don’t worry, even if you don’t tell me, I can still find the ACE-005 Taboo.”

Qing Chen found this bald man quite interesting.

Despite the life-and-death situation just moments ago, he suddenly gave in.

The other didn’t look as fierce as he appeared; after a fight, he actually lightened up considerably.

The transition in attitude was quite drastic.

However, Guo Huchan thought that since Uncle Li Dong knew the location of the Taboo, he would follow him—after all, the other might slip up some time.

“No worries, take your time,” Uncle Li Dong replied nonchalantly with a nod.

Without further concern for Guo Huchan, he walked over and sat opposite Qing Chen at the dining table, “Is this position calculated?”

Qing Chen shook his head, “Although my computational ability is significantly stronger than ordinary people, for now, it can’t handle such massive trajectory computations. It’s just a rough guess.”

Uncle Li Dong also shook his head, “A rough guess isn’t enough for you to find this precise position.”

“A brief calculation only narrowed it down to 4 areas, and the place you sit every day just happens to be in those options, so there was no need to calculate the rest,” said Qing Chen calmly.

Sitting here was a gamble for Qing Chen, but he guessed right again.

Such probability-driven decisions were something he always excelled at.

…

The voting rankings named “The Night’s Technique” are already in ninth place, which surprises me, as I seem to be the biggest beneficiary after the website changed its rules… After my new book became eligible for monthly tickets, it skyrocketed to ninth with just fifty thousand words…

Awesome, everyone!

Thank you, everyone. As promised, I’ll add three more chapters if we enter the top five! I can’t release many chapters all at once during the new book period, but I’ll definitely add more upon the official release!

…

Thank you to the reader with the large donation, 1383594256452726784, and to Ai Shuohua De Zhouzi, Tino9494, and Lin Xuan for becoming chiefs of this book. You bosses are magnificent, may you be as fortunate as the Eastern Seas and live as long as the Southern Mountains!