Chapter 13: Schemes!

"Lord Ares is coming to the Dragon Kingdom?"
"Heh, I really don't buy it."
"Would Ares personally come to the Dragon Kingdom?"
Chen Fan arched an eyebrow and smiled, his face full of skepticism at what Johnson had said. He added,
"If it really is Ares coming, then even I would have to keep my distance."
"That xpail file would truly be out of reach then."
"No, that's impossible..."
Those words made Johnson burst out laughing!
Well, well!
He really thought Chen Fan was ruthless.
He'd called the name of the God of War without hesitation.
Johnson had believed he was fearless.
So, it turns out you're afraid after all!
"Ha, kid, I don't mind telling you."
"Lord Ares will arrive in the Dragon Kingdom in three days."
"At that time, he'll come here himself and seize the xpail file from Meng Rongrong."
"Your Lord Apollo won't make it in time, will he?"
"When Lord Ares returns to the City of Darkness with the file, that will be the glory of our Hall of Hades."
Chen Fan gave a nonchalant "oh" and drew in a sharp breath.
"Are you so sure that there's only one expert like me?"
"Even if I can't defeat Ares, holding him off for a while shouldn't be a problem."
"Heh, then while I'm keeping him busy, my companion can get the file—you still won't get it."
Chen Fan felt a pang of frustration.
If it weren't for the need to deceive this idiot Johnson,
he'd never admit Ares was stronger than him.
He dared to use Apollo as a shield because, once, Apollo had come to Kunlun Mountain seeking to study.
He'd asked the old man to teach him a few moves.
The old man had merely given Apollo a glance and then told him,
"With your current skill, my disciple Chen Fan could fight you with one hand tied."
"Win against him first, then we'll talk."
So, after two months of sparring with Chen Fan,
Apollo improved little, while Chen Fan underwent an earth-shattering transformation!
In the end, the old man secretly taught Apollo a few tricks as a consolation.
By simple comparison, Apollo and Ares should be about equal in strength.
So, yes, he couldn't beat Chen Fan with one hand tied.
Hearing Chen Fan's words, Johnson fully let his guard down!
There was nothing he could do—he'd never been that bright!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have believed Chen Fan was one of Apollo's people. Now, Chen Fan's words
made Johnson's heart tingle with excitement and anticipation!
He had to crush Chen Fan at once!
"Heh, but can you handle the combined force of the other eleven Guardians of the Hall of War?"
"I'm not afraid to let you know—"

"In three days, the other eleven Guardians will arrive in Huajiang!"
"They'll be landing at Huajiang International Airport."
"You'd better stay out of sight."
At this moment, Johnson was utterly convinced that Chen Fan was one of Apollo's men.
Well...
Chen Fan was delighted!
Damn, if only the heavens would open their eyes—Ares!
Would you hurry up and clean up your army of halfwits?
If they're all like Johnson, your Hall of War is finished.
With a shrug, Chen Fan suddenly remarked,
"Oh, thank you for telling me."
"I won't hide it from you either..."
Johnson thought Chen Fan was about to reveal Lord Apollo's plan.
Instead, Chen Fan told him,
"Well, I'm done pretending."
"I'm from the Dragon Group."
"Sigh, you idiot, I'm laying my cards on the table!"
Well...
In that instant, the air froze.
Johnson's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Chen Fan!
The next second, Chen Fan's dagger pierced straight through Johnson's heart.
"People like this are better off dead."
"Otherwise, if he got away, the consequences would be too great."
He shut the door, locked it, and called Ye Xiu
to have him deal with Johnson's corpse.
Then he left.
Three days later, Ares would arrive in the Dragon Kingdom with the eleven Guardians.
This... was not good news.
Especially since the root of the problem was still the xpail file in Meng Rongrong's hands.
"This is a headache,"
Chen Fan muttered, rubbing his temples.
He returned to the film set and saw Shao Zining happily chatting with Song Shaocheng.
When she saw Chen Fan return, Shao Zining's face lit up and she bounded over,
throwing her arms around him in a big hug.
"Xiao Fan, you're finally back..."
"Big Sister, honestly, you went back to find her—"
"but didn't even send me a message."
"When I get home, I'm definitely going to have a word with her."
Shao Zining clung to Chen Fan, the scent of her shampoo drifting to his nose.
Yes, Second Sister still smelled as wonderful as ever...
Er... no other meaning implied.
Shao Zining was the quirkiest of the seven sisters—
her nature was bright and vivacious to the extreme.
But when faced with something she didn't want to do or didn't like, she was as stubborn as an ox!
No one could change her mind.
Just like... her choice of films.
"Um... Miss Shao, then let's hope we can work together in the future?"

Song Shaocheng smiled faintly, feeling he didn't quite fit in here.
He was bewildered. Instinctively, he thought Chen Fan was Shao Zining's boyfriend.
Brother? Well, he understood—everyone had their quirks...
"Alright, Young Master Song, do your best!"
Shao Zining gave Song Shaocheng a fist bump for encouragement.
She hadn't expected a young master of such a family to respect filmmakers so much,
to have so many ideas about film,
and to be so dedicated to his work.
It completely changed her impression of him.
"Goodbye."
Chen Fan also gave Song Shaocheng a smile.
Song Shaocheng... Song Tiancheng—could this Song Shaocheng be Song Tiancheng's younger brother?
Never mind, it's not important.
Song Shaocheng was on his last legs, the Song family itself was about to collapse.
But actually, Chen Fan didn't dislike Song Shaocheng—
he even felt a bit of fondness for him.
He seemed truly simple-minded and pure.
"Second Sister, let's talk at home."
"Big Sister is making dinner and waiting for us."
Chen Fan smiled gently.
Shao Zining nodded obediently.
"Mhm."
At this moment, Shao Zining still hadn't let go of Chen Fan—yes, she was still hugging him.
Compared to Meng Rongrong, Shao Zining was much less restrained,
far more free in expressing her feelings.
She missed her little brother so much...
She and Chen Fan had been the oddest pair as children.
With any other sister, Chen Fan had never been mischievous.
But with Shao Zining, it was like a chemical reaction: twice as naughty!
She still remembered, as a little girl,
climbing trees with Chen Fan—only to be caught by the orphanage director.
Ah...
"Xiao Fan, now that you're back, you won't disappear again, will you?"
Chen Fan, steering with one hand, rubbed his nose.
"Of course, at least not for a while."
Hmm?
Shao Zining, sharp as ever, caught the implication.
Not for a while?
So he might disappear again, right?
For a moment, her nose stung with emotion...
"Why?"
The question caught Chen Fan off guard.
"Huh? Second Sister, what do you mean?"
Shao Zining's tears spilled over, her voice full of grievance—
"Why do you still want to disappear?"