Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1838 Awakening of Insects
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Today's four chapters (3/4)

……

Chen Xiaojun's voice continued, still calm and collected, echoing in the council hall:
"Fourth, it's still a unique feature of this region: people! Our human trade is already mature, and it would be a real pity to cut it off or destroy it."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall, which had been somewhat excited by his grand plans, suddenly turned a bit cold.

Qin Luguang frowned, subconsciously rubbing his precious pipe, his eyes revealing a hint of disdain.

Xia Yun's gentle face darkened, clearly showing her instinctive aversion to this kind of "special" business.

Ximen Wenye and Ma Zhibin exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with complex emotions, a mixture of practical considerations and moral hesitation.

Yang Zhicheng remained silent, but his sharp eyes looked at Chen Xiaojun, waiting for him to continue.

Chen Zhang's face didn't change much, except that his eyes looked deeper as he looked at his nephew.

As if he hadn't noticed everyone's slight displeasure, Chen Xiaojun continued calmly, "Elders, I know this topic is sensitive and may be unpleasant to hear. The actions of the Bone-Digging Gang have incurred the wrath of both heaven and man, and we naturally disdain to do such things."

“But the ‘population movement’ itself is an objective fact in this underground world, and even across the entire continent. We took over the Bone Digging Gang’s channels and connections, and also received their ‘inventory’.”

He paused, then emphasized, "Rather than letting these channels fall into the hands of other, even more despicable gangs and continue to harm the innocent, it's better for us to take control, standardize them, make them transparent, and even... humane."

"Leaving aside everything else," Chen Xiaojun changed the subject, taking out a neat stack of papers from his storage soul tool, "I just checked those qualified young soul masters in the backyard, and these are their results. Take a look."

He handed the stack of statistical forms to Chen Zhang, who was closest to him.

Chen Zhang took it and his gaze fell on the summary data on the first page.

His face, as steady as a mountain, first furrowed his brows slightly as usual, then suddenly twitched, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light!

He quickly flipped through the papers, his eyes sweeping across each name, martial spirit description, and dazzling innate soul power value with lightning speed.

When his gaze finally settled on the line "Winter", and he saw "Ice Blood Dragon (Peak of Rank 8)", "Innate Soul Power: Level 8.7", and "Current Soul Power: Level 28 (13 years old)", even with Chen Zhang's composure and self-control, his fingers gripping the paper tightened involuntarily.

He took a deep breath to barely suppress the turmoil in his heart, but the surprise in his eyes could not be hidden no matter what.

Chen Zhang handed the form to Yang Zhicheng, who was standing next to him.

Ximen Wenye took the paper and calmly scanned it. When he saw the data on the cold winter, his eyes, which had seen so much in life, suddenly lit up with disbelief, and his hand holding the paper trembled slightly.

He suddenly looked up at Chen Xiaojun, then at Chen Zhang, his lips moved, and finally turned into a low exclamation: "...This boy...is not bad!"

The form was passed around among several key figures. Zhu Yanfeng received it and eagerly flipped through it. When he saw Lin Dong's data, he jumped up with a "whoosh," nearly dropping his pipe. His eyes widened in disbelief: "Eight...eight points seven?! Level twenty-eight?! Thirteen years old?! My God! This...this is way better than me back then! I've struck gold! A treasure beyond compare!"

Yang Zhicheng took the form. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his usually calm and composed demeanor was replaced by shock. His voice was a little unsteady: "This...this is the aptitude of a core disciple in any family! How...how could it have been buried for three years in such a filthy place as the Bone-Digging Gang?!"

His gaze towards Chen Xiaojun was complex, containing both the joy of finding a treasure and the anger at the Bone Digging Gang for wasting things.

Qin Luguang was the last to receive the form, and he read it the slowest and most carefully.

He slammed his hand on the table (this time without knocking his pipe): "Good! Good! Good! This human trafficking... was worth it! Absolutely worth it!"

His initial unease was instantly washed away by immense joy. At this moment, in his eyes, the methods used to acquire such talent didn't seem so important anymore.

As for Ma Zhibin, when he looked at the table, especially when he saw the data of Bao Ruoxi (food type, innate level 6.2), Bian Zhu (Xuanjia Turtle Shield, innate level 6.7), Xiang Feng (Xuan Tie Eagle Falcon, innate level 6.4), and the five dual-attribute high-level martial souls (Ice Flame Wolf, Rock Armor Earth Lizard, etc.), the muscles on his face twitched slightly. He muttered, "Oh ho, this Bone Digging Gang's business is a bit unexpected... Your Chen family is quite lucky."

These figures weren't enough to excite him, but to find so many talented people in just one inspection of a hundred people seemed far too easy.

If this continues, won't the world be turned upside down, and talented people flock here in droves?!
Then, still in his nonchalant tone, he said, "The form records that this Winter has exchanged a few blows with my third son. We just saw my third son use the Phoenix Heavenly Blade from here, right? What does that prove? It means we're destined to be together. Although you can deal with this slave, dragons and phoenixes have always been a perfect match. My third son needs a constant companion, so how about this one?"

Everyone was stunned. Ximen Wenye and Yang Zhicheng both wanted to cover their faces; it was too low-class.

Zhu Yanfeng's eyes widened: "Hey Zhibin, you're so shameless and opportunistic. It's really annoying. Don't you know where you are? With me, Old Zhu, here, you have no chance."

Ma Zhibin smiled and said, "Uncle Yanfeng, this is outrageous. Let's negotiate on the spot. We're like family, everything can be discussed."

Zhu Yanfeng scoffed coldly: "Discuss what? Even if you talk nonsense today, there's no room for discussion."

Ma Zhibin glanced at the other members of the Chen family, who were all smiling but silent, clearly not going to take his bait.

Seeing the elders' moved reactions, Chen Xiaojun couldn't help but smile. He felt relieved to see them like this, after all, he was the one who had personally "pulled out" the harsh winter.

After everyone calmed down a bit, Chen Zhang slowly spoke: "This 'human trafficking' is an heinous crime committed by the Bone Digging Gang, but if we take over, we can transform it into 'talent introduction' and 'shelter resettlement'."

His gaze swept over the crowd, and his tone was resolute: "We must keep the channels firmly in the hands of the 'Joint Management Committee,' and we must never let them fall into the hands of gangsters again!"

"All personnel who are 'introduced' must undergo rigorous screening and testing. Promising Soul Master talents, such as Lin Dong, Bao Ruoxi, Bian Zhu, and Xiang Feng, will be incorporated into the respective 'Battle Guard' systems and given the best training and protection."

"Those with average qualifications are perfect for filling the reserve echelon of the 'United Armed Forces.' If there are too many later, the Embroidered Uniform Guard can absorb them. Ordinary children and women should also be properly resettled and transformed into service personnel for the City That Never Sleeps. Slavery and abuse must never be allowed to happen again!"

"We must harness these underground currents for our own use, turning them into a clear spring that gathers glimmers of light and illuminates the future!"

Chen Zhang's words set the final tone for how the Chen family should handle this hot potato, yet one containing immense treasures: the "human trade."

(End of this chapter)