Ultimate Rice System 39 Gears Turning

"He said he was going for a trade deal."

"I see..."

'Trade deal...for what?' Jun Fan walked back and forth trying to guess the contents. 'Could it be...Han Zhong?'

"I'll look into this for now. Go back to the dorm."

Chilong gave another nod before leaving the scene. Jun Fan was all alone left to figure out the situation for himself. For now, he can't leave the area but when the meeting is over, he will get to the bottom of this.

-

"Food time!"

Inside the base, a man was ordered to carry pots of gruel and dry bread into each cell. Who knows what's inside that pot. All the ingredients were all blended together until it became almost homogeneous with no semblance to the original ingredients.

*Creak*

The man put down the pot and closed the door. The moment the door was shut, Xin Fan's cellmates became ravenous. They pushed and shoved each other mindlessly fighting over the food. I'm not going to eat that...Xin Fan watched from a safe distance conserving as much energy as possible.

"Ouch!"

Xin Fan saw a girl being pushed from the crowd and rolling back to the wall. Xin Fan felt as if he recognized her. She short and looked younger than him. Although put in such a terrible situation, she didn't seem to have much fear here.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes...you are new around here aren't you?"

"How do you know?"

"You may not like it but sooner or later...you must eat."

The girl leaped back in climbing over a couple people taking a few pieces of bread before returning back to where Xin Fan was.

"Here...bread."

Xin Fan reluctantly took it and took a bite. The taste was just as it looked, stale. The girl sat next to him and happily ate the bread. She didn't seem to have any problem eating the food.

"Who are you?"

"Hmm? Me? My name is Xiao Xing."

-

Jun Fan stepped into the the restaurant in search of Han Zhong. Han Zhong was attending to a table on the bottom floor. It was the next day and non of his fellow staff members had any clue on what was happening.

"Oh Jun Fan what brings you here?"

"Can we talk somewhere private?"

Han Zhong nodded before he finished taking the order. He led Jun Fan to the top floor of the building.

"Sit down."

"Thanks."

"What brings you here?"

"Xin Fan is missing. Do you know where he has gone?"

Han Zhong dropped the the knife he was spinning in his hands.

"W...What did you say?"

"Huh? You know something?"

Jun Fan rushed up to him gripping him tightly by the shoulders.

"Before I say anything...promise to listen through calmly."

Jun Fan gulped before he sat back down. He looked intently at Han Zhong.

"Go on..."

"I suspect that the Black Circus got him?"

"What....did you...just say?"

"There was a kidnapping incident. Xin Fan wanted to investigate and I tried to stop him. I was going to tell you yesterday to stop him but I was held up. It's all my fault."

"Han Zhong...You remember my relationship with them...right."

Han Zhong could feel the killing intent slowly being emitted from Jun Fan. In a panic he tried to stop it from spreading any further.

"Brother Jun!Your intent! It's leaking!"

"Hmm?"

The killing intent receded back into him. He rubbed his neck as if trying to hold something back.

"My brand is aching quite a bit...To think that they would take lord Xin's child."

Jun Fan stood up and walked to the door and looked back once more.

"If anything happens...You will pay."

He left the resturaunt to head towards the alley ways. Through a series of many turns, he ended up in at the doorsteps of an abandoned house. He kicked down the doors and stepped in.

"I...Intruders!"

A bunch of men took out knives and pointed at Jun Fan.

"You F*ckers...Where the hell is the base!"

"W...Who are you."

Jun Fan stared at the ten or so men charging at him. His arms was shrouded in a image of a reptilian claw and grabbed the nearest person.

"Who I am does not matter."

He threw the person at the people and went over to grab the next few. Eventually there was only one man standing.

"Where is the base. Where are the children?"

"W...Which one? I...I am assigned in the drug trafficking division. Our insignia is the elephant not the bear. I..I don't know anything about the human trafficking side."

Jun Fan looked at the mark on the man's shoulder. It was the outline of a elephant.

"Then you are useless too me."

As Jun Fan lifted up his arm ready to bring it down to finish him. He was releasing pent up some pent up killing intent.

"W...Wait...I might still be helpful! I still have information! Don't kill me!"

Jun Fan lowered his arms and stared at him straight in the eye.

"Go on..."

"In 6 days at Lot 41. There seems to be an auction held by them! They seemed to be spreading this information quite openly!"

Jun Fan looked at him for a couple of seconds before throwing him on the ground.

"You have been spared..."

He left the area to report back to school.

-

At the entrance of the school, Chilong was faced with a dirty boy kowtowing at the gates. Eww...Who is this?

"You...who are you! Why are you here!"

Chilong looked at the boy in an authoritative manner. The boy looked up in fright. Unlike Xin Fan, Chilong was not such a nice guy. He would beat up someone he doesn't like. Of course that someone would have to give a proper reason for that to happen.

"I...I am Xiao Feng! I...I heard Xin Fan goes to this school."

Chilong paused for a moment before walking up to him.

"Yes he goes here. What about it."

"B...Because of me, the Black Circus got him!"

In the very next moment, Xin Feng found himself held up his by his neck by Chilong. He could feel the ever so tightening of his grip over his throat.

"Ghkk Ca...t Br....th"

Chilong had a cold look on his face. He seemed as if he was ready to kill someone. 'Chilong! Switch! Switch!' In his head a voice was calling out to him.

'Brother Chitian...I want him dead.'

'Calm down! He knows something. If he is dead our only lead is gone!'

'Fine.'

Xiao Feng felt the loosening of the grip around his throat. For a moment there, he felt as if his life was just going to end like that.

"You...Tell me everything."

One by one, as did Jun Fan, Chilong also started to piece together the puzzle. He too understood the grave situation that Xin Fan is facing.

"Take me to this Uncle Xu of yours."

-

Uncle Xu's House

"Who do we have here?"

"U...Uncle he seems to be Xin Fan's friend."

Chilong walked up to Uncle Xu and looked at him in the eye. Although he looked calm, internally he was like a dragon about to erupt.

"Tell me all you know."

Uncle Xu sat down on a nearby chair and took out a paper.

"One of the clowns delivered this to everyone."

He passed the paper over to Chilong for him to read.

-

Black Circus Invitation

Auction at Lot 41

6 Days

Biggest harvest of the month

-

"They delivered that to my door this morning. It seems like they want everyone to know. Especially the families of those taken."

Chilong crumpled the paper and threw it aside.

"Lot 41 was it?"

Chapter end