Chapter 122: The Meeting

"What I am doing here seems to have nothing to do with you, does it?" Chen Hao had no fondness for the burly man. All the trouble today had been caused by him; if not for him, Chen Hao might have been in the forests of Kustal by now. Instead, he had ended up bringing the man to the infirmary.

Although he had learned some interesting things from the doctor, his plans had been disrupted. Consequently, his tone when answering the man was far from polite.

The roles of Chen Hao and the burly man seemed to have reversed. Initially, it was the burly man who had been rude, but now his attitude had changed. Facing Chen Hao's hostility, the man did not get angry; instead, he took the initiative to apologize: "Kid, drop the attitude. I admit I was too impulsive earlier, and I shouldn't have attacked you without knowing the situation.

"It’s just that I’ve had too much frustration today, which put me in a bad mood. Seeing you driving Dong Xin’s car made me act on impulse..."

The man told Chen Hao about his day without reservation. However, after hearing it, Chen Hao immediately shed his indifferent demeanor. "What did you say? The flight you were supposed to take to Kustal was grounded? And there were inspections?"

The doctor also expressed curiosity. "Oh? Is that so? No wonder..."

"Huh?" Chen Hao and the burly man noticed the doctor's tone simultaneously. "No wonder what?"

The doctor shook his head. "It’s nothing really. I heard it from a friend working in the hotel lobby earlier today. He mentioned that the number of casual travelers checking into the hotel has dropped significantly over the last two days, while many group bookings have come in. It seems it’s not just the flights from your city that were grounded; flights to Kustal from other cities might have been suspended as well!"

"It sounds like you know the reason why?" The burly man looked at Chen Hao curiously.

Chen Hao had indeed guessed the reason for the flight suspensions; it must be related to the glowing structure in the forest and the recent attacks. The flights were likely grounded to prevent further incidents and to ensure that no more tourists would wander into danger.

Therefore, to protect the general public, they had simply banned commercial flights to Kustal. Only authorized organizations and institutions were allowed in, which explained the groups of guests checking into the hotel—much like the security personnel Chen Hao had encountered in the elevator earlier.

However, Chen Hao felt he shouldn't reveal this, especially to someone as reckless as the burly man. Who knew if he was as overly curious as he was? If he told him, and the man became interested and insisted on going to investigate, that would be a problem.

It wasn't that Chen Hao looked down on him; judging by his age, the man was about the same as himself. For his age, the man's strength was quite impressive, even formidable.

But the security personnel attacked in the forest were no weaklings either. In terms of pure martial arts mastery, they might not have been as skilled as Chen Hao or this burly man.

However, combat is not a friendly sparring match. It is not just about who has the higher level of martial skill, just as war is not merely a contest of who has the best weapons. If things were that simple, there would be no need for war; everyone could just compare their technological advancements and settle it.

In a life-or-death struggle, the outcome is decided by many factors—martial arts, on-the-spot performance, physical conditioning, combat experience, and courage are all decisive.

Having gathered some basic understanding of the burly man and the security personnel, Chen Hao was certain that if they were to spar on a stage, the burly man would win. But in a real fight to the death, the outcome would be drastically different.

Thus, Chen Hao didn't think telling the man about the forest was a good idea, especially with the doctor, an outsider, present. Such sensitive information is best kept to as few people as possible.

Although the doctor, as a hotel employee, might have been told not to pry into matters concerning the forest, or perhaps knew a little something, Chen Hao preferred not to take the risk.

While Chen Hao hesitated, the burly man grew impatient. "Hey! Kid! We’ve had a clash, but I’ve apologized. You don’t have to hold a grudge like a woman, do you?

"Besides, I’m the one who should be holding a grudge! I’m the one who got injured by that old man Fang; you’re completely unscathed."

"Sigh..." Chen Hao sighed helplessly. He wasn't holding a grudge; he just didn't know whether he should share what he had discovered. Moreover, even if he did, the content was so bizarre he doubted the man would believe him.

If the man thought he was making it up, that would be one thing; he didn't want to be labeled a lunatic.

"Is it that difficult?" The burly man looked displeased. "Fine, don't tell me. You brought me to the doctor today, so I owe you one. Consider it a favor to be repaid later. By the way, my name is Guo Yunhai. My number is XXXXXX, write it down. If you ever need anything, give me a call. I'm off!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Your dislocated limbs were just set; you need to rest! Don't go walking off on your own!" The doctor hurried over to stop him.

The man waved him off dismissively. "It's fine! Just a dislocation, no fractures or cracks. I've dealt with this plenty of times. I'm sturdy enough; I'm not that fragile!"

Chen Hao frowned. "You’re not going to ask about me and Dong Xin anymore?"

The burly man grinned. "Humph! I thought about it, and it seems you and Dong Xin aren't in the relationship I imagined. Otherwise, it’s been so long, and she hasn't called you, nor have you reached out to her. You're probably just casual acquaintances. My mistake for letting my imagination run wild."

"Oh?" Chen Hao was surprised by the man's nonchalance. Viewed in this light, the guy wasn't all that annoying. He was just straightforward, saying what he thought and acting on impulse.

You might not like such a person, but you couldn't truly hate them. They usually lacked ulterior motives. Even if the relationship was sour, they would show it openly rather than stabbing you in the back.

Truth be told, Chen Hao didn't mind dealing with such people. As for the man's disrespect toward Old Man Fang, that was just the temper talking. Even if the old man weren't a martial artist, the burly man would likely have held back some force in that slap.

Chen Hao felt a bit guilty now. The man had only asked a question, and Chen Hao’s refusal to answer seemed cold. But how should he explain it?

"Actually, it's not that I don't want to tell you; the situation is quite complex and difficult to explain in a few words," Chen Hao said after a moment's thought. "How about this? It's not too late, let's find a quiet place to get some food and talk it over."

"Oh?" The burly man raised an eyebrow. "You've changed your mind?"

Chen Hao smiled. "As you said, we’ve had a clash, but we’re at least acquaintances. It’s rare to meet another martial artist in a foreign place. Since you're interested in my business, and I have some things I want to ask you, let’s talk.

"And the doctor is right; you should avoid strenuous movement. Having me help you walk is better, isn't it? By the way, I haven't told you my name. I'm Chen Hao!"

"Hey! Chen Hao, is it? I’ve never heard Dong Xin mention that name, so you two really aren't that close. Let's go! Like you said, let's find a place to eat and talk."

With that, the burly man paid the medical bill, and with Chen Hao's support, they left the infirmary.

The two who had been at each other's throats only moments ago now left together like brothers.

After the doctor watched them leave and shut the door, the professional smile vanished from his face, replaced by a cold, mask-like expression.

"Chen Hao?" the doctor muttered to himself. "And Guo Yunhai... both seem to be young men with backgrounds. What a coincidence that they both showed up in Kustal at the same time. I wonder how those guys handled the preparations!"

As he spoke, the doctor took off his white coat, revealing a well-tailored suit underneath. He pulled a phone from his pocket and dialed a number. "Hey! It’s me. Yes, I’ve arrived... I took a transport plane this morning!

"Yes! Everything went smoothly according to plan; no one suspected my identity. Having a profession as a cover is truly convenient. I even met two interesting people because of it.

"I’ll tell you the details when we meet. Send someone to pick me up now! I’ll be in the hotel lobby. See you then..."