Gu Mingde stepped forward to Chen Chuan, an inquiring look in his eyes. Behind him, the crowd from the commission companies stood watching, their expressions tense with a mixture of anxiety and hope.
Chen Chuan looked at him, then shifted his gaze to everyone gathered behind. "Everyone, the source has been eliminated," he said. "It is safe here now."
At those words, joy instantly broke out across their faces.
They had endured immense torment for this commission. Simply staying out in the wilderness for a few days would have been fine—they were all hardy enough for that. But the flying heads were far too taxing on the nerves, threatening to plunge anyone nearby into madness at a moment's notice and forcing them to stay constantly on guard.
After several days of this, their nerves had been stretched to the absolute limit. Now, at long last, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Yet alongside their relief came a surge of excitement. They had eradicated the root of the Flying Head Cult, and by the looks of it, nearly all the flying heads elsewhere had been wiped out as well. The surviving cultists were too scattered to pose a threat, meaning the cult was bound to be uprooted entirely. With an achievement of this magnitude, the mission evaluation would undoubtedly be high, and every single person stood to gain substantial rewards.
Gu Mingde gave a quick order, and the men waiting behind immediately rushed into the old temple. Seeing that they were indeed unharmed, confirming that Chen Chuan had spoken the truth, Gu Mingde stepped forward and clapped Chen Chuan hard on the arm. Unable to suppress the excitement in his voice, he said, "Specialist Chen, thank you for your hard work!"
Chen Chuan smiled. "All of you as well."
"When you didn't come out last night, Specialist Chen, we were worried sick," Gu Mingde said. "We wanted to go in, but we feared disrupting your plans, so all we could do was wait outside."
"Then I must thank everyone," Chen Chuan said. "Waiting outside showed your trust in my abilities."
Gu Mingde patted him again, laughing. "For someone as capable as you, Specialist Chen, patience is the one thing we don't lack!"
His assistant, Pan Zhong, chimed in playfully from the side, "On future commissions, Specialist Chen is the only one we'll trust!"
The contractors from the other companies nodded inwardly in agreement. Over the past few days, they had seen it all clearly: as the expert handling the urban legend, Chen Chuan had charged at the very forefront alone. Although they had done plenty of work, strictly speaking, they had merely played a supporting role. Yet he hadn't looked down on them in the slightest. Who wouldn't want to work with someone like that? When push came to shove, you never had to worry about being betrayed.
Chen Chuan went to the tent, drank some water, ate a few tubes of nutritional paste, and rested for a while before walking back outside.
There was no need for him to oversee what came next, and having been away for three days, it was about time to head back. After bidding farewell to Gu Mingde and the others and receiving a thick stack of calling cards, he descended the mountain to the base camp. To his surprise, he found Ren Shu and the driver, Xiao Wei, waiting there together.
"Mr. Ren, what brings you here?" Chen Chuan asked.
Ren Shu hurried forward. "I waited at the company for a whole day without any word. I grew anxious, so I just drove out here. Only after arriving did I learn you were still handling the commission, Mr. Chen, so I decided to wait here." Then, his spirits soaring, he added, "We just heard from the people coming down the mountain—did you resolve the matter, Mr. Chen?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "Not just me. It was resolved together with everyone up there. All that's left now is cleanup, which isn't our concern. We can head back."
"Wonderful, wonderful!"
Ren Shu was thrilled beyond measure. He felt the smartest thing he had ever done was recruiting Chen Chuan to the company—though unfortunately, they had only signed a temporary agreement.
Then again, how could someone with such capability ever be easily tied down to one place? All they could do was treat him with redoubled sincerity and better terms.
After Chen Chuan got into the car, Xiao Wei brought over a blanket. "You've worked hard these past few days, Specialist Chen. Why not rest a bit? I'll make sure to drive as steadily as possible."
Chen Chuan did not decline his kindness and took the blanket. "Thank you, Master Wei."
"Mr. Chen, just call me Xiao Wei," Xiao Wei said hurriedly. He closed the car door for Chen Chuan, went around to the front, slid into the driver's seat, buckled his seatbelt, started the engine, and headed back toward Yangzhi City.
On the way back to the city, his driving was indeed remarkably steady. Though he was merely a driver with little say, that did not diminish his admiration for Chen Chuan in the least. Waiting below over the past few days, he had caught wind of news coming down from the mountain from time to time, and much of it revolved around Chen Chuan.
It could be said that Chen Chuan had been the primary force behind eradicating the urban legend. Even the other drivers and logistics staff in the area had treated him with great deference once they learned he was Chen Chuan's driver.
Leaning back against the rear seat, Chen Chuan finally relaxed. Although he had successfully resolved the urban legend, it had been fraught with extreme danger. Even in that final clash, if he hadn't eliminated the interference from those flying heads in time, the source creature might truly have returned to the heap of flesh and bone, rendering their efforts over the previous two days completely wasted.
Though the cost had been high, his gains were equally immense.
This stage was known as "building bridges of sinew, erecting beams of bone." Once the mutated fascia grew, it would naturally affect the bones and muscles that served as its anchors and sheaths, simultaneously permeating and mutating those parts.
For ordinary fighters, because their jin techniques emphasized different areas, they could only choose to strengthen mutated tissue in one specific section first, allowing the body to adapt gradually. Going slowly merely meant slower progress, but if they rushed, the mutated tissue could grow uncontrollably and usurp the body's normal functions.
In reality, many of the medicines used by students served not only to stimulate the growth of mutated tissue, but also to maintain vital bodily functions. When necessary, they even had to suppress tissue that grew too rapidly to keep bodily functions from collapsing.
This required careful management at every stage, guiding and adjusting step by step in an orderly manner.
Initially, Cheng Zitong had also worried that Chen Chuan's mutated tissue might grow too quickly. But now, things were different. The path Chen Chuan walked was unlike anyone else's. The Zhouyuan Jin technique balanced every part of the body, allowing the mutated tissue to spread evenly throughout and grow in equilibrium. Under He Xiaoxing's guidance, this foundational step had already been corrected and completed, and all flaws had been patched.
From here on, it wouldn't matter if the mutated tissue grew even faster.
It was like excavating river channels in advance. When the torrent arrived, it would not clog or overflow; instead, it would be channeled toward wherever it was needed most, reaching deep into the finest recesses.
Only on such a solid foundation was a substantial leap in progress viable. Had the growth been one-sided, a sudden surge in mutated tissue would only lead to dire consequences.
Had it been anyone else, receiving such intense stimulation would have only caused the mutated tissue to become further deformed, likely putting their life in immediate peril.
Chen Chuan couldn't say for sure how much progress he had made this time, but it had surely far exceeded his expectations. At the very least, the mutated tissue in his muscles and bones was more than halfway complete.
At this stage, the upper limit seemed right within reach. Yet alongside his progress, he had gained sensations previously beyond his grasp, and from them sprouted a few new ideas—though he wasn't sure whether they were correct.
Pondering this, he felt it necessary to discuss it further with He Xiaoxing. He decided that once back, he would ask his teacher, Cheng Zitong, to send He Xiaoxing a letter to see if he could answer his questions.
About an hour later, the car returned to the academy. Chen Chuan said goodbye to Ren Shu and Xiao Wei at the gate, stepped inside, and headed back to his dormitory building.
Entering the dormitory lobby, he went to the public telephone as usual and dialed Cheng Zitong. "I already received a telegram from the commission company about your matter," Cheng Zitong said over the line. "Good to hear it was handled properly."
"It's just that I couldn't bring back the jade piece Teacher gave me," Chen Chuan said.
Cheng Zitong couldn't have cared less. "Things are meant to be used. Putting it to use is far better than letting it gather mold with me. But I wanted to tell you: I've gone over all the materials you brought."
His voice grew slightly more serious. "Some of the analyses inside are quite good. In the past, I only looked at local records, but these include files from other branches. Comparing them indeed revealed many things I'd previously overlooked. It's very valuable." He sighed faintly. "Specialized work really does require specialized people. It's not convenient to discuss this over the phone; let's find some time to talk it over properly."
Chen Chuan agreed.
Cheng Zitong added, "Right, the Foreign Affairs Bureau has an event scheduled for the day after tomorrow—the matter I mentioned before. You should go. For today, just get some good rest."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "Teacher, regarding my training, I have a few questions I'd like to ask Teacher He."
"Mm. Write it down. If it's not urgent, give it to me tomorrow, and I'll pass it to Old He."
After finishing their conversation, Chen Chuan hung up. Just then, the dorm supervisor walked over and handed him a form. "Fill this out. You weren't around these past few days, so we couldn't reach you. As an outstanding student on scholarship, you need to go to the Foreign Affairs Bureau the day after tomorrow to attend the event with those exchange students."
Chen Chuan already knew about it. He took the form, filled it out, and as he handed it back, asked, "Sir, I've made up my mind—I'd like to have a telephone installed in my dorm room."
The dorm supervisor smiled. "Sure, give me a moment." He turned back, retrieved an application form, and brought it over. "State your reason for applying, and sign both your instructor's name and your own name at the bottom."
Chen Chuan took it, filled it out right there, and handed it back. The dorm supervisor glanced over it to confirm there were no errors, then told him, "If they're fast, someone will come install it in a day or two. If you're not around, you can authorize someone else, but make sure to write a note in advance so there are no misunderstandings later."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Understood. Thank you, sir."
Meanwhile, in a room on the ninth floor, the exchange students from Maka had gathered.
Nali said, "Shani, we'll probably be going to the Foreign Affairs Bureau tomorrow or the day after. Has Meili been notified?"
"She has. She said an instructor over there already told her."
Nali looked around at the others. "I told you all to test the waters with the nearby Wuyi students over the past two days. Did you go?"
"Don't worry, I kept an eye on it," Shani said. "Over the past two days, we sought out sparring matches with almost all the students on the lower floors. I have to say, Wuyi Academy's level is truly impressive."
Feeling that wasn't specific enough, he paused to think. "Put it this way: in a one-on-one, probably only you and I could handle them, Nali. But most of them probably couldn't beat two of our students working together... three at most. That's roughly where they stand."
Nali looked solemn. That level was remarkably high—higher than he had anticipated. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Did you test everyone?"
Shani shook his head. "No, there were a few we missed. Some weren't at school during this time, and others haven't even been seen by their own classmates. Should we look for a chance to test them?"
Nali thought it over and said in a low voice, "No need. We're going to the Foreign Affairs Bureau the day after tomorrow, so let's not stir up trouble. Even if there are a few standouts, the gap won't be that large. Leave it at that."
Chapter 118