Bureau Director Lei was swift and decisive in his actions; it would not be long before the commission to recover the oak leaf was officially issued and assigned specifically to Chen Chuan. The justification was solid: it had been Chen Chuan who first pursued the fugitives, braving gunfire along the way to single-handedly kill Douma.
Considering the difficulty of the task, and thanks to Director Lei's advocacy, the Foreign Affairs Bureau had been forced to spare no expense, meaning the commission's reward would be exceptionally generous.
Under the terms of the commission, the Foreign Affairs Bureau would also provide full informational support, but the exact execution would be entirely up to them.
Finally, Director Lei informed him that the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau would use the Flying Head Cult case as a pretext to question members of the exchange delegation, delaying their itinerary as much as possible to buy him more time to prepare.
Hearing this, Chen Chuan had a clear picture of things. After asking a few more details, he hung up.
Next came gathering his team. Even with the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau causing delays, the delegation would not remain for long. Once they got their hands on the relic, they would undoubtedly do everything possible to send it back, so time was by no means plentiful.
After some thought, he approached Luo Kaiyuan, Feng Xiaoqi, and Wei Dong during lunch, letting them know he had something to discuss with them.
Knowing it must be important, the three went to his dormitory together after lunch.
Once they were seated, Chen Chuan told them about taking on the commission to recover the oak leaf, and invited them to join him.
Feng Xiaoqi was eager. He had never taken on a commission before, and he knew Chen Chuan was always doing commissioned tasks outside, which he envied greatly.
Due to lacking experience and fighting skills, typical students rarely had such opportunities until their second or even third year. Now that a major commission was right in front of him and he could take part, he was naturally more than willing.
He said, "Student Chen, Student Luo, you two got to go to the exchange conference last time while I missed out. This time, please make sure to take me along!"
Luo Kaiyuan said solemnly, "Recovering the stolen item is the right thing to do. Since you trust me, Student Chen, I'm in as well. I'll give you my full cooperation."
Wei Dong's eyes lit up. "We're going to fight someone, right? Count me in!"
Seeing they all agreed, the foundation of the team was set. Chen Chuan said, "Alright. Once we receive specific intel, we'll meet up again. Since we might clash with the Maka exchange delegation, our strength alone won't be enough, so I'll be bringing others in. Just wanted to let you know first."
None of the three had any objections. None of them had much experience, while Chen Chuan was the leader willing to bring them along—and on such a major commission right off the bat. Naturally, they deferred to his judgment and arrangements.
After the three left, he placed a call to Wei Chang'an. Once connected, they exchanged pleasantries, and then Chen Chuan brought up the commission.
"Not bad, Junior! You're way ahead of your Brother Wei—landing a commission like this."
Wei Chang'an was astonished. As a commissioner, he knew full well how difficult it was to secure a departmental commission. That required deep connections and channels; usually, various commissioning agencies sniffed them out and snapped them up before an individual at the bottom could ever get a chance.
If he could take part in a commission like this, there was hope for him to advance to senior commissioner. Even without pay, he would jump at the chance. This wasn't Chen Chuan asking him for help—it was clearly Chen Chuan doing him a huge favor.
He remarked with feeling, "Junior, you're looking out for your Brother Wei again. I won't mince words—I'll push aside every commission I have on hand right now and wait for your word. Just say the word, and I'll be there at a moment's notice!"
Chen Chuan smiled. "Alright, Brother Wei. It's a deal."
Come afternoon, Cheng Zitong called him to say he had spoken with Ren Xiaotian, who would find time to visit the school over the next couple of days.
Hearing this, Chen Chuan was relieved. Ren Xiaotian was experienced and steady; with this senior martial brother advising and supporting him, their chances of success would be significantly higher.
That left Senior Wu. At this hour, he should be in the training hall. Leaving the dormitory, Chen Chuan headed over and found him without trouble. Rather than rushing straight into business, he sparred and drilled techniques with him for over an hour. Afterward, each grabbed a bottle of water and sat down to chat, during which Chen Chuan extended the invitation to join the commission.
Hearing the general idea, Senior Wu grew excited. "Junior, there's no way I'm sitting this one out! How do we do it? Same old rule—you call the shots!"
Last time, it was by following Chen Chuan's lead that he had helped wipe out Fang Dawei's gang and earned his weapons license, so he trusted Chen Chuan implicitly.
Chen Chuan nodded. Senior Wu held a weapons license and could carry firearms openly and legitimately. With someone like him on board, things would be much easier.
Since specific intel had not arrived yet and the schedule remained undetermined, he told Senior Wu not to take on any other commissions for the next few days and await his word. Senior Wu patted his chest and gave his word.
Back in his dorm, Chen Chuan had other matters to consider. With so many people taking part, and given that they might ultimately leave Yangzhi City, they would need to prepare several vehicles in advance along with essential supplies. If he spoke to the company, securing those wouldn't be difficult.
However, this was a personal commission unrelated to the company, so he planned to borrow from them and repay the expenses later, or have them deducted from his future earnings.
Vehicles and supplies were easy to arrange, but firearms were trickier. Still, Cheng Zitong likely had a way. Even if not, Chen Chuan could find a way to obtain credentials from the Foreign Affairs Bureau and then get approval paperwork from the constabulary.
The Foreign Affairs Bureau might not have the clout with the constabulary, but as long as they provided operational backing, the constabulary could issue him weapons through legitimate channels. After all, he held the status of a constabulary dependent, and more importantly, he already possessed a weapons license, making this far from difficult.
Over the next two days, he remained busy with these arrangements.
The Examination Bureau had originally intended to keep stalling, but the delegation's attitude had turned exceedingly firm. Staying another day or two should have posed no problem at all, so their reaction made it plain that they had established a strict deadline in advance and could wait no longer.
So after relaying some updates, Director Lei also gave him a piece of advice: keep an eye around the checkpoints leading toward the port, as he was likely to uncover something there.
Chen Chuan thanked him and took note of it.
Director Lei concluded, "Liu Zhan asked me to pass along a message to you, and I agree it's necessary: after all, they are an exchange delegation, and our two nations haven't severed ties, so don't make things too ugly. However, if the situation becomes critical, or if your personal safety is threatened, do not hold back. Linking the delegation to the Flying Head Cult wouldn't be difficult anyway."
Chen Chuan said, "Rest assured, Director Lei. I will be mindful of how I handle it."
Director Lei said, "Just go ahead and do what needs to be done. If you need any help, call me and I'll find a way for you."
Chen Chuan thanked him again and hung up.
By noon that day, he received a thick package containing all the materials the Foreign Affairs Bureau had sent on the Maka exchange delegation, including their itinerary. Inside was also a telephone number that allowed him to contact the bureau at any time to confirm their schedule.
After studying the documents carefully, he stood up, picked up the receiver, and began notifying everyone involved one by one, instructing them to gather at his dormitory that evening.
At ten past six that evening, except for Ren Xiaotian, everyone—Luo Kaiyuan, Feng Xiaoqi, Wei Dong, Senior Wu, and Wei Chang'an—arrived.
Chen Chuan had already known from his earlier call that Ren Xiaotian wouldn't be able to make it right away. Rather than wait idly, he spread a map out before the group and began laying out the situation.
"If the Maka exchange delegation wants to return home, once they leave Yangzhi City, they need to take a ship from Yuanwang Port. Due to mudslides on Mount Xie, the railway line along that route has been under repair since last year, leaving only one road eastward out of Yangzhi City." He raised his hand and pointed to a long line on the map. "National Boulevard."
He continued, "I've considered it: after obtaining the item, the delegation has two possible plans. One is using certain channels to send it straight to the port, because the port is relatively independent, and once outside Yangzhi City, there wouldn't be tight inspections.
"However, that probability is relatively low. First of all, there are checkpoints along National Boulevard, and inspections have been stepped up over the past two days, making it impossible for them to pass. Both sides of the road are vast, uninhabited wilderness where conditions are extremely complex, crawling with numerous smuggling rings and wilderness drifters.
"As foreigners, they wouldn't take such a risk if they want to ensure the relic isn't lost. Furthermore, even if they arrived at the port ahead of time, lacking proper identification during a prolonged stay would easily expose them, no matter how lax inspections were—after all, the Maka's ocean ferry cannot sail back at present.
"Therefore, the most likely choice is that these people are hiding somewhere outside Yangzhi City right now, waiting for the delegation to come out before rendezvousing and heading to the port together."
Luo Kaiyuan looked up and asked, "Could the item already be in the delegation's hands right now?"
Chen Chuan replied, "I considered that earlier, but based on the intel from the foreign affairs department, it isn't very likely.
"The Municipal Administration currently suspects them, and under the pretext that the delegation might come under attack again, they've dispatched a security team to 'protect' them.
"Right now, someone is watching the entire delegation every single day, their movements are controlled, and anything they carry on their persons is subject to search. They wouldn't dare take the item directly into their possession—at least not before leaving Yangzhi. The crucial window will be after they set out, on the road to the port."
Wei Chang'an studied the map and mused, "The best approach would be finding those Maka students who went into hiding."
Chen Chuan said, "Yes. The Maka delegation has forty-eight members in total, with twenty assigned to security. Not only is every one of them skilled in combat, but they also have firearms and armored vehicles. Once in transit, it's virtually impossible to stop them without heavy weaponry.
"Even if we had that capability, for everyone's safety and considering the political fallout, we must avoid a direct frontal clash as much as possible. That leaves our options fairly limited. Intercepting the party carrying the oak leaf before the two groups rendezvous may be our only viable path."
Feng Xiaoqi pondered for a moment, and an idea suddenly struck him. Looking up, he said, "Everyone, I have an idea."
Chen Chuan signaled for him to go ahead. "Go on, Student Feng."
Feng Xiaoqi clenched his fist and said, "Could we spread word that the oak leaf has already been recovered, and make sure the Maka delegation hears about it? If they have a way to contact those Maka students, they'll probably try to confirm it. All we have to do is keep watch on them, and they might lead us right to the people we're looking for!"
Chapter 128