A Clamor of Voices

After feeding Chaoming, Chen Chuan took the internal elevator down from the terrace back to his office below. Just then, a voice came over his boundary credential. Fang Shucheng's voice came through: "Reporting, Commissioner. All targets have been taken into custody." Chen Chuan said, "Thank you for your hard work, Captain Fang. Dismiss the team." He then said to Shenyu, "Shenyu, without my authorization, no outside personnel are permitted to visit any of the prisoners from this arrest." "Understood, Commissioner Chen. Your order has been logged." Just then, the internal phone on his desk rang. He ended the communication, walked over, and picked up the receiver. Ren Xinshan's voice came through: "Commissioner Chen, has the matter been taken care of?" Chen Chuan replied, "It's handled. Aside from one target who is still out of town, all the rest are locked up. Captain Fang and his men did an excellent job." "Good. But this is only the beginning. There's a lot of follow-up to handle and deal with. If it's convenient, come by my office so we can discuss it." "I'm on my way," Chen Chuan said. He hung up, received the operational report Fang Shucheng sent to his boundary credential, and headed out the door, walking straight over to Ren Xinshan's office. Secretary Pei greeted him with a polite smile, and once he stepped inside, she pulled the door gently shut from the outside. "Have a seat," Ren Xinshan greeted him. Taking out a canister of tea leaves, he brewed a cup for him personally and said, "In just that short span of time, quite a few people have contacted me. All high-ranking government officials, and several of them rank no lower than I do." He returned to his seat and sat down, his expression grave. "Commissioner Chen, we need to prepare ourselves. Arresting these people went smoothly enough so far, but next we have to secure our results. According to what your report stated, to resolve these anomalies, every single one of these participants must receive the death penalty without exception?" "That's correct," Chen Chuan said. "Just that?" Chen Chuan replied, "A crucial part of the anomaly lies with Hai Village. If that section is resolved, everything that follows will be manageable." According to his judgment, the section of the anomaly at Mount Jie bore signs of artificial arrangement, but because the Hai Village anomaly had become entangled with it, it had grown difficult to unravel. Thus, they had to start with this crux. Ren Xinshan said in a deep voice, "This time, we arrested them primarily on charges of endangering national security. But if they can adequately argue that this matter has nothing to do with them, or if they resolve it through another method, subsequent proceedings will become quite difficult." Chen Chuan gave a slight nod, understanding this completely. Although the arrest warrants also listed numerous charges like endangering public safety, damaging property, and causing multiple deaths, if they excluded the charge of endangering national security and debated those other crimes alone, these individuals would have plenty of ways to reduce their sentences or walk away scot-free. He looked at Ren Xinshan and said, "If all three mountains, Mount Jie included, were leveled completely, it could theoretically resolve the issue. But I consider that rather impractical. That would require Dongxuan View martial artists to step in, yet such martial artists are bound by accords and cannot recklessly destroy state property. Unless there's a way to unbind them and grant them sufficient pretext—but even if all that could truly be done, it would undoubtedly take time." "True. That's how it is," Ren Xinshan agreed. Mobilizing Dongxuan View martial artists was exceptionally difficult, and loosening the constraints of the accords demanded all sorts of stringent conditions and prerequisites. No matter how powerful or well-connected these people were, it was not something that could be pulled off in short order. He said, "Executing them requires going through due process. Even if there are no bureaucratic obstacles, it will take at least a month—and that month will not be peaceful." "I expect as much," Chen Chuan said. Ren Xinshan said, "Mm. Leave these matters to me. My duty is to shield you from all of it and make sure you can see this through to the end. Commissioner Chen, just focus on doing your job." As they spoke, a solitary red telephone sitting on the desk suddenly began to ring. Ren Xinshan glanced at it, his expression solemn. He reached out, picked up the receiver, and brought it to his ear. "This is Ren Xinshan... Understood. All right, I'll be right over." He replaced the receiver and stood up, retrieving his uniform jacket and cap from the side. "The Chief Administrator's secretary just called me," he said. "I have to head over to the Administration Council now. Anything else will have to wait until we get back." Chen Chuan stood up as well and agreed. He knew, however, that the call was likely related to the case. Ren Xinshan probably had not gone into detail because he did not want to place any extra pressure on him. Walking out alongside Ren Xinshan, he parted ways with him at the end of the hallway. Yet not long after Chen Chuan returned to his office and sat down, an incoming communication chimed: "Commissioner Chen, this is Zhen Feng, Secretary to Minister He. The Minister would like to have a word with you, if it's convenient?" Chen Chuan said, "All right. Please ask Minister He to wait a moment. I still have some business to attend to here, and I'll head over shortly." "Understood. I will report that to the Minister." After ending the call, Chen Chuan poured himself a hot drink and looked up some data. Once about half an hour had passed, he finally rose and walked over toward the Minister's office. Upon arriving, he was immediately invited in. He Shugang rose from his seat, stepped forward to shake his hand, and smiled warmly. "Commissioner Chen! Ordinarily, as soon as you joined the Ministry, I should have met with you right away to get acquainted with our new colleague. But as you've seen, I've been tied up in meetings these past few days and couldn't spare the time. You mustn't hold it against me, Commissioner Chen!" Chen Chuan said with earnest composure, "I've seen how busy Vice Minister Ren has been. As the head of the ministry, Minister He, you must have even more on your plate. I completely understand." "Vice Minister Ren is indeed quite experienced, diligent, and dedicated in his post. Having subordinates like you around certainly takes a big load off my shoulders! Come, sit, sit." Once both were seated, Minister He asked, "You've been here for two days now, Commissioner Chen. How is it? Settling in all right?" Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "The ministry operates with high efficiency, and my colleagues have been very courteous and friendly. It seems this is thanks to your fine leadership, Minister He." "Ah—" Minister He waved a hand. "That's the result of everyone across the department pulling together. As for me, I just run errands and flap my gums." He chuckled again. "So, how are things going? I hear that no sooner did you arrive than Old Ren handed you a real thorny problem? "Old Ren can be like that. I originally intended for you to just look into it to get your feet wet, but I didn't expect you two would dive right into working it out. Certain matters really don't need to be rushed. "In our line of work, we must be steady and mindful of the bigger picture. We can't be too hasty. You see, just in that short span, quite a few people from the Administration Council reached out to me. It seems the fallout has been quite substantial." Chen Chuan looked at him and asked, "Then what is your opinion, Minister He?" Minister He said, "I've reviewed the case files Vice Minister Ren submitted to me. The Mount Jie anomaly manifested long ago; these few young people likely had little to do with it. "And as for the incident at Hai Village, it was an unintentional mishap on their part. They are all promising youths, future pillars of the nation with bright prospects ahead of them. We shouldn't write them off completely with a single stroke. "President Song reached out to me just now. He is willing to accept heavy fines, fund the restoration of Hai Village, and provide compensation to the villagers' families. The dead are already gone. While we cannot shirk accountability where it's due, we must look to the future, wouldn't you say?" Chen Chuan said, "If these people are not dealt with, the anomaly at Hai Village cannot be resolved—and without that, the anomaly at Mount Jie cannot be resolved either." Minister He replied, "There's always a solution. President Song also told me he would hire an international specialized team to guarantee this matter is resolved in the shortest time possible. "You see, that way the state saves on funding, and the abnormal incident reaches a proper conclusion. Isn't that ideal?" Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "Is that truly what you think, Minister He?" Minister He looked at him, then suddenly gave a knowing smile. "Commissioner Chen, I understand. You played a major role in this affair. As Minister, I would never let my colleagues and subordinates labor in vain. If this matter can be settled amicably, you won't be shorted any credit." "I don't care about so-called credit," Chen Chuan said calmly. "None of that matters to me." With that, under Minister He's astonished gaze, he rose from his chair. He turned around, his gaze falling squarely on Minister He seated before him. "Minister He, I understand your intentions. However, I find them inappropriate, so forgive me for being unable to comply. I believe that concludes our conversation for today. If you'll excuse me." Having said his piece, he gave Minister He a slight nod, cast a glance toward the adjacent sofa, and turned to leave. After he left, Minister He sat in silence. A moment later, an indistinct figure coalesced upon the sofa. Minister He asked, "Just now... did he see you?" The figure paused for a moment. "Perhaps." Minister He shook his head. "I truly didn't expect him to actually arrest those kids." The person said, "Mm, it's fine this way. Like this, he won't be able to secure the Nature faction's support, giving us the opportunity to push our own candidate forward." He Shugang asked, "Then how should those people be dealt with? What is the faction's position?" The figure stood up and turned their back to look outside. The transparent wall still reflected only a blurred, ambiguous silhouette. "If he enters the Supreme Security Advisory Group, it will be an obstacle to our plans. Therefore, those people must die. Only their deaths will ensure this matter proceeds without complications." He Shugang said, "Very well. I will facilitate the proceedings for them as swiftly as possible." "I'll leave that in your capable hands, Minister He. You know how to handle these matters far better than we do. I'll take my leave." With that, the person stepped directly into the transparent wall and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye. He Shugang pondered for a moment, then addressed Shenyu: "Shenyu, pull up a copy of the approval report for those arrested earlier and send it to me." Over the next several hours, phone calls poured steadily into the Ministry of Security Affairs. Most came from high-ranking figures in government departments and various corporations. Through hints or blunt requests, they all pleaded on behalf of Song Shicheng and the others, hoping for leniency. Some even passed messages through intermediaries, attempting to invite Chen Chuan out to banquets. Chen Chuan ignored every last one of them, spending his time cultivating and training inside the ministry's practice hall. Two days passed like this before a communication signal flashed across his boundary credential. He checked it, his mind stirring slightly. Once connected, a familiar, deep voice resonated from within: "Commissioner Chen, it's me, Fan Zhentong." "Mr. Fan?" Fan Zhentong said, "Do you have some time? Care to come out and chat?" Chen Chuan said, "Sure, I have time now. Where to?" "The middle section of Tianhui Bridge, in front of Ziyang Tower." Chen Chuan glanced at the location displayed on his boundary credential and said, "I'll be there in an hour."