Several more days passed. Chen Chuan remained within the Ministry the entire time, going nowhere else.
Apart from cultivating his martial arts, he spent his time using Shenyu to familiarize himself with the various departments and circumstances across Zhongjing.
He was still in the phase of acquainting himself with internal affairs, and he was not yet required to take charge of any specific subordinate divisions. Even if assignments were to be made, they would wait until next year, leaving him with plenty of free time on the whole.
He welcomed this arrangement, as it allowed him to devote most of his time to practicing combat techniques and esoteric arts, thereby enhancing his methods for confronting adversaries.
He had long since set his next target on the former imperial household—not only to advance the Skyline, but also because he knew that, with their deep heritage, they unquestionably possessed things he needed.
Leaving top-tier power aside, the former imperial household possessed not only imperial scions but also ancient gods; there were numerous tough nuts to crack among them, demanding his utmost seriousness.
As for Song Shicheng and his clique who had been rounded up, he merely skimmed the reports submitted from time to time.
The case had now entered formal proceedings under the charge of endangering national security, processed with the utmost speed.
After all, though Song Shicheng and his associates held titles, those positions were tied to state-owned enterprises rather than the administrative bureaucracy.
Whether it was approving arrests, trial, or final execution, the Ministry's own authority was more than sufficient, requiring no participation from other departments whatsoever.
Thus, unless superiors handed down a formal administrative directive, the matter was already set in stone—there was no stopping it.
In truth, even if the one arrested had been the son of the Chief Administrator, so long as the Ministry stood unified with resolute determination, higher authorities would still have no way to intervene. The crucial crux lay in the initial arrest: without someone of sufficient power stepping in, the subsequent procedures would never have been set into motion in the first place.
Inside his private training hall, Chen Chuan was looking through internal Ministry files, which mainly consisted of records regarding the former imperial household and certain ancient gods.
As an enforcement agency and security apparatus, the Ministry naturally maintained tight surveillance over these divine entities to prevent them from infiltrating Zhongjing or local territories.
What was documented here differed somewhat from the gods manifested by the Tianji Sect. Some appeared identical to their original counterparts, some seemed specious or altered, while others shared virtually nothing in common beyond the deity's name.
This was understandable; after all, the Tianji Sect had relocated to the Ying Continent for so many years. Their knowledge of these gods on the East Continent dated back to an earlier era, so it was hardly surprising that deviations had emerged over centuries.
From the Ministry's files, it was not difficult to perceive that these gods harbored delicate stances of their own; some appeared to have covertly communicated and negotiated terms with Great Shun already.
Judging from this, Great Shun had never abandoned its resolve to encircle and eradicate the former imperial household.
However, fully propelling this endeavor forward still lacked a sufficient catalyst.
As he was reading, an incoming communication alert arrived, giving him a slight pause.
Once connected, he said, "Administrator Qi?" The one calling was none other than Qi Weizhao, the former Administrator of Jibei Dao who had been transferred to Zhongjing.
According to his knowledge, Qi Weizhao was currently observing governance and studying at the General Administration Council in Zhongjing. Because reaching out in the interim had been inconvenient, Chen Chuan had only sent him a brief message after arriving in the capital.
Qi Weizhao said, "Commissioner Chen, pardon the intrusion. Over the past couple of days, Song Haiying of Chiyin Great Realm Company has been trying to contact you, but couldn't find a channel. In the end, he asked around and found his way to me.
"He claims to have vital intelligence regarding the former imperial household to share. Though he is Song Shicheng's father, he is a conscientious man; he wouldn't dare use fabricated information to deceive on a matter like this. And in my view, any intelligence that aids against the former imperial household warrants serious attention.
"Of course, it all depends on what you decide, Commissioner Chen. I am merely passing along the message."
Chen Chuan thought it over. "If he truly has vital intelligence, I can meet with him."
He knew Song Haiying was doing this mostly for his son; otherwise, there would be no reason to see him. But Chen Chuan only needed to obtain the intelligence.
As for using it as leverage in an exchange, that was purely wishful thinking on Song's part.
Once the man disclosed this information to the Ministry of National Security, he could no longer hold onto it, for it had already risen to the level of national security.
He set the meeting location at the reception building of the Ministry of National Security and indicated he would be available at two in the afternoon.
The moment Song Haiying received word, he rushed over almost immediately and waited well in advance.
This time, Mrs. Song accompanied him. Originally, he had not wanted to bring his wife to a negotiation like this, fearing her excessive nervousness and anxiety might cause an emotional breakdown. However, he had finally relented when she would not be dissuaded.
Even so, he repeatedly urged her to leave everything to him and under no circumstances say anything out of turn. No one could ever predict a martial artist's temperament; if a single misplaced word caused offense, the situation would truly become beyond saving.
After waiting anxiously for several hours, when two o'clock arrived, the two saw the conference room doors pushed open from the outside. Two rows of stern guards marched in, lining up against the walls.
The scene instantly caused tension to mount within them, and given their present situation, they felt the pressure all the more acutely.
Song Haiying had weathered great storms after all. He maintained outward composure, and as he stood up, he saw a tall, straight figure in uniform wearing a peaked cap stride inside.
Then came a pair of profound, tranquil eyes; the instant their gazes met, he involuntarily bowed his posture lower.
"Commissioner Chen, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with my wife and me."
Chen Chuan gave a slight nod. "President Song, Mrs. Song, please be seated." Only after he walked to the seat at the front and sat down did the couple take their seats.
Song Haiying spoke in a low, heavy voice. "Commissioner Chen, my son has committed grave offenses, and as his father, I am thoroughly ashamed. It is my failure to raise him properly that has brought trouble upon the country."
Chen Chuan said calmly, "President Song, I have read your records. Over all these years, you undertook many construction projects in the country's remote, barren reaches and completed them well. You have made contributions to the nation, but none of that can offset the series of crimes your son has committed."
"Yes," Song Haiying said heavily. "He broke the law, and being arrested is only just. I did not come today to plead for his leniency."
Mrs. Song turned to stare at him in stunned disbelief.
Song Haiying gripped her hand and gave it a squeeze, signaling her to remain silent. He looked up and said, "Three days ago, I read the article you wrote, Commissioner Chen. I could not agree more with your proposal to wipe out the former imperial household as soon as possible. I thought... perhaps I might be able to offer some help."
He produced a storage sheath and slid it forward.
"While carrying out construction work in Haixi Dao, we discovered a hidden vault left behind from the old era.
"Due to our limited capabilities, we did not touch most of what was inside, intending to hand it over to the state. However, while there, we also stumbled upon one particular item by chance.
"It is a route leading from Youdu to Haixi Dao. According to analyses by the experts I consulted, after the confluence settlements of the imperial households of the Qi, Chang, and other dynasties fell, they fled along this very path to Haixi Dao, and from Haixi Dao made their way into the various regions of the West Continent."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan's eyes flickered slightly. He picked up the storage sheath and placed it against his boundary credential.
Before long, the recorded contents materialized on the field screen before him: an exceptionally detailed escape route map.
Since ancient times, whenever a preceding dynasty was overthrown by its successor, many of its remnants fled to the convergence zone, only to be pursued and eliminated by the new dynasty.
This process often stretched on for centuries. At times, before an old dynasty could even be extinguished, its successor would be overthrown by yet another power, resulting in two or even multiple fallen dynasties sharing the same refuge.
Yet with the growth of population and technology, such occurrences grew rare after the Middle Ancient era.
The Feng Dynasty destroyed the Sheng Dynasty, the Qi Dynasty destroyed the Feng Dynasty, the Chang Dynasty destroyed the Qi Dynasty, and the Last Dynasty destroyed the Chang Dynasty. When dealing with remnants of previous dynasties—especially the imperial bloodlines—successor dynasties showed no mercy, seeking to root them out to the last man.
Only a tiny few ever managed to escape by a stroke of luck to the West Continent, such as the Gao Clan of Progenitor Company. Even then, although the Gao Clan shared a thread of royal blood, the lineage was already quite distant.
There had been many conflicting theories regarding these escape routes. If the map provided here was authentic, at least one historical enigma was now resolved.
More importantly, if this route map could be confirmed and verified, it meant that with sufficient strength and rapid speed, one could potentially bypass the former imperial household's outer defenses and penetrate straight into Youdu before they could react.
If that were truly the case, the value of this map would be immense.
After reviewing it, Chen Chuan looked toward Song Haiying. "President Song, thank you for offering this map. Do you have any requests?"
Song Haiying lifted his head and said, "I am willing to hand all of this over to the state unconditionally."
Mrs. Song grew frantic, but her husband held her firmly in check. Looking at Chen Chuan, he spoke earnestly: "When I came here, I truly wished to save my son's life and use this as leverage in an exchange. But on the way, I realized that it was impossible.
"Seeing Commissioner Chen now has only confirmed my conclusion.
"I have only one plea: for the sake of what little contribution I have made to the nation, please permit me to take away a sample of Xiaocheng's aberrated tissue and blood, so that I may at least have something to remember him by."
Chen Chuan looked at him, gave it brief thought, and said, "I grant this request."
"Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Chen!" Song Haiying hurriedly stood up, bowing repeatedly toward him.
Mrs. Song, however, turned deathly pale and slumped in her chair, unable to utter a single word.
Chen Chuan stood up and strode straight out without saying anything further. He knew what scheme Song had in mind, but none of that mattered.
Before the Great Impact arrived, anyone with even modest weight had to make their choice. It all depended on which path this man chose next; if he chose wrongly, he would merely be crushed without mercy by the impending torrent of the era.
Chapter 1375