After receiving permission, Song Haiying and his wife went to see their son one last time. By dusk, Song Haiying emerged from the Ministry, supporting his wife, who had nearly fainted.
Once they were in the car, Madam Song slowly came around and murmured, "Lao Song, is there still any hope for our boy?"
Song Haiying glanced at her. "You figured it out, my dear?"
"Lao Song, we've been married for so many years. How could I not know you? You never do anything pointless. What did you..."
"Xiao Cheng truly cannot be saved," Song Haiying sighed. "However, by using certain techniques, Xiao Cheng can be recreated from his blood and mutated tissue."
The recreated person would never be the original one—merely an empty husk without his previous memories. Yet at the very least, he could take the place of the original Song Shicheng and stay by their side.
"Consider it... giving him a fresh start as a new person."
Madam Song fell silent. Though she remained unreconciled, she knew this was the best outcome they could hope to secure.
Song Haiying still faced a dilemma, however.
There were quite a few laboratories and research institutes that possessed this technology, but he preferred to seek aid from the martial factions.
Right now, two factions were open to him: the Implant Faction and the Convergence faction. The Implant Faction boasted superior technology, but it was purely technological. The Convergence faction, on the other hand, possessed secret arts alongside their techniques, which were said to be capable of bringing back a complete "person."
Yet his private inquiries had revealed that their method required grafting mutated tissue into a willing surrogate, who would then be completely eroded from within to finalize the process.
Just hearing about it made his skin crawl. Moreover, he knew that even if his son were brought back that way, he would never be the same person. He also harbored deep misgivings about whether something else might be lurking behind it.
He pondered in the car for a long time. Blood and mutated tissue could not be preserved indefinitely; he had to make a decision quickly.
After prolonged thought, he finally made up his mind and promptly contacted someone via his boundary credential.
"Mr. Long, thank you for making the connection for me, but I won't be needing it after all. Yes, thank you. We'll find an opportunity to cooperate in the future."
He turned to the driver up front and said, "Take us to Shengjie Garden."
That was the Implant Faction's headquarters in Zhongjing. This time, he intended to turn to the Implant Faction, having recognized that under the current circumstances, he needed to make a political choice.
Initially, he had planned to align with the Convergence and Refinement factions. Yet after his son was imprisoned, neither faction had been of any help to him. Under such circumstances, he was better off throwing his lot in with the Implant and Purity factions.
Especially after meeting Chen Chuan, he felt an inexplicable confidence in the latter two.
If you can't beat them, join them—that was his mindset.
***
Before long, Chen Chuan received a message from Shenyu reporting that Song Haiying had gone to the Implant Faction.
This move was clearly a statement of alignment.
Naturally, whatever choice Song Haiying made did not truly matter; in the looming confrontation between the two major factions, a corporation like Chiyin Great Realm hardly counted for much.
Yet this was undeniably the beginning. As the struggle between the two sides intensified in the days ahead, more and more corporations and factions would be forced to take a side.
As for the map he had obtained, Chen Chuan was contemplating how best to use it. He had already had Shenyu run comparisons, and the map had an authenticity rating of ninety-three percent, making it entirely trustworthy.
However, because the timing of its appearance was somewhat coincidental, he also had to consider whether it might be a deliberate trap laid by the former imperial household.
This required verification.
If confirmed, he could perhaps build a tactical operation around it.
Over the past few days, aside from Song Haiying, the families of the other detained members had also been racking their brains to secure their release.
After exhausting numerous approaches and finding no breakthrough on the government's end, they predictably arrived at the idea of resolving the anomaly at its source.
Their efficiency was formidable. Sparing no expense, they brought an international team of specialists to Great Shun in just a few days and applied for permission to survey the anomaly at Mount Jie.
Yet these team members were not Dongxuan View martial artists like Chen Chuan. Upon entering the cordoned Mount Jie, they inevitably lost several people to disappearances.
Even so, they were undeniably professional. Most of the surveyors returned with the exact same conclusion Chen Chuan had reached:
To resolve the anomaly at Mount Jie, the anomaly at Hai Village had to be dealt with first—and that was the most effective method.
This was plainly not the answer those families wanted to hear, for it proved beyond doubt that putting their scions to death was indeed the correct course. When asked if there was another way, the team members stated that the Mount Jie anomaly was exceedingly difficult. Tackling it directly from Mount Jie would take time.
They then gave a timeframe that the families found completely unacceptable:
More than two years.
And according to the team, that was merely the most optimistic estimate, assuming an unlimited investment of resources regardless of losses. In fact, if conditions turned worse, stretching beyond five years would come as no surprise.
The truth was that if this anomaly were truly so easy to resolve, the State Esoteric Cult Examination Administration would have cleared it long ago instead of waiting until now.
The families were deeply dissatisfied and demanded that the team find a faster method.
The team replied that if the families possessed the capability, they could level all three mountains, including Mount Jie, but even that would not guarantee that similar issues would not reoccur in the future.
For the families, they would do anything within their power if it meant clearing their kin of guilt. However, leveling three famous mountains was genuinely beyond their means.
Blasting the three mountains flat with explosives was practically impossible, leaving hiring martial artists as the only option. Given the vast area covered by the three mountains, only Dongxuan View martial artists could resolve it in a short timeframe.
Yet this was Zhongjing. Even if they could hire such figures, the government would never tolerate widespread destruction here due to the immense international and political fallout.
Those young men might be vital to their families, but they meant nothing to the state.
The specialist team was professionally conscientious. They suggested that if the families could overcome the restrictions on all fronts, there remained one desperate option:
Tearing open a fissure.
Once a fissure opened, it could disrupt and impact the anomaly, temporarily suppressing it. Afterwards, however, the anomaly might grow even more ferocious.
This proposal gave the families pause. As the days slipped by and hope of rescue faded, most of the families gave up entirely. Yet one family still sought out the team in private, hoping to execute the plan.
Unbeknownst to them, every move they made had long been under surveillance by the General Affairs Bureau and the Ministry.
The moment these people began to act, Chen Chuan obtained intelligence almost immediately.
Opening an unauthorized fissure near Zhongjing constituted a major security breach. Regardless of who was involved or what their background was, the state would never tolerate such actions.
Without hesitation, he ordered Fang Shucheng to arrest them, rounding them all up in a single sweep.
On the first of November, after Administrative Commissioners He Shugang, Ren Xinshan, and Chen Chuan signed the execution orders, the group—including Song Shicheng—was escorted to the execution grounds and put before a firing squad at noon.
Seeing the matter finally concluded, Ren Xinshan asked Chen Chuan, "Commissioner Chen, the individuals involved have been dealt with. When can we begin resolving the anomaly?"
"The sooner, the better," Chen Chuan replied. "Ideally within the next day or two. I will head to Mount Jie this afternoon to handle it."
"Good," Ren Xinshan said. "In that case, Commissioner Chen, the subsequent matters are entirely in your hands."
At two in the afternoon, Chen Chuan departed Center City in a private car, bringing Zhan Jiyue along toward Mount Jie. The driver behind the wheel was the same one from the previous trip.
When they were still half an hour's drive from Mount Jie, a torrential downpour suddenly swept over the sky.
At the sight of this, the driver asked for instructions and turned onto that side road. Once again, the Hai Family Restaurant appeared before them.
Chen Chuan signaled the two to remain in the car. Stepping out alone, he walked toward the establishment.
This time, however, he noticed an additional person inside besides the three he had seen before. It was a young man who looked like a student, dark-skinned, wearing glasses, with pure, clear eyes.
"Table for how many, sir?"
As he walked in, the middle-aged woman at the entrance hurried over to greet him.
Chen Chuan said, "Proprietress, I was here last time. Do you remember me?"
The middle-aged man gave an embarrassed smile. "Terribly sorry, sir. I'm getting on in years, and my memory isn't what it used to be."
"No matter. I still remember what I ordered last time."
Chen Chuan ordered the same dishes as before, including the local chicken, sausages, and spicy soup.
After a short wait, the student-looking young man brought out the dishes one by one.
"Please enjoy your meal, sir."
Chen Chuan said, "Last time, I heard your parents mention that you're studying at Zhongjing Agricultural Technology Academy?"
"Yes." The young man smiled, showing a row of brilliant white teeth. "Just one more year, and I'll graduate."
"Have you decided where you'll go?"
"I want to join the Agricultural Technology Research Institute, but my score in one subject fell a bit short. For now, I'll come back and help my family with the farming. As an academy student, I can bring certain seeds home to use—it's a perk for students of our agricultural school. When the crops come in, they're sure to fetch a good price. My parents won't have to work so hard then, and I can return to the city to take the exams again."
Chen Chuan gave a slight nod. "I wish you success."
Delighted, the young man bowed. "Thank you!"
After finishing his meal, Chen Chuan glanced out at the heavy rain as he settled the bill. "When will this rain stop?"
The middle-aged owner replied, "With rain this heavy, I've never seen it last very long. Why not wait a moment, sir? It might let up soon."
"Soon, is it...?"
Chen Chuan nodded. Instead of waiting, he walked straight out of the restaurant. Yet with every step he took, the rain grew lighter. By the time his hand gripped the car door handle, it had ceased completely, and the ground had dried rapidly.
Turning back to look, he saw that the small restaurant he had just stepped out of had already turned into a field of ruins.
After gazing silently for a moment, he opened the car door, sat inside, and said to the driver, "To Mount Jie."
Chapter 1376