The Dossier

On the way back to Yangzhi, Chen Chuan sat in the car, looking out at the scenery while reflecting on how he had handled things. Still, if not for that man who had died accidentally, resolving the matter might have been far more troublesome, and perhaps several more people would have died in the process. It was already the best possible outcome for now. Could he have done better, though? He pondered it. For now, it seemed one could only guide an urban legend along its inherent course and choose the proper approach. Raw strength appeared useless, though that might simply mean the power was not great enough. If one were powerful enough, there would be more paths to choose from, and the margin for error would undoubtedly be higher. He had also noticed that urban legends were becoming more frequent than before. This was not merely because he had entered this circle; judging from the commission slips, the number of urban legends was indeed increasing year by year. What was the reason for this? He could not help recalling what Douma had said: "The world's resonance is deepening." Was there a connection between the two? While he was lost in thought, the car suddenly braked hard. Sensing the shift in momentum, Chen Chuan did not wait for the seatbelt to jerk tight; he pressed one hand against the front seat, stepped forward, and allowed his mutated tissue to dissipate the force layer by layer, keeping himself from pitching forward. The driver cursed from the front seat. Several two-wheeled motor vehicles had shot out of the gorge, skimming past the car and nearly colliding with them just a moment ago. After zooming past, the riders seemed to notice that this car did not bear Jia County plates and had no local escort, so they circled back and rode alongside the vehicle. Emboldened, they repeatedly darted in front of the car to taunt them. The driver asked, "Mr. Chen? How should we handle this?" Chen Chuan glanced over. Although the bikes were cutting close, they were mostly showing off their riding skills. He said, "Pay no mind to the ones pulling up alongside. Drive as you usually would. If anyone blocks the road ahead, do what you must." The driver perked up. "With your word, Mr. Chen, I know exactly what to do." He was not without backing himself—the company's bosses all came from influential families, so why should he fear a few local bumpkins? He laid on the horn and stepped on the gas to shift up. The car surged forward. Seeing him suddenly accelerate in their rearview mirrors, the two riders blocking the way panicked and scrambled to either side. They broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if they had escaped being clipped by a hair's breadth. Speeding down the slope, the car shot forward in an instant. The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the bikes still trailing behind. With a touch of regret, he said, "A shame this isn't Young Master Sun's Hurricane sports car, or I'd have left them eating our dust in seconds." Chen Chuan thought to himself that it was no wonder the company had sent this driver instead of the more cautious Xiao Wei. This man was bolder and far better suited to handle situations like this. Before long, they emerged from Pingkong Gorge. The road turned into winding mountain switchbacks, where the driver was even more in his element, giving the bikes behind no chance to overtake them. Once they crossed the border of Jia County and passed the highway checkpoint, the motorbikes gave up the chase. They clearly knew that beyond their home turf, they would find no advantage. Over an hour later, Chen Chuan returned to Yangzhi. He first stopped by the commission company, reported the details of the assignment, and drafted a report to file away. Ren Shu was thrilled. Because the Jia County Administration Bureau had received a recommendation from the Municipal Administration, completing the task smoothly would undoubtedly make a name for the company. In the future, other governmental departments handling similar matters would surely come to them as well. It was a pity, however, that people capable of taking on urban legend commissions were exceedingly scarce. Even ordinary practitioners were hard to come by, let alone experts like Chen Chuan. This prevented their business from expanding, forcing them to build up their reputation slowly. Fortunately, they did not lack funds; their priority was simply to establish themselves at the top of the field. Once business at the company was settled, Chen Chuan had Xiao Wei drive him back to the academy. This trip to Jia County had taken several days, and March had arrived unnoticed. Though his stay there had delayed his training, missing a few days of daily technique practice mattered little to him at this stage. The key was strengthening his mutated tissue, and the gains from those few days were more than enough to make up for the deficit, with plenty to spare. All in all, the benefits had far outweighed the loss. After returning to the academy, he placed a call to Cheng Zitong as usual, detailing his approach. Teacher and student discussed the matter further before hanging up, after which Chen Chuan threw himself back into his daily routine. The medicinal brew's effectiveness was waning, but fortunately, he still had the bone beads obtained from Qisai to replace it, which would suffice to sustain him for the next two months. A few days slipped by, and the rest day of the first ten-day cycle arrived. Remembering his appointment with Gao Ming, Chen Chuan went nowhere and waited in his dormitory. Around noon, the telephone rang. He picked it up, and Gao Ming's voice came through: "Cousin, I'm here." Chen Chuan hung up, left the dormitory, and walked to the academy entrance. Out on the plaza beyond the gates, Gao Ming was leaning against his car door. Chen Chuan walked over and asked, "Didn't head home first?" Gao Ming smiled. "Your business is the top priority here, Cousin." He gestured. "Let's talk in the car." Chen Chuan opened the door, got in, and pulled it shut behind him. Gao Ming took a file folder from his bag and held it out to him. "The information is all here. You can take it back to read at your leisure, Cousin. I'll just give you a broad overview of the main points." His expression turned serious. "I've been looking into that student's records, but digging deeper, I found that mentions of him are extremely scarce. Aside from what I found before, there's practically nothing left, so I had to search elsewhere. "Actually, I thought earlier that if I couldn't find anything, that might even be a good sign. It would mean the student had successfully reached Center City and likely taken up a position of some authority, which is why his files were transferred there. "Last month, luck was on our side. A senior colleague went to Center City to deliver documents to a high-ranking firm, so I asked if he could look into it for me if possible. He agreed at the time." He smiled slightly. "Center City is a complicated place, and I only mentioned it in passing, not holding out much hope. But he got results very quickly—because this person is quite unusual." "Unusual?" Chen Chuan thought. To be considered unusual in Center City was no small matter. "Because he's rather famous there, though not for good reasons." Gao Ming raised a hand. "Cousin, first the good news. Fifteen years ago, after receiving a recommendation for Center City, that student entered Center City without issue. That proves he succeeded back then, and our precedent holds. "After arriving in Center City, he initially worked at the Center City Disposal Bureau. Later, for unknown reasons—perhaps personal choice—he resigned and joined a corporation. Two years in, however, he became entangled in a lawsuit and stepped down. "None of that would have been exceptional on its own. But barely half a year later, an explosion tore through that company, killing many employees and senior executives. He was suspected of being involved, which was why his earlier files were pulled and transferred. That's also why I couldn't dig up anything before." Looking at Chen Chuan, he continued, "Cousin, those later events happened after he reached Center City, but the earlier precedent still proves his initial success. "However, we have to consider one factor: because of what he did, certain people might be far more wary of individuals from commoner backgrounds entering Center City. You might face even greater resistance." At that point, he smiled again. "Still, in my personal view, that doesn't mean you have no chance, Cousin. In fact, this might even work in your favor." Chen Chuan asked, "How so?" Gao Ming's tone grew earnest as he pointed upward. "We previously overlooked one factor: how the upper echelon thinks. I used to focus solely on how to clear a path from the bottom up. But when I checked the policies directed toward the Wuyi Branch over the past decade, I found that they've been leaning toward commoner students all along. "It's just that local power factions have obstructed them, and most resources are held in their hands, so the results have been meager. But if a student meets the right criteria, they're actually more likely to be valued by the higher-ups. "To put it plainly, it's fifty-fifty. Without more intelligence, that's the only deduction I can make, and this is all I can offer. The final decision rests with you, Cousin. But personally, I think if you don't give it a try, you'll never know how it turns out." Chen Chuan considered this for a moment. "Thank you, Gao Ming." Gao Ming smiled. "Don't mention it. I want to see your commission through to the end, Cousin." Chen Chuan said, "Your advice last time was very useful. I might take the exam for the unlimited defense license ahead of schedule, but there are a few things I'll need your help looking into." Gao Ming turned serious. "Name it, Cousin." Chen Chuan asked, "Do you have paper and a pen?" Gao Ming searched his bag and handed them over. Chen Chuan took them, jotted down several notes, circled a few items, and handed the sheet back. Gao Ming looked over it and nodded. "Got it, Cousin. Wait for my word." With their conversation concluded, they exchanged farewells, and Chen Chuan stepped out of the car. Returning to his dormitory, he leafed through the documents before carrying the folder straight to Cheng Zitong's office. Seeing him come in holding the file folder, Cheng Zitong seemed to realize what it was. Setting aside his work, he asked, "You got the file?" Chen Chuan nodded. Cheng Zitong instructed, "Close the door, and let me see it." Chen Chuan turned to shut the door, walked forward, and handed the documents to him. Cheng Zitong took them, spread them across his desk, and read through them with great care, finishing by reviewing the supplementary notes Gao Ming had written at the bottom, which largely mirrored what the latter had told Chen Chuan. Having finished reading, he looked up at Chen Chuan. "What are your thoughts?" Chen Chuan said seriously, "Teacher, all those things I did before—"