After waiting a few seconds, Chen Chuan saw a succession of leads and lists of names appear before him, each person accompanied by background information and relevant notes.
Kaiyang said, "Advisor Chen, similar organizations exist abroad, but the domestic database currently holds no definitive records regarding an organization called the 'Ascending Ladder.'
"Only partial related leads and suspected individuals have been detected. Further clarification of behavioral patterns is required."
Looking through the results, Chen Chuan found that in Great Shun, almost no one had openly proclaimed the name "Ascending Ladder"; people had merely mentioned related or similar concepts in private or public settings.
Furthermore, it was impossible to confirm whether they had simply heard such rhetoric or were genuine members of the organization.
The names Kaiyang had compiled were primarily these individuals, spanning various departments across both government and corporate sectors. All were mid-to-high-level corporate executives or key government officials.
Unsurprisingly, the majority possessed backgrounds leaning toward or associated with the Conservative Faction. The Enterprising Faction was not entirely absent either; based on the spectrum chart provided by Kaiyang, those members were largely concentrated within its extremist wing.
Curiously, once one looked at the higher echelons—especially beyond a certain rank—information regarding this organization became an absolute blank. Because it was so thoroughly clean, it appeared instead as though someone had deliberately erased it.
"Behavioral patterns..."
He pondered briefly, then uploaded the remarks Ryan had once made to him, along with certain other intelligence he had already gathered, transmitting it all for analysis while requesting that Kaiyang encrypt the data.
Kaiyang responded immediately: "Advisor Chen, re-indexing has begun. Please wait a moment."
This search went beyond mere language and public activity, delineating targets based on their behavioral traits and ideological leanings.
A few seconds later, fresh results appeared. This time, quite a few individuals were listed, particularly a notable number of key officials in government departments.
Looking at their political inclinations, they overlapped heavily with the background of the Refined Practice School. Ranked in descending order, next came the Convergence Faction, the Implant Faction, state-owned enterprises, and even their own Purist Faction was not without representation.
Chen Chuan noted these individuals down. Of course, this was merely a statistical correlation of behavior; it did not necessarily mean that every one of them belonged to the Ascending Ladder.
At this point, Kaiyang provided another piece of information: "An advisor previously conducted a similar query. Detailed records reside within that advisor's sub-service project and are classified as private."
Aside from that, no further hints were forthcoming.
Chen Chuan's thoughts shifted. It appeared that an advisor in the past had also taken an interest in this matter.
The question was whether this person had been investigating the Ascending Ladder or was actually a member of it, running a search on themselves first the better to conceal their traces.
If it was the latter, the accuracy of any derived data would come under serious doubt.
And the fact that Kaiyang was permitted to disclose this detail meant the query had been authorized for visibility by that advisor. Far from good news, it was quite likely an intentional diversion to mislead anyone who came looking.
Yet by reverse deduction, the "Ascending Ladder" did indeed exist domestically; otherwise, there would have been no need for such investigations and cover-ups. In truth, under the looming pressure of the Great Impact, the emergence of such entities was not the least bit surprising.
And an advisor was providing them with cover—perhaps even serving as their leader.
Once someone became a member of the Advisory Group, their standing was nearly unshakeable. Just like him now: it was virtually impossible for anyone to move against him, and not even the highest powers would lightly touch him. By the same token, however, moving against another advisor was exceedingly difficult—he could not even pull up their specific information or actions.
No wonder certain people dared to act so brazenly. Furthermore, he sensed that this organization might not merely involve advisors; entities from the opposite realm might well have infiltrated it as well.
There was no need to doubt their audacity. They were unquestionably capable of such deeds.
For now, he could do nothing about what went on in the Linax Federation, but here in Great Shun, he could take action. Since he did not yet know which advisors were involved, he would deal with the subordinates first, deliberately startling the grass to flush out the snakes and see who could not resist showing their hand.
In the past, no one had called to account those who voiced radical rhetoric, but he had no intention of letting them off.
He swiped through the lists and selected several names, deciding to begin with these individuals.
Executing this was straightforward enough: as long as he gave the word to certain state departments, such as the Ministry of National Security, arrests could be made directly.
However, that required him to hold sufficient influence over the department's leadership; otherwise, they might not comply. As a rule, those he could mobilize and coordinate with belonged to his own faction.
If he was unwilling to go through regular channels or felt his control was insufficient, he could bypass them entirely and assemble a temporary task force or action team dedicated to carrying out his orders.
So long as there were sound and sufficient grounds, state law had no means of holding him accountable, for an advisor's power was virtually limitless should they choose to wield it. Naturally, all of this was predicated upon national stability; disrupting normal internal operations would never be permitted by Tianshu.
His intention was to consult with Ren Xinshan and have him oversee the matter.
Yet before that, there was another organization warranting attention:
The Wansong Company.
The stated mission of this company was to build a world entirely dominated by martial artists.
At first glance, this seemed somewhat similar to the current state of affairs, but in truth, what the company pursued was an archaic regression—to elevate martial artists into gods just as in the old era.
In such a world, it was easy to foresee that everything would serve martial artists. Even ordinary fighters would hold little status, and commoners would be stripped entirely of political rights, treated merely as inferior creatures.
And judging from historical records, this company was indisputably another globe-spanning enterprise.
He made an inquiry to Kaiyang, and a wealth of records was retrieved in short order.
The Wansong Company had existed for a very long time, tracing back before the founding of the nation, which matched what he had previously discovered.
In addition, he uncovered a classified dossier.
It revealed that the company had existed over a century ago, and during the transition between the old and new eras, it had provided considerable funding and equipment to the rebel armies of the time, including resources for nurturing martial artists.
During the rebel forces' initial period of hardship, they had received significant aid from the company for a time. Later, as the military became regularized, they ceased accepting aid and gradually repaid what had been provided in installments, while also granting the company certain preferential policies.
When the government was established, numerous high-ranking officials maintained ties with the company, including several prominent figures from the nation's founding. The company maintained good relations with the Refined Practice School and various central cities.
Although its ultimate objective was radical and seemingly contemptuous of ordinary people, on the other hand, it had consistently supported outstanding talents from commoner backgrounds. For instance, several ordinary students who gained admission to Wuyi Academy had received direct or indirect financial aid from it.
More importantly, it provided an alternative channel outside the corporations, the government, and the martial lineages, serving a positive function in a certain sense.
The company was overseen by an immense multinational board of directors, with a presence in many countries, though loosely organized without a unified allegiance.
The domestic directors were documented in a comprehensive list, beneath whom were directors for various regional branches—among whom Wang Weichang, whom he had met previously, featured prominently.
Chen Chuan reflected that even he had purchased quite a few services from the Wansong Company back then. What the company aspired to was one thing, but for the present, its potential for harm was far less destructive than that of the Ascending Ladder.
For no matter what, taking the perspective of martial artists and viewing themselves as gods still meant resisting alien entities; and if their ranks wished to replenish themselves, they were destined to leave an avenue of advancement open to commoners.
The Ascending Ladder, by contrast, actively embraced the realm on the opposite side, caring nothing for the survival of their species as a whole.
Thus, while vigilance was warranted against the Wansong Company, it could be set aside for the time being. The priority remained dealing with the Ascending Ladder.
Amid his contemplation, the vehicle exited the tunnel and returned to his previous residence.
The domestic staff attendant asked with deep respect, "Sir, where would you like to go?"
Chen Chuan glanced up at the modern manor situated atop the bluff. Having verified that all the items previously shipped had been stored there, he replied, "Head there first."
"Understood, sir."
The car drove in that direction, winding along the gentle mountain road before pulling into the estate.
As this was Chen Chuan's first day here, the managerial staff and provisions were not yet fully assembled; only a small maintenance crew was on hand.
To him, however, this mattered little. The moment he stepped inside, the local field creatures and active conscious entities immediately stirred from their slumber, and power across the entire residential compound surged online.
Chen Chuan made inquiries and learned that the estate provided round-the-clock fresh provisions sourced from the convergence zone. Although the daily quota was limited, it was sufficient to satisfy the needs of two to three martial artists.
He had long ceased to rely on such food for nourishment, at most tasting it for flavor; thus, if he transferred his own squad here, the entire team would be able to enjoy these benefits.
As for cultivation, should he wish to travel to the opposite realm, the immortality fissure lay directly beneath the grounds, allowing an active conscious entity here to tear open a rift leading straight there.
Maintaining such an opening, however, required drawing upon the local field resources and would exert a certain strain upon the field space itself. Consequently, he felt it was simpler to just cleave it open directly with his Xuejun Saber; in any case, having become an advisor, crossing the fissure was his personal prerogative.
After taking a brief tour, guided by Kaiyang, he arrived at a site covered in esoteric ritual markings in the basement hall.
Here stood a basin-like installation, within the center of which was an upright stone sculpture of a long mace.
Kaiyang prompted him at this moment, informing him that this was a ritual secret core; by infusing his spirit into it, he would obtain control over the entire airspace.
Chen Chuan stepped forward, took hold of the upper hilt of the stone sculpture, and channeled his spirit into it.
After a moment, the entire field space vibrated gently, followed by a sensation akin to flowing water radiating outward with the core as its epicenter.
Simultaneously, he sensed a surge of energy flooding into his body.
……
……
Chapter 1481