Variables

Chen Chuan left the fighting arena. Paying no further heed to the affairs there, he headed straight back to his dormitory. However, on his way out, he had learned from a patrolman escorting him that tonight Fu Shouxin was not the only one whose skull had been drilled open. Right when Zhuo Bao was clashing with him here, the Iron Chain Gang had mobilized in force, raiding an important stronghold of the Blood Mark Gang and causing tremendous damage. And an hour before that, an aboveboard front company run by the Blood Mark Gang had also come under attack. The Blood Mark Gang members guarding the place were killed within an extremely short span of time, every fatal wound inflicted by short blades. The company's storage warehouse along with vital documents and records were reduced to ashes by fire, resulting in catastrophic losses. With events lining up so coincidentally, the two sides practically seemed to be coordinating their strikes. No wonder Zhuo Bao had been in such an unhinged state of mind that he even yelled about making Chen Chuan take the fall—he was evidently agitated by these simultaneous blows. Anyone with eyes could tell there was bound to be a mastermind orchestrating this targeted assault against the Blood Mark Gang. Who could it be? In Yangzhi City's underworld, apart from the Iron Chain Gang, there was virtually no force capable of going toe-to-toe with the Blood Mark Gang, because standing behind the Blood Mark Gang was Molan Company. Besides, this was hardly the authorities' style of doing things. Furthermore, that means of opening holes in people's skulls—if not an urban legend, then it had to be a kind of technology. Anyone in possession of such technology was definitely no small fry. Possessing both technology and muscle, and capable of throwing the Blood Mark Gang into such disarray all at once... A possibility crossed his mind: perhaps this was the handiwork of another corporation. Only an outfit like that could contend against Molan Company. If so, this involved a struggle between corporations. However, these conflicts had nothing to do with him. He had originally hoped to find the urban legend known as the Skull-Splitting Demon and, in passing, use the stimulation of an urban legend to substitute for medicinal consumption. Now, it seemed that would not be possible. He wiped down the Xuejun Saber, washed up, and prepared to go to sleep. But before he could step into the bedroom, the telephone rang once more in the living room, causing him to pause in his tracks. It was already approaching eleven o'clock. A call coming in at this hour was bound to be something urgent. He walked over and picked up the receiver. "Hello, this is Chen Chuan." "Student Chen?" Hearing the voice on the other end, Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "Bureau Director Lei?" He had not expected the caller to be him. "Bureau Director Lei, is there something the matter?" Bureau Director Lei said in a low voice, "I received word that Liu Zhan might be reassigned to another post soon." Upon hearing the news, Chen Chuan's eyes flickered, immediately realizing the implications. Liu Zhan had promised back then that as long as he remained in his post, he would help cover up the evaluation. But if he was no longer there, he would have no reason to honor that promise—and might even proactively reveal it. Bureau Director Lei said, "Right now it's only word on the grapevine. The handover won't happen so quickly, but at most it will take place within the next month or two. You need to be careful. "Furthermore, with Liu Zhan's personality, he won't wait around that long. He will definitely leverage everything advantageous to him as stepping stones to climb higher. So you need to think through what you're going to do." "Thank you, Bureau Director Lei." Chen Chuan hung up. Standing in place, he pondered for a moment, glanced at the clock on the wall, and then lifted the receiver again to dial the place where Gao Ming lived. The call connected quickly. "Gao Ming, it's me. Is it convenient to talk?" "Cousin, I'm the only one here." Chen Chuan said, "Director Liu might be getting transferred. I think we need to make proper preparations." Gao Ming understood what he meant immediately, his voice turning serious. "Understood, Cousin. I'll hurry back as soon as I can." Chen Chuan gave an affirmative hum and hung up. It seemed many matters would have to be moved forward. He had originally planned to train steadily for a period of time until... But now, he feared he wouldn't be granted that time. If the Mutual Aid Society and the powerful figures behind them ever learned that he possessed evaluations from the Foreign Affairs Bureau and even the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau, they would surely resort to every possible means to suppress him and deny him any chance of rising up. He considered this. Cheng Zitong should also be notified in good time. Even though it was late and didn't seem urgent enough to require immediate action this very moment, he would rather be cautious than careless. Thus, he placed another call to Cheng Zitong. Once connected, he informed him of Liu Zhan's impending transfer. Cheng Zitong instantly realized the ramifications as well. In a grave tone, he said, "Little Chuan, since that's the case, you must prepare early." Chen Chuan replied, "Yes, Master." This time, he was bound to clash with the Mutual Aid Society and the forces behind them. What the outcome would be, he couldn't say for sure right now. Although he had a degree of confidence, one had to consider defeat before considering victory; the escape routes Cheng Zitong had mentioned earlier would have to be arranged now as well. If anything went awry, he could pull back and take refuge elsewhere. As long as he stayed alive, there would always be limitless possibilities. Cheng Zitong thought for a moment before continuing, "I originally thought there would be plenty of time, enough for you to grow... but now... How about this: I'll talk to Old He and see if I can arrange for you to go over to his place and undergo intensive crash training with him for a while. That might give you better odds." Chen Chuan felt a surge of energy. "Is that possible?" He Xiaoxing had only given him pointers for a single evening, yet it had brought him tremendous progress. If he could learn from him for a period of time, he would certainly gain a great deal. Cheng Zitong said solemnly, "Leave this matter to me. Focus on handling your own affairs, and stay careful." Chen Chuan acknowledged him. After putting down the receiver, he drew a breath and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. Watching the ceaselessly swaying leaves outside and the gloomy, overcast sky, he slowly raised his head. It seemed he had to prepare to face the coming tempest. In Wubian City, Wei Jun sat on a hotel sofa with a dark, sullen expression, looking thoroughly infuriated and stifled. The examination for the unlimited defense license had run into trouble: many of the death-row convicts released as test targets had been killed in advance. Under normal circumstances, that would not have been much of an issue; the examination board could simply make other arrangements. The crucial problem, however, was that at one of the examination sites, both an examinee and the test target were attacked together. One examinee was riddled with bullets, and before dying, his four limbs were broken and his head crushed. He even knew this student—it was the very one who had previously bragged about encasing a commoner examinee in concrete and sinking him into a lake. Considering his cause of death, it was highly likely someone had come seeking revenge for that incident. He somewhat suspected whether someone within the review board had deliberately leaked information about the exam. While the examination board itself might not necessarily do such a thing, there was no guaranteeing that someone privy to the details hadn't. He also felt lingering dread over this affair, because his own record was far from clean. He was no stranger to doing such things himself—for instance, he had been involved in that incident with Shen Zheng back then. This time someone else had been targeted, but what if someone targeted him in the same manner? This wasn't Yangzhi City; aside from the security detail he had brought along this time, he had virtually no protection. Clenching his fist, he told the butler standing to the side, "Call home and have them transfer another security team—no, two security teams over here." The butler replied, "Yes, Young Master." Seeing him remain standing without moving, Wei Jun turned his head and frowned. "Is there something else?" The butler hesitated before saying, "Someone from the examination board came by just now to notify us. Because of the grave incident involving an examinee's death, this examination may need to be postponed." A foreboding feeling welled up in Wei Jun's chest. "Postponed for how long?" The butler said, "Probably two months." "Fuck!" Wei Jun couldn't help the fury flaring up inside him. It was already nearing late June; two months from now would be the start of the next academic year. The problem was that the vetting process for recommendations to Center City had a hard deadline before September. If he hadn't obtained the unlimited defense license by then, the higher-ups would definitely reject him. Although he could still go to Center City through other channels, he would certainly lose the slot for the Main Academy. And there was no such thing as a makeup or supplemental quota for this; once missed, it was gone. Even if there were extenuating circumstances this time that allowed Wuyi to free up another slot for him next term, he would have to compete against the next batch of recommended students for it. Moreover, every year's slots were obtained through negotiation, compromise, and interest trading among the families and interest groups backing the recommended students. If he were to claim another slot now, they would inevitably have to pay out far more in compensation. Not only that, but he was currently in a stage where his body was still developing, and his combat proficiency was right at a pivotal period of improvement. Going to Center City half a year or a year late would be an enormous loss. "Motherfucker..." The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. What was worse, he couldn't even demand that the review board expedite the schedule. It was composed of personnel drawn from various state departments, and they couldn't care less about local aristocracy or power players. The butler waited until his temper subsided slightly before asking cautiously, "Young Master, what should we do next?" With a dark expression, Wei Jun said, "What else can we do? Wait here for now. I'll pay some visits to certain people to see if there's any turn for the better." Meanwhile, in an inn some distance away, Tai Dongwei and Geng Zheng exchanged looks after receiving the news of the exam's postponement. At the same time, neither could help looking toward Deng Fu with rather peculiar expressions. "What are you looking at me for?" Deng Fu set down the magazine in his hands and looked at the two with a helpless air. Geng Zheng couldn't help saying, "Earlier you said that as long as we waited, we'd eventually see the result we wanted to see. You hit the nail on the head regarding the exam this time. Did you know all along?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't talk nonsense. This has nothing to do with me," Deng Fu waved his hands frantically. "If I were tied to this, would I have brought it up of my own accord?" Geng Zheng thought about it and felt that made sense. Tai Dongwei, on the other hand, looked at Deng Fu without saying anything, only feeling as though he... Seeing that they were no longer dwelling on it, Deng Fu reverted to his relaxed demeanor. Resting his head on his hands and swinging his foot, he said, "With a blunder like this on the Review Committee's watch, someone will definitely have to step forward and take the blame. We won't run into this kind of thing again in the future, so let's not overthink it. It's like I always say: hone your own skills, and strive to stay alive a bit longer." Geng Zheng said earnestly, "Yes, Brother Deng is right." Deng Fu was taken aback, then gave a chuckle. He raised the magazine to hide his face and slowly resumed flipping through its pages.