The murder of Shen Zheng had reached a conclusion by now. After all, even the Mutual Aid Society had been wiped out, so there was no longer any need to conceal it; the surviving individuals who were involved back then had already confessed.
However, the investigation results had not yet been made public, so the school did not know the details yet.
That night, Chen Chuan had learned quite a bit from Wei Jun. He felt it was necessary to bring this up; even if he didn't, people were bound to find out eventually.
He believed that once certain people learned of this, they wouldn't simply act as if it didn't exist—especially members of the Fenxin Society. Back then, quite a few of them had received favors and help from Shen Zheng, and they would definitely find a way to uncover the final whereabouts of his younger sister.
Moreover, he was unsure how He Xiaoxing would react upon finding out.
In theory, He Xiaoxing wasn't really implicated in this matter, but Shen Zheng's death undoubtedly had a direct connection to it, and the true mastermind who had murdered Shen Zheng back then was still living safe and sound in Center City, having escaped liquidation during this operation. Therefore, he felt He Xiaoxing might not turn a blind eye.
Cheng Zitong seemed to have thought of something as well. He said, "About this matter, I'll talk it over with Old He later." He tidied the materials on the desk, slipped them back into his briefcase, and stood up. "I'll go get the principal's signature first. Just wait for my word."
After seeing him off, Chen Chuan threw himself whole-heartedly back into his fighting practice. By this point, he had also discovered that combat was indeed the best catalyst.
Now when he trained, he had a far better understanding of the purpose and direction of his exercises than before, knowing which areas needed to be strengthened first.
After the battle with Luo Qi, his overlap time with the Second Self had increased by another three-plus hours, though the gains weren't as substantial as those from Tan Wang.
Yet that was only natural. Before fighting Tan Wang, he had never crossed hands with someone of the third limit. Nor had he known what kind of master combatant would arrive. But back then, far from shrinking back, he had been filled with anticipation, fighting to achieve his own goals and fight for his own destiny.
Before fighting Luo Qi, on the other hand, he had been fully prepared. This time, he had fought to bring down Molan Company. While it had to some extent been for himself as well, his heart had lacked the passionate fervor he had felt when facing Tan Wang.
Now, the overlap time had reached eighteen hours. It didn't seem far from the twenty-four-hour goal. He wondered whether he could reach it before heading to Center City.
After his daily training ended, he flipped through the throwing technique manual Yu Gang had given him. The jin technique, which was the hardest part for others, was actually the easiest for him to master.
All that remained was repeated practice.
The martial academy placed restrictions on throwing techniques in its curriculum, because when a combatant threw an object with jin, its power over short distances was by no means inferior to ordinary firearms. In the past, he hadn't possessed a weapons license and could only practice haphazardly outside the school; now that he had the license, it didn't matter, and he could practice openly and aboveboard.
In fact, whether a throw could inflict sufficient lethality also depended heavily on the choice of weapon. Although reaching a certain level allowed hard objects in general to inflict injury, they were clearly nowhere near enough when dealing with combatants.
He needed a solid, functional material. It didn't necessarily have to be stones; stones were merely everywhere, relatively cheapest, and convenient to carry.
He was also considering whether to find a specialist to grind and craft some pieces suited to his use.
After the semester began, time flew by. In the blink of an eye, several days had passed. One day, as he walked out of the dormitory building, he saw a student holding something, waiting there.
Recognizing Fang Zhiming, he took the initiative to greet him: "Student Fang."
Fang Zhiming hurried over and said, "Student Chen."
Chen Chuan stepped forward. "Waiting for me here? Why didn't you call?"
Both were students of the same school. Even though one was a Class A student and the other a Class B student, they often ran into each other when eating in the cafeteria, and sometimes chatted for a bit. There was no estrangement between them over the difference in their treatment.
Fang Zhiming said, "Yeah. Student Chen, do you remember when my family asked me to pass you a business card last time?"
Chen Chuan said, "I remember. Later, a senior sister from that company came looking for me."
"Right, Senior Sister Min. She came to see me earlier and said she'd found some leads while looking into a matter. She originally wanted to ask for your opinion again, Student Chen, but you happened to be away. She felt that waiting any longer might cause her to miss the opportunity, so she decided to go ahead on her own. She said that if she hadn't contacted me after half a month, I was to give this thing to you."
With that, Fang Zhiming handed over the item in his hands.
Chen Chuan took it and saw that it was a letter. Looking closer, he saw "To Student Chen Chuan, Personal and Confidential" written in delicate, graceful handwriting. After a thought, he stowed it away and said, "All right, thank you, Student Fang."
Fang Zhiming clearly breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you've received it, Student Chen. I was just worried being late might hold up your business." Pausing, he looked at Chen Chuan and said from the bottom of his heart, "Student Chen, everything you did... I admire it. I truly admire it..."
He had suffered directly at the hands of the Mutual Aid Society, having nearly been beaten to death by Zhong Wu during the entrance exam. Because of that, he understood what Chen Chuan had done better than anyone.
Chen Chuan smiled. "Student Fang, I saw you in front of the Tribunal that day. I know you came to voice your support for me, too. Thank you."
Fang Zhiming froze. He hadn't expected Chen Chuan to have seen him. Feeling a surge of emotion, he hurriedly replied, "No need to thank me, no need! I really didn't do anything..."
Chen Chuan said earnestly, "Coming there was supporting me. In bringing down Molan Company and the Mutual Aid Society, your strength played a part too. Student Fang, what all of you accomplished was far more than you realize."
Fang Zhiming looked at him, looking as though he had received immense encouragement, and nodded vigorously.
"Now that the letter's delivered, I'll head back. There's plenty of training this new semester, and my classmates are waiting for me. Goodbye, Student Chen."
Chen Chuan said goodbye. After parting ways with Fang Zhiming, he thought it over, turned back to his dorm room, slit open the envelope, unfolded the letter, and read its contents.
"Student Chen, please forgive the liberty of writing to you like this. Do you remember the commission I spoke to you about last time? After our conversation back then, there wasn't much progress. But recently I uncovered some new clues. I originally intended to check them with you, but you didn't seem to be at school, so I decided to go investigate on my own...
"Because several colleagues had previously gone missing while investigating this matter, I suspect the company might be involved—perhaps even upper management. I even suspect some of the friends and colleagues around me are implicated in it. Among the people I know, you may be the only one I can trust.
"I organized the clues beforehand and mailed them out. I also asked Student Fang in advance to deliver this letter into your hands if I didn't return after half a month. If possible, could I trouble you to collect the package and pass it on to a relevant specialist?"
Chen Chuan pondered. Since the letter had reached his hands, it proved Min Lan had not returned after half a month. This matter was likely far from simple. After a moment of thought, he took out the business card Min Lan had once given him and tried dialing the number, but no one answered.
He then called the commission company Min Lan worked for. To his surprise, the person who answered said she was there. He asked if they could fetch her to take the call, but a moment later, the person replied that she had been there just a moment ago but couldn't be found right now, asking him to call back in a little while.
A thought stirred in Chen Chuan's mind, and he hung up.
This situation was abnormal.
After thinking it through, he decided to visit the post office first.
Following the address and tracking number provided in Min Lan's letter, he successfully retrieved the materials deposited there, though he did not open them to look for himself.
The state conscription had not ended yet; he couldn't go running off to handle other affairs, nor did he need to do this himself.
Returning to the dorm, he placed a call to Bureau Director Lei's residence. The one who answered was He Nan. Hearing that he was looking for Bureau Director Lei, she said, "Junior Brother, are you at school? Hold on a moment, I'll have Old Lei call you right away."
Chen Chuan waited less than a few minutes before Bureau Director Lei called back. "Student Chen, is something the matter?"
Chen Chuan answered truthfully: "Director Lei, I've discovered something and obtained a set of materials that might involve an esoteric ritual. You're an expert in this field, so I wanted to deliver it to you."
Bureau Director Lei's voice turned grave. "Is it convenient for you to come out?"
"It is."
"Alright. My car will reach Wuyi's gate within half an hour. Bring the items out, and we'll talk in detail when we meet."
"Understood."
A little over twenty minutes later, Bureau Director Lei's armored car arrived outside Wuyi College. Chen Chuan was already waiting. Seeing it, he boarded with the package, handed it to Bureau Director Lei, and recounted everything he had learned.
Bureau Director Lei put on a pair of gloves and unsealed the dossier. After browsing through it thoroughly, he didn't tell Chen Chuan about its contents, but instead said, "After Molan Company came to Yangzhi, they fostered a faction of cultists. Their goal was not only to distract the government, but also to search for certain things through esoteric rituals in a vain attempt to reverse their unfavorable position in Center City.
"They set up numerous rituals throughout Yangzhi City as well. We've dismantled many by now, but there are still plenty of esoteric cults funded by Molan Company that we haven't had time to purge.
"Now that Molan Company has fallen, some cults have entered a dormant phase and are wiping away traces of their existence. But that doesn't mean they've vanished for good. If they aren't eradicated completely, they will definitely crop up again one by one in the future."
Chen Chuan said, "Is this one of those cults?"
"Most likely."
Bureau Director Lei tapped the dossier. "An esoteric group, as an organization, requires a fixed ritual site, requisite vestments and implements, as well as certain special 'ritual materials.' All of these things demand financial backing."
He turned to the telegraph operator in the vehicle. "Send a telegram. Tell Old Gao to head to Qingyao Company at No. 32 Ganlan Street in South City. Within a fifty-meter radius, search the twelve o'clock, four o'clock, and eight o'clock positions for three two-meter-tall black pillars.
"Tell him not to pull them out right away. Cut out corresponding paper figures according to the number of Qingyao Company personnel, paste them on, write the name of an employee on each, and then enter the company to inspect who is still there and who is missing."
Chapter 207