Hostages

After the telegram was dispatched, Bureau Director Lei had the driver head in that direction as well. By the time they drew close to Ganlan Street, word had already come back from that side. The car pulled slowly to a halt at the street corner. A captain from the Examination Bureau walked up to the car, and as soon as the window was rolled down, he reported: "Director, following your instructions, we found three decorated, wrapped pillars in the surrounding shops, all pasted with paper figures inscribed with names. When we searched the company afterward, we discovered that a total of eight people were missing from the premises. "We examined their work supplies. Judging by the traces, some had been gone for five or six days, while others had been missing for at least two months or more. "Yet the people in the company believe they are still there, interacting with them day in and day out without noticing anything abnormal." Director Lei said, "Give me the list." The captain immediately handed over a written sheet. Director Lei glanced at it and passed it to Chen Chuan beside him. "Is the person you're looking for on here?" Chen Chuan took it and scanned the names. Senior Min Lan's name stood out prominently among them. He nodded to Director Lei. Director Lei said, "Those employees were probably all affected by an esoteric ritual, believing those people were present when in reality they've long been gone from their side." Chen Chuan thought to himself that it was no wonder the company claimed she was there when he called earlier, yet said she couldn't come to the phone. In their minds, she existed right beside them, but physically she obviously couldn't step up to speak with anyone. Even so, over such an extended period, it was impossible for the families of these employees not to notice something amiss. There had to be another reason they had managed to conceal it for so long. The captain added, "During our preliminary search just now, we noticed that an unusually high number of employees from this company have gone missing on commission tasks over the past six months. Most of them ran into trouble on a single commission." Director Lei pondered for a moment and asked, "Any results from the Communications Bureau?" "We're waiting on it. Should be soon," the captain replied. Just then, an agent hurried over and handed him a slip of paper. He glanced at it and offered it forward. "Director, we found it. When we entered Qingyao Company, a telegram was sent from inside the building. The receiving location is right here." Director Lei took it, looked it over, and instructed, "Based on this address, notify Old Gao immediately to go check it out and secure everyone inside first." The captain answered affirmatively, turned, and left swiftly. Director Lei said to Chen Chuan, "Those who are still perceived to be present should still be alive, because maintaining that effect requires keeping them alive. Esoteric rituals are usually restrictive by nature, requiring one to bear a certain price and fulfill specific conditions and costs to achieve their results." Chen Chuan could not help thinking of Director Lei's son. To maintain the ritual's existence, the person's life had to be preserved. Perhaps because the child was too young and they feared killing him outright, they hadn't done anything overly excessive to him. However, if their only concern was keeping these adults alive without regard for anything else, the outcome would be difficult to say. One could only hope they remained in one piece. He asked, "Director Lei, why would they do this?" Director Lei said, "Looking at the materials you provided, I could tell this is likely an offshoot of the 'Cult of Life.' The origins of this esoteric cult are unknown, and its composition is complex. Put simply, members of this sect believe that a person's vital essence can be transferred to another individual through specific methods. "This theory isn't necessarily sound, but the result is indeed achievable, though it often brings about additional elements beyond their own comprehension or control. "From the looks of it, they deliberately put out certain commissions and arranged for company employees to disappear in the middle of carrying them out. In truth, they abducted them and used them to conduct esoteric rituals." Chen Chuan considered this. Doing it that way truly wouldn't arouse much suspicion; after all, commission tasks naturally carried high casualty rates. It was also apparent that to make the commission seem legitimate, the company had issued identical requests to other firms, likely aiming to trap outsiders along the way as well. This aligned with what Senior Min Lan had mentioned earlier. No wonder the company's operatives had met with repeated failures—the company itself was behind the mischief, so how could anyone ever uncover the truth? Senior Min Lan had probably picked up on a few clues back then and sensed that something was wrong with the company, which prompted her to send word to him. Director Lei said, "Since you take on urban legend commissions, you're bound to cross paths with esoteric cult matters frequently. Outsiders can't tell the two apart. When we head back, I'll send you a file to study, but remember to keep it confidential." Chen Chuan expressed genuine gratitude. "Thank you, Director Lei." He knew that when it came to urban legends, one could still find people among the public who understood how to deal with them. But esoteric rituals were far too specialized; without official channels, gaining any real insight into them was practically impossible. After the two waited there for half an hour, the captain returned and informed Director Lei that they had located the place and apprehended the target. Knowing the scheme was blown, the man had confessed without much interrogation. The ringleaders involved were the company's core executives. The location where the captives were hidden had also been disclosed—less than five hundred meters from their current position. A large contingent of Examination Bureau personnel had already moved in to carry out arrests. Director Lei said, "We'll know the outcome soon enough." Chen Chuan sat there observing the entire process. Director Lei had merely looked through the dossier for a brief spell before accurately determining which esoteric cult was involved and how to handle it. In less than two or three hours, the matter was already on the verge of resolution. Leaving specialized tasks to specialists truly was the right approach. Beyond Director Lei's rich experience with esoteric cults, he had a capable professional team backed by state authority, allowing him to coordinate actions across multiple departments. If Chen Chuan had tried to resolve this on his own, he would have needed to investigate beforehand, piece clues together step by step, and only then make a decision. Furthermore, because the targets held status and influence, securing them immediately even after identifying them would have been difficult, and the final outcome might not have turned out as hoped. Until an individual grew powerful enough, a team remained superior to a lone operator. The same held true for fighting cultivation. Without a systematic organization providing the necessary cultivation resources, settling one's mind to cultivate in peace was out of the question. This served as both a constraint and an aid. Before possessing sufficient strength, these were realities one could not escape; one had to actively integrate into them and make the best possible use of them, turning them into stepping stones and momentum to climb higher. "Your application to Center City should have been submitted by now, right?" Director Lei asked at that moment. Chen Chuan said, "It's already been submitted." Director Lei said, "You have talent for work concerning esoteric cults, and letting it go to waste would be a pity. So after you graduate, if you're interested, you can join the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau. I can serve as your recommender." Chen Chuan felt a stir in his heart. Director Lei was a bureau director in Yangzhi—did his influence extend to Center City, or was he due for a promotion? It was also possible that Director Lei's background was out of the ordinary. After all, reaching a position like his required capability, but background was the decisive factor; at times, capability wasn't even the most important thing. For instance, despite everything that had happened to Director Lei previously, no one had been able to unseat him, which spoke volumes. After waiting for another quarter of an hour or so, the captain returned at a hurried pace. "Director, that location is guarded by several security personnel from the commission company, unlawfully bearing numerous firearms. They're likely core members of the cult. Seeing our forces encircle the building alongside the constabulary, they're still putting up stubborn resistance and threatening us with the hostages inside. "Judging from the employee records, among them should be—" Hearing up to this point, Chen Chuan thought for a moment and spoke up: "Director Lei, the longer this drags on, the more dangerous it will be for the hostages. Why not leave this to me?" Director Lei looked at him and said, "You should still be under state conscription, correct?" Chen Chuan said, "Yes." Director Lei said, "In that case, as I am also a member of this task force, this can be counted as part of the state commission. Student Chen, in my capacity as affairs commissioner of the task force, I now request your cooperation in neutralizing the cultists ahead and rescuing the hostages to the best of your ability." Chen Chuan nodded. "Director Lei, leave it to me." While they spoke, the car started up and drove over to the location. It was a five-story office building. Constabulary officers who had rushed to the scene had already set up cordon ropes around the perimeter and evacuated uninvolved bystanders. Once the vehicle came to a steady halt, the car door swung open, and Chen Chuan stepped out. Although he had not brought the Xuejun Saber with him to meet Director Lei this time, it did not matter. As long as there were no third-limit fighters on the opposite side, having a weapon or not made no difference. If they possessed such an expert, they wouldn't need to hole up inside relying on hostages for leverage; they would have charged straight out long ago. The September sunlight was no longer scorching, yet it remained bright, glaring sharply where it reflected off the windows. He looked up for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and walked forward at an unhurried pace under the watchful eyes of the constabulary and Esoteric Cult Bureau personnel. With one hand tucked in his trouser pocket, he slowly approached the building. When he was still about forty meters away— In what seemed like a single stride, he was right before the structure. Rather than entering through the doors to take the stairs, he planted a foot directly onto the exterior wall. From his perspective, it was as if he were treading upon flat ground. Propelled by his own forward momentum, he bounded upward, drawing level with the fifth-floor window in nearly the blink of an eye. His force was calibrated with absolute precision. Just as he reached that height, his momentum ran out, leaving him suspended in midair for a fleeting pause. At that moment, he could see the person inside the window staring back with shocked fury, a gun muzzle beginning to rise toward him. Watching calmly, Chen Chuan leaned forward, extended his arm, and caught the man's wrist in a firm grip. With a gentle yank, he used the leverage to vault inside, while the man was flung straight out through the air. The two crossed paths in an instant. A soft thud sounded as his feet landed lightly yet powerfully onto the indoor floor. He straightened his posture, backed by the fading scream plummeting into the distance.