Rescue

Stepping inside the room, Chen Chuan swept his gaze across the space. It was a crude, expansive area where steel-framed bunk beds stood where office desks should have been, each holding an unconscious person. Bizarre, eerie patterns were painted across the walls, floor, and ceiling. Four people were in the room. When Chen Chuan burst in, their faces showed no fear, only an unspeakable fanaticism. One of them instantly swung his gun toward the people lying on the beds. But before he could fire, a pebble struck his wrist with pinpoint accuracy. The wrist burst open with a sharp crack, shattered bone protruding through the skin. As the handgun hit the floor, the man let out a shrill scream. Even as he threw the stone, Chen Chuan had already surged forward. He reached out, lightly shoving the head of a man rushing him backward, and placed an upward palm against the abdomen of another beside him. By the time he slipped past the two of them and lunged toward the last standing cultist, both men were already flying through the air. One flew toward the opposite wall as if shoved with tremendous force, slamming into it with a dull thud before falling silent. The other flew up toward the ceiling, creating a web of cracks where his back struck before crashing down along with the ceiling lamp above, landing flat and motionless. Only then did the last man realize what was happening. Flustered though he was, he seemed propped up by some fanatical conviction. His expression twisted into madness as he clenched his fists, intending to face Chen Chuan in hand-to-hand combat. But before he could charge forward, a hand pressed against his forehead. Thud. The back of his head slammed heavily into the wall behind him, and his eyes rolled back as he slumped to the floor. Meanwhile, the man with the shattered wrist, cold sweat pouring down his face, stooped to pick up the gun through the agony, his eyes vicious. But the moment his fingers touched it, a boot came down. With a sickening crunch, both his hand and the handgun were crushed to pieces. Without waiting for him to scream, Chen Chuan lightly struck the top of his head with an open palm. The man went silent at once, collapsing limply to the floor. Chen Chuan turned and scanned the room to ensure no one was feigning unconsciousness before finally relaxing a bit. Among the people lying there, he found Min Lan. Her face was pale and her cheeks had hollowed out, eyes clamped shut, but her chest still rose and fell with breath, and her body was largely intact. If there were no other complications, a fighter's physical resilience should allow her to recover quickly. He walked over to the door, gripped the handle, and gently turned it. As the door swung open, members of the constabulary and the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau stationed near the corridor took notice and immediately raised their weapons, though they lowered them just as quickly upon recognizing him. He stepped slowly out into the hall, nodded to them, and moved aside. The constables and Examination Bureau officers rushed past him, followed by loud shouts from inside: "Paramedics, get up here!" Seeing that the situation was under control, Chen Chuan headed down the stairs. From the moment he entered the building to the moment he exited, no more than three or four minutes had passed to neutralize everyone inside, with the walk down taking up most of that time. He returned to Bureau Director Lei's car and climbed back in. "Looks like it's taken care of," Bureau Director Lei said. Chen Chuan nodded. "Then your commission this time has ended. I'll report it to the operations group shortly, and it will be entered into your file." "Thank you for this, Bureau Director Lei," Chen Chuan said. Bureau Director Lei waved a hand. "This fell within my scope of responsibility anyway. There's no need to thank me." The two waited a little longer before an officer came down to report to Director Lei. "Director, all suspects have been captured. The entire scene has been photographed, documented, and cordoned off. The victims have been sent to the first-aid station, though several have had parts of their internal organs harvested and sold." Bureau Director Lei explained to Chen Chuan, "These esoteric cults view people as resources to be exploited. Aside from transferring vital energy, they sell off the organs of the dying." He then asked the captain, "Who are these suspects?" "Just ordinary logistics personnel," the captain replied. "According to their confessions just now, buyers had already been arranged for the organs of the three fighters among them. But because of the recent shift in circumstances, the transactions hadn't gone through yet." Director Lei offered a calm assessment: "Harvested mutated tissue from fighters requires specialized equipment for preservation. That is likely why they hadn't acted yet." He asked again, "Has word been sent to the constabulary?" "Yes, everything that needed handling has been handled." "Station one squad to guard the scene. Have the rest withdraw," Director Lei ordered. "Yes, sir!" The car window rolled up, and the vehicle slowly started, heading back the way it had come. Director Lei said, "Your schoolmate should be fine." "I hope the others will be all right as well," Chen Chuan said. Director Lei's tone grew somewhat heavy. "As long as these esoteric cults exist, such things will never be entirely avoided. We can only do our best to discover them in time and make every effort to salvage what we can." Chen Chuan considered this and asked, "You mentioned earlier that this 'Cult of Life' transfers vital energy. Who is on the receiving end?" Director Lei replied in a low voice, "Most likely someone in the upper echelon of the cult. Judging by the number of ritual participants, there should only be one recipient. That person is very likely still hiding in Yangzhi right now." Chen Chuan said earnestly, "Bureau Director Lei, if this student is needed in the subsequent arrests, just call my number." Director Lei nodded, then raised a hand. "Let's leave that aside for now. Did you know? Liu Zhan was removed from his former post and given a new appointment." Chen Chuan couldn't help asking, "Where was he assigned?" Director Lei looked at him and said slowly, "The Foreign Affairs Bureau. He's still their director." Chen Chuan hadn't expected Liu Zhan to wind up right back where he started after all that maneuvering. After a moment of thought, he said, "Director Liu has always handled foreign affairs with ease. That position must suit him well." Director Lei largely agreed. "You're right. No one in the Municipal Administration understands foreign affairs better than he does, so they decided to let him make use of his strengths." Chen Chuan gave a faint smile. That position was likely very secure—the kind where one could stay until retirement. For ordinary people, it was the dream of a lifetime, but for a bureaucrat like Liu Zhan, it was probably nothing short of agonizing torture. Director Lei then said, "You must come to my wedding with He Nan when the time comes." Chen Chuan replied, "Of course, Bureau Director Lei. Has the date been set?" "It was originally scheduled for October, but it looks like the bureau's affairs won't be settled by then. He Nan has also been indecisive. I've known her for many years; she's always decisive on major matters, but she wavers endlessly when it comes to her own." "Perhaps Senior Sister cares too much," Chen Chuan remarked. Director Lei glanced at him. "That doesn't sound like something someone your age would say. But you're right..." He looked straight ahead. "Sometimes caring too much makes it hard to make a choice." The car drove all the way back to the school gate. After bidding farewell to Bureau Director Lei, Chen Chuan returned to the campus. In the blink of an eye, another twenty-odd days slipped by. After late September, the turmoil across Yangzhi City finally subsided, and normal news began broadcasting over the radio again. On September 27th, Chen Chuan received a phone call from Old Feng. On the other end of the line, Old Feng spoke in a relaxed tone: "Cadet Chen Chuan, come out for a moment. Bring your conscription slip along." Chen Chuan agreed. Taking the slip, he walked out of the school and arrived beyond the main gate, where he saw Old Feng's car parked. Old Feng was waiting in the back seat. Chen Chuan walked over, greeted him, and got into the car. Once the car was underway, Old Feng asked, "Have you thought about what to put on the application form Commissioner Cao told you to write?" "I have," Chen Chuan replied. "Let me take a look." Chen Chuan took the application form from his pocket and handed it over. What he had requested was primarily medicines. He had consulted Cheng Zitong about several of them beforehand; they were supplies only the Great Shun government could provide, immensely helpful for his upcoming combat training. Aside from the medicines, there was also a higher-grade protective suit, which he could change into once he obtained his armor license. Old Feng looked it over and remarked, "You asked for far too little. There's no need to save money on Old Cao's behalf—he made quite a haul this time. That blade of yours was forged using ancient methods, wasn't it?" "Yes," Chen Chuan answered. "It was a gift from a senior skilled in blade crafting." Old Feng took out a pen and added several medicines to the list, explaining as he wrote, "People cultivate using medicines, and this kind of former 'contraband weapon' can also be nourished with medicines. The ones I've added for you are specifically meant for maintaining and strengthening weapons, available only through the Great Shun government." He then jotted down a specific model number after the protective suit before returning the paper, instructing, "When you see Old Cao, hand him this." Chen Chuan smiled, took the form, folded it, and placed it back into his breast pocket. The car traveled onward. When it entered Constabulary Headquarters, the constables on either side saluted in unison. Chen Chuan looked around; the surroundings were far more orderly than before, no longer filled with personnel rushing about in haste. After parking the car, the two walked inside toward the operations conference room from before. Commissioner Cao stood there alone, looking as if he had been waiting specifically for them. Chen Chuan stepped forward and laid the conscription slip on the desk. Commissioner Cao glanced at it and asked, "Did you bring the application form?" Chen Chuan took the application form from his breast pocket and placed it on the desk as well. Commissioner Cao picked it up and looked it over. Seeing the familiar handwriting, he glanced up at Old Feng. Old Feng met his gaze evenly. Saying nothing, Cao produced a fountain pen, wrote the word "Approved" across it, and signed his name on the conscription slip. He then retrieved his seal, stamped both documents, and slid them forward. "I have an archival copy of the conscription slip here. Keep this one for yourself." Once Chen Chuan took it, Cao looked at him and said in a solemn voice, "Cadet Chen, this state conscription has concluded. From now on, you are free to act at your own discretion. Remember, you must not disclose the specifics of this operation to anyone who was not a participant. If the state requires it, we will conscript you again. Be prepared." Old Feng added from the side, "The interval is usually one year, though emergencies are an exception—and in those cases, you'll receive compensation. All right, Cadet Chen, the conscription is over. Don't linger around here. I'll take you to the warehouse to pick up your supplies."