Beside the off-road vehicle, Master Xiao Wei was waiting leisurely. He was already very experienced: whenever Mr. Chen went out on a commission and didn't tell him to head back first, he was certain to return before long.
He turned on the car radio, and a news broadcast immediately drifted through. Over the past few days, the news heard most frequently concerned the ownership of the Molan Building.
The topic had been trending heavily lately, and many companies had set their sights on it. The names mentioned most often were state-owned enterprises like Yuan'an and Canghong Grand Canal, alongside domestic giants like Longde Foods and Tiancong Baicao. However, several foreign companies also appeared keenly interested in it.
None of that interested him, so he switched the dial to an exploration show; he preferred listening to urban legends and bizarre tales.
The reason he had been assigned as Chen Chuan's driver wasn't merely because of his fine driving skills and reliable character, but also because he was fascinated by such matters. He felt that following Chen Chuan would allow him to see many things he would otherwise never encounter.
He had not been listening for long when he spotted Chen Chuan walking over from the distance. Straightening up immediately, he got out of the car and opened the door for Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan thanked him and settled into the back seat. Once Xiao Wei returned to the driver's seat, Chen Chuan said, "Master Xiao Wei, let's head back."
"All right, sit tight, Mr. Chen."
The car started up slowly, driving back along the way they had come with utmost smoothness.
Chen Chuan set aside the small leather briefcase he had taken from Han Chang. There might be plenty of clues inside, but he had no intention of opening it; it was better to hand it over to Bureau Director Lei later.
After returning to the city, he called Bureau Director Lei. By the time they arrived at the entrance of Wuyi Academy, Bureau Director Lei's official car was already parked there.
Chen Chuan told Driver Xiao Wei to head back first, then stepped out carrying the small leather case and got into Bureau Director Lei's car. Lei listened to his account of the mission, had an aide beside him record the details, and opened the briefcase on the spot. The first things to catch the eye were a stack of gold drafts and a thick bundle of Jianyuan notes, along with several ledgers, deeds, and notebooks.
Bureau Director Lei turned a blind eye to the gold drafts. After rummaging through the contents, he pulled out a booklet, opened it, and examined it for a moment before looking up. "Student Chen, did you look through the materials I sent you over the past two days?"
"I did," Chen Chuan replied.
Bureau Director Lei handed him the booklet. "Take a look at this first, and tell me what you think."
Chen Chuan took it and flipped through. He saw simplified illustrations and what was clearly an itemized price list for esoteric ritual materials.
After reading through, he pondered and said, "The materials Bureau Director Lei gave me had the ritual patterns of the Cult of Life, as well as the various esoteric materials required. But many things are missing from this booklet. I imagine it's not that they didn't want to recreate the original ritual, but that limited conditions and insufficient materials forced them to make do with a crude version."
"You're right, but matters aren't so simple. Rituals are distilled across generations by esoteric cultists; modifying them isn't easy. Someone capable of simplifying them is usually an exceptionally rare elite within an esoteric cult."
Bureau Director Lei said slowly, "Although a simplified ritual is far less effective than the original, it spreads much more easily. That is actually not a good thing."
He retrieved another booklet from the briefcase beside him, turned to a certain page, and handed it to Chen Chuan. "Following the leads, we uncovered some of this cult's older arrangements. Compare this with the esoteric ritual diagram used the other day—do you notice anything?"
Chen Chuan opened it and looked. Inside were photographs of two diagrams that appeared generally similar, yet subtle differences existed between them. After studying them for a while, he looked up and said, "Is he trying to improve it?"
Bureau Director Lei showed an approving look and nodded. "Exactly. I have reason to suspect that the person behind the scenes wanted to use the Blood Mark Gang to seize the village so they could set up more rituals and refine their ritual structure."
He took the booklet back from Chen Chuan and flipped to another page. "Take a look at this one too."
Chen Chuan took it and looked. It felt very familiar. "This looks a bit like the ritual diagram used by the Mutual Aid Society at the old factory..."
"Yes," Bureau Director Lei said. "However, this one is from three years ago. Turn one page further—that's the one you encountered before."
Chen Chuan turned to the next page and compared the two. He found that they were not entirely identical either, bearing subtle alterations. At that moment, a possibility suddenly crossed his mind, and he looked up at Bureau Director Lei. "Bureau Director Lei, I feel that perhaps..."
Bureau Director Lei nodded. "It is just as you think. After our comparison, the draftsman who drew the esoteric diagram for the ritual at the old factory and the one who drew for the Cult of Life can definitely be confirmed as the same person."
Here, his expression turned slightly grave. "We have reason to suspect that this person is inextricably linked to many of the esoteric rituals behind Yangzhi City's scenes. If we can ferret them out, the entire underground esoteric ritual network in Yangzhi City might not collapse completely, but it will certainly vanish for a long time."
Chen Chuan turned the thought over. From the looks of it, this person had remained hidden behind the scenes all along, and even the collapse of the Molan Company hadn't driven them off the stage.
He asked, "Bureau Director Lei, since those powerful families needed this person to draw the esoteric ritual diagrams, could it be that none of them knew who this person was?"
Bureau Director Lei replied, "They genuinely didn't know, because they sourced the person through the Two-Faced Esoteric Cult. Esoteric cults have their own rules of interaction, and the cultists of the Two-Faced Esoteric Cult were equally ignorant of this person's true identity. All we can do next is wait—wait for them to rear their head again. We believe this person is still in Yangzhi City at this moment."
Chen Chuan thought about it and thoroughly agreed. "I think so as well."
"Oh? Tell me your reasoning." Bureau Director Lei looked at him, seemingly intrigued by why he reached this conclusion.
Chen Chuan pondered and said, "I get the feeling that this person is seeking a breakthrough in technique. Just like those of us who practice martial arts, always chasing higher and stronger limits, trying to conquer peak after peak."
He pointed at the two illustrations. "To me, he also seems to be pursuing something. That spirit is expressed so intensely that it's difficult to overlook. I don't believe a person like this will back down easily without achieving their goal. Even if they suffer a temporary setback, they won't give up."
Bureau Director Lei studied him for a few moments, then said slowly, "You observed very carefully." He produced a stiff folder from his briefcase, opened it, and gestured for Chen Chuan to take a look.
Chen Chuan put down the booklet and took the folder. He found that its contents were an analysis of this esoteric pattern draftsman.
Judging by the handwriting, it appeared to be written by Bureau Director Lei himself.
It likewise concluded that this person possessed a deeply obsessive temperament and an absolute pursuit of perfection.
And after that was a concluding remark: *Such a person will never yield to temporary setbacks, and will inevitably continue perfecting their work in Yangzhi City to prove the flawlessness of their craft.*
Bureau Director Lei said in a deep voice, "The principle is the same. You fighters need to challenge opponents and overcome them; he is no different. Looking across his ritual works, they are always growing larger in scale, as if attempting to use scale to compensate for the effects lost through simplification. But the current situation in the city leaves him little room to operate.
"If he wants to complete this sort of ritual, he might only be able to find ways outside the city, or introduce outside forces to throw the city into chaos and draw away attention, buying himself the space and time to arrange the ritual. And Yangzhi City happens to harbor just such a force—one that hasn't perished even after the Molan Company fell."
Chen Chuan caught on immediately. "Bureau Director Lei, you mean the resistance organization?"
Bureau Director Lei nodded. "The so-called resistance organization in Yangzhi City has always carried out vicious attacks under the banner of opposing the government, completely disregarding the lives of ordinary citizens."
Chen Chuan nodded. During the actions of Fang Dawei's gang, there had been traces of cooperation with the resistance organization. And during the incident at the Foreign Affairs Bureau, he had witnessed their sheer recklessness firsthand—firing straight into the crowd, nothing like what they professed themselves to be.
Yet from Bureau Director Lei's words, there seemed to be factions or distinctions within this resistance organization. However, the topic was sensitive, so he didn't pursue it further.
Bureau Director Lei said, "With few clues, there's nothing we can do right now except wait. Try to look through the materials I gave you as much as possible so you know how to guard against the critical aspects. Fighters excel at direct combat, but some esoteric rituals are hard to guard against. Knowing a bit will do you good."
Chen Chuan deeply agreed. Shen Zheng had been matchless in the academy back then, yet he had still fallen victim to the machinations of an esoteric ritual.
Furthermore, aside from his inherent curiosity about occult phenomena like esoteric rituals, he knew they seemed capable of binding urban legends.
If that was possible, could urban legends be used as an alternative source of medicine?
After finishing his conversation with Bureau Director Lei, he stepped out of the car and walked into the academy. As he walked, he turned the matter over in his mind.
To say there were no clues might not actually be true.
When he inspected the bodies of the Blood Mark Gang remnants today, he had discovered several individuals suspected not to belong to the Blood Mark Gang. Because Blood Mark Gang members always bore five blood marks drawn across their chests and clothing, the two were easy to distinguish. Meanwhile, those few had nothing special on them indicating their identity.
Could those people have been members of the resistance organization?
Lost in thought, he stepped into the dormitory building. The dorm supervisor suddenly called out to him, "Student Chen, Supervisor Cheng is looking for you. Give him a call once you get back to your room."
Chen Chuan gathered his thoughts, said thanks, and returned to his room. He placed a call to Cheng Zitong. Once connected, Cheng Zitong's excited voice came through:
"Xiao Chuan, get ready. The Armor License Review Committee is arriving at the school tomorrow. They will conduct an on-site evaluation of you then. If you pass, you can collect your armor license!"
Chen Chuan asked, "An on-site evaluation?"
Cheng Zitong said, "For the most part, it's just asking you a few questions. The procedure has to be observed, or the Review Committee wouldn't have any purpose to exist."
Chen Chuan understood. After asking for the time, he said, "All right, Teacher. I'll be there on time tomorrow."
Chapter 215