The Painter

Looking out at the flowing river, Chen Chuan said, "If my guess is right, back then he probably wanted to use Molan to obtain esoteric materials, using Yangzhi City's waterways to set up an esoteric ritual. It might have been intended to encompass part of Yangzhi City, or perhaps even the entire city." Silence hung over the line for a moment. Then Bureau Director Lei's voice came through clearly, tinged with gravity. "Student Chen, please tell me everything you saw and whatever clues you found, completely and clearly. Take your time; I'm listening." Chen Chuan agreed. He recounted what he had observed during his earlier commission, connecting it with today's findings, before adding at the end, "Director Lei, I suspect that the substances leaked by Molan Company might themselves have been among the esoteric materials being utilized. If that can be confirmed, then as for the claims that this dirt can nourish the body and beautify the skin, I suspect the person behind the scenes likely leaked the rumors intentionally. And among the buyers, there might also be people arranged by him." Director Lei said, "My bureau previously examined that substance. There is still no definitive conclusion on what it actually is, but on its own, it isn't sufficient to serve as an esoteric material. However..." He continued, "Yangzhi City's water quality has unique properties. If the two combine, it's hard to say whether some special effect might be produced. That's an easy point to overlook. I will arrange for people to inspect it shortly." Chen Chuan said, "Director Lei, for this person to do something like this in the waterways near Molan Company, the company itself must have been aware. It might even have been Molan Company driving it from behind the scenes. It's just that right up until Molan Company collapsed, no major incident occurred, so in the end, it probably wasn't completed. Yet looking at the current situation, it seems this person hasn't entirely abandoned his original plan." Director Lei said, "Judging by the circumstances you discovered, if the ritual was arranged along the waterways, then it was likely meant to encompass the entire city. But that alone wouldn't have been enough—it would only count as the outermost boundary. The central area would have required a massive amount of filler, which isn't something the waterways alone could achieve..." At this point, he paused. "Hold on a moment..." Over the receiver, Lei seemed to be rustling through documents. After a while, his voice came through again, now dead serious: "If the ritual was mapped along the waterways, then the ritual on Ganlan Street earlier probably wasn't just to siphon off vitality. That was likely a cover to make it part of the grand ritual. Looking at it this way, the old factory in the west where you once stayed should have been another node. Prior to this, in both the south and north of the city, we discovered and disrupted various rituals. Although the distances aren't identical, waterways of varying sizes or underground rivers can without a doubt be found near the perimeter of each site, corresponding with them. "Viewed in this light, this person must have conceived this grand plan long ago, exercising immense patience over several years to advance it step by step, refining his craft and gradually piecing the entire puzzle together." At this point, Director Lei said mildly, "However, he spread his net too wide, and his wishful thinking was too naive. To achieve that kind of result, the Yangzhi City Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau would have to not exist." Chen Chuan nodded silently. In hindsight, even though the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau hadn't known about the plan beforehand, through their outstanding professional competence, they had still disrupted the greater part of it. Yet that was also because the bureau had an experienced chief like Director Lei. What if Director Lei hadn't been in office? Chen Chuan couldn't help but think back to what had happened to Director Lei's son three years ago. That hardly seemed like a coincidence. He thought for a moment and asked, "Director Lei, if this esoteric ritual were completed, what kind of effect would it produce?" Director Lei pondered for a moment, then said, "It's impossible to tell for now. This ritual exists in no historical record; he likely modified it himself based on local conditions. There has never been an esoteric ritual on such a scale before, and whether it could even succeed is far from certain. So perhaps not even he knows for sure. This time, he was likely only pursuing technical mastery; perhaps only after testing it would his next step be to chase specific effects." Chen Chuan said, "In that case, Molan Company may have been used by him as well. Or rather, Molan Company didn't care about the investment. Even though Molan Company is gone, it looks like he is still attempting to restore the ritual." Director Lei said in a low voice, "We have already disrupted many of the nodes. It's impossible for him to achieve the original scale of the ritual, and completing only a fraction would hold little significance. But there is another possibility... If he uses the waterways as the boundary, directing it not inward, but outward—targeting the areas and people beyond the river—then that is indeed plausible." "Beyond the river... so, outside the city?" Chen Chuan suddenly remembered the Blood Mark Gang attacking Caijia Stockade, accompanied by esoteric cultists. Could that have been for this purpose? No! That place was far too distant from the main waterways, off in the middle of nowhere. If it were laid out outward, it would likewise have to be distributed near the waterways to achieve any effect. And as for important places outside the waterways that could be utilized... A name suddenly sprang into his mind. Mount Xie! This massive mountain to the southeast was extremely close to the Bai River, and a stretch of the railway ran beneath it—the very section that had been blown up repeatedly in the past. Though it had now been repaired, there was no guarantee it wouldn't be targeted again. Furthermore, Mount Xie was one of the peaks in the Legends of the Three Mountains, a place where urban legends frequently manifested. When he eliminated that Mountain Ghost, it had been right in Mount Xie! Yet that didn't mean there was only a single urban legend within Mount Xie. If an esoteric ritual could drive and mobilize the urban legends indigenous to Mount Xie, then even if train traffic resumed through the Mount Xie section, it would become extraordinarily perilous. In particular, the resistance organization had repeatedly stirred up trouble there, and now they seemed entangled with the Blood Mark Gang and the mastermind behind the scenes. Could the crucial link lie right here? The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Once he worked through his thoughts, he shared his theory with Director Lei, who said, "Student Chen, this hypothesis is very plausible. The crux is what this person aims to achieve. Judging from his past actions, if he cannot achieve a certain effect, it holds no meaning for him." In a heavy tone, Lei continued, "Lately, ownership of the Molan Building is to be settled, and many corporate giants will come to Yangzhi. Domestic companies might choose to arrive in their own armed vehicles, but certain foreign corporations will have to take the train. The newly repaired railway line could very well be a target of attack. Even if there is only the slimmest chance of this deduction being true, we cannot ignore it. I will arrange communication with the relevant departments and discreetly verify this first." Here, he added, "If this is confirmed, we must find a way to stop it. Student Chen, we might have a commission for you when the time comes. Wait for my call." After hanging up the receiver, Chen Chuan stepped out of the phone booth and looked at the flowing water outside. He had little interest in escorting the corporate giants, but the vast majority of people riding those trains were ordinary passengers, and they were innocent. Besides, whether it was the previous incident involving Shen Zheng or the matter at the old factory directly concerning himself, the shadow of that mastermind loomed over all of them. It was only right that he return the favor. Around the same time, inside a secret safehouse in Shangbu City, Bao Yuan, a team leader of the resistance organization, was speaking on the telephone. "Supervisor Han, I'll do what I promised, but shouldn't the firearms and funds you promised us have arrived by now? "...You managed to hide out in the Chaotic Lands yourself, but the brothers left behind still have to deal with those gray dogs. For the brothers to fight and put food on the table, they need hardware... "The last batch? Don't even mention it. The gray dogs intercepted it while it was still on the road; we never got our hands on it... "Heh... I will make my move. Of everything I promised your Molan Company before, which one didn't I deliver on? "...Since we're speaking openly, Supervisor Han, you know full well what we do. If I don't step forward, the brothers under me won't respect me. Isn't that right? "So you don't need to worry about me sitting on my hands. Once I get the goods, I'll definitely move. Whether I do a little or a lot, you won't come out on the losing end either way, right? "Mm-hmm, fine, I'll be waiting. As soon as the funds and firearms arrive, we'll strike immediately... "...Just watch. This time, I'll give you a proper return gift." With a click, Bao Yuan hung up the phone. Looking up at the squad member beside him, he said, "Talked him round. The goods will arrive in a few days. Once the cash and gear are together, we'll charge back into Yangzhi City and stir up a huge storm for them." The squad member perked up. After a moment's thought, he reminded him, "Captain, that crowd from Caijia Stockade seems to be looking for us everywhere lately. Shouldn't we..." Bao Yuan frowned. "Consider it their dumb luck that the Blood Mark Gang didn't finish them off. We don't have time to bother with them right now. Ignore them." The squad member grumbled, "Captain, with them dragging their feet, there's a lot we can't pull off. And they're constantly badmouthing us to the higher-ups. Why don't we just..." Bao Yuan said sternly, "No. We can't do it ourselves. In any case, we won't cross paths with them this time. But if they actually dare come looking for trouble, we'll take them down together. Go tell the brothers to keep a low profile lately and not cause trouble for me." "All right," the squad member muttered resentfully before leaving. Bao Yuan thought for a moment, then went next door to the telegraph room. He said to the operator waiting there, "Send a wire and ask Mr. Painter if the painting can be delivered on schedule." The telegraph operator promptly sent the telegram according to his instructions. Bao Yuan did not leave, waiting there instead. Over an hour passed without a reply, yet he appeared remarkably patient. When nearly two hours had gone by, the operator finally received a response. Bao Yuan couldn't resist standing up and leaning in, asking, "What does it say?" After deciphering the message, the telegraph operator looked up and said, "Captain, the Painter says that neither tools nor canvas are lacking. The painting will be delivered on schedule."