Disposal

As Chen Chuan drew closer to the incident location, he could hear intense firefights breaking out from time to time in the distance. The streets were filled with crowds evacuating in panic, and vehicle collisions had occurred in some spots. At that moment, the ornamental trees on both sides of the street suddenly shook, and insects flew out from within. Each was the size of a fist, possessing powerful mandibles and blade-like prolegs. Once out, they hovered around the storefronts, intimidating every passerby and deterring pedestrians from approaching. These were "Reapers" produced by the Compound Eye Company. Such combat weapons served as supplementary urban security, but they remained in only a few locations—only shops and residences covered by security insurance enjoyed immediate protection. As for everyone else, these combat weapons paid them no heed; on the contrary, they would attack anyone who drew close at such a time. Chen Chuan withdrew his gaze and checked his boundary credential. The site of the incident, Taowo Market, was a second-hand supermarket. The attackers' purpose in choosing that location remained unclear; people who shopped there were hardly wealthy, and most of the goods were merely cheap second-hand wares. Not far away, however, was an exchange house, which held a large quantity of truly valuable goods. After rounding another street corner, he spotted the location: a five-story building. The security patrol guards had already cordoned it off, but right now they were taking cover behind vehicles and buildings. The attackers inside the building seemed to possess deadly marksmanship, pinning them down so thoroughly that none could lift their heads. Although the patrol officers were numerous and could theoretically have had one group draw attention while another breached from a different angle, they had discovered through the information platform that two of the perpetrators were second-limit fighters. Consequently, not one of them was willing to charge in. Closing in to apprehend fully armed fighters was something where even someone of the same limit could not guarantee their own safety. They would rather wait for someone capable of handling it to arrive. In any case, the patrol platform had already notified them that someone who could handle it would be there shortly. When Chen Chuan arrived and his identity registered on the security patrol team's boundary credentials, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Carrying the Xuejun Saber, he walked over and came to a stop before the building on his own. He looked up. Several jagged holes were punched through the second-floor windows, and faint shadows flitted past inside. The explosion had evidently occurred on the third floor, where billows of black smoke still poured out. The holographic displays here were still functioning: out in front spun a figure-eight flying saucer, rainbow flames swirling within it while it blared out a cacophony of advertisements. Yet the surrounding crowds had long since fled or been evacuated; only the noise echoed repeatedly over the deserted street. According to the boundary credential's prompts, all four individuals were holed up on the second floor, positioned across different directions. Chen Chuan, however, caught the faint sound of arguing; it seemed they were bickering among themselves, one side blaming the other. Just then, a sensation stirred in him. He raised a hand. A faint vibration registered against his palm as a deafening boom sounded beside his ear, making the entire street seem to rattle in response. A spent slug dropped from his palm and clattered at his feet, chiming crisply against the street pavement. Inside the building, hurried and furious shouts erupted. Chen Chuan lowered his hand and looked upward. His center of gravity shifted downward slightly. In the next instant, his figure vanished abruptly from the spot. The security patrol officers' vision blurred, and immediately afterward, a glass window on the second floor shattered in a sudden burst. This time, Chen Chuan opted for a direct frontal breach. Leaping from the ground, he reached the second floor in an instant. As he crashed inside, countless shards sprayed inward along with him. Flanking the window had been two men aiming their guns outside. Seeing the glass fragments spraying in, they didn't even blink; instead, they swung their muzzles toward Chen Chuan and began pulling their triggers again and again. Chen Chuan didn't even bother to dodge, letting the bullets pelt his body. The slugs deflected and dropped away harmlessly. The instant his feet hit the floor, the tiles beneath him fractured, and he lunged violently to one side. The gunman on that side was merely grazed in passing by Chen Chuan's hilt, yet his torso bent past its limit, and he flew sideways through the air. Behind this man, a lithe, muscular man was revealed—one of the fighters, and Chen Chuan's primary target. Seeing Chen Chuan rush toward him, the man showed no intention of retreating. His bloodshot eyes glared unblinkingly, clearly under the influence of stimulant drugs. The moment Chen Chuan closed into striking distance, the man roared furiously and thrust a dagger straight at him. In Chen Chuan's eyes, even high on stimulants, the man was still far too slow. With a simple lift of his hand, Chen Chuan caught the incoming arm, hoisted the man into the air with a single jerk, and slammed him savagely into the floor! With a heavy thud, spiderweb fractures radiated across the floor where he landed. Tissue fluid and blood sprayed together from the man's nose and mouth. Under the combined force of the impact and Chen Chuan's jin, both his implants and armor plating shattered simultaneously. As Chen Chuan pressed forward, the remaining two pivoted their firearms and shot frantically in his direction. Chen Chuan did not linger in place, darting straight toward the other fighter. That fighter seemed entirely indifferent to his companion's fate; seeing Chen Chuan approach, he tossed aside his pistol, drew an expandable baton from his waist, and charged forward of his own accord. Yet halfway through his charge, his movement suddenly halted. The Xuejun Saber, sheath and all, impaled him straight through the abdomen. Under the influence of drugs and implants, however, despite having his torso run through, he retained some combat capability. He clamped one hand tightly onto the scabbard while pulling the rifle slung over his back with the other, raising its muzzle. At that exact moment, Chen Chuan stepped back with a sharp sidestep, drew the Xuejun Saber from its sheath, and spun into a fluid circular slash. With a flash of blade-light, the man's head flew cleanly into the air. At the same time, Chen Chuan flicked his wrist toward the opposite direction, sending a pebble whistling through the air. The head of the last attacker hiding behind a shelving unit snapped back as the flesh on his forehead exploded, exposing the reinforced skull beneath. Swaying like a drunkard for a few steps, he collapsed headlong onto the floor. Chen Chuan then slid the Xuejun Saber back into the scabbard still lodged behind him. With a metallic snick, the blade seated into its sheath. Gripping it, he pulled lightly, freeing the weapon as the headless corpse behind him swayed and thudded to the floor. He surveyed his surroundings. Seven or eight corpses lay sprawled across the floor, presumably customers who had been caught here. Not far off was a second-hand implant stall; the vendor's head had been blown apart, the bullet evidently fired straight through the narrow transaction slot. Yet the goods on the shelves remained untouched, with no sign of looting. After confirming that there were no remaining assailants, he connected to the platform through his boundary credential and reported, "All attackers have been neutralized. Requesting handover." The mechanical voice of a non-active conscious entity sounded immediately through the boundary credential: "Received. Verifying situation... Submitting request to the Disposal Bureau... Please wait..." After only a moment, Ni Xixi's voice came through: "Not bad, Trainee Chen! Handled so quickly. You're far more proactive than the other two trainees. I have high hopes for you." Chen Chuan walked to the window, looked into the distance, and said, "I get the feeling there were more than four of them." Judging from these men's weapons and gear, this didn't look like an impromptu crime in any sense. But if their only goal was targeting a second-hand goods market, it made no sense to go through all this trouble. Ni Xixi said, "Quite sharp, Trainee Chen! We tracked down several of their accomplices. They did indeed have a big job planned for today, and colleagues from the bureau have already been dispatched to deal with it. You can just confirm on your boundary credential and leave; let the city patrol team take over the rest." Chen Chuan acknowledged, made the confirmation on his boundary credential, and walked downstairs. Ni Xixi continued, "By the way, Brother Chen, let me tell you something. The bureau opened an account for you on the trading platform and wired a sum of money into it. Also, the bureau issued some gear for you. I figured you wouldn't have time to come pick it up, so I had it sent to your academy. Remember to sign for it when you get back." "A sum of money?" Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "What's this for?" The Disposal Bureau's investment was academic support meant to facilitate his combat cultivation; they would never simply hand him cash. Ni Xixi said with righteous indignation, "Didn't Gong Zhanyi's security forces fire at you back then? Opening fire recklessly at someone from the Disposal Bureau—who gave him the nerve? Of course we had to demand an explanation. He paid an apology fee to the bureau, and this portion is compensation specifically for you. Don't worry, it was handled strictly by the book." Although the Gong family claimed they hadn't known Chen Chuan was with the Disposal Bureau and were only trying to eliminate Xiong Jianyi, the issue was that they had used field interference, and the wanted fugitive was indeed hidden in their convoy. That was deeply suspicious, so they could never have gotten away without paying a price this time. Having understood, Chen Chuan expressed his thanks and ended the call with Ni Xixi. Finding a nearby stop, he took the tram back to the Xuan Palace Building. By the time he returned to his dorm, it was past eight in the evening. The mailed package had already arrived. After signing for it on his boundary credential, he opened it to find a tailored Disposal Bureau uniform. This was no ordinary garment; it provided protective functionality. Its design bore some resemblance to a military uniform, looking sharp and tailored, accompanied by an overcoat capable of covering most of the body. Resting atop it was a peaked cap, paired with a full-face mask. Delivered along with it was a non-implant boundary credential, a tier above his Yuxiang model and worth at least five figures to purchase. This boundary credential came with a neck guard fronted by a mere thin membrane that could integrate seamlessly with the mask. Moreover, it boasted more features: it could help him discern specific scents, interface with the platform field to render human silhouettes, and pick up distant sounds whenever he focused his attention. For instance, earlier today while downstairs, had he possessed this device, he could have heard the attackers' discussions clearly. These items possessed immense practical utility, designed specifically to facilitate law enforcement. Checking his account now, an extra ten thousand yuan had appeared in the balance. That was no small amount, and completely free money at that. In that case... he pondered whether he could use this to apply to the academy for a session of radiant light irradiation.