Compensation

The medical team entered the arena and examined the unconscious victims, discovering that the chaotic brawl had left nine dead and seventeen severely injured. Most of the deceased were First Limit fighters—a far better outcome than the grim casualties they had initially anticipated. A security officer approached Senior Sun and murmured, "Sir, Gong Zhanyi of the Gong family is gravely wounded." Senior Sun instructed, "Have the medics do everything they can to keep him alive." A member of the Gong family had been attacked and critically injured aboard a Canglong Company vessel. While that could cause some minor trouble, Gong Zhanyi was not the Gong family's heir, so the matter could still be settled. "Also, take this opportunity to find out whether Wei Wusheng has any ties to them. This is very important. I authorize you to use whatever means necessary." The security captain signaled his understanding, then added, "We found Wei Wusheng's previous hiding spot. He was very familiar with the ship's layout, especially where he hid—a cargo corner that almost no one visits. Without inside information, he would never have known about that place. "Sir, could someone inside the company have...?" Senior Sun cut him off at once. "Say nothing without proof." The security captain shut his mouth immediately. Though Senior Sun had stopped him from speaking further, he knew the captain's deduction was well-founded. It was indeed the sort of thing certain factions in the company were capable of. It seemed putting him in charge of the Duomu project had stepped on a few toes. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "How are those two doing?" "After taking the medication, they're recovering," the security captain replied. "Their condition looks good for now." Senior Sun nodded. He gestured for the security captain to attend to his duties, then stepped out of the arena. At a glance, he saw Chen Chuan standing by the ship's railing, Xuejun Saber in hand, gazing out over the rolling sea beneath the night sky. Senior Sun walked over to Chen Chuan's side and said, "I've had the medical team check them over. Your classmates are fine. I had them injected with a calming agent. If there's no adverse reaction in half an hour, they'll be completely out of danger." Chen Chuan asked, "Senior Sun, what was that?" Senior Sun replied, "It's a toxin derived from a Red Sea worm. It stimulates excitement in third-limit fighters and heightens their condition..." After offering that brief explanation, he added, "But for most fighters below the third limit, it's far from harmless. Those with weaker wills can easily have their minds affected." Chen Chuan did not press the matter further. Since Senior Sun offered that explanation, he would take his word for it for now. Senior Sun turned to look at him, speaking sincerely. "Junior Chen, I checked the records and saw you recently applied for radiant light irradiation. Canglong is heavily invested in that project and serves as a primary participant. "As an expression of our gratitude and compensation for what happened today, I'll use my company authority to secure you three extra hours of irradiation time each month. This is our token of goodwill, and I hope you'll accept." Chen Chuan considered this. Senior Sun certainly intended to offer compensation, but he likely also wanted Chen Chuan—the only person who had stayed conscious through the whole affair—not to spread word of the incident. He replied, "That happens to be something I need, so I won't stand on ceremony." Seeing that he was willing to accept, Senior Sun looked noticeably more relaxed. "Junior Chen, if you ever need my help with anything in the future, you can reach me through this channel at any time." Chen Chuan noticed a new contact prompt appear on his boundary credential interface. The avatar showed a long dragon soaring through cloud banks, illuminated by a beam of bright light that left its body half-hidden, with the name Sun Zhiming underneath. Knowing this was Senior Sun, he accepted and added him. Then he asked, "Senior Sun, who is that Wei Wusheng?" Senior Sun replied, "Wei Wusheng was once a core member of the Tianshu Gang, though they expelled him not long ago. He's a martial fanatic who used to challenge renowned fighters wherever he could find them. Relying on his external conditioning jin technique, he rarely met a match. We are still investigating why he did what he did today." Chen Chuan nodded. The man had indeed been formidable; rarely had he encountered someone capable of tanking the Xuejun Saber with their physical body alone. Although he had not employed the Furnace Breathing Technique back then, he sensed that even if he had, the man might still have withstood it. There had to be specific methods for dealing with an opponent like that. He would need to keep training once he returned, and perhaps consult Instructor Zheng along the way. He said, "From what he let slip earlier, it seemed he wanted to fulfill his heart's intent." "Heart's intent?" Hearing that, Senior Sun's expression turned slightly graver. "That's crucial intelligence. Junior Chen, thank you for telling me." At that moment, someone seemed to contact him. He tapped his boundary credential and said to Chen Chuan, "Junior Chen, please excuse me. If anything comes up, just contact me directly." After shaking hands with Chen Chuan, he quickened his pace and departed. Chen Chuan stood there for a brief while before heading toward the infirmary. Halfway there, he found that outside communications on the boundary credential had fully recovered. An incoming call popped up. Seeing it was Ni Xixi, he connected, and her voice sounded in his ear: "Brother Chen, are you aboard the cruise ship Rhino Horn?" Chen Chuan replied, "Yes, I am. Officer Ni, are you asking about the violent incident that just happened on board? Not only was I here, I was directly involved." "What a coincidence! That saves us a great deal of trouble." Ni Xixi said, "Canglong Company has its own security team and wanted to handle it in-house without our involvement. But we've learned through certain channels that this is tied to Wei Wusheng of the Tianshu Gang. He's had a file with our bureau for a long time, and whenever a crime involves fighters, the Disposal Bureau has the right to intervene. "Canglong Company failed to manage things properly this time, so we'll be stepping in. Since you were involved, that makes things easy. When you have a moment, submit a report to the bureau." Chen Chuan agreed. "Then I won't disrupt your holiday," Ni Xixi said. Chen Chuan ended the call, walked a bit further, and entered the infirmary. After waiting a short while, Pan Xiaode, Tan Zhi, and Qi Huixin woke up one after another. The moment Pan Xiaode opened his eyes, he asked, "Who won? Who actually won?" Tan Zhi rubbed his head and said, "There didn't seem to be a result. I just saw someone rush up and smash the tank... Wait, why are we lying here?" Qi Huixin rubbed her temples, unable to remember what had happened. Whether due to the calming agent or the lingering effects of the toxin, the three of them had completely forgotten everything that followed. In truth, it was not just them; everyone who regained consciousness had forgotten the brawl, their memories cutting off right around the moment Wei Wusheng stormed in and shattered the aquarium. Chen Chuan said, "According to Senior Sun, the water in the aquarium contained toxins secreted by a Red Sea worm. When the glass broke, it leaked out, and all of us were affected by it." "Is that so?" Pan Xiaode said. "Junior Chen, you woke up faster than any of us." Chen Chuan looked at him, pondering whether staying conscious while everyone else blacked out seemed a bit antisocial. In the end, he merely gave a noncommittal grunt. Tan Zhi was clearer-headed now. Checking his boundary credential, he remarked, "Man, it's almost ten. The main event is ruined anyway. I say we head back and get some rest. My head's still spinning." Pan Xiaode looked disappointed. "It's such a shame we didn't get to see the match through to the end. We're heading back tomorrow, too. Who knows if we'll ever get another chance." Tan Zhi consoled him, "There'll always be another chance." Chen Chuan waited with them a bit longer. Once he saw they had mostly recovered, they left together and returned to their guest rooms. Back in his room, he washed up, drafted a report, sent it off, and went straight to sleep. Senior Sun had returned to the main cabin, where he summoned the head of the Duomu project and questioned him: "Trainee Chen today—he's only a Second Limit fighter, yet he wasn't affected by Duomu's field. Well, he took medicine beforehand to fight a third-limit combatant. Is that kind of situation normal?" The project lead thought for a moment before answering, "There are always outliers in any population. Regardless of whether someone has reached the third limit, individuals with extraordinary constitutions can potentially remain unaffected. I haven't seen this Trainee Chen in person, but judging from your words, Director, that might very well be the case. "In particular, the fact that he took medicine specifically to confront a third-limit fighter means his willpower to survive was exceptionally strong. Under such conditions, there's a strong likelihood of maintaining a degree of sanity. We haven't seen a documented case like this before, but in theory, it is entirely possible." Senior Sun nodded and asked, "How is Duomu doing?" The project lead replied, "Duomu is very stable at the moment. It's just that the two fighters' bout didn't last very long, so Duomu wasn't able to gather a complete profile of expressions and field recordings. "Later, because Wei Wusheng showed up, the field became contaminated with data from too many other fighters, especially lower-tier ones. We'll need to channel and sift through it, which could take some time to process." Senior Sun asked, "Does it pose a major problem?" "No," the lead replied. "In fact, thanks to Wei Wusheng's intervention, we might be able to add another field profile to the collection. It just isn't fully refined. Given the opportunity, we'd like to gather the rest." Senior Sun said, "Although the Duomu project is only one component of the company's grand plan, it remains an indispensable piece of the puzzle. What happened just now won't disrupt our work. I spoke with company leadership a moment ago. You can push ahead with full confidence, with no need to worry about outside interference." The project lead withdrew a hand from the pocket of his lab coat, adjusted his glasses, and said, "That's good to hear." Senior Sun patted the railing in front of him. "Every major corporation is aggressively pushing its own projects right now. To secure our place in the next era, Canglong Company must stay ahead of the pack. "Next, I will submit a proposal to the company to launch derivative commercial services based on Duomu to further refine our data. Everyone, get ready."