Lianwei Heavy Control

Two hours later, Wu Bei drove back. This time he had gone to Old Qi's home first to pick him up and bring him along. Once both men stepped into the building and exchanged a few words, they loaded all the remaining useful items into the vehicles in a single haul. The civet stone carving was particularly heavy, requiring Wu Bei's truck to transport it. Chen Chuan planned to drive the sturdy Jiade car, which was resistant to bumps and scratches, while Old Qi drove the Silver Lightning. Settling into the comfortable driver's seat, Old Qi clicked his tongue in admiration. "I've never driven such a luxury vehicle before. It's thanks to you, Brother Chen, that I get to take it for a spin." He sighed wistfully. "If I were a dozen years younger, I'd have taken this car for a couple of victory laps around Center City." Chen Chuan smiled. "I already talked it over with Brother Wu. The car will be parked in his garage, and the key will stay right there. Take it out whenever you want, Old Qi." Old Qi waved his hands dismissively. "No, better not. A scruffy bird has no need for a fancy cage. A car like this just isn't right for me." Chen Chuan smiled and returned to the Jiade car, pulling open the door and sliding inside. He had picked up basic driving skills out in the wilderness, so handling it was no challenge, and with his reaction speed, he had no fear of running into trouble. Thinking about the civet stone carving, he asked through his boundary credential, "Old Qi, can you still get your hands on those esoteric cult materials like last time?" Old Qi thought for a moment before replying, "Should be fine." Chen Chuan transferred a sum of money to him and reminded him, "Old Qi, if there's any trouble, put out a commission rather than putting yourself in harm's way." "Understood," Old Qi explained. "To be honest, in the past it was about the money, and I was scared of getting dragged into trouble down the line. But with you backing me, Brother Chen, I'm not worried anymore." Chen Chuan said, "Good. If anything goes wrong, let me know right away." "Will do." The headlights of all three vehicles flickered to life one after another against the pouring rain. They drove slowly down the hillside path, and once they hit the main road, they accelerated into the distance. Forty-five minutes later, the convoy returned to Wu Bei's residence. They unloaded everything into the temporary storage unit. Chen Chuan looked at the packed storage room, which also held the medicines he had brought back from Instructor Wu's place last time, and couldn't help wondering whether he should find another secure stronghold. For now, the conditions weren't right. Finding a building was easy, but ensuring its security was the real challenge. Without adequate security, he would just be hoarding supplies for someone else. It would have to wait a little longer. He walked over to the civet statue. The urban legend had recently consumed an offering, so it posed no immediate problem, but there was no telling how long that would last. As soon as Old Qi secured the esoteric cult materials, he needed to find a way to bind it securely, or smash the carving and relocate it elsewhere. Then again, maybe there was another way... An idea came to him, though it would have to wait until the materials arrived. After saying goodbye to Wu Bei and Old Qi, he walked out of the apartment complex, climbed into the Jiade car, and drove straight back to the academy. Upon entering the Xuan Palace Building's premises, he registered his information on the platform through his boundary credential. Guided by the system, he parked in the underground garage and took the elevator back to his dormitory on the forty-ninth floor. Inside, he headed straight to the washroom to clean up. Once dried and refreshed, he changed into clean clothes, picked up the boundary credential he had tossed onto the sofa, and put it on. This time, the recorded message came through smoothly. It contained only a few brief words: "Go look for 'Round Fatty.'" What did that mean? Was "Round Fatty" a person, or a codename? Chen Chuan pondered. Since Youxing had left this behind, it had to be an obvious clue, or at least it seemed that way to Youxing. Realizing there was no point in guessing blindly, he decided to ask someone who might know the ropes. He tried contacting Wu Bei first, but there was no response. He assumed Wu Bei was tinkering with the resonance nest; Wu Bei had mentioned earlier that incoming messages were blocked during calibration. After a brief pause, he contacted Ni Xixi instead, reporting that the matter was resolved and that he had uncovered some leads. Then he brought up his question. "Sister Ni, I don't understand the phrase 'Round Fatty.' It might be an alias. I thought you might know it." Ni Xixi gave a soft hum. "Well, you asked the right person. In the underground world, 'Round Fatty' refers to Lianwei Heavy Control Company." "Lianwei Heavy Control?" Chen Chuan immediately searched for the company and found that it was a well-known mercenary firm that also handled escorts and related insurance operations. He asked, "Did he use an alias instead of the company's real name to avoid something?" "Because frequent use of specific terms can be detected and tracked by these corporations, non-official personnel avoid mentioning company names directly, usually resorting to aliases. "Even then, it's hard to avoid detection entirely, since some corporations log even common aliases into their surveillance filters. That's why certain circles use underground slang. Among those, 'Round Fatty' is relatively well-known—even some executives at Lianwei Heavy Control embrace it and use it in private." Chen Chuan nodded and asked, "Do you know much about this company, Sister Ni?" Although the public platform provided some information, it was superficial. The Disposal Bureau would undoubtedly have far more comprehensive intelligence. "Lianwei Heavy Control? That company carries quite a bit of weight in Center City. They're rivals with the famous Antan Company. While they can't compete with Antan internationally, within Great Shun, they're big enough to squeeze Antan's market share." Chen Chuan remarked, "Doesn't Antan sell intelligence?" Ni Xixi paused, then burst into giggles. Even through the boundary credential, he could picture her shoulders trembling with laughter. Chen Chuan thought to himself that he had nearly forgotten how easily amused Sister Ni was. After laughing for quite a while, Ni Xixi finally composed herself. "Right, back to business." Her tone turned serious. "A massive corporation like Lianwei Heavy Control wouldn't target you individually, especially since they can easily find out that our Disposal Bureau has invested in you. Since that person pointed specifically to this company, Brother Chen, you need to consider whether you've crossed anyone who works there." Chen Chuan thought carefully, cycling through everyone in Center City who might hold a grudge against him and act on it. A specific target suddenly surfaced in his mind. He asked, "Sister Ni, could you look up someone for me?" "A fighter?" Chen Chuan said, "Yes, and likely a third limit fighter." "Then that's no problem. Unless they're backed by a corporation or organization, every third limit fighter must register with the Disposal Bureau if they want to walk the streets openly in Center City and purchase medicine. Theoretically, the bureau has records on all of them. Give me the name." Chen Chuan said, "Zhao Qian." "Zhao Qian?" Ni Xixi looked it up. A moment later, she raised her eyebrows. "Your instincts are remarkably sharp, Brother Chen. Zhao Qian, part of Lianwei Heavy Control's management, currently serving as the resident head of their External Agency Department. Well, since he's a suspect, that triggers the Personnel Defense Protocol. I'll send his internal dossier straight to you. "Just remember, Brother Chen, I won't stop you from doing what you need to do, but you must think everything through beforehand. It's best to secure solid evidence first. Otherwise, if Lianwei Heavy Control steps into the fray, it'll be difficult for the bureau to speak up for you." Chen Chuan said solemnly, "I understand, Sister Ni." "Good. And on another note, your new evaluation has been submitted. Your projected success rate for reaching the third limit has surpassed those two academy students. The bureau will likely increase its investment in you, but they'll certainly assign you more tasks as well." Chen Chuan expressed his understanding. "Thank you for the help, Sister Ni. Let me treat you to a meal sometime." Ni Xixi said, "I'll hold you to that." Chen Chuan ended the call and fell into deep thought. Zhao Qian. Before coming to Center City, he and Gao Ming had discussed this man, anticipating that he might seek revenge. Now that Zhao Qian happened to be at Lianwei Heavy Control, it was too neat to be a coincidence. He was almost certain that the client behind the hit was Zhao Qian. Youxing had probably uncovered the client's affiliation through technical means or other channels, but had lacked Zhao Qian's specific identity, which was why he had left only that keyword. Considering the commission date was March 20th—the exact day of his second evaluation—Chen Chuan had good reason to suspect that Zhao Qian had learned of his evaluation results through a contact at the academy. Viewing him as a potential threat, Zhao Qian had acted swiftly, hiring an assassin to eliminate him. Since Youxing had failed, Zhao Qian wouldn't simply give up; he was very likely to hire more operatives. The next threat Chen Chuan faced could be far more formidable and treacherous, and might even target his family and friends. Chen Chuan's gaze hardened. He needed to find a way to deal with this man as early as possible. He paced across the living room in deep thought. Even setting aside Zhao Qian's personal martial strength, as a senior executive of Lianwei Heavy Control, he would certainly be surrounded by security personnel and could mobilize corporate resources in an emergency. Dealing with such a target would not be simple. Unlike dealing with Youxing, he couldn't just launch a direct assault; numerous factors had to be accounted for. As he was turning it over in his mind, the living room telephone rang. He walked over, picked up the receiver, and said, "Chen Chuan speaking." Gao Ming's voice came through from the other end. "Cousin? I'm already at the Center City checkpoint. I'll be in Center City in an hour." Chen Chuan perked up. Checking his watch, he said, "Great. I'll come pick you up soon." *** Meanwhile, inside the Lianwei Heavy Control Company Building. Zhao Qian was attending to official business when an alert suddenly popped up on his boundary credential: "We have confirmed that the cleaner 'Youxing' has lost field interaction for six consecutive hours, confirming his death. "As the cleaner 'Youxing' was not assigned by the platform, in accordance with our regulations, twenty percent of your advance deposit will be refunded. If you still require service, please submit a new commission. Would you like the platform to recommend a candidate?"