Action

On the morning of April 11, Chen Chuan left the Xuan Palace Building early and drove out of Center City. Heading north along National Boulevard, he eventually arrived before a highway checkpoint far from Fumu. Here, the biological field had lost its effect, and his boundary credential had gone completely silent. He did not cross the checkpoint. After parking the car, he walked over to a roadside public telephone booth. Stepping inside, he lifted the receiver, fed in more than a dozen coins one after another, and dialed a number. After a brief wait, a voice spoke from the other end: "Who are you looking for?" Chen Chuan said, "Is this the Chang Family Lodge? I'm looking for Brother Chang." After a pause, he added, "I'm Chen Chuan." "Oh, Brother Chen? I remember you." The person on the other end seemed to be an attendant who had met him before. She said, "Hold on, Brother Chen, I'll go call the boss." Before long, faint shouts and calls could be heard on the other end, followed by a flurry of light, hurried footsteps approaching the receiver. Almost the moment it was picked up, Chang Ba's booming voice came through. "Brother Chen, is that you? Haha! What made you think of calling me? I remember your letter last year said you were heading to Center City. You should be there by now, right? How are things going?" Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Brother Chang, I'm in Center City now. Everything is going well." "That's great, then." Chang Ba's exclamation carried a trace of envy. "Center City... must be nice. I've never had the chance to visit. I hear it's completely different from the outside. What do you think of it?" Chen Chuan said, "How should I put it... If you want my honest impression, it feels as though a devil is sleeping right next door to every person in Center City. Sometimes humans turn into devils, and sometimes devils turn into humans." Chang Ba couldn't help opening his eyes wide and clicking his tongue. "Is it really that extreme? Then again, it doesn't sound entirely exaggerated. Sigh, if Center City is like you say, why does everyone want to go there?" Chen Chuan replied, "Perhaps because there are stairs leading to the sun here too." Chang Ba thought about it for a moment, then said solemnly, "Understood." "Still, not everyone wants to go. You don't want to, do you, Brother Chang?" "Of course! Of course I don't, hahaha..." Chang Ba chuckled for a bit, then cleared his throat and asked curiously, "Brother Chen, is there something you needed when you called?" Chen Chuan asked, "Is Teacher He there?" "Uncle He? Yeah, he is. You looking for him? I'll call him over. Hold on!" Chen Chuan waited patiently. More than ten minutes later, the receiver was lifted, and He Xiaoxing's deep, steady voice came through: "Trainee Chen?" Hearing that voice, Chen Chuan could immediately picture the tall, imposing figure with loose hair behind the receiver. He said, "Teacher He, it's me. Your student plans to make a move on Zhao Qian soon." He Xiaoxing did not ask for reasons, only inquiring in a low tone, "What do you plan to do?" Chen Chuan outlined his ideas and general execution plan. Since several parts were rather complex, he provided additional explanations. Finally, he said, "I'm still missing one key element, Teacher He. I need a photograph of Senior Shen." He Xiaoxing said in a heavy voice, "I'll mail it to you in the next couple of days. Once you've finalized the date and time of the strike, remember to send them to me by telegram." Chen Chuan's heart stirred. He agreed and ended the call, hanging up the receiver. He had caught He Xiaoxing's implication—it seemed the man intended to take part in this. Then again, among those involved in causing Shen Zheng's death back then, Zhao Qian was indeed the only direct participant who was still out there unscathed. It was truly time to draw a definitive close to this matter. Stepping out of the booth, he returned to his Jiade car, started the engine, and drove back toward Center City. Fifteen minutes later, as Center City grew increasingly distinct amid the sea fog ahead, his boundary credential began to recover. He contacted Gao Ming, who was waiting for word: "Gao Ming, we can begin." *** April 14, the Lianwei Heavy Control Company Building. Zhao Qian was speaking with a business client when an urgent transmission suddenly broke in from his assistant. Highly displeased, he apologized to the client before answering, "What is it?" His assistant's tense, hurried voice came through: "Supervisor, people from the Internal Audit Team have come up. They're already on their way to your office." Zhao Qian's expression tightened. What were they doing here? The Internal Audit Team was a review unit stationed by headquarters in Center City, Jibei Circuit. It served to record, report, and supervise, as well as convey and carry out headquarters' decisions when necessary. Normally, however, it maintained little presence and would never appear before him unless... From outside came the female assistant's hurried attempts to stall them, followed by approaching footsteps. The office door was pushed straight open, and three people wearing dark company uniforms walked in. There were two men and one woman, with distinct inset wiring across their cheeks and not a trace of expression on their faces. One of the men came forward, feet set slightly apart before the desk. Once Zhao Qian rose to his feet, the man spoke in a strictly businesslike tone: "Supervisor Zhao. This morning, the company received an investigation inquiry from the Disposal Bureau regarding you, accusing you of suspected involvement in the murder of a Disposal Bureau candidate. We are conducting this inquiry on behalf of headquarters. Please provide a reasonable explanation for this matter." Zhao Qian's heart skipped a beat, but his face betrayed nothing abnormal. In a deep voice, he said, "I apologize for troubling headquarters, but this is a complete fabrication." The woman standing at the rear immediately jotted down his answer with a pen, one hand resting on her boundary credential as if communicating with someone, exerting an invisible pressure. The man looked at him, continuing to question him expressionlessly: "The Disposal Bureau demands that you comply with their summons within two days for an investigative interrogation. Do you have anything to say to the company?" Zhao Qian said solemnly, "Please convey to the board of directors that I will handle this matter promptly and will not allow the company's business to be affected." The man said, "Supervisor Zhao, we will convey your words faithfully. The company will assess your operational competence and determine its stance regarding your handling. The evaluation form will be delivered to you within two days." Zhao Qian said, "I will comply with the company's arrangements." The man said, "The inquiry is concluded. Supervisor Zhao, Director Xing wishes to speak with you; please watch for incoming communications shortly. Farewell." With that, the three turned and walked out without looking back. Once they left, Zhao Qian's face darkened immediately. He had no idea what had gone wrong. How had he exposed himself? Just how much did the Disposal Bureau actually know? Logically, his commission had gone through an intermediary platform; there was no way it should have traced back to him. Yet dwelling on that now was pointless. He had to figure out how to handle this mess. He first contacted Director Xing. Though nominally the highest executive of the Center City branch, this director rarely worked here, spending most of his time at headquarters. Once the connection went through, an impatient recorded message played: "Zhao Qian, whether you did this or not, settle it quickly. The company's escort mission for this month is right around the corner, and I don't want to hear any more news like this before or after it." With the recording finished, the line immediately cut off. Zhao Qian stood with a cold expression, pondering for a moment. He walked to the window and contacted an operative. Once connected, he asked, "How is the investigation going?" "Boss, nothing unusual so far. His daily routine is extremely regular, and he hasn't been seen meeting anyone out of the ordinary. The only exception, well, is that he visits Mount Motie once a month. I checked into it, and that's likely a teacher arranged for him by the Disposal Bureau. But the security inside Mount Motie is tight, so I haven't been able to determine that person's exact identity yet." Zhao Qian said in a heavy voice, "Since you don't have results yet, suspend the investigation for now. Wait for my word." "Sounds like you've got troubles on your end, Boss. Understood, I'll stop right away." Zhao Qian took a deep breath. He could not make any more moves against Chen Chuan for the time being. Now that the Disposal Bureau had brought the matter into the open, they would surely keep their eyes on him. Even the slightest stir would trigger greater trouble. Yet having just smoothed over the earlier problems, being targeted by the Disposal Bureau again was enough to set those within the company eyeing his position buzzing with ambition once more. He had to resolve this promptly. After weighing his options carefully for a long time, he used his boundary credential to contact another person. The call connected after a moment, but no sound came through. Knowing the other person was listening, he said, "Help me one more time." Before long, a frail girl's voice answered: "What do you want to do?" Zhao Qian said calmly, "The company's evaluation season is right around the corner. I need to smoothly complete this quarter's final escort mission. After that, I will apply for a transfer out of Jibei Circuit and vacate this position." Seeing no response, he added, "I know you despise me, but I am important to you. Out there, you don't have a single person you can trust. No matter how much you loathe me, I can still serve as your eyes, ears, and helping hand on the outside." After a long pause, the girl's voice spoke again: "Fine." Having ended the call, Zhao Qian stared coldly ahead. This was far from over. Two days later, on April 16, Zhao Qian left Lianwei Heavy Control Company and took a car to the Disposal Bureau alongside his private solicitor to undergo an investigative interrogation. Ever since Molan Company fell, he had been here several times already. This time, the Disposal Bureau was just as unyielding, even demanding during questioning that he surrender his boundary credential for inspection. However, his private solicitor rejected the demand on grounds of risking the disclosure of corporate secrets, and demanded that the Disposal Bureau produce substantive evidence for their accusations rather than intimidating his client. The bureau officials merely presented a few ambiguous pieces of evidence, but their words heavily implied that as long as he cooperated to a certain degree, they would stop troubling him both now and in the future. Zhao Qian understood what the Disposal Bureau wanted from him, but giving in would be the worst choice. Without his status as a company manager, he would be worthless to the bureau, making him far easier to manipulate. Holding his ground, on the other hand, was the only way to protect himself. Thus, he offered not the slightest concession. The Disposal Bureau clearly hadn't expected him to yield in one go either. After detaining him for a full twelve hours, they finally released him, ordering him to return the following day for continued questioning. At that very moment, Chen Chuan had already received the outcome from Ni Xixi. He said to Gao Ming, "Just as expected, the Disposal Bureau has no intention of dealing with Zhao Qian directly." Gao Ming said, "It was anticipated. A middle manager in charge of major operations holds substantial value, so the Disposal Bureau won't give him up easily. Taking Zhao Qian down would sever a lead. Fortunately, he's now out in the open and can't make a move against you anytime soon, Cousin. "Even if he wanted to, he'd have to wait until he leaves the city. If another attack were launched against you while he was away, he could clear himself of suspicion and ensure that Jibei Circuit's Center City wouldn't pursue him for the time being." Chen Chuan said calmly, "He won't get that chance." Just then, Wu Bei's excited and nervous voice came through the boundary credential: "Brother Chen, he's out of the Disposal Bureau." Chen Chuan said, "Good. Brother Wu, I'll leave what comes next to you."