Blooming

The Disposal Bureau's convoy drove toward the site of the incident at the martial arts hall, and the armored patrol car carrying Chen Chuan followed behind. Sun Rao seemed to receive some news around this time. After listening for a moment, he said to Chen Chuan, "Things have wrapped up over there." Chen Chuan realized he was referring to the clash between the Swordfish Gang and the Elephant Gang, and asked, "How did it turn out?" Sun Rao gave a cold scoff. "Consider them lucky. Their personal bodyguard is quite capable—managed to bring them out in one piece even through a shootout like that. But that isn't necessarily a good thing. Getting away unscathed this time is basically encouraging them. They'll definitely do it again next time. Still, that has nothing to do with us anymore." Chen Chuan nodded slightly. Based on the information Captain Li had shared, the Bureau had actually been monitoring them all along, deliberately reassigning them here and there to leave openings for Wei Wusheng and draw him out. It had originally been a solid plan, and more than half of it had succeeded. Unfortunately, they had miscalculated Wei Wusheng's strength, leading to the subsequent defeat. Rumor had it that the two third-limit fighters were both injured to varying degrees, so the Disposal Bureau operatives hadn't dared pursue him at all, terrified of being picked off alone and killed by Wei Wusheng. Yet had the Disposal Bureau really based their assessment entirely on Wei Wusheng's prior strength? That seemed doubtful. It was more likely that Wei Wusheng was simply stronger than estimated. Or perhaps... He looked outside. Perhaps after killing those two, his strength had improved yet again. Before long, the convoy reached the next incident site. The scene at the martial arts hall was not the utter mess of the previous street. The only casualty was Zhe Rong, who had collapsed headfirst to the ground while walking. The people beside her hadn't even noticed an attack, and some had initially assumed she had succumbed to an opponent's underhanded trick during the earlier sparring exchange. Only when they discovered her neck had been snapped did they realize an expert had struck. Captain Li went forward to conduct an examination. After spending a long time cross-referencing biological field data and force application methods, he finally confirmed it was Wei Wusheng's handiwork. Even though they had been braced for it, a wave of suffocating frustration still weighed on their chests. With the result confirmed, the rest fell to the city patrol. Captain Li and the others conferred with headquarters, glanced over at Chen Chuan and Sun Rao with approving nods, and then pulled out. The Bureau instructed Sun Rao to return to duty with Chen Chuan. By the time all the busywork was done, it was six in the evening. By now, dusk had fallen. Neon signs along the streets and upon the high-rises began to flicker and glow. Beneath the distant night sky, an immense Ferris wheel rotated slowly like a ring of fire. Sun Rao said, "Time for the shift change. Someone else is taking the night watch, so they won't need us. Junior Chen, how about we grab a bite first? I know a good little venison chop place nearby." Chen Chuan had no objections. The patrol car changed direction, and some ten minutes later, pulled up in a bustling commercial area lined with shops featuring cuisines from the outer oceanic islands. Sun Rao led him into an establishment whose light box read "Feng's Venison." Once seated, he practicedly ordered scallops, lobster, sea crab, sashimi, and the house specialty—stone-grilled young venison. Such dishes were usually paired with wine, but as fighters, neither of them drank alcohol, so they simply ordered two glasses of lemon juice. Before long, their dishes were served one after another. Under the bright lighting overhead, the white scallop meat sprinkled with minced garlic, the bright red lobster served over lettuce, and the golden-yellow sea crab with claws and legs tucked neatly together all looked exceptionally enticing. As for the signature dish, it arrived with a heated stone slab alongside thinly sliced young venison, accompanied by tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and dipping sauces. Sun Rao picked up a thick slice of venison with his chopsticks and seared it on the hot stone. Amid a sizzling hiss, the color shifted slightly, and he flipped it to the other side. Once that side was ready too, he lifted it amid wafting aromas, dipped it into the sauce, and popped it into his mouth. Having never dined here before, Chen Chuan picked up his chopsticks and followed suit, searing both sides of a meat slice before dipping it into the sauce. He immediately tasted a sweet, tender, and succulent texture bursting with juiciness and a subtle, distinctive fragrance. It filled his belly with a warm glow; it was indeed delicious. While they feasted, observers outside kept watch over them through boundary credentials and boundary points positioned all around. These were resonators arranged by the Disposal Bureau. In fact, this surveillance had been ongoing since they began their shift that morning. Aside from Zhe Rong and Tong Daguang, Chen Chuan could just as easily be one of Wei Wusheng's targets, so the resonators had been monitoring their situation throughout the entire day. Yet from morning until night, there had been no sign of Wei Wusheng coming after Chen Chuan. "They say this Trainee Chen fought Wei Wusheng once. Why hasn't Wei Wusheng come after him? Is he unsure of winning, or does he not dare clash with our Disposal Bureau?" "Both are possible. Hey, do you think if Trainee Chen had helped out earlier today, they could have taken Wei Wusheng down? Though I heard he needs to take medicine beforehand..." "Man, they're eating so well, and we haven't touched a thing!" "I've got a few tubes of nutritional paste here. Take the edge off first." First came the sound of tearing wrapper paper, followed by the dry sound of swallowing. After finishing their meal, Chen Chuan and Sun Rao stepped outside and returned to the vehicle. The armored patrol car's driver took Chen Chuan straight to the Xuan Palace Building, waiting until he walked inside before driving off. Only then did the resonators assigned to watch them finally relax completely. Chen Chuan rode the elevator back to his dormitory and washed up. Since Wei Wusheng likely wouldn't surface again anytime soon and he wouldn't need to report for duty tomorrow, he did some light breathing exercises before sitting down on the sofa and turning on the Fringe Channel. Today's events had caused a massive stir. Wei Wusheng had killed two targets in succession and escaped despite an elaborate trap laid by the Disposal Bureau, sparking discussion everywhere. Many analysts argued that for Wei Wusheng to eliminate his targets with such precision, a major corporation had to be coordinating with him behind the scenes—and pointed fingers at the Ferris Wheel Company based in Yinglu District. Yet others objected. Tong Daguang belonged to the Swordfish Gang, and everyone knew the Swordfish Gang was backed by the Ferris Wheel Company. Would they really kill one of their own? Many felt that was precisely the tell. What was a minor gang boss to a giant like the Ferris Wheel Company? Sacrificing a small-time boss to clear themselves of suspicion was well worth the price. Chen Chuan thought it over. A connection to Ferris Wheel seemed relatively unlikely, given that the Gong family, an overseas royal clan, was one of Ferris Wheel's primary investors. And an important member of the Gong family, Gong Zhanyi, had died at Wei Wusheng's hands; they even believed Wei Wusheng had taken an item of great importance to them. This time, the Ferris Wheel Company hadn't caused any trouble and had explicitly offered assistance, showing that they also wanted to apprehend Wei Wusheng. Then again, while the Ferris Wheel Company might want to catch Wei Wusheng, they wouldn't necessarily want to see the Disposal Bureau take him into custody. Even if they couldn't cause trouble openly, they might well throw a wrench into the works from the shadows. If so, when Wei Wusheng fled back, he might run into an ambush from the Ferris Wheel Company. While pondering this, he glanced at the ongoing discussions and noticed the conversation turning toward him. "Did you guys know? That day on the ship, Wei Wusheng originally intended to slaughter everyone in one go, but someone stopped him. It delayed him just long enough for the cruise ship's security forces to rush in and save most of the people. No one knows who that person was, though." "Anyone capable of standing up to Wei Wusheng has to be a third-limit expert. That doesn't sound very likely, does it? Even if such a person existed, it could only be Du Geng." "Right, Du Geng is the most likely!" A chorus of agreement followed below. Chen Chuan checked. This Du Geng was currently ranked highest on the betting board, widely considered the last person Wei Wusheng might possibly kill. He searched his memory. There didn't seem to be anything particularly remarkable about the man; mainly because none of those people had lasted a single move against Wei Wusheng, leaving him with little impression. As for the pattern behind Wei Wusheng's targets... He had a theory of his own. He judged that Wei Wusheng was most likely ranking his targets by their future threat and potential—not from highest to lowest, but from lowest to highest. For instance, the martial arts master killed first had decent strength, but was getting up in years and had virtually zero chance of reaching the third limit. Several fighters after him, regardless of age, felt like people who had hit a ceiling and lost their drive to climb higher. The more recent targets were somewhat different, but compared to the ones positioned lower on the betting board, the obvious gap lay in potential. Most people might eliminate the strongest adversaries first, but Wei Wusheng seemed intent on saving those with room to grow for last. And if that were true, then Chen Chuan—the one who had clashed with Wei Wusheng back then—would be the very last in line. Yet this was merely his personal thought, a gut feeling with no evidence to back it up. Even if he voiced it, there would be no way to verify it. Still, if Wei Wusheng was making strides, wasn't he doing the same? He pondered it. Lately, his own senses had grown increasingly sharp. Conveniently, he hadn't yet collected this month's precious paste, so he planned to visit Cao Guixi tomorrow to report the changes in his body. After considering the matter and browsing through the worthwhile discussions, he went to his bedroom to rest once the hour grew late. Early the next morning, he arrived at Mount Motie. Meeting Cao Guixi, he explained some of the unusual changes occurring in his body. Cao Guixi asked him a few questions, then had Uncle Ding bring out the "Zhujue Silver Cage" once more and set it before him. Chen Chuan followed the procedure from last time, focusing his consciousness onto the plant. Unlike before, after just a few moments of concentration, he felt as though he had made contact with something. Immediately, he saw the white branches of the plant before him unfurl outward in rings as colorful petals bloomed layer upon layer. Wisps of white, silver fluff drifted upward, and the entire plant began to shimmer like the sacred halo behind a temple deity, the floating silver filaments drawing the eye irresistibly. After continuing for seven or eight minutes, the faint glow suddenly dissipated, and wisps of silver...