Meng Shu walked over to the French window and looked out at the night sky. "Have you ever been back to your family's old house since then?"
"I have," Chen Chuan said. "I went back once before coming to Center City."
"I still remember that stream in front of your house," Meng Shu said. "Wading through it during the summer, the water coming up to our calves, so wonderfully cool. Back then we were carefree, with nothing to worry about.
"And that sky full of stars at night. Back then, I thought that if I took a little boat and floated all the way down the stream, maybe I could drift right into the Milky Way."
Chen Chuan walked over and looked outside as well. Even though autumn had arrived, the twinkling stars were still visible, and he couldn't help recalling the night of their class reunion two years ago.
Meng Shu crossed her arms. "Two years ago, when I returned to Center City, Grandfather told me the truth about the world. Only then did I learn that another world existed on the other side, and that the two worlds were headed for a massive collision.
"When I learned all that, I didn't show much emotional turbulence, and Grandfather was very pleased with my composure.
"Yet the only reason I reacted that way was because I felt that even though everything around me seemed close at hand, seemingly within arm's reach, none of it truly belonged to me. So no matter how the world changed, what did it have to do with me?
"The funny thing is, once I learned that some things were genuinely within my grasp, I actually felt a bit frightened. Perhaps that was because I finally had the chance to possess them.
"Xiao Chuan, did you ever feel afraid when you learned about all this?"
"Actually..." Chen Chuan gazed at the magnificent starry sky. "I even felt a touch of anticipation. Because it meant the previous constraints were no longer constraints. Perhaps one day, I'll be able to reach that place on my own."
"I should have known," Meng Shu said. "Ever since you were young, you always loved adventure stories and yearned to see the sights out there. I remember that whenever Aunt Yu told those wonderful tales, your eyes would light up every single time, as if you couldn't wait to jump right into them."
Chen Chuan thought to himself that those were the aspirations of the original body. His own aspirations, however, lay with the mysterious and the unknown—the transcendence that could shatter cages and remain free of any restraint.
Meng Shu let out a soft sigh. "In truth, I once thought about giving up. But this is no longer just my own affair. Grandfather's expectations aside, all the people following me, crowded around me, all want to push me forward. I can't stop.
"I might be able to sit at the bow of this ship, but when it can stop and where it goes—that isn't something I can decide."
Chen Chuan pondered for a moment. "Is your grandfather's intention simply to sit back and watch the competition between the two of you, where whoever wins gains the succession rights?"
"I've never known Grandfather's true thoughts," Meng Shu said. "The times I've seen him are very limited, perhaps even fewer than those around him have seen. He has many sons, yet he chose none of them, placing the succession rights on Meng Huang and me instead.
"He is the man seated at the very top of the company. The moment his decision was handed down, both Meng Huang and I had to follow his will, and the same goes for both the Meng family and everyone in the company.
"Perhaps only when I sit in his position will I know what he's truly thinking, be able to have my own ideas, and let the little boat carrying me go where I want it to go."
She looked toward Chen Chuan. "Xiao Chuan, I've never asked if you were confident, because you always seem so assured."
"Because as a fighter, all my strength comes from myself," Chen Chuan replied. "When I decide to do something, I can charge forward fearlessly against any enemy. I have full confidence in the strength I possess, because nothing is more dependable than that."
His voice was calm. Though he spoke no rousing words, it held an inexplicable power.
Meng Shu took a deep breath, looked back out at the grand expanse of stars, and said, "Perhaps you truly can reach that place. No boat needed—just relying on yourself."
With their conversation concluded, Chen Chuan returned to his villa and resumed his daily training.
And after waiting for three days,
If it were anyone else, without certain additional methods, they could never have made judgments as accurate as his, nor could they have linked things together so seamlessly.
And so he took down another...
Meanwhile, Yan Yi's speculation proved spot on. Sure enough, just a few days later, word came from the company: citing Meng Shu's insubordination as an excuse, the Meng family withdrew the security unit they had dispatched.
Yan Yi said with some regret, "Actually, this just proves there was nothing wrong with that security detail. It's a shame, but at least this confirms there's no problem on Lord Meng's end. Meng Huang must have simply persuaded a fraction of the family members; otherwise, it wouldn't stop at just this.
"Still, they won't stop here. Their next step will likely target Miss's assets within the family, or even her allocated share of income from the company.
"Fortunately, that won't be so easy. These legal matters don't produce results quickly. As long as Miss doesn't concede on her own initiative, dragging it out for a year or even several years won't be an issue. They're probably just using this to sap our energy and financial resources."
She wasn't wrong. Two more days passed, and the company sent a solicitor's letter to the estate, stating that there were disputes regarding the property rights to Meng Shu's residence and part of her income.
The estate had long been prepared for this. They granted full power of attorney to a solicitor to handle the lawsuit—not needing to win, only needing to drag it out.
Any qualified solicitor could handle such a task. Even if something went wrong with this solicitor, another could step in to replace him, so there was no cause for concern.
Around this time, Chen Chuan received a notification from Captain Guan at the Disposal Bureau.
"Meng Huang had been handling affairs within the company for some time, but over the past few days, his external interactions have grown rather frequent, and he has been appearing in public repeatedly. We suspect he may be preparing to make a move.
"Enforcement Officer Chen, stay vigilant on your end.
"Also, one piece of news: over the past few days, the Disposal Bureau registered two skilled fighters entering Great Shun from overseas, both brought in through the channels of the Ferris Wheel Company.
"There might be others under the table, however. We'll be monitoring these two closely, and we'll apply some pressure to the Ferris Wheel Company during this period. Even so, we cannot rule out the possibility that they have other means. We'll transmit some dossiers shortly containing our suspects and detailed analyses on them. Enforcement Officer Chen, please keep an eye out for the transmission."
"Understood. Thank you," Chen Chuan said.
Once the call ended, a massive amount of data arrived on his boundary credential. Having the Disposal Bureau at his back was convenient in this regard; even while stationed here at the estate, he could clearly track the developments outside.
He opened the files and reviewed them. Every individual listed was someone the Disposal Bureau deemed a potential threat to the estate.
The movements of most registered fighters could be monitored. Only those on wanted lists, criminal syndicates, or smuggled entrants were targets warranting serious concern.
This was also why the Disposal Bureau remained so guarded against experts arriving from overseas—because such individuals often had large corporations concealing their tracks.
As for the fighters hired through platforms, the Disposal Bureau had attempted to reach out to them. Many replied that someone indeed approached them recently, but upon learning their target was Chen Chuan, they all declared the risk far too great.
The strength Chen Chuan had demonstrated after his bout with Wei Wusheng was the primary reason, alongside the fact that he was openly affiliated with the Disposal Bureau.
If Chen Chuan had merely been an ordinary student without backing, they might have considered it. But there was simply no need to risk going against the Disposal Bureau for this job.
After filtering through the list, the scope shrank substantially.
Once he finished reviewing everything, he found that only three teams could truly be considered suspicious, and among them...
While he was reading, inside a certain villa on Mount Motie, a resonance nest had been set up in one of the rooms. The branches outside the nest were flashing with light. That refined, tall man stood outside, waiting.
After a long time, the flashing ceased.
The tall man stepped forward a few paces and asked, "How is it?"
The resonator inside replied, "The field is very solid. It's a professional team, very likely people from the Disposal Bureau. One team is holding down the exterior while another handles things inside. There's no way to break through."
"Didn't they say the employer arranged an insider?" the tall man asked.
"He's just one person; there's hardly anything he can do. The inner and outer teams operate independently under separate commands. If we can't breach the perimeter, reaching him is pointless."
"So that path won't work?"
"Not necessarily. If we can force the Disposal Bureau to reassign personnel, or if the employer can send a squad to support us, there might still be a chance. In any case, as things stand right now, relying on us alone won't cut it."
The tall man didn't press him. "You only need to focus on technical matters. I'll find a way to handle the rest."
He turned and established a connection through his boundary credential. "Boss, I've checked into it. There are difficulties. It's not that the boys below aren't pulling their weight—there really is an obstacle."
He explained the key issues. "If the employer isn't willing to supply personnel directly, can we raise our offer and hire from outside? All we need is to breach the perimeter and pin them down, and someone on the inside will receive us."
This was an absolute necessity for them, as the Mount Motie residential district maintained its own security system. Overhead, two small airships patrolled the perimeter twenty-four hours a day, ready to rush to any incident at a moment's notice. Shielding the field signal was therefore imperative.
After speaking with the other side for a while, he added, "...If none of that works, our only choice is to spend big money on the black market to purchase a disposable field organism to forcefully block it, though that might only last for a short duration... Understood, Boss. I'll follow your lead and prepare both options. I'll get right on it."
Chapter 378