Shortly after two in the afternoon, the armored car pulled up before a garden-style compound.
Chen Chuan stepped out of the vehicle and looked it over. It was a four-story villa fronted by a spacious courtyard, with a detached garage to one side and a scenic viewing terrace and attic visible at the top.
Because his identity had already been verified by the security system on the way in, the caretaker watching over the grounds swung the front gates wide the moment he saw him approach.
He walked inside, stepped up the stairs, and entered through the main doors. After glancing around, he signaled for the caretaker not to bother following him. The man bowed, backed out, and gently pulled the door shut behind him.
He looked around the interior. Furnishings and furniture were already in place, sparing him the trouble of arranging anything himself. The interior decor leaned toward an airy, brisk, clean, and fluid style, with abundant natural light that gave it an easy, comfortable feel. There would be no need to make any alterations.
Naturally, for a residence allotted to a fighter, the most important feature was the training space. On the third floor was a five-hundred-square-meter training hall laid out much like the ones at the academy.
For a third-limit fighter, this was not particularly large—standard issue, really—yet it was more than adequate for indoor practice. Besides, there was an expansive front yard outside, plus an even larger backyard.
Beyond essential rooms like the bedrooms, living room, and kitchen, the villa also featured dedicated storage rooms for medicine and weapons. Both of these areas had been specially remodeled and reinforced, much to his satisfaction. The armory in particular would be perfect for housing the weapons he had acquired previously.
Beneath the villa lay a basement with dedicated accommodations for field-interference creatures; it could easily house a resonance nest as well. Virtually every practical necessity had been accounted for.
Having completed his walkthrough, he stepped out and headed to the garage. It was not empty: parked inside was a complimentary "Ever-Victorious General," manufactured by Fenghai Company.
This vehicle fell into the mid-tier category. It sported an exceptionally massive front end, high clearance, immense power, and a spacious cabin. Its outer hull incorporated biological materials that allowed for a degree of self-repair.
Most notably, two pennants fluttered atop the vehicle, while colorful, mane-like tufts ran along the mid and rear sections. When traveling at high speeds, these trailed backward in unison, catching the eye and radiating an imposing, unstoppable aura that made the model quite popular among certain fighters.
Chen Chuan was not particularly fond of vehicles like this, but keeping it as a collectible suited him just fine.
In addition to the house itself, the company had specially assigned him four cleaners, two maintenance personnel, and a five-man squad of patrol sword guards to watch over the property. Their salaries were all paid by the company, sparing him any administrative hassle, though he was free to send them away if he had no need for them.
After taking in the whole estate, he was reasonably satisfied. Still, he did not linger. Walking out, he boarded the armored car and headed toward the Disposal Bureau.
Upon arriving at the bureau, he first handed the files Meng Shu had given him over to Director Wu. Resolute and swift as ever, the director exchanged only a few brief words with him before immediately organizing an operation to make the arrests.
Exiting the office, Chen Chuan saw a message indicating that Officer Qiu of the Assessment Department had business with him. He made his way to the reception room, where Officer Qiu asked him a few questions and ran some simple checks with specialized instruments, primarily to determine whether he had suffered any erosion or contamination from the other-world entity.
It was merely a formality. Even if a third-limit fighter were willing to succumb, in such a short window of time, no severe complications could have developed.
Officer Qiu also informed him that because he had been promoted not long ago, he would not receive another advancement in rank immediately, but this achievement would be factored into his next evaluation.
Chen Chuan did not mind much. A third-limit fighter already possessed a certain status; until a rank reached a truly high tier, any promotion was merely icing on the cake. While it came with an incremental pay raise, he was currently drawing two salaries and had just received a handsome bonus, so money was hardly a pressing concern.
Officer Qiu smiled and added, "There is one more thing. We managed to extract a few items from the head of Xu Xianwen that you brought in, Enforcement Officer Chen.
"We originally hoped to uncover useful evidence and leads to bring charges against Meng Huang, but there was nothing of that nature. Instead, we found a few personal matters..."
He tapped his boundary credential and transmitted a map file. "This location is likely where his lair is situated—an underwater cave. The bureau currently lacks suitable personnel to conduct a search. If you happen to have some free time, Enforcement Officer Chen, you might want to pay it a visit. There could be something of value there."
He smiled once more. "The case of Xu Xianwen is closed and the file sealed. In all likelihood, no one will look into it again. Whatever you happen to find there, Enforcement Officer Chen, there will be no need to report it upward."
Chen Chuan caught on immediately. A lack of suitable personnel was nothing more than an excuse. It was simply a way of handing over the rights to clear out that stronghold.
Because he had eliminated Xu Xianwen entirely on his own, and taking his recent actions into account, the bureau implicitly treated whatever belonged to the man as his personal spoils of war. In truth, it was a reward in disguise.
After storing the data away, he bade farewell to Officer Qiu and exited. Back in the armored car, he took a glance at the map. The indicated location sat near a subterranean river that, according to the analysis, connected to Lulan Lake. It seemed that had been Xu Xianwen's intended destination that day.
Well, he could head out there once he had some free time.
He first had the armored car take him back to Wuyi. Since he was only taking a brief break and matters were not yet fully resolved, he did not pick up Chaoming from Tan Zhi. He merely sent word. Tan Zhi replied that he had nothing to worry about; Chaoming was exceptionally clever and no trouble at all to care for.
Chen Chuan thanked him, promised to treat him to a meal another day, and ended the call. Then he went into the living room, picked up the receiver, and dialed home.
Given the extraordinary circumstances earlier, he had stayed on Mount Motie the entire time and only had Gao Ming relay messages via radio. Even so, calling on the telephone was the best way to put his family's minds at ease.
While he was making his call, inside a conference lounge at Ferris Wheel Company, Sister Huan stood before a light screen, using her boundary credential to contact all the members of her operational team as she manipulated the silhouettes on the display.
"These are all the targets Wu Qi identified as threats to the company," she said. She flicked her hand across the light screen, and the photographs of three individuals enlarged and appeared before everyone.
"These three," she continued, "are the ones Wu Qi considers top priority for elimination. Regardless of how it arrived at that analysis, since higher-ups want them dealt with, we will follow orders. First is this person..."
The photo of a woman in her twenties enlarged. She had dyed red hair, wore a white dress, and possessed a pure, charming appearance.
"Deng Xin, native of Huihe Island. Formerly served as an intelligence secretarial assistant at our company before leaving due to an internal incident.
"She has no real combat ability herself, having only practiced basic martial arts. However, her current boyfriend, Tu Nai, is a third-limit expert and a key pillar of the Elephant Gang.
"This means that moving against her would bring us into conflict with the Elephant Gang."
Her finger shifted across the display. "Second is Lei Guangcheng, chief of the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau in a fringe city. Word is that he will take up a post in Center City next year as deputy chief of the Center City Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau."
One operative remarked in surprise, "To get transferred from a fringe city into Center City is no small feat. He must either have massive backing or extraordinary ability."
Sister Huan then brought up the final profile, which showed Chen Chuan's photograph. "As for this one, I trust I need not say much. You all should have seen him during our clash with Wei Wusheng last time.
"He is an enforcement officer with the Disposal Bureau, a student at Wuyi, and now a security consultant for Convergence Boundary Company. A remarkably capable young man."
She glanced around. "Any thoughts on which one we should hit first?"
An operative spoke up. "Sister Huan, we have no preference. We'll follow your lead." The others expressed similar sentiments.
Sister Huan was decisive. "Then I'll choose." Her gaze fell upon Chen Chuan. With a sweep of her hand, she brushed aside the photos of the other two. "The first one we're taking down this time will be this young man."
Someone asked, puzzled, "Sister Huan, just out of curiosity—not that I'm questioning your call—why him? Wouldn't the other two be easier targets?"
Sister Huan replied, "Because the other two targets are either not in Center City or heavily guarded, making them difficult to strike. This young man, on the other hand, moves around in public frequently, completely without protection.
"Furthermore, he is only eighteen and still in a rapid phase of growth. If we go after the others first, drafting and executing those plans will take time. By the time we deal with them, two or three months might have passed. By then, his strength will certainly have grown even further, which would only make the job harder."
Looking across the group, she continued, "I am not being alarmist. I suspect the Viper Team failed precisely because they misjudged his prowess and underestimated their opponent."
She turned toward several operatives. "Analysis team, before we launch this operation, I want comprehensive intelligence and dossiers on him. The more thorough, the better. If there are records dating back ten years, dig them up."
She tapped her knuckles on the table. "We must take this adversary with absolute seriousness. Against an enemy capable of wiping out the Viper Team single-handedly, we need to be at one hundred and twenty percent!"
The operatives gave a solemn assent.
If nothing else, the Viper Team was by no means weak. Operating with proper coordination, even they would have had to treat them with caution. In particular, their commander, Xu Xianwen, was a genuine combat powerhouse with extraordinary survival capability. Yet even someone like that had failed to escape Chen Chuan's pursuit in the end, falling dead beneath his blade.
To take down a fighter of such caliber, they naturally had to exercise utmost caution.
However, hunting a target was fundamentally different from a direct frontal clash. No matter how powerful someone was, everyone had weaknesses. They would formulate an intricate, airtight plan, wait patiently for the right opportunity, and strike only when success was assured.
Chapter 401