Investiture

The person Counselor Pei spoke of was Chen Bitong, the fighter nearing the threshold of a martial artist. Chen Chuan remembered that before coming here, the mission Commissioner Liang had given him was specifically aimed at this man. At the time, Liang had said he would be assigned to the area where this man operated, and that there was no need for him to do anything out of the ordinary—simply observing and keeping an eye on him from nearby would suffice. Chen Chuan had guessed that he might be placed under the man's command. He had expected it to happen after some time had passed and after he had completed a few missions, which would look more natural. He had not anticipated an opportunity to make contact so soon. Still, since the higher-ups did not require him to take any proactive action for now, he felt no pressure and could simply use this chance to observe. "Understood," he said. Having brought this up, Counselor Pei visibly relaxed. Leaning back in his seat, he lifted his teacup to invite Chen Chuan to taste the brew, and added: "Captain Chen, once your formal appointment comes down, you will have the authority to form your own unit. Your squad must include at least two first-class enforcement officers acting as group leaders, each overseeing two team members. "Considering that you have only just entered the Confluence, you will be granted a period of acclimation. "During this time, you may recruit members on your own—either through the platform or by inviting people from outside. However, the prerequisite for joining is that they must sign a non-disclosure agreement. "If you truly cannot find suitable candidates on your end, you can submit an application, and headquarters will assign personnel to fill out your ranks. "You need not worry, either. If you are dissatisfied with certain members, you have the right to reject them. However, maintaining at least two sub-teams is a prerequisite for carrying out certain missions. "Captain Chen, if you can't find the right people, I'd suggest using the personnel assigned by your superiors first. Even if you find something unsatisfactory about them, you can always split them off and reassign them later. Plenty of people do just that." Chen Chuan said, "Thank you for the reminder, Counselor Pei. I'll take it into consideration." Counselor Pei smiled. "If you ever have any questions in the future, Captain Chen, feel free to ask me directly." Chen Chuan nodded. After having tea with Counselor Pei for a while and discussing everything that needed to be covered, Chen Chuan took his leave. Carrying the metal case, he returned to his quarters. Setting the case on the desk, he opened it to inspect the contents. Inside were rows of tubes containing special medicine. Unlike the liquid form he had seen before, however, this was a paste, displaying a pale blue-green hue throughout. This kind of substance was divided into different grades. What the outpost provided was roughly on par with what the Convergence Boundary had supplied. The only difference was that the outpost's supply could be stored for a long time and was divided into smaller, standardized portions to facilitate trade and exchange. Rumor had it that the government and megacorporations possessed even higher grades. While the specific requirements on the corporate side remained unclear, on the government side, it seemed one could only obtain them upon reaching a certain rank. Using his boundary credential, he contacted his two team members. "Come to my room for a moment." Before long, a knock sounded at the door. He walked over and opened it. Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque stood outside, saluting him. "Captain!" He returned the salute and welcomed them inside. After telling them to find a seat, he said, "The higher-ups have issued our special cultivation medicine. I called you over to divide it up." Yuan Qiuyuan started in surprise, his expression quickly turning to delight. "Already?" His eyes lit up as he stared at the medicine inside the metal case. He remembered that whenever his older sister completed a mission in the past, she had to wait a long time before receiving this stuff—once, it had been delayed for months. He had never expected headquarters to be so prompt this time. Chen Chuan said, "This is a special case; someone above looked out for us." He poured a cup of water for each of them, sat down, and continued, "Officer Yuan, Officer Qin, let's divide the medicine based on the outcome of our recent battle. "Here is what I'm thinking: the three of us will each take thirty percent, and the remaining ten percent will serve as a squad reward. Whichever member plays a prominent role in a given operation will receive the remaining share. If either of you have objections, feel free to raise them. This framework isn't set in stone; we can gradually refine it as circumstances dictate." Yuan Qiuyuan spoke up, "If you ask me, Captain, aren't you taking too little? Without you, we never could have brought down the Iron Demon. How could you take the same amount as us?" Qin Qingque agreed completely. She felt that her contribution to the operation hardly warranted such a large share. Chen Chuan said, "We are a team. An increase in any member's strength benefits all of us. I don't believe I'm giving you too much. If that's how you feel, then focus on improving yourselves and contribute more to the team going forward." He still had medicine provided by the Convergence Boundary Company, which was enough for his current needs, so he truly had no shortage of it. Besides, the amount obtained from executing missions was not particularly large in the first place. At his current consumption rate of taking a dose every two to three days, a thirty-percent share was only enough for about half a month. A little more or a little less hardly made a difference to him. It made far more sense to let his teammates take more to boost their strength. Yuan Qiuyuan said, "In that case, Captain, you should take that remaining ten-percent bonus. You're the one who took down the Iron Demon, after all. We both accept that without question." Qin Qingque said earnestly, "Captain, I agree with Officer Yuan's proposal." Chen Chuan was decisive. He nodded and said, "Very well. We'll do it that way this time." He divided the medicine accordingly. Both of them took their portions and saluted. "Thank you, Captain." Aside from the medicine, headquarters had also issued a monetary bonus, though that was of secondary importance. Fighters of the third limit had countless ways to make money. Most of those who came out here did so for the special medicine and the prospect of upward advancement. As for recruiting teammates, that was difficult to handle here. Resources in the Confluence were extremely strained, maintaining only basic communications and minimal data storage without supporting access to the network platform. He would have to wait until he left before dealing with that. Two days later, the formal orders regarding the three of them finally came down, and a simple investiture ceremony was held for Chen Chuan in the outpost's briefing hall. Yuan Qiuyuan watched from below with great envy. His own promotion to second-class enforcement officer had merely involved an update in the records, with no ceremony whatsoever. Following standard protocol, Adjutant Yao, who had come to oversee the investiture, personally draped the enforcement captain's uniform over Chen Chuan's shoulders. Cut along the lines of a military greatcoat, it hung about him like a mantle, looking commanding and imposing, clearly setting him apart from the personnel around him. Afterward, Adjutant Yao handed Chen Chuan a new side-sword, which Chen Chuan fastened to his waist. Adjutant Yao looked at Chen Chuan standing tall with his greatcoat and sword, nodding slightly in approval. Below, a round of applause broke out right on cue. Yuan Qiuyuan couldn't resist leaning over to whisper, "Officer Qin, the captain looks seriously sharp in that uniform." Qin Qingque nodded in agreement. Adjutant Yao then picked up a holstered handgun and handed it over with a smile. "Captain Chen, this is a sidearm personally gifted to you by Superintendent Qiao. Please take good care of it." He added with emphasis, "Superintendent Qiao thinks very highly of you." Chen Chuan accepted it with both hands. "Please convey my thanks to Superintendent Qiao, Adjutant Yao." Adjutant Yao smiled. "I will certainly pass along your gratitude." After the ceremony concluded, Chen Chuan returned to his quarters. He unbuckled the holster and saw a black pistol inside. Its design was unadorned, appearing thoroughly ordinary at first glance. It was a Star Order pistol. He recognized it instantly because the model was famous. It was said to be among the first batch of officer pistols produced by underground munitions factories during the overthrow of the old imperial house. It was also the very firearm used to execute the old emperor. Illustrations of it were even printed in textbooks, making it impossible not to recognize. Consequently, the weapon carried immense historical and commemorative value, and many high-ranking figures liked to carry one. Though it looked plain, it was extraordinarily rare on the outside these days. This was something worth preserving carefully. In truth, he understood perfectly well that the gun itself was secondary. By presenting it to him, Superintendent Qiao was making a statement—signaling to everyone that Chen Chuan was under his personal favor, which would spare him a great deal of trouble. It might have been genuine appreciation, or simply a way to smooth the path for the missions Chen Chuan was about to undertake. Either way, it was no bad thing. He admired it in his hands for a moment before returning it to its holster. Just then, a short message arrived through his boundary credential. He checked it. The message came from a staff member at the Logistics Office, informing him that the Iron Demon's spear he had sent over was now repaired and ready for pickup at any time. The Iron Demon's spear held considerable collector's value, which was why he had previously asked the maintenance personnel to help restore it. As a mutated weapon, it should have been very difficult to repair. But upon inspection, they discovered that whatever had happened to it, the mutated tissue had already withered away. That simplified things considerably—all they had to do was splice the shaft back together. Setting the gun aside and unbuckling his sword, he left his quarters and headed toward the Logistics Office. As he walked, Yuan Qiuyuan called him. Once connected, Yuan's voice carried a hint of excitement: "Captain, have you heard? Instructor Chen is visiting Outpost 4 tomorrow. Captain, you've heard of Instructor Chen, right?" Chen Chuan said, "Of course I have." Instructor Chen was none other than Chen Bitong. Because he had once served as an instructor training Confluence fighters, and because he had refused promotion for twenty years, his official rank remained modest. Most people simply addressed him as Instructor. Yuan Qiuyuan went on enthusiastically, "Captain, they say Instructor Chen is taking leave to head back, and every time he passes an outpost, he stops for a few days to mentor the juniors. That's Instructor Chen we're talking about! Even a word or two of guidance from him would be a blessing. I heard the outpost is holding a welcome ceremony tomorrow. Captain, are you going?" Chen Chuan knew that although his two subordinates had been assigned to his squad, neither knew the exact nature of their real mission. That was to prevent too many people from knowing and giving away the secret. Yet, setting aside the suspicions surrounding Chen Bitong, the man enjoyed an enormous reputation among the young fighters at the outpost, commanding admirers everywhere. It seemed even Yuan Qiuyuan was no exception. Chen Chuan said slowly, "I'll be there tomorrow."