The Gift

Unconstrained by terrain and able to travel in a straight line, the airship moved far faster than an off-road vehicle. Of course, they still had to land and rest whenever night fell, as the anomalous phenomena of a Confluence night were not something one could avoid simply by staying in the sky. Even so, it took them only two days to return to the Fortress 4 Outpost. The airship had barely come to a halt when Garrison Commander Lai came aboard with his soldiers and said to Chen Chuan, "Captain Chen, I have orders to take custody of Fei Tong. He's in my hands from here on." Chen Chuan made a gesture, signaling Yuan Qiuyuan to bring the prisoner out from the back and hand him over to Lai Wu. As he handed him over, Yuan Qiuyuan remarked, "Keep a close eye on him! It wasn't easy catching him and dragging him all the way back here, so don't go letting him die." Expressionless, Lai Wu had the fighters behind him step forward and take the still heavily injured Fei Tong away. Chen Chuan led his squad down. After giving a few instructions, he dismissed them on the spot. His squad members saluted him, then split into small groups and headed off to the outpost's recreational lounges to unwind over drinks. Chen Chuan went alone to the operations room, where Ding Mou, the operations staff officer, was already waiting. Chen Chuan handed over a report he had drafted along the way. Ding Mou had already learned of the situation through telegrams, so after taking the report, he skimmed it briefly and set it aside. "Captain Chen," he said, "your squad completed the mission swiftly and in the nick of time, preventing massive potential casualties and losses. More importantly, you caught the mole. On behalf of the outpost, I thank you." "Just doing my duty," Chen Chuan replied. Pausing for a moment, he asked, "Has the outpost confirmed that Fei Tong is indeed the traitor?" "He's not the only one, but it is confirmed that he was one of the conspirators involved." Chen Chuan nodded. Having turned in the mission report and completed the formalities, he left the operations room. Just then, a message arrived from Counselor Pei over his communicator, informing him that since the year was drawing to a close, his batch of special medicine for this period would be issued within the next few days, so he should just wait a short while. Chen Chuan knew that according to the usual regulations it wouldn't be processed so quickly; Counselor Pei's faction must have pulled strings behind the scenes. Chen Chuan sent back a message expressing his thanks. Returning to his quarters, he rested for two straight days. On the twenty-first, Counselor Pei contacted him, saying that he had brought the medicine over and asking Chen Chuan to drop by the conference room. Chen Chuan arrived at the conference room where they had met twice before. Counselor Pei shook his hand, invited him to sit, personally brewed him a cup of tea, and sat down on the sofa across from him. "With this mission concluded, the outpost won't be assigning any tasks to your squad around the New Year," Counselor Pei said. "You may return to Center City, Captain Chen. Once there, your primary mission will be to make contact with Chen Bitong. Since he invited you to his training and guidance class, do not let the opportunity slip by. Do your best to build a good relationship with him." Chen Chuan asked, "How will my squad members be arranged?" Counselor Pei replied, "After the New Year, if they wish to take part in missions, I will find a way to arrange assignments for them. Once you rejoin the squad, they will remain your teammates. If they prefer not to, they can remain on standby for the time being. However, all of this will depend mainly on your opinion, Captain Chen. You can put forward whatever thoughts you have." Chen Chuan pondered for a moment. "That arrangement works fine." Counselor Pei lifted a metal case from by his feet and placed it on the table. "As for this batch of special medicine, feel free to allocate it as you see fit, Captain Chen. Oh, that's right—there is another item that was mailed to you. Remember to check for it once you get back." "What is it?" Chen Chuan asked. Counselor Pei merely smiled. Seeing that he wasn't going to say, Chen Chuan didn't press the matter. After drinking a few cups of tea and chatting about outpost affairs, he took the special medicine and left. Once Chen Chuan had departed, Counselor Pei's expression turned solemn. He returned to his private quarters, unlocked a cabinet with a key, took out a radio transmitter marked with a special serial number, and began sending out a message: "Enforcement Officer Chen returning before year-end, preparing to approach target. Time: December 21st, 2:10 PM. Sender: Wasp." Back in his dorm, Chen Chuan called over his two squad members and distributed the special medicine along with the bonuses that had been credited to his account. As for the rest of the squad, their bonuses were disbursed directly by the outpost. Receiving his medicine, Yuan Qiuyuan said with a beaming smile, "See, I told you it's best to stick with Captain! I've never heard of medicine being handed out so readily anywhere else." Qin Qingque nodded in earnest agreement. Having a military background, she knew full well that special medicine was rarely distributed so promptly. Chen Chuan smiled and said, "It's the end of the year, so the higher-ups are showing consideration for our hard work. Aside from this, I called you two here today to discuss one more thing." He paused briefly. "After the New Year, I will likely be staying in Center City for a while, which may affect my participation in outpost missions. What would you two like to do?" Yuan Qiuyuan replied without hesitation, "Captain, like I've always said, I won't acknowledge anyone but you." Qin Qingque also said seriously, "Captain, we are your team members. We'll wait for you to come back." Both knew that following the right person made all the difference. Although Chen Chuan had only led them twice, had he not charged at the very forefront every single time? Moreover, he possessed outstanding abilities, acted fairly, and looked out for his subordinates. Where else could one find such a captain? Although they hadn't been here long, they had picked up on how things worked. Some captains worked their subordinates to the bone, only to turn around and do everything they could to withhold medicine quotas, barely treating them like human beings. In contrast, serving under Chen Chuan was truly a blessing. Nothing could induce them to transfer to another squad. Chen Chuan looked at them, and seeing how resolute they both were, said, "Since that's how you feel, we'll arrange it that way. Once I return, we'll resume our missions together." Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque rose together and saluted him. "Yes, Captain!" After settling his affairs at the outpost, Chen Chuan boarded the train the next day, seen off by his squad members, and journeyed from the Confluence back to Center City. Because he was an enforcement captain, even without Counselor Pei accompanying him this time, he was entitled to a private compartment, along with an attendant at his service whom he could summon for anything he needed. No wonder so many people schemed for promotions; the treatment really was completely different. After leaving the outpost and traveling for a day, the train entered the tunnel leading back to Center City. This time, however, he saw another train cross the tunnel junction, heading in the opposite direction. In that brief glimpse, he spotted numerous figures inside. It looked like an armed military unit, accompanied by well-dressed individuals wearing imported formal attire. They seemed to be corporate people; where they were heading was anyone's guess. The two trains sped off in different directions, quickly flashing past each other. Before long, the train pulled into the platform and slowly ground to a halt. Carrying his suitcase, he stepped down. As he passed through the security checkpoint, a chime rang from his boundary credential, followed by a female voice speaking in his ear: "Returning personnel from the Confluence detected. Name: Chen Chuan. Status: Enforcement Captain. Activation index: Zero. Personnel cleared for passage." The voice grew slightly more humanized: "Welcome back, Captain Chen." Chen Chuan straightened his peaked cap, tidied his clothes, stepped out from the checkpoint, and walked up along the passage. Last time, he had descended from here. However, he had come to learn that stations throughout Center City actually had special passages leading to the Confluence that remained closed under normal circumstances. Those passages were guarded twenty-four hours a day and monitored under Fumu's field; only personnel who had visited the Confluence were permitted entry. In truth, this was designed so that in an emergency, combat personnel scattered across Center City could rush back to the Confluence more rapidly to join the defense. Emerging onto the parking plaza, the cacophony of Center City and the advertisements flashing on giant screens flooded into his senses all at once, yet oddly enough, the spectacle put him considerably at ease. In the Confluence, every corner one entered or exited was a military zone. Once night fell, one had to avoid moving about as much as possible; even staying inside a fortress carried danger, and the atmosphere never truly allowed anyone to let down their guard. Still, as the two worlds drew ever closer and the Confluence expanded, there was no telling what fate ultimately awaited both this place before him and that distant realm. Locating his Jiade car, he pulled open the door and slipped inside. As he started the engine, he sent out a voice message to his acquaintances, letting them know he had returned from his mission. This time, he didn't head straight back to the Xuan Palace Building. Instead, he first drove to the residence the company had granted him, planning to drop off the spoils and souvenirs he had brought back. As he pulled into the property, one of the residence's maintenance staff informed him that a parcel had arrived two days earlier and had been placed in the garage. Chen Chuan thought it over. He recalled Counselor Pei mentioning that something would be mailed to him. Could it be this? What could it be? He couldn't help feeling a tinge of curiosity. Driving into the garage, his eyes immediately caught sight of a large wooden crate sitting there, roughly two meters on each side. Once the car was parked, he got out and walked up to the crate. When he pulled out the securing wooden pegs, the crate's panels fell outward to all four sides. Amidst the rising puff of dust, an object draped in a dust cloth was revealed. Reaching out, he pulled the cloth away to find a suit of iron armor arranged in a seated posture. At a glance, he recognized it: this was Iron Demon's iron armor. The complete suit was propped up on an articulated mannequin, complete with an iron mask, helmet, pauldrons, cuirass, vambraces, belt, faulds, greaves, tassets, and leather boots. It had clearly undergone meticulous restoration: not only did the armor plates gleam brightly, but an outer surcoat had also been draped over it. He noticed that the armor sat upright with one hand raised to the side in a gripping gesture, though it held nothing at present—what was missing was undoubtedly that long spear. Excellent. Knowing that he liked collecting weapons, they had delivered an entire "weapon rack" right to his doorstep. It was truly making a whole batch of dumplings just for a drop of vinegar. Still, he liked the gift very much. This couldn't be left here; it belonged in his weapon collection room. Chen Chuan grasped the support stand underneath with one hand, lifted it, and carried it out of the garage and into the residence.