Contact

Some of the Secret Snake Cult's high-end services required an introducer, and that introducer had to possess a certain status and standing. Moreover, they never provided home visits, so ordinary people truly had no way in. In the past, Chen Chuan had been introduced through Senior Cao. Now, with his own standing, he was more than qualified to serve as an introducer himself. Thus, he contacted Zou Handan on the spot, explaining that a fellow student wished to purchase the Secret Snake Cult's services. Zou Handan replied, "A recommendation from Mr. Chen, and a student of Wuyi Academy at that—we warmly welcome it. If needed, I can discuss it in person." Chen Chuan turned to Tan Zhi and said, "It's arranged. When is convenient for you? I'll set up a time with him." Tan Zhi hurriedly said, "That's wonderful! Why not right now?" Chen Chuan gave the address to Zou Handan, then said, "He'll be here shortly." Tan Zhi thanked him repeatedly, then let out a sigh. "There will be another round of assessments when the new semester starts. I'm terrified of getting thrown into the arena tournaments, so all I can do is redouble my efforts." Chen Chuan smiled inwardly, thinking that if Tan Zhi put the effort he spent on dancing into fighting, he wouldn't need to worry so much. "Right, I set Chaoming up in the courtyard. Follow me." Tan Zhi led Chen Chuan out of the training room and into the rear courtyard, where an exquisitely constructed tree nest could be seen perched high in a large tree. As Chen Chuan walked over, he heard a crisp chirp, followed by the fluttering of wings. A shadowy figure swooped over, landed in front of him, and cheerfully snuggled close. He looked it over. After not seeing it for so long, Chaoming had grown a size larger, and the feathers on its wings had become considerably more vibrant. Clearly, Tan Zhi had taken meticulous care of it. He reached out to stroke Chaoming's head. "Thank you, Student Tan. Having Chaoming here must have caused you quite a bit of trouble." Tan Zhi waved his hand. "No trouble at all. Chaoming is remarkably smart and keeps itself clean; I never had to worry about a thing. Even that nest was built by Chaoming itself out of tree branches—it's so neat and sturdy that even I was amazed watching it." He added, "I really like Chaoming. If it's ever inconvenient when you head out in the future, Student Chen, you can always leave Chaoming with me. I'll keep the nest for it too." Chen Chuan said, "Then thank you, Student Tan." "Heh, it's nothing." Meanwhile, on the other side, after Instructor Wei walked out and got into her car, her tightly wound nerves finally relaxed. She cast a conflicted glance back at the residence. The momentary panic upon seeing Chen Chuan earlier had been an instinctive reaction, for she not only recognized him, but strictly speaking, had also indirectly participated in an operation targeting him. Someone had previously approached her seeking to pull some government files related to Chen Chuan. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, so she had mentioned it on their behalf to a councilor she knew and passed along some files. Immediately afterward, however, the overpass ambush occurred. She realized the gravity of the matter, and that councilor sternly warned her never to meddle in such affairs again. To be honest, when she later learned that Chen Chuan had wiped out Sister Huan's team in such a short time, she had been astonished, for she knew who Sister Huan was and understood the strength of that team. Fighting Wei Wusheng alone was entirely different from facing an entire team. Later, when she looked further into his records, she was even more stunned to discover that the Viper Team had also fallen by his hands. Because of this, she couldn't help but worry, knowing she had inadvertently gotten swept into a whirlpool. On one hand, she dreaded that an investigation by the Disposal Bureau would trace back to her; on the other, she was acutely aware of the consequences of offending a formidable fighter. And the moment she saw Chen Chuan just now, she had almost thought he had come knocking to hold her accountable. In truth, she had envisioned such a scenario before and thought she would remain composed. Yet when she truly faced Chen Chuan—especially with the presence he carried as he walked in—she felt suppressed in an instant. It was a sensation on a mental level. Even though the two of them hadn't actually clashed, she knew that once blows were exchanged, she would very likely be defeated in no time at all. Fortunately, he seemed to have a good relationship with Tan Zhi. Perhaps she could use Tan Zhi to draw closer to him, and then find an opportunity to talk things through and clear the air. Her earlier agreement to tutor Tan Zhi had partly been made with this in mind. She drew back her gaze, took a deep breath, started the car, and quickly departed. *** In a bar somewhere in the Confluence, a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight was drinking. He was handsome, with bright black eyes, thick eyebrows, and short, layered hair, carrying a distinctive charm about him. Unlike the other mercenaries present, however, although he was drinking, he was remarkably restrained, not indulging in wild binge drinking, merely sipping in small mouthfuls. Just then, a hand clapped onto his shoulder, and a burly man whose face was half-replaced by implants plunked down heavily beside him, giving him a jostle. "Brother Su Wei, why sit here drinking all gloomily by yourself? Come on, let's go have some fun with the boys!" He said, "Not going." "Aiya, you..." The burly man sighed helplessly. "Every single time. Fine, fine, I'll go have fun myself." As he stood up, he offered another piece of advice. "I say, Brother Su, with your skills, what couldn't you do to make big money? Why weigh yourself down with all those burdens?" Su Wei paid him no heed. The burly man shrugged, high-fived several people in succession, and headed into the dance floor ahead. At this moment, Su Wei noticed a communication alert pop up on his boundary credential. Glancing at it, he saw someone was looking for him on the mercenary platform. Checking the source, he found that it seemed to originate from the Confluence Command Post, which came as a bit of a surprise. Cautious as always, he didn't conduct business directly there. Instead, he stood up and left through the bar's back door, stepping out into a quiet alleyway. Just as he was about to reply, as if sensing something, he suddenly spun around. Two throwing knives whistled past before his eyes, lodging into the wall with a dull thud, more than half of their blades buried deep. His gaze turned sharp as he looked back. A bald man was standing there, sporting a scorpion tattoo on his head, the tail extending to the back of his skull where a braid of hair was left, resembling an arched barb. "Su Wei, I just got back, so I thought I'd say hello. How about that—polite enough for you?" The bald man grinned, looking at him with eyes brimming with malice. "Like I said, we'll take our sweet time. I've got all the time in the world to play with you, so don't you go dying on me first." Having said that, showing no fear of an ambush, he turned and strolled away leisurely. Su Wei watched the bald man leave. After a moment of silence, he turned his attention back to his boundary credential. But with that interruption, he hadn't managed to reply in time, and the other party seemed to have gone offline. Since this platform did not allow him to initiate outgoing contact and he could only wait for the other side to reach out, he gave it some thought and left a message. *** While Chen Chuan was waiting at Tan Zhi's place for Zou Handan to arrive, he heard a notification chime. Checking it, he saw a reply on the mercenary platform—the other person had left him a message. The reason he had chosen this person was that, according to his service record, he had carried out numerous difficult missions with a success rate of over ninety percent. Among those that were not completed, some had not been due to his own fault, but rather to his team or external factors. When recruiting, Chen Chuan primarily considered three things: character, ability, and experience. Character went without saying. A person of poor character was enough to drag down an entire squad—not a bonus, but a liability. In terms of strength evaluation, this man was rated as exceptional. Such a figure should have risen to prominence long ago, yet he had not. He had passed up numerous opportunities because he appeared to be consistently looking after the dependents of fallen teammates, which was why he was still struggling at the bottom to this day. Someone who valued loyalty and duty like this was at least sound in character. Moreover, this man frequently ventured into hazardous zones of the Confluence and managed to emerge unscathed every time, proving beyond doubt that both his experience and competence met the mark. Chen Chuan was a newcomer to the Confluence, and both he and his squad members lacked experience. Having a teammate who had operated in the Confluence for a long time, possessing both competence and integrity, would be of immense help to the squad. The only drawback was that this person seemed to be deliberately targeted by quite a few people. But one couldn't have their cake and eat it too; if not for this situation, it would never have been Chen Chuan's turn to recruit him in the first place. And viewed from another angle, the fact that he still hadn't been broken even under such circumstances showed tremendous resilience, which was actually a virtue. Chen Chuan gave Tan Zhi a quick word, stepped aside, and immediately established contact. Once the connection went through, he said, "Mr. Su? Yes, I intend to hire you." A relatively young voice came from the other end, tinged with a note of caution. "I don't have a commissioner. Why are you looking for me, sir?" What a commissioner primarily provided was credibility and guarantee. Anyone hired through a commissioner could be held accountable through that commissioner if problems arose, ensuring that the hire met the employer's baseline requirements. Thus, hiring through a commissioner was the easiest route. Those who operated without a commissioner or were refused by them often had issues themselves. Chen Chuan said, "Because that is not my sole criterion. Besides, as I understand it, Mr. Su, you don't lack a commissioner because none would take you, but because you once suffered at the hands of one and stopped trusting their kind. That is a reason I can accept." The other end fell silent for a brief moment before responding, "I've taken commissions for the garrison forces, so I know the rules. But I still need to make it clear: I come with trouble." Chen Chuan nodded to himself. This man's character truly was trustworthy—he was willing to state his troubles upfront rather than drag his employer down, even when his own situation was already precarious. Ordinary mercenaries wouldn't care in the slightest whether they brought trouble to their employer; instead, they would do everything possible to conceal such things, bragging endlessly about how capable they were. This was undoubtedly a man with principles and convictions. He said, "Mr. Su, I've looked into everything you mentioned. But you should know, Mr. Su, your troubles are no trouble to me. Furthermore, while carrying out missions, you won't cross paths with the people who have a grudge against you. I think we can find a time to meet and talk in person. What do you say?" Su Wei was about to answer when he looked up. Across from the alley entrance, the burly man who had greeted him earlier had gotten into a dispute with someone else, and both sides had drawn their weapons and guns. He said quickly, "I have something to deal with here. Please give me a moment." …… ……