Precautions

The New Year holiday went by quickly. In what felt like the blink of an eye, more than half of it had already passed. Walking along the streets, however, the Spring Festival couplets pasted on doors and the banners and lanterns that had yet to be taken down still retained a rich festive air. On this day, Chen Chuan drove out alone to the old family residence. He tidied and cleaned both inside and out, set down several tins of fresh tea leaves, then brewed a cup and walked out under the corridor beneath the eaves. There, bathed in the warm sunlight, he slowly sipped his tea while gazing out at the stream and woods before him. Over the past few days, more memories had surfaced. This time, scenes of New Year celebrations had appeared again, showing the mother of this body together with his younger aunt and elder aunt. This elder aunt was some ten years older than the other two sisters and had later married into another region. He had met her a few times as a child, but she hadn't returned in a long time. Her husband seemed to have a military background, and it was thanks to her family's connections and effort that Nian Qian had later been able to attend the military academy. All of these memories took place during festivals and the New Year, intimately tied to what he currently experienced and felt. As expected, most hailed from his early years; only the ones connected to that brown-haired woman occurred somewhat later on the timeline. She had to be a rather pivotal figure. The whereabouts of this body's parents, and perhaps even the reason behind his predecessor's death, might well be linked to her. Still, he didn't dwell on it for now. What was meant to be known would come to light eventually. After all, those things were already in the past and had no bearing on him at present. On the other hand, there were immediate matters that warranted his attention. He took the warning Ni Xixi had given him before his return to Yangzhi quite seriously. Since he didn't know the true objective of the Ferris Wheel Company, he couldn't simply take for granted that they would give up after a single failure. He had considered earlier that if they refused to let the matter rest, his return journey would present an excellent opportunity for them to strike. Therefore, he needed to make some precautions for this trip back to Center City. After staying at the old residence until noon, he packed up his things and drove back home. In the afternoon, while his younger cousins and Chaoming chased each other and played, he sat on the living room sofa reading a book. Suddenly, the telephone rang. He walked over, picked it up, and said, "This is Chen Chuan." Ren Xiaotian's voice came through the line. "Junior Brother, I've found the person you wanted." Chen Chuan asked for the location and said, "Alright, I'll head over right away." He called out a word to his younger aunt, who was stitching shoe soles in the courtyard, stepped outside, and drove out of the city. Because he couldn't be certain whether danger awaited him on the road, he needed to prepare some sacrifices for his civet stone plaque. Wanted criminals of this sort were virtually impossible to find inside the city now, leaving only the lands beyond. He had simply turned to Ren Xiaotian for help, as his senior brother was thoroughly familiar with the conditions outside the city and across the wastelands. Moreover, the man was steady and reliable, so there was no need to worry about complications. After leaving the city and driving some distance out, he still spotted patrol cars cruising back and forth from time to time across outer-city districts that had once been virtually abandoned to neglect. It seemed Director Guan had indeed ramped up law-and-order inspections. Director Guan possessed a strong sense of justice, and it appeared he was running things much better since taking office. In reality, though, whether things could be run well didn't depend entirely on a person's resolve; the external environment mattered just as much. Had the Molan Company—the biggest malignant tumor—not been excised, no amount of effort on Director Guan's part would have made a difference. Furthermore, the construction of the Great Northern Railway employed a massive labor force, a significant portion of which was recruited from Mount Jiao. According to Lu Ke, many villagers had gone to work there. To ensure that railway construction proceeded without incident, the Yuangan Company had also dispatched armed convoys to patrol the area, cutting off the influx of wandering bandits from that direction. He drove along the road toward Mount Jiao. The further out he went, the fiercer the wind and blowing sand became. The sky turned an overcast, murky gray. Grit clattered against the car windows, and a layer of yellow sand coated the entire vehicle. Over an hour later, he spotted Ren Xiaotian's car parked ahead. He slowed down, pulled up alongside it smoothly, brought the car to a halt, and stepped out. Seeing him arrive, Ren Xiaotian exited his car as well, walked over to the trunk, and hauled out a man. "A fugitive wanted by the constabulary. Kidnapping, robbery, human trafficking, weapons and contraband smuggling—everything an armed syndicate gets into, he's done it all." The man had been limp and listless, but sensing things were turning dire, he scrambled to save himself, clamoring, "Brothers, please, could you let me go? I have money, I'll give it all to you! I know where the boss hides the drugs too, I can take you there! What good am I on my own? The bounties on my boss and the rest of the crew are worth way more!" Chen Chuan didn't waste words on him. Taking the man from Ren Xiaotian, he dragged him over to his own car and, shielded by the vehicle's body, tossed the civet plaque onto the man. As the spectral phantom of a civet emerged and burrowed into the bandit's body, the man let out a bloodcurdling shriek. The screeching lasted only moments before dying down to a feeble rasp, and after a minute or two, all sound vanished completely. The man had shriveled into a desiccated corpse. Chen Chuan looked up and noticed a pit not far ahead. It turned out Ren Xiaotian had even dug the hole in advance. Chen Chuan walked over and dumped the bandit's corpse inside. With the wind and sand howling like this, the pit would be filled in before long, saving even the effort of burying him. Walking back, he said to Ren Xiaotian waiting nearby, "Thank you, Senior Brother." Ren Xiaotian said, "Don't mention it." Using the car body to block the wind and sand, Chen Chuan asked, "Do you still plan on taking commissions here, Senior Brother?" Ren Xiaotian hadn't spoken much during the dinner gathering, so Chen Chuan wasn't sure if his plans aligned with the others. "I'll go to Center City," Ren Xiaotian said. He paused in thought, then added, "Fewer and fewer familiar faces around over the past year. With the wasteland smuggling business drying up, there'll only be fewer people left. It's better for me to leave sooner." Chen Chuan smiled and offered a hand. "Senior Brother, once you arrive in Center City, be sure to find me first." Ren Xiaotian glanced at it, then reached out somewhat unaccustomedly and shook his hand. "I will." Time flew by, and before long, late January arrived. Chen Chuan was already making preparations to head back to Center City. On this trip back, he would bring Wei Dong and Wu Han along, while the others had business to wrap up and would arrive somewhat later, likely in February or March. As for Bureau Director Lei, since he had to set out a few days early, the two groups could conveniently travel together. Naturally, the director would not be journeying to take up his post alone; the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau would dispatch personnel to escort him. As for Senior Sister He and Xiao Ying, they would be brought over together once he settled in. Bureau Director Lei was treating this relocation with great caution. Prior to departure, he specifically called Chen Chuan over for a visit. "Some people might not wish to see me reach Center City, so I need to take some precautions. Trainee Chen, I intend to set up a few arrangements on your end as well. Do you agree?" Without hesitation, Chen Chuan replied, "Director Lei, what should we do?" Bureau Director Lei took out a stack of membrane-like material. "This is specially made biomimetic skin from the bureau. The ritual patterns you saw tattooed on us before were applied using these." He rolled up his sleeve, took a piece, and stuck it onto his arm. It looked almost indistinguishable from normal skin. "You can draw the patterns on this membrane beforehand. Once it's used up, you can tear it off and replace it with a new one—very convenient. I prepared some for you this time. After applying it to your body, you only need to trigger the pre-established ritual connection. For example, like this..." He clenched his fist, and the ritual pattern suddenly flared with fluorescent light. "...and the ritual activates." He continued, "Of course, how you choose to set the trigger point for the ritual is up to you, so pick a method you find convenient—there's no need to copy mine. "Besides these, there is also clothing..." He had He Nan bring over an overcoat and handed it to Chen Chuan. "This is specially made clothing from the bureau. It's exceptionally resilient, woven with specialized thread arranged into the shape of a ritual pattern inside. Even if the surface is torn, it won't significantly hinder the ritual's effect." Chen Chuan accepted it and nodded. When he had dealt with the Viper Team, he had made use of an esoteric ritual. It paired remarkably well with attacks, and it had even played a role in the final slaying of Xu Xianwen. Yet a question lingered in his mind: the application of esoteric rituals seemed quite mature, but fighters rarely ever used them. Was this due to government prohibitions, or some other reason? After he voiced the question, Bureau Director Lei said in a solemn voice, "It primarily stems from bans. Although combining the two can yield greater power, it can also produce far more horrifying consequences. History in the old era carries hard-learned lessons on this. "Frankly, if you weren't naturally endowed with the ability to resist anomalous matter, I wouldn't have let you continue dabbling in these things. "Furthermore, from what I understand, certain rituals can be affected and suppressed by powerful biological fields—including those of formidable individuals. "These are merely small-scale rituals, however. Far more powerful rituals are another matter entirely. Those typically require years, or even decades, of preparation, and they cannot be easily broken. "Such rituals are now sealed away and forbidden from being studied, because anything involving them inevitably costs tens of thousands of human lives." Chen Chuan understood. In the old era, there wasn't an imperial house among the nations of the world that hadn't established a state religion. As for what they had actually used these esoteric cults for, even if governments today kept quiet to cover up their existence, everything he had encountered and witnessed made it clear it was never anything good. Especially when certain rituals offered benefits like extending lifespan, bolstering vitality, and cementing rule—how could those rulers possibly resist using them? He shook his head, putting those thoughts aside for the moment. After a brief contemplation, he took the membranes and began drawing the ritual patterns he required onto them.