Verification

Upon arriving at the Shu Tianxia Hotel, Chen Chuan requested a private dining room that looked out over the Center City nightscape. He ordered several dishes through his boundary credential, and before long, piping-hot food was carried in. Wu Han happily picked up a quivering cut of braised pork, marbled evenly with fat and lean meat, and took a bite. The texture was soft, tender, and meltingly savory; the skin carried a mild chewiness and stickiness, and a burst of rich juices instantly flooded his mouth. He marveled, "Delicious! This doesn't lose to Yangzhi at all!" Chen Chuan said, "I'm told some of the water they use here is shipped in from Yangzhi. It's the only hotel in Center City that does that." Realization dawned on Wu Han. "No wonder I tasted something familiar. That explains it." He popped a few more pieces of braised pork into his mouth, satisfying his craving, before setting down his chopsticks. Grabbing a napkin to wipe his lips, he voiced the question he hadn't asked in the car: "By the way, Junior, who on earth attacked us today? Judging by that firepower—guns, artillery, and all—they've got serious backing." Chen Chuan said, "There isn't a definitive conclusion yet, but I suspect it's very likely the Ferris Wheel Company. If you run into them in the future, be careful." "The Ferris Wheel Company?" Wu Han pondered for a moment. "Where have I heard of them before?" Then he remembered. "Last time I went on a mission with you, Junior, didn't we run into that company?" Chen Chuan nodded. "That was them." Wu Han said, "They seem pretty arrogant. Hah, Molan Company used to be just like that, and I doubt this one will last much longer either." Chen Chuan said, "In some ways, these corporations are very much like us fighters: if you don't advance, you fall behind. It's just that their environment doesn't permit them to stop. They will try every means possible to expand their ecological sphere until, in the end, they either consume others or get consumed themselves." The mention of consuming triggered Wu Han's appetite again. He glanced back down, only to discover that in just the span of a few sentences, Wei Dong had silently polished off most of the large plate of braised pork. He hastily picked up his chopsticks. "Hey, kid, slow down! Leave some for me!" Chen Chuan smiled and tapped his boundary credential twice, ordering a few more plates for them. As course after course was served, both of them ate with unrestrained appetites, their lips glistening with oil, calling out with sheer satisfaction. Back at Wuyi and during missions, they usually subsisted on nutrition paste, which was exceptionally filling. They rarely ate at restaurants—not because they couldn't afford it, since they had earned plenty from commissions in Yangzhi, but mainly because dining out took up too much time. That extra hour or two could be spent taking on more commissions or doing more training. It simply couldn't compare to the convenience and efficiency of a few tubes of nutrition paste. Moreover, the nutrients and energy provided by ordinary food were nowhere near as comprehensive as what nutrition paste offered, so they only indulged like this on rare occasions to satisfy their palates during downtime. Once they finished dinner, both of them held their drinks in contentment and strolled over to the window to gaze at the night scene below, pointing, commenting, and good-naturedly bantering. When Chen Chuan went to settle the bill through his boundary credential, the hotel platform gave him a prompt, informing him that an account belonging to Convergence Boundary Company had already covered the cost. He checked into it and discovered that Convergence Boundary Company maintained an account linked to Center City's public service platform. As the company's chief security consultant, any expenses he incurred at service establishments throughout Center City during the holiday season were fully covered by the company up to a certain limit, serving as an employee perk. He took the opportunity to browse the company's platform. Everything had been normal over the past month. Meng Shu had not encountered any attacks during her outings; the Ferris Wheel Company evidently had no intention of continuing to target her. This meant the previous attack, as well as this latest one, had very likely been directed solely at him. He then scrolled through the news from the past month, paying special attention to the Fringe Channel. Aside from the routine broadcasts of violent clashes throughout Center City, there didn't seem to be anything particularly noteworthy. However, as he scrolled lower, an audio report caught his eye. Following the New Year, the number of airships moored in the docking harbors across various districts had noticeably increased, and the number of ocean-going vessels berthed at the ports was also considerably higher than in previous years. He pondered the implication. Leaving aside military applications, both airships and freighters were primarily used to transport bulk cargo and large numbers of personnel for trade. This indicated that Center City was not as static as it appeared on the surface. Something was being prepared and brewed behind the scenes—it was simply too far removed from the general public, or the upper echelons had intentionally suppressed the news. Having read through it, he picked up the warm drink from the table, finished it, and led Wu Han and Wei Dong out of the hotel. He drove toward his residence in Wuding District, planning to have Wu Han stay there for the night. Although the Shu Tianxia Hotel had guest rooms, booking them required citizen status, and non-citizens were categorically turned away. It was far better to put Wu Han up at his own place, which also gave him the chance to show the two of them where he lived. When he brought them inside, Wu Han let out another gasp of admiration. "Junior, you own such a massive residence in Center City? Do Main Academy students make that much money?" Chen Chuan said, "Most students at the Main Academy are recommended students, and their family backgrounds are quite well-off to begin with. But this property came from a different source. I'll explain the details to you when we have more time later. There's a training room on the fourth floor. If you and Wei Dong feel restless, you can go up there and get some exercise." Wei Dong's attention was instantly captured. Eager to try, he asked, "Is it like the training rooms at the dorms?" Chen Chuan replied, "The floor area is roughly similar, but the functionality falls far short. The field resources at the Main Academy aren't something external facilities can match. You'll understand once you've actually used them." He showed them around the building and then brought them down to the garage to see the 'Ever-Victorious General,' with its pennant mounted on the roof. Wu Han gasped, walking around the vehicle in a circle. "This car suits my vibe completely! Junior, I have to get myself one of these to drive in the future no matter what. 'Ever-Victorious General'—what a great name. Meaningful, and fits me perfectly." Chen Chuan smiled and said, "If you like it, get in and try it out. I rarely drive it anyway. Just don't take it out on the road." Wu Han shook his head. "Better not. Wei Dong is always clumsy; what if he breaks it?" Wei Dong asked, puzzled, "Why would I break it?" Wu Han chuckled. "Who else? Remember that car we captured last time? You drove it, right? It flipped over seven or eight times along the way. By the time we arrived, what state was it in? The guy who collected it looked at us with utter disdain." Chen Chuan let out a soft laugh. Just then, an alert blinked on his boundary credential. He checked and saw that Ni Xixi was contacting him, so he stepped to the side. "Sister Ni?" Ni Xixi's voice came through: "Brother Chen, the bureau received your report. The higher-ups take this very seriously and are currently investigating. When we pursued the other convoy from earlier today, we found the vehicles parked there, but the people had already evacuated. "The Lianwei Heavy Control logos on the vehicles were temporarily slapped on. We've already sent people to notify Lianwei Heavy Control so they can clear their own name." Chen Chuan acknowledged her. It was extremely unlikely that Lianwei Heavy Control had been responsible, but since the Disposal Bureau had this excuse, they certainly wouldn't let it slide easily. Besides, this would compel Lianwei Heavy Control to deploy its own resources to assist in the investigation, as every corporation despised having its name falsely used by others. "The combatants who attacked you had diverse origins," Ni Xixi continued. "We ran their identities: some were from overseas, some from the Sheni Peninsula, and some from the Linax Federation. "The combat implants on them were all foreign-made products, and we can confirm they were custom-ordered as a batch. On the surface, those two third limit fighters were out-of-towners hired through an open platform, but their past records of receiving financial backing are very obscure, which actually indicates they share a similar background. "We ran a test on their residual biological fields. Both of them likely spent a period of time living at sea in the past. "Factoring in previous events, our analysis department concluded that the mastermind is very likely the Ferris Wheel Company." At this point, she scoffed. "Actually, even without their analysis, I could have guessed it. Who else could it be besides Ferris Wheel? They've been the most restless lately." Chen Chuan asked, "Sister Ni, how does the bureau plan to handle this?" Ni Xixi said, "It's a serious matter. After all, it was a blatant attack on important government personnel right on National Boulevard. The bureau has already escalated the report, applying to conduct a strict audit of the Ferris Wheel Company. Supposedly, the leadership is holding a meeting to discuss it. We'll have to wait for the outcome; this won't be settled in just a day or two." Chen Chuan nodded. "Thank you for keeping me informed, Sister Ni." Ni Xixi replied, "No need to thank me. The bureau owes you an explanation for this. Enjoy your break without worrying; I'll keep an eye on things and let you know if there's any progress." Chen Chuan thanked her once more and promised to treat her to a meal another day before ending the call. Seeing that it was getting late, he decided against returning to Xuan Palace Building. After arranging guest rooms for both Wei Dong and Wu Han, he retreated alone to the study on the top floor. He took out the broken saber from earlier today. The moment his fingers closed around the hilt, the sensation from earlier returned. He turned the hilt toward himself and spotted a retaining pin. Pulling it out, he found something glittering beneath the lamplight inside the hollow recess, accompanied by a wave of mental clarity. The source that had invigorated his mind was undoubtedly right here. He tipped the contents out, revealing numerous fragmented, crystalline pieces. He couldn't identify what they were, but he could clearly feel their beneficial effect on him. The instant they were exposed to the air, his mind felt rapidly transparent and concentrated. He instinctively sensed that this substance possessed an immense aiding effect on tempering the changeless mind. It seemed Mashiba Masaru's remarkably focused mental state owed a great deal of credit to this material. He attempted to search for it using his boundary credential, but found no matching information, which only proved that this substance was anything but ordinary. After some thought, he decided he would find time to consult Senior Cao; that man would certainly know what it was. As for the broken saber itself... Looking at the long blade split in two, he would need to ask the Disposal Bureau's logistics team for assistance in repairing it before he could display it in his collection room.