Inside the Disposal Bureau, because Chen Chuan had later switched off his boundary credential, the bureau personnel had been unable to watch the fight between the two men. Many could only talk among themselves down below.
"Captain Chen seemed to have some questions for that foreigner, so he blocked off the field transmission. Captain Chen wouldn't actually trust that foreigner, would he?"
"Do you think Captain Chen wouldn't have thought of what you just thought of?"
"Relax, Captain Chen isn't someone to get careless. We just need to wait. An exchange between fighters of their level won't take long."
Even as they spoke, the personnel the Disposal Bureau had stationed nearby had already received word to stay alert to any developments up on the mountain at all times.
After a wait of roughly half an hour, there was finally movement on the mountain path. Everyone looked toward the light screen to see Chen Chuan and Sancheng Huang walking down the mountain together, with Sancheng Huang trailing half a step behind.
Neither showed any noticeable injuries, nor were their clothes torn in any way. As they walked down, they continued conversing in an apparently harmonious atmosphere; evidently, no real brawl had taken place afterward.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the two went their separate ways. Everyone even saw Sancheng Huang make a deliberate point of bowing to Chen Chuan before departing on his own.
Only then did Chen Chuan reactivate his boundary credential and establish contact with the Disposal Bureau.
A designated officer immediately inquired, "Captain Chen, how did it go? Are you all right over there?"
Chen Chuan said, "Nothing happened. Mr. Sancheng Huang is not one of the Ferris Wheel Company's men. He sought me out purely in search of a spar between fighters."
"Can that be confirmed?"
"Confirmed," Chen Chuan replied.
Words could deceive, but one's spirit could not—unless one possessed a secret technique capable of fooling even oneself. Yet from the perspective of fighters at their level, such a tactic was essentially meaningless.
They maintained their vigilance at all times, and even a simple spar offered no openings to exploit. The other party was at the same level and would naturally know that.
After concluding his call with the bureau, Chen Chuan walked over to his Jiade car, opened the door, got inside, and drove off. As he departed, he cast a glance back at Mount Qingding. It was a good place; if there were sparring matches in the future, they could be held here.
At that exact moment, inside the Ferris Wheel Company, security director Guan Shangjing was likewise paying close attention to this battle. But with the Disposal Bureau's field shielding in place, the Ferris Wheel Company had no way of monitoring the situation up there and had no choice but to await the outcome.
"Director, there's news!"
A security officer hurried into the office and, under Guan Shangjing's inquiring gaze, reported excitedly, "We spotted Sancheng Huang leaving Mount Qingding. Director, Sancheng Huang is completely unharmed. Could it be that he won?"
Guan Shangjing toyed with a miniature bronze hound in his hand, yet jumped to no hasty conclusions. "Wait for word from the Disposal Bureau's side."
Not two minutes later, the follow-up intelligence arrived. The report stated that Chen Chuan had likewise driven away, and neither man appeared to have suffered any harm.
By simple logic, even if the two had traded blows, it had in all probability been merely a spar, not the life-and-death clash they had envisioned.
Guan Shangjing was not pleased with this outcome, yet neither was he overly disappointed. Sancheng Huang had been nothing more than an unexpected variable; they had never truly counted on him to kill Chen Chuan, since the man's indolence and cautious nature were just as renowned as his martial prowess.
A cold glint surged in his eyes. Matters like this still had to be handled by their own hands, rather than entrusted to outsiders.
He lifted his gaze toward the light screen on his desk, where several photographs rotated in sequence.
Those were the targets the Ferris Wheel Company needed to eliminate. Now, only six remained. Two had traveled to other Center Cities and one was out in the Outer Ocean; operatives had already been dispatched to deal with them.
Since none of those three were fighters and were guarded only by hired security, disposing of them would not be troublesome. The outcome was easy to foresee.
Of the remaining three, one was Lei Guangcheng from the Esoteric Cult Bureau's Review Department, one was Chen Chuan, and the last was Deng Xin, who had previously served as the company's intelligence secretary.
The first two were tough nuts to crack. On the surface, only Deng Xin appeared easier to handle; yet from the very start, she had hidden herself within the Elephant Gang. Not only was her boyfriend a third limit fighter, but he was also a core member of the gang.
Furthermore, the territory firmly held by the Elephant Gang had been fortified almost into a stronghold, riddled with hidden bunkers and sentry posts. Their core members numbered over a thousand, and their enclave housed well over ten thousand people. Taking someone out there was no easy feat.
Earlier, during the conflict between the Swordfish Gang and the Elephant Gang, they had intended to seize the opportunity to settle her, yet that had failed as well.
The Elephant Gang's upper echelon consisted entirely of clan members. Because they were foreigners, they rallied closely together in the face of a hostile external environment, making it exceedingly difficult for outsiders to strike from within.
Recently, however, he had hit upon a new angle.
It was not that the Elephant Gang was truly free of internal strife; rather, all friction had been suppressed by the gang leader, Tu Ge. As the oldest living elder of the Tu clan, he served as the linchpin binding all clan members together.
If that man were gone, a fire would immediately ignite within the Elephant Gang.
Due to the intense fighting in his youth, Tu Ge had received numerous implants and required regular monthly injections of heavy anti-alienation medication. Lately, with his advancing age, the anti-alienation reactions had grown increasingly severe, and the medicine required was no longer something the Elephant Gang could procure on its own. That was the breakthrough point.
Guan Shangjing stared coldly at the remaining photographs. With a sudden exertion of force from his fingers, the bronze hound was crushed out of shape in an instant.
"Enemies of the company must be purged!"
Meanwhile, in Yinglu District, inside the Elephant Gang's enclave.
Deng Xin suddenly felt a pang of palpitations. The vase in her hands slipped and shattered on the floor, soil and flowers mixing together as petals scattered everywhere.
"Why so careless?"
Tu Nai walked over, asking with concern in somewhat stiff Great Shun phrasing, "Did you get hurt?"
Deng Xin suddenly turned, threw her arms around him, and buried her head into his chest. In an anxious, panicky voice, she said, "We have to get out of here. We have to leave..." Her emotions seemed extremely volatile as she repeated the words several times over.
Feeling his girlfriend's trembling body, Tu Nai wore a helpless expression. She was wonderful in every way, except for her tendency to get startled over nothing. He stroked her soft, smooth hair and consoled her:
"I know you took a bad scare before, but haven't I told you? Living here in the Elephant Gang, you have nothing to fear. You have me inside, and there's a fortress outside.
"We have our own guns, our own armored vehicles, fighters we trained ourselves, and over ten thousand brothers. The Ferris Wheel Company can't break in."
After comforting her for a while and seeing that Deng Xin had quieted down, he placed a cigarette between his lips, lit it, took a drag, and said, "I've got some business to handle. If you're bored, watch some shows. If you want to stroll around the gang grounds, have A'le accompany you." With that, he patted Deng Xin twice, slung a protective suit over his shoulder, and walked out.
Deng Xin watched him leave. Hugging her arms, she paced through the living room. The place she lived in was a three-story mansion constructed from specialized bamboo and timber, still retaining the multi-tiered roof style of the Greater Sheni Peninsula with intricate openwork windows and bamboo carvings.
The house was brightly lit. There were field organisms beneath it and various combat organisms arranged around the perimeter, and Tu Nai cared for her deeply, yet she still felt no sense of safety.
Just then, the bamboo curtain at the entrance swayed. Though it was spring, the chill in the March wind felt as though it seeped into her very marrow, leaving her numb.
She possessed what seemed like an innate intuition. Whenever something bad was about to happen, this feeling would grow extraordinarily intense. It was also the reason she had managed to evade assassination time and again.
It was not just her; her older sister had possessed the same gift. Only, her sister had already...
She let out a soft sigh and rubbed her arms.
"Meow..."
A large cat leapt up before her. Its long, dense, grayish-white fur was exceptionally soft. She picked it up, cradled it in her arms, and stroked it gently. The cat began to purr, bringing her a sliver of peace.
Recalling something, she opened her boundary credential and logged onto the Fringe Channel. The boards there were discussing the duel between Chen Chuan and Sancheng Huang from earlier that day, and the threads were buzzing with debates over whether the two had actually fought and who had ultimately won or lost.
Ever since the Ferris Wheel Company had issued a public apology on the public channel, she had kept a close eye on Chen Chuan's movements. She knew that he was likewise one of the people the Ferris Wheel Company wanted to eliminate.
Yet she also understood that even with the company's apology, this was by no means the end. Ferris Wheel never abandoned targets like them.
She shifted over to the Disposal Bureau's contact directory and prepared to connect. But after a brief hesitation, she decided against pressing it. Instead, she addressed her boundary credential: "A'le, help me find someone. The same person as last time."
A young voice came from the boundary credential: "Sister, it's not that I don't want to help you, but those are Disposal Bureau people. They have dedicated resonants intercepting communications. Last time, I was almost traced."
Deng Xin said, "Just reach that resonant. I want to speak with him."
"Sister, what are you trying to do?"
"Stop asking questions," Deng Xin said. "What did your brother tell you? Does everything your sister wants to do need your approval?"
"All right, all right. Sister, don't lose your temper—it ruins your looks. I'll give it a try. But whether it works depends on how accommodating they feel. If I can't get through, don't blame me."
Meanwhile, on his way back to the dormitory, Chen Chuan received a transmission from the Winged Blade Company inviting him to visit their facilities regarding Chaoming. It seemed there was good news.
He immediately turned around and headed toward Shenwei District. Upon arriving at the Winged Blade Light Nest Company, he met Supervisor Zhuang, who had come out to greet him, and followed him all the way to the cultivation sector.
"Mr. Chen, the protocol has progressed quite smoothly—better than I anticipated. In just five days, mutated tissue has already begun growing from your pet."
Through a light screen, Chen Chuan observed Chaoming. It was currently curled up in a prepared nest, its body appearing slightly larger than before, and the feathers covering it looked more vibrant.
Supervisor Zhuang remarked, "Your pet is remarkably intelligent, Mr. Chen. I've handled many pets, but rarely have I seen one this clever. It was completely cooperative with the environmental stimuli and medication injections, almost as if it understood what it needed to do. That's why the progress has been so swift.
"Now that the mutated tissue has emerged, the next step is to stimulate its growth. However, the specific direction of development requires your confirmation, Mr. Chen."
Just as Chen Chuan was about to speak, an incoming call from Wu Bei suddenly arrived on his boundary credential. Excusing himself, he stepped aside. "Brother Wu, is something the matter?"
Chapter 510