Foresight

The Jiade car drove inward along the market road. Because this was only the outermost perimeter, still some distance from the territory where the Elephant Gang truly held sway, the lookouts posted by the gang merely cast a few casual glances and made no move to question them. However, after following the central thoroughfare for a stretch, security grew noticeably tighter. Earthen and masonry ramparts loomed ahead, and further in the distance, small bunker-like bastions could faintly be seen. Pits and trenches had been dug across major road sections, spanned by drawbridges and detachable wooden planks, flanked by movable barricades. These were likely intended to stop armored vehicles from charging straight in from the outside. Chen Chuan noticed that electrified netting was strung atop the ramparts as well, presumably as a defense against biological weapons. Yet, setting aside combat creatures from Winged Blade, even against mass-produced biological weapons, such netting could hold off at most two or three. If dozens or hundreds stormed the perimeter at once, it would be torn to shreds in an instant, leaving defenders with no choice but to fall back on the sturdy buildings within. Scattered watchtowers dotted the high ground on both sides of the road, where gang members stood guard armed with crossbows and handguns tucked into their belts. His vision was sharp enough to tell that their weapons were at least ninety percent new, barely used more than a few times. This meant someone had been supplying them with arms recently. Judging from recent developments, that backer was likely Lianwei Heavy Control. Under heavy government pressure, Lianwei Heavy Control and Ferris Wheel were no longer clashing openly, yet Lianwei Heavy Control seemingly had not abandoned its backing of the Elephant Gang, maintaining a leverage point in Yinglu District capable of threatening the Ferris Wheel Company. Still, while the Swordfish Gang was composed of foreigners from the Outer Ocean and maintained tight ties with Ferris Wheel, the Elephant Gang—made up largely of Sheni laborers and their descendants—likely shared only a relationship of mutual exploitation with Lianwei Heavy Control. A'le placed a hand to his neck and said a few words. The men ahead who had started forward to interrogate them turned back, allowing the car to drive smoothly inside. When A'le had gotten into the car earlier, Chen Chuan had already noticed several bulges hidden beneath the braided hair at the back of his head—unmistakable signs of implants. Judging by their placement, the young man was actually a resonator. He asked, "A'le, you call Miss Deng 'Elder Sister.' Are you relatives?" "No, but we're closer than kin," A'le said. "Even though I'm Sheni, I've followed Big Sister for a long time. She taught me resonator techniques and brought me into the gang. Now I look after her and run errands for her." Chen Chuan nodded. It seemed Miss Deng was a resonator herself. After safely crossing the wooden planks, the car entered a fairly lively interior commercial street. Both sides were lined with bars, teahouses, dance halls, and similar venues, with a sacred tower distinctively Sheni in style rising in the distance. Most pedestrians on the street sported Elephant Gang tattoos, and many bore cheap implants; the majority appeared to be ordinary gang members. "Pull over right here," A'le said as they arrived outside a teahouse. Then he added, "Don't worry, Mr. Chen. No one around here dares steal a car." Chen Chuan brought the car to a gentle halt, followed A'le inside the teahouse, and made his way to a private booth reserved in advance. A'le sent a notification through his boundary credential. "Please wait a moment, Mr. Chen. Big Sister will be right out." After a wait of some ten minutes, Chen Chuan heard low whispers outside, followed by the entrance of a red-haired woman in her early twenties. Her skin was fair and her makeup delicate. She wore large earrings and a sleeveless top that revealed smooth, healthy shoulders and well-proportioned arms, paired with a long white gauze skirt. Seeing Chen Chuan upon entering, she seemed to relax slightly. Sitting down with proper posture, she said apologetically, "Mr. Chen, I'm sorry. I could only meet you in a place like this." "I understand," Chen Chuan said. There could easily be eyes and ears of the Swordfish Gang or Ferris Wheel lurking along the market's perimeter. If Deng Xin's situation was as she claimed, venturing outside was indeed perilous. Just then, a large cat with gray-and-white mottled fur slipped in from outside and padded up to Deng Xin. She immediately leaned down to scoop it into her arms, soothing it with a few soft murmurs before setting it down beside her. Chen Chuan glanced at the cat a few times. He could tell it was no ordinary feline; its movement rhythm clearly displayed a specialized exertion of force. A waiter arrived carrying the sweet tea beloved by the Sheni, brewed with brown sugar and milk through a unique recipe. Deng Xin accepted the cup, cradled it with both hands, and offered it to Chen Chuan. "Please, Mr. Chen, have some tea." Chen Chuan thanked her and accepted the cup. Looking at Deng Xin's facial features, he asked, "Are you from the Outer Ocean, Miss Deng?" Deng Xin brushed back a strand of hair. "My father was from Great Shun, and my mother was from Huihe Island in the Outer Ocean. My elder sister and I grew up there, so I suppose I consider myself from the islands." Chen Chuan said, "Miss Deng, you mentioned you worked in the Ferris Wheel Company's intelligence department?" Deng Xin said softly, "Yes. Years ago, the Ferris Wheel Company provided substantial grant funding to schools in the Outer Ocean. Because my sister and I excelled academically, we received those grants and were later recruited into the company. Both of us were assigned to the intelligence department, though in different sections. I worked there as an intelligence secretarial assistant for four years." Judging by her youthful appearance, she must have joined the company in her mid-to-late teens at the oldest. Their academic performance had indeed been outstanding. Deng Xin continued, "My sister was more talented than me and applied herself harder. She gained access to certain classified matters, but she was also fitted with controlling implants." At that moment, the large cat let out a low meow from the floor and leapt onto her lap. She embraced it once more, stroking its fur gently as she spoke. "I thought I would keep working in intelligence indefinitely, perhaps even become an intelligence supervisor one day. But..." Her eyes instinctively betrayed a flicker of dread and panic. "I remember it was a rainy day. A storm raged across the sea, and my sister came running to me, soaked through. She told me she had seen my name on the plan and urged me to run, as fast as I could..." "A plan?" Chen Chuan asked. Deng Xin nodded. "I only learned of it after my sister explained. Within the Ferris Wheel Company, there has always been a legendary elimination plan. It relies on a list generated by 'Wu Qi,' an active conscious entity cultivated by the company. It's said to eliminate targets harmful to Ferris Wheel ahead of time. Every so often, it compiles a list, and the company hunts down and eliminates everyone named upon it." Hearing this, Chen Chuan experienced a sudden moment of clarity. The lingering questions from before immediately resolved themselves. He nodded inwardly. No wonder. If the list came from an active conscious entity, it all made sense. He considered this for a moment and asked, "Is it merely a list of names?" There were countless people sharing identical names in this world; a bare name alone could hardly suffice. "I don't know..." Deng Xin thought it over. "I only heard from my sister that such a list exists, but perhaps the active conscious entity has additional ways to identify them." Chen Chuan pondered a while longer, then looked at her. "I have a question, Miss Deng. If you were on the list, others in the company must have seen it besides your sister. How could she leak word to you so easily? Wouldn't they have detained your sister or arrested you right away?" Deng Xin hesitated briefly before answering, "That is because my sister and I have had a very unusual ability since childhood. My sister can see fragments of visions directly concerning herself half a day to a day in advance, while I always have a premonition of danger. Thanks to these abilities, the two of us were able to steer clear of danger again and again and accomplish what we set out to do. On the very day my sister came running, I felt a deep, bone-chilling cold..." Chen Chuan remained silent. Worried he might not believe her, Deng Xin said with utmost earnestness, "Mr. Chen, I'm not lying. Please believe me." Chen Chuan nodded. "I believe you." Just like those born with natural talents, certain people in this world possessed unique perceptive faculties. He suspected this might be induced by the approaching Great Collision, as the two worlds drew ever closer. Perhaps more people of this kind would emerge in the future. "How did you two manage to escape in the end?" he asked. "My sister has always looked far ahead," Deng Xin said. "Even before joining Ferris Wheel, she had already thought through how to leave. She spent years preparing an escape plan. Furthermore, no one else knew about the list that day, so slipping away wasn't difficult. But fleeing together would have made too large a target, so my sister told me to go first and promised to follow soon after. She said she would message me once she reached safety, but... I never received word from her again..." Her expression darkened with sorrow. Chen Chuan considered this. Her sister held a higher position than Deng Xin, which meant getting out alone would have been extraordinarily difficult. Saying those words at the time had likely just been a way to ensure her younger sister got away. He looked at Deng Xin. "Miss Deng, this ability is undoubtedly vital to you. Are you really willing to disclose it to me so easily?" "I hesitated, to be honest," Deng Xin said. "Yet I knew I couldn't earn your trust without being honest. And after telling A'le to find you, I didn't feel any overwhelming sense of danger or dread. So I wanted to take the chance." Chen Chuan nodded slightly. There was good reason Deng Xin had managed to stay hidden this long. He asked again, "Did you come straight to the Elephant Gang after leaving Ferris Wheel?" "I hid on the outside for a while. Then, by coincidence, I met Tu Nai. I told him about my situation, and he didn't consider me a burden. He brought me into the Elephant Gang, and I haven't left since." Chen Chuan looked at her. "The Elephant Gang should be a relatively safe haven. The fact that you reached out to me out of nowhere—is it because you sensed something again? Do you feel the Elephant Gang is no longer safe?" "Yes. I feel things are turning bad." A look of fright crept across Deng Xin's face. "Just today... I felt that sensation again..."