After returning to his dormitory, Chen Chuan contacted Wu Han, Wei Dong, Lu Fang, and Lu Ke down in the underground district one by one, telling them to stay cautious over the coming period.
He judged that as the date of the fission drew nearer, Center City would likely descend into chaos. If the fissures that had previously converged were to scatter, it would almost certainly lead to grave consequences across multiple locations.
Though Center City was vast and problems might not erupt in every single area, there was no need to wade into muddy waters right now.
At the same time, he phoned Yangzhi City and reached Wei Chang'an and the others, informing them that Center City was full of turbulent developments at the moment, so they should postpone their trip there.
He did not specify what was happening, but Wei Chang'an and the others caught his drift immediately and naturally knew how to proceed.
Having handled this, he walked into the training grounds. Looking at his own hand, he slowly clenched it into a fist. To push his spiritual power to greater heights, intense combat was an absolute prerequisite.
Beyond his own strength, he now also possessed the second self. The second self was gradually nearing the third limit, seemingly only a short distance away, yet advancing it had become somewhat difficult—a difficulty that only seemed to increase the further along it went.
An opponent like Tu Liu produced virtually no resonance. Sanjo Ko had been a decent opponent that day, but it had only been a spar, yielding little improvement.
Yet if he encountered truly formidable adversaries, they might just push the second self across the threshold.
If the second self could reach the third limit, even if it could not match his present level, merging with it would drastically surpass his former might. His spiritual breadth would broaden accordingly, perhaps enabling him to delve even deeper into the other side.
***
Center City, Shenwei District, branch headquarters of Lianwei Heavy Control Company.
A heavy motorcade drove into the branch premises. After rolling into the building's spacious underground parking garage, heavily armed security team members disembarked one after another, lining up on both sides.
From the lead vehicle stepped an aquiline-nosed man in a company uniform. His skin was pale, his frame large, and his hazel eyes carried a chill of danger. Even though the current temperature was hardly cold, he still wore thick gloves.
This was the branch's newly appointed plenipotentiary, Che Gaoyi. In light of the recent clashes with Ferris Wheel Company and the extraordinary circumstances about to befall Jibei Dao's Center City, the parent company had dispatched him to oversee operations and safeguard their business throughout Jibei Dao.
He rode the elevator from the basement up into an office within the building. As he walked inside, the female secretary beside him bowed and said, "Mr. Che, this office boasts the branch's most complete equipment and services. It was previously Supervisor Zhao's private office. No one has set foot in here since his death."
Che Gaoyi glanced over the room's decor and said coldly, "Replace everything in here."
"Right away, right away," the secretary hurriedly bowed in compliance.
Che Gaoyi walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked toward Molan Company's tower across the way. The towering structure stood in dead silence, resembling nothing so much as a withered orchid now.
After standing there for a moment, he checked the time and spoke into his boundary credential, "Is everything ready?"
A deferent voice came from the other end of the boundary credential: "Sir, everything is prepared."
Che Gaoyi said, "Activate all inactive conscious entities."
"Understood!"
This time, he had transported a vast quantity of high-energy nutrient solutions from headquarters, bringing out all previously stored inactive conscious entities to put them into operation. Moreover, to ensure they met operational demands, they had employed unified field harmonization technology—a method known to shorten biological lifespans.
This was preparation for the impending major incident. Although Lianwei Heavy Control Company had no intention of vying for the Fumu's fission bodies, they had to be fully armed and prepared.
They would offer formidable hired personnel. Furthermore, when it came to the fission bodies, even if the factions and organizations that snatched them possessed complete channels of their own, they would almost always commission companies like Lianwei Heavy Control to transport the goods out so as to distribute the risk.
As a transport and mercenary outfit, so long as the price offered outweighed the ensuing risks and repercussions, Lianwei Heavy Control would take the job.
While this might provoke severe displeasure and retaliation at the government level, within the corporate sphere and across corporations worldwide, it would actually earn them widespread praise.
After waiting roughly ten minutes, a somewhat stiff male voice spoke up: "Greetings, Director. The Juxing is fully activated and at your service."
Che Gaoyi said, "Search the work reports from the past year. Compile a list of key items requiring attention and arrange them in reverse chronological order."
"Please wait a moment."
Che Gaoyi waited in place. Inactive conscious entities could not compare with active conscious entities after all; they possessed no combat capability and lacked autonomy, capable only of assisting him with intricate tasks and safe planning while patching over oversights and omissions.
After more than five minutes of waiting, row upon row of entries appeared on his light screen. The first to catch his eye were friendly inquiries sent last month by Canglong Company and the Ocean Exploration Group, hinting that they could provide support and assistance in dealing with Ferris Wheel Company and awaiting a response from Lianwei Heavy Control Company.
Che Gaoyi said coldly, "Decline them."
Due to the nature of its business, Lianwei Heavy Control Company had always maintained strict neutrality, forming no close ties with any corporation and joining no corporate alliances.
Though they had friction and disputes with Ferris Wheel Company, if Ferris Wheel were to issue a commission with sufficient compensation, they would accept it just the same.
He continued reading down the list. The second key item reported on the recent situation with the Elephant Gang. After reviewing the report, he made an immediate decision.
"Send another shipment of weapons to the Elephant Gang."
Though he had no intention of allying with other corporations, he would maintain their stance against Ferris Wheel, which had usurped their company's name and had yet to offer a public apology.
The Elephant Gang had demonstrated its worth in this sudden crisis, so they were worth supporting. Suppressing the Swordfish Gang was equivalent to pinning down one of Ferris Wheel's hands.
He added, "Juxing, create a new item: scout and select suitable gangs in Shenwei District to nurture."
He had arrived with a mission. Lianwei Heavy Control needed obedient proxies to handle dirty work. The previous branch head had neglected this area, leaving it to him to fill the void.
In his view, the former supervisor had lacked any proactive initiative to expand, merely carrying out the tasks assigned by the company like a passive cog—completely incompetent.
"Item created and filed under long-term monitoring matters."
Che Gaoyi went through every single item, dealing with them one by one. Regardless of how ideal the outcomes were, he gave clear and decisive conclusions rather than leaving matters to linger unresolved.
As he progressed further through the records, he reached an item regarding the investigation into Zhao Qian's death.
Juxing spoke up again: "Notice for the Director: there is an analysis report from last year that may have been overlooked. Supervisor Zhao commissioned a doll named Number Thirteen from Paper Doll Corporation, which disappeared at the same time as Supervisor Zhao's death. It is suspected of being linked to his demise and potentially connected to the mastermind behind it. Should this lead be pursued?"
In a voice devoid of emotion, Che Gaoyi said, "Destroy all related files without leaving any backups. From now on, no information concerning Zhao Qian needs to be reported or uploaded."
He did not care in the slightest about the life or death of a branch head with no backing. So long as it did not affect the company's business, personal interests were entirely irrelevant.
In truth, had Zhao Qian not performed a service during that particular matter, his abilities would never have earned him such a position in the first place. Pursuing the matter, in Che Gaoyi's eyes, was a complete waste of company resources.
"Acknowledged. Deleting item... All relevant data has been completely erased..."
Having dealt with that, Che Gaoyi said, "Create a new item: scout active corporations and attempt to establish business relations. Furthermore, have the mercenary teams we previously contacted enter Center City. The company will arrange proper identities and transit channels for them."
"Acknowledged... Contacts have been sent... Awaiting response..."
***
Xihui Opera House.
Over the past two months, *Divine Comedy of the Wilderness* had played to packed houses every show. Crowds flocked to see it, bringing fame to several of the actors as well.
Among them, Astrid, who played the shepherdess, drew the most attention. At that moment, she had just stepped off the stage and removed her helmet, revealing a head of golden hair.
Because every performance involved real combat, she could not afford the slightest lapse in concentration. Thus, even with the physique of a third-limit fighter, she still felt a touch of fatigue.
To maintain her condition, she ate several nutrient bars and took stamina-restoring medication, gradually regaining her vitality. Finding a secluded spot, she sat down and gave the rapier in her hand a flick. A glint of light flashed in her eyes before she gave the blade another gentle whip and sheathed it.
"Very good, Asti. You must keep yourself in peak form at all times."
Hearing the voice, Astrid stood up from where she sat. She then spotted a voice-transmitting boundary credential disguised as a mask resting nearby; the sound was coming from it.
She asked warily, "Who are you?"
A voice came from the other side: "No need to be so tense, Asti. Staying vigilant is a good thing, but you must know how to relax. That is precisely why the company assigned you understudies."
"Someone from the company..."
Astrid did not relax; her hand remained firmly on her hilt.
"I am here to inform you that your mission for the theater performances is complete. The company needs you on standby for orders, ready to carry out the next phase of the plan."
Astrid's fingers tightened. She knew that the troupe's journey to Great Shun's Center City was only incidental for performances; the company required them to execute an important mission—not just her, but the rest of the troupe as well. Otherwise, there would have been no need for so many understudies.
"We need equipment, suitable weapons, and medicine." She recalled the figure who had defeated her with ease that day. "What I have on hand is nowhere near enough."
The mask emitted a low chuckle. "You will have them. All of them. We will deliver everything. Make sure you are prepared, Asti. May the heroic spirits watch over you."
Astrid placed her hand against her breastplate and replied, "May the heroic spirits watch over you as well."
The mask fell silent.
Astrid stepped forward, picked up the mask, scrutinized it for a moment, and threw it to the ground. Stepping on it with her iron boot, she walked away.
The performance was not yet over. There would be another show shortly, and she was needed out there.
Chapter 521