Promotion

What kind of faction the Purist Faction truly was, He Xiaoxing hadn't explained in much detail back then. On the surface, it appeared to be a faction brought together by a certain philosophy in the new era. Yet from the booklet He Xiaoxing had given him, Chen Chuan could sense that it was likely far more than a faction sharing common ideals—it had a bona fide lineage. Because the faction possessed its own techniques and esoteric teachings, something that could never be sustained by a loose collective of members. And taking all factors into account, the existence of such factions seemed acknowledged by both corporations and the government. This was probably due to the power they held. In all likelihood, high-tier combat power existed within the faction, forcing the authorities to make certain compromises. He thought back to the booklet Instructor Wen had given him. Wen had told him that there was no real barrier from the first to the third limit; as long as a fighter had talent and sufficient resources, they could make it through. Beyond that, however, it wouldn't be so easy—there was a critical hurdle. That hurdle most likely referred to pure substance. When Instructor Wen handed him the booklet, he had told Chen Chuan not to rush into reading it; he should wait until he knew where he was going before opening it. In that case, he could look through it once he got back. After driving out, he headed straight back to Wuyi Academy. Once inside his dormitory, he opened his wardrobe and retrieved the booklet Instructor Wen had given him from his luggage. Sitting down in the living room, he opened the booklet to find that its contents were written entirely with a calligraphy brush—general explanations regarding spiritual power. To someone who had never cultivated spiritual power, it might be an interesting read, but to someone who had already embarked on spiritual cultivation, it was essentially useless. Yet he knew this was likely just a cue. Adjusting his breathing slightly, he closed his eyes and reached out with his spirit. With this attempt, he immediately sensed something unusual. Spiritual information that seemed condensed upon it through some special material now surfaced and was received by his mind. After reviewing it, he opened his eyes and looked down once more. The message inside probably hadn't been left by Instructor Wen, but by a predecessor of the Purist Faction, a suspicion reinforced by the booklet's aged appearance. For a wisp of spirit to remain accurately transmissible and perceptible after so much time, that person was clearly extraordinary, perhaps even showing off a bit. The contents didn't delve into anything overly complex. They merely informed him that if he encountered an impasse and was unwilling to walk the path mapped out by certain powers, they could offer him an alternative. He closed the booklet. It seemed he would need to pay Instructor Wen another visit. No rush, though. He picked up the warm drink from the table, took a sip, and gazed out at the clear blue sky beyond the building. Tomorrow was the day his promotion would be officially announced. After resting in his dorm for a day, he put on a fresh uniform the next morning and stepped out in high spirits. Arriving at the Disposal Bureau at nine o'clock, he greeted his superiors and colleagues before being escorted into the bureau's main hall by two squads of guards. The current director of the Disposal Bureau, Wei Huan; the deputy director in charge of daily affairs, Wu Quan; the deputy director in charge of the Ring Curtain and defense matters, Fang Ju; the deputy director in charge of logistics and technical support, Guo You; and the rarely seen deputy director in charge of internal inspections, Luo Xiucheng, were all present. Other bureau members of sufficient rank had also arrived, standing in rings around the perimeter of the hall. Ni Xixi, Officer Qiu, Captain Li, and others stood among the crowd. As for regular members, such as the sponsored Wuyi cadets, they were not yet qualified to stand here. Under everyone's gaze, Chen Chuan stepped to the front. Director Wei Huan produced a black, gold-bordered promotion document, opened it, and began to read: "Following internal bureau deliberation and approval by superiors, the following appointment is hereby promulgated: "Whereas Enforcement Captain Chen Chuan has demonstrated resolute valor and achieved extraordinary merits since assuming his duties, it is hereby approved by the Jibei Dao Government Hall that Chen Chuan be promoted to Investigation Supervisor of this department, overseeing command, dispatch, and security matters. He is charged to spare no effort, faithfully discharge his duties, defend national security, and preserve the well-being of the people. "Be it hereby proclaimed, effective upon arrival of this document. "Republic of Great Shun, ninety-fifth year of Jianzhi, June second." Having finished, Wei Huan looked up with a smile and handed the letter of appointment to Chen Chuan. He offered a crisp salute, lowered his hand, and said, "Supervisor Chen, congratulations." Chen Chuan accepted it, returned the salute, and shook his hand. "Thank you, Director Wei." The surrounding crowd burst into applause. Chen Chuan shook hands with the deputy directors one by one before turning around. Familiar and unfamiliar colleagues alike came up to shake his hand and offer congratulations. Some called him Supervisor Chen, while others addressed him as Chief Chen. While such an address was technically permissible, whether it was flattery or merely an attempt to cozy up remained unclear. After all, while many in the bureau harbored goodwill toward him, there were just as many who harbored indignation and jealousy. Yet he had no need to care about that, for he possessed more than enough strength to sit in this seat. Once the round of pleasantries concluded, Deputy Director Guo You walked over. He was a fair, plump middle-aged man resembling a lump of fermented dough, though the gold-rimmed glasses he wore lent him a scholarly air. He said politely, "Supervisor Chen, please come with me. There are some security and technical matters to brief you on." Chen Chuan took his leave of the people around him and followed Guo You out. Guo You said with a smile, "With your promotion to Investigation Supervisor, you now have a permanent office here at the bureau. In a little while, I'll have someone deliver the keys, your new uniform, service sword and firearm, and related items there. "If you are dissatisfied with anything regarding the office's layout or security, just let me know, and I'll arrange for renovations to meet your specifications." Chen Chuan said, "Thank you in advance, Deputy Director Guo." Guo You beamed. "You're too kind, think nothing of it." As they spoke, the two stepped into an elevator. It headed down once more, descending to the fifth basement level. When the doors slid open, an expansive chamber appeared before them. Right in the center stood an octagonal metal room. Holes dotted its walls, through which lights pulsed rhythmically. On the front door was a shield emblem. Guo You explained, "Inside is our bureau's active conscious entity, Andun. Its function lies not in combat, but in defense, reconnaissance, and logical analysis. The day you fought the Ferris Wheel's active conscious entity, Supervisor Chen, that specific presence was first detected by Andun." Just then, a middle-aged male voice drifted from ahead—deep, steady, and conveying a profound sense of security. "Greetings, Supervisor Chen. I am Andun. It is an honor to be of service." Guo You walked over to the side, fetched a box, and handed it to Chen Chuan. "Supervisor Chen, upon promotion to Investigation Supervisor, you are granted a portion of active conscious entity Andun's authority. Please put this on so we can finalize the procedure." Chen Chuan opened the box to reveal a specially made boundary credential. Putting it on, he followed the prompts to input a password known only to himself and additionally verified his field lock. Immediately, he understood that from now on, his boundary credential would be protected by Andun at all times. Within Center City, he no longer had to fear intrusion from any resonist. Furthermore, wherever he was, so long as he didn't actively block the connection, he could communicate with Andun and maintain necessary contact with the bureau at any moment. At the same time, he could access classified intelligence from Andun that only the Disposal Bureau was authorized to possess, and he could pull up the basic personnel files and implant statuses of anyone ranked below him directly through Andun. Guo You said with a smile, "Supervisor Chen, for your security, the bureau will assign you a private armed convoy: three four-man teams totaling twelve personnel who will rotate around the clock to ensure your safety and obey your orders. The bureau will also assign you a resonist. "Additionally, taking into account specific circumstances where manpower might be tight, if you feel that isn't enough, you may recruit personnel on your own. "The bureau will authorize slots for two resonists and twelve security personnel, fourteen in total. The bureau will cover half the hiring costs, and these recruits will automatically receive temporary Disposal Bureau credentials. "Besides that, the bureau will provide you with a monthly office budget of one hundred thousand yuan." Guo You beamed. "As for how it's spent, you just need to submit a monthly report. "Oh, right, the bureau has also purchased Class-A City Security Defense service and Level-2 Parallel First Aid service for you. As long as you remain in office, these services will be renewed every year." Chen Chuan knew that Class-A City Security Defense was backed by the Municipal Council, while Parallel First Aid was a joint venture between several pharmaceutical corporations. Inquiring further, he learned that the Government Affairs Hall universally purchased these services for all department heads beneath it, so even if he didn't need them, the costs were already factored into administrative expenditures. He mused inwardly that the disparity in treatment between rank-and-file bureau employees and the upper echelons was truly vast—and moving further up, the chasm would surely only widen. After that, through introductions from Andun and Guo You, he familiarized himself with his duties. Investigation Supervisors were divided into two categories. One was the administrative regional investigation supervisor, who normally oversaw a district, handling administrative affairs or representing the bureau in coordinating with various departments and subordinates, without going to the front lines. The other was Chen Chuan's type: an operational investigation supervisor. Ordinary tasks required no action from him; he would deploy only when incidents escalated to a certain danger rating. In theory, he could mobilize several enforcement captains within the bureau to carry out unified operations. Yet that was only the official story. An Investigation Supervisor's primary objective was in fact to monitor and investigate the various corporations in Center City, and in critical moments, what he had to counter was the armed might of those very corporations. Guo You said with a smile, "Supervisor Chen, the higher-ups have already approved three months of leave for you. Once you return, the bureau will assign your specific duties."