Disposal

Chen Chuan looked down at the blood beneath his feet, then glanced at his second self. The signs of blurring on its form had not vanished as he had anticipated. From beneath the shattered brick pit, an astonishing amount of blood welled up, quickly filling the shallow depression before seeping down into the cracks. He cast a glance around. The blood seemed to possess a life of its own as it continuously spread outward. Light clicking sounds came from the seams between the pavers as small pebbles broke and bounced free, followed by more cracks branching outward. A moment later, things began burrowing up from underneath, thrusting aside the solid brick surface. From the areas soaked in blood, clusters of slender, deep-red appendages sprouted like branches, resembling crimson coral. Within moments, the growth covered an area twenty meters across. Once the branching clusters reached a certain size, their tips suddenly burst open, raining down clusters of tiny crawling bugs that scurried rapidly toward the unconscious gunmen lying nearby. Chen Chuan's gaze narrowed slightly. It was hard to tell whether the contamination was mingling with organisms of this world or if this was purely the doing of the thing itself. Regardless, these things could not be allowed to spread. A flicker of light gleamed in his eyes, and an invisible wave of spiritual force radiated outward. In an instant, the squirming, crawling insects curled up and violently perished, while the men on the ground convulsed, blood seeping from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths until every last one fell still. Subjected to two spiritual shocks in short succession at such close range, these men were doomed to succumb. Under the impact of that spiritual force, the coral of worms shuddered violently before withering away. In mere moments, it turned a dull grayish-white and collapsed into a pile of fine powder. Only after watching the blurring on his body completely fade did the gleam in Chen Chuan's eyes gradually recede. He surveyed his surroundings. Using spiritual force against these things was indeed remarkably effective, provided one was not compromised first. Even as he unleashed his spirit, that thing had simultaneously pushed back, attempting to invade him in return. Had anyone else been tasked with handling this, it would have proved exceptionally difficult and would easily have left lingering hazards behind. He reached up to touch his boundary credential and contacted the motorcade. A distance of three or four kilometers was well within the transmission range of the field creature. Though the field signal had degraded severely, conveying simple orders posed no difficulty. He instructed the motorcade security personnel to immediately telegraph the Yangzhi City Disposal Bureau, directing He Fen to dispatch a squad to handle the aftermath. The Yangzhi City Branch had no jurisdiction over the security of Yuanwang Port, as the port maintained its own armed forces and answered administratively to the Jibei Dao Government Affairs Hall. However, the Center City Disposal Bureau headquarters possessed precisely that authority. As an Investigation Supervisor of headquarters, he had full standing to mobilize branch forces to carry out a thorough investigation. Not long after the call ended, hurried footsteps sounded from outside. It was the port security forces. Rushing in and taking in the surrounding scene, they tensed instantly. Several soldiers instinctively raised their gun muzzles, but their squad leader barked a sharp command, ordering them to stand down. Chen Chuan was clad in a Disposal Bureau mantle—and not the kind worn by ordinary personnel. While the rank-and-file could not identify it, the squad leader recognized it immediately. Moreover, his arrival had been prompted by orders from above. He spoke cautiously: "We are the patrol squad responsible for port security. I am Squad Leader Liao Guang. Please identify yourself, sir." Even as he spoke, a sedan raced up outside and came to a stop at the intersection with a harsh screech of brakes. A well-dressed middle-aged man of commanding presence stepped out. Upon seeing him, the security guards immediately parted to both sides and snapped salutes. The middle-aged man walked in with a solemn expression. When he saw Chen Chuan and met his calm, penetrating gaze, a sudden tightness gripped his chest. Outwardly, he remained composed, but as his eyes took in the corpses strewn across the ground, his expression turned distinctly unnatural. He said, "Supervisor Chen, sending men to notify us on the one hand while taking action here on the other is hardly appropriate. Handled improperly, a matter like this could severely disrupt port operations." As the head of the port, his rank was not low—only half a step below Chen Chuan's—and since they belonged to different administrative branches, he had the standing to confront Chen Chuan directly. Chen Chuan smiled faintly. "My apologies, then. I originally intended to coordinate our actions with your side, but the situation was urgent. That man attacked us with firearms first. Surely the port heard the gunshot, yet your side took no action whatsoever. Under the circumstances, I had no choice but to proceed under emergency protocols. Furthermore, as you can see, the individual in question was a major wanted felon surrounded by numerous armed militants. Had they not been eliminated swiftly, the impact on the port would likely have been far worse." The middle-aged man took a breath and looked at him. "I just received orders: a pardon for Kenwa is already on the way. Supervisor Chen, you have killed someone granted clemency by the higher-ups. He was no criminal." "Is that so?" Chen Chuan remarked flatly. "Then what a pity. The pardon seems rather unnecessary now." Seeing that he showed not the slightest concern for pressure from above, the middle-aged man fell silent. Just then, the sound of approaching vehicles echoed from outside. This time, it was Chen Chuan's official motorcade arriving. The escorting security personnel, led by Yu Xiao, trotted in swiftly. Yu Xiao saluted Chen Chuan and reported crisply, "Supervisor, all present and accounted for." Chen Chuan ordered immediately, "Secure the scene. Until Director He arrives, do not allow any unauthorized personnel near this place." "Understood!" At that moment, Liao Guang, the port security squad leader, raised his hand and offered Chen Chuan a solemn salute. "Officer, we can assist in maintaining the perimeter." He had long wanted to apprehend the wanted criminal Kenwa, but his superiors had tied his hands, and his own strength had been insufficient, forcing him to watch helplessly as the man seized control of this sector of the port. Now that Chen Chuan had eliminated him, Liao Guang felt immense satisfaction. Chen Chuan looked at him, noted his earnest, determined expression, and gave a slight nod. "Then I will trouble Squad Leader Liao to seal off this area." "Yes, sir!" Ignoring the dark scowl on the port director's face, Liao Guang gave a few brisk instructions to his men, and the squad sprang into action. Chen Chuan walked over to his official car. He intended to instruct the telegraph operator to send a dispatch to Commissioner Cao, informing him that the matter was resolved. Before he could do so, however, an incoming telegram arrived first. The operator received it, transcribed the text at once, and presented it to him. Chen Chuan took it and glanced down. It read: *Situation noted. Cease further transmissions.* He raised an eyebrow. It seemed the State Administration Bureau had informants planted inside the port. He looked up and instructed the operator, "Send a telegram to headquarters detailing the situation here, with an addendum: based on findings at the scene, contamination from the opposite world is confirmed. I will have the remains forwarded to headquarters shortly; please prepare to receive them." The operator sat back down and began transmitting according to his instructions. Chen Chuan remained at the scene until late into the night. It was around ten o'clock when He Fen finally arrived with personnel from the local branch. Stepping out of his vehicle, he hurried over to meet with Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan briefed him on the situation, concluding, "Director He, please arrange capable personnel to escort these collected remains to the headquarters in Center City. I will state in the report that this was accomplished with the full cooperation of your branch." He Fen perked up instantly. As a third-limit fighter, he was well aware of his own limitations; reaching the third limit was the peak of his potential, which was why he had accepted the post of branch director here. If advancement through martial prowess was closed to him, the administrative path remained viable. After all, many officials in the Disposal Bureau did not rely on physical might to climb the ranks; their duties were largely administrative rather than front-line combat, which required accumulating sufficient merits. Chen Chuan was clearly doing him a favor by sharing the credit. Naturally, that was contingent on executing the task flawlessly. He responded with grave seriousness, "Supervisor Chen, I guarantee the materials will be delivered in good order!" Chen Chuan nodded slightly, offered a few more parting instructions, and handed the scene over to him. He then returned to his vehicle and ordered the motorcade to make the return trip to Yangzhi City. As the car began moving, he accepted a warm drink handed to him by an attendant, took a sip, and pondered the road ahead. With Kenwa dealt with, the assessment assigned by Mr. Zhuan was officially complete. Truth be told, the assessment itself had not been difficult; it really had been, as the man said, merely a matter of going through the motions. Yet thinking it over carefully, it had not been entirely simple either. The key lay in locating the target swiftly and decisively, and ensuring that nothing truly vital was overlooked in the course of resolving the matter. This Kenwa differed from the entities he had encountered previously. He had likely only borrowed power from an entity on the other side rather than being truly possessed in the full sense of the word. Strictly speaking, it was somewhat similar to Chen Bitong borrowing power from the Imprinter. Reflecting on it, this made sense. Kenwa lacked the stature to serve as an agent for an entity from the other side; someone else had to be standing above him. According to Mr. Zhuan, many among the upper echelons sought to borrow power from beings on the opposite side. Kenwa had hailed from the Linakes Federation, which suggested a faction of that nature likely existed there. Yet was that true only of the Linakes Federation? What of Great Shun itself? And what about that pardon—was it really so simple? Still, he knew that with his current standing, he possessed neither the reach nor the necessity to pursue this matter further. Growing stronger was his foremost priority. Only when he possessed sufficient strength would he have the standing to involve himself in such affairs. And once he joined the Purist Faction, he would no longer have to face these matters alone—he would have an entire faction standing behind him.