The Return Journey

Stepping onto Luowang Island once more, Chen Chuan sensed a greater degree of order than before. In the distance, a radio transmission tower under construction was clearly visible. Over on an open stretch of ground beside the wharf, a security officer dressed in a company uniform was drilling a formation of indigenous locals wearing the same attire. On the back of the uniform was an insignia shaped like a circular disc. The center of the disc bulged slightly outward, resembling a plump, azure sphere of water. Near the bottom was an opening where water flowed down, taking the shape of a falling droplet. It was the emblem of the Ocean Exploration Group. Everything before him showed that the company's reach had truly extended to this island, and the old rules would likely be reshaped from the ground up. He turned and looked toward the harbor in the distance, where an ocean liner lay anchored. He had booked his ticket several days ago, and by this evening, the liner would carry him on his journey home. That left him with nearly a full day to spare. When he had first arrived, he hadn't toured the entire island, only wandering through its bustling areas. Mt. Nicha, reputed to boast the finest scenery and the highest peak on the island, was a place he had yet to visit, so he decided to make a trip there before departing. Since the distance was considerable, he hired a horse carriage. Along the way, he took out his camera to capture some of the picturesque views. Around noon, he arrived at the foot of the mountain, left the carriage, and began hiking up along the broad mountain path. The main peak of Mt. Nicha rose over two thousand meters high, with quite a few steep and rugged trails. Without pushing himself for speed, he maintained an easy, steady pace, reaching the summit in less than half an hour. He gazed into the distance. The entirety of Luowang Island seemed to float atop the azure sea, its contours starkly defined, while the scattered reefs and lush greenery offered a magnificent visual feast. He raised his camera, snapping photos for a good while. Noticing a wooden bench nearby with a waist-high iron safety railing in front of it, he walked over and sat down. He took a few sips from his canteen, leaned back against the seat, and leisurely drank in the scenery around him. After a few minutes, someone walked up to his side, glanced at the other end of the bench, and asked, "May I?" Chen Chuan looked up. It was a man in his forties wearing an imported suit and a sun hat, carrying an air of authority typical of an executive. He gave a slight nod. "Go ahead." After taking a seat, the man took off his sun hat to fan himself, dabbed away his sweat with a handkerchief, and then turned toward Chen Chuan with a faint smile, extending a hand. "Supervisor Chen, hello. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zheng Hai, business manager for the Ocean Exploration Group in this sea region. I'm currently overseeing business expansion on Luowang Island and the surrounding waters. I truly didn't expect you to be here on vacation." Chen Chuan shook his hand. "Pleasure to meet you." It was hardly surprising that the man knew his identity. He had booked his ticket right here; although an Investigation Supervisor was no longer required to report his status as a third limit fighter when traveling, it was trivial for the Ocean Exploration Group to run a background check if they paid even the slightest attention to incoming and outgoing passengers. Still, since he was already on his way back, having his whereabouts known made little difference. After withdrawing his hand, Zheng Hai leaned back against the bench as well. He looked out ahead, sweeping a hand across the horizon as if encompassing the whole island. "We plan to establish an information field here—right here, over there, and... oh, over this way too..." He pointed in several directions. "By deploying field organisms in these locations, we can link up communications across the island and provide a measure of information services." Chen Chuan remarked, "That won't come cheap." Although field organisms didn't consume algae oil or electricity, they required high-energy nutrients, which were by no means inexpensive to maintain. Zheng Hai chuckled. "Naturally, we won't do this for every island. Luowang Island and its waters have always been geared toward commerce and tourism. If we want to run this place well, maintaining public order is an absolute prerequisite, and good public order cannot exist without reliable communications and transportation." He paused for a beat. "Once we put all of this in place, Great Shun's governance here can remain firm and enduring. "Of course, relying on commercial tourism alone might not be enough. The surrounding waters are quite unique, and I suspect Canglong Company may set up a biological testing ground here in the future. The initial investments will eventually be recouped down the road." Chen Chuan asked, "A biological testing ground—like the ones in the Linakes Federation?" Zheng Hai smiled. "Hardly. From now on, this will be considered our own territory. We won't conduct those kinds of experiments on our own soil the way the Linakes Federation does. Besides, these experiments won't involve high-risk projects. We certainly don't want to turn this beautiful island into a living hell." With that, he reached into his jacket pocket, took out a business card, and handed it to Chen Chuan with both hands. "Supervisor Chen, this is my card. Should you ever visit these waters again on official business or for leisure, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any suggestions or needs." Chen Chuan reached out and accepted it. Zheng Hai then glanced at the camera beside Chen Chuan and smiled. "Oh, and one more thing." He drew over the briefcase he had carried with him and took out an exquisite envelope. "These are postcards our company produced featuring the scenery of the surrounding islands. This is the first edition, and only a hundred sets were printed. They make a fine keepsake. Please, keep a set, Supervisor Chen." Chen Chuan was quite interested. Even if he hadn't taken the photos himself, they were indeed nice mementos. He thanked him and accepted the envelope. Zheng Hai put his hat back on, stood up, and offered a polite bow. "Well then, I wish you a pleasant journey back." With another bow, he took his leave. Once he was gone, Chen Chuan flipped through the postcards. He knew full well why the man had approached him. As an Investigation Supervisor, his main duty was to investigate corporations—not only independent enterprises, but state-owned corporations as well. Though he claimed to be here purely on vacation, under the current circumstances, neither company could be entirely sure whether he carried a secret mandate to inspect them. Approaching him was simply a way to make contact and convey their cooperative attitude. Then he suddenly remembered that Great Shun had more than just these two corporations active in the Outer Ocean; the military had likely been deployed as well. His cousin Nian Qian was very likely engaged in military operations on one of these islands at this very moment. Now that the Ferris Wheel Company had collapsed and the Linakes Federation's influence was being purged, perhaps Nian Qian might be able to return home for the New Year festival this year. *** Meanwhile, Zheng Hai rode a cable car down the mountain and took a car back to his office grounds. Seeing him return, his deputy said, "Sir, the materials you requested have all been gathered." Zheng Hai came to a halt. "Is everything inside?" The deputy replied, "Yes, sir. It includes the old records collected from Feiguang Island, the testing data left behind by the Linakes Federation, and several archives from the Ferris Wheel Company." Zheng Hai whispered a brief instruction to his deputy. The deputy's face showed sheer shock, but without raising any questions, he nodded and hurried away. Half an hour later, raging flames suddenly engulfed Zheng Hai's temporary office, followed by the chaotic shouting of personnel rushing back and forth to put out the blaze. Zheng Hai and his deputy stood in the distance, watching the fire. The deputy asked in a low voice, "Sir, why do this?" Zheng Hai sighed with feeling. "If that thing truly exists in these waters, peace won't last long here in the future. I put in so much groundwork and fought so hard to open up this theater; I don't want someone suddenly coming in to replace me, or having all of this halted for some outside reason." The deputy felt the explanation was somewhat lacking, yet he dared not press further. After lingering a while longer, Zheng Hai returned to his private residence and pulled a radio transmitter from underneath. Tuning it to a secret frequency, he began transmitting: "All abnormal records have been destroyed per prior directives. Awaiting new orders at any time. Sender: Cuttlefish. Jianzhi 95, August 20, 15:10." *** Chen Chuan stayed on the mountain for over an hour. Once he descended, he lingered no longer on the island and boarded the ocean liner directly. At seven that evening, after finishing dinner, he walked out of the ship's dining hall and settled into an open-air deck chair, asking a steward for the recent newspapers and reports from Jibei Circuit Center City. Flipping through them, he found little that was truly new. Most pieces continued to cover the Linakes Federation's biological test infiltration and the subsequent fallout. However, one news item caught his eye: the Consortium representatives staying in Jibei Circuit Center City claimed that the Ferris Wheel Company had previously conducted business with the Consortium and signed numerous agreements. Now that Ferris Wheel could no longer honor them due to the Municipal Administration's actions, the Consortium demanded compensation from the Jibei Circuit Municipal Administration and disciplinary action against the relevant personnel. Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. From what he knew, Ferris Wheel had indeed pitched numerous cooperative business proposals to the Consortium, but no agreements had ever been finalized. The Consortium was likely just using this pretext to exert pressure on the Municipal Administration. Had there not been concrete evidence of Ferris Wheel colluding with the opposite side, the accusations would have gone far beyond this. Even so, one could easily foresee that the Municipal Council would seize on this excuse to stir up trouble. Those international corporations that had suffered losses during the Fumu split and opposed the government's expansion would surely take advantage of the opening as well. It was hardly surprising. The friction between the Municipal Administration and the Council had always existed, and until one side completely crushed the other, such struggles would drag on indefinitely. Still... He turned another page and noticed that the papers only provided reports from Great Shun's perspective, with no news whatsoever from the Linakes Federation's side. He wondered what Linakes was thinking at this moment. He would have to wait until he returned to find out. In any case, his duties as an Investigation Supervisor were focused squarely in that domain. *** While his ship was sailing back, inside an office building in Jibei Circuit Center City, Ji Xinmin of the Refinement School was speaking on the telephone, his expression thoroughly deferential. "Yes, yes," he repeated continuously. After a long while, he hung up the receiver, turned to the other two men in the room, and said in a grave voice, "Word has come from above. That person may return to Center City within the next few days. That gentleman wants us to find a way to make contact with him once again."