After finishing his discussion with Counselor Pei, Chen Chuan returned to his residence. He brewed a cup of tea and pondered the situation. Based on past experience, as long as such entities were unwilling to show themselves, tracking them down was exceedingly difficult.
For instance, that director from Ferris Wheel—before he was exposed, who could have ever suspected him? All one could do was remain watchful and wait for the target to slip up.
He took a sip of tea, tapped his boundary credential, and brought up his current work agenda.
Lianwei Heavy Control Company and Green Source Technology were the two primary corporations under his purview that required investigation.
In fact, Lianwei Heavy Control had already been investigated once following the division of Fumu, and had paid a massive fine.
Yet Lianwei Heavy Control itself had not actually suffered much of a loss, as those funds had been paid in advance by the commissioning corporation and the employer behind them.
Moreover, after completing that assignment, its reputation had actually grown stronger among various corporations. As a result, it had no intention of abandoning its operations in Jibei Dao for the time being.
According to intel received by the Disposal Bureau, new personnel would soon be dispatched here. Furthermore, it would no longer be a mere outpost; they intended to ramp up investment and run it as an important branch office.
Intelligence indicated that the personnel sent by Lianwei Heavy Control would also arrive around September or October. Viewed in that light, the entire Center City would likely become quite lively between September and the end of the year.
However, since the people had not yet arrived, that matter could be set aside for now.
He could focus first on Green Source Technology.
From the available data, this company kept a fairly low profile. Even during the period when Fumu split, there had been no explicit evidence showing that it hired mercenaries or dispatched operatives to snatch split sub-bodies like the other corporations had.
Nevertheless, intelligence indicated that it had consistently been conducting illicit biological experiments within Center City. Because many of its testing facilities were established in the undercity, it had not been placed at the top of the priority list compared to other conflicts raging in Center City.
This reminded him of the Plague Cult in the undercity, which was likely backed by Green Source Technology; the ties between the two ran deep. What warranted particular vigilance now were the mutated flying insects currently spreading to every corner of Center City. Although hard evidence was lacking, it was virtually certain that Green Source Technology was the driving force behind them.
While these insects were currently only running rampant in the undercity, they had already triggered alarms at the Disposal Bureau.
He thought it through. Investigating this company would not be easy. The undercity was evidently key, and he had a feeling that results would not come quickly.
That was only natural; investigations and crackdowns against corporations had always taken years of effort.
He looked over the personnel assigned to him by the Disposal Bureau. Originally, about twenty people had been tasked with this assignment. The majority were investigative resonants and investigators, while a small portion were field operatives.
He first reviewed everyone's dossiers, then contacted each member individually, speaking with them and instructing them to simply maintain their previous investigative rhythm for now.
These people were very deferential toward him and appeared diligent, acting entirely by the book. Maintaining the status quo was fine for now, but once he dug deeper, he would need capable subordinates of his own.
He considered the matter. He could find a way to transfer back several members of his own team. Aside from what he needed for himself, he could distribute some of the remaining special medicine to them.
That would give him three capable hands, which would be sufficient for dealing with ordinary circumstances.
Later on, he could submit a report to get them reassigned here.
Furthermore, among his classmates and old friends who had arrived in Center City, if they were willing to join, he could form a squad entirely loyal to him and answering solely to him.
Having made up his mind, he immediately began drafting a report for the Defense Department and informed Counselor Pei. Then, he contacted Wei Chang'an, Feng Xiaoqi, Luo Kaiyuan, and the others, arranging to get together in a few days.
By the time he finished dealing with all of this, it was already past three in the afternoon. He stood up and went into the training room to continue his cultivation for the day.
A rustling sound suddenly came over his boundary credential, followed by Chang Dong's voice: "Fellow member, I'm outside your door."
Chen Chuan felt a stir. He walked out and reached the entrance, where he saw Chang Dong standing with a briefcase in hand.
He stepped forward to greet him, ushered him into the hall, offered him a seat, and poured him some tea.
Chang Dong asked, "Has the matter on your end been settled?"
"I got word at noon. It's settled," Chen Chuan replied. "The Refinement School acted very quickly."
Chang Dong smiled. "Of course they were fast. After all, two martial artists from our faction arrived this time."
"Two martial artists?"
Chen Chuan's eyes shifted slightly as he grasped the weight of those words. Under that kind of pressure, it was no wonder the Refinement School had been so efficient.
Chang Dong said, "Actually, the key lies in the evidence you provided, Supervisor Chen. Through that radio and the cassette tape, we were able to prove that the Refinement School used insidious methods of mental invasion—techniques that only a martial artist could execute."
He looked up, his tone growing somber. "So this is no longer just your personal concern, Supervisor Chen. This conduct was already an infringement against our Purist Faction. We could not let it slide, nor could we act as if nothing happened."
Chen Chuan nodded. At that moment, another question occurred to him. "With the arrival of two martial artists, what was the attitude of the Government Affairs Hall and the corporations?"
Two martial artists carried tremendous weight; the Government Affairs Hall and the corporations would surely be on edge, and the subsequent repercussions could hardly be minor.
"Nothing much." Chang Dong picked up his teacup and took a hearty, contented gulp. Leaning back comfortably, he said with an easy expression, "The two martial artists just happened to be passing by. From start to finish, they never entered Center City. They merely engaged in a candid and friendly discussion with certain individuals. What could possibly be wrong with that?"
Chen Chuan nodded. It seemed the Purist Faction operated with a clear strategy, demonstrating their firmness while simultaneously adhering to certain established rules.
Thinking about it, that made sense. When demanding that others play by the rules, they certainly could not act completely unrestrained themselves.
Still, another doubt remained in his mind.
"I have a question," he said.
Chang Dong replied, "You want to ask why the person who launched that mental assault targeted you?"
Chen Chuan nodded.
Chang Dong sighed. "You might already know this, but your current position is already the pinnacle of what a fighter rising from the bottom can achieve.
"To climb any higher, one must sign another agreement—either with the government or with a corporation. And the crux lies in that agreement.
"Setting the government aside for a moment, on the corporate side, every corporation's agreement is different, but the conditions are uniformly harsh. Beyond the necessary restrictions, the most critical part..."
He looked at Chen Chuan. "...is that you must periodically provide your mutated tissue and your blood."
Chen Chuan's eyes narrowed.
Chang Dong said in a heavy voice, "Nowadays, every corporation is researching and developing implants, biological weapons, active conscious entities, or various other things, alongside biological experimental programs of all scales. Consequently, they require vast numbers of samples and experimental subjects.
"Fighters—especially those with immense potential—possess mutated tissue and blood of tremendous research value.
"Naturally, it isn't limited to fighters. There are also people born with innate talents, such as those with mental aptitudes..."
Here, he paused briefly. "They are similarly captured or recruited by corporations. If they are lucky, some might even rise into the core executive ranks. If they are unlucky, they become nothing more than test subjects.
"It's fair to say that nearly every capable corporation is doing this; the only differences lie in their technical sophistication and research directions.
"From what we currently know, certain corporations have already achieved results.
"Therefore, our deduction is that this person likely took notice of your potential and wanted to pull you into the Refinement School."
Hearing this, many thoughts flashed through Chen Chuan's mind in an instant.
Chang Dong said solemnly, "You can rest assured. The arrival of the two martial artists this time serves as a warning to that person. If he doesn't want to trigger an all-out clash between the two factions, he will have no choice but to restrain himself."
Chen Chuan nodded, then asked, "And what about the government's side?"
"The government?" Chang Dong said. "That's even more complicated. Every country's government is different. Some governments are essentially nothing more than larger corporations, acting no differently from those megacorporations. Others are controlled by fighter warlords, who treat the fighters beneath them with either leniency or strict severity.
"As for our Great Shun government, the agreements vary slightly from Center City to Center City, but they're somewhat more lenient than those of the corporations. Still, if you aren't one of the inner circle of certain factions..."
He shook his head. "It should be easier for you to learn about that than for me, so I won't say more."
Chen Chuan gave an affirmative sound.
Chang Dong seemed to have worked up a thirst. He raised his cup and chugged half of it before bending down and lifting the briefcase beside his feet onto the table.
"I brought the pure substance you requested."
He patted the case. "I brought three units this time, which should be plenty. If you can use them up, go ahead; if not, I'll take the excess back."
Chen Chuan glanced at it and said, "That should be enough." He thanked Chang Dong: "Mister Chang, thank you."
Chang Dong patted his belly and chuckled. "As long as it's enough! That saves Old Chang from making another trip. All right, next let me explain what we need to do.
"Heh, this incident of yours ended up serving as a great deterrent to both the Refinement School and the Convergence faction. Nobody should be bothering us for a while.
"My plan is to take advantage of this window to set up the branch office. The faction said they will assign an assistant to support me as well. So for the coming period, it'll just be the three of us.
"Supervisor Chen, you just focus on your own affairs for now, and I'll handle the rest. The only thing is, we need a base of operations. You've been in Center City for some time—do you have any recommended locations?"
Chen Chuan asked, "Does Mister Chang have any requirements for the location?"
Chang Dong said, "Ideally, somewhere relatively spacious. Remote is fine; the main thing is that we aren't disturbed during the initial phase."
Chen Chuan thought to himself that this requirement wasn't too demanding. After a moment of thought, he said, "There are indeed a few places that would be quite suitable."
Chapter 647