Encirclement

Supervisor Han looked Chen Chuan up and down a few times, said nothing more, turned, and walked away. After a moment of thought, Chen Chuan stepped out of the conference hall as well. Outside, he saw that Supervisor Wen, who had departed a step ahead earlier, hadn't gone far and was standing there, seemingly waiting for him. Supervisor Wen smiled at him and said, "Supervisor Chen, don't take it to heart. Supervisor Han doesn't see things the way we do. He's a man of grand ambitions, so he always likes to think in big terms." He stepped forward a few paces and walked alongside Chen Chuan, continuing as they went, "Supervisor Han is older than both of us and has more seniority. His ties with the higher-ups are good, too. If Chief Wu retires in the future, his chances are the greatest." With a meaningful tone, he added, "When a man places himself on such a high pedestal, well, it's understandable." Chen Chuan knew that most deputy chiefs rose through the administrative track. Only those in charge of operational field matters, like Chief Wu, came from a fighter background. These were two distinct career paths, meaning that the person who could succeed Chief Wu would ultimately be one of the three of them. To be specific, both Han and Wen had a shot. As for himself, given his age and seniority, taking that seat was currently out of the question. Naturally, the prerequisite for all of this was the backing of a faction. Chen Chuan had now joined the Purist Faction, but he didn't know which faction backed Supervisor Han—was it an internal government clique, or some other martial school? Still, he could sense that Supervisor Han's sudden approach today might carry some underlying motive, though what exactly it was remained unclear for now. Shifting his thoughts, he decided not to dwell on it for now and simply focus on carrying out the tasks entrusted to him. He understood Supervisor Wen's friendly overture—the man likely harbored ambitions of his own. After chatting briefly and exiting the corridor, the two exchanged polite farewells at the corner and parted ways as Chen Chuan headed toward his office. Upon returning to his office, a report was delivered to his desk. These were the personnel adjustments he had requested two days ago, all of which had now fallen into place. Captain Bao had been reassigned elsewhere, and a man named Captain Gu had taken over his post. Chen Chuan had reviewed Captain Gu's dossier. He also had a military background, was daring and aggressive in combat, but possessed a fiery temper that had rubbed many people the wrong way. Consequently, when positions were reshuffled this time, he had been transferred here. Yet Chen Chuan saw no issue with that. With subordinates who did the actual work, a bad temper wasn't a problem; what mattered was having the backbone to take responsibility and shoulder their duties. He signed off on the final procedural paperwork. Once everything was settled, he checked the time and walked out of the office. Just then, a notification chimed from Andun, reporting that under interrogation, Qu Tianli had confessed to a great deal. The bureau took this very seriously, particularly the secret passage leading into Center City, which had now been placed under surveillance. If anyone entered through that route again, they would be immediately locked down and apprehended. Chen Chuan nodded. In that case, he didn't need to worry about that matter for the time being. He instructed Andun, "If there are any new developments here, notify me promptly." "Andun understands." After going downstairs, Chen Chuan took a car out of the Handling Bureau and arrived at an underground entrance in Wuding District that led to the Confluence. His three team members were scheduled to return around noon, so he had arrived early to wait for them. After waiting for about half an hour, close to eleven o'clock, Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, and Su Wei emerged from the underground passage carrying field rucksacks. All three were clad in military uniforms, considerably taller than average, and carried themselves with martial posture and presence. The moment they stepped out, they drew the eyes of many people in the station. Once they reached the upper level, the three spotted Chen Chuan's car parked there. Yuan Qiuyuan's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "The Captain came to pick us up!" Qin Qingque immediately corrected him. "It's Supervisor." "Hey, it rolls off the tongue easier! Besides, the Captain definitely won't mind, and calling him Captain makes me feel more grounded." Yuan Qiuyuan patted Su Wei beside him. "Su Wei, what do you say?" Su Wei didn't speak, merely nodding with a smile. By then, Chen Chuan had stepped out of the executive car. The three walked up to him and snapped a crisp salute. "Captain!" Chen Chuan returned the salute, then said, "Get in. I'll take you to meet your teammates." Before returning, the three had already been briefed on the purpose of their recall. Answering in unison, they followed him into the armored vehicle. Once everyone was settled, the vehicle started up and drove all the way toward the training hall where Wei Chang'an and the others were currently practicing. Wei Chang'an, Wu Han, Luo Kaiyuan, Feng Xiaoqi, and the rest had been training here continuously over the past few days. Thanks to Chen Chuan's pointers, they had corrected the flaws and oversights in their techniques. The more they trained, the more progress they felt, so it never felt tedious; on the contrary, their drive only surged higher. Were it not for the fact that a fighter's cultivation had to account for the tolerance limits of their mutated tissue, they could have kept drilling day and night without stopping. In their spare time, they discussed techniques and sparred with one another. Having secured slots within the Handling Bureau, they didn't need to worry about meals, medicine, or other expenses during this training period; they could focus entirely on their cultivation. Consequently, they threw themselves into it wholeheartedly, feeling as if they were back at the academy. Over this period, everyone's strength had improved markedly. When Chen Chuan led Yuan Qiuyuan and the other two inside, everyone was still immersed in selfless training. Anyone stepping into the room would instantly feel an atmosphere of racing against the clock and striving relentlessly upward. Yuan Qiuyuan loved scenes like this. Looking around, he asked eagerly, "Captain, are all these our teammates?" Chen Chuan nodded. He didn't rush forward, waiting until Wei Chang'an and the others paused before introducing the two groups to each other. Once everyone was acquainted, he took out the jar of Enlightenment Seeds, explained what they did, and distributed them among the group. As for how many would actually reap benefits after consuming them, that remained to be seen. In any case, according to Talu, how this item took effect followed no discernible pattern; it all came down to personal luck. He had once wondered whether it might only be effective when taken simultaneously by many people at once, but there was likely no way to verify that now. Hearing that it could enhance their potential, they curiously accepted and swallowed their seeds, though none felt anything out of the ordinary. Wu Han then asked, "Junior Brother, does Wei Dong have one?" Wei Dong was the only one absent, as conditions inside Wuyi Academy were far superior to this place. Chen Chuan smiled and replied, "Everyone gets one. I've already given him his." He added, "It takes at least ten to twenty days for this to show results, so just keep an eye on yourselves." *** Inside an abandoned residence somewhere in Jiyang District. Fang Zhixin tossed a casually crushed can onto the floor, joining more than a dozen empty drink cans already scattered across the room. He had an unkempt beard, long hair, and dirty, stained clothes, looking as if he hadn't groomed himself in ages. Sitting with his back against the concrete wall, he glanced at the daylight streaming in through the window opening. He had been hiding here for quite some time. Back then, he had been taken into custody by people from the Provisional Special Operations Committee, only to be rescued midway by another group. Those people claimed to be admirers of Chen Bitong, but he didn't know them and had remained wary of them from the start. Over the past few months, they had constantly probed him about Chen Bitong and tried to find out who was backing him. Fang Zhixin had played along evasively, revealing nothing. Recently, just as he sensed them growing increasingly impatient, their hideout was suddenly breached by a squad of elite armed personnel, sparking a fierce clash between the two sides. Having already harbored thoughts of escape, he seized the chaos of the clash to slip away. Knowing he was still a wanted man, he couldn't show his face in public, so he fled straight here to hide. This was the northern part of Jiyang District, where almost no field existed and no electronic monitoring could reach. He planned to lay low for a while before contacting his true comrades. However, starting yesterday, he had felt a creeping sense of being watched. He knew in his heart that he had been targeted once again. He hadn't rushed to flee, choosing instead to rest and recover, waiting for them to come. He sat there until dusk. Leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, he suddenly opened them as dark silhouettes darted through the window opening, thudding into the adjacent wall one after another. At first, he thought they were javelins hurled from outside. But when he saw long, narrow metallic wings unfold on them, his heart tightened. He realized this was a combat organism he had never seen before. Just then, the tails of these creatures abruptly burst apart, shooting out thousands of dense projectiles that engulfed the entire room in an instant. Fang Zhixin threw up both hands to protect his face. The sleeves of his shirt shredded apart as dense spines penetrated the skin of his arms and torso, their tips sinking deep while the exposed ends vibrated violently. Fortunately, as a third limit fighter with swift reflexes, he had used his mutated tissue in time to halt the penetration, keeping them embedded only in the surface layer; otherwise, the force behind them would have been enough to pierce him clean through. Even then, more of the same creatures came whistling in from outside. Fang Zhixin arched his back, buckling the entire wall into a bulge, and threw himself backward. With a resounding crash, he smashed straight through the wall and tumbled into the adjacent room. Yet no sooner had he arrived than alarm bells sounded in his mind. Before he could dodge, a violent jolt rocked his body as a bloom of blood exploded from his shoulder, followed immediately by the crack of gunfire ringing in his ears. Then gunfire erupted outside, bullets spraying relentlessly across the room in a vicious hail. Hearing gunfire from the other side as well, he realized that marksmen had pre-sighted the positions and were primed to fire at a moment's notice. The enemy had likely anticipated that he would break toward either flank and stationed gunners on both sides, ensuring that no matter which way he ran, he could not escape. The enemy was clearly thoroughly prepared and equipped with sophisticated gear; taking them on directly was not an option. Slamming both fists into the floor, he shattered the concrete slab with a thunderous boom and plummeted straight down through the ceiling to the floor below.