Warning

Before long, Andun connected Chen Chuan to Chief Wu. Once the call went through, Chief Wu's voice came over the line: "Supervisor Chen, I'm reading your report right now. You did well this time." Chen Chuan said, "It's only a temporary suppression, Chief Wu. Lianwei Heavy Control won't let it go so easily. They'll definitely make further moves soon." Chief Wu asked, "What are your thoughts?" Chen Chuan said, "I'd like authorization to request testing of the energy supply rating of Lianwei Heavy Control's high-energy nutrient solutions, as well as placing restrictions on the quantity of their purchases." "You suspect... mm." Chief Wu said in a heavy voice, "Investigating their energy supply rating is a sensitive matter. It involves agreements between the government and corporations. To launch an investigation requires wading through a mountain of red tape and implicating quite a few departments. I can help you with this, but it might not yield results. "As for purchase quotas, we can impose limits under emergency regulations, and I support you on that. But if Lianwei Heavy Control has prepared in advance, the move may not be very effective." Chen Chuan said, "I know, but at least we can impose some constraints." "Fine. I will invoke the emergency regulations to issue a restriction order later. Supervisor Chen, is there anything else the bureau needs to do?" Chen Chuan said, "Nothing for now, thank you, Chief Wu. It's just that due to a lack of manpower, there has been no progress regarding Green Source Ecology for the time being." Chief Wu said, "One always has to prioritize. You can set Green Source Ecology aside for now. If anyone in the bureau asks about it later, tell them it was on my orders." "Thank you, Chief Wu." "All right, that will be all." After ending the call, Chief Wu turned around. Xu Chan was currently seated in his office. Chief Wu picked up the dossier on his desk, walked over, and handed it directly to Xu Chan. "The situation this time is somewhat unusual. The various corporations will certainly dispatch their most capable people. Supervisor Han conducted an investigation and obtained intelligence on them. Their detailed profiles are inside, so take a close look, Old Xu. "We are currently applying to higher-ups for access to past combat footage of these individuals. At the same time, we've had stationed field personnel purchase what they can on external platforms. It should arrive within the next day or two." Xu Chan turned a couple of pages and began flipping through them one by one. The documents contained detailed introductions and the techniques each person specialized in. As for combat recordings, they could only ever serve as rough reference material rather than absolute truth. Anything capable of being transcribed and recorded was merely surface-level, or perhaps even something intentionally shown to outsiders. The true trump cards were not things most people would readily reveal to strangers. After reading through it, he looked up and asked, "Chief Wu, is this intelligence accurate?" "These personnel are all confirmed. I've corroborated the existence of everyone listed through secondary channels." Chief Wu said gravely, "Supervisor Han said he called in quite a few old favors and connections to obtain this, but even he cannot guarantee there are no omissions. After all, some operatives are known only to delegation members and might be closely guarded secrets even within their own corporations." Xu Chan put the files away, intending to study them further once he got back. Although he was confident in his own strength, he never underestimated any opponent. Especially since this mission entailed fighting in the confluence zone—potentially deep within it. Once he moved beyond the range of the local garrison, logistical support would become severely limited, and he would have to rely entirely on himself. "You've already received the intelligence on the confluence zone. It's the most comprehensive dossier available right now. Neither the corporations nor the Linax Federation possess information as complete as ours." Xu Chan said, "That gives us a slight edge. But Chief Wu, if the relic we're looking for really is of the third tier, simply knowing the terrain won't be enough." Relics were by no means inanimate objects; they did not just sit in one spot waiting. Sometimes they parasitized or bonded to creatures of the confluence zone. Some of those creatures were exceedingly difficult to deal with—especially massive megafauna. If that happened, the target would become glaringly obvious, and it would turn into an all-out battle. "That's why you have to be careful, Old Xu," Chief Wu said with utmost seriousness. Xu Chan agreed deeply. "I've temporarily handed over some of my responsibilities to Supervisor Chen." Chief Wu said, "Leaving things to him should put your mind at ease. Supervisor Chen has always acted decisively and fiercely. With me backing you from the rear, just watch your own front. Also, I have to ask one more time: won't you reconsider? If you take a promotion before heading to the front, you could receive more support from the Defense Department." Xu Chan shook his head. "Chief Wu, you know I don't care much for such things." It wasn't that he truly lacked interest, but rather that reaching that step meant being forced to take a side. Even if he refused to choose, others would compel him to, dragging him into far too many entanglements. Chief Wu had spoken to him about this several times before. Seeing his continued persistence, he said, "Then say no more. I will assign all the bureau personnel I can mobilize to you, and Commissioner Liang will also make proper arrangements on his end. But you must understand: there will always be people within our ranks holding us back. You need to be mentally prepared. The burden on your shoulders this time may be extraordinarily heavy." Xu Chan said, "Chief Wu, I understand." Chief Wu said, "Alright, I won't say anything more." He rose to his feet and said solemnly, "Old Xu, as important as the object is, human lives matter more. As long as you are alive, there's always a way." Xu Chan also stood, saluted with a solemn expression, and said, "Chief Wu, Xu Chan understands." A day later came the final day of September, which was also a rest day. With the matter of Lianwei Heavy Control temporarily settling down, Chen Chuan used the successful operation as an occasion to treat all the team members to a meal, distributing the rewards and compensations owed to each person. After stepping out from the meal, he received a message from the bureau. It stated that anomalous activity had been detected along the confluence zone passage he had tasked the information department with monitoring. A piece of paper had been found there, clearly left deliberately for them to discover, though what was written on it remained undetermined. Chen Chuan examined the photograph that had been sent over. It showed a sheet of paper filled with disordered, bizarre numbers and Chinese characters consisting solely of isolated radicals and components, making it impossible to decipher the actual message. After some thought, he realized Chang Dong might be able to make sense of it. He decided to head back to the bureau, retrieved the physical sheet, and drove over to the temporary residence of Chang Dong and Gao Yanjun. Ever since the attack, the two of them had been staying in an apartment in Weiguang District. The construction of the branch had been contracted out to a construction firm, and they only checked in on progress daily via boundary credential. Upon arriving and meeting the two, Chen Chuan took out the paper and handed it to Chang Dong. "Mr. Chang, someone deliberately left this along that confluence zone passage. Can you decipher its contents?" Chang Dong took it, looked it over, and promptly reached a definite conclusion. "This is a ciphered letter—a cipher of our Purist Faction. What's more, it's written in the cipher format we used fifteen years ago. I'll need to think this through carefully. Give me a moment..." He went back inside to rummage around, retrieving a notebook to cross-reference and decipher the text while simultaneously sending a telegram back to a certain location for verification. After several back-and-forths, he decoded the complete ciphertext. Its general message urged them to release their captive as soon as possible, warned them against establishing any branch in Jibei Dao Center City, and advised them to leave Center City immediately—otherwise, the sender would come in person to wipe out their branch. Chen Chuan looked at it. "Was this written to us by the target?" "No." Chang Dong shook his head. "The tone doesn't match the target's. In truth, he is a very reasonable person. Whatever he says or does, regardless of whether others deem it right or wrong, he always lays out his own reasoning and justifications—and genuinely believes in them. So that person wouldn't utter such blunt and shallow threats." Chen Chuan pondered for a moment. "One of the students under him?" Chang Dong mused, "Actually, I think that rather than the target, this is very likely that person." Chen Chuan recalled the photograph Chang Dong had previously given him. "Mr. Chang, is it the person you asked me to find?" "Highly likely." Chang Dong said, "Someone who knows these ciphers and was a participant in that incident fifteen years ago—there's no one else it could be. If this person truly colluded with the target, then... well, it wouldn't be surprising for him to do something like this." Chen Chuan said, "A threat?" He looked at the sheet of paper. "Based on just these few words?" "Very naive, isn't it?" Chang Dong chuckled softly. "Then that makes it even more likely to be him. He really does do naive things from time to time." He turned to Gao Yanjun beside him. "Comrade Gao, what do you think?" Gao Yanjun was still dressed in a well-tailored office skirt suit. She said coolly, "In my opinion, rather than warning and threatening us, he's more likely urging us to leave this place and stay away from danger." "Mm..." Chang Dong nodded involuntarily. "That makes sense. That does sound like something he would do. Fifteen years later, it seems he hasn't changed much. But we still need to get to the bottom of what really happened back then." He handed the paper to Gao Yanjun. "Comrade Gao, can you track him down through the residual field on this?" Gao Yanjun took it and said, "Too much time has passed. The residual field is virtually nonexistent. However..." She turned the paper over. "He should be in Center City, not the confluence zone. This paper wasn't produced in the confluence zone." Chang Dong said, "Still, he might have simply grabbed a random piece of paper after arriving in Center City." Gao Yanjun said coolly, "Except this paper came from a child's workbook." "A child's workbook?" Startled, Chang Dong took the paper back again. If the person were in the confluence zone, such an item wouldn't exist there. This paper had most likely been picked up casually from his immediate surroundings. A multitude of thoughts instantly crossed Chang Dong's mind. Chen Chuan took the paper, tore a small slip from it, and stepped outside. Activating his boundary credential, he held the scrap before the light screen and said, "Andun, analyze the intended use and age of this paper." Moments later, Andun responded: "Preliminary analysis indicates this paper is intended for student workbooks for ages seven to twelve. The paper was manufactured approximately three months ago." Chen Chuan nodded and walked back inside. After sharing Andun's analysis, he said, "I agree with Ms. Gao's assessment. This person might not be in the confluence zone at all, but quite possibly right here in Center City."