Hunter

The telegram to the higher-ups was promptly dispatched. Once Gao Yanjun finished handling it, she returned and said, "Supervisor Chen, Mr. Chang, all the information we received has been fully reported upward." Chen Chuan and Chang Dong exchanged a glance. Next was waiting for word from headquarters. This matter quite likely involved a martial artist, making it extraordinarily complex; how to proceed would depend on the conclusion headquarters reached after their deliberations. Chen Chuan said, "Before word comes from headquarters, our branch can't just sit and wait passively. Going by what Tian Rui said, that man named Qi Qianyang has stayed by the target's side for years, is one of the two instructors at the Marsh Training Camp, and is exceptionally strong. "Tian Rui said he appeared three days ago, yet I haven't received any reports of it. That means he didn't enter through the Melded Lands passage we've been monitoring. "I suspect someone provided him with a route. Regardless of who provided it, it shows someone is aiding and supporting the camp or him personally from the shadows." Chang Dong said, "That complicates things considerably." This meant they weren't dealing with just the Marsh Training Camp—other factions were involved. In truth, they had somewhat anticipated this. For a training camp to be established in the Melded Lands, a certain amount of resources had to have been invested; it was impossible without the backing of an outside faction. At this point, Chen Chuan took several printed hand-drawn portraits from his pocket, smoothed them out one by one, and spread them across the desk. These were the primary fighters of the Marsh Training Camp. The bureau's professional sketch artists had reconstructed their faces one by one based on the captured Qu Tianli's descriptions. Even if not an exact replica of the actual people, they were at least ninety percent accurate. Pointing to one dressed as an instructor who looked relatively young, Chen Chuan said, "Judging by his age, the person Qu Tianli described should be him." Chang Dong looked at the picture. Though it was only drawn from verbal descriptions, the artist had captured the subject's disposition remarkably well. The man in the drawing wore a soft round hat with a brim, his gaze piercingly sharp; even through paper, one could feel an intense aura of aggression radiating from him. "This man rarely showed up in Center City before. Appearing here now means he is almost certainly gunning for us." Looking at the picture, Chen Chuan said, "My thinking is that before headquarters hands down a decision, we should do everything we can to resolve this on our own. We can't waste this time. We need to take the initiative and eliminate the threat before us as much as possible." If this matter wasn't handled properly, they couldn't even guarantee their own lives, let alone expand the branch and recruit more members. Yet they couldn't just wait for reinforcements from headquarters. Who knew how long that would take? Headquarters wasn't their babysitter; they had to figure out how to clear this stumbling block themselves. Chang Dong asked, "Supervisor Chen, what do you plan to do?" Chen Chuan said, "I might try drawing him out. Since he came after us, I can find a way to give him an opening." Looking at Chang Dong and Gao Yanjun, he said, "The two of you can continue staying here. Weiguang District is heavily guarded, with formidable fighters stationed on defense. There's almost nothing he can do here. As for me, I will be outside, offering him opportunities, waiting for him to come." Gao Yanjun picked up the sketches, gathered them neatly, and pinned them one by one onto the display board in front of them, using a red pen to underline Qi Qianyang's portrait. Chang Dong glanced at it and said, "You know, seeing it up there like that really makes me want to draw an X over it." Chen Chuan looked at the eyes of the man in the drawing. He had a feeling that the person might come directly for him. Yet the roles of prey and hunter were interchangeable. He said, "Mr. Chang, no problem. When the time comes, I'll leave that job to you." Chang Dong laughed. "Then it's a deal." The next morning, after stepping off the airship, Chen Chuan didn't head back to Wuyi, but instead went to the Disposal Bureau first to arrange several matters. When he returned this time, however, he noticed that the bureau personnel were all hurrying about, busy from top to bottom; he didn't even catch sight of several of the bureau's key higher-ups. He knew this was because of the arrival of the Combine and the Linax Federation, which forced the Disposal Bureau to devote most of its attention to both parties. Regardless of which side one looked at, their influence and power were immense, to say nothing of both descending upon Center City at the same time. The matters tied to them in every respect were extraordinarily numerous. Coupled with the matters concerning relics, nearly every personnel member involved in that area was run ragged. Just then, a communication signal from Ni Xixi came through on the bureau's internal platform. He accepted the call, and after greeting him, she asked, "Supervisor Chen, Liu Yin says he's joining your team?" Chen Chuan replied, "Yes, I agreed." Ni Xixi said, "Here's the thing—the elders of his family contacted me, asking me to thank you and saying they'd like to treat you to a meal when you have time." Chen Chuan said, "I don't have time lately; we'll talk about it when I'm free. Why, his family doesn't object?" "That kid has the highest talent and aptitude of his generation. Several elders have evaluated him: as long as nothing goes wrong on his end and there are sufficient resources, reaching the third limit won't actually be too hard for him. So even his elders have to respect his wishes." Chen Chuan nodded. He could tell that the mutated tissue in Liu Yin's body was already nearing the peak of the second limit; stepping into the third limit was a matter of a few months at most. And his elders could surely see that as well. Honestly speaking, a third-limit fighter was someone not suitable to restrict, nor could they be held back, for they could already hold their own ground. "Besides, what's there to be dissatisfied about following you, Supervisor Chen? You're the youngest Investigation Supervisor in our bureau. Anyone can see you have a bright future ahead of you. Following you, those old guys can't say a word of complaint." Chen Chuan smiled. "My door isn't closed. If anyone else wants to come, they can come find me." He had seen disciples from these martial families; every one of them had undergone rigorous training, cultivated specifically to enter the Disposal Bureau, so to speak. Once brought in, they could immediately serve as capable hands. Ni Xixi chuckled. "Then I'll definitely pass the word along to them. Oh right, there's one more thing. The teachers and students from the Linax Federation exchange delegation arrived recently and held several exchange matches with us. You could say there were wins and losses. "However, anyone can tell that while they claim on the surface to be from a single academy, they're probably elites pulled together from all over. So we've ended up losing more matches on our side." Chen Chuan said, "If we can recognize our own shortcomings through these exchanges, it's not actually a bad thing." "I think so too, but the academy cares about saving face. After the Ferris Wheel collapsed, the Linax Federation lost its proxy out on the Outer Ocean, so those visiting the academy this time came looking to regain face. We can't just indulge them. That's why the academy suggested holding a separate exchange match between instructors. The academy wanted to ask through me whether you'd be willing to step forward, Supervisor Chen." Chen Chuan asked, "Is this Assistant Ling's idea?" Ni Xixi said, "It's Vice Principal Tan's idea. Of course, he only asked me to inquire; if it's truly inconvenient, then forget it." Chen Chuan said, "Then please reply to him for me: I don't have the time." "Understood," Ni Xixi answered briskly. After ending the call, Chen Chuan reflected for a moment. "Vice Principal Tan..." This man was Assistant Ling's direct superior, the one who had promoted the Academy Martial Tournament and secured vast amounts of funding for Wuyi Academy since taking office, which gave him a significant voice in the academy at present. Yet even though Chen Chuan was a teacher at Wuyi, that was merely to utilize Wuyi's resources. As a supervisor in the Disposal Bureau, he was only half a grade lower than the man, and had no direct subordinate relationship to him; he was entirely free to decline giving him face. Right now, his mind was entirely focused on advancing his spirit power; such trivial matters were not worth his attention. Leaving the Disposal Bureau, he got into his dedicated car, planning to make a trip to the branch under construction in Hongsheng District, while also wanting to see if he could draw that person out. Just as the car was about to enter Hongsheng District, Andun's voice suddenly came through: "Supervisor Chen, a vehicle is following us. The vehicle owner possesses surveillance exemption authority, making it difficult to detect their specific identity. Available information indicates the party originates from the Linax Federation." Chen Chuan's gaze shifted. He immediately raised a hand to his boundary credential and contacted Wu Bei: "Brother Wu, check out the person behind me. Be careful." Wu Bei patted his chest and said, "Supervisor, leave it to me. I'll have it done in a jiffy." He hadn't boasted; after only a brief moment, information about the person was transmitted to Chen Chuan's boundary credential. Unsurprisingly, the man was a member of the Linax Federation's diplomatic delegation. His name was Percival Haverford, twenty-seven years old, and a teacher from the federation's Dome Sword Academy. Dome Sword Academy, like Wuyi Academy, was an institution that officially cultivated fighters on a national scale, though Dome Sword Academy took in many students from outside the federation, including numerous trainees from other countries and regions. After reviewing the file, Chen Chuan gave it some thought, then looked up and said, "Stop the car." The motorcade promptly pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle trailing them also stopped. The door opened, and a smiling young foreigner stepped out. The man had curly black hair, deep-set eye sockets with blue irises, a somewhat square yet slightly rounded jawline, and bronze-tanned skin. He wore a blue-gray combat uniform, exuding the distinct aura of an elite fighter. After an orderly opened the car door for Chen Chuan, he stepped out, looked at the man, and said, "Mr. Haverford, seeing that you are a member of a diplomatic delegation, I must inform you that your actions are very impolite, and very dangerous." Haverford spread his hands and said in somewhat stiff Great Shun speech, "Then I am truly sorry. I am willing to apologize to you. Please forgive my actions." After that sentence, he switched to the Linax Federation language and said, "I merely heard people from your school say that you, Supervisor Chen, are the teacher with the highest martial arts skill at your academy, so I couldn't resist my curiosity. "Supervisor Chen, I defeated two teachers in a row at your academy, but our team leader insisted on sparing your school's face, so I had to step down, much to my regret. Yet I feel that even taking on two more was well within my reach."