Authorization

More than half an hour later, Chen Chuan walked out of Wuyi Academy. Numerous vehicles from the Disposal Bureau were parked outside, and bureau personnel filled the plaza. Upon seeing him, they all saluted. From this moment onward, every bureau member present would be strictly bound by protocol. All external communications and actions would fall under Andun's surveillance. Any violation would be met with immediate and severe punishment, ensuring that specific details would not leak during these critical few hours. He planned to return to the Disposal Bureau first and strive to clear the matter up within this window of time. An orderly opened the door of his designated car. Before stepping inside, he looked back at the Xuangong Building. Up above, it was completely empty—the flash of red from before was nowhere to be seen, yet a crimson scarf fluttered around his neck. He turned back, sat inside the car, and the door closed. Soon after, the motorcade set off in sequence, heading in the direction of the Disposal Bureau. Eight or nine minutes later, just as they were about to arrive, a chime suddenly sounded from his boundary credential. He glanced down. It was a scheduled message sent by Supervisor Wen. Raising an eyebrow, he tapped to open and read it, his gaze gradually turning solemn as he took in the contents. After considering for a moment, he contacted Andun. "Andun, has Supervisor Wen returned?" Andun replied, "Supervisor Wen is on a covert mission. The contents cannot be queried. At present, no communication has been returned." Chen Chuan asked again, "Was Supervisor Han in Bainiao District the entire time yesterday?" Andun answered, "Yes. Beginning yesterday at five in the afternoon, Supervisor Han, as the lead head of security, has remained in Bainiao District ensuring the safety of dignitaries from various departments. He has not left there to this moment." Chen Chuan sank into deep thought. A short while later, the car arrived back at the Disposal Bureau and pulled to a stop on the plaza. After sitting for a brief moment, Chen Chuan pushed open the door, stepped out, and strode into the bureau building. Just as when he had left earlier, the personnel in the lobby were sparse. Seeing him enter, they hastily stood at attention and saluted. Taking the elevator directly to an upper floor, he entered his office, checked the time, brewed a cup of tea, and sat there waiting. Not until three in the morning did he reach out, pick up the desk telephone, and dial a number. Someone seemed to be waiting on the other end. After merely two rings, the receiver was picked up. "Hello, this is Shao Xinquan." Chen Chuan said, "Officer Shao, this is Chen Chuan." "Supervisor Chen!" The voice on the other end immediately rose in volume. Chen Chuan said, "Supervisor Wen sent me a message earlier. If he had not returned by three in the morning and no information had come through, it meant his operation had failed. His message told me to contact you." Shao Xinquan seemed to suppress an emotional tremor as he replied, "Yes. Before leaving, Supervisor Wen gave me instructions. He said... he said..." Striving to steady his voice, he continued solemnly, "He said that if there was no news, all personnel and operational command were to follow your arrangements, Supervisor Chen." Chen Chuan said, "Then starting from this moment, I am taking charge of all your personnel. Please be ready and await my orders at any time." "Yes, sir!" After acknowledging the order, Shao Xinquan added, "Supervisor Chen, I have some things here that Supervisor Wen handed to me before he departed. Supervisor Wen said that if you contacted me, I was to deliver them to you." Chen Chuan's interest was piqued. "Bring them over, then. Do you need me to send someone to pick you up?" "Thank you, Supervisor Chen, but I'm nearby. I'll be there right away." Shao Xinquan was already in Wuding District. In just over ten minutes, he arrived at the bureau. Upon meeting Chen Chuan, he handed over a briefcase he carried with him. Opening it, Chen Chuan carefully examined all the documents and audio recordings inside, roughly reconstructing the truth of the affair. In truth, if he had not made it out of Wuyi Academy today, knowing all of this would have been useless anyway, as these materials would never have had a chance to surface. He told Shao Xinquan to return and await orders, then tapped his boundary credential. Moments later, a mature, steady voice came through. "This is Zou Jinhang." Chen Chuan said, "Captain Zou, this is Chen Chuan. I need you to assemble all personnel immediately. Any issues?" Without the slightest hesitation, Zou Jinhang replied, "No problem at all." "Understood." Inside an office at a garrison guard post in Wuding District, Zou Jinhang spat out his cigarette. Tapping his boundary credential, he sent out a notification to the dense list of contacts in his directory. "Listen up, brothers. Supervisor Chen is calling us up. Before Captain Xu left, he said that while he's away, we follow Supervisor Chen in everything. Don't drop the ball on me at the critical moment! Whoever screws up, I'll deal with them personally!" Meanwhile, Chen Chuan walked out of his office, stepped into the elevator along the corridor, and rode it all the way to the top floor of the building. Exiting the elevator, he walked toward Director Wu's office. Because Director Wu was undergoing an inquiry, the man was not present. Chen Chuan walked up to the door, took out a key, inserted it, and unlocked the door. Andun's voice sounded at that moment. "Supervisor Chen, Director Wu granted you entry authorization upon his departure. Please enter." Chen Chuan pushed the door open, entered, and walked up to the executive desk. On the desk lay a document alongside an envelope. He first picked up the document and inspected it. Seeing the line of signatures at the bottom, he stared at it for a moment before saying, "Andun, scan and enter into the archives." "Understood." Chen Chuan picked up the envelope and pulled out its contents. Inside was only a single slip of paper bearing a string of codes—passwords capable of acquiring temporary supreme authority over Andun. He immediately read out the sequence to Andun. Andun's voice responded, "Supervisor Chen, the code you provided matches the preset code. Identity confirmed through verification of personnel records, voice match, and biological field match. Your clearance has been updated to temporary supreme authority. Please wait here briefly; an incoming call will be connected shortly." Chen Chuan's expression shifted slightly. He remained where he stood, waiting quietly. Two minutes later, the secure landline telephone on Director Wu's desk rang shrilly. He reached out and lifted the receiver. A familiar voice came through: "Supervisor Chen." Recognizing the voice, Chen Chuan said, "Commissioner Cao?" Commissioner Cao spoke in a heavy tone. "Supervisor Chen, there is information I need to convey to you next. Some is relayed on behalf of others, and some is my own. The situation is like this..." Chen Chuan listened intently to the man on the other end. After roughly six or seven minutes, he replied, "Understood. Commissioner Cao, I will be counting on your department's cooperation for what comes next." Ending the conversation, he set down the receiver. After a moment of thought, he picked up another telephone on the desk and began contacting relevant personnel one after another. Once finished, he returned to his own office. Taking down his peaked cap from the coat rack, he put it on, draped his overcoat over his shoulders, and finally picked up the Xuejun Saber before striding out with firm, powerful steps. *** At that very moment, the commercial negotiation conference in Bainiao District was still underway. Only around five in the morning, more than an hour later, did it temporarily adjourn. After most of the dignitaries and negotiators had departed, someone walked up beside Supervisor Han and whispered a few words into his ear. Han gave instructions to an aide nearby, leaving him to handle the remaining matters, while he himself walked outside. As he passed through a security corridor, his silhouette vanished from field surveillance for half a minute before he reemerged from the opposite end. Stepping out of the main entrance of the conference hall, he saw his official car already waiting. An orderly stood ramrod straight beside the open door. Han paused there, gazing outward. The conference hall stood on high ground, facing directly toward Center City. With the morning dawn shining from behind, the entire plaza lay bathed in a half-lit, half-shadowed glow. In the square were influential dignitaries departing in armored official vehicles, smartly dressed delegations being escorted away in groups, and fully armed security personnel saluting him. At this moment, all these people seemed to be looked down upon by him. He raised a hand, as if trying to grasp something in his palm, but his motion soon paused. Retracting his hand, he merely straightened his peaked cap and walked down the steps. He entered the car. As he sat down, his brow knitted slightly. He reached out to touch his right arm, but quickly let go. "Back to the Disposal Bureau." The motorcade set off, departing the plaza and heading back toward the central metropolitan district. More than half an hour later, the convoy drove onto Feihong Bridge. Throughout the drive, Supervisor Han stared ahead without expression. Touching his boundary credential, he asked, "Andun, what is the situation at the Disposal Bureau?" Andun replied, "Supervisor Han, everything at the Disposal Bureau is normal." Supervisor Han paused, then asked, "Has Supervisor Chen been seen?" Andun said, "Supervisor Chen came to the bureau yesterday afternoon to handle affairs and left after eleven-thirty. Since then, Supervisor Chen has not communicated with the bureau. Would you like to contact Supervisor Chen?" Supervisor Han did not answer immediately, appearing to ponder something. After a moment, he said, "No need." By this point, he saw that the motorcade had crossed Feihong Bridge and was about to turn onto the road leading toward Wuding District. A sudden sense of unease seized him. He instructed the front, "Don't take this road. Switch routes." He offered no explanation, but the motorcade turned onto an alternate route. Following this path to its end would lead to Weiguang District. After the convoy had traveled for another half hour, Supervisor Han asked again, "Andun, any news from the bureau?" Andun's reply remained unchanged: "Over the past hour, everything at the bureau has been normal. There are some scattered public security reports. Would you like them transferred to your boundary credential?" Supervisor Han said, "No need." At that moment, the driver spoke from the front. "Supervisor, Weiguang District is straight ahead. Are we going to the Government Affairs Hall or the Municipal Council?" Supervisor Han glanced ahead and said briskly, "Turn around. Back to the Disposal Bureau." Without asking questions, the driver immediately turned the steering wheel, and the entire motorcade swung back toward Wuding District once more.