After disembarking from the airship, Chen Chuan met up with Xu Chan and the others, who had rested for the night, preparing to hurry back to Center City during the open window of the Confluence crossing corridor.
Once the group had gathered their luggage and equipment and arrived before the train, however, they found Counselor Pei already waiting for them. The counselor stepped forward, shook hands with Chen Chuan, greeted him, and then looked toward Xu Chan and the others behind him. "Supervisor Chen, and everyone else, I need to borrow a moment of your time."
Chen Chuan asked, "What is this about?"
"It is like this. Because all of you traveled to the unknown zone, where conditions were extremely complex, and because the breach in the Ring of the World has yet to be sealed, everyone must undergo some mandatory screenings before returning to Center City to ensure there is no external contamination."
Counselor Pei added with meaningful emphasis, "This is a necessary procedure. Better that we handle it ourselves than leave it to others, which will spare you unnecessary complications."
Having undergone similar screenings before, Chen Chuan understood his implication. "Where do we need to go for the test?"
Counselor Pei smiled. "Right aboard this train will do. To make it convenient, we already moved the equipment here. It won't delay you long."
"Very well," Chen Chuan said.
With that settled, the group boarded the train with Counselor Pei. After stowing their luggage, they followed him toward a carriage near the rear, where an entire car was taken up by the testing creature.
Since the screenings had to be done one by one, Xu Chan and the others entered first. The process was swift; each person emerged in less than a minute. Even Chaoming went in to be checked, and no abnormalities were found in any of them.
Chen Chuan had anticipated this outcome. Leaving aside the earlier leg of their journey, during the latter half, almost all of them had been shielded under the radiant glow of the relic.
That relic seemed to exert a potent repellent effect against contaminated matter. Even the parasites infesting items they carried had completely vanished.
At present, everyone was far cleaner than the personnel stationed long-term in the Confluence.
Once most of them had finished their tests, it was finally Chen Chuan's turn, but that was when a problem arose.
Just as he was about to step inside—before he had even set foot across the threshold—the testing creature reacted as if it had encountered something terrifying. It let out shrill, frantic squeals and shrank back desperately into the far corner. Had the surroundings not been reinforced, it would have broken out of the carriage altogether.
Counselor Pei found this peculiar. He went up and spoke with the person in charge. The technician looked utterly baffled at first, but then, as if struck by a sudden realization, cast a shocked, questioning glance at Chen Chuan before whispering something to Counselor Pei through his boundary credential. Hearing it, Counselor Pei's face filled with disbelief and shock.
After a moment's thought, Counselor Pei turned to Xu Chan and the others. "Gentlemen, you may head back first."
Captain Lyu refused, speaking loudly, "What on earth is going on? Explain it right here! Supervisor Chen has been with us the entire way. There's no way anything could be wrong with him!"
Captain Hu immediately stepped up as well. Chen Chuan had saved all their lives; if he needed their backing, they would not hesitate for a second.
Xu Chan seemed to have guessed something. He stopped Captain Lyu from speaking further and said, "No need to argue. Let's head back first. We're all on the train; nothing will go wrong." Then he added, "Have faith in Supervisor Chen."
Those words did the trick. Captain Lyu exchanged glances with the others, and they followed Xu Chan out.
Counselor Pei turned his gaze to Chen Chuan. Instead of asking directly, he took a breath and spoke slowly:
"I just inquired. This testing creature is capable of screening third-limit fighters and below. But if the subject is a martial artist, then these devices are incapable of testing them."
As he spoke, his eyes never left Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan replied in an easy tone, "If that is the case, then this testing creature is indeed of no use on me."
Counselor Pei's eyes went wide. His expression shifted into boundless, thrilled delight. It took him several moments to steady his swirling emotions before he asked, his voice trembling noticeably, "Supervisor Chen, y-you mean you're already..."
Chen Chuan said, "I came back aboard Principal Yao's airship, and I happened to share a meal with him."
Counselor Pei understood instantly. He nodded vigorously, unable to stem the surge of excitement in his chest. After a moment, he said, "I see! I understand!"
He knew all too well how much weight a martial artist carried. Once the former imperial army stationed in the Jibei Dao Confluence was cleared out, the next step would be turning to deal with the Municipal Council. If their side had an additional martial artist at this crucial juncture, absolute superiority at the highest tier would be guaranteed—and the opportunity to resolve Jibei Dao's chronic ailments might be right before them.
Once his emotions settled slightly, he said with solemn gravity, "Supervisor Chen, forgive me, but this news is far too important. I must report it to my superiors."
Chen Chuan did not mind in the least. "It's fine. Go ahead and do what you need to do, Counselor Pei."
He understood full well that the presence of a martial artist influenced every facet of affairs and could never be overlooked. He had never intended to hide it; he simply had no habit of boasting about it himself.
Counselor Pei relaxed slightly and said earnestly, "Thank you for your understanding, Supervisor Chen. If you will excuse me for a moment."
Chen Chuan nodded. Watching Counselor Pei depart, he also returned to his own carriage. By this time, the train had already crossed into Center City territory. Suddenly, an alert sounded on his boundary credential. He accepted the call, and a calm, steady voice came through: "Supervisor Chen, this is Wei Huan."
"Director Wei?"
Chen Chuan recognized it immediately. The one reaching out was Director Wei of the Handling Bureau. Because the director was advanced in years and in semi-retirement, the bureau's day-to-day operations had been handed over to Deputy Director Wu in recent years. After the breach in the Ring of the World appeared, Director Wei had led a contingent to hold the front line.
He had only returned once previously, when Chen Chuan was promoted to Investigation Supervisor.
"Director Wei, do you have instructions for me?"
Director Wei spoke very politely: "Supervisor Chen, Principal Yao already informed me of your situation by telegram. I will be transferred to the Capital before long, and the future of Center City will rest on you young people. Your future posting is not for me to dictate, but there are certain matters I believe I can help settle before I step down."
Meanwhile, as their train headed back toward Center City, a massive surge of violent crime erupted across several city districts over those few hours, with many incidents showing signs of fighter involvement.
The Handling Bureau dispatched personnel on all fronts. Because forces were stretched thin and several situations were particularly severe, even Captain Zou Jinhang, who had been holding down headquarters, personally led a team out to handle them.
Roughly an hour after his departure, Wang Weiguang—who had been detained by the Crisis Affairs Center ever since the previous screening incident—entered headquarters with a squad of men.
Back then, the ostensible reason for his detention had been contamination by foreign matter, though in reality it was an action orchestrated under the direction of the Municipal Council. However, because there was no concrete proof, and because he had been held in custody ever since, his post had never been formally stripped, and his clearances had been retained, intentionally or otherwise, by Han Fu.
As Wang Weiguang entered the main bureau, Andun's voice resonated: "Captain Wang, system detects that the accusations against you from the Crisis Affairs Center have been dismissed. Captain Wang, welcome back to duty. Please complete your reinstatement procedures."
A faint smile curled at the corner of Wang Weiguang's lips. "First help me register the individuals behind me. These are private team members I've hired."
"Identity verification in progress... No criminal or wanted records found; no citizen status... Captain Wang, identities have been registered..."
Seeing the registration complete, Wang Weiguang stepped forward to finish his own return-to-duty procedures, then said, "On my way here, I received a case connected to the detained Han Fu—former Supervisor Han. I need to get some details from him. May I see him?"
"Apologies, Captain Wang. Interrogating Han Fu requires sufficient clearance. Please submit an application to your superiors first, or wait here for the relevant supervisor to return."
Wang Weiguang's eyes flickered slightly. "Very well. Then I shall wait."
At the underground transit entrance, the train rolled slowly into the station. Once it came to a complete halt, Counselor Pei, Chen Chuan, and their party stepped down. They passed through the scanning checkpoint and walked up the stairs, only to find a squad of armed operatives waiting at the exit. At the front stood a man wearing an imported formal suit and dark sunglasses.
Seeing the party approach, the man took off his sunglasses, signaled the armed personnel behind him to hold their ground, and stepped forward a few paces. Flashing his credentials, he said:
"I am Li Xie, external liaison for the Crisis Affairs Center. I am here specifically to await your arrival under instructions from the center."
He looked over the group and stated in a formal tone, "Because all of you traveled to the Confluence and went deep into the unknown zone, we must conduct an inspection of everyone to ensure Center City is not placed in jeopardy."
Counselor Pei stepped ahead of the group, walked up to the man, and presented a testing report.
"Liaison Li, these individuals were already registered and inspected by the Defense Department before coming here. I presume there is no need for them to visit the Crisis Affairs Center for the moment?"
Li Xie's expression shifted slightly. In principle, once an inspection had been carried out by the Defense Department, there was indeed no need to run another. While they retained the right to conduct secondary reviews, taking people by force without concrete evidence of contamination was improper, and from a procedural standpoint, the other party had every right to refuse.
Just then, an alert sounded through his boundary credential. Hearing it, he looked up at the group before him and smiled politely. "My apologies. Of course we trust the Defense Department's screening, but there is a circumstance that needs explaining.
"Not long ago, a new parasitic entity was discovered in the Center, and our testing creatures were recently updated with new biological data. Therefore..." He glanced past Counselor Pei and smiled. "We must conduct the inspection once more. I hope you will all understand."
Chapter 775