Bainiao District, the office headquarters of the Consortium delegation.
The Consortium delegation's attempt to seize the relic this time had already proved a failure, yet they showed no sign of withdrawing. On the surface, their negotiations over interests with Jibei Dao Center City had not yet concluded.
In reality, for the sake of the Consortium's overall strategy, they had to ensure the Municipal Council's survival and provide it with adequate support during this critical period, leaving them unable to pull out for the moment.
Furthermore, they were still doing everything they could to uncover what had occurred inside the convergence zone. Even in defeat, they needed to ascertain the specific details and gather sufficient intelligence to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future.
Inside a detached residence, Mr. Chi held a photograph of Chen Chuan. It had been taken several years ago, just when Chen Chuan had entered Wuyi. Compared to now, his face was slightly more boyish, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, and between his brows lay an innate, sharp vigor.
He looked at it for a moment, then raised his eyes. Displayed on the field screen before him was the scene of Chen Chuan fighting Mr. Long. Although most of the footage was broken and distorted, they had restored and reconstructed a portion of it using technical methods. It was barely watchable, but at least clear enough to tell who was who.
He picked up a document envelope, slipped Chen Chuan's photograph inside, and then summoned an assistant. "Send a telegram to the gentleman. Tell him that circumstances have changed, and I'm afraid I won't be able to carry out the task he assigned."
Aside from serving as Yuanren Company's representative, he had also arrived bearing a personal request—a mission connected to Chen Chuan.
Had Chen Chuan been an ordinary fighter, even one of notable skill, dealing with him might have been difficult, but not entirely impossible to manage. Now, however, facing a martial artist was far beyond the limits of his ability.
To his surprise, however, a transoceanic telegram arrived over two hours later, informing him that the original plan could be put on hold for now and that someone else would take over the follow-up; he was merely required to gather as much intelligence on Chen Chuan as possible.
Upon receiving the telegram, Mr. Chi found himself in a bind. Chen Chuan was an Investigation Supervisor at the Disposal Bureau, whose files were not something ordinary people could inspect. What was more, he was now a martial artist, meaning all his past records would be sealed, accessible only to the upper echelons of the Great Shun state and select clandestine departments.
However, he recalled that Chen Chuan was not originally a resident of Center City. In that case, perhaps he could send someone to Chen Chuan's hometown to seek out acquaintances and glean information indirectly. It was hard to say how much they could learn, but at least he would have something to show for his efforts.
Having thought it through, he immediately summoned his assistant and gave a few instructions. The assistant nodded and said he would arrange for people to set off at once.
Meanwhile, back in his residence, as Chen Chuan went through those memories, he could not help but think of his aunt and her family.
He wondered whether he should bring his aunt's entire family to live together with him in Center City.
He hadn't forgotten that back then, members of the Refined Practice School had gone to Yangzhi looking for him. With just a little inquiry, it was easy to find where his family and relatives lived.
In the past, with protection from the constabulary and Mr. Wen, there had basically been no cause for concern. But now that he was a martial artist, he had to consider that any opponents he faced would likely also be martial artists.
While the likelihood of a martial artist acting in person against ordinary folk was extremely low, and Great Shun monitored martial artists' movements far more closely, martial artists rarely stood alone—they typically had an interest group behind them. Therefore, how to arrange things for his aunt's household required careful thought.
There was another matter: his old friends and classmates were currently acting as employees of the Disposal Bureau. Yet that was only because he was an Investigation Supervisor, which allowed him to recruit a certain number of personnel under him. If he left or took up a post elsewhere, many things might change. Thus, he needed to find a way to settle this ahead of time.
With that in mind, he tapped his boundary credential, located Secretariat Officer Qiao Yang of the Government Affairs Hall, and contacted him.
The call connected quickly, and an exceedingly polite, warm voice came through: "Supervisor Chen? This is Qiao Yang. Do you have any instructions for me?"
Back then, Qiao Yang had spoken with Chen Chuan on behalf of Chief Administrator Qi Weizhao. At that time, his tone and demeanor had been those of a superior commending and praising a subordinate. Yet unexpectedly, in not much time at all, Chen Chuan's standing had vastly eclipsed his own. Still, his shift in attitude was remarkably nimble, without the slightest hint of awkwardness.
Chen Chuan said, "Secretary Qiao, pardon the intrusion. I'd like to consult you on a few matters."
"Supervisor Chen, please go ahead."
"If I wish to obtain a batch of citizen statuses, how many quotas are currently available? What sort of procedure is required?"
Qiao Yang said with a smile, "Ah, regarding that—it works like this: with your current qualifications, Supervisor Chen, you are entitled to five citizen quotas each year. But special cases receive special handling. Considering that you are already a citizen of our Jibei Dao Center City and hold a post at the Disposal Bureau, if you personally make the recommendation, we can add five more slots.
"However, the additional personnel will require an observation period of over a year. Of course, if they have resided in Center City for more than six months and have no criminal record, the observation period can be waived."
For ordinary people, Center City citizenship was virtually impossible to obtain through regular channels. But for a martial artist, it was an entirely different story; the Government Affairs Hall was more than willing to extend every convenience.
Having a martial artist's family and friends reside within Center City was precisely what they wanted to see. A martial artist without ties or restraint was a terrifying prospect.
Chen Chuan nodded. In that case, his classmates and old friends could secure a proper status.
He thanked Qiao Yang and ended the call.
He glanced outside. It was just past nine in the morning, and the late October sunlight was crisp, clear, soft, and comfortable. The weather was exceptionally pleasant. Now that Director Wu was back, Chen Chuan no longer had to handle bureau affairs, giving him the time to go collect the batch of ingredients and high-energy nutrients that the Municipal Council had compensated him with.
After heading out, he took a dedicated car to Weiguang District first. Once he picked up Gao Yanjun there, the two headed together toward Wansheng Financial Firm.
The Wansheng Financial Firm branch was also located in Weiguang District, barely ten minutes away. Upon arrival, thanks to an advance appointment, the car did not stop at the exterior parking lot this time, but drove directly through a dedicated passage straight onto an inner plaza surrounded by a courtyard-style complex of main buildings.
Today, his appeared to be the only vehicle present. Fully armed security personnel stood stationed along the carpeted pathways flanking both sides and the front.
Rui Shenggu, the branch's Chief Director, was waiting there in person. As Chen Chuan and Gao Yanjun stepped out, he stepped forward with a warm smile to greet them. After shaking hands, he said respectfully, "Mr. Chen, all the items deposited here by the Municipal Council have been kept in proper storage with us. Would you like to collect them now?"
Chen Chuan said, "Right now. Please lead the way."
"Certainly, Mr. Chen. Please follow me."
Rui Shenggu turned sideways to lead the way, guiding the two through a corridor, past the front hall, and into a spacious rear hall. Then, he stepped forward to work a mechanical lever. To the clatter of internal gears within the massive wall beside them, the thick barrier slid apart to reveal a passageway.
He gestured respectfully once more. "This way, please."
Chen Chuan and Gao Yanjun followed him inside. Beyond lay another hall, this one more enclosed. On the opposing wall were two monstrous reliefs resembling flattened organisms. Standing there, however, Chen Chuan could sense the aura of living creatures emanating from the reliefs.
Rui Shenggu clapped his hands in a seemingly rhythmic cadence. After a moment, the two relief-like forms squirmed and began to crawl, bringing their heads together. Then, a section of the wall before them melted away like candle wax. As the two creatures burrowed inward, they gradually liquefied a long, deep passage through the barrier.
Rui Shenggu introduced with a smile, "This is our firm's proprietary method of protection—a containment system utilizing biotechnology. This wall is formed from secretions of these special organisms and measures a full twelve meters thick. It is essentially a monolithic block, capable of effectively withstanding high-energy explosive blasts and even breaches by martial artists.
"To open this passage, only a different secretion from these two organisms can dissolve it."
Chen Chuan glanced at it. It was indeed remarkably solid. Even so, defenses of this caliber might not truly be impervious to a martial artist. After all, a martial artist was no inanimate object; their exertion of force could be far more focused and refined.
Still, the underlying design concept likely wasn't an absolute guarantee against being breached, but rather to exhaust a martial artist's vital energy. That way, even if a martial artist did obtain what lay inside, it might not compensate for the losses incurred in the process, rendering such an attempt pointless. In that sense, it was a fairly reasonable arrangement.
By then, the passage had completely dissolved open. Rui Shenggu took the lead inside, and the two followed. Compared to the exterior, the interior chamber was modest, only about ten square meters in size. Atop a pedestal in the center sat a modest metal chest.
Rui Shenggu walked over and smiled. "Supervisor Chen, ma'am, the items are inside. This contains not only the Municipal Council's combat compensation for Supervisor Chen, but also a one-month supply of provisions."
Chen Chuan nodded to Gao Yanjun. She set down the case she was carrying and opened it, revealing an assortment of inspection tools within.
She first put on a pair of gloves, brushed her hair back, and secured a thin, transparent face shield over her features. Only then did she step forward. Feeling around briefly, she unlocked the clasp using the passcode Chen Chuan had given her, then lightly lifted the lid. A plume of cold mist immediately billowed out.
Within, the items were segregated beneath layered wrappings of biological film, all made of active organic materials that effectively ensured long-term preservation of the ingredients and high-energy nutrients.
Gao Yanjun picked up a package at random, weighing it in her hand to determine its exact mass. Then, from her case, she took out slender, tentacle-like probe needles, inserted them into the package, and withdrew them to submerge in a pre-prepared liquid for observation and testing.
Rui Shenggu stood waiting nearby, maintaining his smile throughout without the slightest sign of impatience.
After carefully inspecting each item, Gao Yanjun finally set them down, adjusted her decorative glasses, and said to Chen Chuan, "Supervisor, the quantity adheres to the standard allotment for typical martial artists, with a slight surplus of roughly one-sixth.
"However, this batch of ingredients has been in storage for at least five months, so its potency may have diminished to only two-thirds of the original. To achieve the proper dietary effect, we'll need them to deliver a matching batch of equivalent quality."
Chapter 792