After stepping out of the Administrative Office Building, Speaker Quan boarded his private car and headed back toward the Municipal Council.
Resting both hands upon his walking stick, he closed his eyes to rest his mind. After today, the power structure of Center City was bound to shift, though it was still hard to say just how deep an impact it would have.
In truth, while at the venue earlier, he had initially intended to shake Chen Chuan's hand and ease tensions a little, but on second thought, he realized doing so was pointless.
Chen Chuan was a martial artist, not a politician. He possessed his own principles of conduct and convictions; nothing Quan did would sway the man's underlying thoughts. That was why Quan had merely given him a deep, lingering look before turning to leave.
Just then, a communication came through on his boundary credential. Once connected, an anxious voice of a council member sounded from within. "Speaker, what should we do?"
Speaker Quan said slowly, "What do you mean, what should we do?"
"That man! He's become the Chief of Security Defense now, with both the City Patrol and the Disposal Bureau under his control. How are we supposed to deal with him from now on?"
Speaker Quan's expression remained exceptionally calm. He said, "What do you have to worry about? Even though he holds the post of Section Chief of the Security Defense Department, he remains a Fourth Limit fighter first and foremost. Yao Zhiyi is the principal of Wuyi, but how much time does he actually spend at the academy?
"Do not forget, this Section Chief Chen also carries the title of Committee Member of the Melded Lands Military Advisory Committee. Military operations in the Melded Lands cannot do without the backing of martial artists. He will not have much time to linger in Center City."
Yet the council member was still unsettled. He said, "But Speaker, the Old Imperial Court's forces are no longer in the Melded Lands. They won't be able to mount a counteroffensive anytime soon. I fear he might turn even more of his energy toward Center City, wouldn't he?"
This was precisely what the Council had feared most all along: without the distraction of the Old Imperial Court, the primary force wielded by the Center City government would be turned against them.
Speaker Quan narrowed his eyes. "On this matter, are we the only ones in Center City who feel threatened? I told all of you before: there is no need to panic. Just wait. We do not need to rush to the front."
***
Meanwhile, within the Security Defense Department's office floor in the Administrative Office Building, Deputy Chief Lü sat in his chair, deeply uneasy, his face laden with anxiety.
He had just received notice that Section Chief Bei's departure had been officially confirmed, and the new section chief had just been finalized moments ago—none other than Chen Chuan, the former Investigation Supervisor. Yet he himself had not received the slightest word beforehand. What did that mean?
It meant he had already been cut out of the loop.
Barring any surprises, he would certainly be reassigned from this post next.
Yet he was simply unwilling to bow out like this.
Over the past years, Section Chief Bei had neglected affairs entirely, and the other two deputy chiefs were mere seat warmers drawing pay. He was the only one who had shouldered the workload and kept the Security Defense Department's framework standing. He had swallowed no small amount of grievance and expended no small amount of effort. On what grounds was he now to be kicked aside with a single boot?
After pondering for a while, he finally tapped his boundary credential to contact Section Chief Bei. Once connected, he said, "Chief? It's Lü Gao."
"Ah, Deputy Chief Lü. What is it?"
Lü Gao said, "Chief, are you really just leaving like this?"
"What else can I do? This appointment came from above—a decision of the Director-General and the Privy Council. I can only comply with the transfer order from higher up. Besides, I'm getting on in years; I no longer have the heart to fight over these things. Who knows when the Great Impact will strike? It's enough for me to just eat well and drink well every day."
"Chief..."
Section Chief Bei cut him off. "Deputy Chief Lü, let me give you a piece of advice: act according to your means and make a graceful exit. Won't you be doing the same work if you go somewhere else? All right, I'm fishing right now, and the bobber's moving. Let's leave it at that."
The connection was promptly cut off.
Lü Gao let out a cold snort, his face darkening.
Go somewhere else? Easy for him to say! It was precisely because he occupied this post that he could reap all sorts of benefits from the Municipal Council and the corporations year after year, all for occasionally leaking internal information from the Disposal Bureau to the other side. If he lost this seat, he would be nothing at all.
Was there truly no way out?
No, if he left, the Municipal Council and the corporations would never find another collaborator like him. Surely they wouldn't want to see such an outcome either, so...
Just as he was wracking his brains for a solution, a chime rang out once more from his boundary credential. Looking down, he saw it was his assistant, Bao Yun. With a hint of displeasure, he answered, "Bao Yun, what is it?"
A panicked voice came over the line. "Chief, Xiao Miao, he..."
"What's wrong with him now?"
Lü Gao felt a throbbing headache. That son of his caused trouble all day long, constantly needing him to step in and clean up the mess every few days. At a critical juncture like this, he was still stirring up trouble!
Bao Yun said, "I don't know who told him, but hearing that the new Section Chief Chen is going to strip you of your post, Xiao Miao went to settle scores with him!"
"Nonsense!"
Lü Gao shot up from his seat, overcome with shock and fury. "Stop him, right now!"
"It's too late! He's already driven out!"
Cold sweat broke out across Lü Gao's brow. He turned toward the door and bellowed, "Quick, prepare a car for me at once...!"
***
At that very moment, Chen Chuan was riding in his dedicated car back to his residence.
The Government Affairs Department had arranged a new dwelling for him in Weiguang District, fully outfitted according to the standards of a martial artist. Since the Security Defense Department's offices were located inside the Administrative Office Building, living in Weiguang District was far more convenient. Thus, on this trip back to his old residence, he intended to pack up everything and transfer it over.
Once this rest day passed, it would be December. Before year's end, every department was buried under mountains of business, so he would have to assume office on the first of the month at the latest.
He tapped his boundary credential, and various administrative plans and recommendations immediately projected onto the display.
Beyond commanding the two largest apparatuses of force in Center City, the greatest authority held by the Chief of Security Defense was the power to mobilize a portion of the resources of Fumu, the city's largest field creature.
All public field resources in Center City were provided by Fumu. While active conscious entities such as Hongfu and Andun could freely route and dispatch information resources within Wuyi Academy and the Disposal Bureau, once outside, all field transmissions had to pass through Fumu.
If anything went wrong with Fumu—such as its previous division—the entire field of Center City would suffer disruptions.
Naturally, this authority was shared between the Municipal Council and the government, an arrangement left over from earlier days.
Therefore, if they did not wish Center City to descend into chaos without preparation, the Municipal Council could not be dealt with through pure, brute force; preparations on every front were essential.
Just as he was reviewing various departmental reports and intelligence, a danger warning from Andun suddenly popped up.
Though Andun was an active conscious entity of the Disposal Bureau, the Security Defense Department served as the bureau's superior governing body, meaning Andun likewise provided security services for him personally.
He glanced at the tactical map and saw a vehicle several kilometers away rushing toward his position at extreme speed. The interface identified it as a "Wild Dancer" manufactured by the Fenghai Company. The vehicle had undergone aftermarket modifications: its front end sloped at a steep angle and was fitted with a flat, razor-sharp plow blade, giving it a menacing appearance.
The armored escort vehicles guarding him detected the situation from afar. They immediately accelerated forward, shielding his car while broadcasting a warning. Seeing that the oncoming car showed no intention of stopping or veering away, the roof-mounted machine guns opened fire at once.
A dense hail of machine-gun rounds instantly tore into the charging vehicle, shredding it. The car lost control, tumbled violently onto the roadside, and after a brief pause, erupted into flames with a loud explosion.
Chen Chuan glanced at his boundary credential, which displayed the registered owner as Lü Miao—the son of that very Deputy Chief Lü.
He gave it a brief thought. Deputy Chief Lü could not possibly be foolish enough to commit such a meaningless act, and even if he did, he would never send his own son. That meant someone else was pulling strings behind the scenes.
Chen Chuan had no intention of getting out to look. He immediately instructed Andun to notify the City Patrol to handle the cleanup, and the motorcade continued on its way.
***
Roughly ten minutes later, Lü Gao arrived at the scene. Thanks to the trigger response of the body's implants, the city security and medical rescue team had arrived a few minutes ahead of him. All Lü Gao saw was a charred, blackened body being dragged out from the wreckage.
After questioning the paramedics about the situation, he seemed to age ten years in an instant. Just then, a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses walked toward him, only to be stopped by the vigilant security personnel outside the perimeter.
The middle-aged man looked toward Lü Gao and said, "Deputy Chief Lü, we can save your son."
Lü Gao glanced at him, furrowing his brow. Through his boundary credential, he could see that this man carried high-density implants. After a brief hesitation, he said, "Let him through."
The middle-aged man approached him and repeated, "Deputy Chief Lü, we can save your son."
Lü Gao did not ask where he came from, nor did he ask who "we" represented. He only asked, "He's already in this state. What can you possibly do?"
The middle-aged man said, "We can help you get in touch with Yuanren Company. You can trust Yuanren Company's technology. They possess the finest implant engineering in the world and can perform a comprehensive implant overhaul on your son, guaranteeing he will live a normal life."
Lü Gao's heart jolted. According to what he knew, Yuanren Company's technology truly was capable of pulling it off. But he knew the other party wouldn't help him for nothing. Scrutinizing the man for a few moments, he asked slowly, "And what do you want in return?"
The middle-aged man retrieved a plastic-sealed object from the pocket of his imported formal suit, pressed it into Lü Gao's hand, and whispered a single sentence.
Lü Gao's hand trembled, nearly dropping the object. Suppressing his shock and fury, his voice shook. "Are you out of your minds? That's a martial artist! You want me to do something like that?!"
The middle-aged man said, "Deputy Chief Lü, there is no need to fear. The field here has already been jammed; not a single word we say will be overheard by anyone. We harbor no intentions of doing anything to him, nor do we possess the means to do so, do we? You can rest assured: all you have to do is place this item in the designated spot. Everything else has nothing to do with you."
Lü Gao shook his head. "You have the wrong man. I fear I cannot do this..."
The middle-aged man said patiently, "You can do it. Before that new chief officially takes office, you are the highest-ranking officer in the Security Defense Department. You have a window of administrative authority to accomplish this."
Lü Gao's expression shifted through several emotions. After a long moment, as if having resolved himself, he let out a heavy sigh. Looking at the middle-aged man, he said in a low, grim voice, "You must guarantee that my son is kept alive."
The middle-aged man smiled. "Naturally. That is the premise of our agreement."
Chapter 822