When Liao Donghai finished speaking and saw that Chen Chuan showed no reaction whatsoever, he knew that the young man had no interest in the matter, and thus he had his answer.
Had Chen Chuan been tempted upon hearing about it, Liao Donghai wouldn't have minded doing him a convenient favor.
In any case, there was no longer any possibility for Yuangan Company to extract profit from this affair. The executive who had originally decided on the unauthorized research had already been dealt with by the company. The only reason they were still handling the fallout was that, as a state enterprise, they had to submit to the penalties and arrangements handed down from above. Since they had to pay a price regardless, taking this opportunity to curry favor with a martial artist was all the better.
Chen Chuan had no intention of taking this power into himself. Aside from the unclear nature of the relic itself, it was entangled in multi-party conflicts and had even drawn attention at the national level. Grafting it into his own body for no good reason would be courting nothing but trouble.
Moreover, considering that the so-called spawns of the monster were practically extinct now, countless people must have acquired these things over the past several centuries, entangling who knew how many individuals and factions.
This led him to another possibility: anyone who possessed this thing and gained power from it might very well hunt down and kill one another to make the relic whole, targeting every single bearer of this power. While he did not mind sparring and testing himself against others, there was no reason to invite so many pointless complications into his life.
He asked, "Apart from this method, do you have any other options?"
Liao Donghai replied, "We do. Before coming here, I consulted the specialists employed by our company. If the relic's bearers are willing to give it up voluntarily, that works as well. A relic possesses a will of its own, so if the host rejects it, that portion of the relic can be transferred into certain specific containers. However... those two might not be willing."
Chen Chuan nodded. Those two would definitely never surrender it willingly. That was likely part of why the white-haired woman had remained silent earlier—they would rather be killed than yield of their own accord.
Liao Donghai continued, "If we don't use that method, the simpler alternative is to have an active conscious entity kill them. That can likewise strip the relic out."
Looking at him, Chen Chuan said, "If there's a simple way, there must be a complicated one. Tell me all of them, Mr. Liao."
Liao Donghai said, "We also have a backup plan: submit an application to higher authorities for an esoteric ritual to slowly extract it. It's just that this method is rather slow to take effect, incurs certain costs, and perhaps... the higher-ups might not be satisfied."
Chen Chuan immediately asked Liao Donghai for the relevant documentation. The files indicated that applying for and setting up the esoteric ritual could take half a month.
As for the extraction process itself, it could take even longer—perhaps three to four months—and any risks involved would fall on him to bear. In the end, it was hardly as straightforward as ending things with a single blow.
However, things couldn't be calculated that way. Killing was not a good solution. Judging by the current situation, the two had not committed any actual offenses, so there was no need to resort to such extreme measures.
Furthermore, they were martial artists after all. With the Great Collision approaching, each additional fighter was an additional source of strength. Anyone who was not an enemy ought to be won over whenever possible.
Therefore, he said, "Mr. Liao, let's go with the last method. I will handle the communication with the higher authorities."
Hearing this, Liao Donghai immediately responded, "If Section Chief Chen deems this feasible, then we shall proceed this way."
Chen Chuan summoned the telegraph operator on-site and had a report sent to the Ministry, outlining his decision and the reasons behind his choice.
He sent the telegram in the afternoon, and in less than two hours, a reply was wired back: the ministry approved and supported his course of action.
Given how swift the reply was, the higher authorities were evidently inclined to back his handling of the matter.
With this endorsement in hand, moving forward with the plan posed no problem.
After discussing a few specific details with Liao Donghai, he concluded, "Mr. Liao, these two individuals will remain housed at your company for now. I trust you will properly handle what comes next."
Liao Donghai gave a solemn assurance at once. "Please rest assured, Section Chief Chen. The company has learned its lesson this time and will never make a similar mistake again. I will personally keep a close eye on everything here and report our progress to you by telegram at all times."
Chen Chuan hummed in acknowledgment. In truth, Yuangan Company could never have compiled such detailed records in so short a time. The only explanation was that ever since discovering these two ancient martial artists, they had secretly been preparing for research. They had likely intended to swallow the benefits entirely on their own, never anticipating that an industrial spy would disrupt everything.
A decision like this could not have been made by just one or two executives; the individual pushed forward now was probably just a scapegoat. The government higher-ups likely understood this as well, yet they hadn't pursued the matter to the very bottom. Instead, they had tasked Yuangan with managing the aftermath, effectively giving them a chance to redeem themselves through service.
Yet if they failed to handle even this properly, the knife would truly fall. Yuangan Company's leadership was surely well aware of this reality.
In fact, Chen Chuan had reflected afterward that the entire affair could hardly have escaped the State Administration Bureau's notice. After all, even Nian Fuli had caught wind of related rumors; it was impossible that the bureau possessed no intelligence. That they hadn't acted earlier was perhaps because they were waiting for something, or laying down a larger game. He suspected they were likely targeting Yuangan Company or even certain figures among the leadership of Haixi Dao.
If so, his intervention might have inadvertently disrupted their plans. But that had nothing to do with him. Since they hadn't coordinated with him beforehand, he needed only to fulfill his duty as Security Defense Department Section Chief.
After leaving Yuangan Company, he took a car provided by them back home. Because he had been delayed for several days outside and his aunt's family didn't know how long he would take to return, they had followed his earlier instructions and departed ahead of him by airship for his eldest aunt's home to pay their New Year visits.
A note had been left at home, bearing his eldest aunt's contact information and exact address.
His eldest aunt, Yu Jie, had married into a family in Shannan Dao. Taking an airship there would require roughly two days of travel. With just under half a month of New Year holiday remaining, time was still fairly ample, so he filed a notice of his itinerary with the Martial Arts Council.
Taking advantage of the waiting interval, he visited the old house left behind by his parents in this life. He tidied and cleaned the place up, clearing away some of the nearby weeds and creeping vines. Once that was done, he brought out a chair and sat there for the afternoon, just as he had in years past. This time, before leaving, he deliberately practiced a routine of Orthodox Sanshou in front of the house. It was an account given to his past, and a demonstration of his inner resolve.
The council's response arrived that evening. Following that was an airship arriving in Yangzhi City early the next morning. Carrying his luggage, he boarded the vessel. As he departed, he looked back at Yangzhi. Leaving this time, who knew when he would return?
The airship ascended steadily, gradually moving away from Yangzhi City in the morning glow, speeding southwest under the thrust of its propellers.
After more than a day of flight, on the night of the seventeenth, Chen Chuan arrived in Shannan Dao. Located in the central heartland of Great Shun, his eldest aunt's family lived in the Shannan Dao military garrison residential compound just outside Center City. His uncle-in-law, Han Kuang, was a colonel staff officer.
While aboard the airship, he had reflected on the past. In the memories inherited from his mother in this life, his younger aunt appeared from time to time, but his eldest aunt rarely figured. His younger aunt had seldom brought up the eldest aunt before him, either. In his childhood recollections, although the eldest aunt had spoken with their family, their interactions were infrequent, leading him to guess that the sisters' relationship might not be especially close.
Since the airship landed late at night, he did not disturb his eldest aunt's family. He simply stayed the night aboard the airship, intending to pay his visit at an appropriate hour tomorrow.
Meanwhile, inside the Shannan Dao military garrison residential compound, a car drove in and parked in the underground garage of a villa.
Shielding his briefcase, Han Kuang stepped out of the car. After shutting the door, he rubbed his temples. Over the past few days, he had attended multiple military conferences in a row at the base. Even with the support of stimulants and medication, an inescapable wave of exhaustion washed over him the moment he returned home.
Walking from the garage into the house, he sensed that guests were visiting. He asked, "Ling Ma, who's here?"
Ling Ma came over to take the military uniform he had removed, saying, "Sir, it is Madame's younger sister's family who have come with their children for New Year visits. They said they wished to thank you for your help in the past, and they brought quite a few gifts."
"Oh..."
Han Kuang had a sudden realization. He said, "See to them well. Ling Ma, I still have some business to attend to and will likely turn in very late. Let Madame know she doesn't need to save me breakfast."
"Yes, sir."
Han Kuang had a bite to eat first, took a bath, and then resumed handling official business. It was two or three in the morning before he finally went to the bedroom to sleep.
He slept until past nine before waking up. Opening his eyes, he saw his wife rummaging through some items over there. Surprised, he asked, "Yu Jie, what are you looking for?"
Without turning her head, Yu Jie said, "Looking for my old photos. Ah, found it." She pulled out a photograph, an image of three pretty girls posing together.
"This was taken of us three sisters before I married you, Old Han. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed."
"What made you think to look at that?"
"Yu Wan and her family arrived these past couple of days, so old memories naturally came back. Sigh, you know Second Sister—she was simply too strong-minded. She wouldn't pay the slightest attention to any of the young men I arranged for her."
"The fellow from Old Fan's family, you mean?"
"Yes. Handsome and talented, with a bright future. Ten years younger than you, yet his military rank is already on par with yours, isn't it?"
Han Kuang let out a scoffing chuckle. "You should look at whose daughter he actually ended up marrying. If that match you tried to make had succeeded, would he be sitting in that rank today? Hardly likely."
Yu Jie glared at him. "How do you know it wouldn't have worked?"
"Fine, fine, I won't argue with you. Where are Xiao Huan and Xiao Jing?"
"Those two girls are buzzing around their cousin right now."
Han Kuang thought for a moment. "Hey, doesn't your second sister have a son, too? As I recall, he lives with your third sister's family. Did he come along today?"
"I heard he had official business, so he'll arrive a few days late."
"Official business?" Han Kuang's interest was piqued. "That little fellow works for the government too?"
Chapter 858