Within a single day and night, the Shannan Dao garrison underwent an abrupt, turbulent upheaval. Multiple high-ranking generals, including commanders holding critical posts, were dismissed from their duties and placed under strict investigation.
Among mid-level and junior officers, more than half were stripped of their ranks and subjected to prosecution for their involvement in the arms and supplies trafficking case, which subsequently implicated a vast number of associated personnel.
The Defense Department established a special case investigation team. Acting under emergency regulations, they temporarily promoted a group of garrison officers who had held fast to their principles, while also pulling a cadre of officers from the Confluence garrison to temporarily assume command, swiftly stabilizing the troops.
The garrison's affairs were, after all, internal military matters. Even if numerous officers were entangled with other interest groups, once the military possessed solid evidence and handled the matter strictly by the book, outside forces had no room left to meddle or intervene. Thus, the issue was settled before long.
Yet compared to this, another related development struck certain circles in Center City with even greater shock.
Municipal Consultant Bai Gu had been severely wounded and taken into custody by another martial artist due to her suspected involvement in the affair and obstructing the investigation.
For Shannan Dao's Center City, this news was nothing short of a massive earthquake.
One had to understand that she had been here since the earliest days of Center City's founding. With her immense seniority, she possessed countless students, protégés, and younger relatives. Moreover, owing to her stellar public image, she enjoyed an enormous following among Center City's upper echelon.
In particular, among Shannan Dao's martial arts community, elite combat academies, and Wuyi Academy, quite a few exceptional students and instructors viewed her as the very ideal and belief they aspired to.
Hearing that she had been so effortlessly defeated—and at the hands of another martial artist far younger than herself—the shock rippling through their hearts was naturally immense.
Furthermore, the interests tied to a martial artist stationed in Center City for so long ran deep into every facet of the city. Her sudden arrest and detention inevitably stirred deep anxiety among a significant number of people. Factions and organizations clinging to her or relying on her backing faced cascading problems; left unchecked, it could have triggered widespread turmoil.
However, with the Security Defense Department and the City Patrol stepping in with well-prepared countermeasures, these flare-ups were quickly suppressed. In the process, the Municipal Council and various corporations—who historically had never gotten along with the Government Affairs Hall—surprisingly refrained from causing trouble, cooperating fully instead.
This was not out of any concern for the greater good, but because they knew that the martial artist who had defeated Consultant Bai was just outside the city, clearly aligned with the Government Affairs Hall and the military. If disturbances broke out inside Center City, the Government Affairs Hall would very likely invite him in. That was an outcome none of them wished to see. Rather than invite such a catastrophe, they chose not to hand the government an excuse.
In the garrison family quarters, the past two days had seen the area empty out drastically. This was particularly evident in the senior officers' residential quarter, where hardly a soul could be seen walking the streets.
Chen Chuan was completely unaffected over these two days. He trained when it was time to train, rested when it was time to rest, and got along harmoniously with his eldest aunt's family.
His eldest cousin, Han Cheng, had also been keeping his head down and behaving himself. Deep down, he was shivering in hindsight while feeling immensely relieved. What he had dabbled in was minor in the grand scheme of things, but word had reached him that many in his trade had been rounded up by the Municipal Council using this very pretext. Some boasted far deeper backing than he did, yet none had escaped. He knew full well that if not for his younger cousin, he might have been dragged down with the rest of them.
On the twenty-fourth, Chen Chuan received a report from the Security Defense Department, consisting of a summary of the operation along with relevant reference materials.
This operation had been spearheaded primarily by the Defense Department in coordination with the Confluence military and the Shannan Dao Government Affairs Hall, aimed at purging the chronic corruption and deep-rooted abuses that had plagued the local garrison for so long.
In truth, various departments had planned this years ago, preparing contingency plans and arrangements. The crux of the problem, however, had always been Bai Gu's presence.
She was a martial artist retained by the Government Affairs Hall during Center City's inception. In the first few decades, she had indeed made considerable contributions to Shannan Dao's stability. Over recent decades, however, she had grown increasingly conservative and self-serving, constantly balancing various factions while resisting any substantial reforms.
Substantial evidence indicated that her students, disciples, and blood relatives were enmeshed in various supply chains of profit, with Bai Gu herself perched atop the pyramid—she even received generous quotas of high-energy nutrients from the Municipal Council every year.
With her standing in the way, making any substantive changes to the Shannan Dao garrison had been impossible. Yet with Chen Chuan's arrival, Chang Shuyu, a fellow member of the Purist Faction, acutely recognized the breakthrough opportunity and decisively convinced all parties to seize the moment. The catalyst for the entire operation had simply been the passing of a note, completely without prior warning.
Judging from the outcome, the operation had proceeded exceptionally smoothly. Because Chen Chuan had played the most pivotal role, the Shannan Dao Government Affairs Hall expressed their gratitude at the end of the report, promising him an additional token of appreciation on top of Chang Shuyu's compensation.
Setting the report aside after flipping through it, Chen Chuan glanced out at the golden sunlight. The subsequent affairs no longer concerned him, and this New Year holiday was nearing its end. In a few days, barring any unforeseen events, he would depart for Jibei Dao.
Three days later came the twenty-seventh.
Chen Chuan and his younger aunt's family came out of the house with their suitcases. Escorted by Han Kuang and his family, they took a vehicle to the airship mooring ground.
As parting drew near, Eldest Aunt and Youngest Aunt stood talking, wiping away tears that would not stop flowing.
Han Kuang, on the other hand, was in high spirits. Over the past few days, he had taken charge of the staff department's primary responsibilities, overseeing personnel adjustments and reassignments. Barring any surprises, the position of deputy chief of staff was firmly his, and with good performance, chief of staff was not out of reach in the future.
After finishing his conversation with Nian Fuli, he turned to Chen Chuan. "Xiao Chuan, I might be your elder, but I don't have anything to teach you. My life experience won't be of much use to someone like you. In the future, you will go much further, reaching heights beyond anything your uncle can imagine. I only hope that you never end up like Consultant Bai."
Chen Chuan could hear the sincerity in his voice. Someone who wasn't true family wouldn't have said this, settling instead for a few flattering, polite pleasantries.
He answered solemnly, "Don't worry, Uncle. I won't walk the path Consultant Bai did."
Han Kuang nodded in relief.
While they spoke, the younger generation exchanged well wishes and goodbyes. Then, watched over by Eldest Aunt's family, Chen Chuan and Youngest Aunt's family boarded the airship.
After waiting a brief while, the airship's propellers began to spin. It rose slowly from the mooring mast, drifting farther and farther toward the eastern sky bathed in sunlight.
Seeing Yu Jie still sobbing and wiping her tears, Han Kuang put an arm around her shoulder and patted her gently. "Don't be sad. Their family will be living in Jibei Dao's Center City now; coming to visit us will be simple enough. Didn't your third sister say she'd come back next year? And if you want to visit her, I'm the deputy chief of staff now—I can easily arrange something for the deputy chief's wife."
Yu Jie glared at him. "Look at you boasting!" She added, "I can't just leave. You don't know how to take care of yourself, Old Han, and Xiao Cheng is always a handful. If I'm gone for a month, how could I ever have peace of mind about you and the children?"
Han Cheng immediately chimed in, "Dad, Mom, if you two can't go, your son can go on your behalf!"
Han Kuang and his wife exchanged a glance. Han Kuang said, "That's not out of the question. Let me think on it." Han Cheng shuddered all over, suddenly wondering if he had just said the wrong thing.
Once Nian Fuli's family boarded the airship, the two little ones had barely entered the main cabin when their eyes lit up at the sight of Chaoming curled up on its cushioned nest. Calling out "Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp!", they dashed straight toward Chaoming.
Chen Chuan hadn't brought Chaoming into the garrison residential quarter this time. Since Chaoming was growing larger and larger, bringing it into Center City would have attracted far too much attention, so he had kept it aboard the airship for the past few days.
Seeing the two little ones happily playing with Chaoming, he smiled and let them be. After all, there were security and service crew aboard the airship, so there was no danger of anything going wrong.
He stowed the luggage first, then led Nian Fuli, his wife, and Nian Qian into the observation lounge to sit. After pouring tea, he sat down and said to Nian Fuli, "Uncle, I've arranged a position for you in the City Patrol handling human resources. If you're not satisfied with that and want to patrol the streets, that's fine too. But Center City can be dangerous, and you'd need to be fitted with implants to protect yourself during field operations."
Nian Fuli shook his head. "Xiao Chuan, I won't cause you trouble. An office job is plenty good for me."
Yu Wan also said, "Your uncle isn't young anymore, and he doesn't know Center City at all. Why would he patrol the streets? Ever since he became captain and sat around headquarters all day, his back's gone bad, and his belly is bigger than before."
Nian Fuli immediately protested, "That's not true at all!"
Yu Wan said, "Fine, fine, not true, not true."
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "I've already contacted tutors for my younger cousin brother and sister. If you want them to study at home, the tutors can come to the house. If you prefer they attend a private academy, that works too, but they'd have to board at school and might only be able to come home once every ten days."
Yu Wan said, "Chan'er, your uncle and I will talk this over a bit more." In their hearts, they felt it was best for the children to attend a school so they could interact with more people, but they were unfamiliar with Center City and felt it was rather dangerous, so they figured they would decide after arriving and seeing it for themselves.
Chen Chuan nodded. He understood his aunt and uncle's concerns; words alone wouldn't put their minds at ease. He then looked at Nian Qian. "Cousin, you have about three months of leave, right? Once we get to Center City, will you stay with us for a while?"
Nian Qian said, "Yeah. I haven't been home these past few years, so I plan to spend this time with Mom and Dad. I haven't really spent much time in Center City either—my trip through Shannan Dao was just a flying visit. Once we get to Jibei Dao, you'll have to show your cousin around and give me the grand tour."
Chen Chuan smiled. "Of course."
Chapter 868