Gaocheng Hotel was one of the hotels with the best defensive facilities in Shengu City. It enjoyed investment from Jibei Dao's Center City, and an entire battalion of armed personnel was permanently stationed there.
Whenever military officers from the Confluence came here, they invariably chose to stay at this hotel.
Chen Chuan used his current cover identity to book an officer's suite. The security here was second to none, and it was also convenient for picking up all sorts of information.
A great many intelligence brokers and fixers operated around the hotel. Within less than three hours of his arrival, he had received calls from at least five commission agencies and self-proclaimed agents, all stating that they could handle any difficult matter on his behalf.
They believed that a young officer visiting this place would not be here simply on routine business. Even if it was official duty, certain tasks could be delegated to them—and it certainly was not their first time doing such work.
Chen Chuan had no need for these people, however. The first thing he did was contact the mercenary squad Yao Zhiyi had previously mentioned to him.
He had reviewed the dossier Yao Zhiyi had provided and knew the True Form Tree was highly likely to be located in one of the towns marked on it. From a martial artist's perspective, the simplest approach would be to barge straight in, find where the True Form Tree was before anyone could react, and destroy it.
First, though, he had to confirm that the True Form Tree was genuinely there. In reality, the thing could move; otherwise, they would have been able to pinpoint its location back when Hongfu opened the Confluence passage.
If he alerted his quarry, it would become even harder to find.
That aside, due to the treaty's restrictions, in situations that were still uncertain, he could not act recklessly against those below the limits, nor could he unleash his powers at will.
He understood and supported this treaty. Without it, the world would have descended into chaos long ago. While most martial artists would not expend their energy without cause, there was no guaranteeing that some would not be deranged—one could never be certain. If such individuals were to deploy even their mental power alone, they could effortlessly exert a tremendous influence.
After sending a message through a local platform on his boundary credential, a response arrived in less than half a minute. The respondent identified himself as the captain of the Red Bone Mercenary Corps and said he could come up to meet him right away.
Chen Chuan notified the guards downstairs. After waiting a short while, footsteps approached outside, followed by a light knock at the door. He said, "The door isn't locked. Come in."
The visitor walked in slowly, seemingly taking deliberate care to give the occupant inside time to prepare.
Chen Chuan glanced over. It was a bald man in his thirties with a fierce appearance. Clear implant skin and inscribed circuitry traced across his scalp and face, and slight bulges beneath his clothing around his torso visibly marked protective implants.
These were not decorative vanity pieces like those on his eldest cousin Han Cheng; they possessed functions lethal enough to pose a grave threat to ordinary armed personnel.
In sharp contrast to his harsh looks, he carried himself with conspicuous deference. Stepping forward, he bowed slightly and greeted, "Sir, you must be the one introduced by the old principal. Just call me Baomi."
Upon entering, he had taken a look at Chen Chuan. Guided by his experience, his instincts immediately warned him that this man was dangerous, and standing before him sent an involuntary chill down his spine.
Still, considering he had been introduced by a martial artist, he was bound to be someone extraordinary—or perhaps even... Baomi shuddered inside, not daring to let his thoughts wander further, but his attitude became exceptionally humble and respectful.
Chen Chuan invited him to sit and asked, "I heard you refer to Principal Yao as 'the old principal' just now. Did you graduate from Wuyi?"
"Ha, we just follow the crowd with that title," Baomi said. "Back when we were in the military, Principal Yao gathered some people with talent and taught us combat arts. My head was too thick, though, so I didn't learn much. In the end, I could only rely on these implants to scrape together a living."
Chen Chuan observed him. Anyone personally assembled by a martial artist to learn combat techniques was bound to be an elite within the military, likely formed for specialized assignments. Yet this man's lips were sealed tight. He seemed to talk openly, but had actually revealed nothing of real substance. That raised Chen Chuan's impression of him.
Chen Chuan said, "I received your dossier from Principal Yao earlier. According to the intel you gathered, what I'm looking for is very likely inside that town, yet you stated you couldn't be entirely certain."
"That's right!"
Baomi said, "We only got that information from an informant. He described the thing to us, and it matched the profile, but we haven't seen it with our own eyes. We don't know whether he actually saw it there himself or just heard about it from others. There's no way to reach a definitive conclusion, and we never cheat our clients, so we had to make that clear."
Chen Chuan said, "Which is why I need to visit the place personally—incognito. Since you have an informant there, you should have channels into the area. Can you arrange something for me?"
Baomi replied, "If it were anyone else, I probably wouldn't take this contract. The place is crawling with armed insurgents, and outsiders are usually kept out. Pulling a stunt like this invites trouble and risks getting the employer killed. But since you were recommended by the principal, I'll take it!" Saying this, he rubbed his hands together. "Only thing is, Sir, if you have any business in the future, please keep us in mind."
Chen Chuan smiled faintly, finding the man rather interesting. "Looking out for your business is no problem. Aren't you worried I might not make it back?"
Baomi chuckled. "I've always had a sharp eye for people. You're an important figure at a glance. Can't say for anyone else, but when it comes to you, I've got full confidence!"
Chen Chuan looked at him. People occupying every ecological niche possessed their own survival wisdom. For this man to have made it this far and earned Principal Yao's regard, he certainly had his own merits. Chen Chuan asked, "How soon can you arrange it?"
Baomi did not make an immediate guarantee, saying cautiously instead, "I need to check first." He tapped his boundary credential, a flicker of light flashing in his eyes. After a moment,
he looked up and said, "What a coincidence. We just saw a delivery contract heading that way, and I've already had my people accept it. The client is in a huge rush and wants it delivered tomorrow. That way, Sir can travel right along with us."
He looked Chen Chuan up and down. "Though we'll have to trouble you to disguise yourself a bit, Sir. Your bearing and looks are far too striking. Standing among us, you'd be like a crane among sparrows—far too conspicuous, wouldn't you say?"
Chen Chuan said, "Then we'll go with your arrangement. You will be well compensated."
"Ah, that's a small matter! As if I wouldn't trust someone recommended by the old principal!" Baomi rose to his feet. "Then I won't disturb your rest any longer, Sir. We'll come pick you up before eight tomorrow morning, if that's convenient for you?"
Chen Chuan said, "That time works."
"Great. No need to see me out, Sir, I'll take my leave."
Baomi backed out of the room and rode the elevator down. Stepping outside the hotel, several members of his mercenary outfit quickly gathered around. "Boss, met the client?"
Baomi nodded, glancing up at the building. "This job isn't simple."
"He was recommended by the old principal—how could it be simple?"
"Different, totally different," Baomi waved his hand, lowering his voice. "This client might be a truly big shot. Brothers, I've got a feeling—pull this off, and we're made!"
A hulking fellow visibly fitted with excessive implants asked excitedly, "Does the client pay big money?"
Baomi looked at him, speaking with profound earnestness: "Bangchui, why do you think you're called Bangchui? For someone like this, money isn't what matters most—favors are! How did we ever grow as big as we are now? Did the old principal give us piles of money? No! It was the favors he left behind!"
Bangchui muttered, "If money isn't important, what is?"
Baomi looked at him as if talking to a wall, waving him away. Turning to a lean man beside him with an exposed implant arm, he instructed, "Tiezhua, this job is critical. Our crew alone might come up short. Go get Huilang and Lanxiong as well."
The lean man said, "Boss, I'll have it sorted before the afternoon."
Baomi then called over a slender woman in a short skirt with cosmetic implants on her face. "Moli, head back and bring out all our heavy gear."
Moli was somewhat surprised. "Boss, sounded like you're just escorting someone. Is it really necessary to dig out our best hardware?"
Baomi said, "I've got a feeling this is a massive job. Bring it all—better safe than sorry!"
Everyone turned serious. The last time their boss had been this solemn was during the run where they were nearly wiped out. Back then, it was thanks entirely to Baomi's thorough preparations and anticipation of every angle that they survived. Surviving that crisis was also what had cemented their reputation as a prominent mercenary corps in Shengu City.
"Let's split up and prepare."
"Yes, Boss!"
High up in Gaocheng Hotel, after Chen Chuan finished his meeting with the Red Bone squad, all the outside solicitations seemed to vanish in an instant. Drawing the curtains, he carried his case into the suite's training room, consumed some high-energy nutritional ingredients, and began his daily cultivation.
Previously, when practicing the Grand Radiant Light Forms or Grand Firmament Forms, he would melt the objects around him. But with his deeper cultivation, he was now capable of exercising restraint while running through the forms he had mastered, so such occurrences had become rare.
A night passed. The next morning, he opened his eyes from his seated meditation. Almost at the exact same moment, a voice came through his boundary credential: "Sir, we've arrived downstairs. You can see us from the window."
Chen Chuan stood up, walked over to the window, and drew back the curtains to look down. Across the hotel plaza stood an armed convoy. Baomi's bald head was unmistakable in the crowd, and at that moment, he flashed a grin up toward the window. Chen Chuan said, "I'm on my way down."
His belongings had already been organized the day before, so after a brief tidy-up, he took his suitcase and headed out. Riding the elevator down and exiting through the hotel entrance, he walked over toward the armed convoy.
Chapter 874