After handling several matters at the Defense Department, Chen Chuan returned to the villa district in Golden Maple Court, intending to continue his daily training.
Not long after his return, a package arrived.
This was the compensation Skarson had promised him.
After signing for the delivery, he opened it to inspect the contents. Inside lay an assortment of highly unusual ingredients, along with several vials of medicinal supplements tailored for cultivation.
All of these pharmaceuticals were manufactured by major foreign conglomerates, most prominently Aurora Pharmaceuticals of Huansuo Island.
Tucked into the box's note compartment was a letter written in sweeping North Island cursive script. It was hard to imagine that such a stern, rigid man was capable of producing such elegant handwriting.
He had the Fumu assist in translating it. Unsurprisingly, it contained words of advice urging him toward restraint, phrased quite delicately and kept to merely a single sentence, leaving no room for annoyance.
However, as he read further down, his eyes paused. He rummaged through the crate, drew out an object, thought for a moment, and slipped it into his pocket.
After setting the note aside, he closed the crate, placed it onto a storage shelf, and walked out of the storehouse.
Once outside, he switched on the field screen. As expected, the lead stories across every channel revolved around the International Investigation Delegation.
Naturally, the public could not be informed of matters concerning the Great Impact. What the populace knew instead was that after the Jibei Dao Government Affairs Department overthrew the Municipal Council, a search had been conducted at the international delegation compound in White Bird District, resulting in a severe, violent clash. In response, the international affairs organization had stepped in.
Fortunately, local media in Jibei Dao could now only broadcast under the authority of the Government Affairs Department. The old municipal council news outlets were restricted to forwarding official reports or running unrelated stories.
Because those media organizations possessed foreign backing, they would have ceased to exist long ago if not for concerns that the investigation delegation might seize on their closure as leverage.
After browsing through local news, Chen Chuan watched commentary programs from media outlets based in other center cities. These were all recorded broadcasts, dated at least three or four days earlier, so the situation on the ground had surely evolved since then.
The rhetoric of these pundits was far more aggressive and hostile, nearly all of them taking a stance against the Jibei Dao Government Affairs Department. After all, the other center cities all maintained functioning municipal councils; these commentators were all pinning their hopes on the delegation to "set things right" and "let the people of Jibei Dao make their voices heard."
He watched for a short while, and seeing that their talking points had offered nothing new compared to last month, he simply shut the screen off. Downing the warm drink on his desk in one gulp, he returned to the meditation room to train.
Three days after the delegation's arrival, observers, media personnel, and various dissidents from different nations finally landed here.
The observers were almost universally tasked with gathering intelligence, particularly since Jibei Dao's upcoming Skyline Project was hardly a secret.
The international reaction remained cautious for now. Foreign powers were uncertain where such an initiative would lead Great Shun, or how far-reaching its impact on the world might be.
Some believed this move would plunge the world into immense turmoil, arguing that this momentum had to be suppressed rather than encouraged. Others took an optimistic view, believing Jibei Dao had taken the most practical step forward to unite the forces resisting the Great Impact.
Yet without sufficiently thorough information, drawing an accurate conclusion was impossible—any claim remained mere speculation. Consequently, they needed every shred of intel they could carry back, and they were certainly not above flipping their allegiances on a whim to play the role of intelligence peddlers.
Among them were also lobbyists dispatched by major corporations and a few nations. While they had primarily dealt with the Municipal Council in the past, they now spent most of their time lobbying members of the investigation delegation, hoping to secure statements favorable to their respective interests.
Over in White Bird District, the grounds remained an enclave for various national delegations. Following the end of the operation that day, only necessary supervision had been enforced, and with the arrival of the International Investigation Delegation, those controls had been relaxed even further.
At that moment, atop a high-rise, two figures stood before floor-to-ceiling windows, looking across Feihong Bridge toward Jibei Dao Center City.
Both wore sharp black formal suits, their faces lined with distinct incision marks. One was short and stout while the other appeared tall and thin, yet abnormal protrusions bulged beneath their clothing, making it obvious their bodies had undergone significant implant modifications.
The two watched a glowing display projected by their boundary credentials, which compiled opinions, feedback, and discussions from the various center cities across Great Shun.
The tall, lean figure on the left said, "The reformists within Great Shun have gained a foothold now, but their position isn't consolidated yet. Moving like this will inevitably draw a fierce backlash from the traditionalists. Shouldn't we wait and see what they intend to do before taking our next step?"
The short, stout figure on the right replied coldly, "Radical actions tend to introduce unpredictable variables, which in turn lead to violent upheavals in global geopolitics. That must be contained."
He glanced down at the wristwatch on his arm. The second hand swept rapidly around the dial, only to abruptly stop at times and spin counterclockwise for several turns.
"There are too many variables in Jibei Dao. And the crux rests upon this single man."
As he spoke, a light flickered in his eyes. The projection before the boundary credentials immediately shifted, displaying footage from several days ago showing Chen Chuan departing the mooring tower alongside two martial artists, eventually zooming in on Chen Chuan's face.
At that very second in the recording, Chen Chuan's gaze had casually shifted toward the camera, as though he had sensed the observer watching him back then.
The stout man paused momentarily before continuing, "Chief of the Jibei Dao Defense Department, Chen Chuan."
The tall, lean man nodded. "He is indeed someone worth watching. Look at everything he's done—always charging on the front lines. If he doesn't fall along the way, he is certain to become the backbone of Great Shun's reformist faction over the next twenty years.
"His file says he comes from a commoner background. Has such a capable figure ever emerged from that demographic before?"
A gleam flashed in the stout man's eyes. "Over the past sixty years, such precedents have indeed existed, but they are exceptionally rare. A portion of them even possessed faint blood ties to the Old Imperial House."
The tall man said, "Regardless of what kind of man he is, he remains someone who has not been 'accepted.'"
The stout man remarked, "Then he may never have that chance. He is a member of the Purist Faction, and very few among them ever compromise."
The tall man furrowed his brows at the mention, displaying a hint of wariness and disgust. "The Purist Faction... a thoroughly difficult bunch to deal with."
Just then, a message arrived on both of their boundary credentials.
The tall man said, "Three days ago, Skarson sparred with Chief Chen, but Skarson lost. It seems the people sent by the international investigation team aren't reliable."
The stout man said, "They couldn't possibly deploy stronger martial artists; Great Shun would never permit it, and the investigation team would lose its ostensible impartiality. Skarson was already their best candidate. But this doesn't impede our plan—in fact, isn't it even better?"
The tall man asked, "Have you decided to proceed with the plan?"
Gazing out through the glass toward the center city, the stout man said, "Proceed. A straying baseline must be corrected in time. Violent upheavals must be averted."
Ten days later, after nearly half a month of scrutiny, the International Investigation Delegation arrived at a relatively consistent conclusion: although the center city had arrested and tried the previous members of the Municipal Council, it had preserved the council's existence.
There had been no radical moves to completely abolish the council, and the local populace still retained avenues to voice their concerns. At present, public order in the center city remained sound and crime rates had fallen noticeably, a result closely linked to the Government Affairs Department strengthening security management and enacting new governance measures.
Yet one paramount concern remained: the lingering security vulnerability of Jibei Dao Center City.
A breach in the Ring of the World had long existed in Jibei Dao. Out of trust in the Great Shun government, the investigation team had allowed Great Shun to handle it internally.
Although the breach was now sealed and the entities that leaked through appeared to have been eliminated, could the Jibei Dao Government Affairs Department guarantee that all issues were resolved? Could it ensure that no similar security hazards would occur in the future?
Qi Weizhao immediately responded on behalf of the Government Affairs Department, stating that according to reports from the Ring of the World, all leaked entities had been eradicated, a fact that could be verified directly with the Ring of the World.
Furthermore, their prior success in handling multiple crossover incidents was sufficient proof of Jibei Dao's security and defense capabilities. Even if similar situations arose again, he was confident they could resolve them cleanly and promptly.
Upon receiving the response, the investigation team announced that they would hold a public meeting before the end of the month, inviting representatives of all member nations, where they would proclaim their final evaluation.
Once informed, Qi Weizhao promptly gathered all members of the security executive group for a decision-making conference. Their priority was ensuring no incidents occurred during this window, with the foremost duty being the safety of the delegation members—a matter of the highest gravity.
Following the conference, Chen Chuan assembled senior leadership from the City Patrol, the Disposal Bureau, and the Esoteric Cult Disposal Bureau. Together, with the assistance of the Fumu and Andun, they formulated a comprehensive security plan.
After task assignments were distributed, he pondered briefly, tapped his boundary credential, and reviewed the movement logs of key delegation members.
In principle, these figures were exempt from center-city restrictions and could travel freely anywhere within the city. In reality, the authorities could never allow them to wander entirely unchecked, and anyone they interacted with each day was monitored accordingly.
Routine members could be tracked by the Disposal Bureau and City Patrol, whereas the two martial artists fell under his direct watch.
At that moment, Andun chimed in with a report: "Reporting to Chief Chen: half an hour ago, Mr. Skarson and Mr. Corva received another anomaly report from an unknown source and are currently heading toward Hongsheng District. This is the third such incident in the past two weeks."
Chen Chuan's gaze shifted slightly. "Understood."
Chapter 947