Chapter 682 - 33: Energy

After finishing his call with Wu Han, Chen Chuan looked at the contact information for Geng Zheng and the other two, deciding to find some time to get in touch with them.

Gao Ming had told him to start building his own team early on, and he largely agreed with that advice.

Until he was so powerful he could disregard everything else, he couldn’t possibly handle it all alone. Never mind the great cataclysm he would one day face—even now, as an Investigation Chief, it was impossible for him to personally manage every single matter under his command.

The Bureau could assign some personnel to him, but he wasn’t familiar with them, so they might not be easy to work with. Furthermore, it was very likely they had connections to other people within the Bureau.

These people might be usable for day-to-day tasks, but at a critical moment, the slightest negligence or a subtle hint from someone else could lead to unpredictable consequences. That was why he needed people he could trust.

Perhaps that was why the Bureau had given him a few positions he could fill at his own discretion.

He planned to recruit his two old classmates and Wei Chang’an. They had worked together before, possessed exceptional abilities, and had great potential. They could form the core of his first team.

As for Geng Zheng and the other two, he was well aware of their abilities. They were all exceptionally talented. The fact that the Mutual Aid Association had recruited them and later had them take the exam for an unlimited defense license was a testament to their skills.

The three of them didn’t have any major character flaws. They were also from Yangzhi, which gave them a natural affinity with his group. They were likely working under some client now because they lacked official citizenship. He could try to recruit them.

He then glanced at his Second Self and saw that its etherealization was still ongoing, with no telling how long it would last.

His gaze hardened. ’Considering this situation, along with the sound that came from the recorder earlier, I have reason to suspect that the person whose voice was recorded is very likely a Fighting Master.’

’If I didn’t have my Second Self, it’s hard to say if I could have resisted such a spiritual assault.’

However, it was still unclear whether Ji Xinmin and his cohorts were merely using this person’s Spiritual Power, or if the master of that power had instructed them to do so.

’Those three knew I’ve joined the Pure Sect, yet they still came after me and even used such methods. There has to be a reason.’

He considered it for a moment, thinking of several possibilities, but he couldn’t be sure of any of them.

’I need to be wary of this matter.’

According to what Mr. Zhuan had said before, someone would deliver the Pure Essence to him once the Sect’s internal procedures were complete. He had been in the Outer Ocean previously, but now that he was back, the Pure Sect would surely send someone to contact him soon.

’I’ll just bring this up then.’

He continued scrolling through his previous messages and replied to them one by one. Eventually, he came across a few messages from Fusion Boundary.

The first was a message from Yan Yi, telling him that Mishiro Ara, whom he had recommended to the company, was proving to be very capable and had thwarted several potential incursions.

Upon seeing this, he immediately logged into Fusion Boundary’s security management platform and pulled up some of the stored video recordings, confirming that there had indeed been several attempted attacks.

It was clear, however, that most of these actions were merely probing attacks. The perpetrators likely made their move after learning he was on leave and had left Central City. But when they discovered that Fusion Boundary still had powerful personnel on guard even in his absence, they didn’t press the attack further.

’This is just a normal part of corporate competition.’

He logged out of the platform and moved on to the second message.

It was also from Yan Yi. She said that negotiations for a promising business deal had gone well, but to ensure its smooth expansion, Meng Shu would personally travel to the Outer Ocean to inspect and sign the contracts. Her trip was currently being arranged.

The company planned to take Mishiro Ara along and had also commissioned a reputable agency to hire additional security personnel. She was asking if he had any suggestions for what to watch out for or what reinforcements were needed.

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. ’If Mishiro Ara is there, it should be fine. After all, Mishiro Ara is from the Outer Ocean and is very familiar with the situation there.’

’Besides, the Three Great Halls have all had their strength diminished and are being watched by the two major corporations and the Dashun Government behind them. Basic safety should be guaranteed.’

’It’s the people hired from the agency that need to be watched carefully.’

After thinking it over, he replied with a message to the company, saying that he had returned and would find time to drop by soon to discuss the matter.

By the time he finished replying to all his messages, the convoy had returned to Wuding District. He had the vehicles drive directly to the Processing Bureau. Upon arrival, he explained the situation to Director Wu and handed over the captured Ji Xinmin and his two accomplices to the Bureau.

But he knew this matter involved two factions, so the Processing Bureau might not be able to reach a resolution. The Pure Sect would probably have to step in and handle it later.

After dealing with things there, he returned to his residence. Once back, he washed up, then took the short blade he had confiscated this time into his collection room and placed it on one of the weapon racks.

He then took a few steps back and nodded in satisfaction.

The largest single haul in here came from the days of the Fumu’s proliferation.

That included the Assistant General’s ceremonial sword, the katanas of Gongying Changxiu and others, Chang Kuanghai’s long axe, and Astrid’s armor and weapons.

’But it’s still a long way from filling this collection room, and who knows when I’ll need to expand it. I need to keep working hard.’

After admiring his collection for a while, he left the room and went to begin his daily cultivation.

About an hour after Ji Xinmin and the others were taken into custody, a team of Litigation Masters from the Gray Shell Affairs Hall arrived at the Processing Bureau. Citing that the three had no arrest warrants or criminal records, they demanded to take the men away by paying a fine.

The Processing Bureau, however, rejected this request.

This was because the three were suspected of assaulting a high-ranking official of the Processing Bureau and had been personally reported and apprehended by Chen Chuan. The case also included records of the prior interception.

Most importantly, the three had interfered with the An Shield’s Domain information analysis.

If one were to escalate the matter, this constituted a very serious act of obstructing law enforcement. Especially since the Fumu’s division had just ended and the city’s state of alert had not been fully lifted, special security regulations could be invoked to keep them detained.

The team of Litigation Masters waited at the Processing Bureau for a long time but failed to get what they wanted. They left with grim expressions.

Just one night passed, and on the twenty-ninth, Chen Chuan received a flood of messages from strangers, all demanding to speak with him. He had his An Shield block them all.

But the morning had barely passed when he began receiving messages and calls from classmates he knew, including Tan Zhi.

"Chen, Teacher Wei came to see me today. She said some people know we’re in frequent contact, so she asked me to see if you’d do them a favor and release those people you arrested. But I know I don’t have that kind of pull, so I just promised her I’d ask."

Chen Chuan said, "I understand. You can tell her that this matter will be handled strictly by the book."

Tan Zhi said, "Alright, I’ll tell her that."

Chen Chuan considered this. He could tell that Teacher Wei’s action wasn’t a genuine request for him to release the three men. It was an indirect way of informing and reminding him of the other party’s power.

The call with Tan Zhi had just ended when Pan Xiaode contacted him, also about the same matter.

"Chen, I really don’t want to be telling you this, but my old man insisted. Anyway, you just do what you have to do. Don’t worry about sparing my feelings."

Chen Chuan chuckled and said, "Alright."

Besides these two, Wuyi, a teacher he knew, also sent him a message. It was about the same issue, subtly reminding him to try and ease tensions with those people, as stubbornly resisting could be detrimental to him.

Seeing these messages, his eyes flickered. He could feel the depth of the other party’s background and power; most of the people he knew were being forced, willingly or not, to speak on their behalf.

Besides trying to get him to relent, they were probably also trying to pressure him through these people.

’If it were anyone else, they might have already caved.’

However, he also saw that while this faction could influence the people around him, they couldn’t influence the Processing Bureau. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have needed to approach him at all. This, in turn, gave him more confidence.

’But there are some things I have to consider. Having people plead on their behalf is just their overt move. The methods they might actually employ are surely not limited to this, and I must be on guard.’

Therefore, after some deep thought, he sent messages to a few people he knew, reminding them to be careful.

Just then, a voice suddenly transmitted from his Realm Token. "Hello, is this Manager Chen?"

Chen Chuan’s eyes shifted. The An Shield hadn’t reacted at all when the voice came through. He immediately realized it wasn’t a transmission from within the Realm Token itself. Rather, someone was using their Domain and Spiritual Power to project their voice directly onto the Realm Token, which was merely acting as a conduit. The person had to be nearby.

He stood up, walked out onto the balcony, and looked outside. He saw an SUV parked across the street. The person inside seemed to see him come out and continued speaking, "Hello, brother-in-arms. I have been ordered to deliver what you require. Can you come and receive it?"

Hearing the words "brother-in-arms," Chen Chuan understood immediately. He nodded, went straight downstairs, and walked out of his residence toward the SUV.

As he got closer, the car door opened from the inside, and a middle-aged man in a white shirt with a slightly unkempt physique squeezed his way out.

The man had a very ordinary face; you wouldn’t pick him out of a crowd. He looked like an office clerk from some company, but most corporate employees nowadays had Implants. This man had none; he looked very clean.

The middle-aged man smiled and extended his hand. "Manager Chen, hello. I am Chang Dong, the newly appointed head of the Pure Sect in Jibei Dao Central City."

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