Chapter 684 - 35: The Edge

Chen Chuan wasn’t surprised by the counter-accusation from Ji Xinmin and the other two. This sort of thing was a common tactic. Forgetting the numerous precedents, he himself had encountered similar situations before.

They claim you have no evidence?

If there’s no evidence, they create it. Then, they continuously produce new evidence and witnesses, trapping you in a lengthy cycle of verification and investigation. In short, by exploiting certain legal principles, they can drag the matter on indefinitely, making a resolution impossible.

Director Wu saw his calm expression and knew he already had a grasp of the situation, but he still offered a reminder. "The people from the Gray Shell Affairs Hall and the City Council are closely connected. You must be on high alert.

"These people have abundant financial resources and manpower. It’s very likely they’ll keep you tied up over this matter, constantly draining your energy and time.

"They might secretly push people you know to persuade you, or simply resort to more insidious and despicable methods to pressure you until you withdraw or give up yourself."

Chen Chuan said, "Do you have any advice, Director Wu?"

Director Wu said, "In a matter like this, your decision is what’s most important. If you plan to see it through to the end, then the Bureau will support you. And that’s not just my opinion; it’s the view of the other directors as well.

"The Bureau can step forward as your guarantor to exempt you from summons, and we can cover the Judgement Court fees from our official budget. On this, we are unanimous—we must protect our own people.

"But this could drag on for several years, or even longer, before there’s a resolution. Even if you aren’t summoned, there are other ways they can harass you. Don’t underestimate it. The accumulated burden over time can severely drain your energy and focus."

His voice grew heavy. "This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, and it involves more than one person. They, too, were confident at first, believing they could fight to the end. But eventually, they either requested a transfer or agreed to a settlement. That, in turn, put the Bureau in a very difficult position."

Chen Chuan nodded slightly. He understood this. If the Bureau’s support failed time and time again, it would eventually become meaningless. While this might not harm the Processing Bureau on the surface, it would be a huge blow to the trust of its agents.

However, he was different from those who had been forced to compromise before. Ji Xinmin and the other two were from the Refinement Sect, and they had tried to pull him over to their side even after knowing he had joined the Pure Sect, going so far as to use underhanded methods. Therefore, in the grand scheme of things, this matter had already escalated into a dispute between the Schools.

After using up his Pure Essence, he had sent a message using the contact frequency Chang Dong gave him. The other side had promised to provide him with more Pure Essence and told him they would send someone to resolve this matter within two days at the most. All he had to do was wait.

In truth, it didn’t matter if there was no resolution. No one knew when the Great Impact would arrive. Talk of dragging things out for years was meaningless. When that time came, it was debatable whether the current rules would even exist. Ultimately, might would be what decided everything.

Still, he was grateful for Director Wu’s kind reminder and help. He said, "Thank you, Director Wu."

Director Wu said, "You’re one of ours at the Processing Bureau. More importantly, you have evidence and acted with reasonable discretion this time. The Bureau will certainly back you. However, I have to add that while we can help you personally, we can’t extend that protection everywhere else. Manager Chen, you need to think about how you’ll handle what comes next."

Chen Chuan nodded. "I believe I can find a solution."

Director Wu looked at him and suddenly asked, "Do you know who they are?"

Chen Chuan knew he was asking about the people backing them. He answered affirmatively, "I do."

Director Wu nodded, then reached out and patted his shoulder. "As long as you know what you’re doing. If anything comes up that you truly can’t handle yourself, remember to ask the Bureau for help."

Chen Chuan agreed.

After their talk, he walked out of the conference room.

As he walked down the corridor, he found himself thinking about Manager Han, whom he had just met. For some reason, despite the man’s cold demeanor, Chen Chuan sensed a hint of hostility directed at him.

He had a few theories, so he pulled up the man’s file. It only contained basic information about his age and career history. Manager Han had come from the local Wuyi and, like Chen Chuan, had worked his way up from the bottom.

In his youth, he had repeatedly distinguished himself, but his rank hadn’t changed much before he turned thirty-five. Only in the last ten years had he seen a steady rise in his career, and he had now been in his current managerial position for three years.

Aside from that, there wasn’t much else in the file.

He paused to think, stopping in front of a window in the corridor to contact Ni Qianqian. The call connected a moment later. "Sister Ni?" he asked.

Ni Qianqian responded with a sigh. "You’re a manager now," she said quickly. "Best to stick to official titles at the Bureau."

Chen Chuan chuckled. "Alright, Manager Ni. There’s something I wanted to ask you about." He paused for a beat. "Do you know anything about Manager Han?"

"Manager Han, huh."

Ni Qianqian thought for a moment. "One moment," she said.

Chen Chuan heard the sound of her high heels walking away. After a moment, her voice came through again. "I heard Manager Han was quite famous when he was younger. Then he was injured during an operation and got transferred to an insignificant post. I think it set his career back for more than a decade.

"But I heard his forebears once held a very high office, something related to handling corporate affairs. Supposedly, that’s why he still has connections with high-level executives, and I’ve heard he even has dealings with some in foreign countries..."

Chen Chuan listened intently. Ni Qianqian didn’t know a great deal, and much of it was unconfirmed rumor, but some of the details were worth considering.

After she finished, he thanked her and said he’d take her out for a meal another day. He ended the call and stepped out of the corridor, only to look up and see Manager Qiu waiting for him. The man smiled and saluted.

"Manager Chen, I have a few documents that require your signature."

Chen Chuan took them and glanced over them. They were exemption forms for the national draft and the Merging Land draft. As a Third Limit Fighter, he was normally obligated to answer these calls to service; it was a duty for people of his rank.

However, as the Investigation Chief for the Processing Bureau, he was now effectively a mid-to-upper-level official in Central City. Strictly speaking, he had been removed from the ranks of front-line combat personnel.

As such, he would no longer be compelled to answer these calls unless it was an emergency draft, he requested a transfer, or he volunteered.

However, in a true emergency, everyone in the Processing Bureau, from the top down and regardless of their position, was expected to fight as long as they possessed a certain degree of combat prowess.

It was just that such a situation hadn’t arisen yet.

After reviewing them, he took the pen the manager offered and signed both documents.

Manager Qiu took them back and presented another document.

"Manager Chen, if you could please sign this as well."

Chen Chuan took it and saw it was about the allocation of his cultivation resources—specifically, special medicines. Even though he wasn’t going to the Merging Land, his current position still entitled him to a quota from the higher-ups.

He reflected internally. ’Even though front-line fighters get a lot, there’s still a clear gap between them and the true administrators. The administrators are the ones who control and distribute the resources.’

’If I hadn’t joined a School or signed some kind of agreement with the government or a corporation, the position I’ve reached now would have been the pinnacle of my career.’

He signed this one as well and returned it to Manager Qiu, who saluted once more before taking the documents and leaving.

Chen Chuan headed out of the Processing Bureau. After getting back in his car, he took a moment to think. ’The medicines allocated to me by the Fusion Boundary Company are already enough for my daily cultivation.’

’In fact, my body was already nearing its absolute physical limit. It was only because I consumed the Pure Essence that my potential was raised again, increasing that ceiling. But all in all, I can already see the next step. It might only be a matter of a few months. After that, all that’s left will be purely mental refinement.’

’Of course, there’s also my Second Self. My plan is to have my Second Self catch up to my current level. Only after it fuses and becomes one with me will I take that final step of Breaking the Limit and surpass true theoretical perfection.’

’To reach that goal, I’ll need more than just cultivation—I’ll need worthy opponents. But here in Central City, that’s probably the one thing I’m not short on.’

’Not to mention, the diplomatic delegations from the Federation and the Lynx Federation are arriving in mid-to-late September. That’s only about fifteen or twenty days from now. I can imagine Central City will be anything but peaceful then.’

’And once I no longer need the special medicines, I can pass the surplus on to suitable, high-potential individuals. A person who controls resources can naturally gather power around themself.’

Just as he was leaving the Processing Bureau, Weidong and Wu Han were heading toward an abandoned residential building on the edge of the Deep Unexplored District.

The two of them had accepted a job that day: to rescue a hostage kidnapped by gang members.

Both held their preferred weapons: Wu Han a short spear, and Weidong a pair of specialized gauntlets. They each wore personally purchased Protective Clothing.

After reaching the side of the building, Wu Han peeked up from behind cover. "Junior," he said, "same as always. You draw their attention from the front; I’ll slip in from the side and get the hostage."

They had done plenty of these jobs before. Kidnappers like these were never very strong—after all, if they had any real skill, would they be reduced to kidnapping? Usually, a single surprise attack was all it took to solve the problem.

But Weidong, uncharacteristically, didn’t answer.

Wu Han gave him a strange look.

Weidong said, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Wu Han was taken aback. Weidong was never one to be afraid, but his intuition had always been uncannily accurate. If he said he had a bad feeling, then odds were something was wrong up ahead.

The two of them had run many missions together and faced their fair share of danger. He trusted Weidong. He also suddenly remembered Chen Chuan’s recent warning to be extremely careful.

He glanced up at the building, then made a decisive call. "Then we’re not going in. We’re pulling out!"

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