Chapter 705 - 56: Covert Movements

Chen Chuan stared at the map on the large Domain screen. Although An Shield supported his judgment and had roughly marked out several areas where personnel might be hiding, finding them based on this alone would not be easy.

After all, these areas were huge, and most were located in the gaps between zones. Many places didn’t even have Domain Creatures; they were almost entirely gathering grounds for people without citizenship, teeming with wanted fugitives and criminals. A thorough search was impossible without sufficient manpower.

The only way would be if An Shield dedicated all its resources to him, monitoring these places around the clock. Only then might it be possible to identify the suspicious targets.

But that was impossible. The Processing Bureau’s entire operation—information relays, situation analysis, Domain monitoring, strategic research, personnel coordination, weapons allocation, and more—all relied on An Shield’s support. As the Investigation Chief, the resources he could command were considerable but still limited. He could only apply to his superiors for more in case of an emergency.

Clearly, the Lianwei Zhongyu case didn’t qualify as that level of emergency.

Therefore, he needed to find another way to locate these people.

The usual procedure was for the Processing Bureau to take the lead and coordinate with city security personnel for a sweep. However, this method was inefficient, highly conspicuous, and became almost useless if it dragged on.

Other urgent, temporary, or higher-priority matters would inevitably crop up. As it was, city security was already buried under a nearly endless pile of pending tasks.

So that approach was a dead end. Fortunately, there was another option.

That was to hire contracting agencies and independent contractors.

It was an extremely convenient solution. Pay a reputable contractor enough, and they would handle everything. You wouldn’t have to waste your own manpower or resources, nor would you be held responsible for any trouble they caused while on the job.

He mulled it over. It was worth a try in this case.

After all, until his own people were in place, this seemed to be the only viable option.

He had An Shield pull up suitable contractors from the Processing Bureau’s archives. Immediately, a series of profiles and images flashed across the screen.

Finding a contractor or agency wasn’t a simple task. Their backgrounds were often a tangled web of complex relationships; it was a murky business.

Others might have to weigh their options carefully, but it was different for him. The Processing Bureau was a powerful, hard-line agency. All contractors and agencies, regardless of their background, had to learn how to deal with the Bureau to some extent. He didn’t have to play by their rules.

After reviewing the list, his eyes settled on the image of a bald man named Huang Weiyi. The man was around forty, powerfully built, with the distinct etchings of an implant on his scalp. He had a long nose, a square jaw, full lips, and several neatly groomed braids in his beard.

This contractor, Huang Weiyi, had once been a high-level executive at a well-known contracting agency before striking out on his own. The man had principles; he rarely skimmed from his subcontractors’ pay, and if a job went south, he’d rather cover the losses himself. As a result, he had a good reputation in the industry.

Of course, anyone in this line of work operated in the gray areas; none of them were clean. But that wasn’t Chen Chuan’s concern. He reviewed the man’s contract history, credit rating, and past missions, then made his decision. He immediately had An Shield open a communication channel to him.

The image of a chubby gecko clinging to a wall appeared on the screen first—his avatar. A moment later, the connection went through, revealing Huang Weiyi’s signature bald head.

"Huang Weiyi. At your service."

"I’m Chen Chuan," he replied.

As a contractor, Huang Weiyi obviously recognized the name and immediately broke into a wide grin. "I saw this call coming in and knew it had to be a big shot. So, it’s Manager Chen! Manager Chen, what can I do for you? Just give the word."

Chen Chuan sent the details of his request. "Mr. Huang, I need you to investigate these areas and identify any suspicious individuals who might be present. Can you take this job?"

"Heh, since the order is coming from you, Manager Chen, there’s no question. I’ll get it done for you, even if it costs me my head!"

Huang Weiyi knew a director from the Processing Bureau wouldn’t contact him over some trivial matter. A quick glance at the details was all it took for him to realize this likely involved a struggle between the government and a major corporation.

To the Mercenary Corps and independent contractors beneath him, he was a big shot. But he was just a minor contractor, and he couldn’t afford to offend either the government or a corporation. One wrong move, and he’d be ground to dust.

In that instant, his back was drenched in cold sweat.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. The Investigation Chief of the Processing Bureau had come to him personally—how could he dare say no? Besides, this was both a risk and an opportunity. If he handled it well, he might be able to get in with Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan was the Processing Bureau’s Investigation Chief, the one in charge of operations. If Huang could build a solid relationship with him, even the scraps of work that fell through his fingers would be enough to expand his business severalfold, to say nothing of the various intangible benefits.

"Since you’re taking the job, it’s yours," Chen Chuan said. "But remember to act with principle. Send me a quote later."

Huang Weiyi quickly replied, "Manager Chen, you honor me. Since this is our first time working together, I won’t charge you."

"No need," Chen Chuan said. "We’ll do it by the book." ’Who would give their all without getting paid? That’s not how you do business.’

"A man of principle, Manager Chen." Huang Weiyi’s tone lifted. "Do you have any other instructions for me?"

"Get the intel as quickly as possible," Chen Chuan said. "And make sure nothing leaks."

"Yes, Manager Chen, rest assured. I’ve committed your words to memory! I’ll make sure the job is done beautifully for you!"

"That will be all."

On his end, Huang Weiyi heard the connection terminate. He took out a cloth and wiped the sweat from his head, then immediately tapped another contact. After a long wait, the call connected, and a lazy, complaining voice came through. "Boss, what’s up? I just got to sleep."

"What do you mean, sleep?! Get up, now! If you have to, pop a couple of gray tabs to get your head straight. I’m telling you, we’ve got a big one! Listen up, if we pull this off, we’ll be living the high life under a major player!"

Back on his end, Chen Chuan faced another problem: once the targets were located, how to neutralize them quickly. An Shield had suggested deploying an Execution Captain. It was a good suggestion, but only a suggestion.

Execution Captains could only be deployed and directly assigned by Chief Zhu and the Defense Department in emergencies; they weren’t typically mobilized for routine missions.

Back when he himself had been an Execution Captain, he was only sent out for highly sensitive operations, and his point of contact was always Director Wu.

An Investigation Chief had to file a request for one, and there was no guarantee it would be approved.

However, it was a different story if he could train his own personnel, or if an Execution Captain was personally willing to cooperate.

But doing so would mean owing a favor, so he planned to handle it himself. It wouldn’t take much time, anyway. And if he came up against a worthy opponent, it would provide valuable experience for his Power and help temper his Second Self. He would actually welcome such an opportunity.

After mulling over these points, he checked his other messages. Besides Lianwei Zhongyu, the Processing Bureau also had him monitoring another company: Green Source Ecological Company.

However, this company was more covert, and its hidden power within Central City was even greater than Lianwei Zhongyu’s. With the forces at his command, he couldn’t possibly take on both at once. He had to focus on one for now, leaving the other under simple surveillance.

As he was thinking, a call alert sounded from his Realm Token. He glanced at it and accepted the connection. "Counselor Pei?"

Counselor Pei’s voice sounded in his ear. "Manager Chen, I’ve secured the authorization you requested. The official papers will be sent to you shortly, but please use it with discretion."

Chen Chuan heard a notification chime and looked. It was a text confirmation of the authorization, stamped with the seal of the Defense Department. He said, "Thank you, Counselor Pei. It’s just that I probably won’t have time to work on this for a while."

Counselor Pei said, "I know you have a lot on your plate. The Defense Department is keeping an eye on the situation, and the Secret Department is handling the clandestine investigation. I’ll inform you immediately if any leads turn up. Also, the specialist has approved your personnel transfer request. Your team members should be arriving in a day or two."

"Thank you, Counselor Pei," said Chen Chuan. "And please thank the specialist for me as well."

He had recently received some internal intelligence from the Processing Bureau. There was a lot of activity over at the Merging Land, and all departments were deploying personnel there. Pulling three Third Limit Fighters back at a time like this would not have been easy. It must have required a special approval from Specialist Liang.

But he desperately needed the manpower; otherwise, many of his plans couldn’t get underway.

"No need for thanks, Manager Chen," said Counselor Pei. "We share a common goal. That’s all for now. We’ll be in touch."

"Alright. We’ll be in touch."

Chen Chuan nodded and ended the call.

He thought for a moment, and seeing as there was nothing else pressing, he turned off the Domain screen and went upstairs to the Training Ground to practice. However, little more than an Hour had passed when a message came in from Lu Fang.

Lu Fang rarely contacted him without a reason, so Chen Chuan sensed something might be wrong. He immediately called him back. "Senior Brother Lu, what’s going on?"

Lu Fang’s tense voice came from the other end. "Junior Brother, there’s been someone watching the Fighting Hall for the last two days. I’ve been keeping an eye on them, and it looks like they’re targeting Xiaojin. Something feels wrong, so I wanted to let you know. I told Xiaojin not to come to the hall today."

Chen Chuan was slightly surprised. His mind raced, connecting this to a dozen different possibilities, but he couldn’t yet sort them out. "I understand, Senior Brother Lu," he said. "If anything else happens on your end, please let me know immediately."

...

...