Chapter 707 - 58: The Roundup

Manager Han studied Chen Chuan for a few moments, then turned and left without another word.

After a moment of thought, Chen Chuan also stepped out. Outside the conference hall, he saw Manager Wen, who had left just before him. He hadn’t gone far and was now standing there, apparently waiting for him.

Manager Wen smiled at him. "Manager Chen, don’t mind him. Manager Han doesn’t think like we do. He’s a man with grand ambitions, you know? So he likes to think big about everything."

He took a few steps to join Chen Chuan, and they began walking together. "Manager Han is older than us and has more seniority," he said as they walked. "He also has good connections with the higher-ups. If Director Wu retires in the future, he’ll have the best shot at the position."

He added meaningfully, "So, he’s just positioning himself a little higher. It’s understandable."

Chen Chuan knew that most deputy directors rose through the ranks as administrative officers. Only those in charge of concrete operations, like Director Wu, came from a Fighter background. They were two different career paths. Therefore, Director Wu’s successor would have to be one of the three of them.

Specifically, both Manager Han and Manager Wen had a chance. As for himself, his age and seniority made it impossible for him to be considered for the position at present.

’Of course, all of this is predicated on having the backing of a powerful group. I’ve joined the Pure Sect, but I wonder which faction is behind Manager Han. Is it an internal government group, or another School?’

’Still, I get the feeling there’s another reason Manager Han suddenly brought this up with me today. I just can’t figure out what it is yet.’

A thought crossed his mind, but he decided to put it aside for now. He just needed to focus on the tasks he’d been assigned.

He understood Manager Wen’s gesture of goodwill. ’He probably has his own ambitions, too.’ After exchanging a few more words, they walked to the end of the corridor and politely parted ways at the corner. Chen Chuan headed for his office.

Back in his office, a report from his subordinates was waiting for him. The personnel he had slated for promotion a couple of days ago had all been moved into their new positions. The previous captain, Captain Bao, had been transferred elsewhere, and his replacement was a captain with the surname Gu.

He had already reviewed Captain Gu’s file. He also came from a Military background. He was the type who fought hard and took risks, but his fiery temper had offended a lot of people, which was why he was sent over during this round of reassignments.

’But that’s fine by me,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’When it comes to subordinates, a bad temper isn’t the problem. The real problem is a lack of accountability—someone who can’t shoulder their responsibilities.’

He finished up the last of the paperwork. After everything was processed, he checked the time and left his office.

Just then, a notification sounded from his An Shield. It reported that Qu Tianli had confessed a great deal under interrogation. The Bureau was taking it very seriously, especially the information about a hidden passage into Central City. The location was now under surveillance.

If anyone else tried to use it to enter, the area would be immediately sealed off and arrests would be made.

Chen Chuan nodded. ’Good, I don’t have to worry about that for now.’ He instructed his An Shield, "Notify me immediately if there are any new developments."

"An Shield understands."

After heading downstairs, Chen Chuan took a car from the Processing Bureau to an underground entrance in the Wuding District that led to the Merging Land.

His three team members were due to report back around noon, so he arrived early to wait for them.

After about half an hour, close to eleven o’clock, Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, and Su Wei emerged from the underground passage, each carrying a military-style pack.

All three were in uniform. They were much taller than the average person and carried themselves with a sharp, heroic bearing, drawing the eyes of many people at the station the moment they appeared.

Once they reached street level, the three spotted Chen Chuan’s car parked nearby. Yuan Qiuyuan’s eyes lit up. "The Captain’s here to pick us up!" he said excitedly.

Qin Qingque immediately corrected him. "It’s Manager."

"Heh, it just rolls off the tongue easier," Yuan Qiuyuan retorted, clapping Su Wei on the shoulder. "Besides, the Captain definitely won’t mind. Calling him Captain just feels right, you know? What do you think, Su Wei?"

Su Wei said nothing, only offering a smiling nod.

Chen Chuan had already stepped out of his official car. The three of them approached and gave him a crisp salute. "Captain!"

Chen Chuan returned the salute. "Get in," he said. "I’ll take you to meet your new teammates."

The trio had already been briefed on their new assignment before their return, so they all replied, "Yes, sir," and followed him into the armored vehicle.

Once everyone was seated, the vehicle started up and drove straight to the training hall where Wei Chang’an and the others were practicing.

Wei Chang’an, Wu Han, Luo Kaiyuan, Feng Xiaochi, and the others had been training here constantly. Thanks to Chen Chuan’s guidance, they had corrected flaws and mistakes in their techniques. The more they practiced, the more progress they felt, so they never found it dull. In fact, their enthusiasm only grew with each session.

If it weren’t for the need to manage the strain on their Mutated Organizations, the Fighters would have trained day and night without stopping.

In their spare time, they discussed techniques and sparred. Now that they were officially part of the Processing Bureau, they didn’t have to worry about food, medicine, or other daily concerns during their training period. They could focus solely on their cultivation. They were completely immersed, and it felt just like being back at the academy.

In that short time, every one of them had improved their strength significantly.

When Chen Chuan entered with Yuan Qiuyuan and the other two, the trainees were still lost in their practice. Anyone walking in could feel the palpable atmosphere of diligence and ambition, of a group racing against time to improve.

Yuan Qiuyuan loved this kind of energy. He looked around excitedly and asked, "Captain, are these our new teammates?"

Chen Chuan nodded. He didn’t interrupt, waiting for Wei Chang’an and the others to finish their set before introducing the two groups to each other.

Once the introductions were made, he took out the container of "Enlightenment Seeds." He explained their function and then distributed them to everyone.

As for how many would actually benefit from taking them, there was no way to know.

According to Tarlu, there was no rhyme or reason to how the seeds worked. It all came down to personal luck.

He had once wondered if they were only effective when taken by a large group simultaneously, but there was probably no way to confirm that theory now.

Hearing that the seeds could enhance their potential, everyone curiously accepted and swallowed one, though no one felt any particular effect.

Wu Han then asked, "Hey, Junior, does Weidong get one of these?" Of all the new team members, only Weidong was absent, since the training conditions at Wuyi Academy were far superior to this place.

Chen Chuan smiled. "Everyone gets one. I’ve already given him his." He added, "It takes at least ten to twenty days for the seeds to take effect, so just be mindful of any changes."

「Inside an abandoned residence in Ji Yang District.」

Fang Zhixin tossed a casually crushed can to the floor, where it joined a dozen other empty beverage cans.

His face was covered in stubble and his hair was long and unkempt. His clothes were filthy, and he looked like he hadn’t taken care of himself in a long time.

He sat with his back against a concrete wall, watching the daylight stream through a hole that used to be a window.

He had been hiding here for some time now.

He had been taken into custody by the Temporary Special Action Committee, only to be rescued mid-transport by another group. They claimed to be admirers of Chen Bitong, but he didn’t know any of them and had remained wary ever since.

For months, they had been probing him for information about Chen Bitong, trying to find out if he had any powerful backers. He had simply played along, revealing nothing.

Recently, just as he sensed his "rescuers" were growing impatient, their hideout was suddenly stormed by a team of elite armed personnel, sparking a fierce firefight.

He’d been looking for a chance to escape anyway, so he used the chaos of the two groups fighting to slip away.

He knew he was still a wanted man and couldn’t appear in public, so he had fled here to lie low.

This was the northern part of Ji Yang District, an area almost completely devoid of any Domain, making information surveillance impossible. He planned to wait a while before contacting his true allies.

But since yesterday, he’d had the unnerving feeling of being watched. He knew, deep down, that he’d been found again.

He didn’t try to run. Instead, he rested and waited for them to come to him.

He sat there until dusk. He had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, but they snapped open as black shadows shot through the window opening. THWACK-THWACK-THWACK! They embedded themselves in the opposite wall.

At first, he thought they were javelins. But then he saw long, narrow, metallic-colored wings unfold from their sides. A chill went down his spine as he realized he was looking at some kind of combat organism he had never seen before.

Just then, the rear sections of the creatures exploded, unleashing a dense cloud of thousands of projectiles that instantly filled the room.

Fang Zhixin threw his arms up to shield his face. His sleeves burst apart as countless fine, long spikes erupted from the skin of his arms and torso. The projectiles slammed into them, their tips piercing the spikes’ surface, their bodies left quivering from the impact.

Fortunately, he was a Third Limit Fighter with quick reflexes. He had managed to use his Mutated Organization to block the projectiles’ advance, allowing them only to embed themselves in the surface layer. Otherwise, their force would have been enough to tear straight through him.

At that moment, more of the same projectiles shot in from outside. He arched his back, creating a bulge in the wall behind him, then threw himself backward. With a thunderous BOOM, he smashed through the wall and into the next room.

But the moment he landed, a warning flared in his mind. Before he could even think to dodge, his body shuddered as a spray of blood erupted from his shoulder. A split second later, the sound of a gunshot reached his ears.

Immediately, gunfire erupted from outside, and bullets began chewing through the walls, peppering the room.

He then heard gunfire from the other side of the building as well. ’They had shooters in position, already aiming,’ he realized. ’They must have anticipated I’d try to break out on either side and had gunmen waiting. No matter which way I run, I can’t escape.’

His opponents were clearly well-prepared and well-equipped; he couldn’t fight them head-on. He slammed both fists into the floor. With a deafening BOOM, the concrete cracked, and he plummeted through the opening to the floor below.

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