Chapter 741: Taking the Initiative

By the seawall in Ji Yang District, Manager Wen sat in an armored car, gazing at White Bird District in the distance and the airships passing overhead.

For the past few days, he had been keeping a sleepless vigil here.

The major corporations and branches of mega-corporations in Central City usually possessed mature, active Consciousness Bodies. These entities could directly open channels to the Merging Land.

Of course, any such action required approval from Central City. In theory, this meant that no matter which channel was used, it fell under Central City’s control and supervision.

The problem was that within Central City, besides the Administrative Affairs Hall, the City Council also held certain authority—a legacy issue dating back to the founding of Dashun.

Here in Jibei Dao, of course, new regulations were being pushed. Once passed, they would allow for a gradual takeover of some of the City Council’s powers. However, the City Council wouldn’t just stand by and watch its authority be stripped away, so it was also finding ways to resist. Many of the current situations could be seen as an extension of this conflict.

Manager Wen knew that people from the Federation had certainly entered the Merging Land through a channel controlled by the Council. If the Federation was truly cooperating with the Lynx delegation, it meant they could also use the channels here.

While the City Council couldn’t do so openly due to public order, it was entirely possible for them to let one or two people slip through each time.

And he was certain that if he relaxed his guard even slightly, regardless of whether the two sides were cooperating, the unmonitored channel would “accidentally” let a large number of people through.

That was why, for this entire period, he had conducted daily spot checks on personnel from the Lynx Federation, tracked the whereabouts of every key individual, and kept a constant watch on all airships crossing the sea.

These people had certainly tried to deal with him. From the very beginning, they had filed constant complaints and protests, often refusing to cooperate or simply employing delaying tactics. At the same time, they periodically used legal channels to file complaints and lawsuits against him.

But he was an experienced Investigation Chief. Every step he took followed procedure, and every action was documented in compliance with regulations. To this day, no one had found any dirt on him.

Thanks to these compliant operations, and the fact that he was dealing with the Lynx Federation, the Processing Bureau and the Administrative Affairs Hall had absorbed the pressure for him, preventing anyone from interfering.

So as long as he was willing to hold his ground here, it was very difficult for the other side to do anything to him.

But he also knew that even Director Wu was now under questioning. The next step would surely be a smear campaign or some other maneuver against him. It was only a matter of time; in fact, it might have already begun.

“Manager.” A young team member knocked on the car window, a briefcase in his hand.

Manager Wen gestured for him to come inside. The young man opened the door and sat down. He then opened the briefcase, took out a translated telegram, and handed it to Wen. “A message back from the other side,” he said in a low voice.

Manager Wen’s expression turned serious. He took the message. It was a reply from the Secret Department. He read it over and confirmed that there was indeed intelligence indicating the Lynx Federation and the Federation were showing signs of joining forces.

‘Although things have seemed normal these past few days,’ he thought, ‘I can feel the pressure mounting. The personnel under me have already been rotated out in several shifts.’

‘If the other side makes a move, I might be able to block it, but it’s highly likely that some loopholes will appear. While it wouldn’t mean all our efforts are wasted, much of it would be for nothing. Besides, constantly being on the defensive and waiting for an attack is not a good strategy.’

He said, “Xiaoshao, I have a mission for you.”

The young man’s expression grew solemn, and he sat up straight. “Your orders, Manager.”

Manager Wen tapped his Realm Token and sent a pre-drafted file to him. “Follow the arrangements in this document. Remember, don’t act on your own initiative. No matter what you hear, remain composed. Don’t panic.”

The young man replied with a grave expression, “Understood, sir.”

“Good. You can go back now.”

The young man gave a salute and said, “I’ll be taking my leave then, sir.” He then pushed the door open and departed with the briefcase.

Manager Wen remained in the car, lost in thought for a long time. Eventually, he got out and walked to the edge of the seawall. He watched the churning waves for over half an hour, then raised his hand to his Realm Token and contacted Manager Han.

After a moment, the connection went through.

“This is Han Fu.”

Manager Wen chuckled. “Manager Han. Well, I’ve been thinking it over recently, and I’ve decided I can accept your proposal. So, I wanted to ask, what’s your plan of action?”

There was no immediate answer. After a short wait, a map of a channel in the Merging Land appeared on his Realm Token.

Manager Han’s voice followed. “This route is the channel that my analysis suggests the Lynx Federation personnel are most likely to use.”

Manager Wen glanced at it. “The underground channel in White Bird District?” He nodded. “Highly likely. Hmm, but if you want me to relax my surveillance, they’re sure to be wary. Do you have a good idea, Manager Han?”

Manager Han said, “It needs to look natural. Manager Wen, you don’t need to actively relax your surveillance. Just wait for them to counterattack. I believe that will happen very soon.

You can take advantage of the situation, Manager Wen. First, give them an opportunity. Then, we’ll concentrate our forces to strike them and try to cripple the Lynx Federation in one blow!”

Hearing this, Manager Wen felt a surge of excitement. He said, “The plan is certainly feasible… but it depends on the Lynx Federation’s cooperation. If they send too few people, I’m afraid it will be all thunder and no rain.”

“That’s why we can’t give them too much time to think and prepare, Manager Wen. It would be best if you wait until they make a move against you. Then, you can give the impression that you’ll be able to break away and return shortly. This will force them to make a quick decision.”

“That makes sense.” Manager Wen nodded. “That way, even if they know there’s a risk, they’ll be tempted to try their luck.”

Manager Han said, “Because every day they delay, their hope of acquiring the Lost Object diminishes.”

At this point, Manager Wen asked a question. “Manager Han, how many people can you mobilize?”

“More than half of the personnel under my command. Any more would be too easy to detect. I’ve been repeatedly moving people around these past few days, preparing for exactly this.”

Manager Wen nodded silently. He added, “But success is highly dependent on the accuracy of our intelligence. I don’t think I need to tell you that, Manager Han. You understand.”

Manager Han said, “I can tell you responsibly that I have an inside source. Even if we don’t end up catching anyone, it won’t be a major setback. I imagine you wouldn’t be too concerned about that, Manager Wen.”

“If there’s an opportunity, of course we have to take it.”

Manager Wen looked up, his voice firm. “Alright. Then it’s settled.”

After ending the call, Manager Wen looked at the surging tide before him. ‘Once I make a decision, I see it through to the end.’ He ran through the plan in his mind once more, then returned to his car and began to ponder how to arrange and deploy his personnel without attracting attention.

He couldn’t mobilize too many people. A large-scale movement would be hard to conceal and wouldn’t necessarily be more effective. This time, he needed elite personnel who could make a difference at the critical moment. Ideally, they should be people who hadn’t appeared on the radar before.

‘Those reinforcements from the other Central Cities could be useful. A few of them have surprised me; they’re truly rare powerhouses.’

He looked outside again, preparing to keep watch here for the next few days and wait for the other side to make their move.

However, the attack against him came faster than he expected. Just half a day later, photos and documents of him making private deals with Lynx Federation personnel surfaced in the Administrative Affairs Hall and the Processing Bureau. There were even related recordings and eyewitnesses. One of Manager Wen’s own subordinates even stepped forward to testify against him.

This caused quite a stir. Even though they knew it was likely a setup, the evidence was so substantial that the Processing Bureau couldn’t just ignore it. He was immediately summoned back for questioning.

His duties here were naturally handed over to a replacement. But everyone knew that without his strength and prestige, the replacement would be largely ineffective.

But just half a day after that, news spread that much of the evidence had been proven to be forged. It was likely he would be returning to his original post very soon.

And during this time, in unseen places, numerous undercurrents were surging silently.

「October 5th, 7:20 PM.」

Manager Wen sat in his office, his eyes closed in Spirit Nourishing meditation, seemingly waiting for something. He had actually been cleared of the trouble that noon and could have returned to his team, but he hadn’t moved, remaining here all this time.

At 7:30, a notification sound chimed from his Realm Token. He answered it, and Manager Han’s voice came through:

“According to our inside source, at 11:30 PM and around 2:00 AM, two teams of Federation personnel will likely be crossing through the channel.”

Manager Wen didn’t ask any more questions, not even about the source of the intelligence. He stated decisively, “Alright. I’m preparing to move out now.”

He stood up, took his personal weapon, and walked out of his office directly to the internal-use elevator. He tapped a control, and the elevator began its slow descent.

He knew many people would be watching him now, so this time he was taking the Processing Bureau’s internal channel to the Merging Land. Once there, he would take a train to circle around to the vicinity of the opposite exit, rendezvous with Manager Han, and join forces to encircle and annihilate the Federation personnel emerging from that side!

A short while later, the elevator reached the bottom. The doors slid open, and he stepped out. Lined up on both sides were members of the Processing Bureau, arranged in advance. Seeing him emerge, they all saluted in unison.

Manager Wen came to a halt, raised his hand in a solemn salute, and then lowered it. He strode forward. With each step he took, the members on both sides turned and fell in behind him. The rhythmic CLACK-CLACK-CLACK of their footsteps echoed throughout the underground passage.

On the tracks ahead, a train bound for the Merging Land was already waiting.

Manager Wen led his team onto the train. After sitting down, he pondered for a moment, then tapped his Realm Token and found Chen Chuan’s contact signal. He seemed to consider contacting him, but after a second thought, he didn’t. Instead, he composed a timed voice message and sent it. If not canceled, it would be delivered automatically at the designated time.

Just then, the sound of a whistle reached his ears. The train beneath him slowly started to move, heading down the deep tunnel toward the other side.