Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 90 - 80: Covert Action

"So this is Mr. Chen."

The team leader was filled with respect upon hearing that the young man before him was Chen Chuan.

The battle in the Defensive Zone had a significant impact, and information about Chen Chuan had now reached the desks of every contractor company and even their clients.

They didn’t want to, nor did they dare, dig too deep into the origin of the military-grade Implant on Scarface. However, Chen Chuan, who could go head-to-head with a user of military Implants, had drawn their particular attention. Some companies were even thinking of recruiting him.

But Chen Chuan had been invited by Wei Chang’an. The two were partners, not in a subordinate relationship. Moreover, they were both alumni of Wuyi Academy, which meant he was beyond their reach.

Fortunately, in a year or two, the academy would allow him to do an internship. They could afford to wait that long. Some even thought they should send someone to make contact with him in advance.

It was simple: strength was the ultimate pass.

He naturally had to be polite to such a person.

He said apologetically, "Mr. Chen, my apologies. My young master doesn’t like to see strangers. Mr. Wei may go in, but I must ask you to wait outside. I’m truly sorry."

Wei Chang’an said to Chen Chuan, "Junior, wait for me. I’ll go in, ask a few questions, and be right out."

Chen Chuan said, "Alright, Brother Wei."

The man immediately stepped aside, clearing the way, and said, "Please."

Wei Chang’an walked inside and, led by the man, went straight to a hastily cleared-out office. A man in an ochre-colored foreign suit, his hair slicked with pomade, was leaning back on a sofa with his legs crossed, filing his nails. An assistant was bent over the desk, signing and drafting documents for him.

Seeing him enter, the man said with some impatience, "Mr. Wei, what is it now?"

Wei Chang’an said, "Mr. Hu, I’d like to ask about the specific operational arrangements. As a member of this operation, I believe I have a right to know, don’t I?"

Hu Shiguang didn’t speak to him. He just kicked the assistant at the desk. The assistant straightened up, adjusted his glasses, and said to Wei Chang’an:

"Mr. Wei, to ensure success, the operational details must be kept confidential. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself with them. Just follow the previous arrangement and guard the intersection. Once the mission is complete, rest assured, your name will be on the contract."

"You hear that?" Hu Shiguang said, as if it were perfectly obvious, swinging his crossed leg. "Mr. Wei, the operation is about to start. Can you just stop making trouble for us?"

Wei Chang’an gave Hu Shiguang a long, hard look, then left without another word.

At that moment, his resolve to strike out on his own hardened. It wasn’t just about the low pay; it was the suffocating feeling of being constrained by others.

He went out, found Chen Chuan, and they headed toward the intersection the company had assigned him to guard. But he knew perfectly well that Hu Shiguang was just using it as an excuse to get rid of him. If Tong Qianjiang really showed up, he wouldn’t make it this far.

A few hundred yards later, they arrived at the location. It had once been a factory park, with slides and climbing frames welded from steel rebar for exercise and children’s play. But time had passed, and now everything was covered in rust, the ground around it overgrown with weeds.

The two of them found a dilapidated bench. Wei Chang’an took out a newspaper he had prepared, spread it over the seat, and sat down. "I couldn’t get the mission details," he said. "Hu Shiguang assigned us to the periphery. He clearly doesn’t want us involved in the operation."

Chen Chuan didn’t sit. He leaned against a tree and said, "I can’t really comment on your company’s affairs, Brother Wei, but I imagine this isn’t the first time you’ve dealt with something like this. The long night before the dawn is always the hardest to endure, but once you get through it, things will be fine."

Wei Chang’an said, "You’re right, Junior, but that’s not what I’m worried about." He glanced back toward the factory. "Hu Shiguang has no experience and loves to act clever. I’m afraid he’ll screw things up. Not only will no one benefit, but who knows how long it’ll take to capture Fang Dawei and his crew."

Chen Chuan said, "Since he came all this way, surely he must have brought some experienced people with him?"

Wei Chang’an said, "That would be the logical thing to do, yes. But you have to understand, there’s a rumor going around the company lately. It says that Hu Shiguang is nothing without his father, the boss, and can’t do anything without someone helping him."

"It’s the truth, but the truth hurts the most. And he’s desperate to show off. I’m just worried he’ll get a hot head, ignore good advice, and insist on doing things his own way."

Chen Chuan thought, ’I get it. This guy Brother Wei is talking about must be one of those classic cases of all ego and no skill.’

The time quickly reached eight o’clock. Since they weren’t involved in the actual capture, the two had nothing else to do but chat about other things.

Just then, Wei Chang’an said, "Junior, did you know? Around this time of year, that instructor from Central City usually comes to the academy. He might even be there now. With your outstanding performance, he might come looking for you."

Chen Chuan was a little surprised. "Didn’t you say he only teaches Recommended Students, Brother Wei?"

"That’s what they say, but who he teaches and how he teaches them is ultimately up to him. If someone’s performance is particularly exceptional, they’re more likely to catch his eye." He looked at Chen Chuan. "I heard he has a way to take people to Central City, and it doesn’t even use up a recommendation slot."

"Without using a recommendation slot?"

Chen Chuan’s interest was piqued. He thought for a moment and said, "I’m afraid it’s probably not that simple."

Wei Chang’an nodded. "This is all just hearsay. He might not come looking for you at all. I’m just mentioning it, so don’t get your hopes up."

’If there was something so beneficial with no downsides,’ Chen Chuan reasoned, ’everyone would be fighting for it. It would never be my turn.’

After that topic, they moved on to other things. However, when Chen Chuan brought up the military-grade Implant, Wei Chang’an clearly didn’t want to discuss it in depth. He warned Chen Chuan not to be too curious, because that business ran far too deep, and he should never get involved.

He added, "As soon as Scarface was interrogated, he was taken away by people from the Administrative Affairs Hall. No one knows where he is now, so don’t count on getting any more leads from him."

He looked toward the intersection ahead. "We can only hope this operation succeeds. That way, Fang Dawei and his crew can harm fewer people."

The two chatted idly. They waited until about eight-thirty when they suddenly heard the sound of rapid footsteps. A man, clearly from the contractor company, ran over, beaming, and said to them, "Mr. Wei, we got him! We got him! The man’s been caught!"

Wei Chang’an shot to his feet. He said to Chen Chuan, "Let’s go!"

Chen Chuan followed.

The two quickly returned to the factory building. Inside, they saw a man in a face mask pinned to the ground, his baseball cap lying to the side. Hu Shiguang stood there, looking smug, surrounded by a crowd of people.

Wei Chang’an looked at the man on the floor. Something felt off. Seeing that no one else was speaking up, he went forward and asked, "Wait a minute. How are you sure this is Tong Qianjiang?"

Hu Shiguang snorted and gestured. "Identify him."

Someone immediately went up, yanked off the mask, and revealed a generic-looking face. The man looked closely, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Young Master, this... doesn’t look like Tong Qianjiang..."

"What?"

Hu Shiguang was shocked and furious. He pointed and demanded, "Then who is he?"

The captured man was terrified. Under questioning, he couldn’t speak a word, only managing to force out puffs of air from his throat.

Someone realized what was wrong. "It’s a Silencing Potion. Give him a Voice Recovery Pill." Silencing Potions were common drugs in contractor companies, usually used to prevent people from making unexpected noises during an operation.

After he took the pill, a moment later, the man could finally speak. He shouted, "It wasn’t me! It has nothing to do with me!" He wailed, "I was forced to come here! He held a knife to my wife and kid’s throats! I had no choice, I was forced..."

Wei Chang’an shook his head. The situation was clear. Tong Qianjiang had been cautious and sent someone to scout the path for him. He might have been hiding nearby just moments ago, but he was likely long gone by now.

It wasn’t a particularly clever tactic; anyone with a bit of experience at the company wouldn’t have fallen for it. But now, the mission was a failure.

He glanced at Hu Shiguang, who was grabbing his assistant by the collar, yelling and cursing. He turned to Chen Chuan and said, "Let’s go, Junior. This capture operation has failed."

Chen Chuan also glanced at Hu Shiguang, nodded, and the two of them left.

Back at the factory, despite the failure, Hu Shiguang seemed unwilling to give up. He dispatched a large number of men to search the surrounding area, apparently hoping to find Tong Qianjiang. But naturally, it was all for naught.

They toiled until midnight. After everyone was exhausted, Hu Shiguang finally gave up. And before the teams had even fully regrouped, he drove off by himself. When the others returned and found out, they were speechless, and a round of cursing at his back ensued.

Hu Shiguang rode all the way back to his mansion in the affluent district of South City. The moment he stepped into the living room, the look of dejection and mania vanished from his eyes. He waved away the maid who came to help him with his shoes, walked over to the telephone, picked up the receiver, dialed a number, and said, "Father, I did exactly as you asked."

A voice came from the other end of the line: "Second son, you’ve been wronged. I know that. You’ve actually always been very capable."

Hu Shiguang gave a self-deprecating laugh. "What’s the use of being capable? I know that as long as my older brother is around, it’ll never be my turn. It’s better for me to seem incapable. That way, he won’t see me as an enemy in the future. But about this matter, Father, why did you do it this way?"

"This business runs deep. It’s best to let it end here. Don’t wade any deeper."

"Can’t you tell me? I went through all this trouble, after all. I even staked the company’s reputation on it."

"You are not the eldest. There are some things you don’t need to know. This is for your own good."

Hu Shiguang scoffed. "For my own good? I just don’t want to get dragged down with you. I don’t want to miss out on the rewards but still have to share in the losses."

"I have this matter under control. Know your place, and your older brother won’t give you trouble." With that, the line went dead.

Hu Shiguang irritably loosened his tie and muttered to himself, "Old man, I hope you really do have this under control."

...

...