Inside the car, Chen Chuan saw a tall, burly man sitting in the backseat. His muscles were so big that his clothes were stretched tight around him.

He had been in the war meeting room when Chen Chuan had returned with Mr. Feng after intercepting Black Orchid Co.’s car to retrieve goods from Tranquil Fields. So, he was “Mr. Chu.”

The backseat of the armored car was spacious. Chen Chuan sat down across from Chu Yiming, and someone shut the door from outside.

“You’re a hard man to meet, Captain Chen,” Chu Yiming stated.

“Is that so? I seem to recall you only asking to see me this once,” Chen Chuan fired back.

“You seem to harbor hostility toward us, and I can understand that,” Chu Yiming remarked before motioning for the driver to start driving slowly.

Once they were on the road, he said, “We have our own duties and things we need to look into. Because of it, we’re bound to infringe upon many people’s interests. But this is precisely why the National Ad Hoc Special Operations Committee needs to exist.”

“Did you ask to see me because of Chen Bitong?” Chen Chuan asked.

Chu Yiming looked back at Chen Chuan. “That’s not important. Chen Bitong’s case is over. The proposed solution is the best, and we know how to adapt. I asked to see you because of you.”

“Me? Why would you want to see me?” Chen Chuan asked.

“I’ve been impressed with you since we met in Yangzhi City. We should indeed kill those company lapdogs as soon as possible and leave none alive so that they won’t become problems in the future. This time, you proved your stance and value again. This is exactly what we need in the committee,” Chu Yiming said.

Chen Chuan remained calm.

Chu Yiming continued, “Right now, the Great Shun Republic’s enemies are the foreign companies. They have a lot of resources and armed forces that rival governments all over the world. They’re in our way to continue developing and improving the country.

“They’re cancerous tumors left from the royal family’s peak of strength and the mega alliance’s collapse, and we can’t just ignore them. We can’t keep compromising. Someone needs to remove them.

“You’ve been in Central City for a long time, so you should understand what I’m trying to say.”

Chen Chuan said nothing about that.

“I’ve seen your resume. While you were in Yangzhi City, you relied on yourself and used the political situation to change something impossible to possible. You opened a hole in the wall to Central City, and for that, I admire your diligence as well as your indomitable courage.

“But have you ever thought about how you’re just going to face a taller and greater wall after breaking down the previous one? The world you see won’t be the wide sky and land you imagined.”

“Are you talking about Central City?” Chen Chuan asked.

“Central City? Of course not. You might not be feeling it now, because the path you’re taking now is what they’re allowing you.” Chu Yiming pointed in a vague direction. “You haven’t actually started walking down the path they’ve planned for you, but you’re no longer far from it.

“Let me tell you something: The proposal for your promotion is already on the Resolution Department and World Ring Defense System’s desks.

“If nothing goes wrong, you will become the youngest lead investigator in Jibei Road’s Resolution Department. That’s about the same as becoming a deputy director, and it’s impressive.

“But you’ll soon realize that the further you climb and the more resources you need to become stronger, the harder it will be for you, because there’s an invisible ceiling above you.”

Then, very cryptically, he said, “Without fulfilling certain conditions or getting accepted and permitted by certain circles, that’s as much as those who rose from the bottom level of society can go.”

He watched Chen Chuan, as if waiting for him to digest what he had said and ponder it over. After a moment, he stressed, “But that doesn’t mean this is the only path you can take. The National Ad Hoc Special Operations Committee can provide that path for you. You won’t need to fulfill any conditions or get accepted by any circles.

“Of course, if this is where you want to stop because you have no other goals to pursue and no longer want to get stronger, your future position as lead investigator will be enough for you to last until you retire.

“But would you really be content with that?

“You’re not weaker than anyone else. You’re one of the most outstanding among your peers. You should have space to use your talents to the fullest instead of squandering and wasting them.”

He reached into his pocket and took out an ID card, which he handed to Chen Chuan. “This is my ID card. You’ll soon understand what I’m trying to say. If you want to bypass that wall, come find me.”

Chen Chuan cast a glance at it and took it after some thought.

Chu Yiming seemed to be pleased. “Let’s end our discussion here today, Captain Chen. Take your time to think about what I said. I’m not in a hurry, so you don’t have to give me your decision soon.”

The armored car took a spin on the road before returning to the square in front of the Arcane Palace.

Chen Chuan opened the car door and got out.

“One more thing, Captain Chen.”

Chen Chuan turned around and saw the car window winding down slowly. “The Department of Administrative Affairs will conduct a safety check in a few days. The municipal government suggested it for Central City’s safety. All of those who got into contact with the propagated offspring and the existence from the other world during the Fu-Mu Entity’s propagation need to go.

“You’re the last person to have met Chen Bitong, so you’re going to be their main target during the check. No matter what sort of trouble you face later, we can help you handle it, as long as you’re willing to let us help you.”

The car window then wound up again. Soon, the armored cars left one after another.

“A safety check, huh?”

The safety check was most likely connected to the spilling of pure essence.

While the Department of Administrative Affairs and the company executives couldn’t be sure that Chen Bitong was the one who tore open the gap in the World Ring, they definitely suspected him. After all, he was the most suspicious.

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan was the last to have come into contact with him, so they were bound to suspect him as well. If he thought about this from another angle, any martial artist eager to get stronger wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of getting pure essence after learning about it.

But Chen Chuan had considered this a long time ago.

He had his second self and could use him to suppress his strength to his pre-fusion state. He could even appear to have no mental energy and have his second self block certain biofield inspections. He could figure out the details once it happened, based on the situation.

Chen Chuan returned to the Arcane Palace. While going back to his room, he saw students greeting each other. The situation had changed compared to them rushing off to places and not talking to each other just a while ago.

This might be because the students and lecturers had fought together a few days ago. Friendships forged during combat were different, after all.

While taking the elevator back to his room to continue with his training in the afternoon, Chen Chuan received an audio message.

Upon checking the ID, he found that it was from Tan Zhi.

“How have you been the last few days, Chen Chuan? Ms. Wei asked me to tell you to be careful over the next period of time.”

“Ms. Wei?”

Chen Chuan felt a flicker of surprise. He remembered Ms. Wei. She was Tan Zhi’s personal instructor and apparently had close ties with a politician.

A politician, huh?

Chen Chuan sent an audio message back. “Thanks, Tan Zhi. Please thank Ms. Wei for me, too.”

He could guess why Ms. Wei would go out of her way to give him such a warning. After what Chu Yiming told him, it seemed like whoever orchestrated the safety check had hostile intentions and wanted to dig some dirt on him.

This was the reason why Advisor Pei asked him to go on a holiday outside Central City, after all.

But if he didn’t solve the matter, he might not be able to escape it even if he left. Instead, he would just bring more suspicion on himself.

While the companies and government competed against each other, they might share the same stance in keeping pure essence sealed up.

If that were the case, perhaps he could use this chance to get rid of this issue.

He soon got the official notification for the safety check from the Department of Administrative Affairs and the Resolution Department. It happened in the afternoon, and he, along with the people who participated in the operation that day, were all asked to head to Majestic Light District’s Crisis Management Center the next day.

After skimming through the message, Chen Chuan finished his warm drink and devoured a wisp of pure essence he just captured.

Even though it had become difficult to locate pure essence, as long as he paid attention, he could still get some.

Once he finished his drink and dissolved the pure essence, he continued his daily training.

The next day, he put on the Resolution Department’s uniform and drove to the Crisis Management Center.

Airships were patrolling above it, and armed patrol guards lined the sides of the road.

Some of them wore goggles and helmets while covered in thick, black protective gear. They had both firearms and melee weapons. The embedded lines of implants could be seen on the parts of their faces that were left uncovered, so they looked like true professionals.

This was the unit that listened only to the municipal government’s orders. Since they had a lot of funds, they had the best equipment and most advanced implants.

But this unit never showed up to maintain the city’s safety or worked during the Fu-Mu Entity’s propagation, because it was in charge of protecting the politicians’ safety.

There was also likely another reason that could not be named: They were on guard and ready to fight the governmental departments when necessary.

Once Chen Chuan arrived, he heard a passive biosentient entity’s voice telling him where to go, so he parked his car at the designated area.

He took a look at the Crisis Management Center’s building. The semi-transparent glass walls reflected the sky and buildings across from it.

The screen showed a spinning net-like thing. Inside it was a reflective object resembling an eye, which was staring at every passerby and every person coming and going from the building.

Chen Chuan looked away and followed the signs to head in.

A middle-aged man in a suit took note of Chen Chuan, put his hand on the Realm Pass, and said, “The target has entered the central area. Activate Level Two Security.”