Book 4, Chapter 53: A New Member

After the party ended, the Union representatives walked out of the banquet hall.

But one of them was held back by something, and he only left along with his accompanying staff half an hour later.

A man who had been waiting for him in the lobby went up to him and extended his hand. “Welcome to Jibei Road, Mr. Chi.”

Mr. Chi shook his hand and said, “I came with a message from my master. He wants to thank you for the branch company’s response to the situation. Before I left, he asked me to apologize to you for all the trouble we caused you.”

“It’s what we should do,” the man answered respectfully.

Mr. Chi reached behind himself, and an accompanying staff immediately handed an item to him. Mr. Chi handed it to the man.

“This is a token of the master’s gratitude.”

The man took it with both hands and bowed. “He’s far too kind. If you need us for anything, please tell us. We’ll definitely cooperate with you.”

“Aside from bringing the master’s apology and thanks, I also have another message. Based on reliable information and analysis, there might be a Styrel Grade artifact appearing. In layman’s terms, that would be a Class Three artifact.”

The man was stunned, and his expression faltered for a bit.

The world classified artifacts into five classes. Class Five artifacts had a certain degree of research value. Class Four artifacts had relatively high potential for use and could provide significant help to the development of technology.

Styrel Grade artifacts, or Class Three artifacts, could bring about breakthrough-level technological advancements. Their strategic value couldn’t be evaluated.

The appearance of such a thing would undoubtedly attract multiple countries’ attention.

He couldn’t help but remember the fact that the Linacrox Union’s diplomatic delegation was about to arrive as well. Even though he didn’t have concrete proof, he had a feeling that the delegation might be coming for the artifact as well.

“What do we need to do?” he asked.

Mr. Chi checked his watch and said, “I have a meeting soon. Once the meeting ends, I’ll talk to all of you.”

“We’ll be on standby, then,” the man replied.

Mr. Chi shook his hand again and went down the wide flight of steps with his accompanying staff. After getting into the armored limousine parked at the base, he left the square and headed to his next destination—a meeting hall in White Bird District. Behind the limousine were rows of armored security cars.

Ten minutes later, the motorcade arrived at the meeting hall. The place had already been cleaned up and checked for potential dangers. Dozens of domain interference entities were spread in various locations to ensure no domain inspection entity could break in.

The Union’s elite security guards stood by the sides of the stairs, which showed that the meeting hall was going to be taken over by the Union for a while.

After entering the meeting hall, Mr. Chi found the other Union representatives already there, and one of them said, “We were all waiting for you, Mr. Chi.”

After an apology, Mr. Chi sat down in his seat.

The leader of the Union’s representatives was Osbolt Godwin of Ocean Life. He was around sixty years old and was wearing a dark gray suit. He had a head of thick, silver hair and an equally silver beard. Despite that, his gaze was profound and observant. Thin lines suggesting implants could be seen on his face and neck.

Once Mr. Chi was seated, the doors to the meeting hall closed, and the leader said, “Since we’re all here, let’s talk about what we already know.

“The appearance of a Styrel Grade artifact can change the entirety of a technological field. Even if we can’t get it ourselves, we can’t let it end up in the hands of the Great Shun Republic.

“Our top priority is to get detailed geographical information about Jibei Road’s merged space.

“We’ve already communicated with Jibei Road’s company representatives and executives. They’ll give us some exploration data. The municipal government will also provide us with some help.

“But they won’t give us all the important information. It’s not because they’re loyal to the Great Shun Republic, but because they know just how valuable artifacts are. They, too, have their own plans.”

One of the representatives said, “If we can’t get it from official channels, perhaps we can get it from other people. Based on what we’ve learned so far, a man called Chen Bitong is the most familiar and knowledgeable about Jibei Road’s merged space.

“He once spent an extended amount of time in the development squad and ventured deep into the merged space. The development squad he led provided a lot of information regarding Jibei Road’s merged space to authorities.

“According to the Great Shun Republic, he passed away a few months ago to stop the imperial army. Most of the development squad members who worked together with him now occupy important positions in the military and essential departments, so they won’t give us any help, either.

“However, Chen Bitong had a capable assistant who worked with him for a long time. There are rumors that he violated the Great Shun Republic’s laws and is currently in hiding. It’s highly likely that he has detailed information about the merged space.

“Chen Bitong also had a son. He might have information about the merged space too.”

Osbolt rapped his knuckles against the table, letting out thudding sounds. “Then, our next step is to find these two people.”

***

At noon, Snow Goose returned to the mooring point at Oceanway District and parked there.

Once Chen Chuan disembarked from the airship with the Frost King Saber, he checked the messages on his Realm Pass.

Most of them were from the Resolution Department.

The technicians had been monitoring United Might 24/7 over the past two days and reported all their actions.

There were a few that needed to be regarded seriously, such as United Might submitting an application form to the World Ring Defense System to reenter the merged space and defend it alongside the military.

Every company was supposed to take part in this. No matter how the world governments and the companies battled in private, they were on the same front when it came to the war against the other world. It was a duty that every company based in Central City had to uphold, which gave them the right to run their businesses in the area.

Due to United Might taking part in transporting propagated offspring out of the city, the World Ring Defense System had kicked them out of the defense team, removed their duty to defend the World Ring, and took away their right to step foot into the merged space.

But because of the ministrations from the municipal government, the World Ring Defense System had relented. While the Department of Administrative Affairs could stall their reentry, they couldn’t completely stop them from going back.

After all, fighting against the other world was a universally recognized obligation. It would be hard to stop an organization from wanting to fight.

Other messages showed that United Might was trying to contact the Elephant Gang. They had worked together before, and it seemed like United Might was trying to make the gang their subordinate again.

“The Elephant Gang, huh...”

Chen Chuan tapped on his Realm Pass and contacted Tonai, who had become the Elephant Gang’s new leader. After the call went through, he said, “Mr. Tonai, it’s me, Chen Chuan.”

“Can I help you, Lead Investigator Chen?” Tonai’s voice came through.

“I just received news that United Might tried to contact you, and I don’t want you working together with them,” Chen Chuan said.

“Okay! I won’t work with them,” Tonai agreed without hesitation.

“Thanks for doing this, Mr. Tonai,” Chen Chuan said gratefully.

“It’s only right. You helped me and Xiao Xin. Besides, by asking this of us, you show respect to us,” Tonai immediately replied.

After the conversation, Chen Chuan checked the next message. It was an analysis of the people contacted by United Might.

The analyst from the Resolution Department believed that United Might wanted to compete for some of the businesses left by Ferris Wheel.

Since they were going to put pressure on United Might, Chen Chuan couldn’t let it get Ferris Wheel’s island nation businesses.

While he was thinking about it, he received a call. When he saw that it was from Chang Dong, he quickly answered, “Mr. Chang?”

“Lead Investigator Chen, our new member arrived, but some problems popped up. I think you should come over to hear about it,” Chang Dong said.

“Alright. I’ll go over right now,” Chen Chuan promised.

He left the mooring port and went to his limousine, which had come to pick him up. He had the driver send him back to his house, because Pan Xiaode had sent his car back. After that, he sped over to the base in Roaring Victory District in just a little over half an hour.

From the distance, he saw that in just a few days, Chang Dong had set up a simple panel building.

Chang Dong and a woman of around twenty-eight years old were standing in the empty space.

The moment Chen Chuan got out and started walking over, Chang Dong and the woman, too, went up to him. “Allow me to introduce to you Gao Yanjun. She’s the new member sent by the purity faction.

“Miss Gao, this is Lead Investigator Chen. He’s our temporary supervisor until we officially set up our branch.”

Gao Yanjun extended her hand. “Hello, Lead Investigator Chen.”

Chen Chuan shook her hand and sized her up. This new member wore decorative glasses and was dressed similarly to most pencil pushers working in companies. She had long, curly hair, wore a black uniform, and was in heels. While she was beautiful, her expression and tone were both stern.

She wasn’t a weak martial artist. While she was only at the Second Limit, her foundation was incredibly strong.

“Miss Gao is outstanding when it comes to managing records, analyzing information, and administrative work. She’s also a nutritionist specializing in martial artists and a nurse. With her help, I won’t have to worry about many things,” Chang Dong described her.

Chen Chuan nodded and asked, “You mentioned that I needed to know certain things?”

Chang Dong cast a glance at Gao Yanjun. “Why don’t you tell him, Miss Gao?”

In a cool voice, Gao Yanjun said at a moderate pace, “On my way here, I noticed someone following me.

“Based on my analysis, that person was a Third Limit martial artist, and they were using something similar to the purity faction’s secret techniques.”

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