Chapter 153: The Skull-Splitting Demon
Chapter 153: The Skull-Splitting Demon
As Chen Chuan passed through the train station square, he conveniently found a phone booth and made a call to Cheng Zitong's place. After dialing three times, he hung up.
There was no need for Cheng Zitong to answer; he would understand the meaning.
However, including the round trip for this defense certificate exam, there were only about six days in total, from start to finish. The timing should... be just about right, right? The teacher should be able to accept it.
Just like on his way there, he casually bought some newspapers and story collections at the station square because he had calculated the timing. Soon enough, the broadcast announced the train's arrival, and he smoothly passed through the ticket gate and boarded the train.
As always, his return ticket was a seated ticket. He placed his belongings on the luggage rack, but as he was arranging them, he heard a faint rustling sound coming from his suitcase.
This was because the battle spider was also placed inside.
To use this item, the owner needs to feed it their own fresh blood and pass a blood test.
During his three days at the inn, he had already fed it according to Lao Feng's instructions. From now on, as long as he used a special method to awaken it, he could use it smoothly.
To prevent this combat weapon from indiscriminately killing friend and foe, there was also a set of hand gestures and sound controls. After demonstrating it, the spider would remember and follow the owner's commands. However, the Fist Lion group obviously didn't have the patience for this, and they had never provided any guidance in this regard.
He believed that an uncontrolled weapon was not a weapon at all. So, after confirming that he was the spider's owner, he made sure that the battle spider understood the gestures and commands it needed to remember during those three days. Afterward, he even added a can of high-energy nutrient paste.
However, with no enemies around, it was not a good time to demonstrate the spider's combat abilities. As a result, the energy it consumed did not deplete, so even if it fell into a deep slumber, it would still have some activity.
He reached out and gently patted it, and the rustling stopped.
Then he sat down and contemplated his next move.
This time, with the Infinite Defense Certificate in hand, the entire journey was extremely fast, not even lasting a full ten days. Once he returned, no one would discover anything in the short term.
According to common sense, he didn't even have time to take the exam. After all, the minimum time for a Class C Certificate was one month, and a Class B Certificate could take several months. Like this time, if he had arrived a bit later, and the Fist Lion group had ventured deeper into the Chaotic Region, he would have no choice but to enter the Chaotic Region as well, which would be a huge problem.
Just finding people there would take effort, and he might have to deal with the local powers. Even after eliminating the target, he would still need to figure out how to get out. It would take months to complete such a mission.
This situation undoubtedly provided him with a good cover.
Although the department evaluation could only cover up for a year at most, even if someone saw his department evaluation, as long as he didn't proactively spread the news, temporarily, no one would know about this matter. After all, the local powers in Yangzhi City were limited and not influential enough to access the National Review Committee's archives.
Even if someone discovered his department evaluation and became wary of him, the methods they chose to suppress him would be based on the assumption that he didn't have a defense certificate. That would give him more room to maneuver.
He pondered for a moment. He had only recently entered the Second Limit, and his strength was still in a rapid growth phase. Every day, he felt an improvement, and if he could secure more time to prepare, his preparations would undoubtedly be more thorough.
It was almost June, and in just one more month, it would be summer vacation. After the summer break, new students would enroll in the new school year. Once he reached the second year, his strength should reach new heights. With the Class B Defense Certificate obtained in his first year, he could compete for a spot in Central City.
He always remembered the words of Cheng Zitong, He Xiaoxing, and Director Lei. Only in Central City could he grasp the full picture.
He looked out the window at the scenery rushing past.
He was determined to go there.
Taking a deep breath, he took out two tubes of nutrient paste from his pocket and ate them, then began to slowly guide his breathing.
As the train moved and time passed, the sky outside gradually darkened. To the rhythmic sound of the wheels on the tracks, he closed his eyes.
After what seemed like a long time, he opened his eyes and saw the sun rising from the end of the horizon in the direction the train was heading. Golden rays of light fell upon him, warming his body.
He gazed at the sun, remembering that on his way there, the sun had shone behind him, but on his return, he was chasing the sunlight.
As noon approached, around 12 p.m., the train arrived at Shangbu Station. Exiting the station, he had not had time to explore the city during his exam, so this was his first opportunity to take in the sights.
Shangbu City was a water and land transportation hub, known for its cuisine. So, he decided to venture into the city to sample the local food. He also bought some local specialties to bring back for Cheng Zitong. After a quick tour, he boarded a long-distance passenger bus and headed back to Yangzhi.
After more than five hours, around 8:30 p.m., he finally returned to Yangzhi. As he stepped out of the bus, he felt a sense of relief, as if he had returned home, even though he had only been away for a few days.
However, when he arrived at the agreed-upon meeting spot, he didn't see Cheng Zitong. He deduced that Cheng was probably still on his way back.
Perhaps he had taken the exam too quickly.
After considering his options, he decided that if he returned to school now, without coordinating his story with Cheng Zitong, there might be inconsistencies. Going home at this time also didn't seem appropriate, so he chose to find a place to wait.
He was in the southern part of the city, close to Ren Shu's company, so he decided to pay the company a visit.
After his last conversation with Ren Shu, Chen Chuan learned that due to the company's improved evaluation, some old files and archives from the government office were now accessible to the company, and a significant portion of them had already been filed. He hadn't had a chance to review them yet, so he decided to take this opportunity to go through them.
Ever since the company completed the Flying Head Cult's mission, they had moved out of their original venue and found a new building.
It was a five-story building, newly constructed, and was said to have been offered by a company member's family for use as the company's headquarters. The member had generously contributed it.
When Chen Chuan arrived, the building was still lit up with a few lights.
However, at this time of day, the gangs were most active. On the streets, gang members riding two-wheeled motorbikes roared past from time to time, sometimes dragging burning cans and fireworks behind them. They shouted and yelled, creating a loud ruckus. Some of them were drunk or high on drugs, appearing extremely agitated.
This area in the south of the city was the stronghold of the Bloodstain Gang, so all these gang members belonged to the Bloodstain Gang. Some of them noticed Chen Chuan walking alone on the side of the road and seemed to want to start trouble. As they called out, more and more gang members gathered around, but they didn't rush to attack. Instead, they wanted to have some fun first.
Chen Chuan maintained a calm expression and walked on as if he didn't notice the commotion around him.
But at that moment, a team of security guards in uniform rushed out of the company building, armed with crossbows and light shields, facing the gang members.
These security guards were granted temporary firearms licenses by the police and were ready to engage if necessary. However, if a conflict were to occur, the police would immediately intervene, and the situation would escalate.
The gang leaders were well aware of the consequences, so they quickly stopped their men. They spat at the company's security guards and then roared as they left.
The security captain and his team rushed to Chen Chuan's side to check on him, "Mr. Chen, are you okay?"
A duty manager beside the captain said, "Who is Mr. Chen? He can handle ghost stories, and he's a senior student from Wu Yi. If Mr. Chen didn't care about these gang members, they'd all be lying here."
The security captain nodded in agreement.
Chen Chuan glanced at the departing gang members and asked, "Is it like this every day?"
The security captain replied, "Not always, but it's been like this for the past seven or eight days. I heard that some leaders of the Bloodstain Gang were killed, and not just one, but they haven't found the murderer yet. Can you blame them for going crazy? They're looking for trouble with everyone."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "You've all worked hard." Then, he turned to the manager and said, "Buy some late-night snacks for everyone; put it on my tab."
"Yes, Mr. Chen."
"Thank you, Mr. Chen!"
As Chen Chuan entered the company building with the manager leading the way, two security guards whispered behind him:
"Every time Mr. Chen comes and goes, he's with the boss. I thought he was a proud man, but he's actually quite approachable."
"Hey, don't you get it? Those who have the ability can afford to be like this. Those who don't try to show off."
"People like him are the ones who truly live like humans."
"I can't help but be envious. He's a student from Wu Yi, and at such a young age, he's already an expert in the company. How can you compare? Twenty years ago, what were you doing?"
"I'm not capable, but my son is. Once I save enough money, I'll send him to Wu Yi. I'll have him marry your daughter and have a big, fat baby. That would be perfect."
"What did you just say?"
"I'm going to check if the late-night snacks have arrived..."
After entering the company, Chen Chuan headed towards the archives room. Ren Shu and the others were not around, but he had the key, so he went in directly.
After browsing through the archives for a while, the manager entered with a cup of hot drink, which he placed on the desk, "Mr. Chen, I've prepared hot water and a room for you."
"Thank you," Chen Chuan thanked him.
The manager quickly assured him that it was no trouble. Seeing Chen Chuan's focus on the archives, he quietly retreated and carefully closed the door behind him.
As Chen Chuan flipped through the archives, he also skimmed through the recent missions sent to the company. At this moment, he noticed an unacknowledged mission request letter, asking to retrieve a specified item from a cult.
He thought for a moment, wasn't this the same thing Senior Sister Min Lan had mentioned before?
Had this mission been sent to their company too? It seemed the client had contacted multiple companies.
However, their company primarily dealt with ghost stories, not cults. Clients usually couldn't distinguish between the two, and from Min Lan's perspective, the companies were no different.
After a quick glance, he set it aside. But the next mission caught his attention because it genuinely involved a ghost story, and it was about the famous Skull-Crushing Demon in Yangzhi City.
The Skull-Crushing Demon was widely discussed among the common people in Yangzhi City because victims were indiscriminate, regardless of their status or identity. Even the privileged couldn't escape its grasp, so the lower-class citizens were eager to talk about it.
As for the victims of the Skull-Crushing Demon this time, he already knew they were leaders of the Bloodstain Gang, but not two, but three.
Within just ten days, three high-ranking leaders had died, seemingly targeted. No wonder the Bloodstain Gang members were acting so recklessly.
After reading the mission, Chen Chuan put the letter aside and continued browsing through other missions.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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