Chapter 196: Antan
Chapter 196: Antan
The next morning, Chen Chuan turned on the radio, which was still reporting on yesterday's events and had opened an anonymous hotline for Yangzhi City citizens to call in and share the past misdeeds of the powerful families.
This move was incredibly effective in stirring up the emotions of many citizens, aligning them with the cause of justice.
However, not many Yangzhi citizens dared to speak up, even anonymously. Although the hotline was busy with calls, many were prearranged, but the stories shared seemed genuine and detailed, standing up to scrutiny.
Just then, the phone in the living room rang. Chen Chuan picked it up and had barely spoken a sentence when he moved the receiver slightly away, and Ding Jiao's loud voice boomed from the other end.
"I'm telling you, brother, you've hit the jackpot! You have no idea, I was planning to go there yesterday. I even made it to the entrance, and guess what? It was full of Wu Yi students. I wasn't afraid of embarrassing myself, but that atmosphere... my legs were trembling."
"But then I thought, what's there to be afraid of? You're Chen Chuan, the coolest guy I know. My back straightened, and my legs stopped trembling. Then..."
"Then you went home?"
"Yeah... I didn't run away..."
Ding Jiao quickly added, "I didn't run away from the scene, brother. I had a friend who got scared by the atmosphere and peed his pants right there. I'm telling you this as a favor, and I did the same for that friend by taking him home to change. Who knew that after I returned, you guys would already be gone?"
"You're not talking about yourself, are you?" Chen Chuan asked with a smile.
"How is that possible!" Ding Jiao's voice rose abruptly. "That friend is..." He suddenly paused, "I can't just reveal his name... I can't just go around saying people's names..."
Chen Chuan smiled as he listened to Ding Jiao's rambling. After a while, he found an opportunity to ask, "How are things on your end?"
"Why are you asking that?" Ding Jiao seemed puzzled.
Chen Chuan replied, "Things might get a little unstable recently."
"Yeah, it's been unstable. The Bloodstain Gang has been beaten down by the Iron Chain Gang and can't hold their heads up. I heard many of them fled to the outskirts of the city. If we're talking about major gangs, only the Iron Chain Gang is left, but they can't take over the Bloodstain Gang's business and don't stay in the city, so there's nothing to worry about."
Chen Chuan said, "Still, it's best to stay cautious."
"Got it! You've seen more than me, brother. I'll listen to you."
After chatting for a while, Chen Chuan hung up the phone, feeling much more relaxed.
He glanced outside; he didn't plan to go out in the next few days, especially with the current tense situation in Yangzhi City. Although it appeared the same as usual, the atmosphere was tense, and anything could happen.
So, he decided to exercise at home. Although he couldn't practice his blade techniques, he could still work on his punching skills and breathing techniques, adapting his training to the limited space.
By noon, after finishing lunch, Chen Chuan was in his study, looking through some materials. Suddenly, the phone in the living room rang. He walked over and picked it up. After confirming his identity, a string of recruitment codes was recited, followed by, "Student Chen Chuan, please come to the alley. There's a task that requires your cooperation."
"I'll be there immediately," Chen Chuan replied, putting down the receiver.
He had thought there would be some time before receiving any instructions, but to his surprise, the orders came the very next day. He changed into a new set of clothes, grabbed the Xuejun Blade he had prepared earlier, picked up a case, and stepped out of the courtyard.
Upon reaching the alley, he encountered a familiar face.
"Special Agent Feng?"
The middle-aged man across from him, wearing a trench coat and a hat, was none other than Old Feng, whom he had met at the edge of the wilderness.
Special Agent Feng also smiled, "Student Chen, this time, you'll be joining us in action. Well, we can consider ourselves old partners."
Chen Chuan nodded in agreement. He was quite welcoming of this arrangement as Commissioner Cao held a higher position and was hard to read, always giving off a mysterious vibe.
He much preferred dealing with Special Agent Feng, who seemed more like a friendly guide with a warmer, more relatable personality.
Chen Chuan walked over and shook hands with Old Feng, saying, "In this heat, you're still wearing this outfit..."
Old Feng laughed, "I'm used to it."
Chen Chuan didn't press further. Special Agent Feng, being a martial artist himself, probably wasn't bothered by the heat. Moreover, the trench coat might conceal various weapons with special functions.
After a brief exchange, Old Feng suggested, "Chen, let's find a place to talk."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment, "There's a small park nearby. People go there to cool off at night, but during the day, it's usually empty. Let's go there."
Old Feng agreed.
They walked for about ten minutes and arrived at a park with a pond filled with lotus leaves and a few lotus flowers standing tall. Occasionally, golden-red fish swam by.
Old Feng took a glance and commented, "The carp in Yangzhi City are indeed quite large."
Chen Chuan looked down and saw that the carp was almost one and a half meters long, a typical size for Yangzhi's carp. He was used to it by now and replied, "Yes, Yangzhi's fish are like this."
Old Feng praised, "The water quality here is indeed unique." After instinctively scanning the surroundings, his expression turned serious, and he said, "Student Chen, let me brief you on this mission.
Chen Chuan's expression turned serious.
"The operation to suppress Mo Lan Company is underway, but our first priority is not to target Mo Lan directly. Instead, we need to eliminate some other forces first."
"Other forces?" Chen Chuan pondered.
Old Feng spoke in a deep voice, "These forces are experts at stirring up trouble. If we don't clear them out in advance, they'll cause a lot of unexpected problems and losses, especially since there are foreign entities involved. They won't care about the lives of the citizens and will only seek to create more chaos. We can't tolerate that."
Chen Chuan asked, "Are these resistance organizations?"
"The resistance organizations are also on our list, but there are others dealing with them. We don't need to worry about that. Our target is a team of elites sent by An Tan Company."
This company's business was extensive, covering arms, drugs, implants, and even mercenary and smuggling operations. Their branches were spread worldwide, and wherever there was chaos, their shadow could be found.
"I believe you've reviewed the information," Old Feng continued, "Mo Lan Company has ordered a large number of combat mantises, along with a substantial amount of high-energy nutrients. Without these nutrients, the combat effectiveness of these creatures would be limited."
"Currently, we've blocked their official supply channels, and Mo Lan can only gather supplies through the black market and smuggling routes."
Old Feng received a message, "An Tan Company's team has taken on the task of delivering the goods. They'll deliver the shipment by the day after tomorrow at the latest. The meeting point is in the wilderness, and our mission is to intercept this shipment and, if possible, seize it."
Chen Chuan nodded, "Agent Feng, how do you want the students to assist?"
Old Feng said, "I have a tactical squad under my command. They are skilled in infiltration, assassination, eavesdropping, and communication. Although Old Cao has assigned me additional personnel, it should be sufficient. However, I have a feeling that other companies might get involved, so I need more people."
"Chen, you're a local from Yangzhi. If you have reliable contacts, you can bring them along. I'll provide the standard compensation and evaluation for the mission."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and replied, "I do have some people in mind, and they should meet your requirements, Agent Feng."
"That's great," Old Feng said.
Old Feng asked further, "How quickly can you gather them? Time is of the essence. Once we deal with this matter, we can focus our efforts on Mo Lan Company."
"I'll make the calls right now," Chen Chuan said.
He found a nearby phone booth and started calling Ren Xiaotian, Wei Chang'an, and other classmates he had worked with before.
This team was practically ready-made, with each member having experience in attacking armed forces in the wilderness and being trustworthy.
Furthermore, this operation was a commissioned task under the government, which would add an impressive entry to their resumes.
As Chen Chuan called each of them, everyone he contacted immediately agreed to join the mission without hesitation.
Wei Chang'an, who had another commission on his hands, dropped it as soon as he heard about this new task.
Aside from Chen Chuan's connections and favors, the benefits from their previous mission were enough to convince Wei Chang'an's team to join without knowing the specific target. Once they learned it involved the wilderness again, they were certain it would be an exciting job, and they were eager to get started.
As for Luo Kaiyuan, Feng Xiaoqi, Wu Han, Wei Dong, and the others, they all agreed without hesitation. It was summer vacation, and they were readily available.
Given the circumstances and Chen Chuan's emphasis on the urgency of the mission, the team was assembled in just one afternoon.
Old Feng was pleased to see that Chen Chuan had gathered a team in half a day, and most of them were students from Wu Yi Academy, while the remaining members had their own unique skills.
Old Feng distributed a pre-prepared plan to the team.
Chen Chuan glanced at the plan, which contained detailed information about each member of the An Tan team. The elite squad was almost transparent to them, and he couldn't help but admire the capabilities of the Bureau of Administration.
If he had such a plan and information when dealing with the Rust Gang, he might have been able to take down the entire camp single-handedly.
Old Feng noticed Chen Chuan's thoughts and smiled, "It's not that complicated. Do you know where this information came from? An Tan Company is like this; they sell anything for the right price. The person selling the information might even be part of the delivery team.
But they usually sell the information in batches, each with different details, and this batch is from last week, so there might be some discrepancies with the actual situation. We still need to be prepared for any surprises."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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