Chapter 209: Hostage
Chapter 209: Hostage
After sending the telegram, Director Lei also ordered the vehicle to head towards Olive Street. As they neared the street, a response came from the other end.
The vehicle slowly came to a stop at the street corner, and a captain from the Investigation Bureau approached the car. When the window was lowered, he reported:
"Director, following your instructions, we found three pillars wrapped in decorative packaging in the surrounding shops. They had name tags attached, and upon searching the company, we discovered that eight people were missing from the premises.
We checked their work equipment, and the signs indicate that some have been missing for five to six days, while others have been gone for at least two months or more.
However, the company employees believe they are still there, interacting with them daily, and they haven't noticed anything unusual."
Director Lei said, "Give me the list."
The captain promptly handed over a prepared list. Director Lei took a look and passed it to Chen Chuan, who was sitting beside him, and asked, "Is the person you're looking for on this list?"
Chen Chuan took the list and scanned it. To his surprise, Min Lan's name was on it, so he nodded to Director Lei.
Director Lei said, "Those employees were probably influenced by the secret ritual, believing the people were still there, but in reality, they had been missing for a long time."
Chen Chuan thought to himself, no wonder when he called earlier, they said the person was there but couldn't answer the phone. It seemed like the person existed in their consciousness, but they were unable to communicate with others.
Even so, it was hard to believe that the employees' families wouldn't notice something amiss after such a long time. There must be another reason why this was kept hidden.
The captain added, "During our search, we found that this company has had a high number of employees go missing due to commissioned tasks in the past six months. Most of them disappeared during a particular assignment."
Director Lei pondered for a moment and asked, "Any news from the Communications Bureau?"
The captain replied, "We're still waiting, but it should be soon." At that moment, a team member approached and handed over a note. The captain glanced at it and passed it to Director Lei, saying, "Director, we've found it. When we entered the Green Falcon Corporation, we received a telegram from inside the building. The destination is right here."
Director Lei took the note and said, "According to this address, immediately notify Old Gao to go and secure the place, and detain the people inside."
The captain acknowledged and quickly left.
Director Lei turned to Chen Chuan and said, "Those people who are believed to be alive should still be alive because, to achieve this effect, they must keep those people alive. Secret rituals are usually restricted rituals that require bearing a certain cost and fulfilling specific conditions to obtain results."
Chen Chuan couldn't help but think of Director Lei's son, whose life had to be sustained for the ritual to continue. Perhaps they hadn't done anything too extreme to the child because he was too young, and they were afraid of killing him accidentally.
However, if they only needed to keep these people alive without considering other consequences, the outcome could be dire.
He could only hope that these people were still in good condition.
Chen Chuan asked, "Director Lei, why are they doing this?"
Director Lei replied, "From the information you provided, I believe this is a branch of the 'Life Sect.' This secret ritual's origins are unknown, and its components are complex. To put it simply, this sect believes that a person's life energy can be transferred to another person through certain methods.
This theory may not be entirely accurate, but the results are potentially achievable. However, there may be some elements that even they cannot control or master.
They likely intentionally assigned a particular commission, then allowed employees to go missing during the task. In reality, they were captured and used for the secret ritual."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment; this method would indeed make it difficult to raise suspicions, especially since commissioned tasks often had high casualty rates. Moreover, it seemed that the company had sent similar commissions to other companies, probably intending to trap and harm their employees as well.
This matched what Min Lan had mentioned earlier. No wonder the company's employees had repeatedly encountered failures—it was all a setup by the company itself. How could they possibly allow an investigation to uncover the truth?
Min Lan had probably discovered some clues and suspected that the company was up to no good, which was why she contacted him.
Director Lei said, "Since you handle the 'Ghost Talk' commissions, you'll likely encounter many things related to secret sects. Outsiders can't easily distinguish between them. When I return, I'll send you some materials to study, but remember not to leak them."
Chen Chuan sincerely thanked him, "Thank you, Director Lei."
He knew that while there might be some understanding of how to deal with 'Ghost Talk' in the public, secret rituals were highly specialized. Without official channels, it would be challenging to even get a glimpse of their nature.
After half an hour, the captain returned and informed Director Lei that they had found the location and captured a person. The individual knew the secret was out, and without much interrogation, they confessed.
The mastermind behind this incident was a high-ranking executive of the company. The location where the people were hidden was also revealed—less than 500 meters from their current location—and a large number of review bureau personnel had already gone to apprehend them.
Director Lei said, "We'll have the answers soon."
Chen Chuan sat there and witnessed the entire process. Director Lei only needed a brief glance at the materials to accurately identify the esoteric sect and determine the appropriate course of action. In less than two or three hours, the matter was almost resolved.
Indeed, professional matters should be left to professionals.
Not only did Director Lei possess extensive esoteric sect experience, but he also had a powerful professional team at his disposal, backed by the nation, enabling him to coordinate the involvement of multiple departments in the operation.
If this matter had been left to him alone, he would have had to conduct investigations, slowly gather clues, and then make decisions. Even if he had identified the target, it would have been challenging to apprehend them immediately due to their status and position. The final outcome might not have been as desired.
Before an individual reaches a certain level of strength, a team will always surpass an individual.
The same is true for combat cultivation. Without a well-structured organization providing the necessary cultivation resources, it is impossible to cultivate with a peaceful mind.
This is both a constraint and a form of assistance. Before one possesses sufficient strength, these are unavoidable circumstances, and one might even need to actively integrate and make good use of these resources, turning them into a driving force and stepping stone to advance further.
"Have you submitted your application to Central City?" Director Lei asked at this moment.
"I have," Chen Chuan replied.
Director Lei said, "You have talent in esoteric sect work, and it would be a waste not to utilize it. After graduation, if you're interested, you can come to the Esoteric Sect Review Bureau. I can be your recommender."
Chen Chuan's heart stirred. Is Director Lei, as the Yangzhi sector director, able to influence Central City? Or is it because Director Lei has an extraordinary background? After all, to reach this position, one needs both ability and, more importantly, a powerful background. Sometimes, ability may not be as crucial.
For instance, when Director Lei faced those issues in the past, others couldn't remove him from his position, which speaks volumes.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, the captain hurried back.
"Director, there are quite a few security personnel from various companies guarding the place, and they are carrying many guns in violation of regulations. They are likely core members of a cult. When they saw us contacting the Patrol Bureau, they barricaded themselves in the building and took hostages.
According to the employee records, there should be a Second Level Fighter among them. Our team may find it challenging to break in, and we might need to request reinforcements from the Bureau."
Chen Chuan listened and contemplated for a moment before speaking, "Director Lei, the longer we delay, the more dangerous it is for the hostages. Let me handle this."
Director Lei glanced at him and asked, "Are you still in the national draft period?"
"Yes," Chen Chuan replied.
Director Lei said, "Since I'm also a member of this action team, this can be considered a national assignment. Chen Chuan, I, as the Action Team Commissioner, request that you cooperate in resolving the cultists ahead and rescue the hostages as much as possible."
Chen Chuan nodded, "Director Lei, leave it to me."
As the two spoke, the vehicle started and arrived at the designated location. It was a five-story office building, surrounded by Patrol Bureau patrolmen who had set up a blockade and evacuated unrelated personnel.
The car came to a stop, and the door opened. Chen Chuan stepped out, and although he didn't bring the Snow Lady Sword this time, it didn't matter. As long as there were no Third Level Fighters on the other side, whether he used weapons or not made no difference.
If there were such fighters, those people wouldn't need to hide inside and threaten with hostages; they would have charged out long ago.
The September sun was no longer scorching, but it was still dazzling, especially the glaring reflection from the windows. He looked up for a moment before lowering his gaze and then, under the watchful eyes of the Patrol Bureau and Esoteric Sect Bureau members, he strode forward.
With one hand in his pocket, he slowly approached the building. When he was still over forty meters away from the building, the Third Self Instant Convergence activated, and everything around him seemed to slow down abruptly.
In the next moment, it seemed like he had taken only a single step, and he had reached the building. Instead of entering through the stairs, he stepped onto the outer wall.
From his perspective, it was as if he were stepping onto flat ground, and with his momentum, he leaped forward.
In the blink of an eye, he reached a position level with the fifth-floor window. His force was perfectly controlled, and he paused slightly in mid-air as he reached this spot.
At this moment, he could see the person inside the window staring at him with a defiant gaze, and the gun barrel that was about to be raised to shoot at him. He looked at them calmly, leaned forward, stretched out his arm, and grabbed the person's wrist. With a gentle tug, he pulled himself inside, while the other person was directly yanked out.
The two of them crossed paths in an instant, and then a 'bang' sounded. He landed lightly and powerfully on the indoor floor, straightening his body. Behind him, there was a distant scream fading away.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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