Chapter 213: Remnants
Chapter 213: Remnants
Chen Chuan walked into the room, and sunlight streamed in from outside, illuminating part of the interior and casting his shadow on the ground.
He glanced around. The furnishings in the room were the same as when he left a year ago, save for a layer of dust, indicating that no one had been here since he left.
Perhaps it was the materials used to build the house, or some other reason, but no insects had appeared.
Most of the valuable items had been taken away gradually by his predecessor before he left, leaving behind only some furniture.
As he slowly moved around the room, memories of his predecessor surfaced, clear and vivid, like warm old movies flashing before his eyes.
These were scenes from his childhood here, and some memories of his predecessor's parents. This period was the happiest and most carefree time for his predecessor.
However, those were memories from before the age of five. After that, the impressions of his parents began to fade, as if they had gone off to do something and came back less and less often. His aunt, Yu Wan, started to appear in his life more frequently, sometimes accompanied by the loud voice of Nian Fuli.
Until he was six, his parents never returned. Then, Nian Fuli and Yu Wan took him to live with them. As he grew older, he would occasionally come back to stay for a few days, seemingly nostalgic for the old days and perhaps hoping for something.
Chen Chuan could deeply understand this sentiment. He took a deep breath and slowly walked into his own bedroom. He first pulled the curtains to let in more light, then approached the bed and reached under it to pull out a small box.
After a moment's thought, he stood up and went to the bedside table, took out the entire drawer, and retrieved a key from the bottom panel. He then returned to the box and opened it.
The box contained nothing particularly valuable, just some old books and expense ledgers left by his predecessor's parents, along with some old newspapers. Many of the newspapers and notebooks had been deliberately cut into pieces and stored together.
His predecessor didn't know why these things were kept, but he had a vague feeling that they might be useful, so he never threw them away.
Now, Chen Chuan thought that his predecessor's parents might have left some clues and deliberately cut them up and stored them separately to avoid detection.
He took the items out and spread them on the table, then brought over the items given to him by Elder Lady Ni and compared them. Indeed, he quickly found parts that matched.
He patiently pieced them together and noticed that some of the joined text had numbers marked underneath. He arranged them in order.
After completing the puzzle, he found it was an address, followed by a string of numbers. The address was clearly written and was definitely from Central City, but the meaning of the numbers was still unclear.
He thought for a moment and recalled the black card. When he asked Gao Ming to verify it, he learned that the card had been invalid for ten years, around the time he was taken in by his aunt.
Could the items left by his predecessor's parents be related to this black card?
Besides this, he had another major question.
The idea of joining Wu Yi Academy only came to him after he arrived. He was certain that while his predecessor was curious about and admired fighters, he had no intention of joining the academy.
His predecessor's greatest interest was to leave Yangzhi and become a traveling adventurer, to see if the places in novels and movies were as magical as they were described.
However, the things Elder Lady Ni gave him suggested that his predecessor's mother believed he would join Wu Yi Academy. Typically, joining Wu Yi Academy meant having a background in martial arts training from a young age. As a fighter, his predecessor's mother would not have overlooked this, but his predecessor had never been exposed to such training or even mentioned it.
Was there something wrong with this?
Could his predecessor's death be related to this?
He thought for a while and realized there were too few clues to draw any conclusions.
Looking at the address, he decided he would have to go to Central City and find that place to continue his investigation.
He noted down the address and numbers, then shuffled the items again, putting some back into the box and locking it in its original place.
He glanced at the bright sunlight outside. Since he was here, he might as well clean up.
He fetched some tools and tidied up the house, both inside and out. In the basement, he unexpectedly found a sealed can of tea, which his predecessor's father must have left behind, though he had never noticed it before.
There was also an algae oil generator in the basement, which ensured power at night. He checked it and found it still worked, so he started it and boiled a kettle of water, made a cup of tea, and moved a chair outside to sit on the porch, watching the forest and the stream.
In the autumn scenery, golden hues dotted the landscape, and the warm sunlight cast shadows of tree branches onto the eaves, gently swaying and occasionally sending a few leaves fluttering downward.
The memories of this place from his childhood were vivid. He often played by the stream with Meng Shu, and later, they became classmates in school. Perhaps it was this shared history that made Meng Shu view him differently, as the most beautiful memories of their childhood were spent together.
On his return to Central City, there was a chance he might encounter that person again.
After finishing a pot of tea, he stood up, went back inside to pack his belongings, and then locked the door. He descended the wooden steps, got back on his bike, and glanced back at the surroundings before pedaling away from the place.
The journey back was uneventful, and an hour later, he arrived at the campus. Upon returning to his dormitory, he put these old memories aside, regardless of their nature. What mattered now was the vast and distant future awaiting him.
In the following days, he began to use the medicinal ingredients obtained from the Action Team to assist in his martial arts training.
These medicines were far superior to what he had encountered before; a tiny portion was enough to be effective, and the level of harm to his second self during the process of virtualization was surprisingly minimal. It was indeed remarkable, living up to what Old Feng had said about them being exclusive to the government.
He calculated the quantity and realized that without any additional supply, it would be enough for him to use for about a hundred days. Perhaps it could sustain him until his trip to Central City.
Every evening after his daytime training, he would take the opportunity during his routine breathing exercises to review documents. Lately, he had been focusing on a book about the Secret Sect Ritual.
He found the seemingly mundane content fascinating and could meticulously study the intricate patterns that might deter others.
He paid particular attention to the Secret Sect Rituals that were rumored to be related to the Lore. If he were to take on a Lore-related commission, he might encounter these rituals, and he was considering using the Secret Sect's methods to assist in resolving them.
After spending each day so fulfilling, in mid-October, Director Lei called him.
"Chen Chuan, we've confirmed the identity of that person."
The book, "One Six One Nine," had no errors in its first edition!
Chen Chuan's heart skipped a beat, immediately recognizing that they were referring to the individual who used Secret Sect Rituals to absorb life force. Director Lei continued speaking through the receiver:
"His name is Han Zhang, an elder of the Bloodstain Gang. The gang members affectionately call him 'Uncle Han.' After our investigations over the past few days, we've located his whereabouts. When the Bloodstain Gang's momentum turned unfavorable, he led a group of his men to hide in a village outside the city, and they're still holed up there."
Han Zhang likely had followers from the Vitality Sect with him. The Secret Sect Review Bureau needed someone to deal with this situation and eliminate the cultists. Chen Chuan, with your experience in dealing with cults and armed groups outside the city,
I'm asking on behalf of the Secret Sect Review Bureau if you're willing to accept the Review Bureau's commission to eliminate these cultists and their associates?"
Chen Chuan immediately responded, "No problem, Director Lei. I'm willing to take on this commission."
As a second-year student, he could now accept commissions in his own name, and as for the procedures, he could also ask Gao Ming for help, but he felt it wasn't necessary yet.
Ren Su's company had provided him with many conveniences, and he should return the favor. This commission from a government agency would also enhance the company's reputation and evaluation.
So, he subsequently asked Director Lei to place the commission with the company, and he accepted it on the company's behalf.
Director Lei didn't mind; as long as Chen Chuan took on the commission, the name it was accepted under didn't matter. He said, "I'll have someone deliver the documents later. You can handle them at your convenience."
Chen Chuan replied with a simple acknowledgment.
Since it was official documentation, less than half an hour after hanging up the phone, a courier delivered the materials to the school. Chen Chuan signed for the package, returned to his room, and carefully examined the contents.
This "Uncle Han" had a keen sense of smell and strong execution skills. When the Bloodstain Gang's top leader was in danger, he sensed something amiss and led a group of men out of the city to observe the situation.
The subsequent developments were self-evident; although the remaining members of the Bloodstain Gang in the city had been thoroughly eliminated following the downfall of the Mo Lan Corporation, this group had escaped the city early on and wasn't the primary target of various factions. Thus, they had temporarily evaded attention.
But now, the situation was different. With Han Zhang's clear association with the cultists, the Mystic Bureau, which had been investigating, would not let them off the hook.
Chen Chuan glanced at the hiding place and felt a slight stir in his heart, recognizing the familiarity of the location. Not far from there was Caijia Village, the place he had been to during the pursuit of Fang Dawei's group.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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