Chapter 218: The Painter
Chapter 218: The Painter
Chen Chuan gazed at the river outside and said, "If my guess is correct, he probably wanted to obtain Esoteric Sect Materials from Mo Lan Corporation, using Yangzhi City's waterways to set up an Esoteric Ritual. This could potentially include a portion or even the entire Yangzhi City."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, then Director Lei's voice came through clearly, with an air of seriousness, "Chen, please tell me everything you saw and the clues you found. Take your time, I'm listening."
Chen Chuan greeted him and proceeded to describe what he had witnessed during his previous assignments, along with his recent discoveries. Finally, he added, "Director Lei, I suspect that the materials leaked by Mo Lan Corporation might have been Esoteric Materials themselves, intentionally released by someone behind the scenes. The so-called beauty and health benefits of these soils are likely just a ploy by that person, and there might be his people among the buyers."
Director Lei responded, "We have inspected those materials at the Review Bureau, but we haven't reached a conclusion yet. However, they are not sufficient to be considered Esoteric Materials, but..."
He continued, "The water in Yangzhi City has its unique qualities. If the two are combined, it's hard to say whether it will produce any special effects. This is an easily overlooked aspect, and I will arrange for someone to investigate later."
Chen Chuan said, "Director Lei, for this person to be able to do this in the waterways around Mo Lan Corporation, the company must be aware of it. Perhaps Mo Lan Corporation is the one pushing this from behind."
"But even with the collapse of Mo Lan Corporation, nothing unusual happened. So, it seems like this person hasn't given up on their original plan."
Director Lei said, "If we follow your findings, the ritual is set up along the waterways, which would encompass the entire city. But that's not enough; it's only the outer boundary. The central part requires a significant amount of filling, which cannot be accomplished by the waterways alone..."
He paused, "Hold on for a moment..."
On the other end of the phone, Director Lei seemed to be flipping through something. After a while, his voice came through again, this time with a grave tone, "If the ritual is arranged along the waterways, then the ceremony on Olive Street might not have been just for diverting Life Energy. Instead, it could be a cover, making it part of a larger ritual.
If this is the case, the old factory you stayed in the western part of the city should also be one of the nodes.
Before that, we discovered and disrupted various rituals in South City and North City. Although the distances are not equal, each of them is undoubtedly connected to waterways or underground rivers, corresponding to the larger ritual."
It seems that this person had a grand plan and the patience to execute it over several years, gradually improving their skills and piecing together the entire puzzle."
Director Lei's voice grew somber, "But his plan is too grand, and his ambitions are too high. To achieve such an effect, it would require the absence of the Yangzhi City Esoteric Sect Review Bureau."
Chen Chuan nodded silently. Even if the Review Bureau hadn't known about this plan beforehand, their exceptional professionalism had still managed to disrupt a significant portion of it.
However, if Director Lei weren't in charge, things might have been different. Chen Chuan couldn't help but think back to the incident with Director Lei's son three years ago; it didn't seem like a coincidence.
He asked, "Director Lei, what effect would this Esoteric Ritual have if it were to succeed?"
Director Lei pondered for a moment before replying, "It's hard to tell at this point because this ritual doesn't exist in any records. It's likely his own adaptation based on actual conditions. There hasn't been a ritual of this scale before, and even its success is uncertain. So, he might not even know the outcome himself. This time, he's probably just seeking success in his craft, and only after attempting it will he pursue the desired effect."
"So, Mo Lan Corporation might have been used by him as well. Or perhaps Mo Lan Corporation doesn't mind the investment, and even though it's no longer around, he's still trying to restore the ritual."
Director Lei said sternly, "We've disrupted many nodes. While it's impossible to restore the original scale of the ritual, completing a portion of it wouldn't have much significance either. But there's another possibility..."
"If he uses the waterways as a boundary, not inward but outward, targeting the areas and people outside the river, that could be feasible."
"Outside the river... you mean outside the city?"
Chen Chuan suddenly recalled the Bloodstain Gang's attack on Caijiazhai, which also involved Esoteric Sect members. Could that have been for this purpose?"
"No!
That place is too far from the main waterway; it's unclear where it leads. If it's an outward arrangement, it can only be effective along the waterways and their vicinity."
Beyond the river, there was a crucial and potentially useful area...
Suddenly, a place name popped into his mind.
Xieshan Mountain!
This mountain, located in the southeast, was extremely close to the White River. Moreover, a railway passed through the mountain, and it had been repeatedly targeted for bombings in the past.
Although it had been repaired, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't be targeted again.
Xieshan Mountain was one of the Three Mountains in the legend, and it was also a place where strange stories frequently occurred. He had eliminated that Mountain Goblin within Xieshan Mountain!
But this didn't mean that there was only one strange story within Xieshan Mountain. If the Esoteric Ritual could harness the strange stories within the mountain, then even if the railway section was reopened, it would become extremely dangerous.
Especially since the Resistance Organization had repeatedly caused trouble here, and now it seemed that the Resistance Organization was somehow connected to the Bloodstain Gang and that person behind the scenes. Could this be where the key lies?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was possible. So, he shared his thoughts with Director Lei, who said, "Chen Chuan, this speculation is very likely. The key is to see what that person aims to achieve. Judging from his actions, if he cannot achieve a certain effect, it would be meaningless to him."
Chen Chuan spoke solemnly, "Recently, the Ink Lotus Tower is deciding on its ownership, and many large corporations will come to Yangzhi. Domestic companies can choose to ride in their own armored special vehicles, while foreign companies can only take the railway. So, the newly repaired railway section might be a potential target."
"Even if this deduction has only a slight chance of being true, we cannot ignore it. I will communicate with the relevant departments and also secretly investigate this matter first."
He continued, "If this matter is confirmed, we must find a way to stop it, Chen Chuan. When the time comes, we may have a commission for you. Wait for my call."
Chen Chuan hung up the phone and stepped out of the phone booth, gazing at the flowing river outside.
He didn't feel much about providing protection for those corporate giants, but the majority of the passengers on the train were ordinary people who were innocent.
Moreover, whether it was Shen Zheng's incident or the Old Factory incident that directly involved him, there were traces of that person behind the scenes. So, it was time for him to give something in return.
At around the same time, in Shangbu City, within a secret base of the Resistance Organization, the leader, Bao Yuan, was on the phone with someone.
"Manager Han, I will do as I promised, but what about the firearms and funds you promised us?
...You've hidden yourself away in a place of chaos, but you've left your brothers to deal with those Gray Dogs. Brothers need to eat if they want to fight...
The last batch? Forget it, they were intercepted by those Gray Dogs on the way and never reached us...
Hmm... I will take action. Have I ever failed to do what I promised you regarding the Ink Lotus Corporation?"
...To be honest, we both know what we do, Manager Han. If I don't step up, the brothers below won't respect me, right? So, don't worry, I will take action as soon as I get the goods. No matter how much or how little I do, you won't lose out, right?
Mm-hmm, good. Then I'll wait. As soon as the funds and firearms arrive, we'll strike back at Yangzhi City and give them a big show."
With a click, Bao Yuan hung up the phone and turned to the team member beside him, saying, "It's settled. In a few days, the goods will arrive. Once the money and weapons are here, we'll head back to Yangzhi City and give them a good scare."
The team member's spirits lifted, but then he thought for a moment and said, "Captain, the Cai Family Village gang has been looking for us everywhere recently. Should we..."
Bao Yuan frowned, "If the Bloodstain Gang hasn't dealt with them, consider it their good luck. We don't have time to bother with them right now. Ignore them."
The team member complained, "Captain, with them dragging us down, we can't get many things done. They keep slandering us to the higher-ups. Why don't we just..."
Bao Yuan spoke sternly, "No, we can't take matters into our own hands. Anyway, we won't be crossing paths with them this time. But if they dare to provoke us, we'll fight them together. Go and tell the brothers to stay low-key and not cause any trouble for now."
"Okay." The team member left reluctantly.
Bao Yuan thought for a moment and then went to the adjacent telegraph room, saying to the telegraph operator waiting there, "Send a telegraph to the Painter. Ask if the painting can be delivered on time?"
The telegraph operator immediately sent out the telegraph according to his instructions.
Bao Yuan didn't leave but waited there. However, after more than an hour, there was still no response. Yet, he seemed patient, and it wasn't until nearly two hours had passed that the telegraph operator finally received a reply. Bao Yuan couldn't help but step forward and ask, "What's the reply?"
After translating the message, the telegraph operator said, "Captain, the Painter says that he has plenty of art supplies and canvas, and the painting will be delivered on time."
(End of Chapter)
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