Chapter 330: The Disappearance
Chapter 330: The Disappearance
Chen Chuan assessed the recent battle and his preparations, concluding that such partner training sessions should occur approximately once every three days.
Just as he was pondering, Hong Fu's voice sounded in his ear once more, "The privacy clause takes effect. During partner training, all records can be chosen to be deleted by the student after the service concludes. If you wish to recreate the session, please ensure you have a trace of the information."
Chen Chuan inquired and finally understood that after enabling the privacy clause, the training simulation could be directly deleted, including Hong Fu herself, who wouldn't remember the training process.
However, he could retain the field information and, if necessary, submit it to Hong Fu again during the next session or other services, allowing her to recall the details.
He pondered for a moment, realizing that training was a continuous process, especially during the final sprint towards the Third Limit. He must maintain constant progress, and Hong Fu would continuously adapt to his combat during their battles, making this service excellent. It not only preserved information but also prevented others from prying.
Guided by Hong Fu, he deleted the information, keeping only the field traces for himself, awaiting the next connection to restore the data.
After completing the operation, several pop-ups suddenly appeared on the platform. He glanced at them, all advertisements for arena competitions, inviting formal students to spectate. Formal students could obtain viewing qualifications by simply confirming their attendance on the platform's invitation.
He scrolled through the messages and noticed that the arena competition schedule was listed below. It also informed him that other Wu Yi students from Central City would be present, potentially leading to some interaction. Interested students could join and earn a small number of evaluation points.
The prospect of earning evaluation points was enticing to many students, but the increment was minimal, just one or two points at most, so he dismissed the idea as it held little significance for him.
After exiting the platform, he contemplated his plans for the next month or two. He needed to dedicate a significant amount of time to cultivation, aiming to break through the Third Limit as soon as possible. Therefore, he had to confirm the bureau's arrangements for the near future and, ideally, postpone them. This was a good opportunity to invoke some of the previously agreed-upon agreements.
He immediately contacted Ni Xixi to inquire about any upcoming plans and informed her that his Altered Tissue was entering another growth phase, requiring a stable period for training. He requested that the bureau provide him with some free time for adjustment, as per their agreement.
Ni Xixi expressed her understanding, saying, "In that case, following our past agreement, the bureau can postpone your assignments for a while. Will a month be sufficient?"
Chen Chuan thought it might require a bit more time.
Ni Xixi made a sound of acknowledgment and replied, "Alright, I'll try to make it happen. The bureau can make exceptions for a promising student like you. As for the exchange competition, they initially wanted me to invite you again, but I'll decline on your behalf."
Chen Chuan thanked her and asked, "Sister Ni, you mentioned last time that the bureau was targeting Wei Wusheng's junior disciple. Has there been any progress there?"
Ni Xixi said, "We didn't manage to capture Wei Wusheng this time, but there has been progress with his junior disciple. The two are indeed connected, and the bureau is digging deeper into this lead. The higher-ups want us to apprehend the person before the official arena competition at the end of June, but I don't think it will be that easy.
Just focus on your cultivation, and don't worry too much about the bureau's affairs for now. I'll submit your request shortly." With that, she ended the communication.
Chen Chuan reflected on the current situation, realizing it was already June. If Wei Wusheng were to attack him on that day, even if he retreated afterward, Chen Chuan could still use the Fox Monster Tale to strike back.
However, upon further consideration, he doubted that even with the Fox Monster Tale, he could defeat Wei Wusheng, given the latter's formidable power. At most, he could severely injure him, and with Wei Wusheng's recovery abilities, he might bounce back within a few days.
Therefore, Chen Chuan decided to focus on breaking through the Third Limit for now. Once his strength increased, even if Wei Wusheng didn't come looking for him, Chen Chuan would take the initiative and confront him.
It was already noon, and after consuming a few nutrient gels and resting briefly, he logged into the Edge Channel. In the afternoon, after 2:00 PM, he lit the incense burner again.
An Cheng, in the Ji Yang District, had just finished his night shift and breathed a sigh of relief after handing over his duties to the next shift.
Recently, he felt like his responsibilities were piling up. Between patrols, attending to the bureau's tasks, and rushing from one place to another without a moment's rest, he barely had time for his own combat training.
He anticipated that this situation would continue for a while, as Wei Wusheng remained at large, forcing the bureau to increase vigilance.
Additionally, due to the upcoming arena competition, many people, mostly fighters, had gathered in Center City, leading to numerous violent incidents. An Cheng feared that the next two months would be equally busy.
He entered a restaurant famous for its signature dish, Fisherman's Chicken Rice Ball, a specialty of the Southeast Balu Islands. It consisted of rice balls cooked in chicken broth, served with slices of tender and fragrant chicken meat—a delicious and convenient meal.
After placing their orders, as they waited for the rice balls to arrive, Sun Rao entered the restaurant and joined An Cheng at his table. An Cheng remarked, "You're a bit late."
Sun Rao said, "Handling some matters."
An Cheng scoffed, "How can one ever finish handling matters? I heard you partnered with that new guy a few days ago. How do you feel about him?"
Sun Rao looked at An Cheng and replied, "He's very polite, and it's not unpleasant to get along with him. He doesn't have any arrogance either."
An Cheng gave him an annoyed look, "If you want to say something, just say it. Why beat around the bush?"
He picked up the Fisherman's Chicken Rice Ball and took a hearty bite, then paired it with a piece of chicken, chewing them together. After swallowing, he asked, "By the way, isn't he with you this time?"
Just then, Sun Rao's order of Fisherman's Chicken Rice Ball was served. He picked up his chopsticks and said, "Apparently, he had other arrangements. If not for this special situation, he probably wouldn't have been assigned to me. It's hard to say in the future, after all, his potential is much greater than ours. The bureau won't treat him as an ordinary backup enforcement officer."
"Really?"
An Cheng hummed, clearly still holding onto a grudge, a sense of not wanting to lose.
Sun Rao took a bite and nodded, "It's okay. We can come again next time. Have you been keeping up with your regular training lately?"
An Cheng said, "Of course. Every day, no matter how late I return, I make sure to train. Otherwise, how could I ever catch up with that newbie?" He glanced at Sun Rao, "I'm telling you, don't let yourself be the one eliminated from our team."
Sun Rao confidently replied, "Never!"
"Never?"
An Cheng looked at him, "So sure?"
Sun Rao calmly said, "Because my marksmanship is better than many in the bureau, and there are quite a few second-limit fighters, but very few with marksmanship like mine."
An Cheng had to admit that Sun Rao was right. A gunman like him, after taking the drug and equipped with a high-powered weapon, could threaten even a third-limit fighter. The bureau wouldn't let go of such potential.
Initially, An Cheng had dismissed Sun Rao's training, but now it seemed that he was the one most likely to be eliminated, and a sense of urgency arose within him.
At that moment, the boundary vessel by his ear suddenly emitted a contact signal, notifying them of an incident in their district.
The two had to quickly finish their food and then hurriedly boarded the armored patrol vehicle, rushing towards the incident site.
In the blink of an eye, ten days passed, and it was already late June.
Chen Chuan had just finished a brief conversation with Hong Fu earlier that day. Suddenly, the contact signal on Lao Qi's profile lit up, and he accepted the call, asking, "Lao Qi, what's the matter?"
Lao Qi said, "Chen, I was asked to keep an eye out for abnormalities, and I've recently discovered one that might require your attention."
Chen Chuan knew that if it wasn't something significant or impactful, Lao Qi wouldn't have contacted him. He said, "Lao Qi, take your time."
Lao Qi sent a photo at that moment, saying, "This hotel..."
Chen Chuan took a glance, seeing it was an old-style hotel with about a dozen stories. From the outside, nothing seemed amiss. He asked, "Is the abnormality within this hotel?"
Lao Qi said, "This hotel has been problematic. People who stay there sometimes mysteriously disappear, and a family who checked in once lost a member without any explanation. After that person's disappearance, their family and friends would completely forget them, as if they never existed in their lives."
Chen Chuan said, "If that's the case, how would this come to light?"
Lao Qi continued, "According to rumors, a photographer needed to take a series of old-style hotel photos, and this hotel fit his criteria. Due to weather and various reasons, he took photos for over ten days. But when organizing the photos, he realized the people entering and exiting didn't match up."
He paid extra attention after this discovery and confirmed his judgment. He also cross-checked the registered number of guests, finding that many were missing. In the past three years, the hotel had seen over three hundred disappearances, averaging one every three days. Moreover, these missing people vanished without a trace from the world, forgotten by everyone.
Chen Chuan contemplated, considering that the missing people only vanished from memories and not erased from existence, it was still challenging to discern whether it was an abnormality or a secret.
Lao Qi continued, "Later, the photographer publicized this matter on various platforms, attracting much interest, and the case remains unsolved. Until last month, the situation changed again. Anyone who entered never came out, and even with warning signs posted, most passersby unconsciously wandered in, including one of our colleagues who disappeared after passing by."
Chen Chuan's expression turned serious, "I'll make time to check it out."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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