Chapter 334: Bounty
Chapter 334: Bounty
After the Moss Clan members were stopped by the City Patrol, Chen Chuan encountered no further obstacles on his journey.
As he drove through Hong Sheng District, he contacted Wu Bei to confirm that no one was tracking his Boundary Token. Then, he connected with Old Qi, who sighed and said, "The colleague you mentioned couldn't be saved. When I arrived, there were no survivors left."
Old Qi sighed again and said, "Her husband died a few years ago, and she has a child who's only ten years old. She took on this private job without the company's knowledge. If we had known, we could have informed Little Brother Chen earlier, and perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided."
Chen Chuan replied, "Old Qi, please send me all the information you've gathered about recent anomalies."
Old Qi's spirits lifted, and he said, "Sure." He added, "The company's colleagues have pooled together a small commission fee for this matter. It's not much, and Little Brother Chen might not care about such a small amount, but please accept it."
Chen Chuan acknowledged with a 'thank you.'
After a while, Old Qi sent the collected information about anomalies from the past few days, along with the commission fee.
Just then, a call came in from the City Patrol Team. Chen Chuan answered, and a gentle female voice spoke, "Reserve Enforcer Chen, we received your message sent at 2:10 pm. According to your report, the anomaly in the district has been resolved. Can you confirm if this is accurate?"
Chen Chuan confirmed, "Yes, I can confirm that the anomaly in that area has been dealt with."
"The information has been recorded, Mr. Chen. Thank you for your cooperation," the voice said, and then ended the call.
Chen Chuan looked ahead, knowing that even though the haunting incident had been resolved, the people there might still face other issues. The Moss Clan couldn't defeat him, but they could exploit the residents. Chen Chuan had done all he could, but there were some things beyond his control.
Upon returning to the Mystic Palace Tower, he first went to wash up. After that, he took out the dropped item and examined it. This strange tree was one of the most powerful he had encountered, and the dropped item was also unique. He had hardly seen anything similar in the records, but it might prove useful in the future.
After some thought, he carefully stored it away.
Settling onto the sofa, he tapped on the Boundary Token and scrolled through the anomaly information sent by Old Qi. Old Qi was meticulous, organizing the anomalies from the past few months by their severity and urgency. The most significant and long-lasting ones were listed first, followed by the rest in order of their duration.
With this arrangement, Chen Chuan only needed to select those with a wider impact. After all, he couldn't possibly handle every anomaly.
After browsing for a while, he set a goal and decided to check it out when he had the time.
He took out the incense burner and the primary medication, lit them, and began to silently recite the Tranquility mantra. The next day, he awoke from his meditation.
After that, he went out to deal with potential haunting incidents, returning to take medication and continue his cultivation. This routine lasted for two days, after which he purchased sparring services and sparred with Hong Fu. He repeated this cycle.
However, not every encounter was a haunting incident. Once, he stumbled upon a gathering of residents performing a secret religious ritual, but since it wasn't a haunting, he didn't interfere and left.
Time flew, and on June 29th, Chen Chuan finished his seated meditation practice and felt something was amiss. He turned his thoughts inward and remembered the incubator in the corner.
According to Zou Handan's estimate, the egg inside should hatch in about thirty days, and the time seemed right. But at that moment, there was still no movement.
Without further inspection, Chen Chuan picked up the Xuejun Blade and headed for the private training room, saying, "Hong Fu, I'm purchasing today's sparring service."
Just after he left, the egg inside the incubator wobbled slightly.
Three hours later, Chen Chuan emerged from the training room and placed the Xuejun Blade on the rack. He glanced at the calendar on the Boundary Token.
There was only one more day left before the semester ended, and students could choose to stay in the school dormitory during the two-month break.
In previous years, many lower-grade students still in the rapid growth phase often opted to stay, as Central City offered the most resources.
Two months was no short period, and falling behind during this time could make catching up difficult later. They had to make the most of this window.
This year, the academy's management had introduced several new regulations, and students at the bottom could be demoted to external student status. This added pressure to keep up.
Based on Cao Guixi's estimates, Chen Chuan calculated that he would reach the third limit's breakthrough within one to two months. Nearly a month had already passed.
He could feel his senses sharpening and his control over his powers increasing daily. Every day brought positive changes.
The upcoming period was the most crucial, as he would enter the final sprint towards breaking the third limit.
During this process, he would require a substantial amount of medication and powerful sparring partners. He couldn't afford to stop, so even if he wanted to return to Yangzhi, he would have to wait until after breaking the third limit. He had already informed his family that he might return a little later for the vacation.
Chen Chuan sat on the sofa, intending to browse the Edge Channel to relax. After half an hour, Tan Zhi's avatar began to flash, and he accepted the incoming call.
"Chen, the holiday starts the day after tomorrow. Are you planning to go somewhere or head home?"
Chen Chuan replied, "I might stay at the academy for a while longer."
Tan Zhi sighed, "Oh, I had the same plan as you. You know, this time, the two students with the lowest evaluation scores have been demoted to external students."
Chen Chuan asked, "Oh? So soon?"
"That's right," Tan Zhi continued, "I thought this rule would only start next semester, but I didn't expect it to be implemented so quickly. Those two are really unlucky. They might even participate in this arena tournament."
"But I heard this arena tournament is quite exciting. Since you're not in a hurry to leave, Chen, why don't we go watch it together when the time comes? We can also invite Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin. They've been itching to go these days."
Chen Chuan said, "Tan, Wei Wusheng is still wandering around out there. Aren't you afraid of running into him?"
Tan Zhi, however, sounded relaxed, "Wei Wusheng hasn't been seen for some days now. Recently, he probably doesn't dare to show up. Someone has put a bounty on him on an underground platform, and the one offering the money is likely one of the cruise passengers. That person even opened up the option to increase the bounty amount for everyone, and I added some more..."
Chen Chuan listened as Tan Zhi explained further. Due to Wei Wusheng's relentless killings and the processing bureau's failed attempt to capture him, the remaining fighters wouldn't just sit and wait. Those who could afford the cruise had connections or were wealthy. So, someone had placed a bounty on Wei Wusheng.
Because the bounty amount was relatively high, many skilled fighters in the underground world had become active and were searching for Wei Wusheng everywhere.
Chen Chuan thought to himself that it was no wonder there had been less news about Wei Wusheng these days, almost as if he had disappeared. He had assumed that even if Wei Wusheng was injured, it wouldn't take this long to recover, but now he knew the reason.
At this moment, Tan Zhi added, "It's said that among those who accepted the bounty, there are some famous bounty hunters, like the Pei Brothers, Zuo Caidao, and Han Laomao. Where would Wei Wusheng have the time to look for us?
Besides, for this arena tournament, Central City has arranged for strong security. Many of Wu Yi's teachers will also be there. No matter how bold Wei Wusheng is, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble there. You can rest assured."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "I might not have time these days. I feel like I've made some progress, so I need to intensify my training."
"Oh? Have you entered the rapid growth phase of altered organisms?"
Tan Zhi unconsciously raised his voice. It was difficult for fighters to improve, and they usually had to rely on slow and steady progress. However, there was one exception: the rapid growth phase of altered organisms. Once this stage was reached, with enough effort, one could experience a relatively fast improvement.
Talented individuals not only had more rapid growth phases than others but also longer growth periods. This was one of the main reasons why fighters struggled to close the gap between each other.
Considering that Chen Chuan was almost two years younger than him, Tan Zhi had indeed experienced a rapid growth phase at his age, which seemed quite normal.
Chen Chuan replied, "I guess so."
Tan Zhi said sincerely, "If that's the case, Chen, you can't miss this opportunity. It's directly related to our future. Anyway, this holiday is long, and the arena tournament will continue until September. Let's make plans when you're free."
Chen Chuan agreed.
After the call ended, he scrolled through the channel for a while and intentionally searched for topics about Wei Wusheng. He found that most people believed Wei Wusheng was unlikely to cause any more trouble, and even the bets on the platform hadn't been increased recently. However, he had an inexplicable feeling that things might not turn out as expected.
At the rooftop opposite the former Anomaly Hotel in the Cross Street District, a young boy was standing on his hands with his feet in the air, sweating profusely as it dripped onto the ground below, forming a small puddle. Yet, he gritted his teeth and persisted.
A man stood by, watching. He had initially planned to stay for a few more days before leaving, but for some unknown reason, he was still there.
After a long while, the man said, "That's enough."
The boy lowered his feet and collapsed onto the ground, but he struggled to get up again. Following the man's instructions, he regulated his breathing and exercised by pounding and striking his limbs.
The man watched with his arms folded, saying, "I didn't expect you to be so talented. You remind me of my junior. Kid, what do you plan to do in the future?"
The boy's face lit up, "Can I follow you, sir?"
The man said, "You're not qualified."
The boy's face fell.
"I'll be leaving soon. If you still want to continue training, go to the Heavenly Tolerance Gang and find Yu Hongming. He can teach you; just say I recommended you."
The boy's eyes lit up, "I don't even know your name yet."
"I..."
Just then, some noise came from the opposite rooftop, and a loud voice rang out, "Wei Wusheng, we've found you. Come out; you can't escape."
Wei Wusheng paused for a moment and slowly said, "The Pei Brothers? We've been waiting for you for a long time. It's taken you this long to find me."
He stretched his neck, and it crackled. He took the hammer hanging at his waist and walked towards that direction, saying as he walked, "Kid, if you want to live, get out of here."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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