Chapter 334: The Bounty
Chapter 334: The Bounty
After the city patrol stopped the Moss Gang members, Chen Chuan encountered no further obstacles on his journey.
As he drove out of Hong Sheng District and confirmed with Wu Bei that no one was tracking his Boundary Vessel, he contacted Lao Qi. "Lao Qi, your colleague couldn't be rescued. When I arrived, there were no survivors left," he said.
Lao Qi sighed, "Her husband passed away a few years ago, and she has a ten-year-old child at home. She took on this job without the company's knowledge. If we had known, we could have informed you earlier, and perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided."
Chen Chuan asked, "Lao Qi, send me all the information you've gathered about anomalies during this time."
Lao Qi's spirits lifted, and he replied, "Sure." He added, "The company's colleagues have pooled together a small commission for this matter. It's not much, and Chen Xiao may not care about such a small amount, but please accept it."
Chen Chuan agreed.
After a while, Lao Qi sent over the collected information about ghost stories, along with the commission fee.
Just then, a call came in from the city patrol team. Chen Chuan answered it, and after a moment, a gentle female voice spoke, "Backup Enforcement Officer Chen, we received your message sent at 2:10 pm. According to your report, the anomaly in the neighborhood has been resolved. Can you confirm if this is true?"
Chen Chuan confirmed, "Yes, I've confirmed that the anomaly in that area has been taken care of."
"The information has been recorded, Mr. Chen. Thank you for your assistance," the voice said, and the call ended.
Chen Chuan looked ahead, knowing that even though the ghost story had been dealt with, the people there might still face other issues. The Moss Gang members couldn't defeat him, but they could oppress the residents. He had done all he could, and there were some things beyond his control.
Upon returning to Xuan Gong Mansion, Chen Chuan took a quick shower. After freshening up, he examined the lost item he had found. This Ghost Tree was one of the most powerful ghost stories he had encountered so far, and the lost item was also very unique. According to the records, there were hardly any similar items, and it might prove useful in the future.
After some thought, he carefully stored it away.
Returning to the sofa, Chen Chuan scrolled through the messages Lao Qi had sent about anomalies. Lao Qi was meticulous, organizing the anomalies from the past few months according to their severity and urgency. The most significant and long-lasting anomalies were listed first, followed by the rest in chronological order.
With this organization, Chen Chuan only needed to focus on those with a wide impact, as it was impossible to address all anomalies.
After reading for a while, he set his sights on a specific target and decided to visit it when he had the time.
He lit the incense burner and the main medicines, reciting silently as he entered a state of meditation. Two hours later, he awoke from his meditative state.
After that, he went out to address any potential anomalies, and upon his return, he took the medicine and continued his cultivation. This routine continued for two days, after which he purchased the training partner service and sparred with Hong Fu. He repeated this process repeatedly.
However, not all encounters were ghost stories. Once, he stumbled upon a gathering of residents performing a secret religious ritual. Since it wasn't a ghost story, he didn't interfere and left promptly.
On June 29th, after finishing his meditation and cultivation, Chen Chuan felt something was amiss. After a moment's thought, he remembered the incubation chamber placed in the corner of the room.
According to Zou Handan's estimation, the egg would hatch after thirty days, and the time seemed right. However, there was still no movement from the egg.
Without further inspection, Chen Chuan picked up the Snow Lady Sword and headed to the private training room, saying, "Hong Fu, I'm purchasing the training partner service today."
But as soon as he left, the egg in the incubation chamber trembled slightly.
Three hours later, Chen Chuan emerged from the training room, carefully placing the Snow Lady Sword on the sword rack. He glanced at the calendar on the Boundary Vessel.
There was only one more day left before the end of the semester, after which the students would have a two-month break. However, staying in the school dormitories during the vacation was also an option.
In previous years, many lower-grade students in their growth phase had chosen to stay, as Central City offered the most resources.
Two months was a significant period, and falling behind during this time could result in demotion to an external student. Chen Chuan couldn't afford to slack off.
Based on Cao Guiqi's estimate, Chen Chuan calculated that he would need one to two months to reach the breakthrough.
Recently, he had noticed his senses sharpening and his control over his body improving. Every day brought positive changes.
The upcoming period was undoubtedly crucial, as he entered the final sprint towards the breakthrough.
During this process, he would require a substantial amount of medication, along with sparring partners. He couldn't afford any interruptions, so even if he wanted to return to Yangzhi, he would have to wait until after the breakthrough. He had already informed his family that he might be late in returning home 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 suddenly flashed, and he accepted the call.
"Chen, we're going on vacation in a couple of days. Any plans? Are you going home?"
Chen Chuan replied, "I might have to stay at the academy for a while longer."
Tan Zhi sighed, "Oh, I had the same idea. You know, two students who were ranked last in the evaluations have been demoted to external students."
Chen Chuan asked, "Oh? So soon?"
"That's right. I thought they'd wait until next semester to implement this rule, but they've started it so quickly. Those two are really unlucky. They might even participate in the upcoming arena tournament."
Tan Zhi continued, "But this arena tournament is said to be quite exciting. Since you're not in a hurry to leave, why don't we go watch it together when the time comes? We can also call Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin. They've been itching to do something these days."
Chen Chuan said, "Tan, Wei Wusheng is still out there. Aren't you worried about running into him?"
Tan Zhi, however, sounded relaxed, "Wei Wusheng hasn't been seen for some time. Recently, he probably won't dare to show up. Someone on the underground platform has put a bounty on him. The one offering the reward is probably one of the passengers from that cruise. They even opened up the permission to increase the bounty, and I added some money too..."
Chen Chuan listened as Tan Zhi explained further. Due to Wei Wusheng's relentless killing spree and the handling bureau's failed attempt to capture him, the remaining combatants wouldn't just sit and wait. Those who could afford the cruise were either well-connected or wealthy, so someone had placed a commission on a platform, offering a bounty on Wei Wusheng.
With the high bounty, the underground world's skilled bounty hunters were now on the move, searching for Wei Wusheng's whereabouts.
Chen Chuan thought to himself that it was no wonder there had been little news about Wei Wusheng these days; he had almost disappeared. It was hard to believe that he was still recovering from his injuries from the last encounter.
At that moment, Tan Zhi added, "Apparently, some well-known bounty hunters have taken up the commission, like the Pei Brothers, Zuo Cidao, and Han Laomao. Wei Wusheng won't have the time to bother us."
"Besides, the Central City has set up strong security for this arena tournament. Many teachers from Wu Yi Academy will be there too. Even if Wei Wusheng is bold, he won't dare to cause trouble there. 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 tissue?"
Tan Zhi's voice rose unconsciously. It was rare for a combatant to make progress; usually, it was a slow grind. But there was an exception—the rapid growth phase of altered tissue. Once in this stage, with sufficient dedication, one could achieve a relatively high-speed improvement.
Talented individuals not only experienced more rapid growth phases but also longer growth periods. This was one of the main reasons combatants could pull ahead of each other.
Considering that Chen Chuan was almost two years younger than him, and he himself had gone through a rapid growth phase at this age, it seemed quite normal.
Chen Chuan replied, "I guess so."
Tan Zhi said, "If that's the case, Chen, you can't miss this opportunity. It directly affects our future. Anyway, this vacation is long, and the arena tournament will last until September. You can make plans when you're free."
Chen Chuan agreed.
After the call ended, he browsed the channels for a while and specifically looked up topics about Wei Wusheng. Indeed, most people believed that Wei Wusheng was unlikely to cause any more trouble, and even the bettors hadn't added to the stakes recently. But for some reason, Chen Chuan had a nagging feeling that things might not be as they seemed.
At the Cross Street, opposite the former Anomaly Hotel, a young boy was standing on a rooftop, supporting himself with his hands as he did a handstand. Sweat dripped from his body, forming a small puddle on the ground, but he gritted his teeth and persisted.
A man stood by, watching. He had said he would stay for a few more days before leaving, but for some reason, he was still there.
After a while, the man said, "That's enough."
The boy lowered his legs and collapsed on the ground, but he struggled to get up again. Following the man's instructions, he tried to regulate his body and began to massage and pound his limbs.
The man, with his arms folded, watched and said, "I didn't expect this. You're talented. You remind me of one of my junior disciples. Kid, what do you plan to do in the future?"
The boy's face lit up with anticipation, "Can I follow you, sir?"
"You're not qualified."
The boy's expression fell.
"I'll be leaving soon. If you want to continue training, go to Tian Shu Gang and look for Yu Hongming. He can teach you; tell him I recommended you."
The boy's eyes lit up, "I didn't even know your name, sir."
"Me..."
Just then, some noise came from the opposite rooftop, accompanied by a clear and powerful voice, "Wei Wusheng, we've found you. Come out. You've been hiding for too long; it's time to face us."
Wei Wusheng paused for a moment, then said, "The Pei Brothers? We've been waiting for you. It took you long enough to find us."
He stretched his neck, producing a cracking sound. He took the hammer hanging at his waist and walked towards the voice, saying, "Kid, if you want to live, get out of here."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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