Chapter 415: The Cave
Chapter 415: The Cave
Liang Guanghai raised his hand, and a map of the major Central Cities appeared on the table, marked with several locations. He tapped on a few spots, his expression solemn as he spoke.
"Last year, a gap appeared on the holographic screen, involving several Central Cities, including our Jibei Province. We suffered significant losses, and not only that, we also had numerous unmonitored points that led to unforeseen situations.
This loophole hasn't been completely sealed, and there's clear evidence that some of them have crossed over from the other side to our side.
For instance, the case you handled involving Meng Huang from the Fusion Boundary Corporation might have been influenced by one of them. We've dealt with many cases, but it's hard to say if any have slipped through the net."
"The main team at the Processing Bureau is still working on this. We suspect an internal issue when the holographic screen had that gap." Liang Guanghai waved his hand, and a light screen appeared behind him, displaying a person.
Chen Chuan glanced at the screen, seeing a man wearing a half-face mask and a protective windbreaker. His cheeks were hollow, deep wrinkles around his eyes, and his gaze was sharp and penetrating. He appeared to be in his mid-forties.
"Chen Bitong, a Third Limit Combat Solver, and a skilled fighter approaching the level of a Martial Artist."
"He was in the vicinity when it happened, leading a small team stationed at the forefront of the World Ring. He has a notable record, and he has a certain background."
"The investigation team has looked into him without finding any issues. However, we can't completely rule out his involvement. According to the analysis report, even if he wasn't directly involved, someone close to him is highly likely to be connected to this matter."
Liang Guanghai turned to Chen Chuan, "Chen Executor, your record is clean, your background is reliable, and your combat abilities are sufficient. So, we will temporarily assign you to the area where he frequently operates.
You don't need to do anything specific or intentionally contact anyone. If you encounter him, just observe from a distance and record what you see and hear."
Chen Chuan glanced at the man on the screen and nodded. "I understand."
"I know you still have ongoing tasks, so I'll give you some time to handle them. Report to me by the end of the month."
He used a Gateway Device to send a message, and the woman re-entered the conference room, holding a box.
She placed the box on the table and opened it, revealing another Gateway Device.
"This Gateway Device is from the Defense Department. It has strong anti-interference and self-repair capabilities, adaptable to various combat scenarios. It contains a wealth of information, including various notes and specific details about Chen Bitong. You can take it back and review the content at your leisure. When you're on duty, use this Gateway Device."
After speaking, Liang Guanghai turned to Chen Chuan, "Chen Executor, do you have any questions?"
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and replied, "None for now."
"In that case, let's conclude today's discussion."
The woman stepped aside and gestured for Chen Chuan to take the Gateway Device. After Chen Chuan took it, she escorted him out of the conference room and then returned inside.
Liang Guanghai looked at the woman and asked, "How is it?"
The woman's eyes flickered with a hint of black mist, which then dissipated as she said, "No issues. His body is clean, and his Field Domain is very stable. We can confirm he hasn't been invaded or infected."
Liang Guanghai's voice turned grave, "The current situation doesn't guarantee the future. I hope that when he gets there, he won't be swayed by the Fusion Boundary group."
The woman said, "If the Specialist trusts him, wouldn't it be better to let him settle down for a year or two?"
Liang Guanghai shook his head, "I also wish we could nurture talents slowly, but after the last incident, we lost a large number of personnel. Those traitors are still active, and despite supplementing our forces with personnel from various sectors, it's still not enough. The current situation is dire, and we can only rely on available talents for now."
After a moment of consideration, he instructed, "Send a recommendation to the Processing Bureau to offer him more flexibility in terms of benefits and promotions."
The woman agreed, "Yes, Specialist."
After leaving the Processing Bureau, Chen Chuan returned to his vehicle and received a message from Wu Bei.
"Chen Xiao Ge, I kept an eye on that building you mentioned and spotted two suspicious individuals. I intended to track them, but their movements were deliberately concealed. After following them to the Deep Uncharted Zone, I couldn't locate their whereabouts. I tried tracing the signal blockers, but it yielded no results."
Wu Bei raised his voice, "The people on the other side are formidable. But I've set up response signals around you. If they show up again, I should be able to detect them."
Chen Chuan's heart stirred slightly. Even Wu Bei, who possessed the Resonance Nest, couldn't track these two individuals. They must have both the skills and equipment, indicating an extraordinary background.
Chen Chuan first thought of the warning in the Lower City, but quickly dismissed it. It was unlikely that someone was sent to wait for him in the Upper City.
According to the other party's statement, since he had already left, there was even less reason to provoke him, so it was highly likely that he was from an influential group in the Upper City District.
He carefully recalled and seemed to have some leads, but he couldn't be entirely sure.
However, he didn't think it was necessary to worry too much. The other party's observation of him was likely just to monitor his movements and actions. Going forward, he just needed to be more vigilant.
After getting into the car, he drove the Gard Vehicle towards Lu Lan Lake.
Previously, Qu Guanshi had told him that Xu Xianwen had a hideout hidden in an underground waterway near the lake. Since he was out this time, he decided to take the opportunity to check it out.
Originally, he had planned to visit Cao Xuezhang on the way through Mo Tie Mountain, but when he arrived at the estate, he saw many luxury vehicles parked in the courtyard and quite a few guests. As he hadn't informed them of his visit beforehand, he took a look and then left directly.
After driving north for a while, he passed Mo Tie Mountain and arrived at Lu Lan Lake. The location he was looking for was on the opposite side of the lake, and if he followed the lakeshore, the distance would be too long. Instead, the fastest way was to cross the lake.
So, he got out of the car and quickened his pace, his figure swiftly parting the reeds along the shore as he stepped onto the lake surface. With a ripple of water, he moved swiftly towards his destination.
After six or seven minutes, he approached the location, and his body sank into the water with a splash. He adjusted his body and swam towards the spot.
With the guidance of the Boundary Vessel and comparison, he didn't search for long before finding an underwater cave, but the water current here was abnormally swift.
This didn't affect him much, and he followed the current into the cave. Despite numerous bumps along the way, his robust physique remained unharmed.
After swimming for about half a mile, he headed towards the upper end of the underground river. As he approached, he saw clusters of light, and he knew this was likely the place. He accelerated upwards and finally emerged from a small pond.
As his feet touched solid ground, steam rose from his body, and his clothes gradually dried. He surveyed the area and found himself in a cave, with a mining lamp hanging on the wall, emitting a blinding and scorching light. The generator was still running, likely prepared with enough algae oil in advance.
He circled the cave, which wasn't very large, probably around fifty square meters. It was divided into three large and two small spaces, with a small path at the back leading to a forest. There were even a few lizards specifically bred to prey on insects and ants.
In the largest space, there was a wardrobe, a bed for resting, and a nightstand. On the cave wall, there was also a shelving unit made of long wooden boards.
On top of it were several bottles of medicine and a box of nutritional cream, even including special medicines, but only two bottles. It was unclear if they had originally been few or if these were leftovers. From their appearance, they seemed to be from the Fusion Boundary Corporation, possibly given by Meng Huang.
He checked the nightstand and wardrobe, finding valuable items and identity cards inside. There was some money, around two to three hundred thousand, a gold ticket from the Wansheng Bank, a backup dagger, and a pistol.
It seemed this place was just a transit point and unlikely to hold anything of great value.
However, he soon made another discovery.
Behind the wardrobe, there was a movable partition leading to a simple "hidden room." When he opened it, he found a set of thick books wrapped in moisture-proof cloth.
He removed the outer cloth to reveal the books' original appearance. They were three volumes of the Serpent Sect's scriptures, looking a bit old but with every edge meticulously neat, indicating careful preservation.
Chen Chuan flipped through them and saw that each page was made from a special animal hide, with characters carved and painted with a vermilion-like pigment.
The first book was the Serpent Sect's doctrine, which he skimmed over. This kind of ancient-era material could be easily found on the Serpent Sect's current platform and wasn't anything rare. Even the sect's followers didn't read it anymore.
The second book was more practical, filled with the Serpent Sect's secret ritual patterns. He glanced through it briefly and found that its scope didn't exceed the information in the book given to him by Director Lei.
As expected, the third book was about combat techniques, introducing various secret internal force training methods unique to the Serpent Sect, even including the Divine Snake Power.
But this was just for reference.
It only mentioned surface-level information. There was no mention of how to guide breathing methods, which parts of the metamorphosis organization to focus on, or which special medicines to take during the process.
So, the real secrets weren't in these books. If they fell into the wrong hands, it would be impossible to cultivate successfully based on this information alone.
However, the book did describe the characteristics and abilities that could be achieved at each limit. After flipping past the first three limits, he was surprised to find that the book still had a significant number of pages remaining.
A thought crossed his mind: Could there be more?
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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