Chapter 717: The Return
Chapter 717: The Return
The Galde Car drove along the road towards Mote Mountain, with Chen Chuan sitting in the driver's seat, contemplating the exceptional growth potential of the students from Wu Yi Academy.
These students were already elite, having gone through multiple rounds of selection. With a platform and ample resources, they could achieve great things.
As the saying goes, this was their natural foundation. Indeed, compared to the people in the bureau, those from Yang Zhi were more trusting of him and naturally stood by his side.
Aside from his old friends and classmates, he had also considered recruiting Geng Zheng and the other two.
However, he wasn't overly familiar with them, so he couldn't offer them favorable treatment right away. He planned to wait until his old friends and classmates made some progress before recruiting them.
He decided to reconsider after some time.
At this moment, the Galde Car had arrived at the hillside leading to the Cao Family Estate. In October, the maple trees on the mountain ridges gradually turned red. With a gust of wind, half-golden and half-red maple leaves would flutter and scatter onto the ground.
Upon reaching the estate's entrance, Ding Shu was already waiting there. After Chen Chuan got out of the car, Ding Shu greeted him respectfully and led him into the estate, saying, "Young Master is in the garden."
Chen Chuan followed him inside. Before they reached the garden, he heard the sound of a flute, soft and melancholy, with a lingering melody that evoked the desolate autumn atmosphere.
Chen Chuan stood aside and listened for a while. Only after the music ended did he walk over.
"Junior, please sit."
Cao Guixi, dressed in a red robe and a jade-inlaid headband, was sitting in a delicate stone pavilion. A white ceramic flute lay on the table, and not far ahead, on the lakeside shallows, several cranes gracefully flapped their wings, playing with each other as if dancing.
As soon as Chen Chuan sat down, Ding Shu promptly picked up the black lacquered and gold-trimmed purple clay teapot from the table and poured him a cup of tea.
Chen Chuan nodded in gratitude.
He took a sip, then said, "Senior, I'm going out for a trip soon. I might be gone for a while, so I came to inform Senior Cao."
Cao Guixi paused for a moment before asking, "To the Fusion Zone?"
Chen Chuan didn't hide anything, "Yes."
At this moment, Ding Shu couldn't help but look up at Chen Chuan.
Cao Guixi continued, "I've also heard about the recent events in Central City." Although he didn't ask Chen Chuan about his specific plans, he could make a judgment about them.
As Chen Chuan's position rose, he would inevitably be drawn into the conflict between the government and the company. This was unavoidable for someone in a high position.
Cao Guixi turned and said, "Ding Shu, bring me that plaque." Ding Shu bowed and left.
Soon, Ding Shu returned with a plaque and placed it on the table, saying, "Young Master, here's what you asked for."
Chen Chuan glanced at it. It was a plaque with a distinct style of the old imperial house, adorned with intricate cloud and thunder patterns, and the characters "Migration" on it.
Cao Guixi explained, "This plaque was given to me by someone who expected me to do something. But I will never use this thing. It's a new era now, yet some people are still dreaming of the old times."
His tone suggested indifference towards certain people, "Junior, if you're going to the Fusion Zone, you might as well take this plaque. It might have some use, but it's even better if you don't need it."
Chen Chuan didn't hesitate. He could tell that Senior Cao genuinely didn't care about the plaque and even seemed to want to distance himself from it. By taking it, Chen Chuan was doing him a favor.
At this moment, Cao Guixi picked up the ceramic flute and began playing. The cranes in front of him danced to the music, flapping their wings and leaping, displaying their graceful and lively movements.
Chen Chuan stood by and listened quietly.
He didn't stay long at the estate. After sitting for over an hour, he bid farewell and left.
This time, he returned directly to his residence without dealing with other matters. He only conducted the final checks and preparations before his departure.
October 11th, 4:00 a.m.
Chen Chuan emerged from his breathing meditation and quickly freshened up. He then put on the uniform of the Investigation Supervisor, ensuring it was neat and tidy while checking himself in the mirror.
For this trip, he had prepared not only the supervisor's uniform but also several sets of casual clothes for daily use, including several cloaks. This was because clothing had a high wear and tear rate in the Fusion Zone, so it was necessary to bring extra.
After adjusting his peaked cap in the mirror, he looked at his reflection and then reached for the Snow Queen Saber. He picked up the suitcase and left the room.
The designated intersection was not far from the station, just a ten-minute walk, so he didn't drive but walked directly to the station.
Soon, he entered the station and took the elevator to the lowest level via the underground passage. It was about 4:20 a.m. when he exited the elevator and reached the platform. He saw Mr. Pei, the government counselor, who had arrived earlier, and they shook hands.
Mr. Pei glanced at Chao Ming, Chen Chuan's pet, which he was aware of. However, Chao Ming didn't seem to have any particular purpose, so Mr. Pei didn't inquire further.
After waiting for just a few minutes, at 4:30 pm, a train arrived at the station on time, and the two of them boarded together.
Once they were seated, Mr. Pei took out a deck of cards and smiled, "This journey will take a whole day again. Mr. Chen, are you interested in playing a few hands?"
Chen Chuan asked, "Just the two of us?"
Mr. Pei waved his hand, and the assistant waiting by the side came over and sat on the other side. Mr. Pei handed the deck to him to shuffle, and as he dealt the cards, Mr. Pei picked them up and said, "The Old Imperial House, the Union, and the Linaksis Federation, along with the Government Hall, make up the three-way struggle."
He glanced at the cards in his hand, and it happened to be the largest Sun card. He couldn't help but smile, "It seems that this time, I still have a chance of winning."
The cards dealt to Chen Chuan already had several good ones, but he didn't reach for them. Instead, he said, "The winner isn't determined by the biggest cards in one's hand, but by who has the ability to flip the table."
Mr. Pei's hand holding the cards paused slightly, and then he nodded.
The train arrived at the Fusion Zone at 5:00 am and continued along the tracks. By 3:00 to 4:00 pm, they reached the vicinity of a military fortress.
Chen Chuan looked out the window, and compared to the last time he visited Fortress Number Four, this fortress was at least two to three times larger, with many more garrisons around.
Outside the fortress was the Permanent Camp and numerous outposts, with obstacles and barbed wire everywhere, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of smoke. On the ground, there were also remains of Fusion Zone creatures that hadn't been cleaned up properly.
Mr. Pei said, "This is Fortress Number Three, the closest large garrison to the deeper parts of the Fusion Zone. Beyond here are some smaller outposts not directly connected by routes. We'll stay here for the night."
"Tomorrow, I'll have someone use a flying ship to send Mr. Chen to a gathering site of the natives we've communicated with. From there, we should be able to save a lot of travel time."
Chen Chuan nodded. In fact, he didn't need to rest, but he needed to understand the situation inside the Fusion Zone. The garrison was the most concentrated place for information.
After the train arrived at the station and slowed down, Mr. Pei picked up his hat and put it on. "Mr. Chen, let's get off."
Chen Chuan stood up and walked out of the VIP cabin. The attendant behind him went to get his suitcase. He first smiled at Chao Ming, who was standing on the suitcase, and then tried to lift it with both hands, but found it incredibly heavy, not budging at all.
Chao Ming looked down and then tilted his head in thought. He chirped and jumped down from the suitcase.
The attendant took a breath and tried again, but this time, it still didn't move at all. Feeling Chao Ming watching him from the side, his face turned red with embarrassment.
Chen Chuan walked over and said, "Let me try." He reached for the suitcase's handle and lifted it with ease. He nodded to the embarrassed attendant and got off the train. After setting the suitcase down, he kicked the wheels to stop them, then looked up at the sky. After years of separation, returning to the Fusion Zone, he felt like nothing had changed. The sky above was still as gloomy as ever.
A series of flapping wings sounded, and Chao Ming flew out and started circling in the air. However, he seemed to adapt quickly, chirping a warning sound. Chen Chuan had attached a Vitality Line to Chao Ming earlier, and now he checked the bird's Vitality Index. It started at one, but quickly jumped to three and then five. However, as Chao Ming began using the breathing technique Chen Chuan had taught him, the number on the index quickly dropped and remained at three.
Chen Chuan nodded in satisfaction, seeing that the breathing technique was effective.
Mr. Pei also got off the train with his luggage. He looked into the distance and said, "The car that's supposed to pick us up is here."
In the distance, an open-top jeep drove over and stopped near the two of them. A second lieutenant officer stood up and saluted them.
"Reporting, Second Lieutenant Dai Hu of Fortress Number Three, as ordered to welcome the two officers. Please get in the car!"
Mr. Pei and Chen Chuan returned the salute and got into the jeep.
After sitting down, Chen Chuan noticed that he could now use the Realm Token. He took out the map previously given to him by the Defense Department and compared it with the directions. According to the map, this Fortress Number Three was directly north, surrounded by a dense cluster of small garrisons, with at least thousands of troops stationed here.
The place he needed to go was even further north, with only one flying ship route, barely reaching the edge of that area.
Just then, a signal rocket was launched from an outpost, accompanied by the sound of machine guns.
Chen Chuan's Realm Token also picked up a warning chirp from Chao Ming. He turned to look and saw a massive winged creature rapidly flying towards them from behind.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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