Chapter 776: The Tide Turns and the Waves Rise
Chapter 776: The Tide Turns and the Waves Rise
After Chen Chuan disembarked from the airship, he met up with Xu Chan and the others, who had rested for the night. They were preparing to return to Zhongxincheng during the open window of the Fusion Land's transportation channel.
As they finished packing their luggage and equipment, they arrived at the train station. However, they found Pei Shen waiting there. He first shook hands with Chen Chuan and greeted him before turning to Xu Chan and the others, "Manager Chen, and everyone else, I need to take up some of your time."
"What's the matter?" asked Chen Chuan.
Pei Shen explained, "It's like this. Since you've been to the unknown region, the situation there is quite complex. Moreover, the breach in the World Ring hasn't been sealed, so to prevent any external contamination, everyone needs to undergo necessary inspections before returning to Zhongxincheng."
Pei Shen spoke with deep meaning, "This is an essential procedure. It's better for us to do it ourselves rather than letting others handle it, as it can avoid unnecessary trouble."
Chen Chuan had undergone similar inspections before and understood his implication. He asked, "Where do we need to go for the inspection?"
Pei Shen smiled, "Right here on this train. For convenience, we've moved the equipment here, and it won't take up too much of your time."
"That's good," said Chen Chuan.
After the arrangements were made, the group boarded the train with Pei Shen. They placed their luggage and followed him to a particular section at the rear of the train, where an entire carriage was dedicated to the detection organism.
Since the inspection required individual testing, Xu Chan and the others entered the carriage first. The process was quick, and each person took less than a minute to complete the inspection and exit. Even Chao Ming underwent the inspection, and none of them encountered any issues.
Chen Chuan had anticipated this situation. He didn't mention the first half of their journey, but in the latter part, they were all enveloped by the relic's light.
This relic seemed to have a strong repelling effect on contaminants, and even parasites on certain carried items had disappeared. The group was now cleaner than those who had been stationed in Fusion Land for an extended period.
When most of the inspections were completed, it was Chen Chuan's turn. However, there was a problem.
Just as he was about to enter, the detection organism seemed to encounter something extremely terrifying. It emitted sharp, unusual sounds and desperately retreated, as if it wanted to escape from the train carriage if not for the reinforced surroundings.
Pei Shen found this strange. He asked the person in charge, who seemed dazed. Then, as if realizing something, he glanced at Chen Chuan with a look of suspicion. He used a border token to communicate something to Pei Shen, who was also shocked and incredulous.
Pei Shen took a moment to think, then said to Xu Chan and the others, "You can all leave now."
However, Lv Captain disagreed and spoke up, "What's going on? Tell us clearly. Chen Manager has been with us all this time, and there's no way he has a problem!"
Hu Captain also stepped forward. Chen Chuan had saved them all, and if he needed their help, they wouldn't hesitate.
Xu Chan seemed to understand something. He stopped Lv Captain from continuing and said, "No need for explanations. We'll go back first. We're all on the train, and nothing will happen." He added, "You must trust Manager Chen."
These words had an effect, and Lv Captain exchanged glances with the others before following Xu Chan's lead and leaving.
Pei Shen looked at Chen Chuan and didn't ask directly. Instead, he took a deep breath and spoke slowly, "I just asked, and this detection organism can inspect third-level and below fighters. However, if the subject is a fighter, it's beyond the capabilities of this equipment."
As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan replied naturally, "If that's the case, then this detection organism is indeed useless to me."
Pei Shen's eyes widened in surprise, and his expression was filled with excitement and disbelief. After a moment, he managed to steady his racing heart and said with a voice still carrying a hint of tremor, "Manager Chen, you... you mean..."
"I came back on Principal Yao's airship and had a meal with him," Chen Chuan clarified.
Pei Shen understood immediately and nodded vigorously. His heart was filled with excitement. After a moment, he said, "I understand, I understand!"
He was well aware of the significance of a fighter. After the old imperial army in Jinbei Province's Fusion Land was cleared out, the next target would be the Municipal Parliament. Having an additional fighter on their side would ensure an absolute advantage, and the opportunity to resolve Jinbei Province's long-standing issues might be within reach.
After calming down, Pei Shen spoke solemnly, "Manager Chen, I'm sorry, but this information is crucial. I must report it to my superiors."
Chen Chuan didn't mind, "It's fine, Manager Pei. You should do what you need to do."
He understood that the presence of a fighter involved various aspects, and it was impossible to ignore. Chen Chuan had no intention of hiding this fact, but he wouldn't proactively spread the news either.
Councillor Pei's expression relaxed slightly as he spoke sincerely, "Thank you for your understanding, Manager Chen. In that case, I'll take my leave now."
Manager Chen nodded and, seeing that Councillor Pei had left, he returned to his own carriage. At this moment, the train had already entered the Central City area, and suddenly, a notification sound came from his Border Token. He accessed it and heard a steady voice, "Manager Chen, this is Director Wei."
"Director Wei?"
Manager Chen recognized the voice. The person seeking him was Director Wei of the Handling Bureau. Due to his advanced age, Director Wei had been in a semi-retired state, so for the past few years, the specific affairs of the Handling Bureau had been handed over to Deputy Director Wu. After the breach in the World Ring, Director Wei had led a group of people to stand guard at the forefront.
That was the last time he had returned when he was promoted to Investigation Director.
"Director Wei, is there something you'd like to assign me?"
Director Wei politely replied, "Manager Chen, Principal Yao has already informed me of your situation through a telegram. I'll be transferred to the capital soon, and the affairs of Central City will be in the hands of you younger folks from now on. Your future position is not within my jurisdiction, but there are some matters I think I can help handle before I leave."
Just as their train was returning to Central City, in various districts within the city, numerous violent crimes occurred within these few hours, many of which involved the shadows of fighters.
The Handling Bureau deployed personnel from all sides due to the shortage of manpower, and some situations were particularly severe. In the end, even Captain Zou Jinhang, who was responsible for overseeing the bureau, personally led a team to handle the situation.
About an hour after he left, Wang Weiguang, who had been detained by the Emergency Affairs Center since the last detection incident, entered the bureau with a team.
In the 16th book of the 19th book, there is no mistake in the version!
Initially, the reason given for his detention was that he had been contaminated by an infected object. However, in reality, it was an action carried out at the suggestion of the Municipal Parliament. But because there was no concrete evidence for this matter, and as he had been kept in captivity and processed afterwards, his position had not been revoked, and his access had been intentionally preserved by Agent Han Fu.
After Wang Weiguang entered the bureau, Agent An said, "Captain Wang, the Emergency Affairs Center's accusation against you has been withdrawn. Captain Wang, welcome back. Please go through the return procedure."
A smile curved Wang Weiguang's lips as he said, "First, help me register these people behind me. They are my privately hired team members."
"Identity verification in progress. No criminal or wanted records found. No citizen identity... Captain Wang, identity registered..."
Seeing that the registration was complete, Wang Weiguang quickly processed his return procedure and then said, "On my way here, I received a case. It's related to the detained Agent Han Fu, the original Agent Han Fu. I need to understand some of the circumstances from him. Can I meet with him?"
"I'm sorry, Captain Wang. Questioning Agent Han Fu requires sufficient authority. Please apply to your superiors first or wait here for the relevant director to return."
Wang Weiguang's eyes flickered, and he said, "Alright, then I'll wait for a bit."
At the underground passage entrance, the train slowly pulled into the station and came to a stop. Councillor Pei and Manager Chen's group descended from above and walked through the scanning area, climbing the stairs. However, just as they reached the exit zone, they saw an armed team waiting there, led by a man in a foreign-style suit and sunglasses.
The man removed his sunglasses upon seeing the group, gestured for the armed personnel to stay back, and stepped forward alone. He showed his credentials and said,
"I am Liaison Officer Li Xie from the Emergency Affairs Center. This time, I'm here specifically to wait for all of you, according to the instructions of the Affairs Center."
He looked at everyone and spoke seriously, "Because you are heading to the Fusion Land and venturing into unknown areas, we need to inspect you to prevent harm to Central City."
Councillor Pei stepped forward and presented a detection report to the man.
"Liaison Officer Li, these people have already registered and been inspected by the Defense Department. I think there's no need to go to the Emergency Affairs Center again, right?"
Officer Li's expression changed slightly. In theory, after the Defense Department's inspection, there should be no need for another check. Although they retained the right to re-inspect, it would be inappropriate to forcibly take people without concrete evidence of a problem. If the other party refused, there would be no procedural issues either.
Just then, a sound came from the Border Token, and after hearing it, he immediately looked up at the crowd in front of him and smiled, "I'm sorry, of course, we trust the Defense Department's inspection. But there's a situation that needs to be clarified.
Recently, our Affairs Center discovered new parasites in the city, and our detection organisms have undergone recent biological information updates, so..." He looked at the people behind Councillor Pei and smiled, "We need to re-inspect, and we hope you can understand."
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(End of Chapter)
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