Chapter 824: The Morning's First Shadow
Chapter 824: The Morning's First Shadow
Radiant Zone, Golden Maple Garden Block 15.
Chen Chuan gazed at the outside world through the floor-to-ceiling glass window in his room.
The Radiant Zone was a bustling area with skyscrapers and dazzling lights, serving as the administrative and commercial center of Central City and the most prosperous area in the entire Central City, even the whole of Jinbei Province.
His residence was located in this very area, an eight-story villa with five floors above ground and three underground, connected by an internal elevator.
The residential area occupied a large piece of land, nestled in a corner by the picturesque Star Lake, where land was scarce. It was practically an estate.
The villa had a well-equipped security system, and not far from it was a mooring site for small airships, allowing him to travel by airship whenever he wished, even for his sea cultivation, without having to go to the external mooring point.
Inside the villa was a Resonance Nest prepared for him, which, with a suitable Resonator, could handle intrusion and defense in the Field Domain. Of course, this was just a backup for special situations; for him, the Iron Shield's authority was sufficient for everyday use.
The fourth-floor collection room was what pleased him the most. It was specially modified at his request and could accommodate all his current collections, with room to spare for several times more.
The underground first floor was a garage, housing a power generation unit and leaving space for Field interference organisms. The second underground level was unique, connected to the Converged Land via a passage, allowing him to drive to the Converged Land's station or directly to the Converged Land.
As for the training ground, it was located on the lowest underground level and had been reinforced to withstand the standard impact of a Fighter's power. However, whether it could endure his own strength remained to be tested.
There was one aspect that set this place apart from others: due to his partial access to the Chrysalis's authority, he could simulate scenarios just like in the Martial Strength Academy. Previously, Chen Bitong had borrowed a portion of the Chrysalis's Field resources from the Chief Parliamentarian to conduct those trainings.
However, for someone at the Third Limit, the resources required to achieve training effects were enormous. The resources he currently possessed were insufficient, and forcing their use might cause Field information to disappear from large areas of Central City.
But he had a plan: since he couldn't use them himself, he could offer this place as a training ground for his team members, allowing them to enhance their abilities with these resources. After all, these resources would go to waste if left unused, so why not utilize them for team development?
He poured himself a hot drink and sipped it slowly, his mind pondering the tasks and cultivation doubts he needed to address next.
Just then, Interlink buzzed softly, and he connected to find a female investigator from the Investigation Bureau on the other end:
"Commander Chen, according to our inspection, Lu Miao has been suspected of having 'Functional Disorder Syndrome' due to the misuse of implants and drugs. Our investigation reveals multiple records of him injuring others, and based on the residual information traces, these incidents were likely deleted by Lu Gao afterward.
The current diagnosis shows that at the time of the incident, he exhibited strong drug reactions and his implants were in a highly excited state. It's suspected that he was remotely intruded upon by a Resonator and then consumed a large amount of drugs, leading to his irrational behavior. It's possible that even he didn't know what he was doing at the time."
Chen Chuan listened, as he had expected this, since a normal person wouldn't drive a civilian vehicle to ram into an armored vehicle convoy.
He asked, "Is Lu Miao dead?"
"No, Lu Gao purchased a Level 2 Parallel Emergency Care service for him. He's currently in a nutrition pod, maintaining his vital signs. It's said that Lu Gao is preparing to perform a comprehensive implant surgery on him."
Chen Chuan acknowledged, noticing that Lu Gao hadn't offered any explanations or apologies after the incident. Clearly, he understood that it made no difference whether he explained or not, so he didn't bother with the superficial effort.
He intended to deal with this person after taking over the Defense Department.
After the investigator finished her report, Chen Chuan ended the call, picked up the Snow Queen Saber from the desk, and prepared to test it in the underground training ground. Just as he reached the elevator door, an unfamiliar voice message came through. Iron Shield indicated that the sender was from "WanSong Agency" and displayed a high security level for the agency, which was not a regular company in Jinbei Province's Central City.
Chen Chuan slightly nodded and accepted the message. A gentle middle-aged woman's voice followed:
"Commander Chen, we are WanSong Agency, specializing in providing Fighters with communication, information transmission, and acquisition of private resources. Our company has received a request from a client who wishes to communicate with you at your convenience. If you are willing, please leave a message after this call."
Chen Chuan's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Iron Shield, can you find information about this company?"
Iron Shield replied, "Apologies, Commander Chen. The voice message was transmitted through a special channel, and no information about this company can be found in the Jinbei Province database."
Chen Chuan pondered for a moment. The company claimed to serve Fighters, suggesting that it might be backed by Fighters as well, and its absence from the Central City database implied that it operated outside the city.
As he stood there, he couldn't help but think that although the city's communication network was already well-developed, each Central City was like an isolated island. If the Horizon Line Initiative were to be implemented, the efficiency of information and resource acquisition would undoubtedly be much higher.
He entered the elevator and descended to the third basement level, arriving at the training grounds. Upon arrival, he noticed that the entire area was constructed with a special biological material capable of self-repair.
He surveyed the expansive underground space and nodded in approval. Not only was the structure sturdy, but the space was also sufficiently enclosed, allowing him to open a rift without the need for a field to impede his actions, thus conserving some of his energy.
He placed the Snow Queen Saber down and walked to the center of the training area, slowly assuming the stance of the Grand Bright Style.
He rested there for two days. On the morning of December 1st, he changed into the uniform of the Defense Commander and boarded a private vehicle that took him to the Administrative Building. Using a dedicated passage, he rode the elevator to the 70th floor, entering the Defense Department's office area. Following the Chrysalis' prompt on the Interlink, he made his way to his own office.
The guards and security personnel along the way, as well as the hundreds of subordinates and administrative staff of the Defense Department, were already waiting there. As he entered, they all raised their hands in a synchronized salute, their voices in unison, "Commander."
Chen Chuan glanced around and returned the salute. He had already familiarized himself with most of the personnel present through the Interlink and had conversations with the key administrators, so they were no longer strangers to him. He looked around and asked, "Is Deputy Commander Lu not here today?"
One of the subordinates replied, "Deputy Commander Lu's son encountered an issue, so he has submitted a leave request to the Administrative Department."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Everyone, please continue with your work."
He walked down the corridor towards his office. After passing multiple security checks at the entrance, he entered the inner office space. He placed the Snow Queen Saber to the side and approached his desk. Just then, the red scarf tied around it fluttered slightly, as if brushing something away.
His eyes narrowed, and he extended two fingers to pinch the object, holding it between them. It was transparent, and he felt nothing between his fingers, which meant it posed little threat and could easily be overlooked.
He asked, "Red Flirt, what is this?"
Red Flirt's voice sounded, "A type of mental fusion substance that can infiltrate the Interlink. It can track the carrier's whereabouts in specific fields."
Chen Chuan's eyes flashed. A mental fusion substance? This was undoubtedly the work of the Fighters.
He immediately accessed the Chrysalis and requested to review the records of everyone who had entered his office over the past few days.
In no time, the light screen displayed the situation from the past few days. During the time that Commander Bei was absent, aside from security inspection and cleaning personnel, only Deputy Commander Lu had been there. However, he had used his authority to erase his actions.
Interestingly, the record he had deleted was only on the inactive side of the office area, and the records on the Chrysalis' side could not be cleared. He himself should have been aware of this, and it seemed like he was intentionally conveying some message.
After some thought, Chen Chuan tapped the Interlink and sent an instruction to the Investigation Bureau, "Suspect Deputy Commander Lu is involved in an assault case. Bring him to me immediately."
Just one hour later, Deputy Commander Lu was escorted into Chen Chuan's office. Upon seeing Chen Chuan, Lu's expression was complex.
Chen Chuan asked everyone else to leave and said to him, "Deputy Commander Lu, you know why I've called you here. Speak."
Lu Gao spoke slowly, "Someone asked me to place something in your office, but I don't know what it is."
"When? Who?"
"The day my son got into trouble. Who? I don't know. Could be the Parliament, the Union... But I think whoever is targeting you must have some equivalent power, right?"
At that moment, he reached up and extracted a bloodied implant from the side of his skull, tossing it onto the desk. "When I was talking to them, although the field was blocked, there were some things they couldn't hide. This contains all the records of our conversations at that time and afterward. It's all here.
I think you should be able to find clues from this, Commander Chen."
Chen Chuan glanced at it and said, "Deputy Commander Lu, I think you can see that your son's situation is related to them."
Lu Gao's voice turned grave. "I can guess that they arranged this behind the scenes, but I also know that only they can save my son's life. Their power is immense. If I don't cooperate, I can't protect myself or my son, so at the time, I had no choice but to comply."
He looked at Chen Chuan and said, "Commander Chen, although my son has done many foolish things, as a father, even if he's a fool and a good-for-nothing, I still want him to live a good life. For this, I'm willing to cooperate with you on all Defense Department matters. I'll tell you everything I know without reservation, but I hope..."
He took a breath, and his face contorted with rage. "After this, those who harmed Miao must pay the price they deserve!"
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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