Chapter 106: The Flying Head Cult

When Chen Chuan heard that it was a major mission, he became interested and asked a few more questions.

Ren Shu immediately became energized and gave him the details.

A Flying Head Cult had emerged in numerous villages northwest of Yangzhi City. Apparently, the villagers were worshiping a flying head.

In the beginning, only a handful of villages did so, but for some reason, more people started joining the cult, and it was even spreading to the towns and the city itself.

The Department of Administrative Affairs had asked the Constabulary to get rid of all the cult’s gathering places in the city, but they got into shootouts here and there. Some of the cult members were in possession of guns and bullets. Hence, the Department of Administrative Affairs believed that the resistance group was pushing it along behind the scenes.

That was why Yangzhi City had decided to tackle some of the important gathering spots of the cult. Since many of the gathering spots were in mountains and villages with no proper roads leading there, the Constabulary could not send many constables over to perform a large-scale crackdown, so the Department of Administrative Affairs decided to hand the problem over to the agent companies.

Since this involved a flying head, which sounded like something related to the supernatural, they needed experts in this field.

I see. That makes sense,

Chen Chuan thought.

A lot of people had approached him over the past few days, to the point where he thought that it was a little over the top. After all, even if he showed that he was capable of clearing out a ghost, supernatural-related missions were not that popular or important. By the looks of it now, it was because the agent companies had caught wind of the big happenings.

They were getting ready for the mission.

Min Lan had not mentioned it during their meal. It was either because she had not found a suitable opportunity to talk about it or because she did not know about it.

“Do many people know about this?” he asked.

“I doubt that this is a secret to the higher-ups of the other agent companies. They should have learned of it the moment the Department of Administrative Affairs started showing signs of wanting to issue this mission, but we had to put in quite a lot of work to get the information.

“Honestly, it’s still somewhat of a secret for now, because the agent companies have a tacit agreement to not leak word of stuff like that. After all, they want to be the ones who seize the initiative. As time goes on and they get ready, though, word about this will go out to everyone.”

Chen Chuan asked a few more questions and found that Ren Shu could explain the ins and outs of many things related to those in power, but when it came to things related to the lower echelons, he sounded lost. This had to be due to the people he usually associated himself with.

When Ren Shu saw that Chen Chuan was still thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and gave an enticing condition. “Mr. Chen, if you’re willing to join us, we can make you our principal investor. In the future, whenever we get a supernatural-related mission, you will get to decide whether you want to take it and how you want to do it. We won’t interfere with your decision at all! We’re willing to write this down in the contract!”

Chen Chuan was quite surprised by that. The role of a principal investor was usually given only to the ones who created the company. Such people could join discussions for important decisions, know what the others in the company knew, and get a share of the company’s profits.

If Ren Shu and the others were not going to interfere with how he did his missions, it was basically the same as letting him manage all businesses related to the supernatural. Since this new company had not exactly opened for business yet, if Chen Chuan joined, he was going to be in charge of all the operations. Such an offer was basically the same as putting him on a pedestal.

“That’s a very generous offer, but is there really a need to go this far?” Chen Chuan could not help but ask.

“We want to expand our company, so we’re willing to do anything that is beneficial to the company,” Ren Shu answered sincerely. “Each of us has our own ambitions, and in all honesty, money isn’t a problem to us. We’re not after that. We just want to prove to some people that we can create value and miracles too. We’re not worthless.”

Chen Chuan could tell that he said those words from the bottom of his heart. His words also revealed something: They had money and could afford losses. Even if they ended up failing, they could start over and build another company.

“You’re very sincere, but I need to think about this. I’ll give you an answer after the first. During that time, I won’t agree to join any other company,” Chen Chuan said.

Ren Shu was so happy that he nearly jumped out of his seat, but he patted his head and quickly brought out his business card. “If you find our company suitable to your tastes and think it’s a good fit for your friends too, you can ask them to contact us as long as they’ve developed mutated tissue. They don’t have to be like you and only interested in doing supernatural-related missions.”

Chen Chuan took the business card. “Alright. Let’s end our talk here for the day.”

“Sure.” Ren Shu stood up. While he was talking, all the nervousness he felt in the beginning had disappeared, but when he stood up, he found that Chen Chuan was taller than him by a whole head. He immediately felt an unseen, suffocating pressure weighing down on him, and he cowered a little.

Upon seeing his unease, Chen Chuan extended his hand and smiled. “Mr. Ren, no matter what, I have to thank you for coming to find me and telling me everything today.”

Ren Shu tentatively extended his hand to shake Chen Chuan’s hand and nodded vigorously.

After walking out of the room, he parted ways with Chen Chuan and went downstairs alone.

Xiao Jiang and the rest had been waiting while wondering whether they would be able to recruit Chen Chuan. When they saw Ren Shu, they immediately ran over to him.

“How was it? How did it go, Ren Shu?”

“Is it done, Ren Shu?”

“What was Chen Chuan like?”

Ren Shu thought about it and said after casting a glance at the dorm, “I don’t know, but I’ve said all that I can. We can only wait for his answer now.”

***

After Chen Chuan came out of the room, he greeted Xiao Ling, chatted with him for a bit, and returned to his room.

He thought about what Ren Shu had told him. If it was true, then the Department of Administrative Affairs was going to launch a major operation, and many of the agent companies would try to get a slice of the pie. This meant that even more people would approach him.

Chen Chuan did the missions in order to get more training resources and get stronger. If a mission was beneficial to him, he was willing to take part in it. This mission was obviously going to cause quite the stir. The unrestricted defense permit was not on the radar for now, but if he managed to join such a mission, it would be a great help to getting the armor permit.

The other companies were certain to not be able to offer the same conditions as Ren Shu did.

There was one more option: Go to the Department of Administrative Affairs and take the missions by himself, but he was just a freshman. He had not even gotten the permission to be an intern yet.

Taking up a mission also required a lot of coordination and all sorts of approvals. Law firms needed to sign various contracts and agreements, while the agent needed to pay a deposit, get a guarantor, and do other complicated things and procedures. They also had to communicate with the officials at the Department of Administrative Affairs. Much of the coordination was really cumbersome and bothersome, so a normal person would not be able to handle it. That was why most people preferred to join an agent company.

But no matter what, before he made his decision, Chen Chuan had to speak to Cheng Zitong and see whether his mentor had any arrangements for him. If he had, Chen Chuan would forget all about this.

Cheng Zitong had said that once he was free, he was going to talk about the unrestricted defense permit with him, so Chen Chuan could then ask him about this as well. He did not bother his mentor and just waited patiently.

Two days passed in a flash. It was the twenty-ninth, and the university let all the students go on a break.

Chen Chuan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. The snow had turned everything white. A layer of ice had also formed over the surface of the Spring-Autumn Lake.

While there was no heating in the room, Chen Chuan did not feel cold. He was rather comfortable.

None of the students who had developed mutated tissue felt cold. Most of them were still in their autumn wear.

Even the second-class students who had picked up the basics of a breathing technique could make their bodies get warm by regulating their breathing, so they were also unwilling to wear multiple layers of clothing. At most, they just got hungrier more often and had to eat more nutritional paste, which was free.

Knock, knock, knock...

Chen Chuan went to open the door and greeted the person outside. “Hello, Mr. Cheng.”

“Hey,” Cheng Zitong replied and walked in. He still wore the short-sleeve shirt from before, but his face had a healthier red glow.

“Aren’t you interested in the tournament? Quite a number of students went over to see it after they finished their exams,” Cheng Zitong said with a smile.

“I wanted to train more,” Chen Chuan replied.

“Don’t work too hard. When it’s time to relax, you should do it. I know that you’ve been waiting to talk about the unrestricted defense permit. I’m free today, so I can tell you about it in detail.” Cheng Zitong sat down on the sofa and grabbed the hot tea Chen Chuan offered him.

Once Chen Chuan sat down as well, he said, “You need to apply to take the test for the unrestricted defense permit, but you need to fit certain conditions for it. You need to have quite a lot of evaluation points from one of the country’s governmental departments and obtain their recommendation. Take note: I’m talking about evaluation points from one of the government departments, not evaluation points from missions.

“This is actually quite hard to accomplish. Shen Zheng was able to apply for the test because he had evaluation points from the Resolution Department, and he deserved all of them for what he had done.”

Chen Chuan nodded. He knew about that department, which was in charge of managing martial artists and all prohibited affairs.

Some of its officials were formerly chancellors and supervisors from the branch campuses of Martial Valor University. Some of them were even part-timers. After first-class students graduated, they could also choose to work there and truly become law enforcers.

“But I don’t suggest you get evaluation points from this department, because that would be the same as getting evaluation points from the university itself. It’s like getting an internal assessment, and it’s a false evaluation, so it’s not worth much. Even if you pass, the sponsors of the university will know of it, and that’s practically the same as you telling them that you’re about to cut into a share that’s ‘entitled’ to them.

“Thankfully, you’re different from Shen Zheng. You should already have a lot of evaluation points from the Constabulary, so I suggest that you get a recommendation from them if you intend to apply for the test.

“You can do it the moment you have the recommendation, since you already have the weapons permit.

“But your application will need to be reviewed. If you apply for a Class C permit, then the review process will be relatively short, but the Class B one takes longer. It’ll take about a month. Once you get the go ahead, you’ll need to complete the test within half a year. I suggest you apply this year, even though applications from those who aren’t seniors have a higher chance of not passing the review process.”

“Why’s that?” Chen Chuan asked.

Cheng Zitong tapped his sunglasses against the tea table. “You need approval from the main campus to sit for this test, and there’s a limited number of unrestricted defense permits distributed every year. People from the other Martial Valor University campuses sit for this test every year, so not everyone gets the permit. The examination committee checks the student’s resume first, and freshmen like you are usually rejected.

“But when you apply for it the second time, you’ll be given priority to take the test, since you’ve applied before. If you can’t get through the review process again, they’ll have to pass you during your senior year.

“Shen Zheng was just like you. He got his weapons permit during his freshman year, but he was only allowed to sit for the test during his senior year.”

Chen Chuan pondered over it. “What if, hypothetically speaking, I managed to pass the review process? Does that mean that I’ll only have half a year to prepare for it?”

Cheng Zitong’s expression became stern. “We can’t reject that possibility. If you’re worried, then you can wait until you’re a sophomore. You can think about sitting for the test once you’re more confident."

“I have another question. Is getting the unrestricted defense permit related to getting the recommendation slots to go to Central City?”