Chapter 115: Enter The Mountain

After the call with Ren Shu, Chen Chuan called Cheng Zitong. Since it would not be convenient for him to discuss it over the phone, he only made sure that Cheng Zitong was in his office and headed to the administrative office building.

He grabbed the stack of papers Gao Ming had sent him before leaving the dorm. He then walked the path around the Spring-Autumn Lake before entering the administrative office building and heading straight to the Logistics Department.

Cheng Zitong shut the door after Chen Chuan went into his office and asked, “A mission from the Department of Administrative Affairs to take down the Flying Heads?”

“Yes. I might run into the source of the Flying Heads this time, so I thought I should ask you whether there’s anything I need to pay attention to,” Chen Chuan answered honestly.

“Answer me this first: Do you feel any lingering discomfort from the mission? How’s your mental state?” Cheng Zitong asked sternly.

“I did feel a little sick after the mission, but I felt fine the next day,” Chen Chuan replied.

Cheng Zitong observed him for a bit before saying, “I have a suggestion. The exchange students from Merka will have a goodwill exchange with the Foreign Affairs Department in a few days. They’ll showcase an oak leaf they offered to us as tribute during the event. That leaf can repair wounds and revitalize spirit. It’s a rare chance, so come with me. I’ll think of a way to get you to touch it.”

“Thank you, Mr. Cheng,” Chen Chuan said earnestly. Regardless of whether he really needed the leaf or not, Cheng Zitong was always considerate of him.

Cheng Zitong then relaxed. “Alright. Since you said that you’re fine and you’re a learn-by-instinct type, I believe you. Let’s talk about the Flying Heads.”

He returned to his seat and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before saying, “I know how to take out the source of the Flying Heads, but I’ve never done it before. That’s why what I say next might not be entirely accurate.

“Only those who have taken out the source of the Flying Heads before know certain details, while other people will have a hard time figuring them out. Remember what I’m going to say next, but don’t treat it like the Word of God. Adjust accordingly. Absolutely do not charge in blindly.”

“Got it,” Chen Chuan said seriously.

Once he saw that Chen Chuan took his warning to mind, Cheng Zitong continued sternly, “You can take down the normal Flying Heads through simple methods, like you did before, but the source of the Flying Heads is a true supernatural being. It’ll be hard to take it out with physical attacks. You can only take it down via a battle of attrition.

“You heard that right. I said it’s going to be a battle of attrition.

“The daily sacrifices are a daily necessity for the Flying Heads, just like food to people. Here’s the crucial part: the ceremony needs to be carried out, but you can’t let it eat the sacrifice. Whenever it misses a meal, it becomes weaker, until it eventually disappears.

“But that thing will constantly damage your psyche, stir up your emotions, and ignite your desires. The more people there are around it, the more prominent the effect will be. That’s why when you run into that thing, you need to be wary of your companions.

“They might stab you in the back at any moment, so it’s best to have only a few people around you or, even better, be alone. Then, you can fight until that thing disappears.”

Chen Chuan pondered over this. It was indeed difficult. He was not worried about getting into a battle of attrition with the source of the Flying Heads, but it would be difficult to control other people's actions.

Cheng Zitong went to a cupboard and opened it with a key. After some digging around, he brought out a box with a yellow jade, which he handed over to Chen Chuan. “This should protect you for a time and help you stay sane longer.

“If you notice something amiss, give up before it’s too late. Protecting yourself is more important than dealing with the problem. As long as you’re still around, you’ll have a chance to find another solution.”

Chen Chuan took the jade and nodded. He was not going to charge in recklessly. If it was within his abilities, he did not mind killing the source of the Flying Heads, but if it was beyond what he could do, then it would be better for him to retreat and think of another solution.

“I have something else to tell you: There are plenty of supernatural beings out there. What we’ve seen up to now is just the tip of the iceberg. Since you’ve decided to focus on dealing with supernatural-related missions, you’ll eventually run into creatures I’ve never met before. Perhaps you’ll even see things that no one has ever seen. You have to do your best to expand your knowledge about them. I’ve been compiling some information together over the past few days. It’s all here. Read it when you’re free.”

Cheng Zitong opened another cupboard, and Chen Chuan saw that it was filled with all sorts of folders. He knew immediately that he would need to spend a lot of time going through them. So, he started off by taking out one folder. “I’ll take this back with me first. By the way, Mr. Cheng, here.”

He handed over the stack of papers he brought with him.

“What’s this?” Cheng Zitong asked.

“My cousin is a lawyer, and he compiled together the reviews of the students from the branch campuses before they went to Central City. He added his personal opinions as well. I’d like you to give me some advice about it.”

“I’ll have to spend some time going through it first, then,” Cheng Zitong said, feeling surprised.

After Chen Chuan bade goodbye to Cheng Zitong, he left the administrative office building and returned to the dorm. Then, he picked up the public phone’s receiver and called Ren Shu. Once it went through, he said, “I’ll take up the mission. Please tell Mr. Wei to pick me up. We can leave once I get ready.”

Ren Shu had been waiting anxiously, and he became really excited once he heard Chen Chuan’s answer. He immediately said, “I’ll tell Xiao Wei to come pick you up right away!”

This was a major mission from the Department of Administrative Affairs. If they managed to complete it, their company would become famous and would no longer be a nameless nobody in the market.

Chen Chuan hung up and went back to pack up. He would never go anywhere without the Frost King Saber and the Halberd Pistol. Since some supernatural beings had strange effects on their surroundings and considering the fact that his clothes were inevitably going to be torn when he fought against the source of the Flying Heads, he decided to bring two extra sets of clothes as well.

While he was packing up, he heard light knocking on his door. Chen Chuan went over to open it and saw a young student who looked quite similar to Douma, which meant that he was probably a Merkarian.

The student greeted him cordially. “Hello, I’m Zhu’a. My name in the Great Shun Republic is Qiu Chengzhu.”

Chen Chuan nodded in reply. “Hello to you too. I’m Chen Chuan. How can I help you?”

“Um... So, Merkarians aren’t as good as the citizens of the Great Shun Republic when it comes to martial arts, so Mr. Douma and my leader asked us to spar with the students here. Can I ask you for a spar?” Qiu Chengzhu asked bashfully.

Chen Chuan was not expecting a Merkarian to ask him for a spar so soon. If this had been any other moment, he would have loved to entertain him, even if he could tell that Qiu Chengzhu was not that strong, but he was pressed for time.

“Sorry, I have something to do today, and I have to leave in a moment. I can’t spar with you,” he said regretfully.

“Oh, that’s fine. I was being thoughtless.” Qiu Chengzhu sounded really embarrassed. Then, with a tinge of hope, he asked, “Then... Can I spar with you another time?”

“Once the chance arises, sure,” Chen Chuan replied.

“Okay.” Qiu Chengzhu could tell that Chen Chuan really had something to do, so he apologized for bothering him and left.

Chen Chuan shut the door and went back to continue packing. Once he was ready, he walked out with the Frost King Saber to the university gate. An SUV was already waiting for him, and Xiao Wei was standing by the door while beckoning him over.

Chen Chuan went over, and Xiao Wei opened the door for him. When Chen Chuan got in, Xiao Wei asked, “Would you like me to turn on the radio for you, Mr. Chen?”

There was nothing to do while going to Barbarian Mountain, so it would be nice to listen to the radio. “Go on.”

After turning it on, Xiao Wei asked what he would like to listen to, and Chen Chuan casually said, “The news.”

Yangzhi City was only broadcasting opera songs, news, and a handful of programs. While opera songs were fine for the occasional listen, Chen Chuan could not listen to them nonstop, so the news was his only option.

Xiao Wei started driving, and they headed northwest. After around forty-five minutes, they left the city. At this point, Chen Chuan heard a piece of news that caught his attention.

「Yangzhi City’s Department of Administrative Affairs has shut down yet another polluting factory in Huoshui. This is the second factory that has been shut down this month after the department began efforts to rectify the problem of pollution. The department is still working hard to create a good living environment for the citizens...」

This again?

Chen Chuan took note of it. The news had been talking about this nonstop over the past few days, and the source of it all seemed to have been the matter at Wu Neighborhood.

Even though Chen Chuan knew that the real reason behind it was the Flying Heads, he could not dismiss the possibility that there was really a water pollution problem. The news had been broadcasting this matter for more than ten days. Even though the news segment was never long, just a few sentences, Chen Chuan had the nagging feeling that they were intentionally placing an emphasis on it.

On second thought, some officials in the Department of Administrative Affairs might need to hit their KPIs. After all, the New Year had just passed, and Chen Chuan heard that some government officials’ positions were changed after the holiday.

Not that it was any of his concern.

Chen Chuan looked outside. When they left the city, there were quite a lot of cars around them, but there were less and less the further they went. There was quite an expanse of uncultivated land on one side of the road, while the other was covered by a dense forest. Clearly, the terrain was rising. He asked, “How much longer?”

“Around twenty-five minutes left. Mr. Chen, we’re about to reach the mountains. There’s only a small stretch of the properly paved road left. The rest is just a dirt road. It might get quite bumpy,” Xiao Wei answered.

Chen Chuan nodded and continued paying attention to his surroundings.

He had never come here before. It was different from the wilderness in the east. While this place was outside the city too, he could see that there were a lot of plants here. Sometimes, he would even see hamlets. But as the flat road disappeared, the hamlets also were gone.

“We’re almost there, Mr. Chen,” Xiao Wei notified him.

Chen Chuan took a look. There was a rather noticeable road sign by the side of the road, and Xiao Wei was driving to where the road sign pointed—a wilderness. It was a narrow road with loads of stones on it. Some of them had been crushed and flattened due to quite a number of cars having come down this road recently.

Around a kilometer later, they saw a flat land and a stream flowing down a mountainside. Cars were parked around the perimeter, and tents were set up in the center. They were spread out and lined up in an orderly manner.

At first glance, there seemed to be around three hundred people in the area. They were all the people who would be participating in the crackdown.

Xiao Wei started slowing down and parked beside the other cars.

Once they got out, a person immediately came over to check on them. Xiao Wei showed his permit, and the person immediately became much friendlier as he told them to head to the center of the camp.