Chapter 128: Two Evaluations

Lei Guangcheng put down the phone and composed himself before returning to the sofa. When he looked at Chen Chuan, he said earnestly, “I’ve found my son, Chen Chuan, and it’s all thanks to you. If you ever need my help, please tell me. As long as it’s within my capabilities, I’ll do my best to help you.”

“I do need your help, but you’ve only just found your son. Why don’t we talk about this later?” Chen Chuan said frankly.

Lei Guangcheng checked his watch and said seriously, “We still have some time. I never forget a favor, and I never overlook a grudge. Please tell me what you need.”

When Chen Chuan saw how firm he was in his decision to help him, he pondered over his words. “I need evaluation points from a governmental department.”

Lei Guangcheng immediately knew what he should do. He looked into Chen Chuan’s eyes. “You’re a Martial Valor University student, and evaluation points from governmental departments are only useful for those who want to go to Central City. Do you want to go there?”

Chen Chuan nodded.

“The Cult Investigation Bureau can give you evaluation points, but you must do a mission for us,” Lei Guangcheng said slowly.

“Sure. What do you need me to do?” Chen Chuan asked without hesitation.

While holding Chen Chuan’s gaze, Lei Guangcheng said, “The temporary address of Lei Guangcheng, the director of the Cult Investigation Bureau, was leaked, and cult members kidnapped Lei Ying, his son, and even took control of him through a ritual. Lei Guangcheng, thus, hired Chen Chuan, student of Martial Valor University, to free his son.”

He stopped for a moment before continuing, “Lei Guangcheng has verified that Lei Ying has been saved and the ritual broken. Chen Chuan, you’ve completed the mission. When I go back to the bureau tomorrow, I’ll write a detailed evaluation for you.”

Chen Chuan understood what he meant. He made no fuss and just expressed his gratitude. “Thank you, Mr. Lei.”

Lei Guangcheng dismissed it with a wave. “That’s nothing.”

He sank into pensive silence again before saying, “Evaluation points from one department might not be enough for you to go to Central City. You have evaluation points from the Resolution Department, but you’re not a recommended student, so this might still be not good enough. What do you think about getting evaluation points from the Foreign Affairs Department too?”

Chen Chuan was surprised. “The Foreign Affairs Department? Can you make them give me evaluation points?”

Each department of the Department of Administrative Affairs only cared about their own matters. They were old-fashioned and conservative, so it was difficult for any other department to butt into their matters. Did Lei Guangcheng mean that the Cult Investigation Bureau had some influence over the Foreign Affairs Department, or did Lei Guangcheng himself have a powerful background or some methods to get them to help?

“You don’t understand. Many of the departments in Yangzhi City exist only because the system dictates it. The Department of Administrative Affairs can’t be without them simply because of the system, not because they’re important. Yangzhi City’s Foreign Affairs Department has a bit of a presence because, supposedly, the Merkarians’ ancestral land is here. The two countries also need to interact.

“After the latest events, the relationship between the countries is bound to sour. There will definitely be difficulties in our interactions over the next few years, so the Foreign Affairs Department will fade into greater obscurity.

“Meanwhile, the Cult Investigation Bureau is in charge of investigating and cracking down on foreign cults. We often need to work with other countries, so from time to time, we call on the Foreign Affairs Department to coordinate things. Our two departments have a working relationship.”

Chen Chuan understood now. Despite him saying that the two departments worked together, in truth, the Cult Investigation Bureau was the one who decided whether they wanted the Foreign Affairs Department to be part of their operations. Since the Cult Investigation Bureau was a semi-combat based force that needed to work with foreigners, it had its own channels of communication. If they didn’t want the Foreign Affairs Department, they could just cast them aside.

After the Great Shun Republic’s relationship with the Merkarians soured, Yangzhi City’s Foreign Affairs Department was bound to become a marginalized department that was completely unnecessary to the Department of Administrative Affairs. Given the past collaborations between the two departments, they would definitely wish for the Cult Investigation Bureau to give them some support.

“You killed a Merkarian escaped convict during the goodwill exchange. This should be enough to get evaluation points from the Foreign Affairs Department, but that might not suffice for them,” Lei Guangcheng said.

“What do I need to do?” Chen Chuan asked without hesitation.

“If the Foreign Affairs Department can reclaim what they lost, they might be able to rebuild their image before the government. After all, failure isn’t a bad thing. It can be a chance to get ahead. I’ll talk to Liu Zhan. If you can retrieve the oak leaf, I will make sure that you get evaluation points from the Foreign Affairs Department.”

Chen Chuan thought about it. If he could do this, then he would. But if it was too hard, he would not push himself and just give up.

He had no clue how to tackle this matter, and it even involved the resistance group, so things were definitely more complex than it seemed. “Do you have any suggestions, Mr. Lei?”

Lei Guangcheng approved of his keen observation and said, “The oak leaf might provide unique benefits to the Merkarians. We don’t need to look into what it is right now. It’s better to talk about what’s going to happen next.

“If the Merkarians who took the oak leaf were actually Merkarian students, it’d be beneficial for the resistance group. The two sides would have a foundation for cooperation. Even if they were not on friendly terms, they wouldn’t become enemies for the time being.

“But it’s been revealed that they’re all escaped convicts, and the Merkarian government has declared that they have nothing to do with this. Because of this, those Merkarians no longer have any special value to the resistance group. They might even be threatened and used. They know this, so they’ll want to leave before the resistance group learns about their identities.

“Since they’ve already gotten what they wanted, they won’t stay in Yangzhi City for long. They’ll definitely try to bring the oak leaf back to their country. But they can’t do this on their own. So, if they want to go back, they only have one way to do so.”

Chen Chuan’s eyes flashed. “The real exchange group!”

Lei Guangcheng nodded and said coldly, “I could bet you that those escaped convicts don’t exist. How could the Merkarians’ entire exchange group fall under some escaped convicts’ control? Besides, the captured group didn’t call for help once, even though it’s been half a month? They didn’t even send a telegram back to their own country. This is clearly a staged act.

“They got what they wanted, so their priority now is to leave. But I have to say: Even if they were the ones who gave the oak leaf to the Great Shun Republic, they should have asked for it back instead of trying to snatch it.”

He gave Chen Chuan a look. “I’ve told you the situation. If you’re willing to take up this mission, I’ll call Liu Zhan today.”

Chen Chuan thought about it carefully before he eventually looked up and said, “I’d like to try.”

Lei Guangcheng regarded him with admiration. “That’s settled, then. Don’t feel pressured by it. To me, this is just a phone call, and I wouldn’t even be calling it a favor to you. I’d say that we’re helping Liu Zhan here. So, even if you don’t manage to reclaim the oak leaf, it’s nothing. I’ll find another way to thank you for today.”

This was beneficial to Chen Chuan, so he accepted it readily. “Thank you for your help, Mr. Lei.”

“This isn’t comparable to how you helped me. Xiao Ying is my entire world, and you saved him. That’s more important to me than anything else,” Lei Guangcheng said gravely.

“Mr. Lei, I’d like to ask you something,” Chen Chuan said.

“What is it?”

“I can tell that the ritual is really evil, and your ex died because of it. You must have been affected by it too, so how did you avoid the danger all this time?” Chen Chuan asked.

“A logical question. I can tell you the answer. As the director of the Cult Investigation Bureau, I had a counter-curse ritual performed on me, so even if supernatural beings affect me, they are unable to harm me. It’s precisely because of this that I became overconfident.”

Chen Chuan understood what he meant. While he was interested in rituals, it wasn’t the right time to talk about them at length today. “Mr. Lei, I’ve been here for quite a long time, so I need to go back to the university. I won’t keep you from reuniting with your son any longer.”

“Alright. I won’t keep you around either. I’ll treat you to a meal next time. Both my son and I would love to thank you,” Lei Guangcheng said.

Chen Chuan agreed to it. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “By the way, Mr. Lei, can I take the broken puppet with me?”

Lei Guangcheng did not ask any questions about it. “I was going to just get rid of it, but I suppose it’s best that you take it. You’re the expert here. I’m sure you know how to deal with it.”

Chen Chuan returned upstairs, picked up the puppet, wrapped it up, and left. Lei Guangcheng escorted him out.

When they went outside, Chen Chuan was surprised to see He Nan standing there with a car behind her.

She fixed her eyes on Lei Guangcheng. “I heard about your son, Lao Lei. I’ve called Dr. Li. He’s good at improving a patient’s health.”

Lei Guangcheng was silent for a bit before he said, “That’s very thoughtful of you. I’d like to thank you on Xiao Ying’s behalf.”

He Nan walked over and gave him a light hug. “Don’t be such a stranger. You’re okay now. Everything’s over.”

Lei Guangcheng brought his arms to hug her back before letting go and turning to Chen Chuan. “Wait for my call, Chen Chuan.”

He Nan looked over too and thanked him. “Chen Chuan, this thing has tormented Lao Lei for a long time. Thank goodness Cheng Zitong sent you over today. I want to thank you too.”

“You’re welcome, Senior Sister He. Mr. Lei, I’ll be leaving now,” Chen Chuan said.

“Take my car to go back,” He Nan offered.

Chen Chuan did not say no. This was a secluded area. Even though he could run back, it would waste too much time. After bidding the two goodbye, he got into the car and headed back to the university.

On the way, he recalled all that had happened. When he came over, he had never thought that things would progress this way. Somehow, he had already received evaluation points from the Cult Investigation Bureau.

He could not say whether he would be able to get evaluation points from the Foreign Affairs Department, but if he could, then, along with the evaluation points from the Constabulary, he would have evaluation points from three different governmental departments. While this would not be an absolute advantage, it should give his application a good weight.

If he added evaluation points from the Resolution Department too, then his application would look even nicer.

The driver sent him all the way back to the university. Once Chen Chuan bade goodbye to him, he went back to his room and called Cheng Zitong to tell him about what had happened.

After hearing about the incident, Cheng Zitong was emotional but also felt happy for him.

“Xiao Chuan, it’s great that you got evaluation points from the Cult Investigation Bureau. Do your best to get evaluation points from the Foreign Affairs Department too. This is a rare chance, so you might not get another one.”

“Yes. Mr. Lei told me to wait for his phone call,” Chen Chuan said.

Cheng Zitong thought about it and said, “If the Foreign Affairs Department asks you to take the exchange group down, they must have pretty good information on their movements. But the exchange group has quite a lot of Merkarian security guards, and they even have guns.

“If the Merkarians who stole the oak leaf meet up with them, it’ll be difficult for you to retrieve it. This mission also involves a lot of other things, so I don’t think you’ll be able to do it alone.”

“I agree, Mr. Cheng. I intend to ask some friends I trust to help me. Also, if possible, could you ask Senior Brother Ren to join me?”

“Xiaotian? Sure. I’ll ask him. Get ready in the meantime,” Cheng Zitong said.

“Okay,” Chen Chuan agreed and hung up. Since he would be going up against the exchange group, he might have to face people like Douma again. After some careful thinking, he decided to call Wu Han, Wei Changan, and his dormmates to help him complete the mission.