Chapter 228: Slot

Chen Chuan didn’t take up any other missions after finishing the jointly commissioned mission. He rejected all the missions from the company. Instead, he focused on increasing the intensity of his training.

Another ten days passed, and the last day of November arrived.

Gao Ming had transferred the mission reward at the start of November, so Chen Chuan had called his team to have a gathering at Douyi Hotel at noon to distribute money to them. It was almost the end of the year, and pay was never to be delayed.

But just when he was about to leave, Lei Guangcheng called him.

“We’ve set the date for our wedding. It’s going to be on the fifteenth of next month. We’ll only be inviting some close friends and family. I’ll send the invitation to you today. You have to come.”

Due to Lei Guangcheng’s status as the director of the Cult Investigation Bureau, evil cultists always kept an eye on him. That was why even though the bureau was a combat force, it practically had no presence within the governmental structure.

For the sake of his family and friends’ safety, Lei Guangcheng could not have a grand and bombastic wedding. He couldn’t allow all his subordinates to attend it either, but had to keep a low profile.

“Congratulations, Mr. Lei. I’ll definitely be present,” Chen Chuan said.

“Xiao Ying has already recovered, and I told him about you. He has been saying that he wants to meet you and thank you,” Lei Guangcheng said.

Chen Chuan remembered the boy. He was truly lucky to have been able to survive in the hands of the evil cultists.

“A senior member from Central City’s Cult Investigation Bureau will also be coming. I’ll be introducing you two. It’ll be helpful for your future,” Lei Guangcheng added.

“Thank you, Mr. Lei,” Chen Chuan said.

“You’re welcome. Compared to the help you’ve given Xiao Ying, this is nothing.”

After some thinking, Chen Chuan said, “Mr. Lei, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask ever since the mission ended.”

“It’s about the cultist’s whereabouts, isn’t it? We chased after the hot-air balloon but couldn’t find him. It’s only later that I thought of another possibility: The cultist might have been hiding in the train,” Lei Guangcheng said.

“The train?” Chen Chuan considered it. “Did the cultist we captured on the train say anything?”

“He was only cooperating with the one we’re after. Apparently, he was hired to do so, and we’ve verified his words as being true. Still, there’s no need to worry about it. After the ritual is activated, even if we don’t take any action to destroy it, the arrays and materials will disappear after some time.

“Without materials and manpower, it’s impossible for him to set up such a huge ritual again, and we can take down any small rituals he sets up.”

Chen Chuan nodded. While rituals could produce many mysterious effects, most of the time, the cultists needed a lot of time to prepare for them.

That cultist had been able to do this because he had obtained Black Orchid Co.’s help. Without the support of an organization of that caliber, it was impossible to repeat the train incident.

They exchanged a few more words before hanging up.

Chen Chuan could sense that Lei Guangcheng had been trying to lead him down the path of cults and rituals. He was going to introduce him to a Cult Investigation Bureau senior member precisely because of this as well.

But while Chen Chuan was interested in mysterious things like the paranormal and the occult, only martial arts could truly make him stronger. Since he had chosen to take this path, he was going to continue down it and not go astray.

Chen Chuan cleaned himself up a little and smoothed out his clothes. Once he left the dorm, he rode to Douyi Hotel.

The meeting between companies had ended, and the resistance group was almost entirely wiped out, so the downtown area had become safe again. His team members arrived around the same time as he did.

As always, Chen Chuan distributed the pay before eating.

Getting a large sum of money and evaluation points made the entire group happy.

Wei Changan stood up with a glass and said sincerely, “Because of your missions, I’m now a high-ranking agent and no longer have to bend to the company’s will. I’d like to toast you.”

Chen Chuan raised his glass and clinked glasses with him. With a smile, he said, “Congratulations, Changan.”

The others raised their glasses and congratulated him as well.

The more evaluation points a high-ranking agent had, the higher his pay would be. It also made it easier for them to communicate with the governmental departments and other major companies. Some high-ranking agents also had a certain degree of power after being employed long-term by certain departments. Because of it, their identities and statuses were completely different.

Wei Changan becoming a high-ranking agent at his age was a feat worthy of celebration.

After toasting everyone, Wei Changan finally sat down. Then, Cai Si piped up by his side, “Did you hear the news broadcast over the past few days? It’s all a non-stop stream of how the new director of the Department of Administrative Affairs got rid of the resistance group after he assumed office. It’s a pity that we can’t say that we did it.”

Chen Chuan’s team was never mentioned in the news. The three departments involved had told them about this beforehand. The point of the mission was to rebuild the citizens’ trust in the government, so their names couldn’t be mentioned. They were, however, given more money because of it.

“Isn’t it better to get more money? I’d much rather have that than fame,” Feng Xiaoqi mumbled.

“Even if they didn’t offer, I would have still requested it. The resistance group won’t disappear just because we got rid of these people, and those guys resort to whatever means necessary to achieve their goals. They have no reservations.

“For our safety’s sake, we shouldn’t expose ourselves. Someone very important in the resistance group’s operation managed to flee, and we don’t know where he is.”

Di Liao cut in to show his agreement on the matter. “That’s right. As long as the world operates on the same rules, the resistance will always be around. We’ve extinguished the fire, but the wick is still around. That candle will come alight again at some point, so it’s better for us to be careful.”

“Some people may have been forced to join the resistance, though,” Luo Kaiyuan suddenly said.

“Whatever the case, I don’t like them. One time, they set off their explosion just a few meters away from my family’s shop. My neighbor was buried under the rubble. He was just an old man who wove grasshoppers for us to play with.”

Wei Changan raised his glass again and said with a grin, “No matter what, most of the resistance group has been taken out, and Black Orchid has fallen. Both events are worthy of celebration. Come, let’s drink to it again!”

The team raised their glasses once more.

***

While they had their gathering, Cheng Zitong left the chancellor’s office. As he stared at the form in his hands, his face was full of excitement.

He swiftly returned to his office to call Chen Chuan, but no one answered. It was only then that he remembered that his mentee had gone out for a gathering with his team.

He set the phone down, and after giving it some thought, he cackled and photocopied the form before stuffing the copy into his briefcase. Then, he went downstairs and drove to the villas by the lake.

After he got out, he removed his sunglasses and stood in front of the gate for a while, then walked in.

“Lao Qian, is my senior brother in?”

“He is,” the guard answered.

“He must still be teaching his disciple. Okay, I’ll look for him myself.”

Cheng Zitong walked into the courtyard and saw the disciple practicing in the lakeside pavilion. Qiao Linhu was drinking tea in the living hall while glancing outside occasionally. His gaze was full of satisfaction.

Cheng Zitong walked over and took out the form from his briefcase before slamming it down in front of Qiao Linhu.

Shocked, Qiao Linhu looked up at Cheng Zitong before frowning and glancing at the form. “What’s this?”

“What’s this? A slot to go to the main campus!”

Cheng Zitong slammed his hand on the form a few times. “This is my mentee. I’m this guy’s mentor. Bet you weren’t expecting that, were you?”

Qiao Linhu was silent for a while. When he had heard that Chen Chuan had defeated the Mutual Aid Group, he had sensed that something was off. “We must stay humble and level-headed no matter what we do. We cannot be too eager for success—”

Cheng Zitong opened his briefcase again and slammed a photocopied permit on the table. “This is my mentee’s weapons permit!”

“You need to discipline your mentees and make them learn through hardship. If you keep praising them, they’ll lose their heads—”

Cheng Zitong slammed yet another permit on the table. “And this is his armor permit!”

“Even if he has some achievements—”

Then, with another slam, Cheng Zitong stacked another piece of paper on the table. He pointed at it and said, “This is my mentee’s Class B unrestricted defense permit!”

Qiao Linhu fell silent at this point. He sat glumly while his hand was frozen over his beard. After all, no matter what he said, it could not top an unrestricted defense permit.

The Great Shun Republic practiced really strict regulations in this area. Otherwise, the recommended students wouldn’t be going for the Class C permit before thinking of how to get the Class B. This was an acknowledgement from the central government itself. All arguments were empty and useless before this permit.

Cheng Zitong’s eyes were a little red and teary at this point. “My mentee doesn’t need to walk down any stupid old path, nor does he need others to tie him down with some old rules, much less someone to arrange the path for him! He carved his own path, all by himself!”

His voice traveled through the entire courtyard. Even the retainers in front and the disciple heard him. Then, everything fell silent, as if even the insects and birds had stopped chirping.

“The old man always said that his path was the only proper path, but that doesn’t mean that everyone has to take it. His words aren’t ironclad rules. I told him that once I left that place, I could make my own way back. Now, my mentee is going back in my stead. The old man has taught many disciples over the years, but put any of them in my mentee’s place, and could they proudly pat their chests and say that they could do what my mentee did? Could they? If they could, tell them to come forward and show me!”

Qiao Linhu listened to his tirade, then said, “Don’t forget, my disciple can also go to Central City. Your mentee isn’t the only one who can go.”

“He’ll only be going in two years, isn’t he?”

“...Yes.”

“My mentee—”

“Enough!” Qiao Linhu snapped. He was no longer in the mood to listen. The sound of Cheng Zitong praising his mentee was beginning to annoy him.

He slammed his hands on the table and stood up. “You must understand that we have guides for those walking down the old path. We have seniors to take care of us, peers to help us, and students to support us. Have you thought about the fact that your mentee will have none of this when he leaves? How far will he be able to go?”

Cheng Zitong wasn’t all that worried. He stared at Qiao Linhu a moment before grinning and putting his sunglasses back over his eyes. As he headed out, he said, “That’s my mentee, and I’m confident in him. By the way, I love how stubborn you are. Keep it up. Bye now.”

With a wave, he left the place.

Qiao Linhu’s disciple, who had been practicing in the lakeside pavilion, couldn’t help but eavesdrop. Suddenly, he found Qiao Linhu standing in front of him expressionlessly, and he trembled.

“You can’t even get a single stance correct? That means that the stances aren’t etched into your soul yet. Practice another hundred times.”

“Understood, Master,” the disciple said while groaning in his heart. He didn’t dare to say anything at this point and just practiced.

Qiao Linhu watched by the side seething. Cheng Zitong had come over every day recently to praise his disciple, making Qiao Linhu wonder why he had suddenly changed his stance. So, he was actually waiting to do this.

Qiao Linhu had been too careless.

As he watched his disciple, he found him lacking in every aspect, even though he had been pleased with him in the past.

He had to keep practicing.

Cheng Zitong exhaled long and hard once he left. The weather was great, and the rant had made him happy and content.

He turned around and said to the guard, “Lao Qian, tell my senior brother that I’ll be coming over tomorrow as always. Ask him to leave some food for me, okay?”

Then, he got into his car and drove off.