Book 3, Chapter 160: Promotion And Contact

The security guards outside the main manor received their bonus within half an hour since Chen Chuan’s return. Those who performed outstandingly were also promoted, so they became even more enthusiastic at work.

After all, when they got promoted, they didn’t just get a bump in their salary and real, physical rewards. They also got a boost of dopamine, which was more motivating than any medicine.

Due to Chen Chuan’s arrangements, everyone had reacted swiftly during the attack. They had rushed to the firing positions without delay and left the perimeter defense entirely to bioweapons. That was why no one was hurt after the attack was over. This gave a major boost to their morale, and they felt that even if another ambush came along, they could handle it.

When Chen Chuan walked out of the main manor, he gave a nod to the security guards saluting him at the entrance before returning to his villa. Then, he placed the broken spear by the side before searching through his list of contacts to find Zuo Handan’s name. After the call went through, he said, “Mr. Zuo, thank you for the support and information you gave me.”

Since the Viper Order had split from the Secret Python Cult, in order to understand them, aside from getting information about them from the Resolution Department, there was another much easier way: Asking the Secret Python Cult. Of course, the Secret Python Cult only provided the order’s basic information for free. If he wanted to know more, he had to pay for it. Naturally, Chen Chuan didn’t have to use his own money for that. The Resolution Department paid for it.

The Secret Python Cult was also the one who provided him with the solution for the food and daily necessities issue.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Chen. We hope that you will continue buying our services,” Zuo Handan simply said.

“If I have the chance, I’ll do it,” Chen Chuan said.

He had checked, and the Secret Python Cult provided a variety of services for Third Limit martial artists. Aside from Medicine Snakes—a more advanced version of the metamorphosed snake aimed to strengthen bones and fascia—they also conducted rituals to help Third Limit martial artists get rid of the lingering toxic effects and external corruption brought by taking the special medicine. This fit their original status as a cult, and if necessary, Chen Chuan was going to check it out.

After thanking Zuo Handan, Chen Chuan ended the call and set aside his things before going off to take a shower. He then changed into casual clothes and sat down, brewed a cup of tea, and took his time sipping it.

This time, he had fought against several Third Limit martial artists, and the difficulty was through the roof. If he hadn’t gotten a complete set of information about the Viper Order and set up a proper strategy against all of them, things wouldn’t have been so easy for him.

If Xu Xianwen had attacked with the other Third Limit martial artists, Chen Chuan would have been forced to defend the manor. He couldn’t tell just how many of them he would have been able to kill, but he was pretty sure that Xu Xianwen would have made it out alive.

Though since Xu Xianwen was the leader of the Viper Order, it was only natural that he got to enjoy the benefits of staying in the back while his subordinates did the missions. Why should he fight in the front lines? Otherwise, there would be no point in him being the boss.

Xu Xianwen had accumulated a ton of wealth. Even though he was strong, Chen Chuan couldn’t regard him as a pure martial artist. He had retreated the moment things went south instead of completing the mission. During the second half of their fight, Xu Xianwen had also kept trying to run away.

Chen Chuan had learned a lot from the fight. Obviously, he had gained valuable fighting experience, but he had also mastered the results of his training and gained another way to observe his enemies.

The most important thing of all, though, was that his second self had gained yet another massive upgrade. His overlap time reached nine days, and his second self’s strength got close to the strength Chen Chuan had when he was at the Second Limit.

He sensed that the closer his second self grew to his current strength, the slower his improvement became.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

But at a certain level of strength, even just a tiny bit of improvement would be a significant help to him. Because of this, Chen Chuan was not in a hurry. As long as he continued walking down this path, he was sure that he could get his second self stronger, one bit at a time.

Since Chen Chuan had gone through a high-intensity fight, he didn’t train today. Instead, he decided to rest. After he finished his tea, Ni Qianqian called him.

“Not bad, Chen Chuan. Now, the department doesn’t even need to form a team to wipe out the Viper Order. You managed to get rid of them by yourself. The department is going to have to issue you a certificate of merit and increase your salary.”

“I think so too,” Chen Chuan joked.

Ni Qianqian laughed at that for a while before saying, “I’ll let you in on something. The department has made a decision on how to reward you. Your role isn’t going to change, but you’ll be promoted one rank. Usually, you need to have worked with the department for at least a year to get promoted, but Director Wu has approved your promotion. After all, you really did an amazing job this time.”

Chen Chuan nodded. “Please thank Director Wu for me.”

“Will do. But you should still thank Director Wu yourself after you come back. Alright. I’ve told you what’s going to happen. Take a good rest now.”

Chen Chuan thanked her and ended the call, then took a stack of documents and headed to the window. With the red maple tree forest outside serving as his background, he started reading.

A relaxing afternoon passed. When night arrived, Yan Yi contacted him. “Mr. Chen, there’s an emergency. We need to talk to you.”

“I’ll come over right now,” he said.

Chen Chuan went straight to the main manor’s living room and saw Meng Shu as well as Yan Yi sitting on the sofa. Yan Yi had a stern look on her face.

“What happened?” he asked.

Yan Yi stood up and said, “Mr. Meng sent a message that he wants to meet Miss Shu tomorrow, but he didn’t give any details.”

Chen Chuan’s gaze sharpened. “Are you sure it’s him?”

Yan Yi gave him a grave nod. “I am. I mean, it’s his closest confidant who sent the message, not Mr. Meng himself, but I’m still sure. Also, he used the private signal he shares with Miss Shu. But...”

Yan Yi was thinking about not doing anything. After all, if Meng Huang couldn’t hurt them, then they could drag out the competition, which would be more beneficial for them. They could just sit and wait for the situation to change.

As the person in charge of the company, it was impossible that Meng Huang didn’t understand this. If he summoned them at this point in time, it could only mean one thing.

“Mr. Meng is trying to interfere, but this goes against his usual way of doing things. We don’t know what exactly is on his mind.” Yan Yi frowned.

This might be a good thing for them, but she wasn’t about to exclude the possibility that things might go bad as well.

Meng Shu turned to Chen Chuan. Since she had handed over all matters of security to him, she chose to trust him wholeheartedly. If he decided on not going, then she wasn’t going to go.

Even though this decision might negatively affect her position as a potential heir, she remembered one thing Meng Lai had told her before. If she didn’t know what to do at a crucial moment, then she was to trust the person she chose to trust. Their opinions were usually much more reliable than one’s own thoughts.

Chen Chuan considered it. The situation was complicated, and he needed to discuss it with the department. He also had a feeling that Meng Lai had taken the attack on the manor into consideration.

“I need to step outside for a bit,” he said.

Meng Shu and Yan Yi nodded, knowing that he needed to think.

After leaving the main manor, Chen Chuan contacted the department and told them what he knew. Soon, they sent a voice message to him.

“Please find a secure Realm Node around you, Officer Chen.”

Chen Chuan took a look around. There was only one Realm Node near the manor, and the Viper Order had set up their domain interference entity there. He walked out of the manor and reached the Realm Node. When he stood on it, he contacted the department. A large screen showed up, and Wu Quan as well as Director Fang showed up on it.

Director Fang said, “We’ve received your report, Officer Chen. Since things might change at any moment, we’re going to cut to the chase. After a brief discussion, we believe that Meng Shu should go.”

Wu Quan took over. “Helping Meng Shu become the successor is the key to this succession competition.

“You’ve done a good job. Right now, everyone knows that Meng Huang just took a huge blow. Aside from his loyal supporters, I’m sure that the others have chosen to sit on the fence.

“Since Meng Lai asked Meng Shu to see him at this point in time, then, to some degree, he has started to side with her. This will strengthen Meng Shu’s status and prestige in the Meng family and the company.

“If we’re right, he’s working together with us.”

Chen Chuan thought about it. There was an important prerequisite to all that Wu Quan said: Meng Lai had to be thinking about supporting Meng Shu. Was that really the case? So, he asked, “Can we be sure that Meng Lai isn’t under Meng Huang’s control?”

“We’ve suspected it before, but after verifying things, we can exclude that possibility,” Director Fang said.

“It’s highly likely that Meng Lai knows about Meng Huang’s deeds, but for the sake of the company’s interests, he decided to relent in some form and hand over some power to Meng Huang. At the same time, he picked another potential successor to placate the company and the other family members so that they wouldn’t all side with Meng Huang.”

Wu Quan then added, “After you got rid of the Viper Order, Meng Huang doesn’t have much of a fighting force left. We have room to make mistakes now. We should try having Meng Shu meet Meng Lai.

“But at the end of the day, Meng Shu is the one who should make the decision. You can tell her our analysis. After all, there are certain risks to this.”

“Since we’ve never had any concrete proof that Meng Huang is colluding with the otherworld, we aren’t able to do anything to him,” Director Fang said. “But based on our analysis of Meng Huang’s character, this matter might kick him into action. If he reacts in an extreme fashion, he might just expose who’s behind him.”

Wu Quan was in agreement. “We’ve already made preparations and are keeping a close eye on Meng Huang’s manor, Border Fusion, Ferris Wheel, and other important targets.

“If Meng Shu decides to go, we’ll send a squad to follow you. At the very least, you won’t have to worry about anything while on the way to the company.

“But you’ll need to act according to the situation once you meet Meng Lai. Security is tight at his manor, and we can’t go in. If an emergency happens, you’re permitted to use extreme measures.”

Chen Chuan pondered over this before nodding. “Since this is the department’s plan, I’ll tell Meng Shu about it.”