Chapter 643 - 382: Promotion

He Xiaoxing had never explained much about what kind of School the Pure Sect truly was. On the surface, it appeared to be a group that had formed after the new era, united by a certain ideology.

But from the booklet He Xiaoxing had given him, Chen Chuan could sense that it was likely more than just a School with a shared ideology; it had a proper lineage.

The School had its own techniques and Secret Transmissions, which could never be sustained by a loose collection of members.

And putting everything together, it seemed that the existence of these Schools was acknowledged by both corporations and the government.

This was probably because they possessed power of their own. It was highly likely that the Schools had high-level combatants among their ranks, forcing others to make certain compromises.

He thought of the booklet Instructor Wen had given him. The instructor had told him there were no real barriers between the First and Third Limits. A talented Fighter could break through as long as they had sufficient resources. But advancing beyond that was not so easy. There was a gate to pass.

This "gate" was very likely referring to Pure Essence.

When Instructor Wen gave him the booklet, he had told him not to rush to read it. He should wait until he knew which path to walk before opening it.

’In that case, I can take a look at it when I get back.’

After driving away, he went straight back to Wuyi Academy. Once inside his dorm room, he opened his wardrobe and retrieved the booklet from Instructor Wen out of his suitcase.

He sat down in the living room and opened the booklet. He found that its contents were written entirely with a brush pen, offering a general overview of Spiritual Power.

For someone who had never undertaken Spiritual Cultivation, it might be an interesting read, but it was essentially useless to someone already on that path. He knew, however, that this must be just a prompt.

He adjusted his breathing slightly, closed his eyes, and reached out with his spirit to sense the booklet. The moment he did, he immediately felt something different.

Spiritual information, seemingly condensed onto the pages with some special material, now surfaced and flowed into his mind.

After he finished receiving the information, he opened his eyes and glanced down at the booklet. ’This information probably wasn’t left by Instructor Wen, but by some senior from the Pure Sect. The aged look of the booklet makes that even more likely.’

For a wisp of spirit to be accurately transmitted and perceived after so long, the person who left it was clearly extraordinary. It was almost a bit of a flex.

The content wasn’t overly complex. It simply informed him that if he ever encountered an obstacle and was unwilling to walk the path laid out for him by certain powers, the Pure Sect could offer him another choice.

He closed the booklet. ’Looks like I’ll have to go see Instructor Wen again.’

But there was no hurry.

He picked up the hot drink on the table, took a sip, and gazed at the clear, azure sky outside his window.

Tomorrow was the day his promotion would be officially announced.

After resting in his dorm for a day, he changed into a fresh uniform the next morning and left, full of vigor. At nine o’clock, he arrived at the Processing Bureau. After greeting his superiors and colleagues, he was escorted by two squads of Soldiers to the Bureau’s main hall.

The current Director of the Processing Bureau, Wei Huan; Deputy Director Wu Quan, who was in charge of daily affairs; Deputy Director Fang Ju, responsible for the Ring Screen and defense matters; Deputy Director Guo You, who handled logistics and technical support; and even Deputy Director Luo Xiucheng, who oversaw internal inspections and rarely made public appearances, were all present.

All other sufficiently high-ranking members of the Processing Bureau had also gathered, standing around the perimeter of the hall.

Ni Qianqian, Manager Qiu, Captain Li, and others were all standing in the crowd. As for ordinary members, like the sponsored Wuyi Students, they did not yet have the rank to be present.

As everyone watched, Chen Chuan stepped to the front. Director Wei Huan produced a black, gold-edged promotion certificate, opened it, and began to read aloud:

"Following internal deliberation and approval from our superiors, the following appointment is hereby decreed:

"Execution Captain Chen Chuan, since assuming his post, has acted with courage and conviction, achieving numerous extraordinary merits. Now, with the approval of the Jibei Dao Government Hall, Chen Chuan is promoted to Investigation Chief of this bureau. He shall be responsible for command, deployment, and security affairs. He is hereby ordered to spare no effort and to faithfully execute his duties, so as to protect the nation’s security and ensure the welfare of all its people.

"This decree is effective immediately upon its announcement.

"The Dashun Republic, Year 95, June 2nd."

After finishing, Wei Huan looked up with a smile and presented the certificate to Chen Chuan. He then gave a crisp salute before lowering his hand. "Manager Chen, congratulations."

Chen Chuan accepted it, returned the salute, and shook his hand. "Thank you, Director Wei."

The crowd erupted in applause.

Chen Chuan then shook hands with each of the deputy directors in turn. When he turned back to the crowd, colleagues from the bureau, both familiar and not, came forward to shake his hand and offer congratulations. Some called him "Manager Chen," while others called him "Director Chen."

While the latter title was plausible, it was impossible to know if they were deliberately flattering him or simply trying to curry favor. After all, though some in the bureau wished him well, there were just as many who were resentful and jealous.

But he didn’t have to care about any of that. He now had the strength to back up his new position.

After a round of pleasantries, Deputy Director Guo You approached him. He was a pale, plump, middle-aged man who resembled a ball of fermented dough. However, the pair of gold-rimmed glasses he wore gave him a rather scholarly air.

He said politely, "Manager Chen, please come with me. There are some security and technical matters I need to brief you on."

Chen Chuan excused himself to the others and followed him out of the hall.

Guo You said with a smile, "Manager Chen, now that you’ve been promoted to Investigation Chief, you are assigned a permanent office here at the Processing Bureau. I’ll have someone deliver the keys, along with your new uniform, service sword and sidearm, and a few other related items a little later."

"If you’re not satisfied with the office’s layout or security for any reason, Manager Chen, just let me know. I’ll arrange for my people to make improvements according to your specifications."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you in advance, Director Guo."

Guo You replied with a beaming smile, "Not at all, not at all."

As they spoke, the two entered an elevator, which once again began to descend. When it reached the fifth basement level, the doors opened onto a vast, open space.

In the very center stood an octagonal metal room. The walls were riddled with apertures, through which light could be seen pulsing faintly.

A shield-shaped emblem was emblazoned on the front door.

Guo You explained, "Inside is the Processing Bureau’s active Consciousness Body, An Shield. Its purpose isn’t combat, but defense, reconnaissance, and providing rational analysis. The day you fought the Ferris Wheel’s active Consciousness Body, Manager Chen, it was An Shield that first detected that other entity."

Just then, a man’s voice emanated from ahead. It was a deep, steady, middle-aged voice that conveyed an immense sense of security.

"Hello, Manager Chen. I am An Shield. It is my pleasure to serve you."

Guo You walked to one side, retrieved a box, and handed it to Chen Chuan. "Manager Chen, as an Investigation Chief, you can now control a portion of the active Consciousness Body An Shield’s permissions. Please put this on so we can complete the procedure."

Chen Chuan opened the box to find a custom-made Realm Token inside. After putting it on, he followed the prompts to enter a password known only to him and perform an additional verification with his Domain Lock.

He then understood that from this point forward, his Realm Token would be under the constant protection of An Shield. Within Central City, he would no longer need to worry about intrusions from any Resonator. Moreover, no matter where he was, he could communicate with An Shield and maintain contact with the bureau at any time, as long as he did not actively block the connection.

He could also use An Shield to access classified information that was restricted to the Processing Bureau and directly review the basic profiles and Implant statuses of any personnel ranked below him.

Guo You smiled. "Manager Chen, for your safety, the bureau will provide you with a private armed motorcade. There will be three four-man teams, twelve men in total, working in shifts to provide you with round-the-clock protection. They will be under your direct command. The bureau will also assign you a Resonator."

"Hmm, the bureau is aware that our manpower may be stretched thin given certain situations. So, if you feel that’s not enough, Manager Chen, you are also authorized to recruit your own personnel."

"The bureau will provide a quota for two Resonators and twelve security members—a total of fourteen people. The bureau will cover half of their employment costs, and these individuals will automatically be granted temporary status as Processing Bureau personnel."

"On top of that, the bureau will provide you with a monthly operating budget of 100,000 yuan, Manager Chen."

Guo You added with a beaming smile, "As for how you use it, you just need to submit a monthly expense report, Manager Chen."

"Oh, right. The bureau has also purchased a Class-A City Security and Defense service package and a Second Level Parallel Emergency Medical service plan for you, Manager Chen. As long as you hold this position, these services will be renewed annually."

Chen Chuan knew the City Security and Defense service was backed by the City Council, while the Parallel Emergency Medical service was a joint venture between several pharmaceutical corporations. After asking a few questions, however, he learned that the Administrative Affairs Hall purchased these services for all its subordinate department heads as a standard policy. So, even if he didn’t need them, the costs were already included in the budget.

He reflected internally on the enormous gap in benefits between an ordinary Processing Bureau employee and a member of the upper echelons. ’And the higher you go,’ he thought, ’the wider that chasm must become.’

Next, with explanations from both An Shield and Guo You, he began to understand the full scope of his new responsibilities.

There were two types of Investigation Chiefs. The first was the administrative-focused Regional Investigation Chief, who oversaw a specific area and primarily handled bureaucratic affairs or served as a liaison between the bureau, other departments, and subordinates. They didn’t operate on the front lines.

The second type was the operations-focused Investigation Chief, which was Chen Chuan’s role. He was not required for routine missions but would be deployed only when a situation reached a certain danger level.

In theory, he had the authority to command several of the bureau’s Execution Captains for unified missions.

But that was only the official description. The true purpose of an Investigation Chief was to monitor and investigate the various corporations within Central City. At critical junctures, he would be expected to confront their armed forces.

Guo You said with a smile, "Manager Chen, the higher-ups have already approved a three-month leave for you. The bureau will have specific assignments for you when you return."

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