Chapter 644 - 383: Position

After leaving the underground area of the Processing Bureau, Chen Chuan thanked Vice Director Guo and headed to his office alone.

His office was located in the south corner of the thirtieth floor of the Processing Bureau’s office building, with a direct view of the parking lot, as well as the surrounding streets and buildings.

The office was furnished to the standard for his rank. It came with an independent information Domain Creature, a personal storage room and a classified chamber, a large conference hall, and a private lounge with a bathing facility.

He had no plans to renovate the space. As an operations-focused Investigation Chief, most of his duties required him to be in the field, so he was unlikely to spend much time at the Bureau.

He walked to his desk and picked up a document. It was a commendation letter from the Defense Department for him and his squad members.

The material rewards would be distributed later.

He tapped his Realm Token. Since the Realm Token was now linked to the An Shield, he could use it to look up detailed information on any internal member of the Processing Bureau. He could also review past and ongoing cases at any time.

An ongoing operation was directly related to him; in fact, it fell under his purview.

Since it was a long-term mission, he would likely have to resume handling it after he returned.

He took a look. The primary target was the Lianwei Zhongyu Company.

During the Fumu’s reproduction and division, this company had repeatedly provided escort and mercenary services to other corporations, even transporting the Fumu’s split offspring. A company like this had to be dealt with decisively, either by a targeted strike or by eradicating its business from the city.

However, this would be a long-term process. Unlike the Ferris Wheel Company, its headquarters wasn’t located here, and it had operations in various cities, making it difficult to suppress at its core.

The Administrative Affairs Hall was also extremely dissatisfied with this company and planned to take this opportunity to form a new air freight company, with the Sky Shark Company as its core, to siphon off its business.

The Processing Bureau would increase its supervision and punishment of their mercenary services. But due to Jibei Dao’s special geographical location, which gave it significant influence over the various Island Countries in the Outer Ocean, a huge power vacuum had been left after the fall of Ferris Wheel. This company was unlikely to give up its business here, so a confrontation and strategic game were highly probable.

After reading through the report, he noticed a notification alert. A few internal members of the Processing Bureau had applied to join his investigation team.

He reviewed their qualifications and past records and found none of them to be particularly outstanding. They had likely seen his rising influence in the Processing Bureau and wanted to align with him early on.

After all, he was still young—not even twenty. Even if he made no further progress, he could simply outlast his superiors.

’During missions, it’s true I can’t handle all the investigation, logistics, and technical matters by myself. I’ll definitely need a lot of manpower.’

’But there’s no need to rush. I don’t trust some of the people in the Bureau, and it’s hard to say if someone deliberately planted these applicants.’

He felt he could make good use of the recruitment slots. He already had a few ideas in mind, but there was no hurry. He could deal with it after he returned from his leave.

He was well aware that improving his own strength was the top priority. Power was the only true source of authority.

After ignoring the applications, he scrolled down to a list of weapons, gear, and even equipment available for internal purchase. They even had Resonance Nests, and the prices were relatively cheap.

’In that case,’ he thought, ’I could probably buy some necessary equipment to fortify my residence. It’ll inevitably be useful in future confrontations with corporations.’

In addition to this, some high-tech Implants developed by the state were also available to him. Although he didn’t need them himself, they were certainly an option for arming non-Fighters and civilian staff, or for Fighters with unrecoverable injuries.

For example, Vice Director Luo Xiucheng, who was in charge of internal affairs, was clearly equipped with a full set of advanced Implants.

He didn’t actually look down on this technology. As technology advanced, the utility of such things would certainly become more prominent, especially since they could give ordinary people a certain level of combat capability. They might prove useful in fighting off otherworldly creatures during the future fusion of the two worlds, so this was a major trend.

He stayed for over half an Hour, handling some miscellaneous matters before picking up the case containing his uniform and walking out. The internal affairs officer on duty at the door saluted him, then eagerly extended a hand. "Chief Chen, let me get that for you."

Chen Chuan didn’t refuse and handed the case to him. The two of them then took the elevator downstairs. Along the way, Processing Bureau employees would stop in their tracks when they saw him pass, call out "Chief," and only resume moving after he had gone.

All along the way, people he knew and people he didn’t actively greeted him. He nodded in response to each one, and the officer following behind him puffed out his chest with a bit of pride.

When they reached the entrance to the main hall, he saw it was raining outside. The pale gray sky was slightly overcast, and raindrops drifted in on a brisk wind, feeling exceptionally refreshing.

The officer immediately ran to the side, fetched an umbrella, and opened it for him. He held it out as far as he could over Chen Chuan, completely ignoring the fact that his own body was exposed to the rain.

He descended the wide flight of steps. Upon reaching the parking lot, a team of people immediately approached him. Their leader saluted and said, "Chief Chen, I’m Yu Xiao. My squad and I are responsible for your security during your travels. Where do you need to go?"

Chen Chuan glanced over. There were four armored vehicles in total. Aside from his personal car, the other three were purely for combat, each mounted with a machine gun.

Although his strength meant he didn’t need any protection, this was the standard detail for a Processing Bureau Investigation Chief. It was also their first meeting, so there was no need to refuse. Besides, he needed to get familiar with this personnel.

He thought for a moment, then looked up and said, "Yinglu District. The old Ferris Wheel Company site."

The captain’s expression turned serious. "Yes, sir!"

Someone immediately opened the door to his personal car. After he boarded the extended armored vehicle, the armed personnel outside quickly got into their own cars. The convoy then drove out, and the guards on duty in the front plaza immediately saluted as they passed.

Meanwhile, Sun Rao was heading back to the Bureau in a patrol car. He and Wei Yujie had been on duty all night and were just returning. When they saw the four armored vehicles driving out, their car naturally stopped to wait.

Sun Rao had been at the Processing Bureau for a long time. A single glance at the convoy’s formation told him it must be a Chief or a Vice Director heading out, and he wondered if something was happening again.

Wei Yujie was sitting in the back seat, his elbow resting on the edge of the open window, staring outside boredly.

However, he had always been quite perceptive. Upon seeing the convoy, he immediately pulled up the Bureau’s internal news channel on his Realm Token to check for any special announcements.

After scrolling through, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He glanced at Sun Rao. "Senior Brother Sun, check today’s internal news. See if this newly promoted Investigation Chief is the one you know."

"Investigation Chief?"

Sun Rao looked at the departing convoy, as if remembering something. He involuntarily sat up a little straighter and opened his Realm Token to check.

A moment later, a look of astonishment and shock appeared on his face. After reading it once, he read it again, and then a third time. Finally, he muttered, "I really didn’t expect this... He joined the Processing Bureau long after I did."

Wei Yujie chuckled and said, "Senior Brother Sun, it’s perfectly normal. There’s just a gap between people. It’s not shameful to admit you’re not as good as someone else. Senior Brother, you’ve always worked hard—I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But talent isn’t something you can get through hard work alone. There’s no harm in recognizing your own limits early on."

Sun Rao remained silent and sullen. After the patrol car started up again, drove inside, and parked in the plaza, he said, "You go on ahead. I’m going to the restroom."

After Wei Yujie left, he activated his Realm Token and contacted Ancheng, another sponsored student.

The Realm Token connected a moment later.

Ancheng’s voice came through. "Sun Rao? Why are you calling me at this hour? Make it quick, I have to squeeze in some training after my shift ends."

Sun Rao said, "Don’t push yourself too hard."

Ancheng’s voice instantly grew louder and a bit impatient. "How can I not? If I don’t push myself, I’ll be stuck on patrol duty forever! I’m not willing to accept that, are you? Anyway, what did you call me for? Spit it out."

Sun Rao said, "The Bureau promoted a new Investigation Chief."

Ancheng sounded puzzled. "Why are you telling me this? What does that have to do with us?"

Sun Rao didn’t say anything.

It didn’t take long for Ancheng to realize. His voice changed. "It’s him?"

Sun Rao nodded. "Yes. It happened this morning. You’ll see it if you check the Bureau’s news."

The other end went silent for a moment, clearly while he was checking. A moment later, Ancheng’s voice came through again, filled with disbelief. "This... How is this possible? It’s too fast, isn’t it?"

Sun Rao said grimly, "If the internal reports are true, it’s not fast at all. He’s a Third Limit Fighter. As long as he accomplishes something meritorious, how could he not get promoted?"

Ancheng seemed to have taken a huge blow and was speechless for a moment.

Sun Rao said with a serious tone, "Ancheng, there’s just a gap between people. It’s not shameful to admit you’re not as good as someone else. You’ve always worked hard—I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But talent isn’t something you can get through hard work alone. Give up. There’s no harm in recognizing your own limits early on."

Meanwhile, on a street just outside the Processing Bureau, as Chen Chuan’s convoy was departing, two people in a street-side bar were discussing him.

A man in sunglasses asked, "Was that him just now? The one who split the Ferris Wheel?"

"That’s him. But splitting the Ferris Wheel probably wasn’t his own power. According to intelligence we obtained later, he must have received help from an active Consciousness Body from Wuyi Academy."

The man in sunglasses said, "That makes more sense. But even so, one must have sufficient personal strength to wield the power of an active Consciousness Body. A person like that is qualified to join us."

"So, should we recruit him?"

The man in sunglasses replied, "No rush. Let’s observe him for a while longer. The Refinement Sect isn’t something just anyone can join."

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