Chapter 657 - 8: Disposition

Chen Chuan looked at the bloody mess at his feet and glanced at his Second Self. The signs of it fading hadn’t disappeared as he’d expected.

From beneath the crater of shattered bricks, an astonishing amount of blood gushed out, quickly filling the shallow pit and seeping into the cracks below.

He glanced around. The blood seemed to possess its own Life Force, spreading outward relentlessly. A faint cracking sound came from the edges of the brickwork as tiny pebbles shattered and popped out. Immediately after, more cracks spiderwebbed outward. A moment later, something pushed up from beneath, buckling the solid brick surface.

Where the blood had soaked in, clusters of small, deep-red, twig-like appendages sprouted. They resembled blood-colored coral, and in just a few moments, they had covered a twenty-meter radius.

When the clusters grew to a certain size, their tips suddenly burst open, and a swarm of tiny insects scattered out, crawling quickly toward the unconscious gunmen scattered about.

Chen Chuan’s gaze sharpened. ’Is this a fusion of the corruption and this world’s native creatures, or is it simply an ability of the thing itself?’

’Either way, I can’t let these things run rampant.’

A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes as an invisible Spiritual Power emanated from him. In an instant, the squirming, crawling insects curled up and died violently. The men on the ground convulsed, blood seeping from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses. One by one, they fell silent.

Hit by a Spiritual Shock twice in such a short time and at such close range, these men were doomed.

And under the force of his Spiritual Power, the coral-like growths began to tremble violently, then shriveled up. Within moments, they had turned a grayish-white and crumbled into a pile of dust.

Only when Chen Chuan saw the signs of fading on his body disappear completely did the light in his eyes slowly recede.

Looking around, he thought, ’Looks like using Spiritual Power on these things is quite effective, but only if I’m not affected myself.’

’While I was unleashing my Spiritual Power, this thing was also trying to corrupt me in return.’

’If anyone else had to deal with this, it would’ve been extremely difficult. It’d be very easy to leave some hidden dangers behind.’

He reached out, touched his Realm Token, and contacted his convoy. A range of three to four kilometers was just within the communication limits of a Domain Creature. Although the Domain signal was extremely weak, it was enough to transmit a simple command.

He had the convoy’s security personnel immediately use their telegraph to notify the Yangzhi City Processing Bureau, telling He Fen to dispatch a team to handle the aftermath here.

The Yangzhi City branch did not have jurisdiction over security at Yuanwang Port, because the port had its own armed forces and was administratively under the direct control of the Jibei Dao Administrative Hall.

However, the Processing Bureau Headquarter in Central City did have that authority. As an Investigation Chief from the Headquarter, he had every right to mobilize the branch’s forces for a thorough investigation of this place.

Shortly after the communication, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. It was the port’s security force. As they rushed in and took in the scene, they grew tense. Some soldiers involuntarily raised their rifles, but their leading captain immediately barked an order for them to stop.

Chen Chuan was wearing a Processing Bureau overcoat, and it was a model not available to ordinary members. The regular soldiers couldn’t recognize it, but their captain could. Besides, he was only here because he had received orders from his superiors.

He said cautiously, "We are the patrol team responsible for port security. I am Squad Captain Liao Guang. Please state your identity, sir."

Just as he was speaking, a car sped over from outside, screeching to a halt at the intersection. A well-dressed, dignified middle-aged man got out.

When the security members saw him, they immediately parted to the sides and saluted him.

The middle-aged man walked in with a grim expression. When he saw Chen Chuan and met his deep, tranquil gaze, his heart tightened for some unknown reason, though his outward appearance remained composed. But after he glanced at the bodies on the ground, his expression looked somewhat strained.

He said, "Chief Chen, you sent someone to notify us, yet you came here and acted on your own. This is hardly appropriate. If this incident is mishandled, it could have a negative impact on the port’s operations."

As the person in charge of the port, his rank was not low—only half a step below Chen Chuan’s. Furthermore, they weren’t from the same department, so he felt he had the standing to speak to Chen Chuan as an equal.

Chen Chuan smiled. "My apologies. I originally intended to coordinate with your people, but the situation was urgent. This person was the first to open fire on us. I assume the port also heard that gunshot, yet the port authorities made no response. I had no choice but to take emergency action."

"Besides, as you can see, sir, the man in question is a wanted felon, and there are so many armed men here. If they were not eliminated promptly, the impact on the port would probably be even greater."

The middle-aged man took a deep breath and said, "I just received an order. A pardon for Kenwa is already on its way. Chief Chen, you’ve killed a man who had been pardoned by the Upper Layer. He is no longer a criminal."

"Is that so?"

Chen Chuan said in a flat tone, "That’s regrettable. The pardon seems to be unnecessary now."

Seeing that he seemed completely unconcerned about the potential pressure from above, the middle-aged man fell silent.

Just then, the sound of more vehicles was heard outside. This time, it was Chen Chuan’s personal convoy pulling up. His security detail, led by Yu Xiao, quickly jogged inside.

Yu Xiao saluted Chen Chuan and said in a solemn voice, "Chief, the men are all here."

Chen Chuan immediately ordered, "Secure the scene. Don’t let any outsiders near this place until Director He arrives."

"Yes, sir!"

At that, the port’s security captain, Liao Guang, raised his hand in a crisp salute to Chen Chuan. "Sir, we can assist with the lockdown."

He had long wanted to arrest the fugitive Kenwa but had been stopped by his superiors. His own strength hadn’t been sufficient either, so he could only watch as the man occupied this part of the port. Now that Chen Chuan had dealt with him, he was inwardly overjoyed.

Chen Chuan looked over, saw his serious and earnest expression, and nodded at him. "Then please, Captain Liao, lock down this area."

"Yes, sir!"

Without so much as a glance at the sour expression on the port director’s face, he gave a few simple instructions to his team, and they all sprang into action.

Chen Chuan then walked over to his official car. He was about to have the telegraphist send a message to Specialist Cao to inform him that the matter was concluded.

However, before he could do so, a telegram arrived. The telegraphist received it, immediately decoded the message, and presented it to him.

Chen Chuan took it and glanced at the contents. It read: "Situation acknowledged. Cease transmission."

He raised an eyebrow. ’It seems the General Affairs Bureau has informants inside the port.’

He looked up and instructed the telegraphist, "Send a report to the Headquarter. Inform them of the situation here, and add a note: based on the scene, it is confirmed there is corruption from the Opposite World. I will have someone send the remains to the Headquarter later. Please be prepared to receive them."

The telegraphist immediately sat back down and began sending the message as instructed.

He remained at the scene until nightfall. At a little past ten o’clock, He Fen finally arrived with his people from the Processing Bureau’s branch office. He got out of his car and immediately hurried over to meet Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan explained the situation to him and concluded, "Director He, please arrange for capable personnel to transport these remains I’ve collected to the Headquarter in Central City. I will state in my report that this matter was completed with the cooperation of the branch office."

He Fen’s spirits immediately lifted. As a Third Limit Fighter, he was well aware of his own limited talent. Reaching the Third Limit was his peak, which was why he was willing to come here and serve as the director of a branch office.

But while the path of martial strength was closed to him, the path of administration was still open. After all, many officials in the Processing Bureau didn’t rise through the ranks based on combat power. The tasks they handled were mostly administrative, not fighting on the front lines, and that required a solid record of achievements.

This was clearly Chen Chuan giving him a leg up, offering him a share of the credit.

But the prerequisite was getting the job done right.

He immediately replied with a serious expression, "Chief Chen, I guarantee I will deliver the items safely!"

Chen Chuan nodded slightly, gave a few more instructions, and then handed over the scene to him. He then returned to his car and had the convoy return to Yangzhi City.

After the car started moving, he took a hot drink from an attendant, took a sip, and began to think about what came next.

’By dealing with Kenwa, I’ve completed the evaluation Mr. Zhuan gave me. Honestly, the evaluation itself wasn’t difficult. It really was just a formality, like he said.’

’But on second thought, it wasn’t really that simple.’

’The key was to find the target decisively and quickly, and in the process, not to miss what truly needed to be dealt with.’

’This Kenwa was different from the other beings I’ve encountered. He had likely only borrowed power from an entity in the Opposite World, rather than being possessed in the true sense of the word. Strictly speaking, it’s somewhat similar to how Chen Bitong borrowed the power of the Ink Monster.’

’Thinking about it, that makes sense. As an agent for an entity from the Opposite World, Kenwa wasn’t nearly important enough. There must be someone above him.’

’According to Mr. Zhuan, many in the Upper Layer are trying to borrow power from the entities in the Opposite World. Kenwa was from the Lynx Federation, which suggests a faction of such people might exist there.’

’But is it only the Lynx Federation?’

’And what about within Dashun?’

’And that pardon... was it really that simple?’

’However, I know that with my current level of Energy, I can’t investigate this matter any further. And right now, there’s no need to.’

’My primary goal now is to become stronger. Only when I have sufficient strength will I be qualified to concern myself with these matters.’

’And once I join the Pure Sect, I won’t have to face these things alone. I’ll have an entire faction supporting me.’

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