Chapter 751: Meeting

“Cough, cough.”

Manager Han coughed a few times, spitting out a mouthful of shattered teeth and bloody foam. He then scrambled across the ground on all fours, trying to get back up.

His heart continuously pumped out Essence Blood, mending his injuries.

After staggering a few steps away, he finally stood up straight. But just as he tried to turn and face Chen Chuan, a powerful force slammed into his back. His chest and abdomen bulged forward grotesquely, and he was once again sent flying.

A moment later, healed by his Essence Blood, he rose to his feet again. The result, however, was the same. An unstoppable force slammed him back to the ground.

This scene repeated for over ten minutes. Every time Manager Han was knocked down, he would stubbornly struggle back to his feet. Yet, the moment he stood, he was mercilessly struck down again. He was only allowed to recover while on the ground. The instant he tried to rise, a ruthless blow would follow.

Chen Chuan was clearly sending a message with his actions: Manager Han was not worthy of standing. He deserved only to lie there on the ground.

At this point, Manager Han could no longer maintain his earlier composure. His eyes were completely bloodshot, and his chest heaved violently.

This helplessness—being able to do nothing but take a beating—would have filled even a bystander with a sense of futility. For Manager Han, who was in the thick of it, it was pure despair. Yet, he refused to give in.

“HRAAAGH!”

He roared, unleashing a wave of spiritual energy. The fine gravel on the ground danced, and nearby insects dropped from the sky in a shower.

However, thorough preparations had been made for his capture. The nearest person was four or five hundred meters away, so the blast didn’t affect anyone.

Chen Chuan treated it as a gentle breeze, continuing his advance until he stood right in front of Manager Han. The latter instinctively threw a punch, but Chen Chuan caught his wrist. A visible shockwave of air erupted at the point of contact, accompanied by the sound of splintering bone.

Manager Han’s face was a mask of savagery. Ignoring his twisted, mangled arm, he desperately channeled his Heart Force. But no matter how he tried to send his Three-Phase Force into Chen Chuan, it simply vanished without a trace, giving no feedback at all.

This was more than just a physical injury; it was a devastating blow to his confidence in his own martial strength.

Chen Chuan’s grip remained unchanged, but a ripple, like a surging wave, suddenly appeared on Manager Han’s arm. It was the visual manifestation of his power being scattered and then forced back. With a loud BANG, all the flesh on Manager Han’s arm exploded outward.

Manager Han jerked back, a strangled “Urk!” escaping his throat. He involuntarily stumbled back half a step and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments, his body swaying unsteadily.

He had already spent a vast amount of Essence Blood to heal the arm injured by Manager Wen. Throughout this fight, he had been constantly forcing out more Essence Blood to mend his wounds. Now, his reserves were almost completely depleted, leaving him with nothing left.

Chen Chuan released his grip. He then extended a finger and tapped Manager Han’s brow with lightning speed. Manager Han’s whole body shuddered, and he stumbled back several steps. A moment later, the flesh on his torso and limbs began to burst open with a series of wet POPS. The falling flesh littered the ground, and in an instant, he was transformed into a skeleton from the neck down, completely stripped of flesh.

But he was still alive. The Life Force of a Third Limit Fighter kept him clinging to life. At this moment, however, only some of the Mutated Organization within his internal organs remained. The Mutated Organization elsewhere in his body had been utterly annihilated by a Soft Force. His regeneration had all but ceased; he was barely hanging on by a thread.

The Processing Bureau members on both sides of the street watched in horror as the bloody skeleton staggered a few steps, then dropped to its knees with a thud, its head coming to rest on the pavement.

The entire street fell silent.

Chen Chuan looked at the kneeling Manager Han, strode forward, grabbed him by the spine, and hauled him to his feet. With almost no flesh left, Manager Han felt unnervingly light, weighing next to nothing.

If he didn’t need to interrogate Manager Han for intelligence, identify the people backing him, and gather evidence, Chen Chuan would have killed him on the spot.

He spoke a command into his Realm Token. At his word, Processing Bureau agents emerged from both sides of the street, aiming their guns at the people in Manager Han’s motorcade and ordering them out of their vehicles.

None of them resisted. They obediently exited their vehicles, surrendered all their weapons, and were then put in special restraints and led to the detainment vehicles.

After shoving Manager Han into a vehicle and ensuring he was restrained, Chen Chuan glanced around. He saw that everyone present was staring at him. Surveying the scene, he used his Realm Token to issue an order to all personnel present, as well as to everyone within the Processing Bureau:

“By order of high command, from this moment forward, I am taking command of all internal and external affairs of the Processing Bureau!”

Across the communication channel, all members of the Processing Bureau responded in perfect unison: “Yes, Manager!” The resounding cry shook the entire street, its echo carrying far beyond the immediate area.

Chen Chuan retrieved the Snow Monarch Blade and strode to his assigned vehicle. Once inside, he ordered, “Fall back. Return to the Processing Bureau.” Beyond the street, the armored vehicles forming the blockade began to withdraw. The Airships in the sky also began to move, following the convoy as it sped away.

From the main seat, he instructed the communications officer to send a telegram on a secure channel, informing Specialist Cao that the situation was resolved.

Specialist Cao, however, likely already knew the outcome.

The truth had been uncovered so quickly this time because the General Affairs Bureau had an agent close to Manager Han.

Although Manager Han trusted no one and had brainwashed his subordinates with drugs and psychological conditioning before moving against Manager Wen, the embedded agent had taken prior precautions. The agent quickly regained their senses, and after their memories returned, they found a way to relay the information.

A few minutes after the telegram was sent, he received a reply. After reading it, he gazed forward. ‘Time to head back and begin the interrogation.’

‘Manager Han couldn’t have done this alone. There’s clearly someone backing him, possibly even someone hiding within Wuyi Academy. I have to find a way to drag them out into the light this time.’

A little over ten minutes later, the convoy returned to the Processing Bureau.

Upon entering the Headquarters, Chen Chuan began organizing the interrogations. They hadn’t just arrested Manager Han and the men he’d brought with him; in fact, Manager Han’s subordinates inside the Headquarters had already been detained.

When the operation began, all branch offices had acted in concert. The network of influence and personnel Manager Han had built was wiped out from top to bottom.

These were extraordinary circumstances, allowing for no soft measures. Therefore, even those who were merely suspects were detained. They would be sorted through later.

As he was managing the situation, he suddenly noticed a message on his Realm Token. He hadn’t paid attention at first, but he soon realized it had been sent directly to his device, completely bypassing the Domain’s information network.

He glanced at the message, his expression flickering. After a moment of thought, he immediately notified Zou Jinxing that he had to step out and placed him in charge of the bureau’s security during his absence.

Zou Jinxing had been Xu Chan’s most trusted partner. Also an Execution Captain, he was currently the only one of his rank remaining in Central City. Leaving him in charge would ensure everything remained stable.

After giving his instructions, Chen Chuan went downstairs, got into a car, and drove himself to the docks in Yinglu District. He parked and got out.

The pier had been deserted just a moment ago, but now, as he looked up, he saw a figure standing there with hands in his pockets, gazing at the waves that shimmered with golden light in the sun.

He walked up to the man. “Teacher Xue, you’re back?”

Xue Shou smiled. “I said I’d be back after some time. Now is that time.”

‘I didn’t expect him so soon,’ Chen Chuan thought. ‘I figured it would be later.’ He also knew that a Fighting Master wouldn’t just wander around aimlessly. There had to be a specific reason for this visit.

He asked, “Is there something you need, Teacher Xue?”

Xue Shou glanced at the Airships passing overhead. For a moment, his gaze seemed to pierce the surface of the sea, locking onto a target stationary in the far distance.

He said, “The one from the Federation’s delegation has been sitting outside Central City for long enough. Someone ought to deal with it.”

Chen Chuan nodded. ‘So that’s what this is about.’ That explained it.

“Chen, I said I’d return to check on the progress of your cultivation. But you’ve advanced much faster than I expected,”

Teacher Xue gave him a meaningful look. “This level you’ve reached… hmm… I thought it would take you a bit longer. But looking at you now, it seems I can give you some things ahead of schedule.”

He reached into his pocket, took something out, and tossed it to him.

Chen Chuan caught it and opened his hand to look. It was a fruit-like object. If he had to describe its appearance, it looked like a small Green Orange.

Xue Shou said, “Eat it when you feel the time is right.”

Seeing that Xue Shou didn’t explain what it was, Chen Chuan didn’t press for details. He simply nodded and put it in his pocket.

Xue Shou continued, “I said I would teach you for a full half-year. For now, I’ll be staying at Wuyi Academy. If you have any more questions about your Spiritual Cultivation, you can contact me through the academy’s platform.”

Chen Chuan said, “Understood, Teacher Xue.”

Just then, his Realm Token chimed. He glanced at it and saw a message from the head of the interrogation team. Apologizing to Xue Shou, he accepted the connection and asked, “What’s the situation?”

The team leader replied, “Manager Chen, Manag… Han Fu says he wants to see you.”

Chen Chuan’s gaze flickered. “I’m on my way back.” When he finished speaking and looked up again, the pier was deserted. Xue Shou was gone.