Chapter 757: To Come Again

The Gard Car drove along the road toward Motie Mountain. Chen Chuan sat in the driver’s seat, thinking that the students of Wuyi Academy truly had immense potential for growth.

They were elites who had already passed through several rounds of selection. Given a platform and sufficient resources, they were capable of great things.

In Gao Ming’s words, this was a natural base of support. And indeed, compared to the people at his bureau, those from Yangzhi trusted him more and were naturally on his side.

Besides his old friends and former classmates, he had also considered recruiting Geng Zheng and his two companions.

However, the three of them weren’t particularly close to him, so he couldn’t just offer them favorable terms right away. He planned to recruit them after his old friends and former classmates had made some progress.

‘I’ll think about it again in a while.’

The Gard Car had now reached the slope leading up to the Cao Manor. It was October, and the maple trees on the mountain ridges were gradually turning red. A gust of wind would send half-golden, half-red leaves fluttering through the air to scatter across the ground.

When he arrived at the manor’s entrance, Uncle Ding was already there waiting. As Chen Chuan stepped out of the car, Uncle Ding came forward, greeted him respectfully, and led him into the estate, saying, “The young master is in the garden.”

Chen Chuan followed him. Before he even arrived, he heard the sound of an ocarina. Its melody was gentle and melancholic, with a lingering charm that evoked the bleak beauty of autumn.

He stood to the side and listened for a while, only walking over after the music ended.

“Please, sit.”

Dressed in crimson robes with a jade-inlaid circlet on his forehead, Cao Guiqi sat within an exquisite stone pavilion. The white Clay Ocarina rested on the table before him. Not far away, in the shallows of a lake, several Immortal Cranes gracefully flapped their wings, teasing one another as if engaged in a dance.

After Chen Chuan sat, Uncle Ding immediately stepped forward, picked up a gilded black-lacquer Zisha teapot from the table, and poured him a cup of tea.

Chen Chuan nodded in thanks.

He took a sip from his cup, then said, “Senior Brother, I’ll be going on a trip soon. It might be a while before I’m back, so I came to let you know.”

Cao Guiqi considered this for a moment, then asked, “The Merging Land?”

Chen Chuan didn’t hide it. “Yes.”

At this, Uncle Ding couldn’t help but look up and glance at him.

Cao Guiqi said, “I’ve heard about the recent events in Central City.” He didn’t ask what exactly Chen Chuan was going to do, but he could generally surmise.

‘The struggle between the government and the corporations… with Chen Chuan’s rising status, he was bound to get drawn in. It’s unavoidable. When you hold a high position, your actions are rarely your own.’

He turned and said, “Uncle Ding, bring me that token.” Uncle Ding gave a slight bow and left.

A moment later, Uncle Ding returned and placed a token on the table. “Young Master, what you asked for.”

Chen Chuan glanced at it. It was a token in the distinct style of the Old Imperial Family, with an intricate cloud-and-thunder pattern around its border. On it was the single word, “Passage.”

Cao Guiqi said, “This token was a gift from some people who came to see me. They hoped I would do certain things for them, but I will never use it. This is a new age, yet some are still lost in the deluded dreams of the old one.”

His tone held a clear apathy toward certain people. “Junior Brother, since you’re going to the Merging Land, you might as well take this. It may have some use. Of course, it would be for the best if you never need it.”

Chen Chuan accepted without ceremony. ‘He could tell that Senior Brother Cao truly didn’t care about the token and, in fact, seemed eager to be rid of it. In that case, he might as well help him by taking it off his hands.’

Cao Guiqi then picked up the Clay Ocarina and began to play again. Before them, the Immortal Cranes started to dance to the music, now flapping their wings, now leaping into the air, a picture of nimble, carefree grace.

Chen Chuan listened quietly from the side.

He did not stay long. After just over an Hour, he took his leave.

He returned directly to his residence this time, not concerning himself with other matters. He simply made his final checks and preparations before departure.

「October 11th, 4:00 AM.」

Chen Chuan emerged from his breathing meditation early that morning. After washing up, he stood before a full-length mirror and put on his pristine Investigation Chief uniform.

In addition to his uniform, he had also packed several sets of casual wear, including a few dusters. Clothing was easily damaged when traveling through the Merging Land, so it was necessary to pack extra.

After straightening his peaked cap in the mirror, he studied his reflection for a moment, then took hold of the Snow Monarch Blade. Picking up his suitcase, he walked out of the room.

The designated meeting point was only a ten-minute walk from the station, so he didn’t drive.

He soon entered the station and took an elevator down through a subterranean passage to the lowest level. It was almost exactly 4:20 AM. As he stepped out of the elevator and onto the platform, he saw Counselor Pei was already there. He walked over and shook his hand.

Counselor Pei glanced at Chaoming. He knew Chen Chuan had a pet, but the bird looked unusual at the moment. He figured Chen Chuan had his reasons for bringing it, so he didn’t ask.

They waited only a few minutes. At 4:30 AM, a train pulled into the station right on time, and the two men boarded together.

After they sat down, Counselor Pei took out a deck of cards and smiled. “We’ve got a full day on this train. Chief Chen, interested in a few hands?”

Chen Chuan asked, “Just the two of us?”

Counselor Pei gestured, and an assistant waiting to the side came over and sat down. Counselor Pei handed the deck to the assistant to shuffle. As the cards were dealt, he picked his up and said, “The Old Imperial Family, the Federation and the Lynx Federation, and then there’s the Administrative Affairs Hall. It’s a three-way struggle, isn’t it?”

He glanced at his hand and saw he held the highest card, the Great Sun. He couldn’t help but smile. “It seems I have a winning hand this time.”

Several cards had been dealt in front of Chen Chuan, but he didn’t reach for them. Instead, he said, “The winner isn’t decided by who has the best cards, but by who has the power to flip the entire table.”

Counselor Pei’s hand, holding his cards, paused for a fraction of a second. Then, he nodded.

The train entered the Merging Land at 5:00 AM and continued along the tracks. Around three or four in the afternoon, it neared a military fortress.

Chen Chuan looked out the window. It was clearly different from Fortress No. 4, which he had visited before. This fortress was at least two or three times larger, and there were many more troops stationed around it.

Beyond the fortress walls were an Eternal Firmament Camp and numerous sentry posts. Roadblocks and barbed wire were everywhere. The acrid smell of gunpowder hung in the air, and the ground was littered with the half-cleared carcasses of Merging Land creatures.

Counselor Pei said, “This is Fortress No. 3, the last major outpost before the deep Merging Land. Beyond this are only small sentry posts with no direct access. We’ll spend the night here.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll arrange for an Airship to take you, Chief Chen, to a native settlement we’re in contact with. Starting from there should save you a significant amount of time.”

Chen Chuan nodded. He didn’t really need the rest, but he did need to learn more about the current situation within the Merging Land. A fortress like this was the best place to gather intelligence, and he could also acquire the vehicle he needed.

The train slowed as it entered the station. Once it came to a complete stop, Counselor Pei put on his hat. “Chief Chen, let’s disembark.”

Chen Chuan stood and walked out of the VIP cabin. An attendant went to get his suitcase, smiling first at Chaoming, who was perched on top of it. He then gripped it with both hands and tried to lift, but found the case was so heavy it wouldn’t budge an inch.

Chaoming looked down, tilted its head in thought, and with a CHIRP, hopped off the suitcase.

The attendant let out a breath and tried again, but he still couldn’t move it in the slightest. Feeling Chaoming’s gaze on him, his face flushed with embarrassment.

By now, Chen Chuan had walked over. “I’ll get it,” he said. He grabbed the suitcase’s handle and lifted it off the floor with a single, effortless motion. He gave the embarrassed attendant a nod, then stepped off the train. Once on the platform, he kicked the wheels out from under the case and set it down.

He looked up at the sky. ‘It’s been about a year since I was last in the Merging Land, and it seems nothing has changed. The sky above is still just as gloomy and overcast.’

With a flurry of wingbeats, Chaoming flew out from the train car and immediately circled once overhead. It seemed to adapt to this place quite well, letting out a sharp CHIRP.

Chen Chuan had wrapped an Active Line around it from the start. He glanced at Chaoming’s Activity Index, which initially read one. In an instant, it jumped to three, then to five. However, as Chaoming began using the Breathing Technique he had taught it, the number quickly dropped, stabilizing between three and five.

He nodded to himself. ‘It seems the Breathing Technique is effective.’

Counselor Pei also stepped off the train, suitcase in hand. He looked into the distance and said, “Our ride is here.”

In the distance, an open-top off-road vehicle approached and stopped before them. A military officer, a Lieutenant, stood up in the vehicle and saluted.

“Reporting! Lieutenant Dai Hu, Fortress No. 3! I am under orders to welcome you, sirs! Please, get in the vehicle!”

Counselor Pei and Chen Chuan returned the salute and climbed into the off-road vehicle.

After sitting down, Chen Chuan saw that his Realm Token was now functional. He brought up the map the Defense Department had given him for comparison. According to its markings, Fortress No. 3 was situated to the north, surrounded by a dense cluster of smaller outposts. At least several thousand troops were stationed here.

The place he was headed was even farther north. There was only a single Airship route, and it barely reached the edge of the region.

As he was studying the map, a Signal Flare suddenly shot up from a nearby sentry post, followed by the sound of machine-gun fire.

At the same time, a chirped warning from Chaoming sounded through his Realm Token. He glanced back and saw a creature with a massive wingspan swooping toward them from out of the rear sky.