「Three days later.」

Through the maneuvering of the Blood Mark Gang’s Litigation Master, and after paying a hefty temporary release fee, Zhuo Bao was let out of the Patrol Bureau.

Due to the Patrol Bureau’s intentional delays, his arm had missed the optimal window for reattachment. On top of that, even though he was injured, he had been thoroughly worked over through various overt and covert means while in custody. As a result, he looked exceptionally listless.

Once he was in the car that had come for him, an old man in the back seat looked at his silence, then glanced at his bandaged, severed hand. "If the hand can’t be reattached, so be it," the old man advised. "We’ll get you an Implant. I guarantee it’ll work even better than your old one, and it won’t affect your combat effectiveness."

He signaled for the driver to go, then added, "But how did you mess up so badly? Getting taken out by a Wuyi Student? You’re one of the Blood Mark Gang’s Five Claws, the face of our company. This is a huge embarrassment, you know? I’ve already had people suppress the news, so don’t you bring this up again."

Zhuo Bao’s mouth twisted into a twitchy smile. "I’m going to kill that brat."

The old man shook his head. "Don’t even think about it. I’ve looked into it. That kid’s maternal uncle is a captain in the Patrol Bureau, and he himself is on record with the bureau’s Upper Layer. If we touch him, the Patrol Bureau will definitely make things difficult for us."

Zhuo Bao turned his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the old man, looking as if he might erupt at any moment. "Are you saying we should just let this go, Uncle Han?"

Uncle Han stared back, his voice low. "The gang is dealing with trouble everywhere lately. Besides the Iron Chain Gang, another faction has its eyes on us, and there are others in the shadows looking to take a bite out of us. Don’t cause any more trouble for me right now. Wait until the gang has settled its external affairs, then you can look for your chance. I won’t stop you then."

Meanwhile, as soon as Zhuo Bao was released, Chen Chuan received a notification from the Patrol Bureau. It stated that if Zhuo Bao appeared before him again and initiated any provocations or attacks during his supervised release, Chen Chuan could kill him on the spot without any legal repercussions.

Chen Chuan thanked the person who notified him, but he wasn’t particularly concerned. If he hadn’t needed to conceal his Unlimited Defense Certificate, he would have killed Zhuo Bao right then and there.

As for retaliation from the Blood Mark Gang, they were too preoccupied to deal with him at the moment. Even if they did come after him, as long as they didn’t use guns, they would just be practice dummies for him.

There was simply no comparison between an ordinary person and a Fighter. As his Mutated Organization grew stronger, the gap between him and a normal person widened to the point they could no longer be compared.

He was more wary of the Mutual Aid Association than the Blood Mark Gang right now.

Around noon that day, Cheng Zitong came to find him. After sitting down, he said, "Xiaochuan, I’ve had someone look into it. Director Lei’s information was accurate. Many officials from the Administrative Affairs Department were dismissed over the water pollution incident, so a lot of positions have been shuffling around. Liu Zhan has been making moves."

"His transfer won’t be immediate, but that’s just the official start date. The transfer notice could arrive sooner. Once he has that in hand, he might just decide his promise is null and void."

Chen Chuan nodded in understanding. A bureaucrat like Liu Zhan had made the promise purely out of deference to Director Lei. Besides, the Foreign Affairs Bureau had been under the thumb of the Esoteric Review Bureau and had to curry favor with Director Lei. Once Liu Zhan was transferred, he wouldn’t pay it any mind.

In Director Lei’s words, the man would most likely use this situation for personal gain. If so, the Mutual Aid Association would probably find out about the evaluation immediately.

Cheng Zitong’s voice was low. "I’ll keep an eye on things over there. There shouldn’t be any changes before the end of the month, so you can act freely. The day before yesterday, I sent a telegram to Old He, but he hasn’t replied yet. He’s probably still in seclusion, training. I also sent him a letter, which he should receive in the next day or two."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "Teacher, I want to try taking on that supernatural case commission. It would also give me something to report back to the company."

"That supernatural case..."

Cheng Zitong immediately knew which one he meant. It was a rather difficult case with no precedent, so the two of them had discussed it many times before.

He said, "You’re right to do this. If the Mutual Aid Association makes a move and you can’t handle it, you’ll have to leave town to lay low for a while. You really do need something to show the company. If you can solve this case, it will be more than enough to justify yourself to them."

Although the case looked very difficult, he had faith in his student and didn’t try to stop him. He only offered a few words of caution and reminded him of some things to watch out for. After he was done, he stood up. "Alright, I have to get going. Wait for my call about Old He."

Chen Chuan agreed. After seeing Cheng Zitong off, he began preparing to deal with the supernatural case.

He wanted to take on this supernatural case, but not just to have something to show the company. He also needed to increase his combat effectiveness as much as possible.

In particular, he needed to increase the overlap time of his Second Self as much as possible.

He didn’t yet know what kind of enemy he would face, but he was certain the Mutual Aid Association would gather all kinds of information on him and prepare a thorough, targeted attack. Increasing his overlap time would significantly improve his odds of victory.

Completing the assessment for his Unlimited Defense Certificate had added over an hour to his overlap time, bringing the total to more than four hours.

Defeating Zhuo Bao a few days ago, however, had only added fifteen minutes—a limited improvement. This was because the man hadn’t put much pressure on him, unless he were to have fought him bare-handed without a weapon.

But even if he could do it again, he wouldn’t. If a simple method existed to defeat an enemy, he would always use it.

Only by encountering and defeating a stronger opponent could he significantly increase his overlap time. For now, the company’s supernatural case commission seemed like a suitable target.

But he had to prepare and bring the right tools.

He spent the next day making preparations. He also called the company to inform them he was accepting the commission.

The next day, he gathered his supplies and had Driver Xiaowei drive him toward Xieshan, southeast of Yangzhi. Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, they found a small village. Driver Xiaowei said, "Expert Chen, I didn’t expect to find a village here. It’s not on the map."

Chen Chuan knew that many villages were unlisted on maps. Small villages, especially those a bit far from the city, were often unmarked because their inhabitants were largely unrecognized by Yangzhi.

He saw from a distance that the houses were very old. Like villages elsewhere, they bore the distinct style of the Great Expansion era, with the original Sentry Posts having been converted into warehouses.

After entering the village, they started asking around. When the villagers heard they were there to deal with the mountain’s supernatural case, they were all intrigued and came out to have a look. It had been many years since anyone had come, not since the last team that tried to eliminate the "monster" had failed. The villagers themselves had almost grown accustomed to it.

An old man who looked like the village chief asked doubtfully, "Young men, can you really solve this?"

Driver Xiaowei said, "Don’t be skeptical. This is Expert Chen, the one who took care of the Flying Head Monster. That was a commission from the Administrative Affairs Department!"

"The Flying Head Monster." At the mention of this, the way the villagers looked at Chen Chuan instantly changed. After all, the Flying Head Sect had a long and widespread history in this region, its influence far greater and more notorious than their local supernatural case.

’If he could handle the Flying Head Monster, he could surely handle the thing on the mountain across from them.’ This problem had plagued them for many years. Initially, the villagers had pooled their money to commission someone, but after several failures, no one was willing to take the job. If they had a choice, who would want to live day in and day out with such a threat?

So, the villagers enthusiastically found a Hunter to act as their guide.

There was only one road into the mountains, and it was only drivable for the first stretch. After that, the car could go no further, and the rest of the journey had to be made on foot.

Chen Chuan had Driver Xiaowei return to the village to wait, while he followed the Hunter into the mountains. Over two hours later, they arrived at a high slope. The Hunter pointed to the opposite mountain peak. "Expert Chen, it’s right there. That’s the temple. People from my uncle’s generation, and my grandfather’s generation before that, led groups inside."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you. You can head back now. I can manage on my own from here."

Seeing that he was alone, the Hunter was uneasy. "Expert Chen, are you sure you don’t need any help? I can go back to the village, and with one shout, my neighbors and I can round up a dozen or so able-bodied men."

Chen Chuan patted his sturdy shoulder. "Go on back. I’ll handle what’s left."

"Then be careful," the Hunter said.

After the Hunter left, Chen Chuan gazed at the mountain peak, recalling the intelligence he had gathered on this case.

The supernatural case was known as the "Mountain Ghost," and its history was long. An account existed in the Three Mountains Legend, which told of a Divine Temple on Xieshan. The temple originally housed a statue of a god, but at some unknown time, it was replaced with a statue of a monster.

Two children who went to play in the temple came back saying the statue’s eyes moved. When the villagers found out, they believed the Mountain God had manifested and rushed to present offerings. The Mountain Ghost "ate with its stomach, chewing as if it were candy."

The villagers were initially overjoyed, believing the Mountain God had manifested. But who could have known that this Mountain Ghost consumed not only the offerings, but also the people who delivered them? Moreover, it would descend into the village to devour people one or two nights each month.

So every night, all the village households would bolt their doors and windows, praying it wouldn’t be their turn. And yet, no one left the village.

Because the area was so remote, those hiding in the mountains were exempt from paying taxes to the Government and performing compulsory labor. They would rather endure the danger of being devoured than leave the mountain.

The legend ended with the villagers scattering and a group from Esoteric Buddhism finally arriving to imprison the Mountain Ghost. This group was a recurring protagonist throughout the Three Mountains Legend.

After the Republic was founded, a new village was built on the once-desolate land. The first few decades were peaceful, until someone discovered a Mountain Ghost temple in the mountains, and the events of the past began to repeat themselves.

But today’s villagers were different from those of the past. They were hardy folk, descendants of those who had arrived during the Great Expansion. As soon as they realized something was wrong, they gathered men and weapons to launch an assault, and even put out a commission. But ultimately, all their efforts ended in failure, and very few of those who went ever came back.

Even now, when night falls, the nearby villagers leave livestock in their villages while they retreat to distant fortresses to avoid being disturbed by the entity.

Even so, over the past two decades, the dozen or so villages that once surrounded Xieshan have ceased to exist one by one. Most of their inhabitants died of mysterious illnesses.

Chen Chuan had been mulling over how to resolve this case ever since he learned about it. He used to feel he lacked the ability to protect himself, but now that he had reached the Second Limit, he had a certain degree of confidence.

After observing for a moment, he was just about to head over when he suddenly sensed something. He raised his hand to look at his wrist, where a strand of the Flying Head Monster’s hair was tied. It was now reacting faintly.

’This must be from when I patted that Hunter.’ He quietly lowered his hand, looked toward the mountain peak once more, tightened his grip on the Snow Monarch Blade, and started walking in that direction.

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