The investigation into Shen Zheng’s murder was now closed. After all, with the Mutual Aid Association wiped out, there was no longer any need for secrecy. The surviving culprits had already confessed.

However, the results of the investigation had not yet been made public, so the academy was still in the dark about the specifics.

Chen Chuan had learned a great deal from Wei Jun that night, and he felt it was necessary to share what he knew. Even if he didn’t, the truth would surely come out later.

He believed that some people, upon learning the truth, wouldn’t simply let the matter rest. This was especially true for certain members of the Fenxin Society, many of whom had received kindness and help from Shen Zheng in the past. They would definitely try to find out what happened to his younger sister.

He was also unsure how He Xiaoxing would react to the news.

Theoretically, the matter had little to do with He Xiaoxing. However, Shen Zheng’s death was undeniably a direct consequence of it. Moreover, the mastermind behind Shen Zheng’s murder was still alive and well in Central City, having escaped the recent purge. Therefore, he suspected He Xiaoxing would not turn a blind eye.

Cheng Zitong seemed to have thought of something as well. "About this," he said, "I’ll go have a chat with Old He later." He straightened the documents on the desk, placed them back in his briefcase, and stood up. "I’m off to get the principal’s signature. Just wait for my news."

After seeing him off, Chen Chuan once again devoted himself entirely to his combat training. It was then that he realized combat was indeed the best catalyst.

Now, when he trained, he had a much clearer understanding of his goals and direction, knowing which areas needed to be strengthened first.

After his battle with Luo Qi, his synchronization time with his Second Self had increased by a little over three hours—not as significant a gain as the one from his fight with Tan Wang.

But that was to be expected. Before his battle with Tan Wang, he had never fought anyone at the Third Limit. He hadn’t known what kind of combat expert he would be facing, yet he hadn’t flinched. Instead, he had been filled with anticipation, fighting to achieve his own goals—fighting for his own destiny.

In contrast, before fighting Luo Qi, he had been thoroughly prepared. That battle was fought to bring down the Molan Company. Although it was, to a certain extent, for his own sake, he lacked the same passionate fervor he’d felt when facing Tan Wang.

His synchronization time now stood at eighteen hours. The goal of twenty-four hours no longer seemed so distant. He wondered if he could reach it before heading to Central City.

After finishing his daily training, he once again reviewed the Throwing Technique manual Yu Gang had given him. For him, the Force Technique, the part most difficult for others, was actually the easiest to master.

All that remained was repeated practice.

The Martial Arts Academy placed restrictions on practicing the Throwing Technique. This was because an object thrown by a Fighter using their Power could be no less deadly than a conventional firearm at close range. Before, without a Weapon Permit, he could only practice casually outside the academy. But now that he had one, it was no longer an issue; he could practice openly and legitimately.

In truth, the choice of projectile was also crucial for achieving sufficient lethality. Although with enough practice any hard object could be used to injure someone, that was clearly not enough when facing other Fighters.

He needed sturdy, effective materials. Stones weren’t a requirement; they were just used because they were ubiquitous, relatively cheap, and easy to carry.

He also considered finding a specialist to craft some projectiles suited for his own use.

Time flew by after the semester began. Several more days passed in a flash. As he was walking out of his dormitory building one day, he saw a student waiting for him, holding something in his hand.

He recognized the student as Fang Mingming and greeted him first. "Fang."

Fang Mingming hurried over. "Chen."

Chen Chuan walked up to him. "What’s this? Waiting for me? Why didn’t you call?"

They were both students at the same academy. Even though one was an A-class student and the other a Class B student, they often saw each other in the cafeteria and would sometimes stop to chat. The difference in their status hadn’t created any distance between them.

"I am," said Fang Mingming. "Chen, do you remember that time my family had me give you a Name Card?"

"I remember," said Chen Chuan. "Afterward, a senior sister from that company came looking for me." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Right, that was Senior Sister Min. She came to me a while ago and said she’d found a lead on an investigation. She wanted to come back and ask for your opinion, Chen, but you happened to be away. She felt that if she waited any longer, she might miss her chance, so she decided to go ahead on her own. She told me that if she didn’t contact me within half a month, I was to give this to you."

As he spoke, Fang Mingming handed over the object he was holding.

Chen Chuan took it and saw it was a letter. On the front, written in elegant script, were the words, "For Chen to open personally." He thought for a moment before putting it away. "Alright. Thank you, Fang."

Fang Mingming visibly sighed in relief. "I’m glad you have it, Chen. I was worried I’d be too late and hold you up." He paused, looked at Chen Chuan, and said with heartfelt sincerity, "Chen, I’m in awe of what you’ve done. Truly... I’m in awe."

He had suffered a direct loss at the hands of the Mutual Aid Association and had nearly been beaten to death by Zhongwu during the entrance exams. As a result, he had a particularly deep appreciation for what Chen Chuan had accomplished.

Chen Chuan smiled. "Fang, I saw you in front of the Judgement Court that day. I know you came to support me. Thank you."

Fang Mingming was taken aback. He hadn’t realized Chen Chuan had seen him. A little flustered, he quickly said, "Don’t thank me, don’t thank me. I didn’t really do anything..."

Chen Chuan said earnestly, "Just by being there, you were supporting me. Your strength was part of what brought down the Molan Company and the Mutual Aid Association. Fang, all of you did far more than you realize."

Fang Mingming looked at him, seemingly encouraged, and nodded firmly.

"Well, I’ve delivered the letter, so I’ll be heading back. We have a lot of training this new semester, and my classmates are waiting for me. See you later, Chen."

Chen Chuan said okay. After parting ways with Fang Mingming, he thought for a moment, then turned and headed back to his dorm. Once there, he tore open the envelope, unfolded the letter inside, and began to read.

"Chen, I apologize for the intrusion of this letter. Do you remember the commission we spoke of last time? I hadn’t made any progress after our conversation, but I recently uncovered a few new clues. I had originally intended to check with you, but it seemed you weren’t at the academy, so I decided to investigate on my own..."

"Some of my colleagues have disappeared while looking into this matter in the past. I suspect someone within the company is involved—possibly someone in the Upper Layer. I’ve even begun to suspect some of my own friends and colleagues of being complicit. Among everyone I know, you might be the only one I can trust."

"I’ve compiled my clues and mailed them out ahead of time. I’ve already asked Fang to deliver this letter to you if I don’t return within half a month. If it’s possible, could I ask you to retrieve the package and turn it over to the relevant experts?"

Chen Chuan considered this. The fact that he was holding this letter was proof enough that Min Lan had not returned in half a month. ’This is probably more complicated than it seems,’ he thought. He took out the Name Card Min Lan had given him and tried calling the number, but no one answered.

He then called the company Min Lan worked for. To his surprise, the person who answered said she was there. He asked if they could put her on the line, but after a moment, the person on the other end replied that she had been there just a moment ago but they couldn’t find her now. They told him to call back later.

A flicker of suspicion crossed Chen Chuan’s mind. He hung up the phone.

The situation was highly unusual.

After some thought, he decided to head to the post office first.

Using the address and tracking number from Min Lan’s letter, he successfully retrieved the materials she had mailed. However, he didn’t open the package to look at them himself.

The national conscription was still in effect, so it was impossible for him to pursue other matters. Besides, he didn’t have to handle this himself.

Back in his dorm, he placed a call to Director Lei’s home. He Nan answered. Upon hearing Chen Chuan was looking for the director, he said, "Junior Brother, are you at the academy? Hang on, I’ll have Old Lei call you right back."

Chen Chuan didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes before Director Lei’s call came through. "Chen, what can I do for you?"

Chen Chuan explained, "Director Lei, I’ve come across something. I’ve obtained a set of documents that may be related to an Esoteric Ritual. You’re the expert in this field, so I wanted to deliver them to you."

Director Lei’s voice grew serious. "Can you get away?"

"Yes."

"Alright. My car will be at the Wuyi gate within half an hour. Bring the materials and come out. We’ll talk in person."

"Okay."

A little over twenty minutes later, Director Lei’s armored car arrived outside the Wuyi Academy gate. Chen Chuan was already waiting. As soon as he saw it, he got in with the package, handed it to Director Lei, and recounted everything he knew.

Director Lei put on a pair of gloves, opened the package, and carefully examined the contents. He didn’t tell Chen Chuan what was inside, but instead said, "After the Molan Company came to Yangzhi, they propped up a number of Cultists. Their aim was not only to divert the government’s attention but also to search for certain things through Esoteric Rituals, hoping to reverse their unfavorable situation in Central City."

"They also set up numerous rituals in Yangzhi City. We’ve managed to disrupt many of them, but there are still plenty of Cults funded by the Molan Company that we haven’t had time to eliminate."

"Now that the Molan Company has fallen, some of these Cults have gone into hibernation, and they’re currently cleaning up any traces of their existence. But that doesn’t mean they’ve vanished for good. If we don’t root them out completely, they will undoubtedly resurface one by one in the future."

Chen Chuan asked, "So this is about one of those Cults?"

"More or less."

Director Lei tapped the documents. "An esoteric Sect, as a collective, requires a fixed ritual site, necessary vestments and props, and special ’Esoteric Materials.’ All of these things require financial backing."

He turned to the telegraph operator in the car and said, "Send a telegram. Tell Old Gao to go to the Qingyao Company at 32 Olive Street in South City. Within a fifty-meter radius, he is to find three two-meter-tall black pillars at the twelve, four, and eight o’clock positions."

"Tell him not to pull them out immediately. He is to cut out a number of paper effigies corresponding to the number of Qingyao Company employees, stick one to each pillar, and write the name of an employee on each effigy. Then, he is to enter the company and see who is still there and who is missing."

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