Once inside the room, Chen Chuan scanned his surroundings. It was a large, sparsely furnished space. Where office desks should have been, there were now rows of steel-framed beds, each occupied by an unconscious person.

The walls, floor, and ceiling were all covered in strange, unsettling patterns. Four people were in the room. Seeing him burst in, their faces showed no fear, only an indescribable fanaticism.

One of them immediately turned his gun on a person lying on a bed. But before he could fire, a small stone struck him squarely on the wrist. With a SNAP, his wrist exploded, bone fragments piercing the skin. As his pistol clattered to the floor, he let out a piercing scream.

As he threw the stone, Chen Chuan was already moving forward. He gently pushed back the head of a man charging at him, then thrust a hand upward into the stomach of another. By the time he moved past them toward the last man still standing, the first two were sent flying.

One of them flew like he’d been violently shoved, slamming into the opposite wall with a dull THUD and falling silent. The other was launched toward the ceiling. A circle of cracks appeared where his back made impact, and he came crashing down with the overhead light fixture, then lay motionless on the floor.

Only then did the last man realize what was happening. He was panicked, yet seemed to be driven by some fanatical belief. His expression turned crazed as he clenched his fists, preparing to fight Chen Chuan head-on. But before he could even charge, a hand was already pressed against his forehead.

With a DONG, the back of his head slammed hard against the wall behind him. The whites of his eyes showed as he collapsed.

The man with the broken wrist, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, still endured the pain to bend down and reach for the fallen gun, his eyes filled with malice. But just as his fingers touched it, a foot came down. CRUNCH! His hand and the gun were crushed together.

Before the man could even scream, Chen Chuan lightly chopped the top of his head. The man instantly went silent and crumpled bonelessly to the ground.

Chen Chuan turned and scanned the room again, making sure no one was faking unconsciousness. Only then did he relax slightly. At the same time, he spotted Min Lan among the people on the beds. Her face was pale and her cheeks were thinner. Her eyes were shut tight, but her chest was still rising and falling, and her body seemed largely unharmed.

If there were no other issues, a Fighter’s physique should allow her to recover quickly.

He then walked to the door, grabbed the handle, and twisted it gently. As the door opened, the members of the Patrol Bureau and the Esoteric Review Bureau stationed near the stairwell noticed and immediately raised their guns. However, they lowered them as soon as they saw it was him.

He walked out slowly, nodded to the people outside, and stepped aside. The Patrol Officers and Review Bureau members immediately rushed in. A moment later, a shout came from inside: "Medics, get up here, quick!"

Seeing that the situation was under control, Chen Chuan headed downstairs. From the moment he entered the building to when he came out, only three or four minutes had passed. He had taken down everyone inside, and most of that time had been spent just walking down the stairs.

He returned to Director Lei’s car and got back inside.

Director Lei said, "It seems you’ve handled it."

Chen Chuan nodded.

Director Lei said, "In that case, your commission is complete. I’ll report this to the operations team, and it will be entered into your file."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you for this opportunity, Director Lei."

Director Lei waved his hand. "This was all within the scope of my duties. No need to thank me."

They waited a little longer before a team member came downstairs to report to Director Lei. "Director, we’ve apprehended everyone. The scene has been photographed, documented, and sealed off. The victims have been sent to the aid station, but some of them had their internal organs harvested and sold."

Director Lei explained to Chen Chuan, "These Esoteric Buddhists view people as resources to be exploited. Besides transferring Primordial Qi, they also sell the organs of those near death."

He then asked the team captain, "What were the identities of those perpetrators?"

The captain replied, "Just ordinary logistics personnel. According to their initial testimony, they had already found buyers for the organs of the three Fighters, but the situation has changed recently, so the sale hadn’t gone through."

Director Lei commented calmly, "A Fighter’s harvested Mutated Organization requires specialized equipment for preservation. That’s likely why they hadn’t acted yet."

He asked again, "Have you notified the Patrol Bureau?"

The captain said, "We have. Everything that needed to be handled has been handled."

Director Lei said, "Leave a team here to stand guard. The rest of you can fall out."

"Yes, sir!"

The car window rolled up, and the vehicle started moving slowly, heading back the way they came.

Director Lei said, "Your classmate should be fine."

Chen Chuan said, "I hope the others are all right, too."

Director Lei’s voice grew heavy. "As long as these Esoteric Buddhists exist, things like this will be unavoidable. We can only do our best to discover them in time and do everything in our power to salvage the situation."

A thought occurred to Chen Chuan, and he asked, "Director Lei, you mentioned earlier that this ’Life Sect’ transfers people’s Primordial Qi. Do you know who the recipients are?"

Director Lei said in a low voice, "It’s likely the Upper Layer of this Cult. Judging by the number of personnel involved in the ritual, there’s probably only one recipient. This person is very likely still hiding somewhere in Yangzhi."

Chen Chuan said seriously, "Director Lei, if you need a student for the upcoming arrest, just give me a call."

Director Lei nodded. Then he raised a hand. "Let’s not talk about that. Did you know? Liu Zhan was transferred from his original post, but he’s received a new appointment."

Chen Chuan couldn’t help but ask, "Where did he go?"

Director Lei looked at him and said slowly, "The Foreign Affairs Bureau. He’s still a director."

Chen Chuan hadn’t expected that. After all that, Liu Zhan had ended up right back where he started. He thought for a moment and said, "Director Liu has always been adept at handling foreign affairs. I suppose the position suits him."

Director Lei was inclined to agree. "You’re right. No one in the Administrative Affairs Hall is more familiar with foreign affairs than he is, so they decided to let him play to his strengths."

’That position should be incredibly stable, the kind you can sit in until retirement. For most people, it’s a dream come true, but for a bureaucrat like Liu Zhan, it’s probably a form of torment.’

Just then, Director Lei said, "You have to come to my wedding with He Nan."

Chen Chuan said, "Of course, Director Lei. Has a date been set?"

"It was originally set for October, but it looks like work at the Bureau won’t be finished by then. He Nan is also a bit hesitant. I’ve known her for many years. She’s always decisive when it comes to big matters, but when it’s about herself, she always wavers."

Chen Chuan said, "Perhaps it’s because she cares so much."

Director Lei glanced at him. "That doesn’t sound like something a person your age would say. But you’re right..." He looked ahead. "Sometimes, when you care too much, it’s hard to make a decision."

The car drove all the way back to the school gate. After bidding farewell to Director Lei, Chen Chuan returned to campus.

In the blink of an eye, another twenty-some days passed. After late September, the turmoil in Yangzhi City finally began to subside, and the radio started broadcasting normal news again.

On September 27th, Chen Chuan received a call from Old Feng. On the other end of the line, the latter’s voice was relaxed. "Chen, come on out. Bring your Summoning Order with you."

Chen Chuan agreed. He grabbed the document, left the school, and went to the main gate. He saw Old Feng’s car parked there, with the man himself waiting in the back seat. Chen Chuan walked over, greeted him, and got in.

Once the car started moving, Old Feng said, "That application form Specialist Cao asked you to write, have you finished it?"

Chen Chuan said, "I have."

"Let me see."

Chen Chuan took the application form from his pocket and handed it over. He had mostly requested medicine. He had asked Cheng Zitong about some of the items; they were all medicines that only the Dashun Government could provide and would be extremely helpful for his future training as a Fighter.

Besides medicine, he had also requested a rather high-grade suit of Protective Clothing. Once he got his Armor Certificate, he could switch to it.

Old Feng looked it over and said, "You’re asking for too little. No need to help Old Cao save money. He profited handsomely this time. That blade of yours was forged with an Ancient Technique, right?"

Chen Chuan said, "Yes. It was a gift from a senior who specializes in forging blades."

Old Feng took out a pen and added a few more medicines to the list, saying, "People use medicine for their training, and these old ’prohibited Weapons’ can also be nourished with medicine. The ones I’m adding are specifically for nurturing and strengthening a weapon. Only the Dashun Government has them."

Then he added a model number after the Protective Clothing before handing it back with an instruction, "When you see Old Cao, give him this."

Chen Chuan smiled, took it, folded it, and put it back in his breast pocket.

The vehicle drove on, and as it entered the Patrol Headquarters, the Patrol Officers on both sides all saluted. Chen Chuan glanced around and noticed that the surroundings were much more orderly than the last time he’d been here; the personnel were no longer rushing in and out.

After the car parked, the two of them walked inside and arrived at the same combat conference room as before. Specialist Cao was standing there alone, as if he had been waiting specifically for them.

Chen Chuan walked forward and placed the Summoning Order on the desk. Specialist Cao glanced at it and asked, "Did you bring the application form?"

Chen Chuan took the application form from his breast pocket and placed it on the desk as well.

Specialist Cao picked it up. Seeing the familiar handwriting on it, he glanced up at Old Feng, who looked back at him. Specialist Cao didn’t say anything. He took out a fountain pen and wrote the word "Approved" on the form, then signed his name on the Summoning Order.

Then he took out a stamp and pressed it onto both documents before pushing them forward. "I have a copy of the Summoning Order on file here. You can keep this one."

After Chen Chuan took them, Specialist Cao looked at him and said in a solemn voice, "Chen, this national summons has now concluded. You are free to act as you wish from now on. Remember, you are not to discuss the specific details of this operation with anyone who was not involved. If the state requires it, we will summon you again. Please be prepared."

Old Feng added from the side, "The interval is usually one year, but there are exceptions for emergencies, in which case there will be compensation. All right, Chen, the summons is over. No need to hang around here. I’ll take you to the warehouse to get your things."

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