Book 3, Chapter 13: Visit

Qi Gao shuddered and suddenly remembered Chen Chuan’s unrestricted defense permit. It was clear that a bloodbath was coming.

Then, he recalled something else.

“Wait!”

He ran after Chen Chuan again to catch up to him.

“Chen Chuan, you can’t go knocking on their door just like that. Even if you can take them all out, they have a resonator. They can edit the fight later and present evidence that’s horribly against you.

“Gold Prawn has people helping them in the government and a gang supporting them. I know that you aren’t scared of them, but getting into trouble still isn’t good, right?”

In truth, Chen Chuan wasn’t scared of that. If he wanted to cut off his link with other biofields, he could do so easily by having his second self absorb the damage. His enemies wouldn’t be able to get anything then. They wouldn’t even be able to confirm whether he was the one who attacked the group.

But if there were other ways to avoid getting into trouble, he would happily use them.

“What do you suggest, Mr. Qi?” he asked.

“We ask Wu Bei to be our tech support. When you attack, he can filter out everything that can be used against you. He can also help you locate the person you want right away,” Qi Gao suggested.

“Wu Bei isn’t short on money, is he? This matter has nothing to do with him, so he doesn’t have any reason to get involved,” Chen Chuan pointed out.

Qi Gao looked in the direction of Wu Bei’s apartment and explained, “Wu Bei has a strong sense of justice. I’m sure you can tell that he’s from a rich family. He left it to become a resonator because he wants to carry out justice.

“He has never hurt anyone, and he doesn’t take up missions related to stealing data, even when the boss requests it. The only reason he hasn’t been fired yet is because of how good he is at what he does. He’s always willing to help others.

“Besides, he has already learned about this. I reckon that even if we don’t tell him anything, he’ll still help us from the shadows.”

Chen Chuan watched Qi Gao while he thought about this. “Mr. Qi, if you’re confident—”

“I am!” Qi Gao quickly said. “Give me a minute. I’ll go back up and talk to Wu Bei.”

Qi Gao ran back at his top speed. Soon, Chen Chuan received a new contact request on his Realm Pass.

The profile picture was that of a swordsman wearing a blindfold with a crescent moon behind him. The swordsman was sitting on a cliff while holding a sword, which gave him an air of desolation, as the wind fluttered his cloak. A monkey was jumping up and down on his shoulder while making funny faces at Chen Chuan.

The ID showed that it was Wu Bei.

Chen Chuan accepted the request. The moment they were connected, Wu Bei’s excited voice came through. “Thanks for letting me join, Chen Chuan! I’ll do my best to help.”

“You must be careful, Wu Bei,” Chen Chuan cautioned him sternly.

“Got it!”

After the conversation, he suddenly heard a beep from his Realm Pass. Wu Bei had sent him a map that showed the areas where Gold Prawn was active, along with their headquarters.

Qi Gao had rushed down at this point. He had seen the map too, and he said, “Well? I was right, wasn’t I? With Wu Bei’s help, we can save up on a lot of trouble.”

Chen Chuan nodded. He checked the map for a while before saying, “We can’t drag this out any further. I have to go now.”

“Okay,” Qi Gao said and left the apartment complex with him. After they got into the SUV, Qi Gao drove to Gold Prawn’s headquarters.

“Don’t you need to get anything ready?” he asked.

“No.”

When Chen Chuan left the university, he had brought the Frost King Saber and Halberd Pistol with him. He was also wearing his protective trench coat. These were enough.

He was currently reading up on all the information Wu Bei had sent him regarding Gold Prawn.

It was formed five years ago and had an active group stationed in all major areas of Central City. Bo Chen belonged to the group stationed in Majestic Light District. His captain was Lang Teng, who had waited right outside the run-down neighborhood. It was highly likely that Lang Teng was the one who gave the order to kill.

Even though this group specialized in anomalous-event missions, they weren’t the only types of missions they took. They were simply more active in this area.

Preferential treatment was part of their everyday operations. When their client was someone with status and power, they would send out a reliable and professional squad. After getting rid of the problem, they would expand their connections.

However, when their clients were from the bottom rung of society, they would use the simplest and crudest methods to take care of the problem. They wouldn’t even care whether what they did would end up leading to more anomalies. After all, the poor clients lived in rural areas that didn’t affect the upper city district. Besides, sometimes, after the person who gave birth to the anomaly died, the anomaly would vanish with them.

While they were headed to the place, Wu Bei sent another message.

Wu Bei: I checked their travel records. Lang Teng and his group returned to Gold Prawn’s headquarters. They’re at Southwater Street, Roaring Victory District.

Chen Chuan: Thanks, Wu Bei

He turned to Qi Gao. “Let me out at Roaring Victory District. I’ll go to Southwater Street by myself. I don’t want anyone connecting you to this.”

“Got it,” Qi Gao agreed solemnly.

A little over an hour later, Qi Gao stopped at the district’s entrance. “Be careful, Chen Chuan. Call me when you’re done. I’ll pick you up.”

Chen Chuan nodded and got out of the car to head to the tram station.

***

Back in his apartment, Wu Bei used the Realm Nodes all over the city as a springboard to follow Chen Chuan and constantly maintain his connection with his Realm Pass. This meant that as he saw everything happening through Chen Chuan’s eyes, he could provide timely technical support.

Compared to the composure Chen Chuan maintained, Wu Bei started feeling nervous once Chen Chuan got onto the tram and headed closer to Gold Prawn’s headquarters. He grabbed a large bag of snacks and started shoving them into his mouth. Whenever he was nervous, he would eat, because it would take the edge off.

Beep.

The city tram arrived at its station, and Chen Chuan got out with the few passengers in it.

Roaring Victory District was located in the northwest of Central City and was one of its oldest districts. Chen Chuan could immediately tell that the public facilities here hadn’t been maintained for a long time. There were also only a handful of skyscrapers within sight.

The people around him wore old, outdated Realm Passes. Their clothes weren’t particularly appealing either. The streets were dilapidated and carried an air of desolation.

Chen Chuan confirmed the direction he had to take through his Realm Pass and walked for around a kilometer before he reached Gold Prawn’s headquarters.

It was a five-story office building. Through his Realm Pass, he could see a large, golden prawn floating above it. Its pincers hung down to form a semi-circle, as if it was about to grab something.

There were plenty of security guards patrolling the area. In front of the building was a rather large parking lot, and around a dozen cars were parked there. Chen Chuan cast a glance at the place. Then, his Realm Pass flickered to identify the car that had appeared outside the run-down neighborhood that day. If the car was here, it meant that the owner was here too.

After observing for a moment, Chen Chuan walked over. The security guards at the foot of the building immediately looked over. Chen Chuan’s Realm Pass sent him a notification that the security guards were checking his identity, and Wu Bei said, “I’ve changed your personal information. They won’t stop you from going in.”

Just as Wu Bei said, the security guards checked his information, but didn’t stop him.

“I think they have a domain interference program, but they should have their own domain frequency. Hang on. Let me find it...” Wu Bei’s voice trailed off.

Chen Chuan slowed down a little.

Wu Bei was truly skilled. In less than twenty seconds, he said, “Found it! Hah! It’s just a Level 5 frequency? Their resonator must be a lazy bum. But they have two frequencies. It might change after half an hour. After that, the resonator should be able to detect me hacking in earlier.”

“Thanks, Wu Bei. I won’t need half an hour,” Chen Chuan said as he stared at the building. He opened the glass door and went in.

A gold prawn’s hologram spun in the lobby. At the same time, the receptionist said, “Welcome to Gold Prawn. What sort of help would you like to request of us, dear client?”

Not all missions were uploaded on the platform. Some of them couldn’t be made public, which was why clients often came to the headquarters to make their requests. Hence, the receptionist wasn’t surprised by Chen Chuan’s appearance.

“I’m looking for Lang Teng,” Chen Chuan declared.

“You want to select your own agent? Do you have an appointment?”

Chen Chuan gave no answer. He was looking at the 3D map of the building. Wu Bei had used the domain information exchange function to pinpoint the location of all the people using the domain frequency in the building, and Chen Chuan could see that the place was jam-packed with people.

“Lang Teng is in the lounge on the fourth floor. I just found out he’s the cousin of Gold Prawn’s chief. There’s a resonator on the fifth floor, but I don’t want to alert them of our presence, so I didn’t point them out on the map,” Wu Bei said.

Chen Chuan gave a quick glance at the map and found the staircase by the side. He headed over.

“Sir?”

The receptionist immediately used her Realm Pass to contact Lang Teng, who was watching a movie through the group’s public Realm Node. Upon hearing the notification, he snapped impatiently, “What is it?”

“Captain Lang, someone came here for a mission and wants you specifically, but he didn’t make an appointment. The client has gone upstairs on his own.”

“Let him come, then. It might be a major deal. Tell him that I’m on the fourth floor,” Lang Teng said nonchalantly.

Usually, the clients who approached their group directly paid a lot. Since he was at the headquarters, he didn’t think too much about this.

“Got it.”

Halfway up the stairs, Chen Chuan received a notification telling him that Lang Teng was waiting for him in the lounge on the fourth floor. The rhythm of his steps did not change. When he arrived, he took a look around the spacious hall to make sure he was at the right place before heading to the lounge.

The door was already open, and Lang Teng was sitting on the sofa inside. When he saw Chen Chuan, he asked, “Are you the one who asked for me? What sort of help do you need?”

“Are you Lang Teng, the captain in charge of anomalous-event missions in Majestic Light District?” Chen Chuan asked.

“You’re here for an anomalous-event mission?” Lang Teng lost interest. He had wanted to shake Chen Chuan’s hand, but he leaned back against the sofa after hearing the question.

Prolonged exposure to anomalous-event missions led to something going wrong in a person, either physically or mentally. That was why he usually didn’t get directly involved but sent his subordinates. Even when it was a mission from a powerful person, he sent his elites to do it. Still, since Chen Chuan had approached him, there was no reason for him to reject money that came to his doorstep.

“That’s me, alright. What problems are you facing?”

“Good that you are.”

Chen Chuan swung the Frost King Saber up. With a loud whistle, the saber sheath stabbed through Lang Teng’s face and came out from the back of his head. It pinned him against the sofa.

Lang Teng fell back. Even though his brain had been destroyed, the force from the stab pulled at his implant, causing his body and limbs to spasm as if he was a living prawn.

Wu Bei had been planning to disrupt Lang Teng’s implant so that Chen Chuan could have an easier time killing him, so he wasn’t expecting the man to die impaled by a saber sheath. Suffice it to say, he was stunned.

The moment Lang Teng died, all the Realm Passes of the people in the building flashed red.

“Oh no! They discovered it!” Wu Bei cried out and felt frustrated with himself for not severing the domain chain in time.

“Let them come.”

Chen Chuan took hold of the Frost King Saber and slowly drew it from its sheath. It let out a chilling light in the lounge.