Book 3, Chapter 119: Benefits And Rewards

The butler tapped on her Realm Pass, and the lotus-shaped light hanging in the living room started blooming. In a moment, a screen was projected from above.

The screen showed the video of Chen Chuan’s fight against Wei Wusheng. Even though there was no sound, the destructive power the two people displayed was enough to fill anyone watching with shock.

When the fight ended, Chen Chuan stood with his back against the blinding sun and stared down at Wei Wusheng. At this point, his face could no longer be seen clearly.

While looking at the screen, the butler said, “This is Chen Chuan, a student from the main campus of Martial Valor University. He’s only eighteen years old, and he has already reached the Third Limit. Even in the university, he’s considered a rare gem. I’ve asked a professional team, and they believe that he has great potential and possesses a talent ordinary martial artists don’t have.

“We should give it our all to recruit him. If we have him with us for our subsequent strategic plans, our competitive edge will increase drastically.

“Even though our resources can’t compare to those of the other companies, this is both a good and a bad thing.

“This means that our resources will only be focused on a select few. Once a martial artist joins us, they won’t face too much internal competition.”

Meng Shu stared at the screen. After a while, she asked, “Do you have other candidates aside from him?”

The butler said, “Yes. But they can’t compare to him in terms of age, potential, and every other aspect. Miss Shu, if you want to recruit him, we have to do it fast.

“We need someone like him, or rather,

you

need someone like him.

“Your cousin is in control of most of the martial artists in the company. If we don’t have a reliable martial artist on our side, we won’t have any chance of winning against him in the future.”

“How confident are you in recruiting him?” Meng Shu asked.

“Even though I’m certain that other companies will fight us for him, we have an advantage other companies cannot hope to copy. I’ve checked his resume. He studied in Yangzhi City and was even your classmate. Perhaps you can use this status to recruit him,” the butler suggested seriously.

Meng Shu shook her head. “I tried to recruit him before, but he said no.”

The butler was quite surprised. “Oh? May I ask why? Considering his age, he shouldn’t have been a proper martial artist back in Yangzhi City and shouldn’t have shown his true value. What did you see in him?”

“I wanted him to become my butler and my main agent,” Meng Shu replied.

“Is that so? Then I should thank him for leaving me that position,” the butler said with a smile. It was quickly replaced by a contemplative expression, though.

“He has even greater potential now, so we can’t give up on him.” She took two steps forward and said, “No matter what, you are on speaking terms with him, and this is to our advantage. If you’d allow me, I can spread word to the other companies that you are friends with Chen Chuan. That way, they’ll become more cautious. Even if they manage to recruit him, they won’t put him to good use.”

Meng Shu immediately rejected the idea. “That won’t do. It’ll just backfire on us.”

The butler took note of this seriously. “I understand. I’ll forget about this suggestion, and if I have any other suggestions similar to this one in the future, I’ll ask for your opinion first.”

“Can’t we train up our own martial artists?” Meng Shu asked.

“Based on what I know, the company does provide this sort of service, but you need a really high clearance level to access this information. Even your cousin doesn’t have a clearance level high enough for that.

“We also won’t make it in time for the era of change if we train up our own cultivators. We’re too close to it. The results won’t be obvious either. Martial artists are consumables. If we train them ourselves, we’ll also have to bear all the costs. That’s not a good choice.

“It’s better to invest in pre-trained martial artists. That’s what the other companies are doing, and they have an established model.

“Your suggestion isn’t entirely useless, though. We need to train up a group of security guards we truly trust. We can’t keep outsourcing our safety to security companies.”

Meng Shu nodded at that. While the company had an established security force, she didn’t trust them, because too many of them served her cousin.

After mulling over this a little, she looked up and said, “I’ll meet him. Set up an appointment with him.”

“Alright. I’ll do that right now.”

The butler was pleased with Meng Shu’s attitude. She was willing to listen to suggestions and learn. She also wouldn’t let her personal likes, dislikes, and emotions affect serious matters. In her eyes, Meng Shu was the best heiress.

Meng Shu’s cousin was also capable, but he had far too many interests, and they should be thanking their lucky stars if he could put even thirty percent of his attention in the company. All of his policies were problematic, and he was only able to secure his position in the company because he had a strong foundation.

That was why the butler had chosen Meng Shu, even though she appeared to be at a disadvantage and seemed to have no hope of winning. The butler wasn’t willing to join forces with

that person

either. The existing political situation was going to be impacted greatly when the new era came, and everything would change.

***

After resting for a day, Chen Chuan woke up feeling refreshed. Then, he went to the Resolution Department’s headquarters.

The last time he went there was because the department had wanted to question him about Zhao Qian. Even though they had been polite about it, they had still handled his interrogation in an impartial manner.

This time, their attitude toward him was completely different. The moment he stepped into the Resolution Department, he was brought into a lounge and provided with a warm drink and a platform that allowed him to read up on news within the Resolution Department. There was also an attendant waiting outside.

This special treatment wasn’t just because he was now a Third Limit martial artist, but also because of the outstanding strength he displayed in the fight.

Of course, there were still people who were jealous of him and regarded him in disdain, but they kept those thoughts hidden. When they met him, they put on a friendly face.

After two minutes or so, the attendant received an instruction to bring Chen Chuan to a brightly lit reception room.

A smiling man in his thirties was already waiting inside. After shaking hands with Chen Chuan, he introduced himself. “I’m Officer Qiu, part of the review board of the Resolution Department, and I’m directly in charge of the headquarters. Chen Chuan, I’m here to thank you on behalf of the headquarters for killing Wei Wusheng.”

“I’m a back-up law enforcer of the Resolution Department, so I’m considered a part of the department,” Chen Chuan said.

Officer Qiu smiled and motioned for Chen Chuan to take a seat. “I’m glad you think so. Have a seat.”

Once Chen Chuan sat down, Officer Qiu sat down as well and smiled. “Due to the change in your status as a martial artist, I have a few questions I have to ask on behalf of the department. Whether you want to answer them or not is up to you. It won’t affect your assessment points. It’s just a necessary procedure. Our conversation will simply be used to fill out a report. Will that be alright?”

Chen Chuan nodded and said, “Ask away, Officer Qiu.”

Officer Qiu then picked up a clipboard and asked, “When did you reach the Third Limit? You don’t have to give me a specific time and date. A general timeframe will do.”

“A few days ago,” Chen Chuan answered.

“A few days ago, huh?” Officer Qiu recorded that. “Did you take any medicine before fighting Wei Wusheng?”

“If you’re talking about power-boosting medicine, no. I just took the medicine I usually take for my training,” Chen Chuan said.

“Okay.” Officer Qiu recorded that as well. “Do you have any plans to graduate from Martial Valor University now?”

“Not yet. I’ve only joined the main campus not too long ago, so I still have plenty of things to learn,” Chen Chuan answered firmly.

Officer Qiu nodded, then asked, “Do you have any special requests for the department, such as an expected position or benefits?”

“I haven’t thought about that,” Chen Chuan replied honestly.

Officer Qiu asked a few more standard and easy questions. Once he finished putting everything down on paper, he set aside the clipboard and sat up straight. While smiling, he said, “Alright. We’re done with the questions. Next, let’s talk about the department’s reward for you.

“You’ve managed to kill Wei Wusheng. Based on our usual practice, when an officer kills a criminal, the department will give them a reward. This is no exception.”

Chen Chuan noticed a reward form requiring his signature sent to his Realm Pass. A moment after he signed it, he saw fifty thousand devs transferred to his account.

“The department is also turning you into an official law enforcer. You will be assigned to a special operations unit for the time being. Now, I’m going to be referring to you as Officer Chen.”

Chen Chuan then saw the Realm Pass’ screen flicker a little, and his information on the Resolution Department’s platform was updated. He was no longer a back-up law enforcer but an official law enforcer.

From this moment on, he would get a monthly salary from the country. If there were special operations and his unit was successful, he would also get a bonus.

At the same time, he got a personal storage from the Resolution Department and could use the firearms and training grounds in the department for free. He could even borrow the department’s vehicles.

This status was linked to his status as a Martial Valor University student. As long as he remained a student, his status as an officer would remain, but if he graduated from the university, he would need to sign a new contract regardless of whether he stayed in the department or not.

Once Officer Qiu saw that he had read through everything, he went to the side and brought a box to the table. “One more thing, the department offers an additional benefit for Third Limit martial artists. We’d like to give you a new uniform and a weapon to your liking.

“Your shoes must be pretty damaged after your fight with Wei Wusheng. This uniform is different from your original one. It’s custom-made for Third Limit martial artists.”

Chen Chuan nodded at that.

The National General Affairs Bureau and the Resolution Department’s uniforms were all custom-made. They could withstand great amounts of force, but the Resolution Department’s clothes were clearly a little weaker. Chen Chuan had even fought on the road this time. When he was done, the bottom of his shoes was worn down to the point where he felt the bottoms being burnt.

A good set of clothes made for fighting gave a large boost in fighting strength.

“Thank you. That’s precisely what I need,” he said.

“Your uniform can be easily dealt with, but we need to custom make your weapon. What sort of weapon do you need? We can even create an exact copy of your saber, and its functions will be about the same. Would you like that?” Officer Qiu asked with a smile.