Book 3, Chapter 379: New Path

The moment Chen Chuan sat down, a black object flashed past them. It was an insect from the merged space.

When Chen Chuan trained his eyes on the insect, its movements slowed down, and he could see every detail on its body. This insect was a little different from the ones he had seen before. There were a few deep blood-red appendages on its body.

Smack.

Wei Dong grabbed the insect. When he unfurled his fist, it was already crushed. Even so, Chen Chuan could see its hideous mouthparts and twisted limbs, along with its sticky, purplish-red blood. It fell drop by drop, a surprisingly large amount of it.

Disgusted, Wu Han tossed a box of tissues to Wei Dong. “I feel like these insects are everywhere these days. The Linacrox Union is inhuman.”

Wei Dong wiped his hand with a piece of tissue before saying, “This insect is different from the ones before.”

“Aren’t they all just insects? What’s different about this one?” Wu Han asked in surprise.

Chen Chuan agreed that this insect was different. Wei Dong was really observant. The average person wouldn’t have been able to tell right away.

Since they weren’t the only ones in the restaurant, someone sitting at a table not too far from them also killed an insect. While wiping his hands, he cursed, “Damn it, there are so many of these things these days. I wanted to go out and have some fun, but saw a dead dog in front of my house. When I kicked it, it fucking exploded in my face! It was filled with these insects, and they flew into my mouth, nose, and eyes. I ended up swallowing a lot of them! They stank so bad! Whenever I remember it, I want to puke.”

The people eating with him froze and discreetly shifted a little further away from him. One of them asked, “You okay, brother?”

“There’s no need to be scared. I drank a bottle of pesticide on the spot. Over the past few days, my whole body has stunk. I feel like even my blood is filled with it.”

The group sighed in relief. The man most likely had modified organs and manmade veins, which was why he could survive drinking pesticide.

Just then, a waitress walked over and apologized. She brought a small plant to everyone’s tables while saying, “Sirs, this plant is a great insect repellant. It can repel them for more than an hour. Would you need one?”

Chen Chuan observed it and saw an emblem of a green leaf with ridges. There was also a long, narrow eye curling upward on both sides of it.

As he stared at it, he received information about the leaf. It was GreenSource Eco-Tech’s emblem, which gave access to the information page of the plant and the payment platform.

The insects from the merged space wouldn’t be exterminated for a long time. By the looks of it, the citizens of Central City were going to need this plant in their daily lives. Other items with similar functions might start appearing too.

Before this, Chen Chuan had seen GreenSource Eco-Tech’s name in the list of companies the Resolution Department needed to be wary of. It was not what it seemed. There were leads pointing to it supporting the Plague Gang of the lower city district, so Chen Chuan should pay some attention to it in the future.

“Leave it,” he said to the waitress, and she immediately positioned it nicely on their table.

Wu Han grabbed the menu and ordered his food. Once he finished choosing, he handed the menu to Chen Chuan and Wei Dong. When they were all done, the waitress said, “Please wait a moment, your food will be ready shortly.”

“How has Mr. Qi been? Did anyone cause you two trouble?” Chen Chuan asked.

“I would have forgotten about it if you hadn’t asked. Some people did watch us in the beginning, but they disappeared later on. I think they gave up. Still, even if they came, I wouldn’t have been scared,” Wu Han said after taking some time to remember it.

“You need to be careful. I won’t be around for a few months. If you run into any problems, call Yangzhi City’s Resolution Department or the Constabulary and ask for me,” Chen Chuan requested.

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely call you if I get in trouble. By the way, it’s been half a year, and you’re about to go back for another holiday. Why aren’t my juniors and Wei Changan’s group here yet?” Wu Han asked.

“They were supposed to come in April, but I got word about the invasion beforehand, so I asked them to delay their trip. When I go back, I’ll meet up with them and bring them along on my return,” Chen Chuan said.

While their conversation drifted to other topics, the door opened, and a large group walked in. The person at the front wore sunglasses. There were ridges that were seemingly carved into his thin hair, while the entire group wore boots with gold-stitched patterns.

The leader looked around before walking to Chen Chuan’s table. Meanwhile, his lackeys extended their arms and blocked the waiter from approaching them. The customers closer to them blanched upon seeing the group and immediately moved away. Some wanted to leave, but the entrance was blocked, so they could only retreat to the corners.

The man went to the table next to Chen Chuan’s, dragged a chair over, and sat down. Then, he removed his sunglasses and stared at Chen Chuan for a bit before huffing. “I wasn’t expecting someone as important as you to appear on my turf. Did any idiot offend you?”

Chen Chuan cast him a glance, and a string of information appeared on his Realm Pass. The man was Bloodsucker Tan Chong, a leader of the Golden Boots Gang. He had mid-range implants all over his body, while his heart and bone implants were all military-grade. He didn’t have a single criminal record.

This was normal, because gang leaders had lawyers who could help them get out of legal trouble. Their lackeys were their scapegoats. If they were careful, they wouldn’t leave any blackmail material for anyone to find, which was why Tan Chong had the guts to show up and talk to Chen Chuan.

“I wouldn’t have the time to hold a grudge,” Chen Chuan stated coolly.

“Since that’s what you said, I’m going to believe you. I’m sure that someone as important as you wouldn’t come here to cause trouble for me, anyway. But I know the rules, so I’ll pay your bill,” Tan Chong said and stood up.

“I won’t be bothering you guys anymore.” He put on his sunglasses and left with his lackeys. The waiter quickly went to the door to see them out.

Wu Han leaned back against his chair and remarked, “That guy is pretty cocky, huh?”

***

Tan Chong went outside with his lackeys, but soon, he stopped, because there were more than a dozen insect-type bioweapons hovering in the air. They were all in combat mode. The group’s reflections could be seen in the insects’ compound eyes, and the sharp, curled legs under their stomachs were terrifying.

***

Safe Shield’s voice entered Chen Chuan’s ears. “Lead Investigator Chen, I detected multiple Golden Boots Gang members nearby and mobilized all bioweapons patrolling your area. Would you like me to get rid of them?”

“No need. I’m just eating. I’m not in danger,” Chen Chuan remarked.

“Alright. Deactivating alarm. Sending the bioweapons away.”

***

The bioweapons turned around and left. It was only then that Tan Chong found that his entire body was covered in cold sweat. Everyone’s implants had reacted, but they knew that it was in vain. One or two of these swift and fierce bioweapons could kill all of them.

Only the big gangs could fight back, because they alone had the manpower and weapons for it.

Tan Chong knew why the bioweapons had come, and he cast a fearful glance at the restaurant before leaving without a single word. His lackeys followed him hurriedly with fear lingering in their hearts.

***

Chen Chuan remained unbothered. Wu Han and Wei Dong were also carefree people, so they cared even less about it than Chen Chuan. Besides, among the people who entered the restaurant, only one or two could be considered martial artists, so they weren’t a threat.

After their meal, since Wu Han and Wei Dong had other things to do, they didn’t go back to Wu Han’s rented room. Chen Chuan sent them to the tram station before leaving the district.

On his way out, he received a call from Border Fusion. He had given a heads-up to the company that he was going to leave for a three-month-long holiday, so a call now likely meant that they had encountered a problem. “How can I help you, Miss Yan?”

“I didn’t want to bother you while you’re resting, Lead Investigator Chen, but I had to talk to you about something. Do you have a minute?” Yan Yi asked.

“What is it?”

“Lately, the Department of Administrative Affairs has been confiscating and dealing with the assets of Ferris Wheel,” Yan Yi said grimly. “They’re also willing to hand over some of Ferris Wheel’s businesses to us.

“We have been fighting for them after hearing about it, but some people from the Department of Administrative Affairs have been hinting that we can strive for more. If we can expand our business abroad, our business scope will increase by leaps and bounds. But we do have some competitors. They’re strong companies recommended by the municipal government.

“We’re not worried about competing against them officially, but we’re on guard against the possibility of them using non-business methods to attack us.”

Chen Chuan understood what she meant. After some thinking, he said, “I’ll send someone to you. When I’m not around, he’ll help you deal with any problems you might encounter. If you’re still in trouble afterwards, you know how to contact me.”

He intended to send Sancheng Huang to them. While he had agreed to join his team, they hadn’t gone through the entire official procedure, and without Chen Chuan leading the team, he couldn’t go to the merged space. Because of this, it would be better for Sancheng Huang to protect Border Fusion.

“That would be great. Enjoy your holiday, Lead Investigator Chen,” Yan Yi said.

After the call, two minutes passed before Chen Chuan received a message from Meng Shu. She, too, wished for him to enjoy his holiday, and he thanked her.

Chen Chuan went to Glowing Dew District and Treasure Fruits Market to buy some things before returning to Martial Valor University.

Over the next few days, he was busy with getting ready to go back home. Then, in the morning of the ninth of June, he walked out of the university with his luggage in hand.

The moment he stepped on the square, his limousine and armored cars came over and stopped in front of him. Someone immediately stepped forward to grab his luggage and put it into the trunk.

Yu Xiao saluted him and asked, “When are we leaving, Lead Investigator?”

Chen Chuan didn’t answer immediately, but looked up at the sky. After a moment, he heard a shrill chirp and saw a bird reptile with beautiful feathers soaring above them.

He smiled. “Let’s go.”

He entered the limousine, and the motorcade started moving. With another chirp and the morning sun shining on them, they left toward the gradually brightening sky.

(End of Book Three)