Chapter 341 - 72: Arrangements
Chapter 341 - 72: Arrangements
Having decided on a general strategy for dealing with Zhao Qian, the next step was to discuss the details and a concrete plan.
Gao Ming took out his notebook and a stack of documents. "Cousin, like I told you last time, Zhao Qian used to participate in an escort mission every two months on average.
His last mission was last year. Back then, he was under investigation due to the fall of the Molan Company and the Zhao Family, which kept him from participating in company business for a long time. It seems he’s only recently managed to escape from these negative repercussions.
He’ll definitely be proactive about getting involved in business now. As a manager, he has to prove his capabilities to his superiors and show his subordinates that he can still hold on to his current position. So, within the next two months at the latest, he’ll definitely choose to take part in an escort mission."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "If the Processing Bureau keeps up the pressure, could that force him to stay in Central City?"
Gao Ming said, "Unless the Processing Bureau’s pressure is great enough to make Lianwei Zhongyu Company decide to replace him, he’ll actually be even more desperate to prove himself."
Chen Chuan nodded. "So, we can assume that if he’s still unable to participate in company affairs after this, it means Lianwei Zhongyu is preparing to abandon him?"
Gao Ming pushed up his glasses. "Yes."
Chen Chuan mulled it over. ’If that’s the case, it would be the ideal situation, but we can’t pin our hopes on it.’ He looked up and asked, "Gao Ming, how long do you think it will be before he personally takes part in the next mission?"
Gao Ming replied, "Lianwei Zhongyu conducts a business evaluation and summary every three months. It’s currently April. Zhao Qian didn’t participate last quarter because he was under investigation. If he delays past June, half a year will have gone by. If he wants to eliminate the negative repercussions and prove himself to the company, he will definitely make a move before June."
Chen Chuan nodded. "So, as you said before, he might make his move this month or the next."
"Which is why we’d best have everything prepared within half a month."
Chen Chuan thought briefly. "Half a month is enough."
Gao Ming picked up the documents on the table, pulled out a few sheets, and pushed them in front of Chen Chuan. "This is public information on Lianwei Zhongyu’s past transport teams.
Besides Zhao Qian, the convoy also has a head of security in charge of on-the-ground execution. His name is unknown, but his codename is ’Peregrine Falcon.’ He should be a Third Limit Fighter."
Chen Chuan picked up the top sheet. In the upper-left corner was a blurry photo. The person was wearing a protective helmet, leaving almost no identifiable features. There was no specific data either, only a brief introduction and the success rate of past missions.
"However, according to analysis from other companies, there should be another important figure by Zhao Qian’s side, also suspected to be a Third Limit Fighter. There’s no concrete information on this person within Lianwei Zhongyu; it’s suspected they answer only to Zhao Qian personally."
Gao Ming pushed another sheet over. "These are some analysis reports from Lianwei Zhongyu’s competitor, Antan Company, and others. They should be reliable."
Chen Chuan took it and glanced it over. It was an analysis of someone close to Zhao Qian, basically confirming such a person existed.
’Attacking the armed convoy directly really is a bad idea.’ Even without considering the strength of the corporate team, just three Third Limit masters made a surprise attack basically hopeless.
’Using a ghost story curse is the right choice.’
But even with the modified ritual contract, the ghost story curse could only proceed to the next step after the target actively attacked him. Ideally, the target’s attack should also contain a certain degree of hostility. In other words, he had to make Zhao Qian attack him first, but how to do that was the problem.
’Looks like I’ll need to discuss the specifics with Wubei.’
Since it was already past midnight, and Gao Ming didn’t have the constitution of a Fighter, he didn’t stay long. After bidding farewell, Chen Chuan immediately used a Realm Token to contact Wubei. As a Resonator, this was precisely his most active time.
Once the connection was established, he asked, "Brother Wu, is this conversation secure?"
Wubei’s confident voice came through. "Brother Chen, don’t worry. With the Resonance Nest, I have more than enough power to interfere with information transmission. Even if someone is listening in, I can detect it in advance."
Chen Chuan said, "Good. Do you remember how You Xing targeted me last time?"
"I remember. Of course I remember. His technique was really something."
Chen Chuan said, "What if I needed to use the same method to target someone, say, a mid-level manager at some company? Could you do it?"
Hearing this, Wubei’s breathing grew heavier, his heart pounding with both nervousness and excitement. He thought for a moment and said, "Technically, it’s no problem for me, but it depends on the specific location. If the target is inside his company, protected by a Biological Domain, it’ll be very difficult to pull off."
"So you’re saying it’s feasible outside the company?"
Wubei said, "Right. If the target is a mid-level manager, he should have a Resonator providing technical support at all times, but it’s impossible to carry a Resonance Nest around when traveling. That gives me a high degree of confidence."
Chen Chuan considered this. ’That part won’t be a problem. Once the plan is in motion, the Processing Bureau will definitely issue a mandatory summons for Zhao Qian. That will be our opportunity.’
He said, "The target will be leaving his company."
Wubei said, "If that’s the case, then there’s just one problem left. Brother Chen, I know You Xing’s plan used a Biological Domain and anomalous rules. The initial technical preparations were meant to provoke the target into counterattacking, setting the stage for what comes next.
But what kind of mimicked form should I use to force the target to fight back or attack? I can’t just use your image, Brother Chen, can I? That would expose you. And just picking a random one doesn’t seem right either. Is there anyone or anything the target deeply fears?"
Chen Chuan thought carefully. "I have someone in mind, but I’ll need some time. Brother Wu, I’ll contact you later."
「Deep Unexplored District—Underground Fighting Hall」
Lu Fang was instructing the youths practicing in the center of the hall. Unlike the two senior brothers, he didn’t beat or curse at the young men. Whenever they made a mistake, he would approach them and offer patient, detailed guidance.
A short-haired young man leaned against the wall, watching. After a long while, a bell rang, signaling the end of the session. The youths cheered and ran off, and Lu Fang walked back over.
The short-haired man tossed him a bottle of water. "Junior Lu, you don’t have to be so polite with them. In a place like Central City, your good temper will only make people think you’re a pushover. Didn’t you see? Those little brats aren’t afraid of you at all."
Lu Fang twisted off the cap, took a drink, and said, "Senior Brother, I don’t need them to be afraid of me. I just need them to learn the skills."
The short-haired man said, "Learn? You’re teaching them the way you’d teach Wuyi Academy students. They don’t need that. They’re learning this so they can go out and fight people, to make a living. What they need is to be able to grab a weapon, go out there, and fight ruthlessly, to compete for resources just like adults."
Lu Fang shook his head but didn’t say his senior brother was wrong. He had learned a lot since the incident with Chen Chuan. He wasn’t in the other man’s shoes, nor had he experienced what he had, so he was in no position to preach to him.
Besides, during his most difficult time, it was these two senior brothers who had taken him in and helped him.
Seeing his silence, the short-haired man didn’t press the issue. Instead, he asked, "Junior Lu, that junior brother you mentioned, the one you said you were going to see the other day... did he say he’d help you with your problem?"
Lu Fang said, "My junior brother said he would help me."
"He’ll help you? It’s been so many days, and there’s been no news?"
The short-haired man shook his head. "I hate to say it, but once someone gets into the Central Hospital, it doesn’t matter what they were like before. They’re not one of us anymore.
Who’s he surrounded by? All those Recommended Students. Once he got there, he would’ve started running with their crowd long ago.
I’ve seen plenty of people like that. Hah. They get to Central City, make a name for themselves, and then they can’t wait to cut all ties with everyone they used to know. To be honest, I’m surprised you even got to see him."
Lu Fang said, "I don’t know about other people, but Junior Chen isn’t like that."
"Then what’s he like? I’m actually pretty curious about him. How did he get into Wuyi General Hospital? It’s rare for someone to get in without being a Recommended Student."
Lu Fang didn’t answer directly. Instead, he walked to the side, took a newspaper out of his bag, and came back. "This is a newspaper I saved. Senior Brother Yu, you can take a look."
"What is it?"
Senior Brother Yu took it curiously. After reading for a moment, he was dumbfounded. "This... this... you’ve got to be kidding, right?" The newspaper contained a detailed report about how Chen Chuan had single-handedly counter-killed thirty-seven members of the Mutual Aid Association.
"No. That was Junior Chen’s combat record back then." Lu Fang’s tone was calm. "And that doesn’t even include the personal security teams of those Mutual Aid Association members."
"No way." Senior Brother Yu said doubtfully, "Has the Mutual Aid Association gotten that pathetic? This Junior Chen is a second-year student? This newspaper can’t be fake, can it?"
Lu Fang said calmly, "If Senior Brother goes back to Yangzhi, you’ll know if I’m telling the truth."
"I’m not going back."
Senior Brother Yu shook his head. "I finally managed to get a foothold in Central City. Why would I go back?
What’s so great about Yangzhi? It’s isolated and remote, just a corner of the world. Central City is the whole world. You can find everything here that you can’t find outside.
Once we get our residency status, we can openly start our own Fighting Hall, or join a big company as a security captain or consultant. After we’ve saved up some capital, we’ll go all out to break through to the Third Limit. If we get the chance to enter the Third Limit, our lives will be completely transformed."
Lu Fang didn’t think his words were pure fantasy. After all, he had sparred with these two senior brothers, and their fighting skills were quite impressive. Moreover, neither of them was even twenty-five yet. All they lacked were various resources for their fighting practice. If they worked hard, they still had a decent chance.
Senior Brother Yu looked at the newspaper again, finding it more unbelievable the more he looked. The crucial point wasn’t that Chen Chuan had killed so many Mutual Aid Association members, but that nothing had happened to him afterward. ’Damn, he must have someone powerful backing him, and not just anyone either.’
He looked at Lu Fang. "Junior Brother, now I’m starting to believe you."
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