Chapter 442: Chapter 172: Execution Target
Sometime after two in the afternoon, the armored car pulled up in front of a garden-style estate.
Chen Chuan stepped out of the car and looked over. It was a four-story villa with a spacious yard in the front and a separate garage to the side. At the very top, he could see a scenic rooftop terrace and an attic.
His identity had already been verified by the security system on the way in, so the man in charge of guarding the estate opened the main gate for him as soon as he approached.
He walked inside, went up the steps, and entered through the main doors. After a look around, he gestured for the Guardian to stay behind. The man bowed, backed away, and gently pulled the door shut.
He surveyed the interior. The furnishings and furniture were already in place, so he didn’t have to bother with decorating. The decor was light, bright, simple, and sleek. The natural lighting was excellent as well, making the space feel quite comfortable. ’No need to change anything, then.’
As a residence configured for a Fighter, the most important feature was, of course, the Training Ground. The third floor had a five-hundred-square-meter training room, with a layout nearly identical to the ones at the academy.
This wasn’t particularly large for a Third Limit Fighter—just the standard configuration—but it was more than enough for indoor use. Besides, there was also the spacious front yard and an even larger backyard.
In addition to basic rooms like bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen, the villa also had a dedicated medicine storage room and a weapons vault. These two areas had been specially modified and reinforced, which he found quite satisfactory. He was especially pleased with the weapons vault, as he could now display the armaments he had acquired earlier.
There was also a basement, which included a designated area for housing Domain-interfering organisms. It could even accommodate a Resonance Nest without any issues. It seemed every possible function had been considered.
He finished his tour and went to the garage. It wasn’t empty; parked inside was a complimentary "Invincible General" produced by the Fenghai Company.
The car was mid-range, with an especially large front end, a high chassis, a powerful engine, and a spacious interior. Furthermore, its body was made with biological materials that allowed for a certain degree of self-repair.
Notably, it featured two banners on the upper body and a colorful, horse-like mane running down the mid-to-rear section. At high speeds, they would all flutter backward, creating an eye-catching and imposing spectacle of reckless power. For this reason, it was a favorite among many Fighters.
Chen Chuan wasn’t particularly fond of this type of car, but he figured he could keep it as a collector’s item.
In addition to the house itself, the company had also assigned him four cleaners, two maintenance workers, and a five-man patrol of Sword Guards to look after the property. The company paid their salaries, so he didn’t have to worry about it. Of course, he could dismiss them if he didn’t need them.
Overall, he was quite satisfied. However, he didn’t linger. After leaving the estate, he got back in the armored car and headed for the Processing Bureau.
Upon arriving at the bureau, he first handed the file from Meng Shu to Director Wu. The director was a man of swift action; after a brief chat with Chen Chuan, he immediately began organizing an arrest operation.
When he came out, a message indicated that Manager Qiu from the examination department was looking for him. He went to the reception room, where the manager asked him a few questions and ran some simple checks with certain instruments, mainly to see if he had been corrupted or contaminated by any opposing entities.
However, this was just a formality. It was highly unlikely for a Third Limit Fighter to run into any major problems in such a short amount of time, even if they were willing.
Manager Qiu also mentioned that because Chen Chuan had just been promoted a level, he wouldn’t be promoted again for the time being. However, his recent contributions would be factored into his next promotion.
Chen Chuan wasn’t too concerned about this. A Third Limit Fighter already held a certain status, and further level-ups were just icing on the cake until one reached a much higher rank. Although his salary would increase, he was already drawing two salaries and had just received a hefty bonus, so it wasn’t a major concern.
Manager Qiu then smiled and said, "There is one more thing. We found something inside the head of Xu Xianwen that you brought back, Mr. Chen.
"We were originally hoping to find evidence and clues that would help us incriminate Meng Huang, but there was nothing of the sort. We did, however, find some personal effects..."
He tapped his Realm Token and sent over a data file. "This location is likely his lair—a cavern at the bottom of a body of water. The bureau currently doesn’t have suitable personnel to investigate, so if you have the time, Mr. Chen, you might want to check it out. You might find something valuable there."
He added with another smile, "The Xu Xianwen case is now closed. The file has been sealed, and it’s highly unlikely anyone will look into it again. Whatever you find, Mr. Chen, you don’t need to report it to your superiors."
Chen Chuan understood immediately. ’No suitable personnel to investigate? As if. That’s just an excuse. They’re giving me the rights to whatever is in his stronghold.’
Since Chen Chuan had taken down Xu Xianwen all by himself, this, combined with his other recent contributions, meant that anything related to the case was tacitly considered his spoils of war. In truth, this was another form of reward.
He accepted the data, said goodbye to Manager Qiu, and walked out. Back in the armored car, he took a look at the file. The map showed the target location was near an underground river. According to the analysis, it was connected to Lu Lan Lake. It seemed that was where Xu Xianwen had been trying to flee to that day.
’Right, I’ll make a trip there when I have the time.’
He first had the armored car take him back to Wuyi. Since he was only on a short break and his business wasn’t completely finished, he didn’t go to pick up Chaoming from Tan Zhi’s place. He just gave Tan Zhi a call, who told him not to worry—Chaoming was very smart and not at all difficult to care for.
After thanking him and promising to treat him to a meal some other day, Chen Chuan ended the call. He then went to the living room, picked up the receiver, and called home.
Because of the special circumstances, he had been stuck on Motie Mountain and had only been able to have Gao Ming relay messages by radio. It was better to call them directly to put his family’s minds at ease.
While he was on the phone, in a conference room at the Ferris Wheel Company, Sister Huan stood before a light screen, using her Realm Token to contact all the members of her action team. She manipulated the figures appearing on the screen.
She said, "These are all the targets Wu Qi identified as threats to the company." She swiped the light screen, and the photos of three individuals enlarged and appeared before everyone.
She continued, "These three are the ones Wu Qi has designated as top-priority targets for elimination. I don’t care how it came to this conclusion. This is what the higher-ups want, so this is what we’ll do. First up is this person..."
The photo of a woman in her twenties was magnified. She had red-dyed hair and wore a white dress, giving her a pure and lovely appearance.
"Deng Xin, a native of Huihe Island. She once served as an assistant to the company’s intelligence secretary but left after an internal incident.
"She herself has no real power and has only trained in basic martial arts, but her current boyfriend, Tu Nai, is a Third Limit master and a key member of the Elephant Gang.
"This means that going after her will provoke a conflict with the Elephant Gang."
She shifted her finger. "Second, Lei Guangcheng, the director of the Esoteric Review Bureau in one of the Edge Cities. We have intel that he’s coming to Central City next year to assume the post of deputy director of the Central City Esoteric Review Bureau."
One team member said in surprise, "Getting transferred from an Edge City to a post in Central City is no simple feat. He must either have powerful connections or be exceptionally capable."
Sister Huan then brought up the last person—a photo of Chen Chuan. "As for this one," she said, "I’m sure I don’t need to say much. You should all have seen him during the confrontation with Wei Wusheng.
"He’s an Executioner from the Processing Bureau, a student at Wuyi, and now a security consultant for Fusion Boundary Company. A very capable young man."
She glanced around the room. "As for who we start with, do any of you have an opinion?"
One member replied, "Sister Huan, we have no objections. We’ll follow your orders." The other members agreed.
Sister Huan was just as decisive. "Then I’ll choose." Her gaze fell on Chen Chuan. With a wave of her hand, she swiped the other two photos away. "The first one we’ll be dealing with will be this young man."
Someone asked uncertainly, "Sister Huan, just asking, not questioning the choice... but why him? Don’t the other two seem like easier targets?"
Sister Huan explained, "Because the other two targets are either not in Central City or are under heavy protection, making them difficult to approach. This young man, however, is often out and about with no one guarding him.
"Furthermore, he’s only eighteen and still in a period of rapid growth. If we go after the others, it will take time to formulate and execute a plan. By the time we’re done, two or three months might have passed. His power will certainly be greater then than it is now, which would undoubtedly increase the difficulty."
She looked at everyone and said, "I’m not trying to be alarmist. I suspect the Viper Corps failed because they underestimated his strength and didn’t take their opponent seriously."
She then turned to a few specific team members. "Analysis team, before we move, I want a detailed intelligence report on him. The more complete, the better. I want you to dig up everything you can find, even if you have to go back ten years."
She rapped her knuckles on the table. "We must give this opponent our full attention. To face an enemy who could single-handedly annihilate the Viper Corps, we need to be at one hundred and twenty percent!"
The team members all solemnly agreed.
Setting aside the others, the Viper Corps was by no means weak. With proper coordination, even this team would have to be wary if they faced them. This was especially true of their leader, Xu Xianwen, who was a truly powerful Fighter with extremely high survivability. And yet, even he couldn’t escape Chen Chuan’s pursuit and ultimately fell to his blade.
To deal with a Fighter of such high caliber, they absolutely had to treat him with the utmost seriousness.
However, hunting a target is different from a frontal assault. Even the strongest people have weaknesses. They would formulate a detailed and meticulous plan, wait patiently for the right opportunity, and only strike when they were reasonably certain of success.
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