Chapter 394: Chapter 394: Classmate, Abigail
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Chen Xuan initially thought that contacting his former "classmates" would take some time, but surprisingly, just after two days, Honglian excitedly reached out to him, "Someone responded to me! They said they would help with the investigation."
"Who?"
"Abigail," Honglian showed him the email on her phone, "She’s now an agent with headquarters’ disciplinary team, which is great!"
Chen Xuan glanced at the email, realizing it was entirely in English. Although he could understand it using "linguistics," he didn’t bother, "Just tell me, did she ask why you were removed from the mechanism?"
"She did ask, but I told her I absolutely didn’t betray my original intention, and she didn’t ask further."
Is the trust level really that high?
Chen Xuan couldn’t help but be a bit suspicious.
"Is she very close to you?"
"Not bad, but not the closest," Honglian replied honestly, "I contacted four people, and she was the first to reply. During concentrated training back then, she showed extreme fairness, always stepping in to resolve issues whenever bullying happened in the class. Everyone trusted her a lot."
"But I also know that those were things from over a decade ago." She paused, then added, "I never thought a decade ago that I would have a day when I’d part ways with the mechanism. I can’t guarantee she’s as upright as before, but she’s the only one who has responded so far, so we can only give it a try."
That’s indeed the case.
Chen Xuan nodded, "Does this Abigail require any kind of reward? If it’s money, I can send it over."
"No, she only asked to meet me in person, which is a prerequisite for her help. She wants to verify my situation personally."
"Meet face-to-face?" Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow, "At headquarters?"
The mechanism changes its headquarters over time, and currently, it’s located on Phoenix Islands, a region under no nations’ jurisdiction. Additionally, according to Lin Qing, the mechanism is soon to build a super ship named "Tianyu," which also counts as part of headquarters.
"No way, I don’t want to walk into a trap!" Honglian spread her hands. Although Dr. Jiang and Chen Xuan’s negotiation resulted in a temporary truce, the actual situation had the Dimensional Limit Mechanism being watched by national institutions, unable to intervene in Jiang City. If they moved to the territories of others, the situation would be very delicate. "She said she’s currently on a business trip to the New City branch, and suggested I meet her there."
"New City..." Chen Xuan pondered.
Regardless of whether it’s domestic or international, even though the mechanism infiltrated many fields under the guise of being a company, it ultimately didn’t form substantive control.
The reason is simple: they’re not ready for control yet.
According to history, the mechanism should still be in its "hidden" phase, quietly executing its expansion plan. It was Lin Qing’s unexpected arrival that forced them to prematurely come to light. To deal with this unforeseen exposure, the mechanism invested heavily in publicity, indeed creating the image of a responsible secret organization, but in exchange was the vigilance from nations in both overt and covert forms.
So in New City, the mechanism definitely can’t have things entirely under their control... at least not in 2026.
Does going to New City guarantee safety?
Clearly not. With the mechanism’s tactics, gathering a few Ability Users in any given place can weave an extensive net for capture.
Of course, where there’s a capture net, there is also a way to break it; it’s all about weighing the gains against the risks.
"Alright, I’ll go with you," Chen Xuan said.
Two people are the best choice; the guest invitation and the store manager’s recall can cover all bases simultaneously so whatever the other party plans, he could easily handle it.
Honglian understood this logic too, so she didn’t refuse, "Alright, I’ll set the time with her then."
A reply soon came from the other side, setting the meeting for three days later.
To mask their tracks, Chen Xuan didn’t even fly out directly from the country, instead using a franchise store to initially reach Australiel, where the Walter family resides, borrowing their private jet to reach the destination directly.
As soon as he got off the plane, Chen Xuan was hit by an indescribable odor.
Fortunately, Walter had already arranged everything there, having a special car take the two of them to the booked hotel, along with someone delivering a property transfer contract. Scanning the contract into the housekeeper app, Chen Xuan effectively possessed a teleportation point on the outskirts of New City.
"There’s the Condé Nast building; the last time I was here was five years ago. If I remember correctly, the mechanism’s office is on the 14th floor."
Through the guest room’s floor-to-ceiling glass window, Honglian pointed to the skyscraper opposite.
"You guys are quite high-profile, placing the branch in such a location," Chen Xuan marveled. It’s his first time here, though he’s heard about Times Square before. Now the famous square is beneath his feet, and the congested building cluster before him is Manhattan District, the core of New City’s core.
In fact, most mechanism branches are located in the most bustling cities of this district, a stark contrast to the Jiang City branch that stands as a clear outlier.
"Do you know what sign the mechanism hangs outside? Financial consulting center, and they actually do that kind of work." Honglian laughed, "Moreover, reputation matters, setting an institution in the city center is also a declaration of strength."
They did the same in Jiang City.
Even if Jiang City isn’t considered an international metropolis.
"Why did you come here before?" Chen Xuan was slightly curious.
"Study, cultural immersion, social activities... what else could it be," Honglian scoffed, "What the company does, the mechanism basically does too."
"I thought it was for joint case solving."
"Cooperation between branches and headquarters is more common; collaboration between branches is rarer."
"Why?"
"All branches, asking for help would be embarrassing; no one wants to admit they lack management skills." Her tone carried a bit of sarcasm, "Despite all branches having the same purpose, headquarters merely coordinates, yet now headquarters agents hold authority, while branches scheme against each other... no wonder the mechanism got beaten by the Evangelical Association."
Chen Xuan couldn’t help but chuckle.
That’s the confidence of having seen the future.
When the meeting day came, Abigail even called Honglian, specifically arranging the meeting location—at a café not far from Times Square.
To avoid misunderstandings, both sides communicated their accompanying numbers; they had two people, and Honglian informed that she had a Wanderer accompanying her.
The time was set for one o’clock in the afternoon, right as people were coming and going.
From any angle, the other side showed no intention of being unfavorable to their former classmates.
The two arrived on time at Room 204 of Mel’s Café.
Honglian took a deep breath and gently knocked on the door—from her expression, one could tell she was a bit nervous. This was rare; even when facing powerful Ability Users as enemies, she hadn’t been this anxious. Apparently, asking a former classmate for help is more troublesome in some ways than confronting enemies head-on, especially after over a decade where their identities and statuses are no longer on the same level.
She might not mind the differences, but it doesn’t mean she’s oblivious to the gaze of outsiders.
"Come in." A crisp response came from inside.
Honglian pushed the door and entered the room.
Chen Xuan followed—he had scanned with his Heart Method, confirming there were indeed only two people inside, with no hidden entities in adjacent or upper/lower floors.
A man and a woman were seated in the private room.
The woman was undoubtedly Abigail, simply sitting there exuded her unique aura. Her blond hair was meticulously tied at the back, revealing her smooth forehead and neat brows, with her lower eyes covered by a black fabric, creating a stark visual contrast.
Even though she wore the most common white shirt and suspenders jeans, she gave off an impression of being a bigwig. Chen Xuan observed and realized this perception came from her demeanor: it’s rare to see a young woman abroad sitting upright, chest out, and formal. She seemed to be sitting not on a soft seat, but a cold, hard stone chair, constantly scrutinizing herself.
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