Chapter 71: What Happens Next
Since Wei Changan said that he was going to take care of it, Chen Chuan did not stay around. He left on his bicycle.
Because of it, he did not know that soon after he left, a semi-transparent, beautiful child climbed up the well and showed up when the clouds blocked the light from the moon. Then, they disappeared.
Chen Chuan rode only through alleys. Even so, he occasionally heard modified cars charging down the road, followed by the sound of chains being dragged on the ground and the sound of bottles getting smashed.
Gangs were at their most active at night. If there was no need for it, Chen Chuan did not want to run into them. But after learning that some of the urban legends were real, he became even more careful and did not enter the deserted alleys.
After cycling for a little over an hour, he arrived at the square in the downtown area and called the number Cheng Zitong had given him.
Whoever answered the phone did not say a single word, so Chen Chuan just said the code words. “The thing has been captured.”
“Place?” the person asked in a grave, emotionless voice.
“Downtown square, across from Douyi Hotel,” Chen Chuan answered.
“Wait there. We will arrive shortly.”
Once Chen Chuan hung up, he waited by the road. Soon, a delivery truck turned into the road from another corner. Its headlights were on. When it drew close, Chen Chuan saw a blooming black orchid on the truck’s side.
Is it... from Black Orchid? Chen Chuan wondered.
The truck stopped in front of Chen Chuan, and two people in Black Orchid Co.’s uniform got out.
Chen Chuan stood up and went over to them with the bag. One of them took it, opened the bag to check, and nodded. “It’s the right one.”
The other one took the form from Chen Chuan, signed it, and stamped it before returning it to him.
After Chen Chuan took the form back, the two men carried the bag to the back of the truck. When they opened the door, a chill came from within it.
They put the bag in, got back into the truck, and left. They did not spare Chen Chuan another glance.
Chen Chuan put the form away and took note of his second self’s condition. He was still faintly blurred out. He did not recover even after the child in the well was given away.
The damage was minor, though, so Chen Chuan did not pay it any mind. He headed back to Martial Valor University.
Security guards patrolled the area outside the university at night. When Chen Chuan got near the university, he showed his ID and was immediately let in.
After he returned to the dormitory, he called Cheng Zitong on the public phone. “I’m back, Mr. Cheng. Everything went smoothly and I handed the creature to the client after calling the number you provided.”
“How did it feel?” Cheng Zitong asked.
“How should I put this? This is the first time I’ve come into contact with such a thing, and it all feels novel. What exactly is it?” Chen Chuan asked.
“There are some guesses, but I can’t give you a clear answer. If you want it, you’re going to have to search for it yourself. Anyway, few people take up missions related to urban legends because they’re usually dangerous. It’s best to not have anything to do with them until one knows how to deal with them.
“I gave you this mission because other people have tried capturing the children in the well, and after they summarized their experiences, they came up with this method of capture that has been proven to work. That’s why it’s relatively easy. Honestly, a lot of time and money was spent figuring out how to capture these things, including the children in the well, so many people avoid them like the plague. If they have the time and energy to look into these things, they prefer doing other missions.”
Chen Chuan could understand that. The level of danger and mystery of such missions was really high, but the reward was not that much better, so why would any agent bother taking them?
Cheng Zitong continued, “But if you specialize in these sorts of missions, people will approach you to do them. The more you come into contact with urban legends, the more you will understand them. Once you learn to do something others can’t, you’re a professional, and clients will immediately think about contacting you if something comes up.
“Anyone can do normal missions, but no one can replace an agent specializing in taking care of urban legends. They will have to come to you, and your evaluation points will increase.”
“I don’t care about evaluation points, Mr. Cheng. I’m genuinely interested in those things,” Chen Chuan stated.
Cheng Zitong laughed. “You’re right. Who cares about those things? We’ll just do what interests us because we want to. Nothing can hold us back. That’s how us learn-by-instincts types should be.”
“You mentioned that we should never be trapped within our circles, so wouldn’t thinking that we’re the learn-by-instincts type be trapping ourselves in a kind of circle?” Chen Chuan asked teasingly.
Cheng Zitong was stunned for a moment, then laughed again. “You little brat. You’re doubting me and nitpicking my words?”
“I believe saying what we’re thinking is a characteristic of the learn-by-instincts type,” Chen Chuan continued teasing him.
“Haha! You little brat, you’re flattering me and being shameless at the same time!”
Cheng Zitong was really happy, because he had never met anyone who got along with him as well as his mentee. What a pity...
He sighed inwardly, then pulled himself together. “Based on previous experiences, you can’t do many such missions, or you’ll suffer a strange effect that can’t be put to words. Rest for a few days and observe the growth of your mutated tissue. Let’s see whether we need to arrange the training for the Second Limit.”
“Got it. By the way, Mr. Cheng, I got involved in something else today. It might affect my subsequent plans,” Chen Chuan said. He then shared his encounter with Tong Qianjiang as well as the possibility that he might need to participate in another mission.
“Oh? That case? I heard about it. Since you’re already involved, you should take an active role in it. Don’t let this opportunity slide. This should fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Administrative Affairs and will give you a lot of evaluation points. It might bring you extra benefits too. I can’t really tell right now, but remember to stay safe. These people have been in hiding for a long time, so they won’t be easy to take down,” Cheng Zitong said sternly.
“I will,” Chen Chuan promised.
It was already late by the time they ended the phone call, so he took a shower and went to bed.
The next morning, after he finished his morning training, he ran into Feng Xiaoqi and Luo Kaiyuan, and they went to the cafeteria for breakfast.
Feng Xiaoqi and Luo Kaiyuan had begun practicing their breathing technique over the past few days and were in the process of strengthening their foundation. Usually, a martial artist would need from three months to half a year to get familiar with a breathing technique before they could take the next step.
They were simply waiting for their mutated tissue to grow, so they could make arrangements based on the growth. However, students were generally not privy to this fact.
Most students learned a refined force at the level of an augmented force when they were sophomores. A subtle force was much easier to pick up. Even those who did not have any mutated tissue could generate and use subtle force through hard work and medicine that could bring out their potential. Many of the second-class students used this route to master a refined force. Of course, the refined force in this case was a subtle force.
While they were having breakfast, Feng Xiaoqi gave them a set of boxing wraps. “My family was making a set of boxing wraps for me, so I asked them to make two sets for you two.”
Chen Chuan didn’t hesitate and took it with a thanks. Since it was customary to return a gift after receiving one from a friend, he made plans to get something when he had a chance.
“Thank you,” Luo Kaiyuan said earnestly.
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s just something small. While the university has all sorts of training equipment, it’s better to use our own when it comes to the small things like boxing wraps, resistance bands, grip strengtheners and chest expanders. My family does this for a living. I’ll bring you two over to take a look someday,” Feng Xiaoqi said with a smile.
“Sure,” Chen Chuan agreed with a smile too.
After breakfast, the three of them returned to the dormitory. The moment they stepped through the door, they saw the dormitory supervisor talking into the phone. When he saw Chen Chuan, he immediately called out to him. “Chen Chuan, phone call for you.”
Then, he said to the person on the other end of the phone, “He’s here. Please wait a moment.”
Chen Chuan immediately walked over. After thanking the dormitory supervisor, he took the phone. “Hello?”
Wei Changan’s excited and slightly hoarse voice came from the other end. “Chen Chuan, we found where Scar Face is hiding! Are you free now? I’ll pick you up.”
“I just came back to the dorm,” Chen Chuan replied.
“Stay right there. I’ll go over right now!”