Celestial Human Diagram

The Corporate Collaborative Syndicate, or "Federation" for short, was an organization established by many of the world’s multinational mega-corporations. It was originally intended to counter incursions from the world on the other side, as not all governments are as powerful as the Dashun Government.

However, as the organization’s membership and influence grew, it gradually evolved into a global entity that stood above most national governments.

As an Executioner for the Processing Bureau, Chen Chuan had read the files on the Federation; it was something he couldn’t avoid.

Within the Federation, companies were stratified into different tiers based on their size, location, and influence. The primary members shared resources and intelligence, shouldered risks together, and exerted influence over the policy-making of various nations.

Although the Ferris Wheel Company couldn’t compare in size to the mega-corporations, joining would bring immense benefits. The Federation could help it bypass international regulations, share intelligence, and assist in lobbying and pressuring governments. Furthermore, it would gain access to some of the Federation’s proprietary technologies, which were not available to non-members.

The Federation’s influence wasn’t limited to the real world. The teams jointly formed by its members were also part of the force that maintained the World Ring, and they were extremely powerful.

Therefore, the world’s major nations had chosen to tolerate it for the time being. After all, the Great Collision was imminent, and infighting would only weaken their own strength.

Chen Chuan realized, ’If the Ferris Wheel Company’s membership is finalized, it’ll be nearly impossible to resolve this at the government level.’

He didn’t ask Director Wu what his superiors would do, but he could guess that the Dashun Government would certainly try to obstruct the matter. The outcome, however, was hard to predict.

’But these matters aren’t my concern,’ he thought.

’Right now, my priority is to fulfill the Defense Department’s request, participate in the World Ring defense mission, and find an instructor to guide my next steps.’

’No matter how the world changes, the only thing I can rely on is my own strength.’

After ending the call with Director Wu, he drove back to Wuyi and placed the weapons from his car into the training room.

His collection was growing, with all sorts of varieties taking up a lot of space. All he had here were simple weapon racks and some empty cabinets, which were not at all suitable for display.

’A training room isn’t a proper armory, and it’s not convenient for maintenance. It really is time to think about moving everything to the mansion.’

With that thought, he decided to take care of it today.

So, he packed the weapons into bags, carried them to his Gard Car in two trips, and then drove to the mansion. Since it was relatively close, he arrived in less than ten minutes.

Five Sword Guards were standing watch at the villa. He contacted them using his Realm Token, and when they saw him arrive, they opened the main gate for him. After parking the car in the private garage, he carried the items to the weapon collection room himself without any help.

This place was completely different from his dorm. It was divided into various display areas, with spots on the walls and racks designed for different types of weapons.

Besides bracketed shelves, there were both recessed and wall-mounted holders. Each spot was illuminated by a light, allowing the owner to better admire every weapon displayed within.

He first carefully wiped down each weapon, then selected a position for each one and placed it on display.

He stepped back a few paces to admire his work, a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction washing over him.

’The only shame is that there aren’t enough of them yet. I can take them all in with a single glance.’

’Just a moment ago, it seemed like a lot, but now I see they only fill a small corner of the collection room. I’ll have to keep working at it.’

After admiring them for a long while, he finally backed out and closed the door. The weapon room was semi-sealed, making it excellent for maintenance and meaning it didn’t need constant supervision.

He went downstairs to the kitchen, brewed himself a cup of tea, and then went up to the fourth-floor balcony. He brought a chair out from inside and sat down, looking out at the view.

’The environment here is great, too. Birds chirping, lush greenery everywhere, and a wetland park out front. If it weren’t for having Hong Fu as a sparring partner at Wuyi, and its higher defense level, this place would actually be better to live in.’

’To fully secure this place, I’d first need a creature that disrupts Domains. Otherwise, external Biological Domains could easily encroach. And for a mansion this big, without a Resonator on guard, there’s practically no way to conceal it from the outside.’

’So if I really decide to move here, I’ll need to get my hands on a Domain-disrupting creature and a Resonance Nest, plus a dedicated Resonator.’

Thinking of this, he opened his Realm Token’s light screen and casually ran a search.

With his current status as a Third Limit Fighter, he could access many platforms that were previously unavailable to him and see all sorts of products he’d never had access to before.

He had only been searching for a moment when numerous ads were pushed to him, some of them for Skill-type Puppets that were highly recommended by buyers.

He took a look and saw that these Puppets were all products of the Paperman Company.

He was already familiar with them. For example, the Sword Guards downstairs and that "No. 13" were both from this company.

Besides the guard-type, these Puppets also included ones with Resonator abilities, which were popular among many in the middle and upper classes.

The Paperman Company used a three-fold control system of hypnotic commands, Implant keys, and drugs to ensure their Puppets were loyal only to the buyer and would never betray them. They even promised that a Puppet would not disobey an order to attack the Paperman Company itself.

In reality, when it came to Puppets, the Original Man Company had the most advanced technology. However, that company catered to the high-end market, and Puppets weren’t even their main business. Domestically, the Paperman Company had the widest reach in this field.

’Come to think of it,’ he mused, ’the Original Man Company has a branch right here in Jibei Dao Central City, located in the Weiguang District’s corporate hub. It’s even one of Wuyi’s major sponsors, though it usually keeps a low profile.’

If one didn’t specifically bring it up, most people would overlook the company’s existence. And yet, Original Man was one of the key members of the Federation that Director Wu had mentioned, an undeniable presence among the conglomerates.

’And I have that card from the Original Man Company... It seems my parents were connected to them somehow, but the card was voided over a decade ago.’

There was a lot of fog surrounding this that he couldn’t see through yet.

’But I’m not in a hurry. I believe that as the Memory Potion continues its work, I’ll find the clues I need to uncover the truth.’

After finishing his tea, he switched to the Realm Token that Specialist Liang had given him and directly contacted the woman who had been in charge of receiving him last time. When she had seen him off, he’d learned her surname was Ji.

Once the call connected, he said, "Manager Ji, Specialist Liang told me to report before the end of the month. I’ve now completed my current tasks and am ready to be dispatched at any time."

Manager Ji immediately sent him a form and said, "Mr. Chen, please register by filling this out and sending it back to me. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can contact me via message or direct call."

Chen Chuan said okay. He glanced at the form—it was a registration sheet for the defense plan. After filling it out, he sent it back.

After a short wait, Manager Ji said, "The form has been submitted. Please wait patiently, Mr. Chen. We will send the mission directive within three days. Please be prepared, and do not accept any other missions or commissions in the meantime."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you for the reminder. I understand."

He was about to undertake a defense mission, and he wasn’t sure how long it would last. Based on what Director Wu had said, it shouldn’t take too long, but it probably wouldn’t be brief either. Therefore, he needed to notify his regular contacts.

He first contacted Gao Ming and explained the situation, then gave Wubei a heads-up. Next, he contacted Tan Zhi to let him know that Chaoming might have to stay with him for a while longer.

Tan Zhi said it was no problem. He added that he was no longer living in the dorms but had rented a place outside, which made it more convenient for him to train with a teacher. He said Chen Chuan was welcome to visit anytime.

As he spoke, he sent Chen Chuan an address.

Chen Chuan took a look. The address wasn’t far from Wuyi. A famous bar, the Jumping Bar, was just fifty meters away, and there was a dance and drama theater within two kilometers.

He smiled. ’He really picked a good spot. It definitely seems like the kind of place Tan Zhi would live.’

Then he contacted Old Qi. This time, however, it took a while for the call to connect, and when it did, Old Qi’s voice sounded hoarse and weary.

He sensed something was wrong. "Old Qi, what’s happened?"

Old Qi said, "Brother Chen, I was actually just about to contact you. If you’re looking to buy Esoteric Materials, I’m afraid I won’t be able to get them for you for a while..."

Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. He had always bought his Esoteric Materials from Old Qi. The quality was excellent, the quantity was always sufficient, and he had been a reliable source.

’But it’s not a big deal if I can’t buy from Old Qi anymore. I have Lu Tong Logistics as a channel now, and I can get a lot of things from the Lower City District through them.’

He was more concerned about Old Qi’s situation. He asked, "Old Qi, is everything all right on your end?"

Old Qi seemed to hesitate before finally saying, "My friend, the one who’s been selling me the Esoteric Materials... he was doing it on the side to make some extra money. The people he works for found out, so he fled from the Lower City District. I managed to find him a place to stay, but a gang from the Lower City District came looking for him.

They kidnapped him. But it seems the gangsters aren’t done yet. They want to trace where the materials went. I can’t go home now, so Xiaoqi and I have been living in my car lately."

"How long has this been going on?"

Old Qi said, "About four or five days now."

Chen Chuan asked, "Old Qi, where are you now? ...Okay, good. Don’t worry about it for now. I’ll head over in a bit."

After ending the call, he finished his tea, got up, and went downstairs. He first called home to tell them he was going on a mission and might be hard to contact for a while. He told them that if they couldn’t reach him at his dorm at the academy, they could contact Gao Ming.

Then he left the villa, got into his Gard Car, and drove toward the location Old Qi had given him.

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