Celestial Human Diagram

Many members of the assault team remained on the scene, but with Sister Huan’s group dealt with, the rest had lost their will to fight. Every one of them was looking for a way to retreat.

However, the Fusion Boundary Company’s security forces weren’t about to let them go, pursuing them relentlessly. In addition, the city patrol team had broken through the blockade below and cut off the road leading to Central City.

Just then, two small airships drew near, aiming their mounted machine guns downward. As muzzle flashes erupted, the staccato sound of gunfire burst from above.

Machine gun bullets raked across the armed assailants. Shattered concrete and dust flew everywhere in their wake. Even those wearing Protective Clothing couldn’t withstand the barrage, while those without it were torn limb from limb.

Seeing that the situation had turned against them, some of the Fighters on the bridge gave up on running for the lower sections. Instead, they vaulted directly over the side railings and leaped into the sea below.

Chen Chuan paid those men no mind. He walked straight toward Meng Shu’s armored car. The security guards gathered around it saw him approach, their eyes filled with reverence, and quickly parted to let him through.

When he reached the car window, he positioned himself so Meng Shu and Yan Yi could see him from inside. "It’s mostly resolved," he said via his Realm Token, "but there are still some armed hostiles around. Don’t come out yet."

Meng Shu’s reply came through. "Okay." Then she asked, "Chen Chuan, are you alright?"

"I’m fine," Chen Chuan said. "Oh, and I had a chance to test it. The company’s products are good quality." Seeing there were no other issues here, he turned to leave. Before he walked away, he glanced toward a particular spot inside the vehicle.

Meng Shu followed his gaze. In the spot he’d looked at, which had appeared empty, Aunt Yu’s figure slowly materialized. Other than Meng Shu and Yan Yi, no one had noticed she was in the car with them.

"I think Advisor Chen just saw me," Aunt Yu said. "The windows are one-way glass, so he shouldn’t be able to see in, but I felt like he spotted me."

Li Ying explained, "I used my Domain to disrupt everyone’s senses, but Advisor Chen’s Domain is very powerful. He must have sensed Ms. Yu when he got close."

Aunt Yu sighed. "Advisor Chen is truly incredible. It seems it wouldn’t have made a difference whether I came or not."

"Both Advisor Chen and Aunt Yu are people I can trust," Meng Shu said.

She gave Yan Yi a look, and the latter immediately understood. Using her Realm Token, she spoke to the security captain. "Have a few of your people gather up the weapons from the fallen Fighters. Wipe them clean and deliver them to Advisor Chen later."

The security captain paused for a second, then responded with a resounding, "Yes, ma’am!"

Chen Chuan walked over to the railing of the Celestial Bridge and looked down. Several speedboats were cutting across the water’s surface, and the men who had jumped were swimming frantically toward them. In the distance, along the coastline, several larger ships were also slowly setting out.

The Domain suppression had been lifted, so he contacted the Bureau. He scanned the vessels on the water and sent a message: "Keep an eye on those ships and inspect them."

Between the strafing runs from the two airships and the coordinated efforts of the security team, the attackers on the bridge were gradually eliminated. As for those who had jumped into the sea, the team didn’t pursue them; the Processing Bureau would naturally send agents to hunt them down later.

The dense gunfire in the area dwindled to a few sporadic shots, and then silence, broken only by an occasional single report. Security team members moved across the bridge, guns in hand, delivering finishing shots to neutralize any lingering threats and clearing debris from the road. Others were busy carrying and tending to the wounded.

Inside the car, Yan Yi finished communicating with the security captain and reported, "Miss, we’ve captured a few prisoners. They’re all mercenaries, but we haven’t been able to identify them yet."

"Send them to the Processing Bureau," Meng Shu ordered. "And make a sizable donation to the Bureau later."

Yan Yi understood the implication. "Of course, Miss. I’ll handle it."

Just then, she received a message from the company asking if they should send more security personnel to assist. She replied that the situation was under control and no reinforcements were needed.

A short while later, the public maintenance department contacted them to inquire about compensation for the damages. She immediately replied that the Fusion Boundary Company would take full responsibility for its share of the costs for all damage to the bridge.

Most of the infrastructure was covered by public insurance, so the Fusion Boundary Company wouldn’t actually have to bear the costs. As the victims of the attack, they would, in fact, be filing a claim for compensation from their own insurance company.

The company’s team of Litigation Masters would naturally handle any of the legal complexities involved.

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan had walked a full lap around the convoy. Seeing nothing else that required his attention, he returned to his own car.

He had initially intended to collect the dropped weapons himself. He didn’t care about most of them, but Sister Huan’s twin daggers were quite unique and worth keeping. However, the security team had already gathered them for him, explaining it was an order from their superiors. ’It lacks a bit of the ceremonial touch,’ he thought, ’but it saves me the trouble of searching for them.’

After a delay of over an hour on the Celestial Bridge, the convoy set out once more for the Fusion Boundary Company. Due to the recent ambush, they deliberately traveled at a slower pace with heightened security, taking another hour-plus to finally arrive at the headquarters in the Deep Unexplored District.

Chen Chuan’s presence wasn’t required at the succession ceremony, so he didn’t attend the entire event. He simply watched Meng Shu’s address to the company’s employees on his Realm Token and later joined the meeting of senior executives in his capacity as Chief Security Advisor.

By the end of the day, all the formalities were complete, and Meng Shu had officially taken the helm of the Fusion Boundary Company.

Although she lacked Meng Lai’s prestige and experience, the advice and strategies provided by Li Ying, combined with the support and cooperation of the Meng Clan, were more than enough to ensure the company’s stable operation.

With that, Chen Chuan’s mission was largely complete. He still held the title of Chief Security Advisor for the Fusion Boundary Company, but he no longer needed to stay on-site. The company would handle its own routine security.

He bid farewell to Meng Shu and left the company. On the road back to Wuyi, Director Wu contacted him to go over the situation.

Only then did he learn that two hired Third Limit Fighters had been stationed under the Celestial Bridge, blocking the Processing Bureau’s rescue team.

However, they had shown restraint and didn’t seriously injure anyone. When the situation on the bridge went south, they immediately surrendered and were arrested. They claim they were just hired muscle and didn’t know the details of the operation.

’Of course, there’s no way those two didn’t know what was going on,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’They must have known at least something, or they never would have gotten involved. They probably consulted a Litigation Master beforehand who told them this claim would help them get off.’

That part wasn’t his concern. What he wanted to know was the identity of their employer. Any power capable of deploying seven or eight Third Limit Fighters at once was definitely no small player.

Director Wu said, "Based on the current leads, it’s highly likely the Ferris Wheel Company is behind this."

"The Ferris Wheel Company?"

Chen Chuan nodded. He had already suspected as much.

"That first Fighter you killed—even though he was decapitated—we’ve managed to identify him through data cross-referencing and testimony from the captives. He’s believed to be Jiang Huowang from the Outer Ocean."

"He was a disciple of Langtao Hall, a renowned Martial Arts Hall in the Outer Ocean. Langtao Hall has branches scattered across the Outer Ocean Islands, and the Ferris Wheel Company hires its internal security exclusively from their ranks."

"Additionally, of the other Fighters you killed, many appeared to be Dashun People, but if you trace their ancestry back a few generations, nearly all of them have some Outer Ocean blood."

"One or two might be a coincidence, but having this many people with similar backgrounds gathered in one place proves it’s not."

Chen Chuan said, "I recall Meng Huang had trade partnerships with both the Outer Ocean Islands and the Ferris Wheel Company. Was this attack on the convoy an attempt to eliminate Meng Shu?"

"But even if they had succeeded, Meng Huang’s faction has already been purged. As long as Meng Lai is still alive, the Fusion Boundary Company would never do business with them again."

Director Wu said, "We couldn’t get anything out of the captives. Their employer only ordered them to assist in the attack on the convoy. But after analyzing all available intelligence, we’ve concluded that this operation was very likely aimed at you, Mr. Chen."

Chen Chuan’s gaze shifted slightly as he considered this. "Because I eliminated Meng Huang and spoiled their plans?"

’Revenge for that would be a plausible motive,’ he thought. ’After all, many inhabitants of the Outer Ocean Island Countries are known for their narrow-mindedness, and some among them are prone to extreme actions.’

But for a corporation like Ferris Wheel to mobilize such extensive resources and manpower just to target him over that one incident seemed like a gross overreaction. There had to be another reason.

"We’re still investigating," Director Wu said. "But if our assessment is correct, there’s no guarantee they won’t try again. You need to be on your guard, Mr. Chen."

Chen Chuan nodded. Considering how much they had already invested, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t try something similar again. "I’ll be careful, Director Wu," he said.

He thought for a moment before asking, "Will the Bureau be investigating the Ferris Wheel Company now?"

"Oh, we’ll investigate, for sure," Director Wu said slowly. "But it will be very difficult to get any concrete results. Not unless the higher-ups decide to make a real push."

Chen Chuan understood. The Ferris Wheel Company also had investors from Dashun. So even if they had direct evidence, which they didn’t, the matter would only end up in the Judgement Court.

And a clash between teams of Litigation Masters was unlikely to yield any decisive outcome.

Toppling a corporation of that size was no simple task. It required the full force of the government or other rival companies, as well as the perfect opportunity. Even the takedown of the Molan Company had only been possible because its primary power base had already pulled out of Central City.

Director Wu added in a grave tone, "What’s more, we’ve learned that the Ferris Wheel Company has been applying for membership in the Business Alliance Collaborative Body."

"An inspection team composed of representatives from several member corporations has already departed. They could arrive in Jibei Dao any day now to begin their evaluation. And this kind of behavior—defying the government and aggressively expanding their influence—far from being a demerit, will actually be a point in their favor."

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