Law Enforcer Headquarters.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Come in."
Tan Xin, who was approving documents in the office, spoke indifferently.
As Chu Shiduo opened the door, a burst of faint noisy sounds came from outside. He backhandedly closed the door to isolate that sound, and then spoke helplessly:
"Teacher, that Yan Shang has already been blocking the doorway for two hours... Are you really not going to see him for a moment?"
"Not seeing him."
Tan Xin answered without even raising his head.
Chu Shiduo seemingly didn't expect that Tan Xin, who was always good at handling interpersonal relationships and keeping bowls of water level, would actually have such a tough attitude this time. He asked in confusion:
In this matter, the Stars Chamber of Commerce is also a victim. There's no need to make the relationship with Yan Shang so stiff, right?"
Tan Xin shook his head. "No, he won't continue investing money in us anymore."
"You're so sure?"
"Half a month ago, Yan Shang left the Aurora Domain with the asset certificates of the Stars Chamber of Commerce. What do you think... he went to do?"
Chu Shiduo was stunned in place.
Tan Xin slowly stood up and took down the countdown nixie tube from the bookcase. The continuously jumping glow reflected in his pupils. That was the remaining lifespan of this Realm.
"Let him make a fuss. We don't have extra time and energy to seek justice for a deserter."
Chu Shiduo nodded.
"However, the matter of the Stars Chamber of Commerce this time is indeed too strange... Do you really believe that there was a Calamity Invasion in Aurora City?"
"The aurora is still present. Logically speaking, those Calamities shouldn't be able to invade the city so quickly. And if a Calamity really descended, why did it only destroy the Stars Chamber of Commerce?" Tan Xin spoke indifferently.
"You mean... this matter was man-made?"
"The lifespan of the Aurora Domain is running out. Some people are racking their brains trying to get out, while others are advancing secretly along an unknown path trying to get in... Have you forgotten that train that crashed into the city?"
Chu Shiduo was startled for a moment. "You mean, besides that Chen Ling, other Dusk Society members have sneaked into Aurora City??"
Tan Xin didn't answer. He put the nixie tube back on the bookcase, his gaze gradually becoming sharp.
"That group of people from the Dusk Society are like stealthy jackals. When you discover one of them, a whole pack of wolves might already be hidden in the shadows beside you... But no matter how many unstable factors have sneaked into this city, be they dragons or snakes...
I will let them know who the true master is beneath the aurora."
Chu Shiduo felt the terrifying Aura flash past Tan Xin's body and couldn't help but feel a bit of palpitation. But soon, that Aura was restrained by Tan Xin. He gently brushed away a wisp of dust on the bookcase, as if everything that just happened was only an illusion.
As if thinking of something, Chu Shiduo spoke again:
"Teacher, there's another matter... Han Meng's trial day at the Court of Judgment is approaching. Do we need to interfere in this matter?"
Tan Xin's brows raised slightly. He sat down in his office chair and asked with keen interest, "This Han Meng, how has he been in the Black Prison recently?"
"Very well-behaved... or rather, very quiet." Chu Shiduo said truthfully. "No protests, no noise, and no expression of any dissatisfaction with his situation... Every day he eats right on time. After eating, he closes his eyes to rest, and he doesn't do anything else."
"After so many years, he actually hasn't changed a bit." Tan Xin chuckled softly. "Prepare the car. I'll go see him."
"Yes."
...
When Chen Ling woke up from his sleep, the time had already reached night.
He slowly sat up from the bed, ready to get up and eat something. Just as he put on his jacket, as if remembering something, he took out a few pages of paper from his clothes.
"Almost forgot there was still this thing..."
Chen Ling narrowed his eyes slightly, went straight to the desk, and sat down. He lightly pulled the thin string on the desk lamp, and orange-yellow light illuminated the dim room.
These were a few manuscripts with scribbled handwriting. Under the mapping of the light, the four large characters in the draft that were emphatically circled with lines were the most eye-catching:
—"Hand of Salvation".
Ever since retrieving this article of Wen Shilin's from the newspaper office, Chen Ling had been rushing about. It wasn't until now that he had the time to sit down and properly read this mysterious draft. He was also very curious exactly what kind of secret could make that Deputy Director-General of the Enforcers, Tan Xin, value it so much, even to the point of sending people to ambush Wen Shilin's side.
Because it was a manuscript, and it looked like it was written in a hurry, the contents inside were somewhat chaotic. Chen Ling could only identify the written content on it as much as possible:
"Received news that a massive explosion occurred in the West City yesterday afternoon. A truck was suddenly detonated while driving, flattening two surrounding factory buildings and three roads. The entire West City heard the sound of the explosion..."
"Regarding this explosion, the result given by the Law Enforcers after investigation was that the flour loaded on the vehicle, due to improper handling, caused a dust explosion during driving, which belonged to an accident. Fortunately, the incident happened late at night. Although the loss to the factory buildings was severe, there were no casualties. This matter was quickly suppressed..."
"Rushed to the scene to investigate at the first instance this morning and found a few suspicious points: First, although the Enforcers claimed a dust explosion, after detailed investigation, no dust residue was found at the scene. Considering the coverage area of the explosion and the time interval of the investigation, thoroughly cleaning all the dust at the scene is unrealistic; Second, according to the calculation of the explosion radius, if it was a dust explosion, the total amount of dust required would be far higher than the truck's loading capacity. The root cause of the explosion might not be dust; Third, after two days of visiting, none of the manufacturers in Aurora City had flour transaction records for that day. Moreover, due to the existence of a nighttime transportation ban, it is impossible for ordinary manufacturers to choose to transport at the time the incident occurred..."
"Therefore, I reasonably suspect that the Law Enforcers concealed and falsely reported the cause of the explosion. But why did they want to do this?"
"...I secretly investigated the license plate of the exploded vehicle. This vehicle belonged to the Enforcement System. That is to say, this vehicle wasn't executing a commercial transportation task at the time, but more likely a military transport?"
"I extracted some debris at the explosion scene and sent it to a friend for testing. The result deduced that what was loaded on that vehicle at the time was TNT... The Law Enforcers were secretly transporting explosive materials late at night?"
"Exactly what do they want to do??"