Atlas of Heaven and Man

In the Weishi Manor in the southern district of the city, the steward, still bearing injuries on his face, walked through a corridor adorned with famous paintings, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet, until he reached the door of a study.

The servant guarding the door opened one of the doors and whispered, "Steward An, the master is waiting for you."

Steward An straightened his clothes and cautiously entered the meticulously decorated study, bowing respectfully to an old man sitting there reading a newspaper, "Master."

Wei Hang was already nearly ninety years old, but he was well-maintained, still possessing a thick head of neatly combed black hair, with only a slight touch of white at his temples.

His face showed no signs of sagging skin, and his chin sported a meticulously trimmed short beard. Lean and energetic, he appeared to be only in his forties or fifties, his physical condition maintained by the medications provided by the Central City year-round.

His face revealed no joy or anger, showing no sign that he had just lost a younger son. He slowly put down the newspaper and looked up.

"You're back. Will Xiao Jun's body be returned soon?"

Steward An lowered his head and said, "The Bureau of Secret Affairs said the cause of death is still under investigation, and the body needs to be kept there for some time."

"Is that so?" Wei Hang said slowly, "Then let it stay there for a few days. Once this matter is over, they will return the person complete."

Steward An raised his head, somewhat uneasy, and said, "Master, this matter of the Two-Faced Sect may not be easy to handle."

Wei Hang said slowly, "Yes, once you get involved, it's not so easy to wash your hands clean."

The biggest problem in the abandoned factory district incident was the secret religious ritual.

The Dashun Republic government is quite sensitive to cult rituals, so the Bureau of Secret Affairs has considerable power and independent funding. Moreover, it usually has little contact with other departments, making it difficult to influence.

If this matter is confirmed and thoroughly investigated, there is too much that can be done with it. Even the upper echelons might use this opportunity to break the inherent structure that Yangzhi City has maintained for years, causing the high dam they have built to loosen.

At this moment, a gust of wind blew in. Even though it was summer, he felt a chill. He said, "Lao An, is the window open too wide?"

Steward An quickly said, "Master, I'll close it right away."

"Ah, don't rush to close it. It's stuffy in the room. It's good to have a breeze occasionally."

"Yes, Master."

Wei Hang slowly said, "Did you find out what I asked you to investigate?"

Steward An hurried forward two steps, respectfully placed a document he was carrying under his arm on the desk, and said, "Master, it's all here, except… we couldn't find any information about Chen Chuan's parents."

"Couldn't find it?"

"His father was not a local of Yangzhi City, and his mother left Yangzhi early on, only later entrusting her son to her sister's family. The situation in between is a blank."

"Hmm, forget it if you can't find it. That's not important." Wei Hang didn't care about this; he only needed to confirm that the individual had no background.

"But we did find a noteworthy situation." Steward An came forward and pulled a document from the file bag, handing it over.

Wei Hang took it, then took a pair of glasses from Steward An's hand and put them on, carefully reading the contents, his expression becoming serious.

"The Meng family's young lady has a good relationship with this Chen Chuan?"

"Yes, it is said that everyone at school knows. The Meng family's young lady did not deny it, and even wanted to bring him along when she went to Central City, but he refused. Even so, she gave him a name card before leaving. Many people witnessed this, so the news can be confirmed as true."

Five minutes passed, and just as the grandfather clock began to chime, a servant outside said, "Master, the guest has arrived."

Wei Hang opened his eyes and said, "Lao An, my legs are not good. Please go and greet them for me."

Steward An said yes and turned to leave. After a while, a young man wearing a company employee uniform was brought in. Wei Hang then took a cane and slowly stood up from his chair.

The young man came before him, smiling, "Hello, Elder Wei. Director Luo sends his regards."

Wei Hang said, "Thank you for the greetings. Please sit."

The young man sat down to the side, maintaining a smile on his face, "Elder Wei, Director Luo said that he deeply sympathizes with the loss of your youngest son and the other victims."

Wei Hang bowed slightly.

The young man continued, "Director Luo said that he has heard the demands of the partners and promises that he will help you overcome this difficulty."

The expression on Wei Hang's face relaxed a little. He said politely, "Please thank Director Luo for me. We will cooperate with your company in the upcoming Political Affairs Hall meeting to put pressure on the Political Affairs Hall and achieve your company's requirements."

The man said with a smile, "The company appreciates your efforts, Elder Wei. The director said that he will be there in person tomorrow. Well, the director is still waiting for my news, so I'll take my leave first." With that, he stood up.

Wei Hang also stood up, leaning on his cane, "Please convey to Director Luo that the Weishi Consortium is his eternal friend and partner."

"I will convey it. Elder Wei, please stay here."

"Lao An, see the guest out for me."

The young man left the study and exited the manor villa, heading to a sedan parked outside. He opened the car door, sat inside, and respectfully said to a shadowy figure in the back seat, "Director, Wei Hang agreed. They will cooperate with our company in the future."

The figure said, "Wei Hang's son's death is truly a blessing in disguise. The company's long-standing demands, which we couldn't push through for so long, might be achieved this time."

The young man said, "Once these two puzzle pieces are in place, the company's arrangement in Yangzhi will be complete."

"It's not that simple. The 'Canghong Canal' in the water sector is a state-owned enterprise, and it's difficult to break through. We can only take it slow. However, in the private security sector, we have a chance to exclude Wu Yi by taking advantage of this opportunity." He gestured, "Let's go."

The car started and slowly drove out of the Wei family manor.

Inside the headquarters of the Patrol Bureau in Ding'an District, Chen Chuan sat in the middle of a spacious room, flipping through a book in his hand.

In name, he was taken away and controlled by the Patrol Bureau, but in reality, he was under heavy protection. Three meals a day were delivered by someone, and the facilities here were complete. The conditions were even better than the school dormitory.

The door was knocked at this moment. He looked up and said, "Come in."

After the door opened, Gao Ming walked in from outside. He looked around, walked over, and said with a smile, "It seems the conditions here are good, but I'm afraid you won't be staying here for long, cousin."

Chen Chuan put the book in his hand aside, "Any news?"

Gao Ming came to sit opposite Chen Chuan and said, "Before I came, I already learned that there will be an internal hearing in the name of the Political Affairs Hall tomorrow, mainly to discuss how to convict you, cousin."

Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Alarmed the Political Affairs Hall?"

"Yes, I heard that many councilors from the Advisory Bureau will be present this time. Those powerful families see it very clearly. If they want to dispose of you, cousin, through legal procedures, then they must suppress the people or forces behind you who support you, including Wu Yi, the Patrol Bureau, and the Secret Sect Investigation Bureau.

But these departments can't be allowed to be suppressed, so most of the forces in Yangzhi City will be passively or actively involved in this matter. No one wants to back down."

Because he was facing the window, Gao Ming's glasses reflected a bright light. He said with a smile:

"Each of them will have their own interests and demands. The next step is usually not up to us. And you, cousin, are not only the center of this incident, but also an outsider. Because no matter what you say or do, it seems insignificant in this power game, becoming useless."

Chen Chuan slowly said, "No, it's still useful."

Gao Ming smiled and said, "Yes, it's useful, so next... is the fourth step." He opened his mouth wide and pushed his glasses, "Cousin, this game will start with you, and naturally, it will end with you."

The two discussed for a long time, and Gao Ming went back to prepare first.

After he left, Chen Chuan returned to the desk and continued reading the book. He seemed very relaxed, even more relaxed than in Wu Yi Academy.

Not long after eating dinner in the evening, Guan Yuming came over. He asked his deputy to go out, and after the door was closed, he sat down and asked, "Cadet Chen, how is it? Are you adapting here?"

Chen Chuan said with a smile, "Thank you, Director Guan, for taking care of me. The conditions here are good, like returning home. I even eat two more bowls of rice."

Guan Yuming laughed, then his expression became slightly solemn, and said, "What you said is right. The Patrol Bureau is your home. Well, your cousin should have told you about tomorrow's matter?"

Chen Chuan nodded.

Guan Yuming said, "Don't think too much about tomorrow's matter. The Patrol Bureau will stand behind you, but you can't overestimate the bottom line of some people. Those enemies on the surface are not to be feared. They are always in your sight. What you need to guard against are those you can't see."

Chen Chuan said seriously, "Thank you, Director Guan, I know."

Guan Yuming said, "Okay." He got up again and said solemnly, "Rest early today. Get a good rest so you have the energy to deal with it tomorrow. As long as you don't give in, the Patrol Bureau will support you to the end."

Chen Chuan thanked him and got up to send Guan Yuming out.

At this moment, outside, the patrolmen under the headquarters were also discussing this matter.

"Xiao Chuan is awesome. He killed hundreds of people by himself. I heard they were all children of powerful families. That's really awesome!"

"Damn, our Patrol Bureau's children are capable!"

"What did the higher-ups say? Are they going to protect Xiao Chuan?"

"There's no need to say it. If we don't protect our own people, who will be convinced in the future? Can the Patrol Bureau still stand up and speak? Not to mention that we are in the right this time!"

At this time, in the Patrol Bureau's family area, Nian Fuli also returned home from the bureau. Yu Wan immediately came up and said worriedly, "How is Chan'er? I heard he's going to the trial court tomorrow?"

Nian Fuli's expression was relaxed, and he said, "It's okay. The bureau will protect him this time. Gao Ming is with him. That kid Gao Ming is very smart. It should be fine. Don't worry."

Yu Wan sighed and said, "Second Sister was like this back then, doing a lot of things silently. I'm just afraid that Chan'er will follow Second Sister's old path."

Nian Fuli waved his hand and said, "Okay, don't worry too much. Get a good night's sleep. We'll know the result after tomorrow. Xiao Chuan also has Wu Yi Academy behind him. He'll be fine anyway."

"Okay."

After comforting Yu Wan, Nian Fuli came to the yard outside to smoke alone. His expression changed from the relaxed one just now, and his brows furrowed.

This time, nearly dozens of children of powerful families died under Chen Chuan's knife. Although the evidence now shows that these people were illegally holding weapons and even holding secret religious ceremonies, which is beneficial to Chen Chuan, I am afraid that this matter will not be easily dismissed.

He thought silently, "It seems... I have to send a telegram to Qian'er."

...