Chen Chuan considered it. If Meng Shu truly delivered on her promise, then no other offer could possibly compare.

However, there was one problem: for now, it was just an empty promise. Meng Shu was still in a position of weakness, so whether she could deliver on it was another question entirely.

But then again, if that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t be asking for his help.

He thought for a moment. "But it’s not enough for just you to think so. I’m an Executioner for the Processing Bureau. If I were to leave the Bureau to join you—setting aside my own wishes—the Processing Bureau would never agree."

Meng Shu said, "If you don’t personally refuse, I’ll figure out the rest. And I can guarantee that none of it will come at the expense of your own interests."

Chen Chuan said, "Old classmate, if you can pull it off, I don’t mind helping you."

Meng Shu nodded lightly.

At that moment, the female assistant at the door gave a few instructions to someone outside, and the hotel staff began to serve the food. The dishes ordered this time were all in the style of Yangzhi City, and the chef had been brought in from Yangzhi by Meng Shu.

During the meal, the two of them didn’t talk about what they had just discussed. Instead, they each shared their experiences from the two years since they had last seen each other.

After the meal, Chen Chuan and Meng Shu walked out of the courtyard together and parted ways at the entrance. After being escorted by security into an armored car, the female assistant asked, "Miss, did you talk to him?"

Meng Shu said, "I did."

"The length of your conversation was different from what I had scheduled. It seems you didn’t use the talking points I prepared for you, Miss?"

Meng Shu said, "It wasn’t necessary. I know him. With him, it’s better to be sincere. There’s no need for so much pragmatism and calculation."

The female assistant said, "Miss, pragmatism and calculation aren’t negative terms. You don’t need to be so averse or hostile to them. When you become the person steering a company, both your emotions and your reason are just tools. You yourself should not be controlled by your tools."

Meng Shu said, "I’m not there yet, so I can still afford to be a little willful."

The female assistant smiled. "Miss, although I don’t approve of your methods, I do admire your persistence in this moment. So, did Mr. Chen agree?"

"He didn’t object, in principle."

"Since you’ve convinced him, Miss, I take back what I said earlier. As long as the goal is achieved, it’s a good strategy. And now, my work begins."

Meng Shu said, "I will grant you all the authority and make all the promises that I’m able to right now. I hope you can deliver the results I want."

The female assistant said seriously, "I will return with the outcome you hope for, Miss."

After parting with Meng Shu, Chen Chuan met up with Gao Ming, who had been waiting outside. Once they were in the car, he told him about the meeting and their conversation.

Gao Ming adjusted his glasses and said, "Since Meng Shu said that in the end, she must be confident she can pull it off. I personally think that if there are no issues on the Processing Bureau’s end, then Meng Shu’s offer isn’t a bad choice.

Even if the resources she currently has are relatively scarce compared to the entire company, they would be quite substantial when focused on you alone, Cousin.

What are your thoughts, Cousin?"

Chen Chuan said, "As her classmate, if she can do what she promised without affecting my own affairs, then I don’t mind helping."

Gao Ming said, "It will all depend on her methods. I have a rough idea of what she might do. If it’s what I think, then that would be the best outcome. That way, you won’t be too deeply tied to Fusion Boundary; you’ll only need to maintain your personal relationship with Meng Shu.

Although companies and the government are both participants in the World Ring, both sides have their own positions. You don’t have to worry about it now, Cousin, but when you grow to a point where neither side can ignore you, you’ll have to make a decision.

In truth, your relationship with the government, with the company, or your personal relationship with Meng Shu—it will all change based on your strength.

We need to be ready to adjust our approach as the situation develops.

Right now, Meng Shu is weak, so she can make many concessions for you. But once she gradually gains control of the company, that will change. A good friendship won’t be enough to offset that. The ideal scenario is for you to keep improving and maintain a position of strength. That’s best for everyone."

Chen Chuan knew it wasn’t wrong to consider these things beforehand. As for Meng Shu, she represented a company, and companies chase profits. They don’t just give things away. When the time came, even Meng Shu herself might not be able to control the situation.

Failing to see the underlying interests clearly and approaching the situation with a one-track mind was definitely not the right way to handle things.

He said, "We’ll see how it plays out."

After returning to his dorm, he continued his daily training. When he finished in the evening, he took a shower. As he was drying his hair, he suddenly thought of that Viper Organization.

So he sat down on the sofa and contacted Chai Mi to ask about the current situation.

As it turned out, Chai Mi told him that one of the Fighters scheduled for the joint operation had been pulled away for another mission. They were temporarily short-staffed, so the mission had been put on hold. Chai Mi said they would notify him as soon as there was any news.

Chen Chuan understood. After all, the Viper Organization had several Third Limit Fighters. Without assembling enough manpower and having absolute certainty, the Processing Bureau wouldn’t make a move against them lightly.

Since his involvement wasn’t needed for the time being, he could use this period to focus on his own training.

Three days after his day off, around noon, Ni Qianqian suddenly contacted him. "Brother Chen, do you have a moment? Could you come to the Bureau? The higher-ups want to talk to you about something."

A thought flickered in Chen Chuan’s mind as he replied, "I have time. I’m on my way."

He gave Chaoming some fresh water and food as usual, then left for the Processing Bureau. When he arrived at the Bureau, an internal staff member led him to the same conference room as last time.

Manager Qiu was already waiting for him inside. Seeing him enter, he shook his hand. "Mr. Chen, we meet again. Today, on the Bureau’s instructions, I have a few questions for you."

Chen Chuan said, "Please ask, Manager Qiu."

Manager Qiu invited him to sit down, then asked, "Mr. Chen, is it true you were classmates with Meng Shu of Fusion Boundary Company?"

Chen said, "Yes."

’This was all in my file; it wouldn’t have been hard for the Processing Bureau to find out.’

"The day before yesterday, you met with Meng Shu at Shu Tianxia. Can you tell us what you talked about? Ahem, this is not mandatory. You don’t have to answer, Mr. Chen."

Chen Chuan said frankly, "To put it simply, she doesn’t feel safe right now, so she wanted to hire me for her security. The rest was personal conversation."

"And did you agree?"

"I currently hold a position at the Processing Bureau, so I would not agree to this without going through the Bureau."

"Understood." Manager Qiu stood up, gestured to the side, and said with a smile, "Mr. Chen, please come this way. Director Wu would like to see you."

Chen Chuan also stood up. He knew that the "Director Wu" he mentioned was the Deputy Director of the Processing Bureau in charge of operational affairs. He had seen him in files but had never met him in person.

Following Manager Qiu, he left the conference room, took an elevator up thirty floors, and arrived at a large meeting room. Two men were talking by the window. When they saw him enter, one of them—a tall, upright middle-aged man with sharp eyes, wearing a service cap—walked over and shook his hand. "Mr. Chen, I’m Wu Quan."

He turned to the side, toward the other man—who wore glasses and had a deep, calm, and profound gaze—and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Vice Director Fang, who is in charge of coordinating internal defense for the Ring Screen."

Chen Chuan shook his hand as well.

Director Wu said, "Come, let’s sit and talk."

After they sat down, Director Wu said, "Mr. Chen, I heard what you said to Manager Qiu just now. Thank you for your honesty. It’s a necessary procedure, so I hope you weren’t offended."

Chen Chuan said, "As a member of the Processing Bureau, I know that some matters are bigger than just myself."

"You’re right. It’s rare to find someone with your mindset."

Director Wu sighed with feeling. Third Limit Fighters all had their own personalities and tempers. Even if Chen Chuan didn’t truly mean it, just showing such an attitude was commendable.

They waited for an internal staff member to bring in tea and close the door, leaving just the three of them in the room.

Director Wu said, "Mr. Chen, I imagine you’ve guessed why we asked you here today. It’s about Meng Shu’s invitation to you. Our position is... we hope you will accept her offer."

Chen Chuan asked, "May I ask why?"

Director Wu said, "As you know, the Processing Bureau’s main job is to deal with criminal acts by Fighters. But we have another responsibility: to work with the state to suppress and restrain the expansion of various corporations.

These days, all the major corporations have their own independent security systems. We need the ability to make them back down at critical moments, but direct confrontation is not a good option, especially right now.

Our strategy is to win over and support some small and medium-sized companies in the same ecological niche, giving them a certain amount of help to counterbalance the larger corporations.

And Fusion Boundary takes a large number of orders from the government and military-industrial complex each year. The fact that it has gotten to where it is today is partly due to government support."

Vice Director Fang spoke up at this point. "One of Fusion Boundary’s heirs, Meng Huang, received our help in the past. He has his own ideas now—a lot of them, in fact. But that’s not the crucial point..."

He said in a low voice, "We now suspect that this man, Meng Huang, may have had contact with a certain entity from... the other side."

"’The other side...’"

Chen Chuan connected this to the area Vice Director Fang was responsible for and instantly realized he must be talking about something from the other side of the World Ring.

Vice Director Fang said grimly, "The previous head of Fusion Boundary, Meng Lai, announced he was stepping away from managing company affairs. It’s very likely related to this matter. Although we don’t have concrete evidence yet, we cannot allow such a person to become the head of a mid-sized corporation."

Director Wu said, "We have been looking for a way to intervene, but to avoid alerting Meng Huang, we haven’t found a suitable entry point. But now, we have an opportunity."

He looked at Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, we want you to accept Meng Shu’s request. Before the Bureau completes its investigation and deployment, we need to ensure she isn’t... eliminated by Meng Huang. But at the same time," he paused, "you must also ensure your own safety."

...

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