Chapter 243: How did it end up being about me?

As the other party's personnel cooperated and left, the scene at Guijie quickly returned to calm.

For incidents like this involving some large trade union organizations, the Cultural Tourism Bureau Logistics Department usually conducts a background check first, then asks the superior department how to handle it.

So after returning to the department, Song Bingyuan arranged the personnel from both sides involved in the incident into two separate meeting rooms, first having people calm them down, while he reported to his superiors.

At this critical juncture of social unrest amid public testing, such incidents are not uncommon; they are basically resolved through mediation first.

The party that resorts to violence and pursuit is surely the one at fault, but as long as the pursued party is willing to accept compensation, in cases like this where no death occurs, most end with an apology and compensation.

But the problem now is that although the other side didn't resort to violence against the Cultural Tourism Bureau Logistics Department, they passively engaged in opposition, and this happened on a crowded street, making the issue somewhat complicated.

Furthermore, the three who were being pursued did not simply demand an apology and compensation; they demanded that the other party, in front of the authorities, guarantee they would not hunt them because of that thing, which is effectively an acknowledgment of that thing's ownership.

Moreover, the young man kept delaying in every possible way on this matter, seemingly waiting for someone who could make a decision to arrive.

With such a huge disagreement, the people shuttling messages between the two meeting rooms felt helpless, and in the end could only watch as the two groups shouted at each other across the hallway.

"Advisor Chen, we are willing to take responsibility for this incident and provide appropriate compensation, but you can see that the other party disagrees."

Chen Shicheng hadn't expected that he would just be standing in the hallway to make up the numbers, yet he ended up getting dragged into it; fortunately, he didn't need to say anything, as the three who were being pursued refused.

"You're full of shit, apologizing is the right thing to do, but what matters most now is that you acknowledge the ownership of that thing!"

One of the men, excited, tried to rush out of the meeting room, but Zhao Lei directly blocked him; yet he didn't give up, spraying saliva as he shouted, "That thing originally belonged to us; you're trying to seize it by force, which is utterly unreasonable, and now you're obscuring the concept without even mentioning it—what good outcome do you expect?"

At that moment, a member of the Cultural Tourism Bureau Logistics Department hurriedly came out, pulled Chen Shicheng aside, and whispered, "Advisor, I've found out: these people are members of a subsidiary guild of the Pioneers, and they have extensive cooperation with the state. The higher-ups' meaning is that both sides get a stick, and the matter shouldn't blow up."

He thought that speaking softly would keep others from hearing, but he forgot that nobody present was easy to deal with—all of them had superhuman-level senses.

The young man's expression instantly eased, and he began to adjust his demeanor, saying, "We merely have some cooperation with the Pioneers; it's not quite a subsidiary guild, though we do indeed participate in our cooperation with the state."

Upon hearing that, Chen Shicheng glanced at Zhao Lei, who stood nearby with a look of displeasure.

See that? That's a slick old hand—never mentioning threats yet always implying them, using power to press people; what can you do? Although he felt a bit uneasy inside, since it didn't concern him, he saw no reason to lose his temper over it.

At the meeting room door, the man who had just been spraying saliva also heard these words, becoming somewhat apprehensive; he meekly dared not speak again, turning his head to look at the other two.

Another man, similarly, though unwilling, could only swallow his anger given that it involved the Pioneers and the state.

However, the woman acted somewhat differently; she gave Chen Shicheng at the door an apologetic glance, and while he was still puzzled, she slapped the table and stood up.

"What's up with the Pioneers, are they that formidable? We're still in the same organization as Zishu Dada—what did we even say? Zishu Dada serves the country, solved such a huge problem, and now people treat him like this—is there any justice left? I tell you, this isn't over; I'll immediately notify Zishu Dada to have him speak to you!"

Having said that, she pulled out her phone with a fierce aura and pretended to dial.

"I have an organization?"

Chen Shicheng stared at the woman, head full of question marks, utterly clueless about how he had been recruited into an organization.

But just as he was utterly bewildered, the woman turned slightly, and at an angle only he could see, she produced a jade tablet, then swiftly stowed it away in her storage space. Chen Holy's face instantly changed.

The jade tablet itself wasn't anything special, but the symbol on it made his heart skip a beat.

"Zixiao Palace!" The symbol on the jade tablet was actually that of Zixiao Palace! Combining what the woman had just said with her extremely familiar appearance and demeanor, Chen Shicheng immediately formed a hypothesis.

That woman is none other than Shuigu Tang! So the so-called organization she mentioned is just a trading meetup? Damn! Is she really calling me? If so, wouldn't that directly expose my identity?

Should I snatch the phone on the grounds of forbidding calls? No, that would be too abrupt and would raise suspicion!

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Chen Shicheng's mind; finally letting out a sigh, he turned to Zhao Lei and said, "I'll go out to make a call; you hold things down here for now."

Having said that, without regard for Zhao Lei's reaction, he vanished down the hallway using Compress Earth to an Inch.

In a small alley outside the Cultural Tourism Bureau Logistics Department, Chen Shicheng's figure had just appeared when the phone in his pocket rang; pulling it out and checking the screen, the caller was indeed that troublemaker Shuigu Tang.

He gritted his teeth and answered the phone, "Give me a reasonable explanation, or else."

"Immortal-artifact-grade equipment, help us resolve this matter."

Before he could finish his harsh words, Shuigu Tang on the other end threw out an irresistible condition, hitting right at his weak point.

He possesses three pieces of immortal-artifact-grade equipment in total—two support-type and one functional-type—and not counting the equipment's attributes, the attached skills are also highly practical; they absolutely cannot be wasted.

Chen Shicheng swallowed his refusal, his tone turning unusually gentle: "I'll post a thread on the forum right away; have them keep an eye out, but I can't guarantee it'll work."

"Thorough resolution! Immortal-artifact gear doesn't come cheap." Shuigu Tang kept pressing and bargaining.

"That can't be resolved; they're a big organization, I'm a tiny karami—no way it's equal."

"Then let's each step back; if we can't fully resolve it, you must guarantee our safety."

"That's not realistic; it would delay my progress in the game."

"Then we must ensure our safety before the Cave Heaven Bliss Land event ends."

"Deal!"

"Deal!"

Chen Shicheng hung up the phone and shook his head.

As expected, the thing that neither side would openly name was the token fragment of the Cave Heaven Bliss Land related to becoming an immortal.

Also fortunate that he didn't make a outright guarantee, otherwise relying on the reputation of his Zi Shu alt account might not have actually resolved this incident, given his involvement with the Pioneers. (End of chapter)