Chapter 284: The Bureau

Returning from the Silent Route Plane to reality, Wu Chang spent the next several days in great comfort.

After the Night Island instance dungeon, Director Gao promoted him to Director of the Organization Countermeasures Department, making him third in rank at the Wanghai Branch, just below Meng Yawen, Director of the Security Management Department.

This hot position had been vacant due to the earlier attacks on the four major organizations' spatial domains and the subsequent purge of moles.

The true mole, the Evolutionists, were never caught, but many moles planted by other factions were unearthed.

For example, the former Director of the Organization Countermeasures Department.

With Meng Yawen still absent, Wu Chang, as Director of the Organization Countermeasures Department, was now the third-highest-ranking official in the Wanghai Branch; ordinary matters didn't require his personal attention, so he could openly slack off.

Since the Painter was driven out of Wanghai City by him, the number of wild transcendent crimes plummeted.

Occasionally, some foolish ones still appeared, but they were all minor players—any assistant sent out could handle them easily, requiring little effort, leaving many official members idle as well.

These past few days, Wu Chang sparred with Zhao Yan in the morning to hone his combat skills, napped after lunch, then patrolled the city in an unmarked police car in the afternoon, casually picking up a wild transcendent on the way.

The atmosphere of his life was defined by relaxation.

Yet one thing puzzled him: ever since the Painter attacked the Bureau and took away several artifacts from the sixth basement level, Director Gao and Lei Huo seemed to have shed a burden, becoming even more relaxed than he was.

He at least drove out daily to patrol and brought back two typical cases for criticism and education, but these two deputy directors sat in their offices every day, sipping thermoses, beginning to study Go.

Never mind their skill level—during breaks in their games, they would swing their boards wildly at empty air, making it clear their focus in Go was deeply off.

Wu Chang overheard Director Gao muttering about how, if any referee dared give orders during a future tournament, they'd learn what a Great Han Go Saint could do.

As for Wanghai Branch's official duties, aside from the urgent notice received yesterday, all other tasks were delegated to several directors, including Wu Chang.

The Wanghai Branch was quiet and peaceful; those within could hardly sense the turbulent shifts in the Wasteland Realm.

Those who knew recognized it as Wanghai; those who didn't thought they'd reached the Mediterranean—only Lao Fa and Bai Qi could match this authentic level of relaxation.

But not everyone could enjoy such tranquility; some were significantly affected.

For instance, Xiang Jianxing.

Hou Jingchuan did not let down the intelligence Wu Chang brought—he struck the Evolutionists with a heavy blow immediately.

Wu Chang didn't know the specifics, but in recent days, all regions controlled by the Evolutionists, led by Shen Jiang, underwent massive personnel reshuffles, clearly showing the Orderists had seized full control.

Director Gao's Wanghai Branch was a legitimate Orderist faction and thus remained unaffected.

But Xiang Jianxing's connection to the Wanghai Branch stemmed from his association with Lin Jiang, a key member of the Evolutionists; now that the Evolutionists were being purged, Xiang Jianxing naturally became entangled.

Fortunately, Xiang Jianxing belonged to the Zhongli Sect; back then, Lin Jiang had noticed his potential and sought to befriend and recruit him.

But Wu Chang's involvement disrupted Lin Jiang's plan, causing Xiang Jianxing to be sent to Wanghai City to compensate "at-risk" Wu Chang and others, leaving Lin Jiang no time to deeply bind himself to Xiang Jianxing.

This inadvertently saved Xiang Jianxing—if he were now fraternizing with Lin Jiang, his strength would have ensured he was controlled.

His life might not have been in danger, but participating in World Copies would have been impossible; missing the opportunity of a World Copy was utterly unacceptable to Xiang Jianxing.

Now, since his involvement was shallow and Director Gao and Lei Huo vouched for him, Xiang Jianxing merely cooperated with some investigations, and the matter was closed.

The matter was settled, but Xiang Jianxing's condition over the past two days had been poor.

Xiang Jianxing's rank was slightly higher than Director Gao's and Lei Huo's; his master was a Level Two Abyss player, giving him some understanding of Level Two Abyss conditions.

Through the Wasteland Realm's movements, he had glimpsed changes in the Reason Realm and now worried for both the Wasteland Realm and reality.

After being investigated, Xiang Jianxing subtly hinted to Wu Chang not to remain lazy, urging him to prepare thoroughly for the possible upheavals after the World Copy.

In response to Xiang Jianxing's warning, Wu Chang feigned ignorance, putting on an indifferent expression, leaving Xiang Jianxing, who knew some secrets but dared not speak them, rolling his eyes and muttering that fools must have fool's luck.

Days passed one by one; as the cooldown for the next Abyss Game Copy drew near, it seemed no further troubles would arise.

But if nothing unexpected happened, something unexpected would happen.

June 6—the day before the next Copy's entry was three days away, and exactly thirty days before the World Copy began.

As usual, Wu Chang and Zhao Yan sparred on the training platform.

Their sparring wasn't about winning or losing, but about honing Wu Chang's striking techniques and responses to various attacks, so both kept their stats at a fixed level.

Zhao Yan believed he was protecting Wu Chang; Wu Chang held back because he feared killing Zhao Yan outright.

To truly develop his skills, he deliberately used the False Miracle to adjust his stat panel.

Facing an Agility-specialized close-combat player, Wu Chang initially struggled to defend—not due to stats, but because of his lack of power delivery, combat experience, distance control, and timing.

Yet through keen observation, strong intuition, control over Zhao Yan's internal energy flow, and firsthand insights from physical collisions during combat, he quickly learned Zhao Yan's power delivery methods and gradually mastered the rhythm and traps of close-quarters fighting.

Now, he could endure an entire round against Zhao Yan without using any skills.

Ding-ding-ding.

Bureau members watching the match rang the round-end bell; Wu Chang exhaled deeply, walked to the platform's edge, picked up the towel draped over the rope, and wiped the sweat from his face.

After intense exercise, his blood qi surged, causing faint mist to rise from his head.

With deep breaths, he felt a full-body clarity, recalling the details of the fight and gaining new insights.

He checked his stat panel and found his Combat Beginner (E) had indeed changed, upgrading to Combat Proficient (C).

His combat skill rose two levels—partly due to his sweat and effort, but mostly thanks to the Tai Chu Ling Shu.

The unquantifiable blessing left behind by the Tai Chu Ling Shu within him would henceforth transform, as today, into visible strength.

Gazing at his upgraded combat skill, Wu Chang snapped out of his daze, shifting his focus away from Copies, stat panels, and resentment, and remembered once more that the Abyss Game was no simple game.

Players seeking to improve themselves didn't need to confine themselves solely to Copies; growth outside Copies mattered just as much.

After all, combat was one of the most practical foundational skills; a skill scroll for Combat Proficient wasn't cheap, and even if learned via scroll, its application would be rigid and inflexible—far inferior to the skill he had cultivated through practice.

He raised an eyebrow—perhaps the purpose of past Copies wasn't merely for players to loot resources, but to let them safely learn something within those Copies.

Perhaps when he emerged from the next Copy, he should follow this line of thought and visit the masters in the Past Copies and private planes.

Of course, not He Yi—he was purely a stat monster.

Sparring with him was like soloing a Iron Man using a Level 5A combo—basic attacks mixed with normal strikes had Wu Chang running for cover, learning nothing useful.

He was about to call Zhao Yan for another round to test his newly upgraded Combat Proficient when his in-space "Unlimited Live Stream" phone received a message.

Wu Chang's body remained expressionless as he sat in the corner of the platform drinking water; his true self opened his phone in the Inner World at home and saw the sender was Hou Jingchuan.

The other knew the rules well—he didn't demand Wu Chang return to Yanjing, but left a room number in the Crimson Courtyard Public Zone, inviting him to meet there for a detailed chat.

When he left Beijing, he left Hou Jingchuan an emergency contact, saying that if anyone from the Youzhixu Sect came to the Wasteland Realm and they couldn't handle it, they could ask him for help.

He had no desire to get involved in the infighting between the Administration Bureau or the Four Major Organizations, so he specifically emphasized the Youzhixu Sect, and stressed that they should only contact him when completely unable to cope.

He hoped Hou Jingchuan truly had a problem, and wasn't harboring some other motive.

He glanced again at the message on his phone and activated his True Self to enter the Crimson Courtyard. Inside the Administration Bureau, the break was over; the bell for the second round had rung.

Zhao Yan, seeing Wu Chang still drinking water, asked: "You still got it? Or have you already burned out?"

Wu Chang obediently set down his cup and feigned exhaustion: "One more!"

They tapped their gloves together; Wu Chang instinctively threw a lead jab to test the waters. Tall and long-armed, he had a reach advantage over Zhao Yan, and using his reach to jab was his standard opening move.

Over these days of sparring, Zhao Yan had memorized it inside out—he could dodge it even with his eyes closed.

He shifted his feet, evaded the jab, and sliced toward Wu Chang's midsection, muttering: "How many times have I told you? Don't let your fighting style become rigid and stale. How many losses does it take to learn?"

The spectators could already imagine the rest of the fight: Zhao Yan would easily dodge three jabs, seize the rhythm with body strikes and a rear straight punch, forcing Wu Chang into a defensive crouch.

But this time, the scene was different.

After his first jab missed, Wu Chang's feet shifted sideways; in the instant Zhao Yan was about to strike, his rear hand suddenly launched a hook punch, slipping past Zhao Yan's guard and striking straight for the jaw.

Zhao Yan sensed something wrong and tried to lean back, but his chin still took half the punch—he staggered back two steps and collapsed onto the ground.

!

Zhao Yan rubbed his jaw, his eyes dazed. This wasn't right—this kid wasn't this strong last round. How the hell could he hire a substitute in real sparring?

That footwork, that timing, that punch power—even within the Haiwang Branch, few had this level.

You're not Wu Chang. Who are you?

"How did you suddenly get this strong?"

Wu Chang grinned: "Last-minute breakthrough—I've leveled up. Today, we're going all five rounds."

Zhao Yan fell silent for a moment, then rose from the ground, his gaze sharpening.

"I knew it—you're a natural at combat. Just a little pressure, and you improve this fast."

"Keeping your combat level capped at C-class clearly isn't enough for your growth. Good thing I upgraded my combat skill to Master level yesterday—I need a sparring partner. Let's go all five rounds today."

Wu Chang:?

Wait, you said what? Master-level combat?

"I just remembered—I left the gas on at home. Can we reschedule?"

Zhao Yan walked toward Wu Chang, smiling faintly: "What do you think?"

Wu Chang swallowed hard, recalling the memories of being beaten senseless on the arena these past days.

Don't come closer! Come another step and I'll elbow you!

While Wu Chang's body suffered on the arena, his True Self had followed the room number to a private space.

The space was designed in the Xia style: from pavilions and towers to rocks and ponds, every detail was meticulously crafted, with great effort invested.

This was a business space operated officially by the Crimson Courtyard, exclusively for players with power and silver coins.

Here, one could speak freely and discuss any secret, protected by the Abyss Game rules—no recordings or surveillance possible within.

If negotiations failed, the Abyss Game rules ensured neither party could reveal any details of the discussion.

Choosing this location for the meeting proved Hou Jingchuan truly had something urgent.

Following the guidance, he arrived at the pavilion in the garden's center, then ascended to the third floor, where Hou Jingchuan waited by the window.

After brief pleasantries, Hou Jingchuan cut straight to the point.

"Given the power you've displayed so far—especially your ability to clear dungeons—throughout the Abyss Game, the Wasteland Realm, even the entire Abyss Game, no player surpasses you in dungeon clearance."

"Therefore, the trouble we're facing can only be resolved by your intervention—it's the most reliable and suitable solution."

Wu Chang fiddled with his teacup, understanding Hou Jingchuan's intent: he wanted Wu Chang to clear a specific dungeon.

"This dungeon you're talking about—is it connected to the Youzhixu Sect?"

Hou Jingchuan confirmed: "The dungeon itself isn't related—but the person who must enter it is closely tied to the Youzhixu Sect!"

Hou Jingchuan did not conceal the background of his request—he told Wu Chang the full story.

The incident began when Wu Chang accepted the interview for "Hot Topics of the Week." The Youzhixu Sect used the world-dungeon topic to summon the Evolutionists for a meeting, then turned their own tactics against them, replicating the ambush that occurred in the Rational Realm within the Wasteland Realm.

Only this time, the victims were Evolutionist members.

The Youzhixu Sect, with premeditation and superior strength in the Wasteland Realm, captured all high-ranking Evolutionists and main combatants, imprisoning them underground at headquarters for temporary detention.

As Wu Chang had suspected, the Administration Bureau then launched a massive purge: all Evolutionist high-rankers were summoned for "tea," and the Youzhixu Sect took full control of the Wasteland Realm.

After internal stability was secured, the Bureau relayed intelligence to the other three major organizations, forming an alliance with their Youzhixu Sect factions, and began actively severing ties with the Rational Realm, sealing all entrances connecting the Wasteland Realm and the Real World via the Reality Pillars.

But the Evolutionists' and Youzhixu Sect's conspiracy was not impulsive—they had planted many moles in the Wasteland Realm, and the most lethal one was embedded within the Administration Bureau.

As it happens, this mole had ties to Wu Chang and Xiang Jianxing—the mole was Lin Jiang.

Lin Jiang was a civil servant within the Evolutionists, unassuming and low-profile, responsible only for recruiting talent and external negotiations. He held a high position but never stood out.

He pretended to cooperate with the investigation, entered the Administration Bureau's headquarters in Beijing, underwent scrutiny, was cleared of suspicion, and was placed under soft house arrest.

The Bureau was now in a phase of internal purging, needing reliable Youzhixu personnel to seize the Evolutionists' assets, while also deploying forces to control resisting Evolutionists and sending teams to the other three major organizations to assist them in seizing control of the Wasteland Realm.

The demand for personnel across multiple fronts left the Beijing headquarters understaffed and vulnerable.

Even a dead camel is bigger than a horse—Beijing still had top-tier experts stationed; ordinary Evolutionists couldn't cause major trouble.

But no one expected that Lin Jiang, who appeared mild and harmless, seemingly uninvolved in the Rational Realm conspiracy, was actually a peripheral member of the Youzhixu Sect.

Taking advantage of the Youzhixu personnel's lowered guard, he pulled out Mercury's contract, severely wounded the expert stationed at headquarters, freed many Evolutionists, and triggered widespread chaos.

By the time the chaos was quelled and the escaped Evolutionists recaptured, they discovered Lin Jiang had stolen three items from the headquarters vault and fled Beijing.

The vault's access levels were tiered; as a Level Two Investigator, Lin Jiang couldn't take anything truly valuable.

Of the three items, one concealed his aura, blocking all tracking.

One was a temporary Rational Realm access pass, allowing Lin Jiang to enter the Rational Realm temporarily.

There was also one piece of equipment that had failed appraisal, its effect unknown, and for now it was unclear why Lin Jiang had taken it along with the rest.

Judging from the things Lin Jiang had taken, his objective was to flee into the Reason Realm.

The good news was that the four major organizations had already sealed the Pillar of the Present World from the Wasteland Realm side, so if Lin Jiang wanted to enter the Reason Realm, he could only rely on an upcoming ascending plane and enter the Reason Realm together with it.

Moreover, the Administration Bureau had already enlisted the Western Union's help, employing a divination artifact to lock onto Lin Jiang's target.

The bad news was that the instance Lin Jiang had chosen was of extremely high difficulty, even more bizarre than any S-rank instance that had ever appeared; even when the four major organizations gathered their elites, they could not claim to be able to break the game and stop the instance's ascension.

With no other choice, Hou Jingchuan could only turn to Wu Chang—only this mysterious newcomer, who had broken a B-rank instance on the verge of losing control back during the trial instance, and who, from the moment he joined the Abyss Game, had only ever played in the top-tier matches—might possibly break that instance and stop Lin Jiang.

Hou Jingchuan paused, then said:

"Lord Peace, we would like to ask you to enter the corresponding instance. Whether you complete the instance's break, or kill Lin Jiang within the instance, as long as you can stop Lin Jiang from entering the Reason Realm, that will be enough."

"The things Lin Jiang stole from the Administration Bureau headquarters only have temporary usage rights and will drop upon death. If Lord Peace can take care of Lin Jiang, not only will all the equipment he drops belong entirely to you, we will also offer an additional generous gift."

After hearing Hou Jingchuan's pitch, Wu Chang tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingers, thought for a while, then asked slowly:

"I can help, but there's one question you need to answer me first—what exactly did Lin Jiang do that makes you insist on killing him?"

(End of this chapter)