Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1289 Protecting the Treasure on the Road Back

After asking some questions, Chu Zhi first dismissed his attendant and forbade him from discussing the matter further. He then paced back and forth in the room, pondering the situation.

The use of force to restrain Chen Chuan is something he has always wanted to do, partly out of personal considerations and partly for the benefit of the faction behind him.

Another concern is that if he doesn't restrain himself before returning to China, he might rarely have this opportunity again. So he has been reporting this situation to the authorities in China.

However, there were also obstacles in China, making it almost impossible to complete the task before returning home. Fortunately, there were some procedural loopholes that could be exploited when domestic and international organizations communicated. Therefore, with his efforts and the cooperation of some people in China, this commission came about.

He had considered that Chen Chuan might refuse, but he never expected that Chen Chuan would actually arrest the person directly.

Although he disliked some of Chen Chuan's actions, he knew very well that Chen Chuan wasn't unreasonable; he usually only did things when he was confident. Therefore, there must be some reason behind this, or perhaps he had some evidence.

So there must have been some mistake here.

Fortunately, in this specific matter, he was merely the instigator, and these two people had no connection to him personally. Therefore, as long as he didn't actively come forward, Chen Chuan wouldn't know that he was one of the participants.

He went to the desk, took out paper and pen, and began to write a report.

Although this attempt failed, he will not give up. He still holds the same idea: uncontrollable force must be restricted as soon as possible, rather than waiting until things become uncontrollable.

The two teams stayed here overnight, and in the morning, nearly seventy airships could be seen converging here. On the top of the row of anchor towers, there were huge airships lined up side by side, stretching from near to far in the distance, which was a spectacular sight.

Because there were so many people and goods involved, using only anchor towers for transport would be too slow. So, several airships took off ahead of time, dropping tow ropes and elevators to bring some things up in advance.

Chen Chuan noticed that there was a very special airship here. It must have been transferred from elsewhere. It used a lot of rare biological materials and looked extremely sturdy. Judging from its shape, it should be a cargo airship.

Besides this, he could also sense a rather powerful field creature within it. The one that could give him this feeling was most likely a powerful and active consciousness.

The presence of an active consciousness on a cargo airship indicates the great importance of the cargo it carries.

As he was observing, he suddenly sensed something, turned his head and saw Fan Zhentong's tall figure walking towards him, while the security personnel on both sides saluted him.

When the man approached, he greeted him first: "Mr. Fan."

Fan Zhentong said, "Director Chen, this delegation will bring back a batch of rather important items, and we need you to keep an eye on them together."

He gestured outside, his gaze falling on the rather distinctive airship. "On the return journey, we will travel on this airship."

Chen Chuan glanced at it again and nodded. "No problem."

Fan Zhentong said, "Then Director Chen, go and make the arrangements first. We'll meet here in two hours."

Chen Chuan said "okay," and went to make arrangements for his own people. He told Chao Ming's group to just follow his airship and not to worry about food, as he had prepared enough for the journey.

At the same time, he transferred his suitcase from the airship he was supposed to take, and brought the implant with him as well. After all, it contained some things and some important data, so it was best to keep it with him.

Two hours later, most of the team members had boarded the ship, with only some ground security personnel remaining.

Chen Chuan followed Fan Zhentong onto the airship. As soon as he got on, he realized that it was just him and Fan Zhentong, and there were no other security personnel. In fact, from a security perspective, this arrangement was correct.

If the situation becomes critical and they are needed, no one else can do anything here.

After settling their luggage, the two walked side by side, their footsteps echoing rhythmically in the empty cabin.

Fan Zhentong then said, "Director Chen, among all the young people I have met, you are the most capable and the most courageous."

Some people think you've been causing them trouble and making the delegation's negotiations difficult, but I don't see it that way. As a fighter, you don't need to be too hesitant in doing things. If you think it's right, then do it. Besides, everything you've done has been proven to be beneficial to Da Shun in the end.

These points alone are enough to shatter those arguments. So-called rules are only meant to restrain mediocre people. I think young people like you should be given free rein to do things.

Speaking of which, some of your mannerisms remind me of an old friend who also came from the Pure School; you two do have some similarities.

Chen Chuan said, "Did Mr. Fan work with the senior members of our faction?"

Fan Zhentong said, "I have worked with people from the five major factions, but compared to the people from the other factions, the Pure Faction is the purest and most trustworthy among those I have come into contact with."

Chen Chuan's thoughts shifted. Besides being the security advisor for this delegation, Fan Zhentong also had another identity: he was listed as a candidate for the Supreme Advisory Group.

He and Commander Xie had discussed this identity, and they both believed that if everything went smoothly after the delegation's visit, he would likely join the Supreme Advisory Council, which would practically place him at the top of the Great Shun's power structure. Therefore, he couldn't simply regard the other party as a pure fighter, and there must be some purpose behind saying this to him now.

Fan Zhentong then said, "Director Chen, I believe that with your demonstrated talent and sufficient resources, it shouldn't be too difficult for you to get to Dongxuan Temple."

My advice is that when you return, try to gain support within your faction and break through the limitations as soon as possible. Only by reaching a certain level can you truly have the right to speak and truly implement your will and ideals.

Chen Chuan nodded slightly. Although Fan Zhentong didn't say much, he actually gave a very clear hint, which was the same as his own idea.

The so-called restrictions and constraints are only because your power is not great enough. But when your power reaches a certain level, even if you don't abide by these rules, there will always be people who will find reasons to stop you.

They then reached the middle section of the first floor of the ship's cabin, where they could see various objects permanently stacked. Some were packed in boxes, while others were directly exposed, the latter mainly consisting of small and medium-sized statues.

Each item is labeled with its contents, and they are mainly religious instruments, with a distinct Eastern Continent style.

After glancing at it for a few moments, he said, "Is this something from the Old Church?"

Fan Zhentong said, "Yes, Commander Xie should have told you, Director Chen, the purpose of our negotiations with the Federal Government this time, right?"

Chen Chuanchuan said, "It has been mentioned."

Fan Zhentong said: "In order to prevent us from interfering in the affairs of the Tianji Sect, the Federation not only promised us compensation during the negotiations, but also returned some of the old sect's belongings that were scattered across the mainland to us."

It contains elements of Taoism and Zen Buddhism, as well as some minor sects whose names I can't even recall.

Chen Chuan was aware of this. Back then, because the Tianji Sect established its teachings in Yinglu, many members of the old sect also went to Yinglu. Of course, they didn't go empty-handed; they brought a lot of things with them.

Some of them joined the Heavenly Secrets Sect, some followed the example of the Heavenly Secrets Sect to establish their own sect, and some went into seclusion. These people were scattered throughout the continent.

The federal government's return of these items during negotiations can be seen as a gesture of goodwill. However, the federal government was able to do so because, aside from their historical research value, these items were not particularly valuable to them.

Fan Zhentong said, "Most of the things here are insignificant. They are placed here mainly to cover up the important items I mentioned."

Chen Chuan looked at him.

Fan Zhentong's expression turned slightly solemn. "Because these things are of different sizes, some of them are on my person, and the rest can only be placed outside, which is here."

He paused, and there was a box about half a person's height in front of him. He said, "This is one of them. It has a ceremonial seal on it, but I won't open it for you to see."

Besides this one, there are a few more above, which I will show you one by one later.

This item is absolutely crucial and cannot be lost, so from now until we leave the Federation border, you and I must guard it every step of the way.

He said in a deep voice, "This involves state secrets, something that has been fought over internationally in the past and present. So we must be vigilant. To put it dramatically, when the time comes, it won't just be people coming to us."

Chen Chuan's gaze sharpened slightly, understanding Fan Zhentong's unspoken message. He said, "Mr. Fan, I think I understand."

Fan Zhentong said, "The cabin here is divided into three levels. As you can probably feel, there is an active consciousness on the top level. We brought it from the mainland. It is also responsible for the security here. It guards the middle level, while I guard the top level and you guard the bottom level, which is this level."

Whatever you need, have someone bring it outside. No one except you and me is allowed inside.

Chen Chuan said, "Okay."

Fan Zhentong said, "Now I'll take you to see other places that need attention."

He led Chen Chuan through all three floors, then pointed out to him one by one the things that needed to be protected.

When he returned to the first floor, he could feel the airship beneath him slowly rising.

He walked to the porthole and glanced out. One after another, airships were leaving the anchor tower and departing from the land. After watching for a while, he returned to his seat, sat cross-legged, and entered a state of deep meditation.

However, after sitting for only a short while, he suddenly sensed something and discovered that the pill in his pocket was pulsating slightly, and then it emitted a large amount of light.

……

……

(End of this chapter)