Chapter 226: Hand of Redemption

Enforcer Headquarters.

Knock, knock, knock—

"Come in."

Tan Xin, who was busy approving documents in his office, said flatly.

As Chu Shiduo opened the door, a faint noise of commotion came from outside. He closed the door behind him to block the sound and then said helplessly:

"Teacher, that Yan Shang has been blocking the entrance for two hours... Are you really not going to see him?"

"No."

Tan Xin answered without looking up.

Chu Shiduo hadn't expected that Tan Xin, who was usually good at handling interpersonal relationships and keeping things balanced, would be so firm this time. He asked, puzzled:

"Teacher, although the Star Chamber of Commerce headquarters is ruined, the assets accumulated over so many years, including their influence within the enforcement system, are still there... And the research at the Aurora Base also relies on the large investments from the Star Chamber of Commerce to barely keep going. We’re still counting on him to keep investing money in us.

The Star Chamber of Commerce is also a victim in this incident; is there really a need to make the relationship with Yan Shang so tense?"

Tan Xin shook his head. "No, he won't continue to invest money in us."

"You’re that sure?"

"Half a month ago, Yan Shang left the Aurora Territory with the asset certificates of the Star Chamber of Commerce. What do you think... he went to do?"

Chu Shiduo froze in place.

Tan Xin slowly stood up and took the countdown glow tube off the bookshelf. The flickering glow reflected in his pupils; it was the remaining lifespan of this territory.

"Let him make a scene. We don't have the extra time or energy to seek justice for a deserter."

Chu Shiduo nodded.

"However, this incident with the Star Chamber of Commerce is indeed too suspicious... Do you really believe that a calamity invaded Aurora City?"

"The Aurora is still here. Logically speaking, those calamities shouldn't be able to invade the city so quickly. And if it really were a calamity descending, why did it only wipe out the Star Chamber of Commerce?" Tan Xin said flatly.

"You mean... this incident was man-made?"

"The Aurora Territory doesn't have much lifespan left. Some people are breaking their heads trying to get out, while others are trying to sneak in... That train that broke into the city, have you forgotten it?"

Chu Shiduo was startled. "You mean, besides that Chen Ling, other Twilight Society members have infiltrated Aurora City??"

Tan Xin didn't answer. He put the glow tube back on the bookshelf, his gaze gradually sharpening.

"Those people from the Twilight Society are like prowling jackals. When you find one, there might already be a whole pack hiding in the shadows beside you... But no matter how many unstable factors have infiltrated this city, dragon or snake...

I will let them know who the true master is under the Aurora."

Chu Shiduo felt the terrifying aura that flashed across Tan Xin and couldn't help but feel a palpitation, but soon the aura was retracted by Tan Xin. He gently brushed a speck of dust off the bookshelf, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

Chu Shiduo seemed to remember something and spoke again:

"Teacher, there’s one more thing... The trial date for Han Meng is coming up. Do we need to intervene in this matter?"

Tan Xin’s brows arched slightly. He sat down in his office chair and asked with interest, "How has this Han Meng been doing in the Black Prison lately?"

"Very well-behaved... or rather, very quiet," Chu Shiduo reported truthfully. "No protests, no noise, and he hasn't expressed any dissatisfaction with his situation... He eats on time every day, and after eating, he closes his eyes to rest. He doesn't do anything else."

"After all these years, he hasn't changed a bit," Tan Xin chuckled. "Prepare the car. I’m going to see him."

"Yes."

……

When Chen Ling woke up, it was already night.

He slowly sat up on the bed, preparing to get up and eat something. Just as he put on his jacket, as if remembering something, he fished a few sheets of paper out of his jacket.

"Almost forgot about this thing..."

Chen Ling narrowed his eyes, walked straight to the desk, and sat down. He pulled the string on the desk lamp, and the orange light illuminated the dim room.

These were a few pages of scribbled manuscripts. Under the light, the four large characters circled heavily with lines on the manuscript were the most conspicuous:

— "Hand of Redemption".

Ever since he retrieved this article by Wen Shilin from the newspaper office, Chen Ling had been running around and only now had the time to sit down and read this mysterious manuscript properly. He was also very curious: what kind of secret could make that Enforcer Deputy Chief Tan Xin take it so seriously, even sending people to ambush Wen Shilin?

Since it was a manuscript and looked like it had been written in a hurry, the content was a bit chaotic. Chen Ling could only try his best to identify the text on it:

"Received news that a major explosion occurred in the West City yesterday afternoon. A truck was suddenly detonated while driving, flattening two surrounding factories and three roads. The entire West City heard the explosion..."

"Regarding this explosion, the result given by the Enforcers after investigation was that the flour loaded on the truck caused a dust explosion due to improper handling, which was an accident. Fortunately, it was late at night when the incident occurred, and although the factory damage was severe, there were no casualties. This matter was quickly suppressed..."

"I rushed to the scene to investigate first thing this morning and found several suspicious points: First, although the Enforcers claimed it was a dust explosion, after a detailed survey, no dust residue was found at the scene. Considering the coverage of the explosion and the time interval of the investigation, it is unrealistic to completely clean up all the dust at the scene; Second, according to the calculation of the explosion radius, if it were a dust explosion, the total amount of dust required would be far higher than the truck’s load capacity. The root cause of the explosion might not be dust; Third, after two days of visits, none of the manufacturers in Aurora City had flour transaction records for that day. And because there is a transport ban at night, ordinary manufacturers would not choose to transport at that time..."

"Therefore, I reasonably suspect that the Enforcers are covering up the cause of the explosion, but why would they do that?"

"...I secretly investigated the license plate of the exploded vehicle. This vehicle belongs to the enforcement system, which means this vehicle was not performing a commercial transport mission at the time. Could it be military transport?"

"I extracted some wreckage from the explosion site and sent it to a friend for testing. The conclusion is that the truck was loaded with trinitrotoluene at the time... The Enforcers are secretly transporting explosive raw materials in the middle of the night?"

"What exactly are they trying to do??"