Hidden Currents Surge

Chen Chuan had dealt with Lianwei Heavy Drive's Branch Office in Jibei Province, severing one of the company's outstretched tentacles. But the company itself had suffered no real loss. As far as he knew, it was still trying to bring a national lawsuit. The Defense Department had even received a complaint against the Handling Bureau. Clearly, the company had not given up on expanding its business in Jibei Province.

As Chen Chuan's Airship left Shannan Province, more than a dozen senior directors were meeting inside Lianwei Heavy Drive's headquarters in Shannan Province Central City.

One director questioned the head of information analysis. "How much will this incident affect the company's business?"

The analyst replied, "If the local garrison stops selling arms to the various Resistance Organizations, we could normally ship weapons into Shannan Province from elsewhere. But now that the problems within the garrison have been purged, its next step will surely be to intensify its campaign against those organizations and cut off every source of weapons they have. The company may not only fail to profit but suffer even greater losses.

"We still need to assess the precise impact as events develop."

The directors immediately began talking among themselves, discussing how to adjust their business and minimize their losses.

Then one director tapped the table and addressed both the people in the room and those on the screens. "Gentlemen, allow me to say something. More than our immediate profits, we need to consider our long-term plans. And there is one person in particular we need to watch."

At his signal, a photograph of Chen Chuan appeared on the screen. Taken from above, it showed him from the waist up. He seemed to have noticed something and looked toward the camera, his gaze cold, a long blade in his hand.