Lei Bao's personal appearance and undisguised threats were like a bombshell dropped on the Ash Squad and even the entire Panshi District.
Although the Security Department strictly controlled the scope of information, the oppressive atmosphere brought by the high-level fury still hung over the heads of those involved like an invisible cloud.
For Ling Chen, life seemed to have returned to some kind of "normalcy."
He was still the "grief-stricken" and "diligent" acting captain.
Every day, he would appear on the training ground on time, supervising the two new team members—Zhang Hou (Shidun) and Li Xun (Yingshu)—as they underwent boring and arduous basic training.
Zhang Hou's "Rock Skin Technique" was still clumsy and slow to activate, consuming a huge amount of psionic energy. He would often be out of breath and collapse to the ground after only a few minutes.
Ling Chen would "patiently" point out his problems and explain the techniques of psionic control, but in the depths of his eyes was a cold assessment: Defense was acceptable, but mobility was a fatal flaw, making him suitable as a fixed fortress rather than a flexible frontline.
Li Xun's "Sprint" had decent explosive power but lacked sustainability and directional change techniques, not to mention initiating effective attacks while moving at high speed.
Ling Chen arranged for Chen Mo to train with him, requiring Li Xun to quickly approach a hypothetical enemy under the cover of Chen Mo's shield.
The result was often Li Xun rushing out and getting lost, or being left far behind by Chen Mo's heavy footsteps.
Ling Chen watched this scene with no ripple in his heart: Speed was acceptable, but his awareness was poor, and his attacks were weak, a typical cannon fodder scout template.
Su Qing and Wang Yuan took on more of the responsibility of veteran members, training themselves while assisting in guiding the newcomers.
However, the look in their eyes towards Ling Chen, in addition to the usual trust, now carried an indescribable worry.
Vice Minister Lei Bao's oppressive presence and hostility that day were too obvious; they knew very well that their captain had been targeted by an extremely formidable figure.
This worry made the atmosphere in the training ground always carry a lingering sense of solemnity.
Ling Chen could feel the emotions of his team members, but he didn't care.
These emotions were just background noise to him.
He perfectly played the role of a comforter, occasionally saying some morale-boosting words, emphasizing the guild's fairness and Associate Chairman Tieshan's support, redirecting the team's attention back to training and recovery.
However, the covert scrutiny and surveillance never stopped.
The Security Department personnel no longer conducted formal inquiries, but Ling Chen could feel that there were more people "casually" passing by his residence and the training ground.
Some unfamiliar mental fluctuations would occasionally sweep through his area like a breeze, attempting to capture any hint of abnormality.
The guild's internal authorization system also seemed to have added several invisible layers of filtering and delay for the identity of "Lin Chen."
All of this was within Ling Chen's expectations.
The Soul Jade Physique's perception far exceeded normal technological detection methods.
Every move of the observers, even their positions, strength, and occasional emotional fluctuations, were all within Ling Chen's control.
He was like a skilled actor, surrounded by countless hidden cameras, yet flawlessly portraying the life of "Lin Chen."
He would even deliberately reveal some "flaws" that fit his persona—such as occasionally spacing out during training due to "low spirits," or subtle instability in psionic control due to a "hangover"—to further lull the observers into a false sense of security.
He knew that Lei Bao would never give up because of one inquiry and lack of evidence.
This Vice Minister of the Security Department was like a wounded lone wolf, having lost an important family member, and was now relying on instinct and power to relentlessly cling to his biggest suspect.
This obsessive hatred was in itself a huge problem, but at the same time... it was a weakness that could be exploited.
The true hunter often appears in the form of prey.
Ling Chen was waiting, waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that would allow Lei Bao's hatred and recklessness to fully erupt, and in turn, consume him.
Aside from the trouble with the Security Department, some subtle changes within the guild also caught Ling Chen's attention.
Through the occasionally blunt information revealed by Leimeng, and the mission briefings he could access with his authority, Ling Chen discovered that the number of missions recently dispatched by the guild to the depths of Ash Canyon for exploration and clearing had significantly decreased, while the difficulty assessment had secretly increased.
At the same time, the guild warehouse's demand for certain high-precision detection equipment, mental protection barriers, and powerful energy suppressors had greatly increased.
This seemed to confirm Leimeng's earlier mention of "core area energy pulse anomalies."
The guild's high-level management was clearly aware of the immense risks and was secretly making preparations, perhaps related to the "Abyssal Echo" plan.
On the other hand, rumors about the pale purple "Awakening Potion" began to quietly spread among lower-level hunters and some peripheral personnel.
It was said that the black market price had been driven to sky-high levels, but people were still taking risks.
The guild's Security Department seemed to have intensified its crackdown on such transactions, but with little effect.
Ling Chen had Tang Yinmeng (in her own way) secretly keep an eye on relevant information, but for now, there were no discoveries worth noting.
These myriad pieces of information intertwined in Ling Chen's mind, gradually outlining a picture of an impending storm.
Shengjing Underground City, humanity's last bastion, faced threats from mutated creatures and unknown energies externally, while internally it was filled with factional struggles, secret plans, and dangerous temptations.
And he, Ling Chen, was like a stone dropped into this deep pool, though small himself, he landed precisely at the confluence of several crucial whirlpools.
Ash Squad was his temporary refuge and observation post.
Training continued day after day.
Zhang Hou and Li Xun made a slight improvement under pressure, but they still had a long way to go before they could truly participate in actual combat.
Ling Chen was not in a hurry; he even consciously controlled the intensity of the training to prevent them from forming combat effectiveness too early.
A weak team that needed protection would better highlight his "value" and "difficulty" as a "captain," and would also make certain people relax their guard.
During this time, Bai Zhi visited them a few times.
She always brought some mild potions she had prepared herself, which soothed the mind and restored physical energy, distributing them to the team members.
Her gaze towards Ling Chen remained pure and full of worry, and she would occasionally whisper reminders for him to rest and to guard against the Security Department's harassment.
Ling Chen consistently maintained his gentle and restrained demeanor towards her; the Soul Jade Physique's desire for the Qingdi Longevity Body was perfectly suppressed, transforming into what appeared to be sincere gratitude and friendship.
He would even "accidentally" reveal some of the "troubles" and "pressure" brought by the Security Department's "over-scrutiny" to Bai Zhi, further reinforcing his vulnerable image as a "victim" and "oppressed by power," cleverly gaining her sympathy and trust.
All of this was laying the groundwork for potential "utilization" in the future.
Time passed quietly.
The investigation into Lei Hu's disappearance seemed to have reached a stalemate; the Security Department could not find any valuable clues.
Lei Bao's anger had nowhere to vent and could only transform into even stricter and more oppressive surveillance of Ling Chen.
But this surveillance, apart from continuously proving "Lin Chen's" innocence (on the surface), yielded nothing.
Ling Chen, under this invisible pressure, appeared increasingly "calm" and "resilient."
He led the team to complete several extremely simple patrol and cleanup missions assigned by the guild; the process was smooth, neither good nor bad.
He reported the team's situation to Associate Chairman Tieshan on time, his words sincere, full of hope for the future and gratitude for the guild's support.
He was like a seed pressed under a boulder, seemingly fragile, yet silently accumulating strength in the darkness, waiting for the day to break through the soil, or even overturn the boulder.
He knew that Associate Chairman Tieshan must be observing all of this.
This influential figure in the guild needed the symbol of the Ash Squad to exist, and also needed a "controllable" acting captain.
The Security Department's excessive interference, especially Lei Bao's personal vendetta, had likely already caused Tieshan's dissatisfaction.
Breaking the balance only required a perfectly timed opportunity.
Ling Chen waited patiently.
He seemed to already see Lei Bao's face contorted by hatred, and... his despair as he ultimately fell into the abyss.
And all of this would become his stepping stones to greater heights.