Book 3, Chapter 364: Search
The cluster of heavy footsteps drew closer. They were from the emergency response units. Like a tidal wave, they traveled through the area and the openings of the fallen Ferris wheel toward Chen Chuan.
The first thing they saw were Ferris Wheel’s security guards with their weapons lifted in strange postures. Instinctively, they brought their guns up, but their implants told them that these people were dead based on their biofields.
Then, they saw Chen Chuan standing by the shore with a saber in hand. Fierce waves crashed against his feet and rushed into the large pit.
They lowered their guns.
Xu Chan stepped away from his team and said to one of the leaders, “Ferris Wheel might have left behind corruption in the area. Don’t go any closer. Stand guard here.”
Once the leader agreed to it, Xu Chan went to Chen Chuan. He extended his hand. “Xu Chan.”
Chen Chuan shook his hand. “Chen Chuan.”
“I’ve heard of you. I had actually wanted to ask you to join my team to attack Ferris Wheel, but now, I’m glad I didn’t. Otherwise, who knows who they would have sent to deliver the final attack. You did well, Captain Chen,” Xu Chan praised him.
“I was only in charge of the final blow,” Chen Chuan said and cast a glance at the other team members. “If you hadn’t laid the groundwork, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the task.”
Xu Chan could tell that Chen Chuan meant what he said and was not just being polite. His good-will and respect were obvious, so he nodded earnestly.
While the other four team members hadn’t come forward, they heard what Chen Chuan said, and their opinion of Chen Chuan improved. They were quite impressed.
Others might not be able to figure out how Chen Chuan had delivered the attack, but they had witnessed the entire process, so they knew just how difficult it had been to execute it.
He needed to attack the moment the ritual bound the existence from the other world. Setting aside the necessary power, Chen Chuan needed to strike at the perfect moment. Being a second early or late would have resulted in failure.
None of them would have been able to do what he did. It was no wonder why the World Ring Defense System had handed the task to Chen Chuan. They picked the right person.
“Captain Chen, we still have some tasks to complete, but since we’re all from the Resolution Department, let’s get to know each other in the future,” Xu Chan offered.
“Sure,” Chen Chuan agreed.
After saying goodbye, Xu Chan led his team into the building. They needed to see whether there was anything harmful under the building.
Once they were a distance away, Captain Lu said, “That Captain Chen is no ordinary person. I paid special attention when the fog disappeared just now, and I saw his airship being at least three kilometers from the ground. He actually jumped down from that high up to deliver the attack. This is playing with fire.”
The others were startled. Even Third Limit martial artists might die or get heavily injured if they were careless while jumping down from such a height, much less be able to kill an existence possessing an active biosentient entity.
“I asked the department just now. Apparently, multiple departments recommended Captain Chen to deliver the final strike. It looks like Captain Chen isn’t just strong, but also has some pretty solid backing.”
Xu Chan recalled the red light moving around Chen Chuan when he landed. It had provided him with some sort of protection, but most of it was still from his own strength.
Also, if he wasn’t mistaken, there had been some light coming from the saber when it cut into Wu Qi.
“Spirit sense, huh?” he mumbled.
He wasn’t even twenty yet, was he?
And yet, he had already reached that state. Xu Chan couldn’t imagine how far Chen Chuan could go in the future. It made sense why the World Ring Defense System had picked him for the operation.
“Captain Chen is so young. He has a bright future ahead of him, and plenty of departments regard him favorably. He also played a key role in this operation. It’s highly likely that the World Ring Defense System and the Resolution Department will use him as a role model,” Captain Wang said with admiration.
The others agreed.
Captain Lu turned to Xu Chan. “You played a major role in holding back that active biosentient entity, Lao Xu. This wouldn’t have worked without you. The higher-ups will most likely want to promote you again. Are you still going to turn them down?”
The five of them had reached the well leading to the underground area. Xu Chan looked at the bottomless well shaft and shook his head. “The path ahead isn’t an easy one, but we can talk about this later. Let’s focus on finishing the task at hand.”
***
Chen Chuan stood at the shore for a while before leaving the peninsula and its drifting gray snowflakes to head to the square.
The soldiers from the emergency response units made way for him and saluted him.
Once he was at the square, he looked up. There was a huge gap above.
Ever since the Fu-Mu Entity started propagating and the Gate to Heaven opened, he had been using Awakening Clarity. Aside from when he was absorbing pure essence and fighting, he did not stop.
It could strengthen his mind, but it only expanded its breadth.
However, he had fought countless powerful martial artists, so the depth of his mind had also increased.
After learning spirit sense, he had thought that he wouldn’t be able to continue strengthening his mind, not right away at least.
Once he killed Wu Qi, though, his mind had grown stronger. He pondered over this and came to the conclusion that this might be because he had absorbed pure essence. After all, pure essence didn’t just refine his mind, but also increased his potential.
Aside from this, he gained another benefit.
Through repeated battles, his second self had improved and was now very close to his current strength.
Perhaps he would be able to fuse with him a second time after his second self matched his strength. Then, it wouldn’t be a dream anymore to reach or even overcome the perfect peak that only existed in theory.
Still, that was something for the future. Right now, the most important thing he needed to do was to continue devouring pure essence. While he wasn’t on the airship anymore, his improved mind allowed him to detect the elusive light even on the ground.
He didn’t bother wondering how many waves had gone by. Before the gap in the World Ring was shut, pure essence would keep spilling out, and he didn’t want to miss it.
He went to the side and asked for an empty armored car from the emergency response unit to rest. Then, he got into the car, focused, and started capturing the pure essence.
Soon, a team of medical officers approached him and said that they needed to examine him.
This was a standard check after exposure to an existence from the other world. It was to prevent unforeseen circumstances and perform timely treatment if they detected any problems, so he cooperated with them.
After the checks, the medical team found that Chen Chuan was completely fine, so they thanked him for his cooperation and left.
***
Back in the command center, Liang Guanghai kept an eye out on the signals from each district. The Fu-Mu Entity was likely going to propagate twice more, so they should be able to get over the crisis at noon or in the afternoon.
Just then, he saw an encoded call trying to reach him. It was from the National General Affairs Bureau, so he answered it and asked, “Do you have any suggestions for me, Mr. Cao?”
“Not suggestions, but I heard that you found the submarine the Ferris Wheel’s directors took to escape. Aside from technology provided by the Linacrox Union, Ferris Wheel also has some unidentifiable technology. We need to inspect it,” Mr. Cao said.
Liang Guanghai knew what the bureau was looking for, so he said, “The Linacrox Union is the one who helped Ferris Wheel rise to power. They’re not like Black Orchid. That company had branched out from Tianhe Minerals, but Ferris Wheel did not. They’re unlikely to have what you want.”
“We still need to look. Ferris Wheel had deep ties with the island nations and was part of the mega alliance,” Mr. Cao said grimly.
“Alright. I’ll tell the ones conducting the examination,” Liang Guanghai promised.
Once the call ended, he pondered over the situation before asking his assistant, “Where is the review team from the Union?”
“We checked. Before the Fu-Mu Entity started propagating, the review team went to White Bird District,” the assistant answered.
Liang Guanghai nodded and asked, “Has the medical team checked on Captain Chen and Lao Xu’s team?”
“They have. They’re all okay. At most, they’re tired from the fighting. They’ll be fine after some rest,” the assistant replied.
“As long as they’re okay, everything’s fine,” Liang Guanghai commented.
Just then, the assistant received a message and said, “Sir, you need to see this.”
She then tapped her Realm Pass and sent the message over.
Liang Guanghai scowled and said, “They sure know how to find loopholes. Contact Chu Yiming for me.”
He was, of course, referring to Mr. Chu of the National Ad Hoc Special Operations Committee.
***
Another wave of pure essence disappeared into the world. Chen Chuan got out of the armored car and accepted a warm drink from the emergency response member while he waited for the next wave.
At that moment, a security guard jogged over, saluted him, and handed a long package to him.
“An airship stopped by and asked us to hand this to you, Captain Chen. They said it belongs to you.”
The moment he saw it, he knew that it was the Frost King Saber’s sheath. He thanked the security guard, took the package, opened it, and grabbed the Frost King Saber.
Then, he paused for a moment. Something had blended into his saber when he delivered the last attack.
But he could tell that it wasn’t a bad thing, so he could go back and take a look later. He returned the saber to its sheath.
Two more people walked over to Chen Chuan. They wore black trench coats and had cold, stern expressions.
Once they were in front of him, one of them scrutinized him. “You must be Chen Chuan.”
He took out an ID card and showed it to him.
“We’re from the National Ad Hoc Special Operations Committee. We’re here to inspect Chen Bitong’s case, and we need your cooperation. If you have time, please come with us.”
