Once inside the center of the camp, Chen Chuan learned from his guide that this was merely a staging ground for logistics supplies and support personnel; the actual combatants were already entirely up on the mountain.
He looked up. The yellow-green mountain ahead stood roughly four to five hundred meters tall. Though February had only just begun, thick weeds had already sprouted and the trees were budding with fresh shoots. From here, one could vaguely make out figures moving about on the slopes.
While he was surveying the terrain, another employee from a commission company walked over and said with great respect, "Are you Expert Chen? I am Pan Zhong, an assistant at Firm Rock Commission Company. The team leaders are all waiting for you up above. Would you be free to join them for a discussion?"
Chen Chuan said, "Then I'll trouble Assistant Pan to lead the way."
"Please follow me."
Chen Chuan had his driver, Xiao Wei, wait below. Following Assistant Pan along a narrow trail hacked out with tools, he made his way up the mountain. After ascending the slope for some distance, they rounded the mountainside. On the reverse slope near the crest, a relatively broad natural terrace opened up, dotted with quite a few tents as well.
"Expert Chen is here!" someone called out from a distance.
Chen Chuan looked over, recognized the man from one of the commission companies during the previous flying head creature incident, and called back in greeting.
In truth, the commission companies formed a tight circle. Take on enough commissions, and familiar faces were bound to crop up. Furthermore, when dealing with similar matters, the Municipal Administration tended to favor recognizable veterans who had already left a good impression.
Many people now came forward to greet him. One commissioner laughed and said, "We've just been waiting on you, Expert Chen! Without you, we wouldn't be able to handle this."
Chen Chuan said, "You're too kind. The real work is being done by everyone here; I'm merely here to help tie up loose ends."
"Expert Chen is always so modest!"
The commissioners present all chuckled. People Chen Chuan's age who possessed real skill and capability usually walked around with their noses in the air, terribly difficult to deal with. What made it worse was that such people were indispensable. Fortunately, Chen Chuan was nothing like that.
Many here had seen firsthand how cleanly and decisively he had dealt with the flying heads last time. Capable, courteous, considerate of others' face, and not one to hog all the spoils—if someone like that wasn't an expert, damn well who was? He deserved every bit of praise!
A middle-aged man with faint stubble along his jaw stepped forward, reached out a hand, and introduced himself in a mature, steady voice: "I'm Gu Mingde of Firm Rock. Thanks to everyone's trust, I'm serving as the overall commander for this operation. Expert Chen, welcome aboard."
Most of these combat-oriented commission companies in Yangzhi City were established operations. Everyone knew that without unified command, they would only squabble, compete, and hold each other back, accomplishing nothing in the end. Therefore, whenever several commission companies joined forces for a mission, they divided the spoils and responsibilities in advance; after all, there would always be future opportunities to cooperate.
In this business, once your reputation was ruined among your peers, you were finished. Others would band together to boycott you and refuse to work with you. Behind these commission companies lay intricate, deeply rooted ties to the Yangzhi Municipal Administration and even the city councilors.
Chen Chuan shook his hand and said, "Commissioner Gu, may I ask what the current situation is?"
"Commissioner Chen, this way please." Gu Mingde led him into a military field tent large enough to hold over a dozen people. A long table stood in the center, bearing an enlarged topographical map of the area, flanked by rows of folding stools and various portable equipment.
"Take a look, Expert Chen."
Once inside, Gu Mingde shifted a folding stool aside slightly and tapped a spot near the bottom of the map. "This is the ridge we're on right now." Moving his finger upward, he tapped a peak ahead. "This is Manshan. As the crow flies, it's only seven or eight li away—very close. The stronghold we located is right there.
"We've already sent scouts to investigate. The village only has around a hundred people or so. At the very back sits an esoteric cult temple from the old era. A few years ago, merchants visited the village to buy mountain produce, and everything was quite normal then. No one knows when all the villagers became devotees of the Flying Head Cult.
"The place is tucked away deep in the mountains and fairly isolated from the outside world. Perhaps because the cultists' minds are completely muddled, their vigilance toward outsiders isn't particularly high, which works heavily to our advantage.
"Our plan is to launch an assault first thing tomorrow morning and take them down in one swift stroke. However, while we know how to fight living people, this is our first time dealing with an urban legend like flying heads. Although the advisers gave us a few defensive items, we still wanted to ask if there is anything we need to watch out for, Expert Chen."
Chen Chuan considered this, then said, "Flying head creatures affect the mind, stirring up inner desires. Ordinary people can be driven mad. Therefore, everyone must do their best to keep their emotions under control. Also, those leading the charge should ideally be fighters who have mastered jin; people like that have slightly higher resistance."
Gu Mingde nodded. This aligned closely with what the Municipal Administration's advisers had told them, and they had already made some preparations accordingly.
Chen Chuan continued, "If the flying heads appear, I will handle them. Everyone else should keep their distance as much as possible to avoid being affected." He paused, pondering. "You mentioned just now that there is an old temple there?"
"Yes. We don't know what era it dates to, but it's a stone structure, very ancient." Gu Mingde gestured to his assistant, who rummaged through some papers and brought over an old photograph. "Here."
Chen Chuan took it and looked. Though aged, the photograph was quite clear. One could tell it was a stone-masonry structure with an architectural style vastly different from Great Shun's, though it appeared to have been renovated later, giving it a touch of local characteristics.
He said, "An urban legend like the flying head creatures generally prefers to linger around ancient sites where sacrifices have long been offered. The altar is likely inside that temple. If so, that's good news: flying heads usually don't venture far from their sacrificial altars. If there's enough sacrificial food, they won't even actively come out."
He looked up. "Has anyone observed when the villagers offer their sacrifices? Or noticed any unusual activity?"
Someone spoke up, "We only know part of what's happening on the mountain, but every day we can hear strange chanting and the beating of leather drums, like ancient shamans dancing in the mountains. It happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening. Each session has a fixed duration of about three quarters of an hour."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Then that must be the ritual." He looked at Gu Mingde. "My recommendation is to launch our attack while the villagers are in the middle of their sacrificial rite, or just before it concludes. During the sacrifice, the flying heads generally won't pay attention to anything else. That will give us a window!"
Someone remarked, "In that case, the original schedule might have to be pushed back."
Gu Mingde decided firmly, "Then we push it back. We follow Expert Chen's lead!"
The men present nodded in unison. Truth be told, even if the cultist villagers doubled in number, they wouldn't stand a chance against these mercenaries. What everyone truly feared was the bizarre, incomprehensible flying heads. With a targeted countermeasure in place, they wouldn't have to walk on eggshells.
"Do you have any other suggestions, Expert Chen?"
Chen Chuan said solemnly, "These flying heads easily cause emotional and mental chaos. When I deal with them, I hope everyone keeps their distance. If we can trap them inside the temple, that would be ideal.
"Once they fly out, they'll become much harder to handle. We must move swiftly and finish the peripheral fighting while they are still feasting on the offerings.
"Also..."
He surveyed the room. "The flying heads' resistance may be fierce. There is a very high likelihood that some among us will lose control of themselves, so you must all be mentally prepared."
A chill ran through everyone's heart.
Someone spoke up, "Last time, Expert Chen sliced a flying head apart with a single strike. We've prepared large nets, darts, and ropes for this operation—those should be useful, right?"
Chen Chuan said, "Those were likely just flying heads transformed from human heads. Conventional methods can drive them off or destroy them, but they cannot compare to the true flying head. That entity cannot be harmed by ordinary attacks; it can only be resolved through specialized means."
He looked toward the map. "If we confirm that the source responsible for all this is indeed here, then if possible, I will enter the old temple alone. You will seal the entrance, leave only a few people outside, and have everyone else retreat down the mountain as quickly as possible. Once I have dealt with it, the seal can be lifted."
Gu Mingde asked a few more questions about the specifics of the flying heads before saying, "Originally, I felt the situation was difficult to anticipate, but with Expert Chen's guidance, I finally have some confidence." He solemnly cupped his fists toward Chen Chuan. "In the end, we'll still be relying on you, Expert Chen."
Chen Chuan cupped his fists in return. "I'll do my utmost."
Once the discussion concluded, the crowd dispersed. Chen Chuan moved into a single-person tent Gu Mingde had arranged for him. Inside, he meticulously wiped down the Xuejun Saber, checked his firearms and ammunition, completed his daily breathing exercises, and turned in to sleep when the hour grew late.
Early the next morning, the teams assembled. Although the original plan had been revised, they still set out before dawn.
The commission companies had dispatched a sizable force this time. Excluding the support personnel in the rear, there were around fifty men. Because this operation was set deep in the mountains far from the city, they had obtained temporary authorization from the Municipal Administration; every man was armed with crossbows and firearms, and they had even prepared a supply of smoke grenades.
Gu Mingde organized the men into several squads, spaced well apart. Their movements were highly covert; despite their numbers, they shifted through the terrain like flowing sand, barely noticeable unless one looked closely.
Chen Chuan was assigned to Gu Mingde's squad. He wore a yellow-green smock designed for traversing mountain forests. It resisted rain and scratches while remaining remarkably breathable, all while providing excellent camouflage.
Fortunately, it was only February. The weather remained bitingly cold, so the forest harbored no serpents, insects, or vicious beasts, sparing them the need to apply extra repellent salves.
After advancing for nearly two hours, they arrived at the foot of Manshan. Scouts had already found a concealed spot here, invisible to anyone looking down from above.
Once there, aside from those on sentry duty, everyone drank water and wolfed down nutritional paste.
Resting his back against the rock face, Chen Chuan raised his wrist to check his watch. It was just past six-thirty in the morning. If there was a ritual above, it would likely be around this time.
Sure enough, before long, faint sounds drifted down from atop Manshan: strange drumming, rhythmic clacking, and an eerie chant.
Just then, however, he suddenly noticed the Second Self showing slight signs of blurring and fading. He immediately whispered, "Stay down and take cover!"
Gu Mingde reacted instantly with a hand signal. The men around them immediately dropped low and concealed themselves. Moments later, a swarm of black specks flew out from above, circled once in the airspace overhead, and flew back.
Chen Chuan's gaze narrowed. He saw clearly that it was a flock of flying heads—nearly twenty by rough estimate. He hadn't expected there to be so many. No wonder their influence reached this far away. From the looks of it, the source of the flying heads was undeniably right here!
Gu Mingde shot him an inquiring look, and Chen Chuan nodded in confirmation.
Gu Mingde turned at once to his assistant. "Send a telegram to the rear. Report that we've encountered a large swarm of flying heads and that the urban legend is definitely here. Tell them to dispatch reinforcements to our position."
The assistant promptly retrieved the transmitter from its case, slipped on the headphones, and began keying the message.
Gu Mingde knew this was the prime window to attack. He issued final instructions: "Move out shortly according to our designated squads. No chaos, move fast—understood?" Once every squad leader signaled their readiness, he gave the crisp order: "Everyone, move out!"
Chapter 115