"Of course, if any of you wish to go back, we won't stop you. We'll give you traveling expenses to return home, but you'll have to make the journey back yourselves."
If anyone did want to go back, Team Leader Lu truly had no intention of stopping them; he would take only those willing to go with him. However, when the upcoming operations were performed, he would tamper with their memory sectors.
After all, if you heard about the plan regarding the Center City and still chose to leave, he had no way of knowing what you might do, nor could he guarantee you wouldn't be captured later. He had to take precautions.
Yet the moment he finished speaking, someone in the crowd scoffed, "Go back? What's there to go back to? I ran all this way just to crawl out of that mud pit, and now I'm supposed to crawl right back?"
"If we go back, we won't even be able to maintain the implants in our bodies. In the end, we'd just get scrapped and sold for parts."
These words struck a deep chord. They hailed from various countries and regions, mostly from relatively backward areas.
Even their home center cities relied on international coalitions for defense, and after the coalition nations carved up the lion's share of the resources, little was left. They had no choice but to come to Vea State to seek a way out.
Now, whether replacing implants, undergoing subsequent repairs, maintaining drug regimens, or pursuing martial arts training, the resources required were not something they could easily obtain on their own.
They had to rely on an organization.
At that moment, someone asked, "Mr. Lu, is everything you said true?"
Team Leader Lu nodded, his expression dead serious. "We lack the means right now, but once we reach a suitable place, I can swear an oath through ritual. I will stake my life on this pledge."
"Forget it," said the fighter who had spoken first. "We don't understand that stuff anyway. Since you put it like that, we'll trust you this once. At worst, we'll just get sold out again. I bet you'll want to recoup your investment after going through all that trouble to break us out."
Team Leader Lu said earnestly, "You'll see for yourselves."
That was indeed what he thought. In this day and age, fighters were pillars of strength anywhere. Even a Second Limit fighter, equipped with a protective suit, could storm through old-style armies.
Only in the fighting city was this not the case; here, they were merely expendable fodder. Some came from Chiluojiaduo, others from Tawatinia, East Yono, the Outer Ocean...
Of course, the majority were from the Southern Ying Continent. By constantly siphoning martial arts talent from neighboring countries, the Federation's West Coast subtly weakened these nations, depriving them of the leverage and capital to stand against the Federation.
Without enough fighters, it was inevitably difficult to produce a sufficient number of high-tier martial artists. A handful of high-tier martial artists could hardly support nations with vast territories; instead, they ended up monopolizing and squeezing martial arts resources. And the scarcity of resources drove even more talent away—a vicious cycle.
The fighters gathered here were all elites with abundant combat experience. They were also excellent instructors—precisely the kind of urgently needed talent that represented an enormous fortune.
Once everyone was sufficiently rested, they prepared to set off again. Team Leader Lu couldn't resist adding, "Everyone, a greater upheaval is coming. If we work together in good faith, I believe we can weather this crisis together."
The fighter responded rather bluntly, "We don't know what crisis you're talking about. All I know is that first, we have to find a place where we can survive."
Team Leader Lu said solemnly, "You will."
***
Meanwhile, the First Delegation, still stationed at the Federation Executive Government, received the telegram sent jointly by Chen Chuan and Delegation Leader Xie.
They had been awaiting the results. After reading the telegram, Jiang Hongzhi handed copies to the two deputy delegation leaders.
Having read it through, Tu Haisheng said, "Section Chief Chen successfully intercepted two of the prisoners. We have fulfilled the Federation's request for assistance, which will greatly benefit our upcoming negotiations."
Chu Zhixian remarked, "It mentions that one escaped—an emperor of the old era. I've heard of this man; word has it that back then, the Federation negotiated extensively with Yono just to capture and imprison him. It's a pity Section Chief Chen couldn't stop him as well."
He looked toward Delegation Leader Jiang. "Leader, I don't think we should be overly optimistic."
Jiang Hongzhi remained noncommittal.
Tu Haisheng said, "There is also this matter." His tone grew stern. "That Mr. Crossal seems very displeased with us. Delegation Leader, we need to make them understand that in this affair, the Federation came begging to us. If they cannot resolve their internal problems properly, we must reconsider the terms we previously agreed upon."
Chu Zhixian countered, "Deputy Leader Tu, in my opinion, wasn't Section Chief Chen's attitude toward Mr. Crossal slightly too aggressive? After all, he was facing a martial artist standing at the pinnacle of the world. His words and actions were dangerous for himself, and had a clash broken out, it could have triggered a diplomatic incident."
He turned back to Jiang Hongzhi. "Leader, the West Coast Faction has been deliberately trying to obstruct our negotiations with the Executive Government. In matters like this, we shouldn't dwell on personal pride or grievance, but consider the bigger picture. We must maintain calm and restraint. In handling this affair, Section Chief Chen's conduct, in my personal view, was somewhat inappropriate."
Just then, Fan Zhentong walked in from outside. Jiang Hongzhi signaled his assistant to hand him a copy of the telegram and added, "Old Fan, take a look at this too."
Fan Zhentong took the telegram from the assistant. Glancing over it, he said, "What Section Chief Chen reported is essentially accurate. Furthermore, Deputy Leader Chu, I must remind you that this is how we martial artists conduct ourselves. If even our martial artists appear weak and easily bullied, your so-called negotiations will amount to nothing more than empty talk."
Jiang Hongzhi said, "In this matter, Section Chief Chen handled things blamelessly, far exceeding expectations. The matter of the Old Emperor stems from the Federation's own mishandling; it has nothing to do with us."
Tu Haisheng asked, "Leader, should we issue an early warning advisory to the homeland?"
A Throne martial artist was now roaming free, theoretically capable of traveling anywhere in the world. Reporting this to the homeland was a given, but an early warning advisory meant circulating notices to neighboring countries as well.
Jiang Hongzhi considered it for a moment. "Transmit a telegram to the homeland first using encrypted frequencies. During the negotiations later, we'll see if the Federation makes any requests regarding this."
Tu Haisheng nodded.
Jiang Hongzhi then told his assistant, "In addition, apply to the homeland in my name for another allotment of training resources on Section Chief Chen's behalf." He added an explanation: "Section Chief Chen carried out this assignment with remarkable speed and decisiveness. His achievements are plain for all to see and have played an exceedingly advantageous role in our negotiations. Request that the homeland give this favorable consideration and arrange for the resources to be shipped as soon as possible."
The assistant recorded the instructions swiftly, waited for him to sign, and left to dispatch the telegram.
Before long, a knock came at the door, and an officer entered, speaking at a brisk pace: "Leader, the Federation's preliminary liaison personnel have arrived. They say they were commissioned by the Executive Government and wish to discuss certain matters with us."
Jiang Hongzhi glanced at Tu Haisheng, who stood up. "Leader, I'll go attend to it."
After he departed, Jiang Hongzhi looked at Chu Zhixian and asked, "Does Deputy Leader Chu have any further thoughts?"
Chu Zhixian smiled. "I submit to the Leader's arrangements." He rose to his feet. "Leader, I shall take my leave then."
Jiang Hongzhi nodded. A short while later, a dispatch from the clandestine division was delivered to him. It contained detailed logs of the recent communications and activities of the two deputy leaders and key delegation members, even noting the food they consumed and their daily items.
He instructed, "Tell the clandestine division to keep vetting them."
***
After a brief period of recovery in Center City, two days passed, arriving at the date agreed upon for the duel between Chen Chuan and Dayel Rossard.
However, because of their unique statuses, this battle would not be broadcast to the public—in truth, even if Center City were willing to display it, they lacked the ability. Alu had already made it clear to the management that because both individuals possessed immense field power, their clash would generate severe interference, making it nearly impossible to reconstruct the fine details.
The Great Shun Delegation set out early from their quarters in dedicated vehicles. Chen Chuan rode alone in one car, while Delegation Leader Xie and Gui Zihan sat in another.
As the motorcade headed toward the martial arts arena, Leader Xie reviewed analytical reports on the upcoming fight from various sources.
Although the match was not open to the public, influential figures in the Federation, the Western Continent, and Great Shun followed it with keen interest, and numerous martial artists had offered analyses over the past few days.
Naturally, most of these assessments were based on Chen Chuan's past record. For various reasons, the events of the previous night had not yet been leaked; aside from the upper echelons of Great Shun and the Federation, other nations of the world remained in the dark.
Had those events been known, the predictions might have painted an entirely different picture.
Leader Xie lacked martial arts expertise, but he understood one clear fact: it was precisely because neither Rossard nor Weiss of the Free Academy could contain the prisoners escaping from the Blockade Hall that the Federation had petitioned the delegation for assistance.
In the end, neither man had accomplished much; it was Chen Chuan alone who had eliminated the fugitives. That laid bare an unmistakable disparity. Had Rossard been present, he should have realized as much, yet the scheduled duel had not been called off.
After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Team Leader Gui, so far as I know, when martial artists encounter a stronger opponent, they don't seem to back down. Instead, they do everything they can to secure a chance to fight?"
Gui Zihan thought it over and answered seriously, "If I encounter a formidable opponent and believe there's a chance of victory, then personally, I would welcome the contest. But once the gap becomes too vast, I wouldn't do so, because that would be nothing short of suicidal. Unless... one side believes doing so is worth it."
Leader Xie nodded. "Team Leader Gui, what is your view on this match?"
Gui Zihan stated bluntly, "I believe Section Chief Chen is certain to win. Unless Rossard achieved a breakthrough in the past two days, I cannot fathom how he could possibly win."
Leader Xie nodded. He had full faith in Chen Chuan. In truth, his real concern was that Chen Chuan might strike too fiercely and kill Rossard outright. After all, the man was a founding hero of the Federation. With the two nations currently in the middle of cooperative negotiations, if anything happened to him, it could very easily be seized upon to inflame public sentiment and undermine the talks.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, the arena's projecting membrane canopy came into view beyond the car window. Beneath it stood ranks of fully armed soldiers, while combat airships patrolled overhead, cruising back and forth.
Upon reaching the site, the motorcade moved slowly forward following the guide ahead, rounded a turn, and drew to a steady halt in the plaza.
Chapter 1161