In the Federal Capital branch of Progenitor Company, Chief Security Consultant Xiang Boqing sat in his office, looking through a newly arrived publication.
He paid little attention to the text, his gaze fixed instead on several photographs published within.
In the pictures, Chen Chuan stood holding a long blade, while a headless body knelt before him.
The photograph's composition was exquisite, taken from a profile angle. Using the flat ground as a baseline, with the kneeling headless corpse and Chen Chuan's tall, upright figure forming the points and lines, it created a sharp triangular frame.
Moreover, the shot had deliberately left space for the fluttering red scarf; its dancing motion lent a dynamic flair to the scene, imbuing it with striking visual tension.
At least the body lacked a head—the photographer hadn't captured it, nor did the article mention a name. To anyone unfamiliar with the matter, the corpse's identity remained unknown, which marginally spared the fallen fighter some dignity.
Only a sliver, however.
Within the circle of top martial artists, this was hardly a secret.
Xiang Boqing's eyes flickered. Earlier, the portion of his body he had dispatched had likewise been obliterated by Chen Chuan.
Though few people had known of that incident, there were still those aware of it. Yet it hadn't stirred up much commotion, for Fan Zhentong had also gone there, and others had merely assumed his intervention had thwarted the attempt.
Yet through his spiritual power, Xiang Boqing had sensed clearly that it had been crushed in a direct confrontation by Chen Chuan.
Just then, the private line on his desk rang.
He glanced over, and the receiver floated up on its own, drifting to his ear. Mr. Gao's voice emerged from within, laden with doubt: "Mr. Xiang, is the report genuine?"
Xiang Boqing gave a definitive answer: "The publications of the International Martial Artists Council undergo internal verification before release. There is no mistake."
The other end fell silent.
Xiang Boqing remained calm, waiting patiently. He knew the man wasn't finished.
After a long while, Mr. Gao spoke again: "The delegation is currently heading toward Center City. Can you get rid of him before then?"
Xiang Boqing replied, "Mr. Gao, after what happened last time, Fan Zhentong has been watching me closely. There is no way I can move against him. Furthermore, last time I had authorization from the West Coast; this time, I have no justification."
"I can persuade the assembly to apply for another permit for you, bypassing the agreement."
Xiang Boqing said, "Mr. Gao, if you do that, the boss will definitely find out."
Another silence followed on the line. Moments later, the voice on the other end spoke slowly: "Mr. Xiang, since you cannot take action, I hope you can do everything possible to prevent his meeting with my elder brother."
Xiang Boqing said in a heavy voice, "Mr. Gao, I am afraid I cannot do that either, as this man is the Director of the Safety Bureau of Jibei Dao. As you know, our company's primary business in Great Shun is currently centered in Jibei Dao. With him serving as Director of its Safety Bureau, the company cannot bypass him in these matters, and returning to the Eastern Continent has always been the strategic plan formulated by the boss. The boss is certain to arrange a meeting. In this matter, I cannot stop him."
The voice on the other end betrayed an undercurrent of unease and agitation: "Is there really no chance at all? Mr. Xiang, surely you still have a way."
Xiang Boqing said in a deep voice, "Mr. Gao, Great Shun and the Federation currently place the utmost importance on the negotiations; no incidents are permitted to occur. I cannot make any promises. All I can say is, if I see an opportunity, I will give you an account."
The voice on the other end said, "Mr. Xiang, I hope you do your best. What I promised you, I will deliver."
***
After a five-day journey, the train carrying the delegation traversed the Central Split-Ridge Mountains, as well as the famous Karon Plain and the Vandolin Hills, before finally entering the seat of the Federation's capital: the El-Calvinia Continent, one of the Federation's five great continents.
Located in the northeast of the East Coast, it bordered the vast and magnificent Great Trekland Inland Lake, boasting an exceptionally advantageous geographical position.
The immense surface of the Great Trekland Inland Lake occupied nearly a third of the northern territory of the El-Calvinia Continent. Its shoreline stretched for thousands of kilometers, and the port cities surrounding the lake formed a bustling network of waterways, railways, and air transit routes.
This was not only the crown jewel of the East Coast, but without question the core heartland of the entire Federation.
During the journey, Chen Chuan had paid special attention to observing his surroundings.
The Federation had vast territory, but its population was far smaller than that of the Eastern Continent. Outside the Center Cities on the West Coast, the lands often gave an impression of wildness and chaos. The East Coast, however, was starkly different. Traveling along the route, one could describe it as orderly and well-regulated—an impression that only grew stronger the further east they came.
In truth, as the Great Impact drew nearer, global upheavals were intensifying. In recent decades, peace had been scarce across the world; Great Shun was no exception, and neither was the Federation, both encountering various crises to greater or lesser degrees.
Due to their special status, the Center Cities were the focal point of attention for nations around the world. As for the lands beyond the Center Cities—those remote or peripheral regions—they had always been treated as secondary and were largely neglected in governance.
If Great Shun's Skyline Project could be carried out smoothly, then beyond connecting the major Center Cities, it could also integrate these scattered and underdeveloped regions. That would enhance the nation's overall strength across the board, yielding incalculable advancements.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the train entered Lunovira Center City on the shores of the great lake and slowly came to a stop at the station.
Chen Chuan disembarked along with the delegation members. Passing through the security checkpoint, they stepped into a station hall of pronounced classical style. Through the towering glass gallery walls, one could make out the silhouettes of distant skyscrapers.
This Center City was one of the few that permitted martial artists to enter directly. Not only that, but the most powerful martial artists in the entire Federation were very likely gathered here.
That included the Dongxuan View martial artist suspected to be from Progenitor Company who had once attacked him, as well as the true body of Mr. Crossal, who should also be here.
Curiously, it lacked the sensation of a vast spiritual presence looking down from above that had permeated the Veia State, yet since even Veia possessed such power, there was no way it didn't exist here.
At this moment, his attention was drawn to a bronze sculpture fountain standing in the center of the hall. The centerpiece was a mermaid bursting forth from the water.
Surrounding her were five children: she held two aloft with her hands, one lay draped over her neck, another clung tightly to her waist, and the last gripped her hair.
The entire sculpture was vivid and natural, full of dynamic motion. The expressions of the mermaid and the five children were rendered with extraordinary delicacy. The craftsman's superb skill had even sculpted the droplets of water splashing as she broke the surface, so realistically that standing before it, one almost felt as if they might be drenched.
Set into the fountain's base was a plaque inscribed with the sculpture's origin.
In fact, he was already familiar with the story. According to the tale, a group of devout believers had once arrived here under divine guidance. They cleared the land, felled timber, hunted game, and labored diligently to build a wonderful life for themselves. But to their vexation, they constantly faced attacks from hideous natives.
One day, five young children went missing. Just as the settlers were at their wits' end, this mermaid appeared from the great lake, rescuing the five children who had been taken by the natives for sacrifice and returning them to their families.
Moved by her benevolence, the residents later erected this sculpture in commemoration of her deed, and it even became a symbol of the city for a time.
Chen Chuan gazed at the sculpture. Regardless of whether the tale held true, he had heard another version—one that had an ending.
After the children were returned, the greedy villagers attempted to capture the mermaid. But she possessed formidable fighting prowess, injuring quite a few villagers before a member of the clergy struck her down.
Notably, even up to that moment, the mermaid had not killed a single villager.
As for the five children, they were deemed to have been tainted by the scent of heresy and sent to the church for purification rituals; in the end, it seemed not one survived into adulthood.
Whether that was the truth, he did not know. But having arrived here, there was one thing he could be sure of.
Driven by novelty-seeking and various other motives, the colonists had relentlessly hunted mermaids, causing a creature that had coexisted with the First People for tens of thousands of years to vanish within just a century or so. Consequently, when the locals decided to sculpt the statue, mermaids could no longer be found, forcing the sculptor to base the design on old drawings.
Fortunately, the mermaid killed back then had been preserved as a specimen in a local museum. The museum donated it to the sculptor, who incorporated it into the statue itself.
And Chen Chuan could sense that the skeletal remains were indeed encased within.
As he was examining it, a sudden rustle of wings sounded, and a white large Yingzhou pigeon flew in. It perched atop the mermaid sculpture's head, pecked lightly with a series of tapping sounds, and then spoke:
"Look—a sleek, hard exterior, a withered, rotting interior, and a bloody past dressed up in fine rhetoric. Doesn't that rather resemble this city and this country today?"
Chen Chuan glanced at it. "You'd have to ask the people here."
The bird said, "Ah, the masses are usually ignorant; they need powerful figures to guide them." It puffed out its chest, as if suddenly seized by a noble sense of purpose. "I could—"
Then it suddenly flapped its wings and took flight, soaring high into the air, while projecting a sonorous voice akin to the opening lines of an epic poem:
"Go forth then! Go forth, for I am—"
Right in the middle of its words, a burst of gunfire abruptly crackled around them. The bird shuddered violently in midair as sprays of blood and scattered feathers drifted downward.
Finally, it fell before him with a smack, twitching as it said, "Ah, a magnificent life comes to an end once more... It seems this city is as unwelcoming to me as ever—"
Chen Chuan paid it no heed. Instead, he looked back toward the mermaid statue. Down its originally golden hair, ribbons of fresh blood trickled, spreading—whether by chance or design—onto the figures of the five sculpted children.
And at this very moment, brisk, disciplined footsteps echoed from both sides, closing in around him.
Chapter 1173