Chen Chuan raised his gaze slightly toward the highest point of the island. Beneath white clouds resembling tufts of cotton wool stood a castle manor blending Eastern and Western architectural styles.
This was another place he had seen in the memory potion, though not in any of the experienced scenes; rather, it was in a photograph displayed behind Miss Gao Yuling, serving as a background.
The photograph had flashed past in an instant back then and would easily have been overlooked, but he had remembered it clearly. From it, he had even deduced the approximate location where it was taken.
According to files provided by the secret intelligence department, this was a private holiday estate belonging to the Gao family. However, analyzing its harbor and geographic position, they speculated it was very likely developed into a maritime base.
In the past, because of heavy defenses and the large number of mutated organisms released into the surrounding waters, approaching and confirming this had been extraordinarily difficult.
Now, he could confirm it.
He looked toward the other side of the island. He stood high enough now that from this angle, he could clearly see the warships berthed in the harbor, one of which was unmistakably a battleship.
Through the comparative analysis run by the external implant's active conscious entity, the seemingly charming castles on the mountain and the various aesthetically pleasing buildings below were fundamentally camouflaged military fortresses.
Naturally, along the beach there were still lovely resort villas and East Continent-style multistory buildings; these likely were not deliberate camouflages, but genuine spots meant for leisure and recreation.
Able to provide pleasure while ensuring security—this had to be that Mr. Gao's favored retreat. Yet considering what Chen Chuan knew from his memories, the man fleeing here at this time suggested he might harbor other intentions as well.
After watching for a while, propelled by his spiritual fire, Chen Chuan gradually drew closer to the island.
He was silhouetted against the dark clouds in the distant sky that had yet to completely disperse. Sunlight fell over him, edging his form in gold. High above and farther behind him, a figure with brilliant, vivid plumage soared along the boundary where dark clouds met blue sky, a drawn-out, clear cry faintly echoing from it.
As he drew nearer, the island's watchtowers also detected the anomaly in the sky, catching sight of that gleaming human figure.
They were all trained personnel. Even if their own seldom-used memories had grown dull and hazy, the active conscious entities prompted them, and they finally recalled who he was.
This was an emergency unlike anything they had ever faced. Even though island drills had never ceased, confronted with the arrival of genuine, overwhelming power, their breathing involuntarily hitched, and tension gripped them completely.
At this very moment, Gao Xinwen had already returned to the castle from the research institute. He was taking an afternoon nap, hoping sleep would wash away his agitation and the past.
Though medication helped him drift off quickly, the obsessions rooted deep within his heart could not be purged, leaving him tossing and turning.
Suddenly, at a certain moment, he startled awake from his dream, jerking upright. His breath came short and ragged. As his eyes slowly focused, he realized it was only a nightmare, yet cold sweat drenched his entire body.
An implanted bio-construct crouching at his side immediately climbed onto him, injecting and releasing tranquilizing agents to soothe his palpitations and rapid breathing. Before long, his tense muscles relaxed.
The Gao family suffered from a hereditary illness; many never survived to adulthood. He and his elder brother, Gao Xinjian, exhibited the mildest symptoms, and their lifespans were considered long even among their clansmen.
In fact, many in the main Gao bloodline did not even reach their age, dying young in their youth. Strangely, branch families rarely suffered this condition, leading them to feel as though the main lineage had inherited a curse.
Yet some were different—like his younger sister, Gao Yuling...
The dream just now had been about her. He had dreamed of things that terrified him, things he never wished to witness.
Fortunately, it was only a dream.
He reached out for the nutrient water beside his bed. At that exact moment, a piercing alarm suddenly blared from his boundary credential. His hand jerked involuntarily, and with a clatter, the glass fell onto the carpet by the bedside, instantly soaking a patch of it.
Then, the active conscious entity's voice issued from the boundary credential:
"Mr. Gao, an individual with a high-energy field has been detected approaching. According to scans, the target is equipped with Great Shun's latest secretly researched external implant shell. Based on entered intelligence analysis, the visitor should be Chen Chuan, Chief of Great Shun's Jibei Dao Defense Office, currently visiting the Federation.
"In accordance with security protocols, the island has entered a Level One alert. Shall a telegram be transmitted to company headquarters?"
Hearing this, Gao Xinwen's heart gave a violent jolt. He pondered briefly, a cold glint surfacing in his eyes, and said in a heavy voice, "Withhold the telegram for now."
"Understood. Withholding telegram."
Gao Xinwen stepped down from the bed. Tapping his boundary credential, a field screen draped down before him.
It displayed the scene outside: a figure suspended midair, cloaked in flickering silver-white flames of light.
Beneath the broad-brimmed helmet was a curtain of dark gold light, with two strings of beads hanging on either side. No expression could be seen on the faceplate. He wore armor glistening brightly under the sun, held a snow-bright long saber in his hand, and an eye-catching crimson sash fluttered outward in the wind.
As Gao Xinwen stared, the figure seemed to sense it and looked directly toward him. Gao Xinwen's breathing quickened once more, and he involuntarily stumbled back two steps.
Immediately afterward, he felt mortified by his own loss of composure, his words laced with suppressed fury: "How dare you come? How dare you!"
He reflexively reached for the telephone receiver nearby, but remembering something, he raised his hand and tapped his boundary credential. "Mr. Xiang..."
Xiang Boqing's voice came through the credential: "Mr. Gao, I see him. Leave this to me. For now, please remain inside the secure zone and do not step outside."
"Alright, I leave it in your hands."
Gao Xinwen hesitated, then gritted his teeth. "I want him dead!"
"You shall see it done."
Gao Xinwen felt somewhat relieved upon hearing that. But thinking further, he tapped his boundary credential again. Almost the instant he pressed it, the connection opened, and a calm, steady voice spoke: "Mr. Gao, how may I be of service?"
"Kanbo," Gao Xinwen said, "I need you to coordinate with Mr. Xiang and kill this intruder." He paused. "I grant you permission to mobilize the island's active conscious entity."
"As you command, Mr. Gao."
Having made the arrangements, Gao Xinwen breathed a slight sigh of relief. The moment he laid eyes on Chen Chuan, he became increasingly certain that the man was precisely who he believed him to be.
Even with Xiang Boqing stepping up, he could not set his mind at ease. He truly had no clear measure of Chen Chuan's strength. Rather than keeping Kanbo at his side for protection, sending him out directly would improve the chances of killing the intruder.
By now, he gradually steadied himself, his eyes hardened with resolve and determination as he muttered slowly, "Such a bloodline should never exist in this world! He must be eradicated!"
Just as Gao Yueying was to Gao Xinjian, Kanbo was absolutely obedient to Gao Xinwen. Alone, he made his way to the lowest level of the castle and entered a pitch-black vault.
Strange sounds of writhing and friction scraped through the dark. Pitch-black limbs crept out from the shadows, coiling around his body to envelop him entirely, gradually growing and mutating.
The muscles across his body tightened reflexively at the icy touch, then slowly relaxed.
Progenitor Company had independently developed two high-energy active conscious entities. One resided at company headquarters, while the other was stationed here.
Yet unlike the one at headquarters—which was comprehensively powerful with greater growth potential—this entity had been engineered solely to assist Kanbo, maximizing his strengths and compensating for his shortcomings.
Because as a combat doll, Kanbo was inherently deficient in spiritual fortitude. This active conscious entity made up for that flaw. Spiritual power had always been the most difficult to harness, and doing so consumed nearly all of its performance capacity.
Even so, it provided formidable defensive and offensive support. Moreover, the conscious entity contained extensive combat data and tactical counters gathered and purchased by Progenitor Company from databases worldwide. When integrated together, they could bring forth most of the power Kanbo had possessed at the peak of his strength as a demigod of the First People.
Before long, the active conscious entity had nearly merged into one with him. Apart from scaled armor on his limbs and sharp talons at their ends, little else seemed out of place.
A faint, ghostly light welled in his pupils. Reaching out with both hands, he picked up a vivid, imposing feathered headdress and placed it upon his head. Then he strode out with light, soundless footsteps. Faint ripples seemed to shimmer around him before he vanished into thin air.
Outside, combat airships had already taken flight. Fortified cliff faces and concealed gun emplacements on elevated platforms revealed themselves, angling upward. Once locked onto Chen Chuan's position, they opened fire in a thunderous barrage.
These were long-range cannons meant to combat airships. Shell after shell hurtled forth, exploding around Chen Chuan in roiling bursts of black smoke, shaking the air with dull, rhythmic booms.
Chen Chuan stood suspended in place, motionless. As shrapnel flew near, the scattered jagged fragments entering his field's reach instantly slowed and stalled, hovering silently around him. More fragments struck home after them, colliding against the floating pieces in a dense, crisp metallic din.
Yet he remained still, his gaze tranquil, like a deity from beyond looking down upon the unthreatening shrieks of mortals, deeming even a second glance a waste of energy.
He was waiting for someone of sufficient stature to come forth.
He would give the other side one minute. If no one showed, he would force them out in a manner they understood.
Time ticked by, second by second.
When the final second arrived and no one had appeared before him, he extended a finger toward the ground below. A glow flared at his fingertip. After a brief pause, a beam of light shot forth with a hiss.
In that instant, the entire island was illuminated.
Chapter 1249