Zhan Jiyue said, "As for the Implant Faction, they actually stand with us for now. The Skyline is immensely beneficial for the spread and exchange of technology, serving as a grand showcase for technological prowess. At the same time, the Implant Faction needs a larger market. Prolonged, continuous military confrontation also favors technological development and revolution."
He tapped his boundary credential, and more than twenty different models of human implants appeared on the field screen, spanning both civilian and military applications.
"What the Implant Faction truly wants to see is implants one day equipping all of human society, becoming an indispensable part of human evolution. They want active conscious entities to become universally adopted. Their ultimate pursuit is for artificial aberrant tissue to replace and surpass existing natural aberrant tissue. Conservatism and isolationism are terrible for their research and development. Right now, they can be considered our only political ally."
Chen Chuan glanced at those implants. Currently, implant technology was advancing at a breakneck pace, changing with each passing day, and the utility of active conscious entities was undeniably essential. Even purely combat-oriented models could not be underestimated. The few active conscious entities and external implants he had personally fought would have been extraordinarily difficult for ordinary martial artists to deal with. That went without saying for high-tier, self-evolving entities like Hongfu and Alu.
Moreover, entities similar to Hongfu existed in all five of Great Shun's primary central cities, and the Implant Faction likely had a hand in each of them. That was a force well worth rallying.
"The last one is the Nature faction."
Zhan Jiyue seemed momentarily unsure of how to evaluate this group. After organizing his thoughts for a moment, he said, "Put it this way—the members of this faction have never held a unified stance. They are more like a loose coalition. Within Great Shun, the Nature faction has always been suppressed, so quite a few among them are probably the most eager to see the Great Impact arrive, yearning to lose themselves in that carnival.
"Among the rest, many are just here for the spectacle. Some don't even value their own lives; all they want is to watch a spectacular, blazing fireworks show, as if that matters more than anything else.
"However, I believe a portion of them can still be won over."
He spoke solemnly. "In particular, some of them are actually staunch patriots, complete idealists whose sole pursuit is a human world that exists only in imagination. And a few exceptionally powerful members of the Nature faction have collaborated very pleasantly with us, fighting shoulder to shoulder alongside us all this time."
Chen Chuan said, "Only a tiny minority, though?"
"Yes, only a tiny minority."
Zhan Jiyue sighed. It was frustrating, yet entirely inevitable. When a person completely unleashes their natural impulses, their first and only point of reference is naturally themselves: *I do whatever I want, however I want.* Meaningful cooperation was virtually impossible. And for the state, the stronger such individuals became, the more restrictions were placed upon them, which made them constantly seek to break free from such constraints.
Chen Chuan pondered the situation. The Purist Faction's predicament was indeed grim. Among the five major factions, their sole ally was the Implant Faction, and even they were hardly an unwavering one, bound together purely by mutual interest.
Fortunately, the two factions complemented each other well. The Purist Faction also followed an elitist path. While their upper-echelon combat power was formidable, their numbers were few, and the core members they trained were deployed to fight external entities from beyond the heavens, suffering high casualty rates. The Implant Faction, meanwhile, was concentrated in the middle and lower tiers, lacking top-tier combat power and relying on active conscious entities as a supplement.
However, the Purist Faction's martial strength was invariably projected outward, rarely utilized domestically, leaving them with little suppressing power at home.
They had to contend with internal rivals while resisting external threats from beyond the sky. If the other factions had cultivated powerful martial artists possessing bloodlines tied to secret charts, the Purist Faction's superiority at the highest tier might eventually be eclipsed. Seen in that light, it was hardly surprising that the faction's conservatives were so anxious.
The situation was genuinely precarious.
A rough idea began to form in his mind. Moving forward, a way had to be found to shore up their domestic strength.
Seeing him lost in thought, Zhan Jiyue assumed he was troubled by the current climate and said, "Commissioner Chen, it's not as though we have no advantages. The Enterprising Faction within the government is willing to stand with us, and the military currently collaborates with us for the most part."
Chen Chuan nodded. Great Shun's military was the state's largest apparatus of violence. Aside from Wuyi Academy, the majority of government-trained martial artists came from the ranks of the military.
"Over the years, the Convergence faction and the Refined Practice School have continually attempted to infiltrate the military, but the government remains deeply vigilant against them. Still, internal issues within the military are hardly small. That's a long story in itself; I will transmit an internal dossier over to you later, Commissioner Chen."
Chen Chuan hummed in acknowledgment. The military's problems had always been present. Setting aside his own past encounters, he still remembered what had happened with Chen Bitong's son and daughter.
The present Republic of Great Shun had originally been established by the progressive revolutionary party, civilian martial artists, and many elements of the old armies. As it expanded, various other forces had gradually integrated into the fold. For numerous reasons, although the old dynasty had been overthrown, the prominent clans of Zhongjing and entrenched local powers had never been truly rooted out. That had been dictated by the circumstances of the time—a compromise forced upon them in order to topple the colossal former imperial household.
Yet over nearly a century of development, driven by the looming threat of the Great Impact, the Enterprising Faction had continually sought to reclaim and centralize authority. Opposing them were extraordinarily powerful forces, making it impossible to accomplish overnight, to say nothing of interference from the former imperial household. And since those adversaries were tangled up with one another, resolving the former imperial household required dealing with certain people and matters in tandem.
After discussing the situation a while longer, Zhan Jiyue said, "It will take more than two days to reach Zhongjing. There is no need to rush to solve so many vexing problems all at once. Commissioner Chen, how about we sit down for a cup of tea, play a game of chess, and pass the time?"
Chen Chuan gladly agreed. Problems had to be solved, but one still needed to eat; there was indeed no hurry. However, ordinary chess felt rather dull, so he said, "Mr. Zhan, I have a game here that might interest you."
"Oh?"
Mr. Zhan naturally harbored an insatiable curiosity for novel things, and his interest was immediately piqued.
As Chen Chuan spoke, he tapped his boundary credential and contacted the airship's inactive conscious entity, directing it to allocate field resources. Moments later, a three-dimensional board game materialized on each of their credential screens.
On both sides of the board stood numerous miniature figures. From the venue rendered by the board, it resembled an athletic pitch.
This was a simulation based on the ball game from Kawatua. When Chen Chuan had first seen it, his interest was stirred, so he had asked Hongfu to collect data and assemble it into this game. At the start of a match, each player's build and abilities were randomized, though balanced overall.
"Fascinating."
Zhan Jiyue's eyes lit up as he immediately recognized what set it apart from ordinary games. Movement, formations, and even the application of force when striking the ball had to be executed manually. Only a martial artist possessed the capability to control multiple figures simultaneously while making split-second, pinpoint decisions.
It demanded immense mental acuity, reaction speed, and vision. He could already envision utilizing simulated resources to host such matches directly, serving as an effective means of honing technique.
After reviewing the rules, he could hardly wait to play two rounds with Chen Chuan. He found it thoroughly engaging. It was by no means limited to two participants; the more people involved, the higher the replayability and complexity, making it exceptionally well-suited for cultivating a martial artist's overarching tactical sense and teamwork.
Looking up, he couldn't help but say, "Commissioner Chen, I would like to popularize this game—or rather, this sport. Would you object?"
Chen Chuan said, "I brought it out purely for recreation and training. Do you think it will be well-received, Mr. Zhan?"
Zhan Jiyue nodded vigorously. "I certainly believe so!"
He pondered for a moment. "We could organize a tournament first. It wouldn't be difficult. A sport that combines technical training with entertainment is outstanding and well worth promoting; our Purist Faction can adopt it first. Besides, in our struggle against those factions, we cannot rely on force alone; we must also know how to win over hearts and minds. Speaking of which, when it comes to arts and entertainment, the Nature faction undoubtedly wields the greatest influence. Right now, many stars and prominent figures in entertainment, sports, and culture have backing from the Nature faction. Perhaps we could collaborate with them on this."
Chen Chuan asked, "Would that work?"
Zhan Jiyue thought about it and said, "There won't be any problem. As long as the Nature faction finds something interesting, anyone can collaborate with them. What's more, they will spare no effort in promoting novel sports and games, completely unconcerned with anything else. In a sense, they truly are the most pure-minded."
Distracted by the conversation, Zhan Jiyue slipped up on the pitch. Chen Chuan surged into a commanding lead. Knowing his novice skills were far from enough to mount a comeback, Zhan Jiyue conceded the match with a wry sigh.
Yet his enthusiasm only grew.
"Come, come, Commissioner Chen, let's play another round."
Games of this sort were highly addictive, especially when victory required formations, overarching strategy, and micro-control. Besting a well-matched opponent brought a sense of accomplishment beyond words.
Zhan Jiyue did notice that the only obstacle to widespread adoption was its substantial consumption of field resources. However, that could be resolved if the Implant Faction engineered a dedicated technical solution and rolled out tiered versions.
Over the next two days, the two spent almost every waking hour competing on the board. Every five or six hours, the airship touched down briefly for routine maintenance and inspections.
By noon on the third day, Zhan Jiyue was engrossed in a match with Chen Chuan when static suddenly crackled from his boundary credential. Looking up toward the window, he said, "Commissioner Chen, we have entered the airspace of Guardian Central City. Once past here, the capital, Zhongjing, lies just ahead."
Chapter 1359