After decapitating him with a single stroke, Chen Chuan stepped forward and used his blade to flick open the burly man's outer coat. Beneath it was a thick, black suit of protective armor.
From the look of it, the gear was high-end. It seemed capable of deflecting blade strikes without needing the wearer to channel jin. Clearly, the brute had tried to use that feature to catch him off guard. Anyone else might genuinely have failed to react in time.
Of course, Chen Chuan hadn't applied his heavy slash saber jin back then either. Still, if even a mere corporate squad had access to protective suits like this, it was easy to imagine that the Molan Company's Blood Molan Guard would possess far better ones.
Facing them wouldn't be easy. He needed to give serious thought to how he would fight them.
While the two had clashed just now, the people from Antan Company hadn't hesitated to pull out. In a fight of that caliber, outsiders couldn't help even if they wanted to—they wouldn't even know where to aim their guns. Besides, having just made a hefty profit, they were itching to head back and enjoy it. Why risk their lives against anyone here?
Up on the high ridge, the squad leader saw them retreating and asked, "Special Commissioner, should we pursue?"
Old Feng shook his head. The mission was simply to ensure the cargo was intercepted. There was no need to waste manpower and resources wiping out Antan Company's people. After all, if you killed one batch, the company could always send another.
Antan had deliberately left a person of standing behind just now—partly to prevent themselves from being pursued, but also to give Molan an explanation.
He gave instructions: "Send a telegram telling Old Tian he can make his move." Now that Molan's reception team had been intercepted, there was no longer any need to leave that earlier camp standing. Destroying it directly was best.
The team member beside him nodded and immediately turned back to transmit the message.
At the same time, gunfire erupted on the slope across the way. The two squads sent to flank had initiated their assault on the unidentified armed team.
From the rhythm of the gunfire, Old Feng could tell that his side's attack was measured and disciplined, balancing ranged and close-quarters pressure while leaving openings for close-combat specialists to breach.
By contrast, the other side was completely disorganized, showing almost no coordination. Some were simply holding down their triggers—hardly any better than the rabble roaming the wilderness.
For a team like that to survive, its members either had to be skilled brawlers or equipped with decent implants.
Yet it was useless. His team had plenty of ways to handle such fighters, not to mention that the flanking force included the squad Chen Chuan had brought along. Geared in protective suits, they made formidable shock troops.
After listening for a short while, Old Feng stopped paying attention to that skirmish and led his men down to the scene of the primary clash below.
A few operatives stepped forward to deliver finishing shots to the wounded on the ground, after which Old Feng went to inspect the cargo himself. When he opened the rear doors of the transport truck, he saw an entire vehicle filled with high-energy nutrient solutions.
It seemed the full shipment of ordered high-energy nutrient solutions was here. As for the combat mantises, there weren't as many as expected—only ten crates stacked in a corner. That made sense. No matter how many combat mantises they bought, the creatures couldn't be deployed without high-energy nutrient solution.
Once he confirmed everything was in order, his mind was put at ease. The mission had concluded with complete success. Just then, the men beside him turned their heads, and Old Feng looked back as well to see Chen Chuan walking toward them.
He praised him warmly, "Young Chen, beautifully done!"
"It was only because Special Commissioner Feng and everyone else created the opportunity for me," Chen Chuan said.
Old Feng chuckled. That was one of the reasons he thought so highly of Chen Chuan. The young man carried none of the arrogance of those who thought their personal strength made everyone else irrelevant. Old Feng didn't care about such vanity, but plenty of people did.
Turning around, Old Feng announced, "The mission has been carried out smoothly. Once we return, I'll request commendations for everyone before Commissioner Cao."
The operatives immediately responded in unison, "Thank you, Special Commissioner!"
The mission had actually been quite easy. Although Chen Chuan had clearly served as the vanguard and Old Feng was visibly grooming the young man, none of them had any complaints.
What was wrong with wrapping up an assignment without breaking too much sweat? Fighting tooth and nail might earn a bigger bonus, but if you got yourself killed, that payout would only go to your death pension.
They would charge when duty called, but whenever they could conserve their strength, they certainly would.
Soon, the two flanking squads returned. Their leader stepped forward to report, "Special Commissioner, the unidentified armed group has been completely eliminated. Thirty-four were killed on the spot, and five captured."
"Where are the captives?"
The leader gestured behind him. "Bring them up."
The five prisoners were promptly marched forward. Xiao Xiao was tied with specialized restraining cords. Both of his hands had been cut off, exposing the severed cross-sections of his implants, from which tissue fluid still seeped.
He had arrived with a fierce, unruly glare, but the moment he caught sight of Chen Chuan standing there with his blade in hand, the memory of what had just happened struck him. A look of terror and suspicion crept into his face, and he lowered his head.
Mr. Zero was clearly the leader, so he was brought before Old Feng. The latter asked, "Which company do you belong to?"
Mr. Zero gritted his teeth and remained silent.
"We have plenty of ways to make you talk," Old Feng said calmly. "It'll just save you some pain if you speak up yourself. Even if you don't say a word, I can find out with a little effort." As he spoke, an operative drew a handgun and pressed it against Mr. Zero's temple, looking ready to pull the trigger if a single word was amiss.
Mr. Zero was hardly a diehard fanatic, but spilling everything at the first question would have felt too cheap. Seeing that things looked grim, he blurted out, "Ferris Wheel Company."
Old Feng considered the name; he had some recollection of it. It was an up-and-coming minor firm that had put out a hodgepodge of odd products. At present, the State Administration Bureau was focusing its attention on the major corporations, so a small company like this was barely worth noticing. Still, now that they had crossed their path, they couldn't just ignore it.
"Take them all back and open a file on them," Old Feng ordered. "Keep an eye on this company going forward."
Once the prisoners were dragged away, he asked, "Did you identify the team that ambushed Molan Company earlier?"
"We looked into them. They were just a hired outfit and had no idea who their ultimate employer was."
"There's bound to be a coordinator managing things in the middle," Old Feng said. "Otherwise, an armed group like that would just take the money and scatter. Old Zhao, figure out a way to root him out."
"Understood," a capable operative answered.
Just then, a telegraph operator walked over and saluted him. "Special Commissioner, Commissioner Cao has telegraphed to ask if the matter has been handled."
Old Feng checked his watch. "It's barely past four in the morning and he's already telegraphing. Old Cao is too impatient. Send a wire back telling him the situation is resolved. The rest of you, clean up the area quickly so we can head back."
The operatives answered together.
Half an hour later, after clearing the scene, the group began their return journey. By the time they arrived back in Yangzhi City, it was nearly nine in the morning.
This time, the State Administration Bureau had established a temporary station inside the constabulary headquarters. It possessed fully developed bunkers and subterranean fortifications preserved from the Great Expansion era, capable of holding out for a long time even in the face of unexpected developments.
As Old Feng led Chen Chuan inside, a heated discussion concerning the strategy against Molan Company seemed to be underway. A booming voice was saying, "My stance is to concentrate our forces and attack the Molan Company Building directly! That way, none of them can escape, and we settle everything once and for all!"
Commissioner Cao's voice followed. "The Molan Company Building is right in the city center, barely a kilometer from the assembly hall of the Municipal Administration. It's a densely populated area. Choosing to fight there will result in massive casualties."
"Can't you just evacuate beforehand? Besides, you can't carry out an operation like this without sacrifice! The faster it's resolved, the fewer casualties there will actually be. If you keep dragging your feet like this, the higher-ups are going to replace you sooner or later!"
"I stand by the proposal I submitted earlier," Cao replied. "Draw Molan Company out of their shell on their own, and then encircle and destroy them outside."
"And how do you plan to make them come out?"
Cao merely said, "They will come out."
"I'll be waiting. You only have ten days. If you haven't resolved this within ten days, I'll initiate my plan at any moment!"
With the argument over, the speaker strode out from within. Chen Chuan saw a burly man about two meters tall, roughly fifty years old, with a vertical scar at the corner of his eye and tightly set lips. His uniform looked stretched taut over his bulging muscles, and the floor seemed to vibrate with every step he took.
The man came face-to-face with the two of them. His gaze slid past Old Feng before settling on Chen Chuan. After studying him, he said, "So you're Chen Chuan? I saw what you said at the Tribunal. Excellent! When dealing with destabilizing elements, you must strike proactively and leave none standing! Once the state conscription concludes, you can come find me. Only where I am will you have the proper stage to show what you can do."
Having said his piece, he strode away without waiting for Chen Chuan to answer.
Chen Chuan asked Old Feng, "Who was that?"
"Someone from the National Interim Special Action Committee," Old Feng said. "He was assigned by the higher-ups specifically to supervise our work. The man is an extremist; keep your distance from him if you can. Very few people who follow his lot end up well." He motioned toward the interior. "Let's go in."
The two stepped inside to find a spacious operational briefing room. Mounted on the front wall was an enormous map of Yangzhi City, with certain locations marked out in black lines and red dots. In the center of the room stood a scale-model topographical sand table, the most prominent feature of which was the Molan Building.
Commissioner Cao was standing beside the sand table, studying it intently. When the two entered, he said without looking up, "The mission went very well. Molan Company has likely received word by now. At the latest, they'll make their move within the next day or two."
"Old Cao," Old Feng asked, "are you certain they'll leave?"
"Staying here is certain death. Why wouldn't they run?"
"Ten days..." Old Feng pondered. "Even if we flush them out, how do you intend to deal with them once they're in the open? Encircling them out there will undoubtedly be much harder."
"I already have a plan," Cao said. He turned to Chen Chuan. "I received Old Feng's telegram earlier. You did well this time. There's another mission coming up, and you will be participating."
"What is it?" Chen Chuan asked.
"Taking part in the assault on the Molan Company Building," Cao said. "Even if they flee, they'll leave behind a contingent to guard the premises and tie down some of our forces."
"Commissioner Cao, may I ask about the timing?" Chen Chuan inquired.
"Within three days," Cao said with confidence. "Go back and prepare thoroughly. During the state conscription mission, the state will supply whatever resources you consume. Make the most of this opportunity."
Chen Chuan nodded. It seemed this was one of the perks of participating in a state mission. "If there is nothing else, this student will take his leave."
After exchanging farewells with both of them, he departed.
Only Commissioner Cao and Old Feng were left in the briefing room.
A look of concern lingered on Old Feng's face. "Old Cao, eliminating Molan Company is important, but recovering that item is equally vital—the higher-ups care even more about that. If you let them leave the city, finding it will be several times harder."
Cao analyzed the matter calmly. "Even if they stayed in the building, they'd still have ways to smuggle it out. It's better to let them carry it with them." His gaze fell onto the sand table, and he said coldly, "They won't get away."
Chapter 198