Pursuit

After being hurled backward, Xu Xianwen slithered across the ground like a serpent and vacated his spot as a hail of bullets peppered where he had landed, sending gravel and dust flying. The Mount Motie security guards were exceptionally well-trained, and their marksmanship was remarkably accurate. Furthermore, each had activated their implant secretions and internal drug injections, briefly supercharging their physical attributes. This allowed them to barely track the figure ahead, continuously shifting their aim. Yet Xu Xianwen was simply too fast, and the surrounding fog inevitably obscured their vision. His figure soon vanished from sight. This posed no obstacle to Chen Chuan. Through the biological field, he could clearly pinpoint his opponent's location. In the heat of combat and high-speed motion, there was no opportunity to suppress such emanations, so Chen Chuan leaped forward in relentless pursuit, heading straight for him. Having broken out of the line of fire, Xu Xianwen did not linger at the scene, nor did he turn back to resume fighting Chen Chuan. Instead, he evacuated swiftly toward the outside. With Mount Motie security on-site, the third-limit fighters within the security system would soon arrive as well. Even the Disposal Bureau, once notified, would quickly dispatch personnel to join the cordon. If that happened, he might very well be cornered here. Fortunately, it was a heavy fog day, denying the small blimps overhead an effective vantage point; otherwise, he truly might not have been able to get away. As for his squad members, since Lao Han was dead, the rest had presumably been eliminated as well. He had spent considerable effort assembling these people, and losing them felt like a bit of a shame. Still, the funds were safely in his account. Besides, as long as his employer continued supplying him with resources, he could find a way to rebuild the crew. This failure might disappoint his employer, but he was also the employer's primary martial reliance. They couldn't do without him right now; in fact, at a time like this, they would only strive harder to placate him. As he sprinted at breakneck speed, he could sense Chen Chuan hot on his heels. Finding this somewhat troublesome, he decided to deal with him once they were outside. Just then, he lifted his arm. He had noticed earlier that it felt strangely limp and weak, as though stripped of vitality. This was because Chen Chuan, having killed three more of his squad members, had effectively offered up three sacrifices. One of the ritual effects was that anyone who came into close contact with him would have their life force continuously drained. This also included contact through fields. However, Xu Xianwen's life force was peerlessly abundant, so the field drainage had affected him only negligibly—to the point where he hadn't even noticed it. It was only when their bodies made direct contact earlier that a pronounced effect took hold. Having hailed from the Secret Snake Cult himself, Xu Xianwen deduced the underlying cause after just a few glances. He let out a scoff and promptly released the vital essence stored in his heart. Clenching his fist, the vigor in his arm swiftly returned to normal. Leaning forward, his pace abruptly quickened further. Wherever he passed, it was as if a roaring gale tore through; dead leaves and withered branches whipped into the air, and smaller brush blocking his path was slammed aside, plowing a direct furrow through the woods. Chen Chuan locked onto his field and pursued closely behind. He was not particularly worried about the estate's defense behind him. The appearance of the Mount Motie security meant Wu Bei had established communication between the Disposal Bureau and the Mount Motie security network; the third-limit fighters responsible for Mount Motie's security would be mobilized immediately. And as long as Meng Shu remained sheltered inside the fort-like basement without suffering powerful external demolitions, she would be safe for the time being. Furthermore, during their initial planning, he had laid down strict instructions: so long as he did not return, the internal armed defenses were not to be lowered, and she was not to step outside. At that moment, the boundary credential in his ear crackled with static before clearing into distinct sounds. He knew he had exited the jammed zone, restoring his communications. Almost simultaneously, an urgent Disposal Bureau communication flashed on the light screen, and a voice came through: "Enforcement Officer Chen, where are you?" Chen Chuan replied, "I'm currently pursuing Xu Xianwen." The caller's tone instantly tensed. "Enforcement Officer Chen, can you handle this alone?" Although Chen Chuan had a record of slaying Wei Wusheng single-handedly, the latter could not compare to Xu Xianwen in either martial prowess or destructive potential; they simply weren't on the same level. "He's very fast. We'll talk later," Chen Chuan said, promptly terminating the call. Over at the Disposal Bureau, the resonator reported to the superiors at once. Captain Guan, the officer in charge of the operation, immediately barked out instructions: "Track Enforcement Officer Chen's boundary credential immediately and locate him!" "Confirmed, position acquired." The resonator projected Chen Chuan's position onto the bureau's main light screen. It was a map of Mount Motie and its surroundings, where a blip of light was moving at high speed. Glancing at it, he said in astonishment, "He's too fast! At this rate, he'll be out of the Mount Motie perimeter within three minutes." Captain Guan studied the path. The trajectory followed woods and rolling hills—rugged terrain choked with dense vegetation where standard vehicles couldn't enter and ordinary people would find it nearly impossible to walk. Yet looking at the heading of the two men, his gaze landed on a specific spot. *Could it be there?* he thought. He immediately used his boundary credential to contact high command. "This is Guan Ziyang. Requesting the stationed enforcement officers from District 25 and District 23 to converge toward Lulan Lake to participate in the containment..." During his dash, Xu Xianwen accelerated and changed directions several times, but failed to shake Chen Chuan off. He knew full well that as long as Chen Chuan remained on his tail, his movements could be continuously tracked by the Disposal Bureau—unless he killed him or found an opportunity to destroy his boundary credential. However, he couldn't do it within Mount Motie, where security was abundant. Once outside, those forces would have no jurisdiction or cause to pursue. He glanced ahead. Almost there. The two raced through the mountainous terrain one after the other. Barriers along the path posed no hindrance whatsoever; high ledges were scaled with a few casual leaps, and wide ravines were crossed in single bounds as if the rugged topography did not even exist. Looking down through the mist, the ground and underbrush along their wake seemed split by two thin lines rapidly stretching forward. Before long, they arrived at a higher hill. Here lay a broad, man-made clearing. Nestled among the ancient trees behind it stood a rather sizable old temple, though it appeared thoroughly dilapidated. Upon reaching this place, Xu Xianwen ceased fleeing and turned around to stop. After running for so long, there was not a single drop of sweat on him. Raising the cane sword in his hand, he gripped the rear hilt and pulled backward. Another segment extended, shaping it into the likeness of a spear. Spinning it once, he pressed down with both hands, leveling the spear tip forward at the arriving Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan came to a halt and scanned the surroundings. They had been sprinting north the entire way. According to his boundary credential, their current position was already beyond the borders of Mount Motie, in an area without any clear geographic designations. He shifted his long blade, yet did not immediately rush forward to engage Xu Xianwen. Instead, he reached inside his cloak to draw the Shock Thunder gun. Xu Xianwen's eyes narrowed. Before Chen Chuan could draw the firearm, he swept his spear across a collapsed bronze incense burner in front of the temple. Whoosh! The thousand-jin object was flicked forward as effortlessly as a clump of straw. With a deft flick of his blade, Chen Chuan knocked it aside. But right behind the bronze burner, the cane spear lunged forward with such ferocious momentum that it tore through the air with an audible shriek. Chen Chuan's gaze sharpened as he raised his saber to parry, but the tremendous kinetic force behind the blow still made his frame stiffen slightly. Seeing the strike thwarted, the spear tip retreated marginally before thrusting forward again in a flash. Chen Chuan shifted back, turning his wrist and sinking his blade to entwine and deflect the spear. But Xu Xianwen spiraled his spear forward. Spear and saber locked and revolved in rapid succession, clashing back and forth for several exchanges before colliding with a deafening clang. A ring of dust erupted outward from the impact, and the masonry beneath their feet shattered in unison. Both weapons bounced apart, and each combatant retreated several paces to bleed off the momentum. A few steps later, both leveled their weapons simultaneously, aiming the tips at each other. Xu Xianwen stared intently at Chen Chuan. During the tangled clash of their weapons, their jin had collided repeatedly. Yet no matter how much jin he exerted, Chen Chuan managed to neutralize and shed it. Far from being disadvantaged, his opponent's strength seemed to have increased slightly compared to their earlier clash. This secretly startled Xu Xianwen while making him realize how difficult a match he was dealing with. Winning an ordinary fight against him wouldn't be settled in short order, and he couldn't afford to waste time here. Narrowing his eyes, Xu Xianwen tapped his feet and retreated swiftly toward the entrance of the dilapidated temple behind him. In two strides, he cleared a dozen meters and vanished inside in a flash. Chen Chuan had already leaped forward to follow the moment Xu Xianwen moved. But as soon as he stepped inside the temple, he discovered that in just that brief instant, his opponent had suppressed and concealed his field. Because dawn had not yet broken, the faint light from outside revealed scattered broken roof tiles and the remnants of offerings littered across the floor. Shrouded by the enveloping trees, the interior felt exceptionally dark and damp. Faint, whitish light filtered down through gaps in the temple roof. Suddenly sensing danger, Chen Chuan tilted his head just as the cane spear tip thrust past his ear without a sound. He raised his blade to parry, but the weapon snapped back and probed low toward his feet. By the time his blade swept down to deflect it, the spear surged upward toward his face. Leaning back rapidly, he parried two successive thrusts with sharp clangs, sparks bursting across the gloomy darkness. With the cane spear driving in relentlessly, continuous metallic clashes echoed within the hall. The vibrations shook loose drifts of dust from above and rattled weakened parts of the structure. Chen Chuan found his opponent's spear technique blindingly fast and ruthless, every thrust targeting either his heart or his face. Moreover, Xu Xianwen's body seemed to coil and shift continuously, changing positions at every turn to deny him any viable opening to counterattack—a clear advantage in this dark environment. To avoid remaining on the back foot, Chen Chuan backed toward the space beneath the roof gap, using the faint illumination there to observe and match the rhythm. Over the brief moments that followed, he parried dozens of Xu Xianwen's thrusts, steadily adapting. What was more, he could feel a faint throbbing between his brows. Even without perceiving Xu Xianwen's field, he seemed capable of discerning the man's shape and movements through another, more spiritual sense. And the vertical crimson mark on his mask seemed to amplify this effect, as though an extra eye had truly opened there. …… ……