Eradication

Outside the Meng estate, Old Wan and Xiao Lu rushed toward the scene immediately upon receiving word from the bureau. Given the unique nature of the Bainiao District and the need to remain concealed, they had been unable to wait too close beforehand. Even so, they arrived at the site in less than fifteen minutes. However, as they made their way up the mountain, security personnel under Meng Xu stopped them. Although they quickly reached Meng Lai, the master of the estate, and presented backup enforcement credentials from the Disposal Bureau, they were still delayed for a short while. Neither had the time to argue with Meng Xu. Once they hurried into the estate and prepared to enter the underground tunnel, a burst of light suddenly erupted from beneath the ground ahead. "What is that..." Both men's expressions hardened. "A fissure?" Inside the underground chamber, the instant the light burst from Meng Huang's head, Chen Chuan shut his eyes and shielded his face with one hand. He soon realized that the glare was piercing only at first, quickly fading into a fast-flowing mist of light that drifted past him. When he lowered his hand, he saw that the surrounding environment had undergone a drastic transformation. Some places touched by the radiance remained visible, while others appeared to have been swallowed and dissolved by it, leaving everything before him fragmented and incomplete. It was as though he were standing on scattered floating stones. The walls on both flanks had turned patchy and broken, and whatever remained visible seemed suspended in midair. Aunt Yu stood not far away, speaking in a rapid clip: "Mr. Chen, that thing must have used what remained of its power to open a fissure." "A fissure?" Chen Chuan nodded. Though he had never witnessed one before, the situation matched the Disposal Bureau's briefing materials. When an entity from the other side had its symbiotic host body destroyed, it would sometimes forcibly tear open a fleeting rift between realms using whatever lingering power it had left to achieve a certain objective. The spectacle he now saw arose from the intermingling of two worlds. While not enough to establish a true connection between both sides, it was capable of warping physical matter in reality. At that moment, the space between his brows twitched faintly as he searched for the entity. Through his spiritual perception, he sensed its presence, and thanks to the fissure, he could see it with even greater clarity. It was a being whose complete form could not be seen, seemingly straining to squeeze itself out of a profound void. The leading edge of the emergent portion extended continuously forward, pointing straight toward the massive gate sealed by esoteric rituals. It seemed there truly was something there it desperately sought, driving it to attempt every possible means to break inside. What could it be? With no host left to inhabit, the entity could not endure for long. Therefore, whatever it sought had to be something it could carry back, or something capable of sustaining its existence. In any case, he could not allow it to succeed. He lifted his blade and said, "If it refuses to leave, I'll see it out myself." He glanced at the sections of floor swallowed by the light. Those were where the contamination ran thickest. If he stepped onto them, he would likely sink into the void and be subjected to even deeper influence from the other side. He chose not to cross that way. Instead, he leapt, planting a foot against a remnant of the wall. Taking two swift horizontal strides, he vaulted onto another patch of surviving ground that floated amidst the light, then crossed the remaining distance in a few rapid bounds, arriving before the great gate. The glare prevented him from seeing far, but when he looked up now, he saw countless tiny, luminous apertures riddling the circular gate, caused by the entanglement of the two worlds. Amid those innumerable pinpricks of light, he could see part of the colossal form seeping through like quicksand. He threw a punch forward, striking the gate with enough force to make it shudder violently. Yet despite being perforated like a sieve, it remained thick and sturdy. Just then, an object was tossed over from behind. Reaching out, he caught a disc-shaped steering key. Aunt Yu warned from behind, "Mr. Chen, watch out for the rituals inside!" Chen Chuan offered his thanks and turned around. It seemed that beyond this gate, more ritual obstructions lay in wait, though to him, those were minor concerns. Finding the keyhole, he pressed the steering key into place. Once aligned, he gave it a gentle twist. An embedded ritual node snapped with a sharp crack, and all the ritual patterns encircling the gate instantly ceased functioning. He pushed forward, and a metal door wide enough for a single person swung open, sliding inward along a guide rail. He stepped briskly inside. Upon entering, the blurriness of his Second Self intensified immediately. Looking up, he saw an undecorated circular tunnel. The walls and floor, however, were densely carved with ritual patterns, inlaid with some sort of material that emanated an eerie green glow. Relying on these and other inexplicable safeguards, physical reality had remained firmly locked down, preventing the radiance from seeping in too deeply. In his spiritual realm, Chen Chuan saw the extended portion of that entity reaching forward with all its might. Yet to his physical eyes, what lay ahead was a clump of matter that resembled a tangle of brain tissue and blood vessels. This was likely the last remnant of Meng Huang's flesh, and the only part left that could serve as a vessel. Pod-like fleshy buds sprouted from its underside, slowly crawling forward across the floor. Under the suppressive influence of the rituals, however, its advance grew more sluggish with every inch. Chen Chuan looked past it down the tunnel. At the far end lay what appeared to be the rim of a shaft, likely the entity's destination. But he would not let it get any farther. Snapping his blade, he strode forward. As he walked, his Second Self flickered unstably under the ritual's influence, yet it did nothing to slow his pace. The thing seemed to sense his approach and hastened its crawl, but it was futile; slowed by the ritual, its speed was pathetic in comparison. Chen Chuan closed the distance step by step until he was right behind it. Raising the Xuejun Saber high, he aimed the tip straight down and drove it home with a vicious thrust. The fleshy mass immediately thrashed and convulsed violently. The space between Chen Chuan's brows twitched faintly. In his spiritual perception, that colossal entity seemed to fix its attention squarely on him. In that moment, the ritual materials along the walls began fading rapidly, like dust swept away by a violent gale, and his Second Self grew so faint it was barely discernible. He remained unmoved, holding the blade down firmly. Just then, he felt the Xuejun Saber vibrate softly. The presence within seemed desperate to break out, sending ripples of intent into his mind. This presence had long fused with the mutated tissue inside the sword, and that mutated tissue could be considered part of Chen Chuan himself. Without his consent, it had no hope of emerging. After a brief consideration, he released his restraint. The next moment, wisps of mist-like light drifted from the blade, enveloping the clump of flesh below and hungrily absorbing something from it. Within mere breaths, the writhing mass ceased its struggles. Moments later, it crumbled into sand-like grains. At the very same instant, the drifting lights outside vanished completely. In his spiritual world, the connection to that colossal entity severed abruptly. A wave of lightness washed over his entire body. Looking down, nothing remained beneath the blade except a heap of loose, sandy debris. The mist of light slowly receded back into the saber. Chen Chuan felt a deep, sated satisfaction radiating from it. He decided not to investigate it right away. Pulling the saber from the ground, he walked to the shaft and looked inside. A metal ladder ran down the inner wall, leading below. He did not bother exploring what lay underneath. With a single glance, he turned and walked out. Back outside, he found that although normal conditions had returned, the areas previously steeped in that light had undergone some change, with rustling debris falling from above. Aunt Yu had been waiting outside the entire time. Seeing him walk out with unhurried steps, showing no sign of distress after traversing the ritual runes, she could not help but feel admiration. To ensure security, anyone besides Meng Lai himself had no choice but to endure the rituals' pressure by sheer force when passing through. Every time she walked that corridor, she had to resist the supplementary ritual effects, which was far from easy. Perhaps only fighters with physical endurance as formidable as Chen Chuan's could appear so untroubled. She said, "Mr. Chen, we should leave quickly. This place might collapse." Chen Chuan nodded. Just as he stepped out with her, he saw two men in Disposal Bureau uniforms waiting there—their reinforcements had arrived. "Enforcement Officer Chen, are you alright?" Old Wan and Xiao Lu stepped forward. When they had seen the fissure, they had felt both relief and concern. The appearance of a fissure meant that the entity on the other side had abandoned its symbiotic host, signaling that the incident was essentially resolved. Yet this was also when contamination was typically at its worst. If one's reserves of vital essence and changeless mind were insufficient, things could easily go wrong. Chen Chuan said, "I'm fine." Old Wan and Xiao Lu looked him up and down. Fortunately, he seemed outwardly unharmed. As long as he maintained his sanity, all was well; even if minor issues arose, they could be resolved. Though he had already guessed the outcome, Old Wan still asked prudently, "Enforcement Officer Chen, what about that thing?" Chen Chuan answered with absolute certainty, "Dealt with." Both men relaxed slightly. Meng Huang had been eliminated, and more importantly, the influence had not spread. The situation remained under control. At the same time, they felt both sheepish and impressed; Chen Chuan had handled almost everything single-handedly, while they had done little more than rush over on foot. Still, out of duty and standard procedure, they needed to verify the scene. Old Wan said solemnly to Aunt Yu, "We need to inspect the site." Aunt Yu replied cautiously, "I'll lead the way." Chen Chuan turned to Aunt Yu and asked, "Ms. Yu, where is the safehouse?" Seeing that her boundary credential was functional again, Aunt Yu sent him the coordinates and apologized, "Right here. Mr. Chen, I'm afraid I cannot accompany you right now, please forgive me." Chen Chuan said, "No problem. I can head over myself." After parting ways with them, he emerged from the underground passage. He looked up at the golden midday sunlight, spread his palm to feel its warmth, and then closed his fist. Facing that entity just now had provided such intense stimulation that his mutated tissue had been growing continuously throughout the encounter. However, this growth was erratic and restless, requiring changeless mind and vital essence to suppress and direct properly. Balancing what was spent against what was gained, it couldn't be called a loss. After all, medicines used to replenish those two reserves were far easier to come by. If special medicine ran short in the future, this would not be a bad alternative method.