Elimination

This fighter felt as if something foreign had suddenly forced its way into his body, rampaging and tearing at him from within. With a twisted, ferocious grimace, he propped himself up on his blade and released stored vital essence from his heart, desperately trying to regenerate the damaged parts. Yet it would have been better had he not tried to recover at all; the moment he did, the internal agony surged with even greater fury. Still, he knew he could not linger here. Straining to support his weight with the blade, he continued stumbling forward. But after only twenty-odd paces, he heard the sound of slow, measured footsteps approaching from behind. His body stiffened involuntarily. Turning to look, he saw Chen Chuan walking toward him. Glancing farther off, he saw that the companion who had fled in the other direction was already lying on the ground, neck twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly snapped. He knew there was no escape. Taking a breath and enduring the waves of pain racking his body, he dropped into a kneeling sit. Raising his long saber, he drew out a cloth to wipe the blade, rested it horizontally against his neck, and drew it forcefully across. With a sharp snap, his head rolled to the ground. His blade had not exerted even a fraction of excess force, halting dead on mark, while his arms remained locked in the pose of holding the saber—a full display of a third limit fighter's control. Chen Chuan cast a glance at him, paid him no further mind, and swiftly turned back toward the convoy. Meanwhile, near the front of National Boulevard, the man who had accompanied Mashiba Masaru watched him collapse. His expression shifted drastically. Immediately turning and sprinting into his vehicle, he settled into his seat and said to the telegrapher up front, "Send a telegram. Inform the team leader that the target could not be eliminated and the mission has failed. I will return to accept my punishment." He quickly rolled down the car window, leaned out toward the commander leading the combat personnel here, and shouted, "Captain Zhan!" Hearing the call, Captain Zhan immediately came to his side. "What are your orders, Mr. Hantai?" Mr. Hantai said sternly, "Captain Zhan, do you know what to do?" Captain Zhan answered with gravity, "Understood. Rest assured, Mr. Hantai. I will lead everyone in holding the rear to ensure that you and your party withdraw smoothly." Mr. Hantai's expression softened slightly. The opposition possessed third limit fighters—two of them, in fact. In this open terrain, if everyone routed together, it was hard to say whether he could get away. But if people stayed behind to delay them, things would be somewhat better, giving him a much higher chance of escaping. He said, "Captain Zhan, the company will remember your sacrifice." The window rolled up, once again cutting off Captain Zhan's view. Watching the car start up and speed away, Captain Zhan returned to his position and called out to the squad members looking toward him, "Everyone! Hold this ground! Let no one pass through this road!" Pausing, he added, "Someone will take care of our families, and someone will deliver the compensation into our families' hands." The squad members said nothing. In silence, they fanned out, each returning to their post and bracing for battle. The higher-ups held the implant cipher keys of every last one of them; fleeing before battle meant death just the same. By fighting to the bitter end instead, their families and kin at least stood a chance of being properly looked after. When Chen Chuan returned to the convoy, he found the place in shambles. A clash involving three third limit fighters caused immense devastation; the convoy that had previously maintained a rock-solid defense was now battered and broken. Many of the vehicles had clearly been wrecked intentionally. The two must have been unable to overpower Advisor Yao immediately and didn't know which car Bureau Director Lei was in, so throughout the combat they had repeatedly wrecked the surrounding vehicles, leaving car after car overturned or cleaved open. Fortunately, his Jiade car was not parked alongside the escort convoy; it had stopped far enough away that it escaped damage, though when he left, he had already prepared himself to replace the vehicle if needed. Advisor Yao came up to greet him, saying, "Captain Chen, I need to head up front to deal with those people. Could I trouble you to watch over Bureau Director Lei?" Chen Chuan said, "Advisor Yao, do whatever you need to do. Leave this place to me." Once confirmed, Advisor Yao immediately pulled half the personnel and charged forward. Chen Chuan, meanwhile, walked over toward Bureau Director Lei's position. Just now, Bureau Director Lei had not hidden in a car; from the very beginning, he had pulled back onto the wasteland and concealed himself with an esoteric ritual. This move was exceedingly bold, as there was no one guarding him nearby. If discovered, he would have met instant death on the spot. Yet he was not truly without defense. Prior to this, he had informed Chen Chuan of his plan via boundary credential, so Chen Chuan knew his approximate location. If anyone had headed that way, he and Advisor Yao could have reacted in time. Events proved that this had been the right choice. Because Bureau Director Lei was far enough from the convoy and concealed by the esoteric ritual, not a soul had spotted him the entire time. Those two fighters had focused their attention entirely on the convoy, even searching among the armed personnel, so he remained entirely untouched from start to finish. Seeing Chen Chuan return, Bureau Director Lei did not dispel his concealment, nor did he shift positions. He knew that the long-range snipers outside might still be searching for targets, and until they were dealt with, the danger was not passed. Thus, he merely spoke through the boundary credential: "Trainee Chen, everything is normal on my end." Chen Chuan likewise did not walk over to him, as doing so would only point him out. Instead, he replied, "Bureau Director Lei, please wait a moment. Advisor Yao's side should wrap things up soon." After Mr. Hantai departed by car and drove a stretch down National Boulevard, the vehicle broke off through a breach in the guardrail. He glanced back. Seeing that no one was pursuing from behind, he breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they followed this route down, they could go straight to the coast. Once there, someone would arrange for him to return to the company by sea, and then... Just as he was thinking this, the car suddenly lurched forward and came to a halt. Frowning, he looked toward the driver—only to see the driver draw a handgun. With a loud bang, he blew apart the head of the telegrapher in the passenger seat. Mr. Hantai was horrified. He reached for his gun, but halfway through the motion, the driver's muzzle had already swung around to point straight at his face. "Mr. Hantai, someone always has to take responsibility for this matter. I hope you understand." Mr. Hantai's face went through several shifts of emotion. In the end, he barely kept his composure and said, "Is there any need to rush? I want to explain this matter in person to the team leader and the directors at the company. There is plenty of information that cannot be explained clearly over telegram." "Regrettably, this matter cannot be linked to the company." Before he could speak another word, the driver squeezed the trigger. With a bang, Mr. Hantai's head instantly burst apart, spraying implant tissue fluid, brain matter, and blood across the vehicle's interior walls and seats. The driver promptly opened the door, went to the rear, drained the algae oil from the fuel tank, stepped back, flicked a lighter, and tossed it over. Waiting until the entire car erupted in deflagration and burned furiously, he turned and departed swiftly. At the very same moment, intense gunfire erupted once more along National Boulevard. The combat squad blocking the road possessed formidable fighting strength, but as Advisor Yao charged into their midst, their orderly, tight-knit formation fell into immediate disarray. This was the purpose of a third limit fighter: donned in a protective suit and breaching at blistering speed, any arrangement could be dismantled from the inside. With an external offensive coordinated at that moment, the battle's outcome was virtually decided. Even so, these men resisted with fierce obstinacy, and the implant combatants were particularly savage. They possessed extraordinary agility, and the protective armor on their bodies was exceedingly tough. Fighting with complete disregard for their own lives, they mounted substantial obstacles to the assault. Yet among the attackers, two figures performed exceptionally well—the assault spearhead formed by Wu Han and Wei Dong. They hadn't had a turn in the opening battle, but now they had surged forward. Through seamless cooperation, the two could dispatch an implant combatant in short order, showing not the slightest hesitation even when facing comparable combat squads. By the time they took down the last implant combatant and looked back, the intense gunfire across the field had died down. From a distance, Advisor Yao looked at them, a hint of admiration appearing in his eyes. Though the two were only of the Second Limit, it was evident they possessed considerable combat experience. Still young, their potential was plain to see; with proper grooming, they would make exceptionally capable aides. It was a pity, though; he could tell they were Chen Chuan's people, and he could hardly vie with Chen Chuan for them. Shaking his head, he ordered his subordinates to clear up the aftermath while he walked back toward the convoy. Glancing into the distance, he spotted Chen Chuan's overcoat lying discarded on the ground, so he instructed one of his men to go over and retrieve it. Returning to the convoy with his men, he signaled an aide to hand the garment back to Chen Chuan and gave heartfelt thanks: "Captain Chen, thanks to your assistance this time. Without you, it would have been truly difficult for me to complete this escort mission." Chen Chuan thanked the approaching squad member, took the overcoat, and said, "Bureau Director Lei can be considered a mentor to me. It's only right for me to do this." At that moment, a telegrapher hurried over, saluted Advisor Yao, and presented a decrypted dispatch: "Advisor, reinforcements will arrive in ten minutes." Advisor Yao took it and began reading. Seeing that all was well here, Chen Chuan said goodbye to him and Bureau Director Lei, then walked alone toward Mashiba Masaru's body. Before he even reached it, he saw Chaoming circling overhead, letting out a sharp chirp toward him—indicating that it had kept watch over the spot, looking to claim credit. He smiled, deciding to treat Chaoming to an extra meal tonight. Drawing near, he bent down and picked up the broken blade. But the moment it was in his grasp, an unusual sensation came over him, as though his spirit were subtly invigorated. This blade... His gaze immediately fell upon the hilt. He felt that something might be concealed there, but now was not the time to inspect it; he would wait until he returned.