Stance

Chen Chuan looked at Sancheng Huang. The man certainly knew how to choose. Standing on his side? Well, in truth, that meant standing on the side of the government. Actually, something the man had said earlier rang true: in this modern era dominated by the coalition of corporations and the government, anyone seeking to rise had to pick a side. The cultivation resources alone were simply beyond what a solitary fighter could acquire on their own. Of course, if a fighter was content to stop at the third limit with no higher ambitions, they might enjoy a degree of relative freedom. Yet the Great Impact hung perpetually over their heads. Once the tidal wave swept in, one could only be swept along with the current, utterly powerless to control their own destiny. And to attain greater power, to climb higher, one either had to rely on a corporation or throw their lot in with the government. However, for an outlander like Sancheng Huang, aligning himself with the Great Shun government was by no means simple. Right now, he had found an excellent point of entry. Mulling this over, he asked, "Mr. Sancheng, is there friction among your three great fighting arenas beyond the seas?" Sancheng Huang replied, "In the old era, the major arenas were rivals. But in the new era, fighting arenas across the sea have dwindled by the day, until only the three great arenas remain. As such, there is a tacit understanding that each holds sway over its own territory. While peripheral disciples clash from time to time, core disciples rarely cross blades." Chen Chuan smiled faintly. "Then does this mean you have set a precedent, Mr. Sancheng?" Sancheng Huang bowed slightly and said, "Across every generation of the Langtao Arena, there has only ever been one true core disciple. "The rest cannot learn the highest secret arts; they must either forge their own path or remain in the arena to help instruct disciples. "In the end, I chose to leave the arena. It is simply too small, after all. Without being the successor, one cannot secure much in the way of cultivation resources. "I figured that with my skills, my only real chance was to come to Great Shun and try my luck." Chen Chuan nodded. It was an honest and practical admission. He glanced toward Huishilang's corpse. "If this was Gongying Changxiu's challenge letter, it seems he won't be receiving my reply." Sancheng Huang said, "If the Fenglin Arena's imprint blade does not return, it will be considered delivered and received. Still, this was done of my own accord. If you permit it, Chen-kun..." He bowed and continued, "I am willing to go in your stead and deliver your reply into Gongying Changxiu's hands." Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "No need. I look forward to facing this opponent, and I believe we will meet eventually." "I look forward to it as well," Sancheng Huang said. Chen Chuan glanced up at the sky. "Mr. Sancheng, the weather in Center City might change over the coming days. If you go out, be careful." Sancheng Huang bowed deeply. "Thank you for the warning, Chen-kun. I may have few talents, but I have always known which way the wind blows." Chen Chuan smiled and turned to leave. Straightening up, Sancheng Huang watched Chen Chuan's tall, straight figure stride toward the towering Xuangong Building until he disappeared inside. Only then did he turn back to Huishilang's corpse, waiting in place for the City Patrol to arrive. *** Chen Chuan returned to the building. As he stepped into the elevator, an incoming call chimed on his boundary credential. He checked it and saw it was Gu Haiting from Canglong Company, so he answered. "Captain Chen, we've received word that Gongying Changxiu of the overseas Fenglin Arena has arrived in Great Shun with a band of disciples and numerous recruited fighters. It appears they came at the invitation of Ferris Wheel." "Thank you for letting me know, Mr. Gu," Chen Chuan replied. "I've already received the challenge letter from the Fenglin Arena." "Oh?" Gu Haiting was surprised. He had only confirmed the group's arrival in the early hours before dawn, which meant they had delivered the challenge to Chen Chuan almost immediately upon landing. Were they not bothering to conceal their movements at all? He said, "Since you are already aware, Captain Chen, our minds are at ease. Furthermore, with turmoil on the horizon, if you require any vehicles or equipment, we are fully prepared to supply them." Canglong Company and the Ocean Exploration Group had plans of their own, and the Fumu's impending fission was precisely when they intended to act. A figure like Gongying Changxiu posed an extreme threat and stood as a major obstacle. If Chen Chuan could tie him down or eliminate him, it would take a significant weight off their shoulders. Hearing this, Chen Chuan did not stand on ceremony. His relationship with Canglong Company was one of mutual cooperation and mutual exploitation. Once the call ended, he checked in with Qin Qingque, then transmitted a list of the supplies he needed. Gu Haiting's efficiency was remarkable—after all, if providing such meager resources could help them achieve their goals, he was more than happy to oblige. *** In a subterranean hall somewhere in the city, Commissioner Liang Guanghai of the Defense Department stood before a light screen displaying Center City's current defensive disposition. Every location with defensive deployments glowed with a soft yellow halo. Standing before him, a female assistant was briefing him on the specifics. "According to the operational schedule, the Fumu's fission period will begin in three to five days, between April twenty-first and twenty-third. The precise timetable will be delivered tomorrow. "The Fumu's fission is projected to last three days. The first phase is the preparation period, which will not produce overly violent fluctuations; the fluctuation frequency that has persisted for days may even decline slightly, so those less perceptive might not notice any change at all. "The second phase is the fission period itself, during which several waves may occur. Historical precedents both domestically and internationally suggest a minimum of three to five waves, with the maximum potentially reaching over a dozen. "Each wave will spawn several miniature split bodies, triggering the spread of fissures and the intrusion of biological entities from the opposing world. "The third phase is the recovery and stabilization period. "Phase two could last through an entire night, representing our most critical and severe challenge. "To cope with this situation, duty personnel and implant units from various branches have already been pre-deployed to key positions. "Estimates indicate that over sixty percent of the inactive conscious entities controlled by the Center City government will be disrupted or paralyzed during the event. "The remaining units must prioritize sustaining foundational municipal functions such as communications, power, water, and transit. Military forces deployed into the metropolitan area will garrison each key facility and production plant. "However, the vast expanse of the city cannot be covered entirely, so routine public order must be left to the City Patrol forces. Concurrently, field organisms embedded in public infrastructure will be utilized, alongside requisitioned private field organisms, to establish temporary regional communications. "During this period, the Center City government will augment manual monitoring and interventions. Emergency response groups and manhunt squads have already been organized across every district. "These elite units are composed of senior instructors from the Wuyi Academy, operatives from the Disposal Bureau, military personnel detached from the Defense Department, and elite personnel contributed by other Center City departments. "No matter where a split body appears, they will ensure an immediate response to capture and recover it... or destroy it, guaranteeing that not a single first-generation split body slips away." Commissioner Liang stared at the holographic simulations. Once the briefing concluded, he said in a heavy voice, "As long as those split bodies are kept under control, the fissures will remain manageable. That is of paramount importance." Because the entirety of Center City was built atop the Fumu's massive body, those split bodies could potentially manifest anywhere within the city. Furthermore, by their very nature, their emergence inevitably opened fissures between the two worlds. Thus, containing them at the first opportunity was the only way to minimize the damage. For now, the Center City government's arrangements were standard and reasonable; one could find little fault with them on paper. However, because such occurrences had been rare in the past—the country had seen only a single precedent, fifty years ago, under vastly different circumstances that offered little useful reference—many aspects were based purely on projections. Ensuring that no oversights occurred would be virtually impossible. "Furthermore..." The assistant pulled up a document. "The Center City Council has passed a unanimous resolution..." Raising her hand, she pointed her indicator baton toward the upper section of the light screen. "The Center City government will deploy airships over Weiguang District, Wuding District, Bainiao District, and Mount Motie, establishing a joint aerial defense network to ensure seamless communication and sufficient armed forces across these sectors once the Fumu undergoes its transformation." Commissioner Liang watched with narrowed eyes. Weiguang District and Wuding District formed the core of Center City, housing both government departments and the majority of major corporations. Deploying armed forces there was not merely for protection, but also to maintain overwhelming force capable of deterring those corporations. As for Bainiao District and Mount Motie, they were the true enclaves of the wealthy, home to Center City's upper echelon. Even though everyone knew those elites maintained private armed forces, the government had still siphoned away a portion of its already strained security resources to station them there. Looking at the more than one hundred airships hovering over these select areas, he could not help but shake his head inwardly. If every department could pool their strength into a unified deployment—shifting forces instantly wherever a breach arose—weathering this crisis would not be particularly difficult. Yet reality told a different story: vital areas had a surplus of protection, while vulnerable districts were left dangerously underdefended. Had the deployment been up to him, he would have distributed forces roughly equally across every district. Distributing forces everywhere might mean being thin everywhere, but at least each district would possess some capacity to contain and resist. Without knowing what lay ahead, that was perhaps the wisest choice. Yet he was an advisor and coordinator, not an overall commander. For now, this was the best that could be done. He asked again, "How are the preparations for that batch of backup inactive conscious entities coming along?" The assistant swiped her hand, and dense clusters of red points surfaced within the holographic projection of Center City. "According to the submitted reports, the stored high-energy nutrients are sufficient to keep these inactive conscious entities operating continuously for five days, which is enough to carry us through this period." Just then, a new notification pinged on Commissioner Liang's boundary credential. He glanced at it and shook his head secretly. Earlier, several security departments had proposed locking down the city ahead of the Fumu's fission to ensure safe passage through the crisis. However, the proposal had failed to win approval in the assembly, and word had just come through that it had been officially rejected.