Commissioner Liang stared at the rows of cavalry ranks, thinking to himself, *They really came.*
The remnants of the former imperial house had always dreamed of restoration and reclaiming this world.
With the Fumu's current fission combined with the breach in the Ring of the World, there was no way the former imperial house would pass up an opportunity to meddle. The only question was how much force they had committed this time.
Fortunately, they were not unprepared either.
This was north of Jiyang District, originally one of Center City's most unstable areas, and facing a relatively flat coastline. Center City had therefore established extensive military installations here and stationed a military force.
Upon detecting the abnormality ahead, airships already on patrol in the sky immediately flew toward the location.
From the rear came rumbling roars as artillery within the garrison began to boom. Yet when the shells struck the sea, they seemed to pass through mere phantom images without making contact with anything, doing nothing more than blasting plumes of seawater into the air.
This was because although the fissure appeared close at hand, the confluence between the two worlds was not yet complete. The cavalry had not truly crossed over from the other side; what had leaked through so far were merely sights and sounds.
Just then, the cavalry column at the very center parted to both sides. Beneath the banners, an immensely tall figure seated firmly on horseback emerged, trotting forward, and crossed the fissure.
He was clad from head to foot in thick, heavy armor, his features hidden. Bright light reflected off the plates over his chest. Mount and rider together stood over five meters tall, crowned by a plume of white helmet feathers. At this moment, he held the reins in one hand and held a black-iron spear with white tassels in a reverse grip in the other.
Having ridden out of the formation, he slowly advanced in this direction.
By now, an airship had drawn near, the machine guns beneath it spewing tongues of flame as they opened fire on him.
Yet when the bullets struck, they seemed to hit something invisible, setting off shimmering bursts of bright light around him before tumbling away.
Artillery fire landed nearby, throwing up massive geysers of water, but the knight acted as if nothing had happened, continuing forward at an unhurried pace. Hooves trod upon the ocean swell, sending spray flying, almost as though he were walking on the sea itself.
Behind him, the cavalry ranks stepped forward in unison. The broad array of mounted troops stretched as far as the eye could see. When it moved, it was like a shifting wall of iron, exuding an imposing grandeur and presence found only in the armies of antiquity.
Commissioner Liang gazed fixedly at the towering figure, taking in the banners behind him and the splendid armor. This was an officially commissioned General of State Subjugation of the former imperial house!
The title "General of State Subjugation" was an imperial military commission bestowed by the former imperial house, implying that whoever held it possessed the power to subjugate a country single-handedly.
Such a person, in the modern era and by current designations, would be... a martial artist!
He asked, "Has that person arrived?"
The female assistant answered, "Not yet."
Commissioner Liang sighed inwardly. That person had promised to arrive promptly before midnight, yet over three hours had passed and there was still no sign of him. If the man on the other side charged, the troops facing him would never be able to hold him back.
If he truly could not make it, then they would have no choice but to...
Right at that moment, the rider across from them suddenly pulled on the reins, and the horse's hooves halted abruptly.
For someone was standing ahead, having appeared without anyone realizing. Wearing a blue checkered shirt, he looked mature and handsome, if somewhat weathered and disheveled. With hands shoved in his trouser pockets, he exhaled a breath. "Glad I made it in time."
He glanced casually at the cavalry formation behind, then looked up at the towering figure astride the mount. Smiling, he cupped his fist in greeting. "I am Xue Shou. I have come to test your prowess."
Yet after he finished speaking, the mounted general stood motionlessly.
Xue Shou also stood there, appearing relaxed.
For a moment, only the sound of surging ocean tides filled the air.
Flickering light emanated from both figures, and beneath their feet, the seawater formed depressions around where they stood, as if the water itself had sunk away.
Commissioner Liang breathed a sigh of relief. This was the martial artist specially dispatched by the capital to provide support, considering Jibei Circuit's situation.
And the other side knew that as long as an equivalent power was present here, this battle might not need to take place.
Without sufficient benefit to motivate them, figures of this caliber would not casually come to blows outside a Confluence, nor would the enemy cavalry genuinely charge their pre-established defensive positions.
This cavalry force was very likely only meant to pin them down, forcing them to maintain a detachment of power here.
So if there was no movement here, they would most likely seek a breakthrough elsewhere—the most classic application of orthodox and unorthodox tactics.
Where, then, would it be?
He looked toward Center City's display on the light screen. No matter what they planned, the breakthrough would definitely come through a stabilized fissure—and one of substantial scale.
This was also tied to the split offspring. If they were not retrieved in time and were allowed to remain outside for long, the offspring would continually expand their living environment, steadily tearing open the fissures, making the gaps larger and increasingly stable.
Therefore, timely retrieval of the split offspring was critical. However, they were meeting with varying degrees of interference at the moment. Fortunately, the command center had just dispatched substantial follow-up reinforcements; hopefully, the situation would improve.
After a wait of over ten minutes, Watchtower's voice sounded: "Obstacles at twenty-three target locations have been eliminated; retrieval estimated within thirty minutes. Five locations pending assessment. One response unit has collapsed and lost combat capability; emergency team members are currently engaging the blocking target."
Hearing this, Commissioner Liang immediately ordered the specific situation at that site pulled up.
On the light screen, a nearly stabilized fissure flickered. In front of it stood a figure nearly three meters tall, arms crossed over his chest. He had a rectangular face, thick brows, and sharp, imposing eyes, looking to be around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. Merely standing there, he radiated a commanding presence.
Within half a kilometer ahead of him lay over twenty downed response unit members. Surrounding firearms and vehicles were smashed to pieces, one vehicle blazing with roaring flames.
Based on information provided by Watchtower, the light screen labeled the person's identity:
Chang Kuanghai, disciple of Changsheng Hall, Tianshu Gang.
At this moment, the emergency team that had arrived shortly afterward was attempting to eliminate him.
This team consisted of two third limit fighters, three gunners, and two logistics members—more than enough against ordinary fighters. Yet the situation was looking exceedingly grim.
Because they had to reach the split offspring behind the fissure, the two fighters had no choice but to charge forward despite having no confidence. One fighter slashed a blade into Chang Kuanghai's arm, but it merely left a faint white mark.
In return, his wrist was seized. With a sickening snap, the bone was crushed in the other's grip. The other team member seized the opening to thrust a sword at his neck.
Yet Chang Kuanghai did not budge in the slightest. His neck merely indented slightly. With a casual backhand sweep, he shattered half the team member's facial bones, sending him flying far back through the air.
The team member whose wrist had been crushed immediately drew a handgun and fired repeatedly into his face at point-blank range. It was entirely useless; the bullets merely punched shallow indentations into his flesh before bouncing off and dropping away.
Before he could fire again, an enormous fist smashed squarely into his face, sending him tumbling backward with blood spraying into the air.
Chang Kuanghai glanced at the distant team member he had sent flying and spoke in a booming, resonant voice: "You are not the ones I am waiting for. Go back."
The fallen member asked in a slurred, muffled voice, "Who are you waiting for?"
Chang Kuanghai did not answer. He merely crossed his arms again, standing steadfastly with his back to the fissure.
Inside the command hall, Commissioner Liang watched the scene and murmured to himself, *Tianshu Boxing, is it...?*
The martial arts of the Tianshu Gang originated from the former imperial house's Tianshu Army, and Tianshu Boxing was an external conditioning boxing method designed specifically for breaching and storming battle lines.
"Sack cities and destroy nations, only Heaven pardons." That was the origin of the name "Tianshu."
Ordinary fighters were by no means this man's match.
The man's appearance here at this juncture inevitably raised suspicions of a connection to the former imperial house that had surfaced earlier, especially with a stabilized fissure behind him and an escaped split offspring on the other side.
This had to be dealt with as quickly as possible!
He asked, "Which emergency team nearby is suitable for deployment?"
Watchtower checked for a moment and responded, "The closest emergency team is twenty kilometers away; arriving at maximum speed will require fifteen to twenty minutes... A Defense Department combat squad on standby has been detected within seven kilometers."
Commissioner Liang took a look and saw that it was none other than Chen Chuan's squad. He asked, "Are communications clear?"
"The squad's signal has remained active on our platform."
Commissioner Liang hesitated for a moment, then looked up and said, "Have Captain Chen lead his squad to eliminate this target!"
Inside the estate, Chen Chuan had been checking for messages on the platform after seeing no conspicuous developments in the surroundings following the opening of the Heavenly Gate. At that moment, the entire squad suddenly received orders from the Defense Department.
The three squad members looked at him simultaneously. "Captain?"
Chen Chuan checked the location marked on the map. It was not far from them. He said, "We move out immediately." He tossed the keys of the armored vehicle to Qin Qingque. "Operative Qin, you drive."
"Yes, sir!"
The four had long prepared. At the command, they promptly stepped out of the residence. Ten sword guards remained in the rear quarters, equipped with machine-gun defensive nets; as long as no fissure opened directly here, they were more than enough to handle ordinary adversaries.
Yet just as they walked out and before they could board the vehicle, Chen Chuan seemed to sense something. His footsteps paused, and he looked outward.
At the other end of the road, a group of people dressed in Outer Ocean traditional fighting attire was walking toward them. In the lead was a man with short hair wearing round-rimmed glasses, clad in a red top and black lower garment, his hand resting on a long sword in a teal scabbard at his waist.
The group totaled five people, nearly all of them third limit fighters.
Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, and Su Wei spotted them as well. Their expressions tightened as they spread out to either side, drawing their sidearms while signaling toward the rear of the estate.
The man at the front raised a hand, prompting those behind him to halt in unison as he walked forward alone.
He stopped roughly twenty meters from Chen Chuan's group, bowed slightly to Chen Chuan, then straightened up with a warm smile.
"I am Nagahide Miyahide. Mr. Chen, you must have received my challenge?"
……
……
Chapter 532