Deployments

Inside Center City, the convoy carrying Chen Bitong passed through multiple checkpoints and smoothly exited Weiguang District, before turning northwest. The convoy drove through Shenwei District and entered Hongsheng District, coming to a halt in an open space in front of an abandoned commercial complex. By some coincidence, this place was not far from where Chen Chuan had last agreed to meet Su Wei. Fang Zhixin said, "We're here. Let's get out." The door opened, and Yu Lie pushed it wider, stepping out with his hands shoved into his pockets. He waved a hand casually to scatter the flying insects around him, then looked around. Although it was not even five in the morning, the sky had turned bright ever since midnight. Surrounding them were derelict commercial buildings and broken, neglected streets. About a hundred meters away by the roadside, a massive billboard was mostly broken away, leaving only its metal skeleton. It seemed to have been an advertisement for some brand of cosmetics; an orchid emblem was faintly discernible, though thoroughly faded now. A few birds perched atop it preening their feathers, but when he looked their way, they seemed startled, flapping their wings noisily as they took flight. After scanning the surroundings, he watched the personnel from the convoy behind disembark one after another. Without a word, they fanned out, unloaded an array of equipment and weapons from the vehicles, and methodically set up their deployments in the surrounding area. First, they built several bonfires and poured medicinal incense from crates into them. The rising smoke quickly dispersed the dense swarms of insects nearby. Then, they dug trenches along the flanks and laid out barbed-wire roadblocks. Other personnel swept the abandoned buildings nearby and set up firing positions at elevated vantage points. These people seemed intimately familiar with the location, each having a designated role. There was scarcely any communication among them. The absolute silence across the scene gave Yu Lie a suffocating sense of pressure. He tugged at his collar. Just what were they planning to do? Who were they planning to fight? Just then, he saw two men carry long cases out from the rear transport vehicle. Once opened, long stakes were revealed lying within. Are these... iron-clad jade stakes? In the old era, this was a common instrument of war used by the former imperial house. According to ancient records from that period, these objects were "wrapped in iron on the outside, concealing an embryo of gold and jade within; when struck, they ring with gold and vibrate like jade, resounding for a hundred li"—designed specifically to transmit military intelligence across the battlefield. By the new era, they had been reduced to ceremonial objects. Later, however, with technological improvements, biological materials replaced the old components, turning them into a specialized field organism. They could substitute for field interference organisms; moreover, when arranged in an array, their range of interference was vast and remarkably potent. And who knew whether these had other functions as well. Unfortunately, he had no way to transmit this information. Not only had the interference organisms been active during the entire drive, but any slight movement on his part would also expose him right now. So he might as well behave himself and serve as a beacon coordinate for now. He trusted that once he stopped moving, the operations team would already be en route. Inside the Defense Department's command center, Commissioner Liang gazed up at the main screen. The fourth wave of fission had begun ten minutes ago, producing as many as twenty-seven split sub-bodies this time. The various teams rushed toward the spawn points according to prior deployments. The situation was far more severe than last time: more and more mercenary squads had caught wind of what was happening and joined the fray. Beyond ambushing the rapid-response forces, firefights even broke out among the mercenaries themselves from time to time. The female assistant touched her boundary credential. After a moment, she said, "Commissioner, the Administrative Office reports they are under immense pressure. Their response teams have been severely delayed, and multiple units likely won't complete their retrieval missions within the scheduled time. They are requesting airship support from the Defense Department." Commissioner Liang considered it briefly before answering decisively, "Decline." In truth, reallocating just a few airships from Weiguang District and Wuding District would drastically alter the situation. Even without drawing from those areas, deploying a portion from Mount Motie and Bainiao District would suffice. Yet he would rather keep them stationed in place without moving a single one than spare even one to lend support. Naturally, his refusal was not driven by spite; he had deeper considerations. He was still pondering where the suspected former imperial surprise force might be, and when it would make its move. Furthermore, that entity which had crossed over from the other side and remained in hiding ever since was undoubtedly waiting for an opportunity as well. He needed to keep enough cards in hand to play when the critical moment arrived. The female assistant seemed to receive another message. Looking up, she said, "Commissioner, forty-five minutes ago, Chen Bitong left Weiguang District. He is currently suspected to be in Hongsheng District." Commissioner Liang frowned. "Why wasn't this reported sooner?" The female assistant replied, "The State Administration Bureau sent a dispatch earlier, but it was intercepted by personnel from the Temporary Special Operations Committee. The notification just received was their second transmission." Commissioner Liang shook his head slightly. One of the responsibilities of the Temporary Special Operations Committee was to monitor and restrict the State Administration Bureau whenever the bureau took operational action, meaning the bureau was often hamstrung by them. But what time was it now? They were still indulging in interdepartmental power struggles? Besides, this operations committee was not only overly aggressive, but at times utterly reckless with its methods and consequences just to achieve its aims. In the current situation, they clearly wanted to monopolize the matter and refused to let anyone else intervene. He only hoped the operations committee had the competence to handle things properly without letting any blunders slip through. In Hongsheng District, near the cluster of abandoned commercial buildings, iron-clad stakes stood erect one after another, forming a grid of precise rows and columns that gleamed with golden light beneath the radiant sky. After inspecting the setup and speaking with the team members around him, Fang Zhixin walked up to Chen Bitong. "Teacher, the deployment is complete. What else do we need to do?" Chen Bitong replied, "Nothing is necessary. We just need to wait here." "Understood." Yu Lie felt as if the two were speaking in riddles. However, as an ostensibly fanatical admirer of Chen Bitong who routinely did whatever Chen Bitong said without question, he could only hold his tongue and keep quiet. After waiting for another seventeen or eighteen minutes, he noticed that fissures were appearing in greater numbers and clustering densely around them—drastically different from before. A shock ran through his heart. This is... Right in front of Chen Bitong, those flickering fissures began to converge, ultimately merging into a single, larger fissure. Yu Lie was startled again. Chen Bitong seemed to have known all along that a fissure would appear here. How could he have known? Could it be... He glanced at those jade stakes. Does it have something to do with these things? Fang Zhixin came over and asked, "Major Yu, you seem to have some doubts?" Yu Lie wore an indifferent expression. "A few doubts, sure, but that's all. Whatever Teacher Chen does, I'll always support him." "Anything?" Yu Lie replied without hesitation, "Anything." Fang Zhixin smiled faintly. "No wonder Teacher brought you along this time, Major Yu. In that case, please stand over here." He gestured toward a spot. Yu Lie glanced over; it was right beside Chen Bitong. Asking no questions, he walked over, took his stance, and asked, "And then?" Fang Zhixin chuckled. "No need to hurry. Your time to shine will come, Major Yu. I trust you have at least this much patience?" Yu Lie scoffed, took out his coin again, and began flipping it. Standing before the steadily expanding fissure, he didn't know what was about to happen. A tense edge crept into his nerves, yet he maintained his casual, unbothered facade. Moments later, however, he felt a faint tremor beneath his feet. At first, he thought it was a minor earthquake, but then realization dawned—was this... Fumu's fifth wave of fission?! Yet how long had it even been since the previous fission? Why had it come so fast this time? Then he watched a narrow crack split open in the ground. Tiny, fragmented specks about the size of a fingertip drifted upward from within. As they rose, they tumbled and swelled, resolving into a curled, sponge-like mass enveloped in a layer of seemingly transparent fluid. Is this... a split sub-body? A deeper sense of unease gripped him. Even though he wasn't part of the Center City government, he knew pinpointing the spawn location of any split sub-body was extraordinarily difficult; at best, they could only outline a broad area. Otherwise, wouldn't they have stationed people on-site ahead of time to nip every hazard in the bud? But what was happening here? There was a fissure right here, and a split sub-body right here? He looked toward Chen Bitong standing ahead to his side. None of them were touching the split sub-body, meaning whatever they were planning had to be on an even bigger scale. Why hadn't the operations team arrived yet? Anxiety inevitably surged in his chest. After emerging, the split sub-body drifted straight into the fissure's radiance, stabilizing the rift even further. Inside the command center, Watchtower issued a report: "A stabilized fissure has been detected in Hongsheng District, Abandoned Commercial Area No. 5. A split sub-body has entered. Immediate containment is advised." Commissioner Liang looked at the highlighted area on the light screen. Hongsheng District... could it be a coincidence? Chen Bitong had headed precisely toward Hongsheng District earlier. In a heavy voice, he said, "Dispatch an additional rapid-response unit and..." He paused briefly. "Have Team Two head there on standby." The female assistant glanced up, saw the authorization Commissioner Liang had granted her on her boundary credential, and only then began transmitting the orders. Deploying the earlier teams had required only direct instructions, but this group was exceptional because its members were elite personnel handpicked from both the Disposal Bureau and the Defense Department. The team's members were formidable, serving as the core trump card reserved for critical crises. Commissioner Liang hadn't mobilized them even when complications arose during the third wave of fissures, but facing the prospect of confronting Chen Bitong, he was forced to play this card. After a moment's thought, he added, "Send a dose of stamina-restoring medicine over to Captain Chen Chuan." The female assistant was slightly surprised, but asked no questions. Nodding, she began issuing directives through her boundary credential.