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After being hurled back by the impact, Yu Lie rolled across the ground before finally dissipating the force. When he got back to his feet, he witnessed the astonishing sight unfolding ahead. He could not help being thoroughly shocked. He had just personally experienced how formidable that beetle was—it possessed mutated tissue within its body, and coupled with its immense mass, there had been no stopping it once it charged. Yet this newcomer had casually split the entire creature in two with a simple wave of his hand. Such strength... Upon second thought, his spirits lifted. The man was from the special operations team. Truth be told, Chen Bitong exerted far too much pressure on him, but if the team had someone of this caliber, they stood a real chance against Chen Bitong. Collecting himself, Yu Lie noted that the man had not exposed his undercover identity upon arrival. Either he did not know, or he had other plans in mind, which meant Yu Lie could only continue lying low. Beside him, Fang Zhixin showed a hint of tension. Having followed Chen Bitong the longest, he was the most experienced and recognized the origin of the strike: "Is that... Severing Jin?... No, more than that..." Severing Jin was merely one of the harder-to-train jin forces in the military, but ordinary people could never achieve such an effect with it. This strike had to be a fusion of mental power and physical strength to unleash such terrifying destructive force. This was an opponent standing at the exact same height as Teacher Chen. After delivering that strike, Old Hu paid no heed to the bisected beetle, his gaze locked firmly onto Chen Bitong. Yu Lie and Fang Zhixin had both seen his overtly astounding strike, yet Old Hu was far more wary of how Chen Bitong had silently and effortlessly evaded the beetle just now. He was certain Chen Bitong had not moved an inch. Thus, he deduced that Chen Bitong had likely established a connection with the fissure using his mental power, slipping into a crevice of the fissure at that exact instant, which prevented the beetle from striking him. To reach this level required more than just cultivating mental power to perfection; it also demanded unique techniques and innate talent. Yet he had never seen Chen Bitong display such a technique before. Had he mastered it within the past five years, or...? Regardless of the reason, he had to reassess Chen Bitong's combat prowess. He spoke in a hoarse voice: "Chen Bitong, among all the teammates who stood with you back then, aside from me, everyone either died or was crippled. Yet in the end, you alone were hailed as a hero. "Was that reputation really yours to claim all by yourself? I've never accepted that. But after today, you won't be a hero anymore." Chen Bitong said flatly, "I have never thought so." Old Hu snorted. "That's precisely what I hate most about you. You reaped such immense benefits, yet you still put on that indifferent facade." A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "Then let's leave the talk at that..." As he spoke, he slowly raised his hand and lowered his stance, looking ready to strike. At the same time, an aura of danger and intangible pressure radiated from him. Behind them, Yu Lie and Fang Zhixin both grew tense. Despite standing at a distance, they felt the crushing pressure all too tangibly, making it feel as if the breath were being squeezed from their lungs. By contrast, nothing could be felt from Chen Bitong; he stood there as if he did not even exist. Just as the two were about to clash, lightning flickered across the fissure, and movement stirred from within once more. Fang Zhixin and Yu Lie exchanged a glance from behind and immediately turned back to guard the front of the fissure. Several dark silhouettes emerged simultaneously within the fissure. As the silhouettes rapidly enlarged, with a thunderous roar, a row of cavalrymen burst forth at extreme speed. At the vanguard were three third-limit commissioned warriors riding abreast, five meters apart from one another. Seen from the side, their horses' chests formed an almost straight line. Jin-linking cords hung between the mounts, keeping them in perfect sync even at high speeds, while the lances held in their hands were leveled straight ahead. Yu Lie and Fang Zhixin both experienced a change of expression. To say nothing of the sheer momentum bearing down like a looming wall, the three riders moved with unified breathing, their jin channeled into a single entity through the jin-linking cords. It was simply not something that could be resisted head-on. Knowing they could not hold the line, the two hastily dodged to either side. Right after this line of mounted warriors trampled past, another row came surging out behind them, though this group consisted of cavalrymen below the third limit. Row after row followed. This was the former imperial house's "One-Nine Battle Line," spearheaded by a rank of commissioned warriors followed by multiple ranks of regular cavalrymen, ranging anywhere from one to nine waves with no set number. Wave after wave crashed through in relentless succession; on the battlefields of the old era, even the stoutest formations would be breached by it. After dodging aside, Fang Zhixin and Yu Lie both spotted the vulnerability along the flanks of the formation. Without waiting for all the cavalrymen to emerge, they attempted to dash forward and intercept them. Yet they immediately realized it was not that simple. The riders on the far left and right of the front rank suddenly unhooked their jin-linking cords, splitting outward to wheel around behind them, turning the tables to flank them from the rear. If another wave of capable fighters were to surge out of the fissure at that moment, they would be caught in a pincer attack from front and back, and could easily be slaughtered in the midst of the formation in an instant. Thus, they were forced to abandon the idea and retreat out of the encircling perimeter. Meanwhile, the lead warrior spurred his mount relentlessly forward, leading the rear ranks onward with his lance aimed squarely at the unassuming back of Chen Bitong ahead. But when horse and rider charged through, they passed straight through his body as if merely scattering a phantom image. Old Hu had eyes only for Chen Bitong. Seeing the commissioned warrior bear down on him, he snapped testily, "Out of my way!" With a single slap to the lance shaft—striking merely the spearhead—the sheer jin propelled the opposing knight and the warhorse beneath him flying sideways through the air. Then, leaping off the ground, he surged straight toward Chen Bitong. Wherever his figure passed, the heavy cavalry charging along his path exploded instantly, men and horses alike, while a massive furrow was plowed deep into the earth. Shrouded in shredded flesh and blood, he thrust a single finger straight toward Chen Bitong's face. Meanwhile, beyond this area, Emergency Team Two dispatched by Commissioner Liang had already arrived on site, standing atop a high billboard to observe the scene opposite them. One was around forty years old with a full beard, bearing a grave and indifferent expression. A dark-blue tie was fastened at his collar, and he wore a crisp, dark-gray Municipal Administration uniform. This was Nie Guanshan from the Municipal Administration. The other was a man of thirty-five or thirty-six with short hair, thick lips, and narrow eyes that held a look of disdain for all things. A cigarette dangled from his lips; though dressed in military attire, his cap sat crooked, and his uniform was draped casually over his shoulders. This was Yang Shen from the Defense Department. In terms of the Defense Department's assessments, both of them were at the same limit as Chen Bitong, though Chen Bitong's fame and prestige were far beyond anything either of them could match. Upon their arrival, they did not rush in hastily. Instead, they had paused in the distance to observe, and after watching Chen Bitong evade the beetle's charge earlier, they had reached the exact same conclusion as Old Hu. Yang Shen squinted and said, "This wasn't mentioned in the intelligence. With this ability and his vast experience, Chen Bitong is practically unbeatable one-on-one in front of the fissure. "Even if the two of us joined forces, it would be difficult to pose a real threat to him." Nie Guanshan agreed. Possessing such a technique, Chen Bitong could rely on the fissure as long as it stood there; even blanket artillery bombardment across the entire sector would pose no danger to him. He looked toward Old Hu, who was currently engaging Chen Bitong. "If we factor him in, that would be enough." Yang Shen flatly rejected the idea. "Impossible. People from the Temporary Committee won't coordinate with us at all. We'd be lucky if they didn't stand in our way." He continued, "I still believe the original tactic is viable. Even though the situation has changed, as long as there is someone who can pin down Chen Bitong when we make our move, it can still be done. We need to apply to higher-ups for another helper." Nie Guanshan said, "Someone like that won't be easy to find on short notice." With the cigarette between his lips, Yang Shen said nonchalantly, "That has nothing to do with us. Let the Defense Department figure it out. If they can't find someone like that, we'll refuse to deploy. There's no need for us to fight a battle we aren't sure of winning." Nie Guanshan nodded. "Since that is your opinion, Colonel Yang, let us submit the request." Inside the command center, Commissioner Liang soon received the application submitted by the two, along with the stated reasoning. At the same time, he caught their underlying message from the wording: without suitable personnel, they refused to engage. He frowned slightly. Because these two were participants in the upper echelon's plan, they possessed a degree of autonomy and advisory authority, allowing them to turn down missions they deemed inappropriate. Currently, the best approach would be to dispatch another squad over. He still had Team One in reserve, whose strength was on par with Team Two. But for teams of such combat power, he could not concentrate all of them in a single place. That would be both wasteful and harder to control. To say nothing of the imminent sixth or even seventh wave of splits, he also had to account for far more dangerous situations that might arise later. Yet if he didn't use them, where was he supposed to find a suitable candidate? After contemplating for a long while, he said to his female assistant, "Connect me to Captain Chen." At this very moment, Chen Chuan stood leaning on his blade before the fissure, guiding the Illuminating Reflection Method to absorb as much essence from the other world as possible with his mental power, while remaining vigilant at all times. At first, there were still people heading toward this sector, but as time went on, their numbers dwindled. Perhaps they realized this area was too difficult to breach, or perhaps word had spread that the split sub-body here had already been destroyed, leaving the site with little value. The teams hired by the companies naturally had no further reason to fixate on this place. As for the fighters yearning to draw close to the Heavenly Gate, once they discovered this place was heavily guarded, they too turned back and left. After all, fissures were forming elsewhere across Center City; there was truly no need to bash their heads against a wall here when they could seek opportunities elsewhere. Yet even without those people, various creatures continued to emerge from the other side without end, not a few of which posed tremendous trouble. A vast heap of biological carcasses already lay strewn around him. Right then, the boundary credential flickered with incoming light. Just as he was about to answer the transmission, the radiance on the opposite side suddenly wavered, as if some colossal beast were about to emerge from within. ...