Coordination

Chen Chuan watched as a head with bone hammers on both ends poked out from the fissure, followed by an elongated neck encircled with rings of carapace, and finally a massive, thick body clad in greyish skin. He recognized it at a glance: a ring-necked armored rhino. The reaction force personnel stationed behind him all saw the creature as well. Its towering bulk exerted tremendous pressure, instantly putting everyone on edge. Yuan Qiuyuan and the other two immediately readied themselves to engage. Their expressions grew solemn. The creatures that had emerged earlier had all been relatively small and straightforward to handle, but this beast did not look like something that could be finished off in a couple of moves. Facing this colossal creature crawling out of the rift, Chen Chuan had no intention of retreating. With a shift of his body, he appeared abruptly before it. He clenched his fingers into a fist, his index finger protruding slightly, and drove a punch straight into its chest. Propelled by abundant jin, his entire forearm sank into the flesh. The ring-necked rhino's charging momentum came to an abrupt halt. A sequence of wheezes rattled from its maw, and then all strength deserted its head and limbs. With a thunderous boom, it crashed down upon the raised platform before the fissure, its forward head striking the paved ground so hard that the bone hammers at its edges chipped out a small crater. Everyone in the rear stared wide-eyed, each hearing the ragged breaths around them. Chen Chuan's stature fell far short of this creature, which stood at least three meters tall, and their bulk was beyond comparison—a contrast all the more striking up close. Yet with just such a simple punch, this enormous creature had been slain outright. The sight was so jarringly impactful that their hearts pounded wildly. Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, and Su Wei glanced down. The armored rhino lay only a few paces away from them. At this distance, they could clearly see its tightly closed eyes and the thick folds of its hide; just looking at the solid bone hammers, they could imagine the devastating force they would carry when swung around. Looking up again at Chen Chuan standing with his back to them, their expressions held a trace of excitement, and a profound surge of admiration welled up within their chests. Chen Chuan, however, acted as though he had merely attended to a minor matter. Standing there, he connected directly to the Defense Department channel and said, "This is Chen Chuan." A familiar, steady voice came through the boundary credential: "This is Liang Guanghai." "Commissioner?" Commissioner Liang said in a heavy voice, "Captain Chen, there is a mission that needs to be entrusted to you right away." Chen Chuan looked up. "Please go ahead, Commissioner." Commissioner Liang said, "Chen Bitong has opened a fissure near Hongsheng District, and a split sub-body is currently situated there. Reliable intel indicates that cavalry of the former imperial house have also appeared there. "Therefore, involvement by the former imperial house cannot be ruled out. A large force of former imperial cavalry has appeared in Jiyang District; our personnel are currently confronting them, and our main strength is concentrated there as well. "Right now, forces in the city are relatively thin. The situation is rather urgent and perilous, so I need you to coordinate with an emergency team to stop Chen Bitong. As for how specifically to handle it, you may discuss it with your teammates." Chen Chuan said, "Understood. I will head over immediately." Ending the call, he looked toward the fissure ahead. This mission suited him perfectly. Although he was the only one here who cultivated spiritual power and the essence was his alone to absorb, that was not enough. His spiritual height could not be pushed higher due to a lack of opponents. Only a sufficiently powerful adversary could drive his spiritual power to advance further. Chen Bitong... After a moment's thought, he turned, stepped down from the platform, and said to Yuan Qiuyuan and the other two, "The Defense Department has an assignment for me. The three of you will continue to hold this post." In an operation against Chen Bitong, anyone below a certain level could not even participate. Having his team members stay here to deal with the creatures emerging from the other side was far more appropriate. "Yes, sir!" All three saluted and answered in unison. Chen Chuan checked his gear. Under the reverent gazes of the garrison personnel, he boarded the armored vehicle with his Xuejun Saber and set off toward Hongsheng District according to the coordinates provided by the Defense Department. A chime sounded from his boundary credential. It was brief profile data on two individuals sent over by the Defense Department, containing only their names, appearances, and ages—nothing else, not even listing their official positions. Presumably, both held a certain security clearance. He took out a small vial and glanced at it. This was a medicine sent over earlier by the Defense Department to restore stamina. Since it had been delivered with such formality, it was bound to be rare, so he had refrained from using it then and kept it on him now. On the drive to Hongsheng District, despite the urgency, the vehicle could not travel fast due to the frequent fissures cropping up and sporadic firefights along the route. It took over an hour to reach the area. When the vehicle stopped, the driver in front wiped away sweat and turned around. "Captain Chen, we've arrived." Chen Chuan thanked him, pushed open the door, and stepped out. Standing outside, he checked the time: 5:45. However, the sky was nearly identical to midnight, with virtually no change. The only difference, perhaps, was that the bright crimson glow across the sky had deepened into an even denser, vivid hue, looking strikingly like fresh blood smeared across the heavens. Static hissed from the boundary credential, followed by a blinking communication prompt. He connected immediately, and a mature, aloof voice came through: "Walk forward. Turn south after two hundred meters. First building on your left hand. Head up to the thirteenth floor." Chen Chuan glanced ahead and walked toward the location carrying his Xuejun Saber. Arriving at the specified spot, he found an abandoned commercial building. Entering, he followed the stairs up to the thirteenth floor and saw two people waiting for him in the vast, empty space. He walked forward, but had barely taken two steps when he felt the field of one of them pressing toward him. This move was actually quite impolite. Even if they wished to test and confirm his strength, they could have sensed each other once they drew close. Actively unleashing it in an overbearing posture reeked of trying to put him in his place. With a calm expression, acting as if he felt nothing at all, he walked up in front of the two men. Seeing him endure the encroaching field without batting an eye, Nie Guanshan and Yang Shen felt slightly surprised, but at the same time relatively satisfied. This proved Chen Chuan was someone who possessed spiritual power, sufficient to act as their auxiliary support so that he would not lack even the qualifications to stand before Chen Bitong. Between the two of them, Yang Shen had served and been stationed in the Confluence year-round; he paid little mind to affairs in Center City and did not know Chen Chuan. Nie Guanshan, on the other hand, was in VIP security for the Government Affairs Hall and paid closer attention to outside developments. He had once watched the recording of Chen Chuan's battle against Wei Wusheng, though to someone like him who stood almost at the very pinnacle of the third limit, such a fight had virtually nothing worth seeing. Thus, when he had seen Chen Chuan's profile just now, his impression was still fixed on that time. Looking at him now, he seemed to have made substantial progress. Once Chen Chuan drew close, Yang Shen got straight to the point: "Now that you're here, let's cut right to the mission and talk about what you need to do next. We've already confirmed Chen Bitong possesses the ability to take refuge within fissures. In front of a fissure, that makes him almost impossible to pin down accurately." Hearing this, Chen Chuan could not help thinking back to Astrid's performance earlier. Taking refuge within fissures was likely referring to that sort of ability. "...So we need someone to draw Chen Bitong's focus or bear the brunt of his attacks at the critical moment. "Because a fighter's flaw usually appears when he thinks he has seized an opportunity and commits to attacking. When that happens, we need you to hold out. Before he inflicts more harm on you, we will dispose of him. Do you understand?" Looking at Chen Chuan, he said, "If you have no questions, we execute according to this plan." Chen Chuan lifted his eyes to look at the two of them. "I feel there are issues with this plan." Yang Shen said impatiently, "There's nothing wrong with it. This is the plan, and there's no room for alterations. Since the Defense Department sent you here to coordinate with us, you must execute it as stated. Obey orders—understand?" Chen Chuan said calmly, "Then may I ask what ranks you two hold?" Yang Shen narrowed his eyes at him. After a long moment, he said, "Defense Department expeditionary team member, Yang Shen." Nie Guanshan said in a deep voice, "Government Affairs Hall, senior security chief, Nie Guanshan." Chen Chuan nodded. "Disposal Bureau enforcement captain, Chen Chuan." Yang Shen and Nie Guanshan both froze. An enforcement captain? In that case, purely by rank, Chen Chuan was on equal footing with both of them. Recalling the profile sent over earlier that did not show Chen Chuan's specific circumstances or post, they had not paid it much mind at the time, but now it seemed that was precisely the reason. An enforcement captain not even twenty years old? The two exchanged a look, realizing Chen Chuan was no ordinary person. It seemed the Defense Department had indeed sent them a formidable partner this time. The two conferred privately over their boundary credentials. Yang Shen asked, "What do you think? Swap him out?" "We can't," Nie Guanshan rejected immediately. Coming from the Government Affairs Hall, he possessed greater political sensibility. Had they requested a replacement earlier, that would have been fine. But now the man had already arrived; putting ability aside for the moment, his rank was at least equal to theirs, which showed the Defense Department respected their request. If they demanded a swap now, higher-ups would see it as pure troublemaking and shirking responsibility. Should the mission fail, blame would inevitably be pinned on them, or at least they would have to shoulder part of the responsibility. He said in a low voice, "We can make a concession on the surface. Once combat begins, it won't be up to him." Although they could not force Chen Chuan to do anything, when it came to actual fighting, everything relied on strength and experience. At Chen Chuan's age, even if he possessed extraordinary talent and his strength could barely catch up to theirs, his experience could not possibly compare. They had plenty of ways to guide and manipulate the situation to create circumstances advantageous to themselves.