Investigation

Beyond the plaza, the dense rhythm of military boots drew steadily closer. It was the emergency response forces closing in, washing like a tide through the surrounding openings and the breaches in the Ferris Wheel Building until they arrived nearby. Upon arrival, they first saw the Ferris Wheel Security Team members on the ground, standing in various postures with weapons raised. Reflexively, the soldiers brought their guns up, but scans through their implant fields revealed that these men had long since lost all signs of life. Then they spotted Chen Chuan standing at the edge of the shore, saber in hand, gazing into the distance. Surging whitecaps washed over his feet, spilling into the massive crater that looked as if it had been carved out by a meteorite impact. Every one of them quietly lowered their gun barrels. Xu Chan stepped out from the squad and said to the nearby unit leader, "There may be pollution left behind by the Ferris Wheel Company near here. There's no need for you all to go any further inside. Just hold your ground here for now." Once the leader agreed, Xu Chan took the initiative to walk forward. Stopping before Chen Chuan, he extended a hand. "Xu Chan." Chen Chuan shook his hand. "Chen Chuan." Xu Chan said, "Captain Chen, I had heard about you before. I even thought about inviting you to join our squad once, but I'm glad I didn't. Otherwise, who knows who would have delivered that strike." He offered heartfelt praise: "Well done, Captain Chen." Chen Chuan replied, "Captain Xu, I was merely the one responsible for the final cut." He glanced toward the other squad members. "Without the groundwork laid by everyone beforehand, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off." Xu Chan could tell he spoke with genuine sincerity rather than mere polite courtesy, and feeling the goodwill and respect conveyed, he nodded solemnly. The other four squad members had not stepped forward, but hearing those words, they couldn't help feeling a surge of goodwill toward him, along with a touch of admiration. Others might not have grasped the full depth of that strike, but they had watched the entire process clearly and knew the sheer difficulty involved. He had to strike at the exact instant the ritual bound that entity. Leaving aside the tremendous power unleashed through the saber, the timing alone demanded absolute precision; arriving a fraction too early or too late would have ruined everything. Not one of them could have pulled it off in his place. No wonder the Defense Department had entrusted the mission to him—they had truly picked the right person this time. Xu Chan said to Chen Chuan, "Captain Chen, we still have a few tasks left to complete. Since we're all from the Disposal Bureau, let's keep in touch more often going forward." Chen Chuan agreed. After saying goodbye, Xu Chan led the four squad members toward the building. They needed to verify the situation beneath it and see if anything remained down there. After walking a short distance, Captain Lü said, "Old Xu, that Captain Chen is really something else. When the fog cleared a moment ago, I took a good look—that airship was at least six li up in the sky. To leap down from there and deliver that cut... good grief, that was truly risking his neck." The others felt a chill run through them just thinking about it. Even for a third-limit fighter, falling from such a height meant losing half one's life if not dying outright from a single misstep, to say nothing of having to slay that entity possessing the active conscious entity. Captain Wang said, "I asked around with some people at the bureau just now. I heard that having Captain Chen deliver this blow was the consensus of multiple departments. It seems that whether in strength or background, this Captain Chen runs remarkably deep." Xu Chan recalled the wisp of red light as Chen Chuan fell, guessing it was likely some form of protection, though the vast majority had to have depended on his own skill. And if he hadn't seen wrong, when that blade cleaved downward, the gleam upon the blade... He murmured inwardly, *Spiritual perception...?* *He isn't even twenty yet, is he?* Reaching this realm before turning twenty made it hard to imagine how far he could go in the future. The Defense Department had good reason for choosing him. Captain Wang said with a touch of envy, "Captain Chen is so young and has boundless prospects, plus the backing of so many departments. Having achieved such a major merit this time, I'd say he's very likely to become the figurehead both the Defense Department and the Disposal Bureau push heavily." The others thoroughly agreed. Captain Lü looked back at Xu Chan. "Old Xu, you put in massive effort holding off that active conscious entity. Without you, it couldn't have been done. The higher-ups will probably want to move you up—are you going to turn down promotion again this time?" By now, the five of them had arrived at the shaft inside the building that led downward. Xu Chan's gaze fell into the seemingly bottomless shaft. He shook his head and said, "The road up top isn't easy to walk." Then he added in a low voice, "All right, we can talk about this when we have time. Let's finish the task at hand first." After standing by the shore for a while, Chen Chuan left the peninsula where gray snowflakes fluttered and walked toward the plaza. As he walked by, the soldiers of the emergency response forces voluntarily parted to clear a path and saluted him. He made his way to the center of the plaza and glanced up at the sky. In his vision, that massive fissure was still there. Ever since the Fumu began its reproductive fission and the Heavenly Gate opened, he had been continuously circulating the Lingming Reflection Method taught to him by Xue Shou. Except when absorbing pure substance or engaged in combat, he had never stopped. During this window, this method could effectively expand his spirit, though that expansion was in terms of breadth. Yet starting from last night, as he fought several powerful fighters in succession, his spirit had also been ascending in height. After mastering spiritual perception, he had thought he wouldn't be able to push his spirit any higher in the short term. Yet after slaying the active conscious entity just now, it had actually risen another notch. Pondering it, he realized this was very likely due to absorbing the pure substance. Pure substance not only purified the spirit, but also enhanced the body's potential. Aside from this, he had gained another harvest. Following repeated clashes and battles, the second self had advanced as well, drawing considerably closer to his true body. Once it fully harmonized with his true body, he might see a second fusion, at which point surpassing the theoretical limit of perfection would no longer be just a fantasy. However, all of that had to wait. The most important thing right now was to continue absorbing pure substance. Although he was no longer on the airship, the elevation of his spirit allowed him to sense the fleeting streams of light even while standing on level ground. He didn't care which stage they were currently in. In any case, until the Ring of Worlds was sealed, these things would continue leaking outward, and he didn't want to miss them. So he walked over to the side and asked the emergency response forces for an empty armored vehicle parked nearby. Saying he needed to rest, he sat inside alone, focusing his mind to sense and capture the pure substance drifting outward. Not long after, a medical team came looking for him, saying they needed to check whether anything was wrong with his body. Knowing this was routine procedure after confronting an entity of that nature—both to prevent accidents and to provide timely treatment if an issue arose—he cooperated willingly. After a thorough checkup, the medical team saw no abnormalities in him. Thanking him for his cooperation, they promptly departed. Inside the command center, Commissioner Liang watched the displays from the various sectors. There should be two more Fumu fissions remaining; by noon or sometime in the afternoon, they would be through this crisis. Just then, he saw an encrypted call coming through on his boundary credential. It was a communication from the General Affairs Bureau. Connecting the call, he asked, "Commissioner Cao, do you have another recommendation?" Commissioner Cao's voice replied, "No recommendations. I only heard that you found the submarine carrying the Ferris Wheel Company directors. Aside from the technology provided by the Linakes Federation, some of the Ferris Wheel Company's tech has an unknown origin. We need to inspect it." Commissioner Liang knew what they were looking for. He said, "The Ferris Wheel Company was propped up by Linakes. It wasn't split off from Tianhe Mining like the Molan Company was. It might not have what you want." Commissioner Cao said in a deep voice, "We still need to conduct a search. The Ferris Wheel Company is deeply entangled with the island nations of the Outer Ocean, and back then, those Outer Ocean islands were also part of the Grand Alliance." Commissioner Liang said, "Very well. I'll let them know." Once the call ended, he thought for a moment and asked his female assistant, "Where is the inspection delegation from the consortium?" The female assistant said, "We've confirmed it. Before the Fumu's fission, the delegation went ahead to Bainiao District." Commissioner Liang nodded and asked again, "Has the medical team checked on Captain Chen and Old Xu's group?" The female assistant said, "They have. The medical team reported that none of them have any issues. At most, they are slightly fatigued from exertion and will be fine after a brief rest." Commissioner Liang said, "Good to hear they're fine." Just then, the female assistant seemed to receive a message. Looking up, she said, "Commissioner, there's a piece of news you need to see." With that, she tapped her screen and forwarded it over. Commissioner Liang glanced at the content, his brow furrowing slightly. "They really know how to find an opening. In that case, connect me to Chu Yiming." Meanwhile, as another phase of pure substance dispersal passed, Chen Chuan stepped out of the armored vehicle. Holding a hot drink provided by the emergency response forces, he waited for the next phase to arrive. At that moment, a security officer jogged over from a distance. He first offered a salute, then handed him a wrapped, elongated package. "Reporting, Captain Chen! An airship landed just now and entrusted us with delivering this to you, saying it belongs to you, Captain Chen." Chen Chuan recognized it immediately as the scabbard of the Xuejun Saber. Thanking the officer, he took it, stripped off the wrapping, and brought the Xuejun Saber over. His movements paused slightly. He recalled that when he delivered that slash earlier, something seemed to have fused into the blade. Yet he could sense that this probably wasn't a bad thing. He could observe it further once he returned. With that in mind, he slid the blade back into its scabbard. Just then, two people walked toward him, dressed in black trench coats with stern, solemn expressions. Upon reaching him, one of them looked him over. "You must be Captain Chen Chuan." He produced an ID card and flashed it. "We are from the Special Operations Committee. We've come this time to investigate the case regarding Chen Bitong, and we need your cooperation, Captain Chen. If you have the time, please come with us."