Vanguard

After returning to the faculty apartments, Chen Chuan walked out into the long corridor, pushed open a window, and let Chaoming fly out to stretch its wings. Mutated tissue had to be put through plenty of exercise before it could grow strong. Now, without any readout on his boundary credential, he could see through his spirit and his field that the mutated tissue inside Chaoming's body was growing in a very orderly fashion, with no deviation at all. The technology of Wingblade Light Nest really was admirable. But the main thing was that Chaoming itself was clever. It understood which movements were good for it, and it instinctively coordinated and adjusted its own breathing. Only, in that respect he could not yet be of much help. Chaoming's mutated tissue was quite different from a fighter's, and the way it generated force in motion was different too. If he meddled rashly, there was no telling whether it would affect its growth later on, so he preferred to trust the plans that Light Nest's inactive conscious entities had worked out from data and case analysis. In moments Chaoming had passed over those tall buildings and become a black dot in the sky. He drew his gaze back and began to ponder the matter of the Xuejun Saber. To prolong the duration, high-energy nutrient solution was probably indispensable. But that stuff was very hard to come by, and extremely expensive. Nor was that all: every transaction of high-energy nutrient solution was usually recorded, and the upstream companies kept very tight control over where it went. The black market did carry some, but it was expensive, scarce, and of poor quality—a long-term supply was out of the question. If at best he could only use it for a day or two, the difference would not be great. What he needed was a channel that could supply him over the long term. Setting that aside, judging by what had happened before, the Xuejun Saber could also draw something out of those beings to strengthen itself. According to the Defense Department's information, at least one such being had come to rest here. If he could kill it, that would presumably give the Xuejun Saber one good feeding. There was also this: in the past, when dealing with urban legend anomalies, the Xuejun Saber had likewise been able to absorb something from them. So he would have to pay more attention to that angle. He simply did not know how much help absorbing these things would give the Xuejun Saber. If the improvement was tiny, it would not mean much. Still, he could try it first and see what feedback came back. Just then Andun's voice came through his boundary credential: "Supervisor Chen, the Bureau has just received word. A vanguard team from Lianwei Heavy Control Company is already on its way to Center City. They're expected to enter the city in about an hour." And at the very moment that message went out, a long convoy was driving along Center City Boulevard in the west, the Lianwei Heavy Control emblem on its fronts and side panels. The convoy was made up of twenty-five armed vehicles and ten large transports. In the lengthened armored command vehicle at its center sat a girl of delicate features, in a seat toward the rear. She looked to be fifteen or sixteen. Her black hair reached her waist, and her bangs were cut in a neat fringe. She wore an ornate dress; her eyes were dark and still, and little emotion showed on her face. One could tell she had received a fine education in etiquette: even in the car she did not lean back against her seat, but sat perfectly straight, maintaining her poise. On either side of her sat a man and a woman in the black uniforms of senior security. The man wore his long hair loose, with a combat mask covering the lower half of his face; his shoulders were broad, and he was powerfully built. The woman had short hair and narrow eyes, and her cheeks were thin, though her features were well proportioned enough that she was not unattractive; there was simply no expression to be seen on her face. In the seat ahead sat a middle-aged female assistant, her expression severe and rigid. She glanced at her watch and said, "Miss, in forty-five minutes we'll be at Center City, Jibei Dao." Just then the girl seemed to think of something, and suddenly turned her head to look at a spot outside the window. The other two seemed to take her reactions very seriously. They looked that way at once, reflexively, muscles tightening as though preparing for something. But the place was empty. There was nothing there. After a good while the woman asked cautiously, "Miss, is something wrong?" The girl withdrew her gaze. "Nothing." She did not explain further. The two exchanged a glance and asked no more, relaxing again. But if Chen Chuan had been there, he would have recognized that the spot she had been looking at was precisely where he had opened the fissure not long ago. Now the female assistant took out a paper report. "Miss, according to the information we've gathered, Center City, Jibei Dao, is currently setting up an airship transport company to replace the transport business Lianwei Heavy Control has built up in the city." She said gravely, "In the airship business, there is no way for us to compete with them." Because of its safety, and because it carries tactical and strategic value, the airship business, once it reaches scale, is a threat to any organization or regime, and so it has always been held in the hands of the state and local governments. Within the borders of Great Shun, no private airship business can compare with the government's. It was true that some special goods were actually safer moved overland, but there was no denying that with the Center City government backing it, the new service would offer better guarantees of safety and compensation, and a large share of Lianwei Heavy Control's business would inevitably be taken. Seeing her pause, the girl said, "Go on. I'm listening." The middle-aged woman continued at a pace that was not slow but made every word clear: "The company believes that, now that Ferris Wheel Company has collapsed, we must seize the contract security business out on the Outer Ocean that used to belong to Ferris Wheel, and find a way to win the regional transport business as well. "Before this, we made a number of preliminary attempts and lobbying efforts, and we have already obtained our ticket in. "But we have a good many competitors too. Among those with the strongest government support, the ones worth noting are these companies." She lifted off the top sheet and read from what was revealed beneath. "Guobao Company. This is a company established with the backing of the Center City Municipal Council. They have already swallowed a good deal of the business Ferris Wheel left behind, including island agriculture and ocean husbandry, and they have taken over Ferris Wheel's technology wholesale. "Now they have their eyes on security and regional transport as well. Their appetite is large, but the Center City Administrative Hall very likely will not allow them to take on more business. "The second worth noting is Rongxin Company, a newly established firm. According to the head office's investigation, it very likely has ties to one of Great Shun's factions and is also deeply connected to the Municipal Council; it may well have been set up by the Council in order to capture more business. It is likewise our competitor. "The third, Convergence Boundary Company, a local Jibei Dao enterprise with long-standing good relations with the government, from which most of its orders come. "Also, the head of this company is worth our attention. He concurrently serves as an investigation supervisor in the Disposal Bureau, which means hard-line methods won't settle anything. I suggest we use only flexible competition..." After that the woman went on to name several more companies and introduce each in turn. The girl only listened and said nothing. After the car had traveled a while longer, the female bodyguard beside her said, "Miss, we are about to enter Center City's field range. Please authorize activation of the field interference organisms." The girl parted her lips. "I authorize it." A short time later, the field interference organisms of the entire convoy were activated, and everyone's boundary credentials now communicated only among themselves, blocking all outside surveillance. Another ten-odd minutes, and the convoy drove into Center City, heading for the Lianwei Heavy Control compound in Shenwei District. The long line of vehicles drew attention the whole way. Yet though the convoy's passage looked peaceful on the surface, an invisible contest had been under way from the moment it entered the city. The female bodyguard said, "Miss, since we entered the urban area, resonators have repeatedly tried to intrude on us—their number should be in the double digits—and a large number of active information fields are hovering near us. Someone is watching us. It should be Center City's Disposal Bureau." The girl said, "Understood." Then she added, "Both the Union's diplomatic team and the Linax diplomatic team will enter Center City, Jibei Dao, this month. Whether or not the Disposal Bureau thinks much of us, they cannot have much resource to spare for us. "This stretch of time will be our golden window. "We must establish a firm foothold within it." The female assistant said, "Miss, please leave it to us with confidence. We have made all the arrangements and prepared more than enough contingencies." The covert information contest lasted until the convoy reached the branch and only then eased slightly. But here, protected by the inactive conscious entities shipped in ahead of them, field intrusions had difficulty penetrating any further. Once the convoy halted, the supplies and important items it carried were immediately moved into the tower. Among them was a huge jet-black ceramic tank, which was carried down into the basement at the very bottom. The girl went down there alone. She ran a hand over the smooth, thick ceramic wall, feeling the surging vitality transmitted from within. What the tank held was the embryo of an active conscious entity. Because cultivating an active conscious entity consumes vast resources, even a company like Lianwei Heavy Control rarely has a ready-made one outside the head office. But their earlier failed operation had already proved that inactive conscious entities were not up to key tasks, no matter how many of them there were. If Che Gaoyi had had an active conscious entity working with him, the operation might well have succeeded. And every large company and branch able to establish itself in Center City, without exception, possessed an active conscious entity; the support this gave to business, security, and communications defense was simply too great. So this time, to expand its business and gain a foothold in Center City, Jibei Dao, the head office had specially allotted them one active conscious entity. The girl was still sensing it when a voice came through her boundary credential: "Miss, people from the Disposal Bureau are here. They've come to inspect for contraband." …… ……