Fang Zhixin had realized earlier that the pursuers were arriving in great numbers, and he had been fully prepared to fight to the bitter end, resolved not to let himself be taken alive.
Yet to his utter astonishment, before those men could even close in, over ninety percent of the combatants were instantly incapacitated by the psychic shockwave Chen Chuan unleashed.
Fang Zhixin had not witnessed Chen Chuan's clashes with the remaining few with his own eyes, but he could tell from the sounds that every fight had ended within two or three exchanges.
From beginning to end, barely three or four minutes had passed.
What shocked him most was the terrifying momentum Chen Chuan displayed when launching his charge. Compared to his battle against Teacher Chen that day, his strength seemed to have grown by an astonishing degree.
Amid his awe and wonder, Fang Zhixin grew even firmer in his resolve. He spoke solemnly, "Captain Chen, what I wanted to say earlier is that there really is a map—a very detailed survey map of the convergence zone.
"Back then, I learned indirectly that those who contributed to Teacher's plan also wanted to get their hands on this data, but Teacher never gave it to them."
Chen Chuan had noticed earlier that someone had to be backing Chen Bitong's actions, though he could not guess their identity at the time. Now he asked, "Who were the people helping Teacher Chen? Do you know, Assistant Fang?"
Fang Zhixin had a complicated look on his face. "It's not that I don't want to tell you; Teacher never mentioned them to me. I suspect he didn't want me getting entangled with them."
Chen Chuan's gaze remained deep and still. There were many factions in Center City. The martial schools held considerable influence, but Chen Bitong had clearly never joined any of them. Given his conduct and lifelong principles, he could never see eye to eye with either the Convergence faction or the Refinement School, making cooperation with them all but impossible.
There was, however, one organization that was very likely to have aided him, which would also explain why Chen Bitong had kept Fang Zhixin from interacting with them.
Naturally, this was only speculation. Chen Chuan had no proof yet, but he could look into verifying it later.
After a moment's thought, he asked, "Did Teacher Chen never hand this data over to the government?"
Fang Zhixin replied, "Teacher Chen submitted it once a long time ago, back when he was still with the pioneer team. But the Jibei Dao convergence zone is immense, and significant changes can occur over just a few years.
"Later on, Teacher examined the data and reports submitted by subsequent pioneers and found numerous errors and discrepancies. Teacher said it was due to insufficient mental fortitude and misjudgments caused by resisting psychic erosion. So over the years, he spent his time collating, synthesizing, and finding ways to re-verify everything.
"In the past, Teacher would submit parts of his verified data each year, but in recent years, he hasn't submitted a single report."
Chen Chuan considered this. Chen Bitong had likely begun preparing for that plan around that time.
Fang Zhixin continued, "Thinking back now, it might not just be these foreigners. The people who captured me before might have been after this as well."
"Do you know who they were?" Chen Chuan asked.
"Hard to say. At first, I thought the people in contact with Teacher had come to rescue me, wondering if Teacher had arranged it. Later, I realized it didn't seem like it. Then I wondered if the Provisional Special Operations Committee had staged the whole thing, but thinking back, that didn't quite line up either..."
Fang Zhixin shook his head. "Regardless of who they are, I won't let them have their way." He raised his head and looked at Chen Chuan. "Captain Chen, I can only entrust this data to you. You're the only one I trust. I believe that if Teacher were still here, he would never let the relic fall into the hands of the Consortium."
With that, he stepped slightly closer and spoke a few words using vocalized jin.
After hearing them, Chen Chuan nodded and asked, "Assistant Fang, where do you plan to go next?"
Although Fang Zhixin was no longer a wanted man, appearing publicly could draw the attention of the Provisional Special Operations Committee. The Consortium was unlikely to drop the matter, and the unknown faction that might exist would probably catch wind of it and make a move as well.
Fang Zhixin said, "I've already thought it through. I plan to head into the convergence zone afterward and try to find my comrades there."
The retired gunners who had followed Chen Bitong had been spared punishment, but they had already been reassigned to the front lines of the convergence zone. If not to track down their whereabouts, he probably would have found a way to leave Center City the day he escaped.
Chen Chuan asked, "Do you have a way to get there?"
Fang Zhixin said, "I do, Captain Chen. I still know a few people."
Chen Chuan gave an affirmative sound. Center City strictly controlled entry from the convergence zone into the city, but traveling from the city into the convergence zone was relatively unregulated—especially for criminals. If one wished to run into the convergence zone, authorities might simply let them go, because out there, one was forced to rely on military fortresses.
Anyone left wandering the wilderness alone would scarcely survive a single night. And approaching a military fortress meant either being arrested or sent straight to the front lines as cannon fodder.
Looking at Fang Zhixin, Chen Chuan said, "If you run into any trouble, you can contact me. In the convergence zone, a different set of rules applies to many things."
Fang Zhixin nodded solemnly. He took a step back, gave Chen Chuan a crisp salute, and said, "Thank you, Captain Chen. I won't cause you any more trouble and will take my leave now. Also, please take good care of Xiao Jin."
"I will," Chen Chuan replied. Pausing briefly, he added, "Assistant Fang, wait a moment."
He walked outside. A short while later, he returned with a medical field kit from the Disposal Bureau. "You have injuries. Take this with you. I've already notified the personnel outside; no one will stop you."
Fang Zhixin did not refuse the gesture. He nodded heavily, offered one final salute, took the kit, and departed, melting into the night moments later.
After he had gone, Chen Chuan stepped out of the building. Yuan Qiuyuan, who was waiting outside, saluted and reported, "Captain, everyone has been apprehended. Not a single person slipped through the net."
Chen Chuan nodded and walked toward his approaching staff car. An orderly came forward to open the door. Once seated inside, Chen Chuan tapped his boundary credential and instructed, "Withdraw."
The vehicle started up slowly. Outside, personnel from the Disposal Bureau and city security began to pull out, while combat organisms returned to their designated staging areas under the guidance of field data.
Chen Chuan looked up at the sky and saw that the airship had already moved far off. As it was too conspicuous a target, he left it to the Bureau to handle. As for the data, he had no intention of retrieving it right away.
Those people knew he had just made contact with Fang Zhixin and would certainly keep a close eye on him in the coming days. It would be better to wait.
The convoy returned to the Disposal Bureau, where all the captured operatives were detained for immediate interrogation and screening.
Chen Chuan went back to his office to await the results, flipping through several dossiers as he waited. About half an hour later, the report arrived.
The head of the interrogation department personally delivered the summary to Chen Chuan's desk.
"Supervisor Chen, according to our investigation, every operative was recruited abroad by a contracting firm named 'Luxing.'"
"A contracting firm?"
"Yes. This firm was established less than three years ago, but it has extensive capital flows of unknown origin. Furthermore, out of all its upper management, only one person is currently in Center City. Shall we proceed with a special summons and interrogation?"
"No need," Chen Chuan said. "Handle it through normal procedures."
He knew very well that the Consortium was behind this firm. They were cautious enough not to act directly, choosing instead to operate through a contracting proxy. Even if an investigation were pursued, it would never lead back to them.
He glanced over the files. Just as Andun's earlier intel indicated, these fighters all hailed from Chiluojiaduo. Chiluojiaduo was far away, and bringing mercenaries from there was not something done overnight. The Consortium must have made thorough preparations during the three months following the Fumu's division.
As he was pondering this, a prompt chimed from his boundary credential, and Andun's voice sounded: "Supervisor Chen, the diplomatic delegation from the Linakes Federation has arrived outside the harbor. The Bureau currently needs to allocate more field resources and temporarily cannot maintain surveillance on Lianwei Heavy Control Company for you. Please understand."
Chen Chuan's gaze shifted slightly. The people from the Linakes Federation had arrived?
He immediately tapped the field screen in his office. Moments later, a beam of light shone down, blurred and flickering at first before steadily coming into focus.
What appeared on the display was the scene at the port in Jiyang District. Several large warships could be vaguely seen anchored there.
Unlike the Consortium, the Linakes Federation had arrived aboard an ocean-going escort fleet. According to prior notices, the flagship carrying the delegation was escorted by six warships; three would dock alongside the flagship at the Jiyang District harbor, while the other three berthed at other ports.
Because this was an official diplomatic delegation, both the Government Affairs Department and the Municipal Council had sent representatives to welcome them, including Supervisor Wen from the Disposal Bureau. As a result, large numbers of security personnel and armed soldiers could be seen across the docks, with armored vehicles barricading the primary thoroughfares.
The delegation had originally been scheduled to arrive this afternoon, but appeared to have run slightly behind schedule; it was already past ten at night. Even so, the harbor remained brightly lit.
Chen Chuan watched as wide gangways were lowered from the transport tenders docked alongside the flagship. Armored transport vehicles belonging to the Linakes Federation's Behemoth Company rolled out first, forming a protective corridor on both sides like towering walls of steel.
Following them came the sound of heavy, thunderous footsteps. As the silhouettes emerging from the shadows grew distinct, figures standing well over four meters tall strode out from within.
Chapter 670