Fissure

Chen Chuan gently stroked the Xuejun Saber. Sensing that it still had strength to spare, he raised the weapon once more and slashed through empty air, carving open a tiny fissure barely an inch wide. Focusing his spirit, he swept the blade across it again, and once more he successfully mended it. He made several more attempts. After a short while, he felt a sense of fatigue emanating from the Xuejun Saber. This indicated that both cutting open a fissure and sealing one consumed the saber's power, and the mutated tissue inside it would tire as well. Evaluating the sensation carefully, he realized that perhaps due to the suppression of the Ring of the World, closing a fissure consumed far less power than carving one open. In that case, if he could cut open a fissure at full power only once a day, he could perform the mending action two or three times. This was immensely useful. It meant that whenever he cultivated alone in the future, whether an entity from the other side tried to cross over or someone suddenly noticed anomalies here, he could immediately seal it and prevent trouble. Moreover, he would no longer need to strictly cap his sessions at four hours. He could afford to extend the time, confident that if anything went wrong, he could seal it promptly. At the same time, he wouldn't have to devote so much attention to guarding against disturbances outside; he could leave most of that to Chaoming, which would drastically boost his cultivation efficiency. However, he had to take into account that the Ring of the World would close in just over a month at most. By then, opening a fissure wouldn't be anywhere near as easy, and the duration a fissure could remain open might be squeezed even shorter. This prime window of opportunity was only a month or so—perhaps even less. That being the case, he had to make the most of this period to achieve as much progress as possible, perhaps even a breakthrough. Sheathing his saber, he brought out a bottle of medicinal solution and poured it over the charred marks on the floor. It instantly corroded the spot. He then took out a utility knife and scraped the residue into a prepared pouch. Bizarre remnants tended to appear whenever a fissure opened, so he kept these tools on hand at all times. Disposing of them properly prevented any traces of his cultivation from leaking and preempted potential complications. As for minor damage to the floor, that was entirely normal for a powerful fighter; no one would think twice about it. Once he finished tidying up, he stepped over and pulled the bell cord by the bulkhead. Having worked with him many times recently, the airship crew immediately began their return flight at the sound. In truth, they were curious about Chen Chuan's training and wondered why he always flew high into the sky to cultivate. But as veteran company employees, they knew not to ask what shouldn't be asked and not to say what shouldn't be said. After the airship returned to Center City's airspace, numerous messages popped up on his boundary credential. He replied to them one by one, noting one message concerning Lianwei Heavy Control that particularly caught his attention. Although most of Andun's surveillance resources had been reassigned because the bureau needed to monitor the Linax Federation diplomatic team and the Corporate United Syndicate delegation, Chen Chuan had not relaxed his intelligence monitoring on Lianwei Heavy Control. To ensure he kept abreast of insider developments, he had also periodically sent personnel inside the company for surprise inspections. The pretext was ready-made: Fan Mo and three team members had been proven to have ties to Lianwei Heavy Control's headquarters, and they had inflicted considerable disruption and damage on Center City's security. To prevent such incidents from recurring, close surveillance of the branch was naturally warranted. The message indicated that Lianwei Heavy Control Company had recently submitted an application to enter the Confluence for exploration and fulfillment of support obligations. It was called an application, but in reality, thanks to agreements dating back to the Grand Alliance era and the cooperation of the Municipal Council, the process had long since become a toothless formality. Essentially, as long as the company remained recognized by Center City, any application submitted was guaranteed approval. Fortunately, the Defense Department and the Disposal Bureau retained the authority to vet the personnel entering. If the individuals did not match the submitted roster, both departments had the power to intervene. Thus, after reviewing the application, Chen Chuan immediately pulled up the personnel roster. He saw that the two black steel-level fighters who previously served as bodyguards to the person in charge were prominently listed for this operation. Aside from them, there were several names not on the previous records, noted as currently outside Center City, en route, and due to arrive over the coming days. However, he sensed something was amiss. Black steel-level fighters were formidable under ordinary circumstances, but when it came to contesting relics, they fell far short. Unless they didn't intend to do anything major. Was that even possible? Had Lianwei Heavy Control gone to such great lengths merely to send two people in for a casual stroll? He was certain Lianwei Heavy Control's true committed force was far greater than just those two. Then, with one faction wiped out and their new personnel not yet in place, how did they plan to guarantee sufficient combat power? He pondered the matter, his mind instinctively turning toward that active conscious entity embryo. Having clashed with active conscious entities before, he had a vivid impression of what they were capable of, making it natural to draw the connection. With that thought in mind, he immediately asked Andun, "Andun, you said that an active conscious entity's embryo has no combat power of its own and can only send and receive information. Are there other technical means to enhance its combat capability? And I mean including immature or purely theoretical technologies." Andun answered, "There is currently an unperfected technology that may achieve the effect you describe, Supervisor: the combination of a human and an active conscious entity embryo, achieving mutual symbiosis and reciprocal amplification. "However, the conditions are quite demanding. First, it requires an individual with exceptional psychic talent whose mind aligns with the active conscious entity to achieve a viable rate of fusion success. "Note that even with these conditions met, fusion is not guaranteed to succeed every time under identical conditions and with the same subject. A failure inflicts irreversible harm on both parties, thereby reducing the odds of success in subsequent attempts. "Even if successful, separating them remains an unresolved dilemma. According to current research, maintaining this state for an extended period carries a distinct possibility that both sides will fuse entirely. As for the subsequent effects and consequences, no experimental data is currently available..." After listening, Chen Chuan thought it over and immediately brought up the photograph of the young girl named Yang Ling. If his previous suspicion was correct and Yang Ling possessed talents far beyond ordinary people, she fit the criteria perfectly. Only a biological weapon like that would stand a chance of contending with the government and other factions. Barring other options and possibilities, this deduction was the most plausible. Yet the roster made no mention of an active conscious entity, nor did Yang Ling's name appear. He quickly realized this discrepancy was something he could exploit. If things were as he suspected, he might be able to unravel whatever Lianwei Heavy Control had planned. Glancing once more at Lianwei Heavy Control's scheduled entry time into the Confluence, he saw it was set for five in the afternoon on October 4th. After brief consideration, he touched his boundary credential. "All squads, attention. An important mission is coming up shortly. Stand by for updates." Inside Lianwei Heavy Control's underground hall, Yang Ling was controlling Shuixian to feed on high-energy nutrient solution. Tendrils sprouted from her outer shell, extending into the nutrient storage vat and drawing in the fluid. Her form had visibly grown more than a size larger compared to when she first emerged. Yet a more powerful body meant greater energy expenditure. Here, she could replenish herself with nutrient fluid or even induce a low-consumption state. Once inside the Confluence, however, she wouldn't have such luxuries. While Shuixian could theoretically replenish its energy by hunting prey in the Confluence, spending hours feeding each day would leave her little time for anything else. That was why Lianwei Heavy Control would assign a support team centered around her to hunt prey and provide logistical backing. Her sole duty would be focusing on locating the relic and dealing with critical threats. As she fed, Yang Ling felt her thoughts gradually converging with Shuixian's. It felt as though she were Shuixian and Shuixian were her—an inevitable outcome of unifying their physical and mental states. Perhaps before long, the two would truly become indistinguishable. Her human side would fade away completely, leaving behind an exceptional active conscious entity—a biological weapon at the corporation's beck and call. Footsteps sounded, and the female assistant walked up to her, staring with feverish intensity at the entity that had grown yet another size larger. She said, "Miss, the application has been submitted, and the time is set. Tomorrow evening, we depart. Everything is arranged, and we will provide full cover for you when the time comes." Seeing a response appear on her boundary credential, the assistant continued, "There is no need to worry about being shorthanded, Miss. The second team sent by headquarters has been waiting outside the city for some time now. "Although the Disposal Bureau has been watching our movements closely and using bureaucratic procedures to obstruct us, we followed standard protocol this time. The fighter assignments fully comply with security rating limits. They can hold us up until tomorrow at the latest before they're forced to clear us." Shuixian lifted its head and glanced at her again. Glancing at her boundary credential, the assistant's expression cooled once more. "Rest assured, Miss. As soon as the objective is secured, we will sever the fusion. The company currently has no second candidate with talents like yours, and we will not squander you carelessly on this mission. "I must also remind you, Miss, that the duration of this fusion depends entirely on you. If you locate what the company needs sooner, the state can be undone that much sooner." With that, she bowed slightly, turned on her high heels, and walked away, her figure quickly swallowed by the dimly lit corridor ahead. Yang Ling watched her leave in silence. After a moment, she lowered her head, idly swished Shuixian's tail, and resumed drinking the high-energy nutrient fluid around her.