Interception

Shuixian slammed solidly into the ground, sending shattered gravel flying in all directions as a wide web of cracks fractured the reinforced floor. Yet Yang Ling felt little pain. The tough outer shell afforded the conscious entity formidable protection, and minor damage in various places quickly mended under the body's powerful regenerative capability. Now held firmly in someone's grasp, however, her consciousness registered an immense threat. She plunged into an acute stress state and began ruthlessly draining every drop of energy stored within her body to break free. The slender, agile tail behind her whipped forward, its barbed tip driving straight toward the person behind her. Chen Chuan watched the tail spike come in and tilted his head slightly, evading it with ease. Yet the tail was remarkably nimble; having missed, it twisted in mid-air, attempting to strike the back of his head. Before it could complete its turn and exert full force, however, her body was hoisted aloft once again and slammed heavily into the ground. The tail instantly lost its strength, managing only a feeble brush against his protective overcoat. At that moment, two dull whooshes ripped through the air—Raptor and Eel, seeing Shuixian pinned, had hurled two throwing batons toward Chen Chuan. Yet while they were still in flight, two sharp cracks rang out as a long staff and a spear parried the batons aside. Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque had come prepared, keeping close watch on the pair from the very start, giving them no opportunity to launch a sneak attack or interfere with Chen Chuan. Right then, a figure flashed forward. The female assistant charged toward Chen Chuan with astonishing speed. As she sprinted, her administrative uniform could not withstand the explosive surge of power, ripping apart to reveal a snug protective suit underneath. She was actually an implant fighter with high compatibility, a fact she had kept entirely hidden until now. Before entering Center City, she had surgically excised all the implants from her body and preserved them in specialized culture dishes. Only after arriving in Center City did she undergo the re-implantation, regaining her peak state after a period of recovery. That was how she had successfully concealed her combat capability. Su Wei was not present, having followed Chen Chuan's orders to guard the key official, and the other gunners had focused their attention on the other fighters, overlooking the "administrative staff" standing in front. Consequently, she encountered no resistance whatsoever and closed in directly beside Chen Chuan. A crystalline blade slipped into her hand, its edge extraordinarily keen—a company-customized weapon capable of slicing through protective suits and dense flesh and bone. Her chosen angle was meticulously timed, striking at the exact instant Chen Chuan seized Shuixian and smashed her downward. Chen Chuan caught sight of her and merely leaned slightly. Though modest, the shift brought his shoulder forward to collide with the thrusting blade ahead of time. When the blade clashed against the jin enveloping his body, it shattered into fragments on the spot. The assistant had clearly undergone rigorous training; the setback did not halt her offensive. She swiftly let go of the broken blade and thrust out both hands. Veins bulged along the backs of her hands as sharp claws extended from her fingertips, clawing toward Chen Chuan's neck and shoulders. Yet halfway through the motion, an abrupt wave of weakness washed over her, and her strength ebbed away like a receding tide. In the split second of their earlier contact, Chen Chuan's jin had already traveled through the crystal blade. Even if the blade's design had dispersed a fraction of the force, Mind Jin could already be transmitted through the air, let alone across direct physical contact. A current of yielding jin was now running rampant through her body, shattering and disrupting the newly regenerated mutated implant tissues. When her fingers finally landed on Chen Chuan's shoulder, deprived of internal support, they snapped one after another. Her built-up momentum remained, however, propelling her straight into Chen Chuan. The impact was like rotten wood crashing into solid steel, instantly producing a succession of snapping bones. Chen Chuan did not spare her even a glance. Seizing Shuixian's leg, he swung her toward the other side. With an explosive bang, Chen Chuan's turning motion swept the assistant along, hurling her heavily against the corridor wall, where she collapsed like a heap of mud. As the active conscious entity crashed against the ground once more, Chen Chuan suddenly felt a violent struggling force transmit into his palm. An extremely slick fluid seemed to secrete from the contact surface, feeling just like a freshly caught fish thrashing frantically in his grip. At the same time, a surge of jin actually pulsed out from within. Chen Chuan felt a flicker of surprise. He was no stranger to active conscious entities in combat—Wu Qi, for instance—yet formidable as Wu Qi was, he had never been able to wield jin. Wielding jin relied on an entire system and method for utilizing mutated tissue, gradually created through generations of fighters passing down and refining their craft. While creatures from the Confluence possessed mutated tissue, none knew how to channel jin, relying purely on instinct. Yet this active conscious entity had achieved it. In truth, the reason Shuixian could exert jin was that this particular model had been designed from inception for human fusion. All mutated tissues had undergone meticulous conditioning and repeated simulation trials, culminating in a systematic practical framework—a true testament to the technology of Lianwei Heavy Control Company. All of this had been stored as compiled data within the conscious entity. Once Yang Ling fused with it, she could rapidly comprehend and wield these mutated tissues. Given more time to grow familiar, she might have even developed a style of jin tailored to herself. If subsequent practice allowed her to adjust and refine suboptimal mutated tissues, then once fully grown, not even Wu Qi would have been her match. Against Chen Chuan, however, this was far from enough. When he swung her earlier, he had deliberately held back. Yang Ling, fused within, was merely a controlled puppet rather than a willing agent, so he had refrained from using Mind Jin. Had he done so, his jin would have permeated the shell from the start, destroying both the person and the internal tissue inside. Now, as the opposing jin shifted, his own jin adapted accordingly. No matter how Shuixian squirmed, it could not slip from his grasp, while his spiritual power repeatedly mapped the flow and gaps of the mutated tissues within. A moment later, his eyes glinted. A subtle flick of his hand sent a jolt of jin penetrating into its body. From the outside, it looked as though a ripple of water flowed across Shuixian's surface. Shuixian shuddered violently, then went utterly limp. In that single instant, most of its internal mutated tissues and skeletal supports were shattered by the jin Chen Chuan had injected. Yang Ling's vision went dark. She felt her connection to the shell sever, leaving her unable to control it or perceive the outside world through her consciousness. Her breathing suddenly turned rapid and shallow. With Shuixian nearly disabled, it could no longer supply her with sufficient oxygen; in less than a minute, she would suffocate to death inside. She tried to struggle, but it was futile. The tentacles and internal soft tissue of Shuixian held her in a vice-like grip. While this offered absolute protection during combat, it now bound her tightly, leaving her unable to pull free in the slightest—unable to even budge. Just as her consciousness began to fade, an opening seemed to rip apart before her. Beneath the lamplight stood a tall, upright figure, though his face remained blurred. A rush of fresh air poured in, and her chest heaved violently as she gasped for breath. Chen Chuan glanced inside and saw her skin already showing signs of adhering and fusing with the surrounding soft tissue. He did not know how long Yang Ling had been inside this shell, but it could not have been very long. Had the fusion continued, she likely would have grown entirely into it, becoming indistinguishable from the creature. That would no longer happen. Seeing that she was safe, he drew back his gaze and turned toward the hall. When the machine guns opened fire earlier, the logistics and technical personnel of Lianwei Heavy Control had scrambled back into the rear corridor. The active conscious entity had intentionally kept its distance from the crowd, and the gunners had not received orders to target them, so most had escaped unharmed, save for a few struck by ricocheting rounds or flying debris. Clad in protective suits and far from ordinary civilians, they suffered no grave injuries. However, the gunners had given extra care to the third limit fighters charging forward, concentrating nearly all their fire into a crossfire net that left them scattered across the floor. Only the two Black Steel rank fighters were seasoned enough to immediately engage Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque in close quarters, causing the gunners to hold their fire for fear of hitting their comrades. Although the two Black Steel fighters held a slight edge in raw strength over Qin and Yuan, it was not an overwhelming disparity, resulting in a brief stalemate. Chen Chuan stood by without rushing to intervene; this served as rare and valuable combat practice for both Qin and Yuan. Seeing Chen Chuan free his hands, the active conscious entity beneath him lying motionless, and the female assistant's fate uncertain, Raptor and Eel knew the operation had failed. They stood no chance against an action-oriented Investigation Supervisor, and dragging the fight out was pointless. Parrying attacks from Qin and Yuan, they tossed aside their weapons with practiced efficiency, dropped straight to their knees, and laced their hands behind their heads in textbook fashion. "We surrender. We're willing to cooperate with the investigation." Chen Chuan glanced at them. These two still had their uses. With solid evidence in hand and the right maneuvers, this would be enough to bring down Lianwei Heavy Control's entire branch. He said, "Clean this up. Take everyone into custody." Every Disposal Bureau operative present answered with a resounding, full-throated roar: "Yes, Supervisor!"