Besieged

Faced with a pincer attack from both sides, Supervisor Wen no longer had time to dodge. He leaned to the side, unleashed his Mind Jin, and met that ferocious force head-on across empty air. With an explosive boom, an air blast erupted between them, hurling him outward. Yet this was precisely the outcome he had hoped for, and it afforded him a clear look at his assailant. The man wore a protective mask, with an oversized visor component taking up well over a third of his face. His body was outfitted with detachable external implant armor, and his fists bore thick, specialized gauntlets. He was powerfully built, his shoulders, back, and thighs particularly burly, though his waist was comparatively slim. Supervisor Wen recognized him at once: this was a renowned fighter and mercenary from the Linax Federation known by the moniker "Army Ant." The man possessed monstrous strength and boasted an exceptionally high mission completion rate. Someone from the Linax Federation... His heart sank. Supervisor Han was indeed in league with them. This was the worst-case scenario he had least wanted to see. Yet there was no time to dwell on it. Using the momentum from Army Ant's blow, he propelled himself dozens of meters away, quickly adjusting his posture as he dissipated the force. Army Ant's jin possessed a disrupting effect on mutated tissue and even interfered somewhat with the mind. Wen could still withstand it in a one-on-one fight, but now there were two of them... Wind howled from his flank as Supervisor Han closed in once more, snapping a kick toward his face. Wen raised a hand to block. This time, their jin clashed across the air and detonated mid-flight, neither gaining the upper hand. But Army Ant was already right behind him, swinging a massive gauntleted fist his way. With no time to readjust, Wen could only parry once again. Yet Army Ant's jin this time was completely different from before—upon clashing across the air, it generated an adhesive force. Instead of borrowing the impact to leap back, Wen was held fast in place for a split second. A sharp metallic rasp rang out as Supervisor Han drew his sword, seizing the opening to sweep a glinting blade toward him. While Supervisor Wen was pinned down, the men he had posted at several machine gun positions were picked off one by one, their heads blown apart. From the trajectory, the bullets had come straight down from the high observation post. They had never imagined bullets would rain down from what should have been their secure rear. By the time anyone realized what was happening, the primary defense posts were already wiped out. Yet the remaining operatives were well-trained. Instead of panicking, they immediately moved to release the prepared combat organisms. But before they could do so, a shockwave of mental force swept across the entire position, preventing any of the combat organisms from being deployed. Although the team members carried mental protective gear, many were still knocked off their feet on the spot. Even those left standing staggered, disoriented. In that brief window of vulnerability, a shuttle-like projectile darted through the air, looping around them and drilling bloody holes through one head after another. After carving a circle through the air, the slender shuttle returned to the hand of a man wearing a white mask and a cowboy hat. This was the Linax Federation's notorious fighter, "Skinner." He was gazing toward Supervisor Wen, twirling a small knife covertly between his fingertips, a strange glint in his eyes. In truth, they had been lying in ambush all along. Today's ambush was, from the very start, a coordinated annihilation campaign between the Linax Federation and Supervisor Han against Supervisor Wen's detachment. On Wen's side, he had already taken two sword cuts—long, deep gashes that bled profusely. Barehanded against a weapon was a crushing disadvantage to begin with, let alone against two opponents at once. Though he carried a sidearm sword of his own, he had found no opening to draw it. Seeing the slaughter of his men, he made his decision in an instant: since he had brought these people out here, he had to see them safely back, even if it cost him his life. With that thought, after evading another strike, he flipped his cloak open. With two metallic clicks, his wrist snapped forward, hurling two pineapple grenades. Seeing this, Supervisor Han and Army Ant immediately backed away prudently. With two muffled booms, both grenades detonated in midair, billowing outward in thick plumes of smoke without producing any shrapnel. Covered by the smoke screen, Supervisor Wen immediately sent out an emergency withdrawal signal. Such short, powerful transmissions were difficult even for jamming organisms to completely block. Once the order was transmitted, all his surviving men fell back, and the several armored vehicles stationed in the distance roared to life and sped away. From left and right came the sounds of movement as the two charged at him once more. Under their coordinated assault, Wen could mount no effective counterattack. He simply did everything he could to buy time, even as wound after wound was carved into his flesh. After tangled combat for about ten minutes, Supervisor Wen felt himself reaching his absolute limit and knew there was no point in dragging it out any longer. A look of grim finality entered his eyes. He ripped off his cloak and flung it at Supervisor Han, instantly blinding Han's line of sight. Seeing this, Supervisor Han did not thrust forward; instead, he pulled his sword back slightly. But right at that moment, he felt the blade sink into solid flesh—Supervisor Wen had lunged forward of his own accord, letting the longsword pierce straight through his chest, and used Void-Anchoring Jin to lock the blade firmly in place! Simultaneously, two hands shot out with blinding speed, seizing Supervisor Han by the forearm as Wen stared fixedly into Han's eyes. Han's expression shifted slightly. He understood Wen's intention: Wen was trying to cripple one of his limbs. Regardless of how this affair concluded, Han would have to return. But if he lost a limb—especially to an injury inflicted by Wen's unique Mind Jin—it would be impossible to talk his way out of what had happened today. Yet faced with Wen's desperate, all-out counter, the Void-Anchoring Jin traveled through the blade into Han, preventing him from exerting force to break free in that critical instant. A blur of movement flashed as Army Ant charged in, swinging both fists brutally into Wen's back and head! One fist blew a massive hole right through Wen's spine, while the other struck his head, instantly obliterating half of his skull. Yet even then, Supervisor Wen held fast to Supervisor Han's arm. As a surge of jin erupted, Han's entire arm suddenly exploded, leaving fractured bones and mangled flesh dangling in tatters. Supervisor Han looked down at his arm, took a breath, and turned his gaze back to Wen's face. Staring into the single remaining eye, he said slowly, "Old Wen, do you know why you lost? Because you're too willing to trust people." He knew that although Wen usually acted like a slick operator, down beneath it all, he was a genuinely honest man. When things went wrong, he would step forward, and he was always willing to lend colleagues a hand. It was precisely because of this that Han had known Wen would take the bait the moment he made the proposal. Supervisor Wen was already lifeless, his body riddled with horrific trauma. That final blow had spent every last vestige of his strength, yet he remained upright, frozen in that final posture, completely still. Skinner strolled over, glancing first at Han's mangled arm and then at the minced flesh on the ground. "Han, need me to sew that back on for you? It won't be free, though." "No need," Supervisor Han said expressionlessly. He had already prepared for such injuries. He cast his gaze to the other side. At some point, a white-haired man had appeared there. His face was etched with wrinkles, yet his eyes were as clear as a child's. With his arrival, the chaotic battlefield seemed to fall completely silent. This was the Linax Federation fighter known as "Dream Master." A fighter who also possessed extraordinary mental talents, he could alter human memories to a certain degree. "I leave the unconscious and captured personnel to you," Supervisor Han said. "I expect no mistakes." Dream Master replied in a rich, magnetic voice, "Leave it to me." Supervisor Han slowly drew his sword from Supervisor Wen's chest. Skinner stepped forward, his eyes alight with anticipation, and pointed at Supervisor Wen. "Han, can I have this one? I know he's your trophy, but I don't imagine you want anyone reading anything into his injuries, do you?" "Suit yourself," Supervisor Han said flatly. He flicked the blood and flesh from his sword, turned, and walked away. After a couple of steps, he looked back and added, "Clean it up thoroughly." Skinner tipped the brim of his cowboy hat upward. "As you wish." *** At that same moment, inside the Disposal Bureau. Chen Chuan was seated in his office as the head of the medical team reported to him. "Supervisor Chen, we've examined her. Overall, she's out of danger. A considerable amount of mutated tissue had grown inside her body. Without proper guidance, it would have invaded her normal tissues and physiological functions. Fortunately, it hadn't been growing for very long and hasn't caused too much lasting harm. We've already excised it. "The technology is indeed impressive. If the fusion had progressed any deeper, the outcome might have been entirely different, but thankfully she was rescued in time. "While the foreign tissue in her body can be dealt with, her mental state will be much harder to treat. Too many foreign impressions were fused into her consciousness. She'll likely need a considerable period of rest to recover. Furthermore, her personality and behavioral habits might be affected to some extent, and that will be very difficult to reverse." Chen Chuan set down the report and asked, "Did she ingest any drugs?" "None were detected," the team head replied. "That's likely due to her possessing mental power; prolonged drug use impairs mental faculties. We didn't find any hypnotic conditioning or implants either, probably out of the same consideration." She sighed. "After all, she's just a little girl without any combat capability." Chen Chuan asked again, "How is that active conscious entity?" "We've preserved it using cryogenic techniques," the team head replied. "However, from the moment the girl was removed, its degradation accelerated. Without proper maintenance, it may completely lose its original vitality before long." With a hint of admiration, she added, "When you transported her back, Supervisor, you didn't extract her immediately. That was very well handled. Otherwise, the entity would have broken down rapidly on the road, leaving behind next to nothing." Chen Chuan nodded slightly. When he brought the conscious entity back, it had kept regenerating and repairing itself. To keep Yang Ling from being reabsorbed, he had repeatedly disrupted it en route. Unsure whether pulling her out right away would cause severe complications, he had left her inside for the journey, and the outcome proved he had made the right call. "Keep it well-preserved," he said. This active conscious entity served as prime evidence linking it to the Lianwei Heavy Control Company, as conscious entity conditioning techniques pointed unmistakably toward their creators. "I will, sir," the team head said seriously. Seeing that Chen Chuan had no further instructions, she bowed slightly and walked out, closing the office door behind her. Once she was gone, Chen Chuan rested his hand on his boundary credential and asked, "Executive Qin, how is progress on your end?" Qin Qingque answered, "Captain, they've all been interrogated. They're willing to testify, but they don't know much. Only that female assistant knows the full details, and she's currently undergoing treatment." Chen Chuan acknowledged with a hum. He had measured his strikes carefully back then, shattering the female assistant's internal tissues without killing her, precisely to ensure they could extract a confession from her. Once matters were unraveled here, they could thoroughly pry the thorn of Lianwei Heavy Control Company out of Center City. As he pondered, a chime suddenly sounded from his boundary credential. He glanced down. Assistant Ling?