Chen Chuan examined Mr. Yang's wound and noticed a strange mutated substance clinging around it, preventing it from healing. It looked like some form of biological toxin.
Before heading out, he had reviewed the Disposal Bureau's intelligence dossiers, so he was not completely ignorant of the fighters the Combine had deployed on this operation. He held information on several of them.
He asked Mr. Yang about the assailant's attire and gathered a few relevant details.
If the man's description was accurate, the available intelligence pointed to the pursuer being the Combine fighter known as "Poison Shadow."
This individual was supposedly a fighter who held a recognized ranking on the global stage.
Chen Chuan agreed to Mr. Yang's plea without much hesitation.
"Mr. Yang, I can help you with this matter. Those people can be considered my enemies as well. In fact, I came out here precisely because of them."
He had originally planned to launch a surprise raid on their camp anyway. If he could eliminate one of their heavy hitters outside the encampment beforehand, he certainly would not pass up the opportunity.
Besides, he was curious about these international rankings. This was a good chance to see firsthand just what caliber these globally ranked fighters truly possessed.
Seeing Chen Chuan agree so readily without asking a single question about the difficulty or danger involved, Mr. Yang assumed it was simply because he was a Great Shun veteran that Chen Chuan was willing to fight by his side. A long-lost surge of hot-blooded warmth welled up in his chest, filling him with a strong desire to do something in return for Chen Chuan.
He leaned forward slightly and asked, "Mr. Chen, did you come here to scout the situation?"
Chen Chuan said, "I plan to head over to the camp they established and take a look."
Mr. Yang nodded. In a solemn tone, he said, "Mr. Chen, you probably aren't familiar with this stretch of terrain. I've lived around here for twenty-five years. I know several hidden paths that can bypass trouble and get you there very quickly, with vantage points well suited for observing their layout. Once this matter is settled, I'll accompany you on that trip."
Chen Chuan asked, "Don't you need to escort the people outside to safety, Senior Yang?"
Mr. Yang replied, "They were all born and raised here, spending their entire lives in these lands. If there isn't a powerful pursuer dogging their heels, navigating the dense jungle is second nature to them."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan did not refuse. The situation appeared intricate, and having someone intimately familiar with the terrain to serve as a guide would naturally be a great advantage.
He glanced at the other man's wound again, reached into his coat pocket, retrieved a small vial of liquid medicine, and offered it over. "Try this."
Mr. Yang did not decline. He took the vial, looked at it, and said with nostalgic emotion, "Still the same design as back then." Dexterously popping the stopper, he sprinkled some of the liquid over the exterior of the wound. Then, dipping a finger into the solution, he reached deep into the wound without flinching and applied the medicine evenly within.
A short while later, the mutated substance that had been inhibiting the healing process was visibly suppressed. The mutated tissue around the wound seemed to stir back to life from its dormant state, gradually beginning to regenerate.
Feeling the medicine take effect, a look of delight crossed his face. He expressed his sincere gratitude to Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, thank you for the medicine!"
Chen Chuan said, "Senior Yang is too polite. Given your background, we can consider each other comrades-in-arms. A little medicine is nothing."
"Comrades-in-arms..."
Mr. Yang nodded heavily. Extending a hand, he said, "Yang Yuncheng. A veteran who fell out of formation twenty-five years ago."
Chen Chuan shook his hand. "Chen Chuan, Investigation Supervisor at the Disposal Bureau."
"An Investigation Supervisor?"
Yang Yuncheng was taken aback. He had not expected an Investigation Supervisor to come out here in person. In military terms, that rank corresponded to a senior officer who would hardly ever be deployed on the front lines, let alone venture deep into uncharted territory like this.
Still, he had been away from the Defense Department for twenty-five years. His past experience might no longer apply to present circumstances, so he refrained from prying further.
He glanced outside and saw that the rain had stopped during their brief conversation. Checking the vintage mechanical watch on his wrist, he saw it was already midday. With a slightly solemn expression, he said, "That person usually strikes around this time of day. Supervisor Chen, we should make preparations."
Chen Chuan gave a low murmur of assent. "He's already here."
Yang Yuncheng tensed up at those words. In the very next instant, the tent's door flap flew open, and Chen Chuan, who had been sitting opposite him, vanished into thin air.
Outside, a thunderous explosion erupted, causing the entire tent to shudder violently.
Yang Yuncheng immediately seized his bone weapon and rushed out. Once outside, he heard a rapid succession of explosive, thunder-like booms—first sounding ahead, then seemingly shifting far into the distance an instant later, each detonation vibrating hard enough to make his eardrums ache.
Yet the commotion subsided after only a short while. The final sounds appeared to originate from the dense forest they had crossed earlier, and he hurried off in that direction.
After advancing roughly five to six hundred meters, he found Chen Chuan standing there holding his weapon. The blade had not been drawn from its scabbard; only thin wisps of vapor curled from his free fist.
Lying on the ground was a figure clad in a black protective uniform and wearing a spindle-shaped mask. A sunken hollow marred his chest, looking remarkably like a vortex; his torso and limbs appeared to have been twisted and mangled along the rotation of that very swirl.
Yang Yuncheng's breath hitched slightly. He walked forward at a measured pace, fixing his eyes on the figure sprawled across the earth. In the man's grip was a pitch-black spike, though the weapon had likewise been twisted and warped into a curved shape by some unseen force.
With his experienced eye, Yang Yuncheng could tell that this person had attempted to ward off the incoming jin with his mutated weapon. The effort had proven entirely futile; the penetrating jin had surged through the weapon and man alike, shattering both in one go.
Chen Chuan asked, "Senior Yang, is this him?"
Yang Yuncheng nodded. "It's him."
Staring at the half-dead figure sprawled on the ground, a swirl of complex emotions stirred within him. He had truly never expected that an opponent who had appeared formidable and nearly insurmountable in his eyes would be disposed of so effortlessly by Chen Chuan. A sudden sense of age washed over him, making him feel as though he had fallen completely behind the times.
When dealing with an internationally renowned fighter, Chen Chuan had initially approached the encounter with absolute seriousness. After the clash, however, he felt the opponent was competent enough—more than qualified to serve as an enforcement captain, or perhaps even an Investigation Supervisor—but nothing beyond that.
Even so, once one reached a certain echelon, every slight increase in strength was exceedingly difficult to achieve. He could not afford to underestimate those ranked even higher in the intelligence reports. What caliber those individuals truly possessed remained to be seen; one could only know for sure after crossing blades.
Yang Yuncheng crouched down and reached out with a gloved hand to inspect the body. Discovering that the man's bones and muscles below the neck were practically crushed into mush by that terrifying force, he marveled in secret once more.
He asked, "Supervisor Chen, do you intend to extract intelligence from him?"
Chen Chuan replied, "That was the plan, though he doesn't look particularly inclined to cooperate."
Yang Yuncheng immediately said, "If you trust us, Supervisor Chen, we can assist with that."
Chen Chuan had no objections. Interrogation was not his forte; if someone on Yang Yuncheng's side could pry information out of the man, all the better. If not, it would not hinder him much either.
Yang Yuncheng promptly produced a length of rope, bound the fallen fighter securely, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and returned to the encampment alongside Chen Chuan.
After delivering Poison Shadow into one of the tents, he came back out and said to Chen Chuan, "Supervisor Chen, the interrogation will take some time. Besides, several more bouts of rain are likely to fall today, making it ill-suited for heading toward the Combine's camp. Why not rest here for today? Tomorrow morning, I'll personally guide you over."
Chen Chuan said, "That works."
At that moment, Yang Yuncheng reached into the pocket of his outer garment, produced a palm-sized object wrapped in thick cloth, and extended it toward Chen Chuan. "Supervisor Chen, please accept this."
Chen Chuan did not reach out to take it right away. Instead, he asked, "What is this?"
Yang Yuncheng sighed softly. "This is the relic I discovered back then."
Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "Oh? Your teammates didn't take it back with them?"
Yang Yuncheng shook his head. "On our way back, we were repeatedly attacked by formidable creatures. We concluded that those beasts were likely drawn by this relic in our possession. That's why I kept it on me when I stayed behind to hold the rear.
"Based on our assessment at the time, it's very likely only a tier-five relic, or at best tier-four. It holds value, but probably not an extraordinary amount; otherwise, the creatures drawn to it back then would have been far more terrifying.
"I've kept this object all these years, but I was never able to make heads or tails of it. Supervisor Chen, I'd like to entrust it to you. Whether you keep it for yourself or hand it over to the Defense Department upon your return, it's yours to handle. This isn't your compensation, mind you; what we promised you will be delivered later."
Chen Chuan did not care much about rewards, but he saw no reason to refuse the item. Reaching out, he took it.
"Then I'll accept it."
Seeing him take the object, Yang Yuncheng looked as though an enormous burden had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders, his entire posture visibly easing.
He asked if Chen Chuan needed a tent prepared for him. Chen Chuan declined, and Yang Yuncheng did not insist, knowing that Chen Chuan must have had his own means of spending the night after traveling all this way.
Having decided to stay, Chen Chuan went off to the side to prepare his shelter. He chose a spot situated in a corner of the camp, keeping some distance from the rest of the group.
With campfires ringing the perimeter, there was little cause for concern, sparing him the need to light another fire of his own.
Since time was abundant on this occasion, he excavated the underground hollow to make it somewhat more spacious. By the time he had finished his arrangements, rain had begun to fall from the sky once more. He called out to Yang Yuncheng's side to let them know he would be cultivating and preferred not to be disturbed.
Afterward, he returned inside the tent. Settling into a seated position, he picked up the Xuejun Saber. With a gentle flick of the blade, he sliced open a glowing fissure, preparing to begin his daily cultivation.
Just at that moment, however, he sensed something in his pocket growing faintly warm.
Chapter 722