Stepping out of the airship was a man in his thirties wearing sunglasses. He had a chiseled face, stood somewhat tall and lean, and wore an exquisite black formal suit, with a vintage silver mechanical watch on his wrist.
Once outside, he took off his sunglasses, revealing deep blue eyes and prominent cheekbones.
He wore neat, sharp dark brown hair, and his entire aura was reserved and profound, making anyone facing him unconsciously cautious.
Below the airship and waiting in the distance, many fighters from the Linakes Federation could not help but show looks of admiration and excitement upon seeing him.
As the man walked down the gangway, the reception officer stepped forward and said respectfully and courteously, "Mr. Wilhelm, welcome."
Wilhelm responded with easy grace.
His voice was on the deeper side, rich in emotion and infectious—clearly that of a thoroughly well-educated man.
If it were not stated outright, outsiders would find it hard to imagine that this aristocratic-looking gentleman was Thalassa Wilhelm, a third limit fighter ranked among the world's top thirty.
He hailed from the royal nobility of the Western Continent's Old Dynasty. Although the Old Dynasty had been overthrown and most aristocrats had fled into the Confluence, he had not left, taking refuge instead in the Linakes Federation.
Here, he remained widely embraced by high society, and he was the orthodox successor of the Van Hecht school, one of the foundational martial traditions of the Western Continent.
Wilhelm cast his gaze toward the gathering area of the Combine personnel. "Gentlemen, have our partners from the Combine departed already?"
The reception officer said, "Yes, they set out two days ago, including Mr. Heros."
Wilhelm raised an eyebrow and remarked in deadpan earnest, "I hope I won't have to clean up after them. Nobody enjoys extra work on their schedule."
The accompanying entourage could not help chuckling, while a few carefree security soldiers actually laughed out loud.
Yet they only chuckled without making any comments. The Combine delegation boasted not only a host of powerful fighters, but also Euxios Heros, another fighter ranked among the world's top thirty—a man rumored to be vindictive and petty in the extreme.
Hence, certain things Wilhelm could say, but they dared not chime in.
Of course, this was also because they were inside a camp primarily established by the Combine. Outside, field monitoring watched over them at all times, though once they were inside their own barracks, such concerns would no longer matter.
The reception officer bowed slightly and made a polished, courteous gesture of invitation.
"Mr. Wilhelm, your quarters have been prepared in advance. Please follow us."
Wilhelm gave a slight nod and followed him toward the camp.
Meanwhile, in the distance within the Combine delegation's camp, the Combine's camp security director Lenoir and his security personnel were watching every move here and monitoring all their conversations.
Just then, they saw Wilhelm suddenly turn his head mid-stride to glance in their direction.
When it displayed on the field screen, every person felt as though he were looking directly at them, causing their hearts to thump involuntarily.
At that moment, everyone present felt an urge to flee from his gaze, managing only with great effort to stay rooted in place.
"'Blue Blood'..."
Lenoir gazed intently as Wilhelm, flanked by security personnel, walked toward the Linakes Federation's living quarters.
As the group entered the camp, the interference organisms there took effect, and the field screen quickly blurred into static.
Even so, the oppressive aura brought by Wilhelm's arrival lingered. Only after a while did someone speak up defensively, "It's only because Mr. Heros isn't here. If he were..."
Director Lenoir waved a hand, assuming an easy expression. "Ah, Mr. Heros is working hard. We shouldn't disturb him. As for our highborn 'Blue Blood,' let's hope he can snap plenty of souvenir photos during his little holiday in the Confluence. Our staff seems to have overlooked one thing, though—we didn't manage to level a lacrosse pitch for him in time."
The people present laughed, and the oppressive atmosphere dissipated considerably.
Director Lenoir turned around with his back to the field screen and instructed everyone, "I need you to monitor his every move, including every single word he utters out in the open."
"Yes, sir!"
By this time, Wilhelm had entered the comfortable, spacious room provided by the camp. He poured himself a cup of fragrant hot beverage and walked to the window carrying the saucer.
Watching bulldozers scoop away piles of insect carcasses from the ground, the officer behind him explained, "We had several downpours yesterday that brought these things. If we don't clear them in time, they'll contaminate the camp."
Wilhelm said, "The Confluence never lacks surprises. Although the sky here is as gloomy as that of New Rhine, the biome is vastly different. It makes me think of the people of this land. I hear they are quite tenacious, hardy and prolific like weeds."
The officer smiled and said, "Dealing with weeds is simply a matter of digging out the roots. Then they won't grow back next year."
Wilhelm gave an 'mm-hmm' and took a sip of the hot beverage. "Yet we still need them right now, do we not?"
"Yes," the officer agreed. "Given the threat of the things on the other side, their presence still serves a purpose for now."
Wilhelm looked toward the dense woods in the distance. "I don't believe I've heard which powerful fighters the Great Shun government dispatched for this operation?"
"Great Shun's fighters aren't keen on international rankings—perhaps by order of their government. Their strength is quite opaque, and many fighters can only be accurately assessed when faced in person. Take Xu Chan, who was encountered this time: he was originally ranked between one and two hundred, but the Combine has now bumped him up fifty spots."
Wilhelm said, "For a moment, I don't know whether to envy Mr. Heros. An opponent like that is hard to come by. To any fighter seeking improvement, that might be the greatest reward."
The officer consoled him, "Great Shun is vast. I am sure there will be an opponent who meets your expectations, sir."
"Let us hope so."
Meanwhile, Yang Yuncheng had brought Chen Chuan to the foot of the hill, closing within four kilometers of the camp.
He peered outward and said, "Supervisor Chen, we can only go this far. We can't push any closer. Last time I came here, I was inexplicably detected, and I have no idea what method they used. Fortunately, I left in time, and knowing the terrain allowed me to pull back. If I had been a moment later, I might have been stuck here for good."
Chen Chuan glanced around. "It was likely field monitoring."
Yang Yuncheng said in surprise, "Field monitoring spanning a four-kilometer range?" He looked outward. "Can portable field creatures manage that?"
He remarked with a sigh of wonder, "It seems technology has advanced tremendously. Back in my day, the portable field creatures I saw could cover a kilometer at most."
Chen Chuan took another look outward from their current angle. Viewing it from above hadn't been as vivid, but now he could see that along the approach to the camp, aside from firing points, there were crisscrossing trenches and staggered metal blast shields.
These were placed to prevent fighters from using burst speed to breach the perimeter. With such obstacles, even if they couldn't stop an intruder outright, delaying them for just a few seconds would give the defenders inside ample time to react.
However, these were no major obstacle for him. What he needed to ensure was how to eliminate every powerful fighter inside, ideally pinpointing each one's exact location beforehand.
While he could attempt to locate opponents through mental clashes, the camp was sufficiently large and many individuals undoubtedly carried protective gear, which would prevent clear feedback. Accurately locating each target would certainly take extra effort.
He pondered for a moment, then reached out to Hongfu through mental consciousness.
"Hongfu, if I ask you to scan the fighters in the camp, would it drain you?"
Hongfu responded within his mental consciousness, "Merely checking the targets' life force intensity won't drain me much."
Chen Chuan said, "Alright, please take a look for me."
Hongfu acknowledged. The red scarf wrapped around her fluttered slightly, and then Chen Chuan's boundary credential—which theoretically shouldn't have been able to receive any signal here—suddenly stirred, immediately populating with information and data.
This included certain layouts and conditions inside the camp, and most importantly, the dense clusters of silhouettes.
The life fields of everyone worth noting in the camp were highlighted on the boundary credential. Unexpectedly, however, most of their field intensities were not very high; only one or two were even worth a second glance.
Against ordinary opposition, such personnel would suffice, but for delving deep into the Confluence, they were obviously lacking. Hence, most of the camp's main forces had likely already headed into the uncharted region.
Yet as more details of the camp emerged, he made a new discovery. Deep within the base, amidst the numerous signatures, the field radiance of one living entity blazed with intense brilliance, more concentrated and potent than that of any third limit fighter he had ever encountered.
After gazing at it for a moment, he said to Yang Yuncheng, "Senior Yang, I have a few things to attend to here. You should head back first."
Yang Yuncheng asked, "Supervisor Chen, are you sure?"
Chen Chuan said, "I'm sure."
Yang Yuncheng guessed that Chen Chuan carried some vital mission. As a former member of the pioneer team, he remained a soldier at heart and knew that any assignment handed down from above had to be accomplished by any means necessary. Thus, he said solemnly, "All right, then I'll head back first. Supervisor Chen, take utmost care!"
Chen Chuan gave a nod.
Yang Yuncheng added, "Supervisor Chen, I'll wait for you on the hillside we crossed earlier. Please make sure to return before nightfall." With that, he offered Chen Chuan a salute and swiftly withdrew along the path they had come.
Once he had gone, Chen Chuan turned his calm, profound gaze forward. "Before nightfall? It won't take that long."
Chapter 725