Countermeasures

There was a great deal of clutter in the Skinner's tent, with more than one chest inside. The reason Chen Chuan was able to locate what he was looking for so quickly was that labels had been deliberately pasted onto the chests, marking the source of each "collection item" and the date of acquisition. Aside from the one holding Supervisor Wen's remains, there were three other chests. Two bore names belonging to people from the Outer Ocean, while the third appeared to be a name from the Western Continent. The two Outer Ocean names rang a bell; they seemed to be fighters of some renown, likely sought out and killed by the Skinner specifically to be turned into items for his collection. Although the Skinner had been captured by him with ease, in truth the man was a globally renowned fighter, ranking among the very best below those who commanded the power of spiritual perception. A formidable combatant anywhere he went, he was far beyond what minor local fighters could contend with. Carrying the chest with Supervisor Wen's remains, Chen Chuan stepped outside. He then found a remaining barrel of algae oil, doused the inside of the tent with it, and set the place ablaze. Watching the raging flames reduce the site to ashes, he called out to Chaoming circling above, then turned and left the camp with the chest in hand. In less than ten minutes, he was back at the mingqiu. Xu Chan and the others had been waiting there ever since he left. Seeing him return safe and sound, they breathed an immediate sigh of relief. Once Chen Chuan made it back up to the camp, they looked at the chest he set down and could not help asking, "Supervisor Chen, is this..." "Supervisor Wen's remains are inside," Chen Chuan replied. Their expressions turned solemn. Every man removed his cap and saluted the chest. Only after a moment did they lower their hands. Chen Chuan first found a suitable place to stow the chest properly. Then he stepped outside again and gathered Xu Chan and the three captains. "I learned something back at that camp," he said. "The former imperial house's army is already out there. They're trying to locate us so they can seize the relic in our hands." Even though Teacher Xue had been the one to tell him this, explaining that would be complicated. Besides, Teacher Xue giving him this intelligence technically violated regulations, so he could not disclose the true source. The Linax Federation camp served as a convenient pretext. Meeting the gazes of Xu Chan and the others, he continued, "The insect quicksand has thinned out considerably today. I estimate that in another day—two days at most—it will have completely dissipated. When that time comes, the former imperial house will advance rapidly, sending elite squads to raid and probe us to determine our exact situation. "If their raid fails, once they know our numbers and condition, they will deploy various methods against us. Most likely, they will muster more elites to fight us in a battle of attrition. But they might also use artillery for saturation shelling, or deploy airships to strafe us from above, whittling down our stamina." Xu Chan considered this, then said somberly, "Artillery and airships are the military's most common tactics against fighters like us. Even if they can't kill us outright, they can keep us running until we're exhausted. Once our stamina is drained, they send in powerful combatants to finish us off." Captain Hai said, "Airships are indeed difficult to evade, but artillery doesn't move quickly. Heavy-caliber artillery in particular takes time to fire and reposition. We can use rapid movement to dodge them in advance. "However, the former imperial house has an advantage over us: they can operate in the Confluence at night. That makes it very likely they will launch their assault under cover of darkness. If we carry the relic on the move, no matter where we run, they'll spot us easily. We might have to keep moving without a moment's rest, but that doesn't solve the underlying problem. As long as the former imperial house refuses to give up, we're bound to face wave after wave of attacks." Everyone's expression grew grim. With the relic's glow giving them away, concealing themselves was out of the question, and the relic was the very object they had to bring back; abandoning it was unthinkable. Chen Chuan spoke up: "There are ways to counter this. Since they can use the rosy glow to track us, we can also use that glow to maneuver them. "Tens of thousands of troops are currently locked in a standoff at the front line to block our military's advance, so the forces they can spare are limited. Surrounding us completely from every direction is virtually impossible. Their only option is to use airships and a select number of elite squads to delay us, creating an opportunity for their ground forces to move up. "At this stage, they can't afford to mass together; their units must be spread out over a wide area, which gives us our opportunity." He fixed his gaze on Xu Chan and the three captains. "Here is my plan: rather than waiting for them to reach us, we will begin our retreat first. That way, they are certain to dispatch elite squads to pursue and delay us. "We can lay an ambush along the way and strike first. If we can eliminate these elites, we will neutralize a major part of the threat and significantly relieve the pressure on our retreat." The others could not help but nod. The approach was sound. Wherever one looked, elite personnel were few and far between, and exceedingly difficult to replace. Without these fighters dogging their steps, as long as they remained on the move and avoided running headlong into a massive military formation, they could ensure their safety for the short term at least. Captain Lü spoke up: "But how do we deal with the threat from the airships? Now that the insect quicksand has swept through, there's hardly any decent tree cover left in the wilderness. There's virtually nothing to shield us from above—they'll spot us at a glance. Before we reach our station, they could keep diverting stronger personnel to intercept us." "Which is why we need to draw the battlefield somewhere favorable to us," Chen Chuan said. He produced a map prepared beforehand and tapped a spot on it. "This region is crisscrossed with ravines and dense waterways, making it well-suited for concealment. What's more, the insect quicksand didn't come from this direction. I had Chaoming scout it thoroughly a few days ago; there are likely still large stretches of woodland preserved behind it, which we can turn to our advantage." The men gathered around to examine the map. Captain Lü's eyes lit up. "Isn't that the direction of our forward camp?" He said with evident excitement, "Right, let's head that way! We might even get support from the camp. If we make it back there in time, we can take an airship home." Captain Hai was not so optimistic. "What you're describing, Captain Lü, is only the best-case scenario. We know this route, and the former imperial house knows it too. They won't have left it unguarded. After all, the wilderness and the nights of the Confluence are their home turf. Whether our forward camp is even still standing is hard to say." Chen Chuan said, "That's why this time we can rely only on ourselves. There's no need to overthink the rest—assume nothing is there. As for the specific operational plan, here is what I propose..." He first outlined his general idea. After discussing it with Xu Chan and the others, they fleshed out details, patched potential vulnerabilities, and finalized an operational strategy. With the plan settled, he concluded, "Then that's settled for now. Let us each go prepare. Regardless of whether the swarm has fully dispersed, we must set out by tomorrow morning at the latest." "Understood!" The men saluted solemnly, then returned to their respective tents to begin preparing for tomorrow's operation. Chen Chuan returned to his own tent. Taking up the Xuejun Saber, he drew the blade, picked up a maintenance cloth, and began wiping the edge. He knew full well that the true enemy ahead was not the army or the elite squads. Teacher Xue had made it abundantly clear: if those forces proved ineffective, that martial artist would intervene personally to seize the relic. Although Great Shun had martial artists keeping an eye on things, situations on the battlefield changed in the blink of an eye. He had to possess the ability to protect himself. The best way, without question, was to break through to the realm of martial artists. His physical strength had already reached its apex, and his mental cultivation was at its final juncture. Judging from his recent pace of progress, after tonight, he should achieve perfection. When that moment came, he could attempt to scale that higher threshold. Yet the breakthrough he pursued was one that surpassed limits—reaching and even transcending a threshold that theoretically existed only on paper. To achieve this, he had to perform a second fusion between his Second Self and his physical body beforehand. Right now, his Second Self had barely caught up to his primary self. Once his spirit progressed further to perfection, he would still need to wait for his Second Self to catch up. Lifting the gleaming blade, he gazed at the cold light reflected on its surface, hoping that the pursuers to come would be formidable enough to grant him the opportunity to complete the final resonance. With that thought, he swept his blade, carving open a fissure in an instant. Then, resting the weapon across his knees, he began his day's cultivation. The night passed in peace; the camp suffered no outside disturbances. Shortly past six the next morning, as dawn broke, everyone emerged from their tents. Observing their surroundings, they found that the insects outside had indeed thinned dramatically. It seemed that in another half-day to a day, the swarm would disperse entirely. Just then, a faint sound of propeller blades caught their ears. Realizing what it meant, they looked toward the source of the noise. Sure enough, an airship was visible in the distance. The crew aboard the airship appeared to have spotted them as well and held their distance. A moment later, numerous birds flew out from the airship's gondola, heading straight toward them and circling overhead. Several team members could not hold back, firing their guns upward in rapid pops. However, due to the distance, the birds' small size, and their swift flight, not a single one was brought down. Captain Hu stared upward and muttered, "Scout birds... They're trying to keep us under constant watch." Xu Chan took one look and paid them no further attention. Calm and steady, he said, "It makes no difference. Follow the plan. We'll withdraw toward the valley and stream shortly. As long as we can reach the woods in time, none of this will be an issue."