Inside the Municipal Council Building, two councilors directly in charge of the Crisis Affairs Center—one seated, the other standing—were positioned before an expansive glass curtain wall. There were few lights on in the room, but an enormous field screen was powering up.
"Our apprehension teams have already been dispatched. Word came from the Consortium that the Disposal Bureau's Supervisor Chen is extraordinarily strong and that we must take him seriously."
"It doesn't matter. The airship squadron has already been sent, and the modified weapons are on their way. Besides, isn't it better if they make a bigger scene?" The councilor speaking said with amusement. "The more noise they make, the harder it will be for them to settle this."
The other councilor held a glass filled with crimson wine, watching the field's glow resolve into focus against the surface of the glass. Giving it a slight swirl, he said, "Which is why we must ensure that all major districts of the central city receive the broadcast."
Right now, all media outlets under the council were broadcasting to the public that those returning to the central city from the outside were suspected of carrying potent contaminants. While the contaminants had no effect on these individuals themselves, allowing them to roam freely posed an extreme danger to everyone in the central city.
Yet these individuals refused to submit to screening. Not only did they ignore repeated warnings, but relying on the privileges granted by the Disposal Bureau, the Defense Department, and even the Government Affairs Hall, they had murdered the personnel sent to conduct the tests.
Worse still, they surely knew what was wrong with them. Otherwise, why would they refuse testing? Why resist at all?
This was an utter disregard for citizens' lives! This was a monumental threat to the safety of the central city!
Once public opinion was steered in that direction, it would incite widespread rejection and hostility from the populace. From there, the narrative could be turned against the Disposal Bureau, the Defense Department, and even the Government Affairs Hall. They could then fan the flames further, attributing the central city's many past issues to the excessive privileges held by these armed enforcement agencies, and demand strict limits on their power.
At the same time, it would demonstrate that only the council could truly protect the citizens, casting themselves as the righteous party in this conflict.
The key was framing everything around protecting the public. Under that banner, many actions that previously seemed unreasonable became justified, and many things that had been inconvenient to push through could now be set in motion.
To be frank, they had never expected the other side to hand them such an opportunity. The Disposal Bureau was the city's largest armed apparatus; if the Government Affairs Hall planned any moves, it would inevitably launch them from there. Originally, they had only intended to stir up some internal chaos within the Disposal Bureau to buy time for their own preparations and response. Now, this turned out to be an unexpected windfall.
If handled well, it could not only defuse the impending crisis but also allow them to mount a counterattack. Ideally, backed by the Consortium, they could force the other side to the negotiating table.
If they could legally restrain the opposition's armed force and repeal the bills proposed by the Government Affairs Hall following the collapse of the Ferris Wheel, the council could magnanimously step back and preserve the status quo.
Just then, the screen before them flickered into sharp clarity, displaying the plaza in front of the Disposal Bureau headquarters. Both councilors perked up.
"Here they come."
At that exact moment, the motorcade carrying Chen Chuan drove onto the plaza of the Disposal Bureau. The plaza was remarkably desolate, with only a few old patrol cars parked haphazardly across the expanse.
Because numerous violent attacks had broken out across the city, most Disposal Bureau personnel were deployed outside.
Chen Chuan glanced at his boundary credential. The municipal security protocol seemed to have taken effect; he had been unable to reach Andun for several minutes, and all of their boundary credentials were being jammed. Yet he remained completely unperturbed.
The convoy came to a halt one car after another. Doors opened, and their party stepped out onto the plaza. Right at that moment, they spotted a group emerging from the main entrance of the bureau headquarters.
Walking at the very front was someone none of them expected to see.
"Han Fu?"
Captain Lyu froze. Wasn't that bastard placed under detention? How had he gotten out again?
The other team members were equally shocked to see Han Fu fully restored to his former appearance. Only Chen Chuan looked unbothered, as though not the least bit surprised by his appearance.
Han Fu was now clad in a brand-new supervisor uniform, though his hair had gone unkept for so long that it fell slightly long. Standing behind him in the shadow was Wang Weiguang, accompanied by more than a dozen men from the Gray Shell Agency, all of whom had already changed into Disposal Bureau uniforms.
Watching Chen Chuan standing there, Han Fu could not conceal the deep dread in his eyes, and his hand began to tremble involuntarily.
After consuming the pure substance, his latent potential had been unlocked, noticeably enhancing his physical constitution and granting him spiritual perception. That gave him a sliver of confidence to face Chen Chuan.
Yet it was only a sliver. That day, Chen Chuan had left a massive psychological scar on him. That overwhelming strength and despairingly impenetrable physical defense still made him shiver to this day. Not to mention that Chen Chuan had allies at his side now; against them, Han Fu's group stood virtually no chance on their own.
Yet today he had to step forward.
He knew very well that the council hadn't given him the regenerative medicine and pure substance out of generosity. They had done it precisely so he would carry out this task.
If he risked his life and survived, he would still have a future. But if he refused to fight now, the council would abandon him immediately, and everything he seemed to have reclaimed would be stripped away.
He glanced at the enforcement captains, including Xu Chan, as well as the numerous fighters behind them. Coming to a halt not far from the entrance, he asked Wang Weiguang, "Where are the other apprehension forces you mentioned?"
Wang Weiguang tapped his boundary credential. "They're already here."
Just then, everyone saw figures sprinting toward them at blinding speed, reaching the center of the plaza almost the moment they came into view. There were three of them, gaunt and wrapped from head to toe in grayish-white bandages, with only their eyes exposed. Clearly, they hailed from the Sagu Boxing School of the connecting isthmus.
At the same time, the droning whirl of propeller blades sounded from above. Three small airships flew toward them, their loudspeakers booming down at the plaza from a distance:
"Personnel below, you are surrounded! You are surrounded! You are carrying unverified external contaminants and must undergo inspection and processing by the Crisis Affairs Center before being permitted to move freely. Otherwise, you pose a grave threat to the citizens of the central city!
"Lay down your weapons and cease resistance immediately! Repeat, lay down your weapons and cease resistance immediately!"
Aboard one airship, a machine gunner aimed his barrel downward. "We're in range. When do we fire?"
"Hold on a moment," the officer in charge checked him.
The council had given advance instructions not to rush into combat; they needed this incident to draw maximum attention, and the field broadcasts in some areas were not yet properly aligned.
Ignoring the voices from above, Chen Chuan turned to Captain Lyu. "Captain Lyu, please bring down that case carefully."
Captain Lyu nodded solemnly. Together with another team member, he returned to the vehicle and hauled out a large case, setting it down before them. Draped over the case was a gold-bordered black cloth, topped with a woven wreath of weijun flowers, their white petals stark against the dark fabric.
"Han Fu, do you know what this is?"
After calling across to the other side, Chen Chuan walked to the case, turned over a facedown photo frame resting atop it, and adjusted its angle. Inside was a portrait of Supervisor Wen, his sharp, penetrating eyes glaring straight at Han Fu.
Seeing it, Han Fu's expression shifted slightly.
"These are Supervisor Wen's remains," Chen Chuan said. "I brought them back from the Melded Lands. This time, I will let Supervisor Wen see your end with his own eyes."
A sudden wave of foreboding rose in Han Fu's heart, but he forced it down. He glanced at the men around him, looked up at the airships above, and then faced forward, shouting:
"Supervisor Chen, still putting on airs as always! But whatever happened to Supervisor Wen has nothing to do with me! This is all your slander! You framed and suppressed both Supervisor Wen and me just to secure the directorship for yourself! But you cannot hide the truth from the world—people can see what you've done!"
"What I have done can indeed be seen," Chen Chuan said calmly. "By many people." He turned his head toward Xu Chan. "Old Xu, everyone, step back a bit."
Xu Chan nodded gravely. The others had no objections either; having witnessed Chen Chuan's martial prowess in the Melded Lands with their own eyes, none of them believed the people before them posed the slightest threat to him.
Once they stepped back, Chen Chuan strode forward. As he advanced, even without deliberately projecting his spirit power, an overwhelming sense of pressure bore down upon Han Fu's side.
Confronted by his approach, the fighters from the Sagu Boxing School were the first to charge. Their physiological structure was peculiar; even when struck by formidable heart force, they could emerge unscathed, and they fought in tight coordination with one another.
Han Fu was forced into motion as well. Kicking off the steps, he leaped forward, a faint gleam shimmering over his fists. It wasn't that he didn't want to conceal his mastery of spiritual perception to spring it as a surprise at a crucial moment, but that he had only just grasped the power and could not yet control it at will.
All four lunged forward almost simultaneously. Yet while they were still some distance away from Chen Chuan, an unbelievable sight unfolded: faint ripples shivered through the air, and with a resounding crash, the four slammed into what seemed like an invisible wall.
Han Fu's headlong charge was stopped dead in its tracks. Bones throughout his body cracked, his internal organs shuddered violently, and he crashed to his knees with a thud, spitting up mouthfuls of blood.
...
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Chapter 778