Half a day later, the Lan siblings arrived in Jibei Dao Center City, having departed directly from Yuangan Company.
They were thoroughly professional. Having reviewed every piece of documentation made available to them during their journey, they made brief preparations upon arrival and took a vehicle straight into the Lower City. That very night, they reached the outer perimeter of the ritual site. After an in-depth discussion with Bureau Director Lei, they set to work briskly unraveling the esoteric setup.
Typically, dismantling an esoteric ritual required destroying only a few key nodes to collapse the entire construct. With the two working in tandem, the rate of advance accelerated dramatically.
The follow-up forces from the Disposal Bureau quickly kept pace. After two more days of concerted effort, they breached the innermost core territory of the Plague Gang.
There, they engaged in firefights with the gang's perimeter sentries. These combatants possessed poor tactical training, relying largely on vast swarms of bizarre insects, packs of combat organisms, and pervasive toxic fumes.
Overcoming any one of these threats in isolation was simple enough, but dealing with them in combination proved rather troublesome. Fortunately, a substantial number of fighters had been deployed for this operation. After several successful breakthroughs, they seized successive stretches of key tunnels.
According to intelligence analysis, they had already pushed into the deepest reaches originally planned for the Lower City. Further down lay what was presumably the Plague Gang's final stronghold—the very area into which Speaker Quan, their bait, had been taken.
Prior to launching the assault, the strike force sent a request up the chain of command for authorization to breach.
Upon receiving the message, Chen Chuan promptly authorized the operation. At the same time, he stepped out of his villa and boarded an airship, taking it into the skies over the northwestern corner corresponding to that part of the Lower City.
From here, communicating with the subterranean units was much easier. Furthermore, should any unforeseen development arise below, he could intervene immediately, lend his strength, and ensure the crisis did not spread outward.
He had prepared extensively for this operation. Before setting out, Xu Chan, Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, Wei Chang'an, Luo Kaiyuan, and the others had each been imbued with a wisp of his spirit power. If any of them encountered an attack exceeding conventional limits, it would help them withstand the blow.
This was an ability he had gained only after thoroughly mastering the Grand Radiant Light Forms. Even so, he had not yet attained the Visage of the Divine, so his spirit power would inevitably bleed away over time. Even with reserves far surpassing those of peers at the same stage, this gradual dissipation remained unavoidable, though sustaining it until the end of the operation would pose no problem.
While monitoring the advance from the airship, Chen Chuan received an official dispatch forwarded from the Government Affairs Hall. Glancing through it, he found it to be a letter of apology from Lianwei Heavy Control Company.
The corporation had not waited for local authorities to take the initiative and demand accountability; they had provided an explanation proactively.
According to their statement, a member of their board had privately accepted an illicit commercial order, leading to the biological escape of an active conscious entity that was still in its experimental phase.
Because the incident had severely tarnished the company's reputation, the individual responsible had been removed from the board of directors. Furthermore, in an attitude of responsibility toward the current security situation, the company offered to provide Jibei Dao Center City with financial compensation or designated investments.
Chen Chuan noted that this Director Xing had merely been ousted from the board, facing no other penalties whatsoever.
Of course, Lianwei Heavy Control could hardly impose too harsh a punishment; doing so would be tantamount to openly admitting grave culpability.
After reading it, he swiped the document aside. Lianwei Heavy Control would be dealt with sooner or later, but he had more pressing matters to attend to at present, so he shelved it for the moment.
Down in the Lower City, having received high-level authorization, the tactical units stormed into the final sector. As the operatives burst out of the tunnel, an astonishing sight greeted them.
Rising before them was an enormous hive-like structure spanning all the way from the ground to the ceiling. Its exterior swarmed with insects of every size, while illumination flickered from within the nest.
The team members observed it cautiously. Junction points like this were originally reserved as residential zones in the master urban blueprint. Provided with the right infrastructure, such a space was large enough to house a small town. Judging by the obstacles encountered along the way, whatever the Plague Gang had constructed here likely served a far grander purpose.
Xu Chan assessed the terrain, quickly formulated an operational plan with the surrounding tactical personnel, and then reassigned the majority of the team's fighters to advance cautiously under his lead.
To their surprise, resistance along the way was unexpectedly light. Apart from the hostile environment and insect swarms seen earlier, they encountered only a few minor pillboxes and field fortifications.
The Plague Gang members clearly lacked military discipline. While the defensive works were soundly engineered, the defenders could not utilize them effectively, and Xu Chan's forces overran them with ease. Instead of halting the assault, these positions became forward footholds for the strike team, allowing them to push rapidly toward the perimeter of the great hive.
From here, the details of the structure were plainly visible. There appeared to be no main entrance at ground level; the entryway was likely subterranean. To avoid playing into the enemy's hands, Xu Chan ordered demolitionists forward under covering fire to set charges and blast an entrance directly through the exterior wall.
In fact, because they had opened up the route and secured a stable rear, heavy artillery could easily have been hauled in if needed.
It proved once again that before absolute military might, the Lower City's supposed hostility and gang defiance amounted to nothing. Once the gangs realized this operation was not directed at them, they kept their distance; none had any desire to rush in and throw their lives away.
Bureau Director Lei had remained with the vanguard throughout the advance. Reaching this point, a solemn look entered his eyes. Turning to Lan Shengu beside him, he asked, "Mr. Lan, do you see it?"
Lan Shengu gazed up at the structure, his expression grim. "This appears to be a cage construct erected in accordance with a sacrificial ritual. It carries traces of esoteric cult styles from the Western Continent and Outer Ocean, but at its core, it follows the tenets of the Eastern Continent's old religion."
He paused, seemingly calculating something in his head. After a moment, he looked up and added, "The layout and focal points are an exact match. Even if that wasn't their original intent, the effect is the same."
Just then, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning, he saw his younger cousin Xiaoyi looking pale behind her protective visor. He asked with concern, "Xiaoyi, are you feeling unwell?"
Xiaoyi whispered in terror, "Brother, let's leave—"
Lan Shengu's gaze hardened instantly. In a low voice, he asked, "Trouble?"
Xiaoyi nodded vigorously.
A jolt went through Lan Shengu's heart. He knew full well what his cousin was capable of. If she truly saw something, it meant... He pressed his boundary credential and asked in a cipher known only to them, "Very dangerous?"
"Dangerous! Incredibly, incredibly dangerous!" Xiaoyi gave a definite answer, tears brimming in her eyes.
A chill ran through Lan Shengu. He had never seen his cousin this terrified before, which meant whatever she had perceived was monumental.
Should they leave right now?
Yet they had no viable excuse. If something went wrong here after their departure, the authorities would conduct a post-incident investigation, and his cousin's ability might still end up exposed.
He gritted his teeth. If avoiding it was impossible, they would have to trigger it deliberately. At this point, their only choice was to trust that the Jibei Dao Government Affairs Hall had the power to resolve it.
Thinking of the figure he had seen earlier, a measure of confidence returned to him.
He comforted his cousin. "Don't be afraid, Xiaoyi. Jibei Dao Center City has a martial artist on hand. Nothing will happen to us."
Turning back to Bureau Director Lei, he said, "Director Lei, if the ritual inside is activated, it could trigger unpredictable developments. We must act immediately, find the ritual's source as quickly as possible, and destroy it."
Director Lei had been considering the same issue, but he lacked the confidence to handle it alone. Seeing Lan Shengu take the initiative, he said, "Mr. Lan, I'll go inside with you. Leave your cousin outside. I'll have someone escort her back to the surface where she can be properly looked after."
Lan Shengu looked at him in surprise, then said earnestly, "Thank you. I'm counting on you."
Director Lei promptly arranged for bureau personnel to escort Xiaoyi to the surface, then hurried over to Xu Chan. "Captain Xu, you may need to adjust your approach."
Meanwhile, within the structure, Speaker Quan and his youngest son, Quan Yu, were dining at the middle-aged man's invitation. Just as the speaker was using his knife and fork to slice into a tender steak, a tremendous blast resonated from outside.
He looked up at the middle-aged man. "It seems you've been found."
The middle-aged man smiled. "No need to worry, Speaker Quan. In the inner layer, we have humic spores. They are extraordinarily diffusive, capable of parasitizing human bodies, and boast immense environmental adaptability. If they do not want these spores leaking to the surface, their only option is to advance slowly. That will give us more than enough time to activate our backup measures."
Speaker Quan did not ask what those measures were, maintaining an easy expression. "The safety of my son and myself rests in your hands, then."
The middle-aged man said solemnly, "Speaker Quan, your safety is our foremost priority." He dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "Pardon me, but I must attend to the situation outside. Please, take your time, Speaker."
With a nod, he rose from the dining table and led his men away.
Quan Yu watched them depart, then turned to his father. "Dad, the people here show you an awful lot of respect."
Speaker Quan let out a sudden sigh. "It's my fault."
Quan Yu blinked in confusion. "Dad, what did you do wrong?" Then realization seemed to dawn on him. "Do you mean the council? That wasn't your fault!" he said indignantly. "It's all because those people on the council refused to listen to you!"
Speaker Quan shook his head. "I mean I failed to educate you properly in the past, leaving every one of you so utterly foolish."
Quan Yu looked somewhat aggrieved. "Dad, how can you say that? I've always been the most filial to you. The other day when everyone else was cursing you and refusing to leave, I was the only one who didn't say a word. I might not have fled abroad, but that was because I worried about your health, so I only hid in a border city."
Speaker Quan sighed once more. "That is about the only good thing left about you. Bring me the medicine I brought with me."
"Oh—" Quan Yu fetched a pill for him.
After swallowing it, Speaker Quan instructed him solemnly, "I'm going to sleep for a while—for quite a long time. During this time, do not go anywhere. Stay right by my side. If anyone comes in and questions you, just say you know nothing."
Quan Yu replied, "Dad, I really don't know anything to begin with."
Speaker Quan looked at his son's guileless eyes, unsure whether to feel comforted or disappointed. He nodded. "Keep that exact look. Hold onto it. Now help me back."
"Oh."
Chapter 926