Bureau Director Lei paused for a moment, then understood. "Section Chief Chen intends to deal with the entity behind this?"
Chen Chuan said, "That is my intention. According to our intelligence, an entity from the opposite side slipped into the Center City after the breach appeared in the Ring of the World. It has remained hidden ever since without showing itself. We suspect it is right here in the Lower City. Now, Director Lei, your discovery aligns with this, which is virtually proof that our intel is accurate. In that case, we need to find a way to eliminate this threat. Director Lei, do you think that evil god can draw this entity out?"
As an official of the Government Affairs Department, Director Lei grasped the situation immediately: the primary purpose of this operation was likely to eliminate the latent dangers lurking within the Center City before the international inspection team arrived, thereby securing their earlier achievements. This matter had to be handled properly.
Just moments ago, he had been worried that the evil god might lure the entity out; now, his concern had reversed to whether the entity might refuse to emerge.
He pondered deeply before saying, "The information you provided is very useful, Section Chief Chen. If that is the case, my deduction is that this entity must be using a ritual or some special items to conceal itself, primarily to avoid being detected by that evil god. However, the two are intertwined through the ritual. Once the evil god's power exceeds a certain threshold, it ought to draw the entity out. On the other hand, if it senses that the evil god's power might be eliminated prematurely, there is also a fair chance this entity will show itself early."
Chen Chuan understood. This evil god was effectively livestock being raised by that entity—meant to be fattened up before slaughter. But if an unexpected turn occurred in between, that entity would hardly stand by and watch its meal go to waste.
He said, "Director Lei, I'll deploy our personnel immediately. Let's stay in touch."
Director Lei said, "Understood. I will remain right here."
Ending the call, Chen Chuan immediately contacted the strike team. "This is Chen Chuan. Put me through to Supervisor Xu."
After a brief wait, Xu Chan's composed voice came through. "Section Chief?"
Chen Chuan asked, "Old Xu, how are things on your end?"
Xu Chan replied, "We've secured several key positions. There are still some fortified emplacements further inside—likely the Plague Gang's true core sector. Resistance is fairly stubborn. We're currently working on a plan to breach it."
Chen Chuan said, "If you can hold the perimeter, put that on hold for now. There's another matter that requires your personal attention."
He briefly explained the situation at the tunnel, then added, "Old Xu, as you know, with that thing lurking there, the danger far exceeds whatever remains of the Plague Gang and the Municipal Council. We need to lure it out and eliminate it. I am ordering you to concentrate your forces and deal with that evil god. If anything comes up, consult Bureau Director Lei—he will point you in the right direction."
Xu Chan had been briefed on part of the situation before heading in, so he knew this took precedence over everything else. He responded decisively, "Understood, Section Chief! I'll see to it at once!"
Chen Chuan nodded and added, "Old Xu, be careful."
Xu Chan gave a solemn acknowledgement. Turning around, he immediately began redistributing personnel, first fortifying the areas they had secured to ensure the Plague Gang could not mount an internal breakthrough. Then, he redeployed the majority of the combat operatives to the tunnel entrance and quickly conferred with Bureau Director Lei.
Following Director Lei's advice and coordinating with the inactive conscious entities, he drew up tactical deployments within minutes. Operatives from all squads swiftly moved into their designated positions.
By now, they could also see that the area around the tunnel mouth—deliberately left vacant—had taken on a murky yellowish hue, with light shining out from within.
Yet this light flickered erratically. Far from conveying warmth or radiance, it exuded an aura of decay and rot. Just looking upon it filled one's mind with deep gloom and despondency, draining away any desire to live in an instant.
Just then, staff from the Esoteric Cult Bureau hurried over and handed a tablet to each operative, instructing them to keep it under their tongues. Only with that did their spirits and emotional state gradually recover.
Suddenly, a plume of iridescent smoke billowed from the tunnel entrance, carrying a faint scent of blood. This was the ritual materials surging outward with the internal drafts after the ceremony had been disrupted. Soon after, distinct footsteps echoed from within.
In the rear, the Disposal Bureau operatives immediately raised their weapons, training them squarely on the opening.
Before long, a long-haired man emerged. His clothes were tattered and frayed, and a murky yellow glow flickered beneath his skin. His eyes, however, were pitch-black voids. Scanning the people assembled before him, he smiled and said, "The missing pieces... you will serve to make up for them."
Even as those words left his lips, a barrage of gunfire erupted from the opposite side.
Deep inside the honeycomb structure, behind a fortified emplacement, the middle-aged man huddled alongside several leaders of the Plague Cult. Under Xu Chan's assault, his situation had grown increasingly precarious, but now they noticed the offensive outside had abruptly halted.
A moment later, hearing dense bursts of gunfire ringing out from a certain direction, the middle-aged man looked over, a strange light appearing in his eyes. "It seems they've triggered the ritual area," he said.
The leaders of the Plague Cult all wore protective respirators. One of them said in a low voice, "Over the past few years, we poured a vast amount of resources into that. It was only exposed this time because we cooperated with your side."
The middle-aged man gave a chuckle. "Though it hasn't reached the ideal timing, nearly three years of preparation is enough to feed that entity half-full. In fact, it's better if it isn't completely full..."
He gestured toward the outside. "Isn't there a bounty of delicious flesh and blood out there right now? That should satisfy that entity. Once this matter is settled, your cult will soon possess its own deity."
In front of the tunnel mouth, over a hundred firearms of all types poured fire onto the long-haired man. Yet the bizarre light flickering across his body formed a barrier; bullets struck it only to vanish without a trace, as though dropping into an entirely different space.
He strolled forward at an unhurried pace. As he drew near, the surrounding field creatures withered and slumped, and an intense wave of revulsion and discomfort washed over everyone present.
Xu Chan and the other third limit fighters stood their ground firmly, while everyone else had already fallen back from the area.
With five third limit fighters gathered here, as long as the evil god's level did not surpass a certain threshold, they could still contend with it.
According to Director Lei, once severed from the esoteric ritual, the power that the vessel could withstand was finite. So long as they could contain him here and deplete the power within his body, in theory, he could be dealt with. And as long as they remained on the right track, if that entity behind the scenes did not want to lose its food for nothing, there was a very strong likelihood it would show its head.
Xu Chan snapped his flexible longsword with a flick of his wrist and walked forward to meet him. Behind him, Captain Zou, Captain Lyu, Yuan Qiuyuan, and Qin Qingque fanned out, gradually forming an encirclement.
Aboard the airship, Chen Chuan watched the field screen. Although heavy invasive interference churned below and many field creatures on site had wilted, others stationed at greater distances were still functioning, transmitting fragmentary glimpses of the battleground.
Catching sight of the long-haired man's image, he raised an eyebrow. The face brought someone to mind, prompting a thought: After leaving Yangzhi back then, had he fled to hide here?
Just then, a communication came through his boundary credential: "Section Chief, the technical team reports that while they cannot purge the toxic spore gas yet, they've found a way to halt its spread. However, the combat personnel who entered that zone may all be carrying these spores within their bodies. They recommend locking down all exits afterward and conducting comprehensive physical examinations on every individual. Operatives should only return to their units once cleared; otherwise, there is a serious risk of carrying these spores into the Upper City. If they spread there, the consequences would be catastrophic."
Chen Chuan considered this for a moment. "Proceed with that for now. Have the technical expert panel draft a mature protocol as soon as possible."
He understood that since such a substance had been engineered, there was no guarantee it did not exist elsewhere. A countermeasure had to be found. Fortunately, they had uncovered it ahead of time; had it suddenly erupted when the international inspection team arrived, it would have been an absolute disaster.
Turning his attention back to the screen, he saw either flashes of blinding white light or indistinct silhouettes. Though he could not make out the precise combat, with a martial artist's keen judgment, even fragmented frames were enough for him to grasp the general flow of the battle.
In fact, the mere fact that data continued to stream out steadily was proof that the situation remained under their control, and the enemy was being kept within a bounded perimeter.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, he saw the chaotic field gradually settle and the screen clear up. This unmistakably indicated that the evil god's power was waning.
Outside the Lower City tunnel mouth, the long-haired man's body was riddled with gaping wounds, the vacant holes plugged only by swirling clusters of light—a sign that his power had diminished drastically. Yet even in this state, he still wore that faint smile, murmuring, "Almost there... almost there."
Suddenly, he reached up and tore his chest open. Inside the rent torso lay no flesh or internal organs, only a release of blinding, dazzling radiance.
A fissure?
Xu Chan's eyes narrowed in solemn caution, and he immediately ordered everyone around him to fall back.
He was experienced enough to know that whether dealing with evil gods or entities from the opposite side, in moments of crisis, they were capable of briefly tearing open a fissure to draw upon greater power from the other side.
The long-haired man spread his arms wide, his chest bulging outward as something began writhing its way out, obscured by a shroud of murky yellow light that made it hard to discern clearly.
Right at that moment, everyone's vision blurred. From the dark tunnel behind, an elongated arm suddenly shot forth and snatched the long-haired man in a vice-like grip. Terrified hisses instantly broke from his throat as he thrashed violently, but the hand clamped down relentlessly, slowly dragging him back into the tunnel's depths.
Aboard the airship, the field screen before Chen Chuan abruptly dimmed. His eyes turned deep and still. Reaching down, he picked up the Xuejun Saber resting at his side and strode to the edge of the airship's open observation platform. Shimmering light and force fields radiated outward from his body.
Fixing his gaze on the ground below, he pulled down the brim of his cap with one hand, then vaulted into the abyss!
In an instant, a blazing pillar of light plunged from the sky, slamming through the surface with a deafening crash and heading straight for the subterranean depths!
Chapter 929