Because Chen Chuan had deliberately lured that entity to the honeycomb structure to fight earlier, the mental pressure it subsequently unleashed had fallen entirely on this side.
Most members of the Plague Gang were affected. Not only them, but even the combat creatures and the various densely deployed field creatures inside the building were swept up in it as well.
These people's combat strength and physical constitution were inherently inferior to those of the frontline operatives and fighters outside. Right now, they still lay on the ground, their minds completely groggy. Even this was only because the gang members had drawn esoteric rituals upon their own bodies, which had blocked the initial wave of the shock; later, thanks to Chen Chuan's disruption, the impact weakened significantly, sparing them from dying on the spot.
Naturally, gang members who were closer did not share such luck. They had collapsed silently where they stood. When the strike team members breached inside, what met their eyes were Plague Gang members who had lost their lives while remaining stationed at their posts.
Many places that seemed difficult to pass through were breached with ease. Moreover, combat organisms and various biological pathogens were crucial links in the Plague Gang's defense system, yet in the wake of the recent fallout, they had all been paralyzed. Only the toxins lingering in the air here still caused some nuisance.
Once the strike team cleared the path, technical specialists followed close behind. Their primary responsibility was to search for any lingering hazards that could trigger major consequences.
As they came to understand the functions of certain organisms here, they could not help but be secretly shocked. Had it not been for the influence of that entity just now, these things would have been terribly difficult to deal with, and taking the place without casualties would have been nearly impossible.
By the time they reached the final level, they encountered scattered resistance. Yet with the defense system severely crippled, these holdouts amounted to nothing and were quickly dealt with under the fierce onslaught.
Several leaders of the Plague Gang were all captured. Identity verification revealed that several among them were fugitives wanted for felonies, having committed more than one large-scale atrocity, including toxic leaks, water contamination, illicit human experiments, and more. However, the identities of others could not be determined immediately, largely because they had undergone implant-based morphological alterations, which required taking them back for further identification.
Speaker Quan, who had been abducted, was also located. When found, he was lying there, completely oblivious to what had transpired outside. According to his younger son beside him, ever since he had been brought here, he had remained groggy; neither of them knew what had happened outside, nor did they dare resist their captors.
The strike team captain on the scene offered no comment on this and immediately had them secured and taken away.
Chen Chuan walked over to the limp skin at this moment. He reached out, picked it up, and examined it, feeling that his deduction was correct: this had to be some kind of relic.
This entity's tier was likely similar to the one he had seen back at the Ferris Wheel. However, that entity at the Ferris Wheel had deliberately diminished its own power at the time in order to possess Director Yingwei.
The reason it later tried to seize an active conscious entity was precisely to find a vessel capable of harboring and exerting even greater power. It was just that before it could fully accomplish that step, Chen Chuan and Hongfu had severed that body together, causing the process of shifting from ethereal to corporeal to fail.
Meanwhile, the power demonstrated by the entity just now exceeded that of the Ferris Wheel entity. Had it been that strong from the start, it could never have crossed the Ring of the World. Thus, it must have received some corresponding replenishment along the way, subsequently relying on this skin membrane to lock its power in place and prevent leakage.
Every single piece of evidence proved that someone was cooperating from within. This was entirely different from Director Yingwei's possession—the latter had brought it all upon himself, whereas this instance had clearly been prepared in advance by someone, part of an intricately laid plan.
Who could be behind this?
Chen Chuan pondered. Certain people in the Municipal Council might know something, but they likely were not the primary participants. Otherwise, there was no reason they wouldn't have tapped into this power when on the verge of defeat—they certainly weren't that kindhearted.
The Plague Gang was a direct participant, and backing them was the Green Source Ecological Company. It seemed as though the culprit had been identified immediately. Yet he felt it wasn't that simple. Because this target was too obvious, it might not necessarily be them. They might be involved in this affair, but the true mastermind behind the scenes was likely someone else.
At this point, a faint thought crossed his mind.
He stowed the item away first, then turned and walked toward the tunnel entrance. There, he saw Bureau Director Lei directing several recovered members of the Esoteric Cult Bureau to restrain the long-haired man's body and use esoteric rituals to seal away the remnant power of that evil god.
He walked over. "Director Lei, thank you for your help this time."
Bureau Director Lei said, "Purging esoteric rituals is our duty. Relying on me alone wouldn't have been enough this time. It was also thanks to that Mr. Lan found by Section Chief Chen. He possesses profound mastery over esoteric rituals, especially with a deep understanding of the old national religion. Some things are beyond the knowledge of ordinary followers of the old faith.
"Someone like him must have undergone religious ritual training from childhood. Yet I have never seen him within the esoteric cult system. If my guess is right, he probably has immediate family members who once held priestly offices in the old national religion."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Rest assured, Director Lei, I know his background. He indeed possesses heritage from the old national religion, but currently he primarily serves state enterprises. He can be trusted."
Director Lei said, "I have full confidence in anyone brought in by Section Chief Chen. I merely feel that with talent like his, we could find a way to keep him in Jibei Dao. That way, perhaps he could train a cohort of specialists rather than having everything rely solely on the Esoteric Cult Bureau."
Hearing him mention this, Chen Chuan said, "Director Lei, earlier you mentioned that there were people in the bureau you couldn't trust?"
Bureau Director Lei signaled the surrounding staff to step away first, then said, "Mastery over esoteric rituals depends on two things: talent, and age and seniority. Truly talented people are few and far between, so most of the time, it really comes down to age and seniority.
"Some esoteric practitioners in Center City even date back to the old era. Having dealt with esoteric rituals their entire lives, they possess a wealth of experience, and when it comes to handling various rituals, they are exceptionally capable.
"However, these individuals harbor many old-fashioned notions. The students they mentor—called students, but effectively their apprentices—actively defend that traditional system once they rise through the ranks.
"When doing work in the bureau, they rest on their laurels and throw their weight around. Even back when Bureau Director Qian was here, it was difficult to direct them. Yet we cannot do without them; otherwise, the entire Esoteric Cult Bureau would cease to function. This is a deep-seated problem—not just in our Jibei Dao Esoteric Cult Bureau, but elsewhere as well."
Listening to this, Chen Chuan understood his thinking. Since moving those people was difficult, the only option was to start fresh and recruit another group. After a moment's consideration, he said, "Director Lei, find a way to submit a report to me. I will bring it to the decision-making council for discussion."
Esoteric rituals were of paramount importance; even his security protocols took effect through rituals. Nowadays, many in the upper echelons were obsessed with utilizing esoteric methods, not even hesitating to join evil cults. To counter them, one first had to understand these matters oneself.
Certain issues within the Esoteric Cult Bureau were more than significant enough to be placed on the agenda for security and defense. As a member of the security decision-making group, he had both the obligation and the capacity to oversee this matter.
Bureau Director Lei said, "Very well. Once I return, I will submit a detailed report."
Chen Chuan looked toward the tunnel again and said, "Earlier, you mentioned that the ritual there had two layers. The upper layer was likely prepared for over two years, and the one who drew this layer must be the Painter we were looking for earlier. He was in Yangzhi previously, so the layer underneath shouldn't have anything to do with him."
Bureau Director Lei also felt a pang of emotion at how unpredictable life could be. He thought of the person who had slipped through their fingers back then, never expecting they would catch him here.
He said, "I examined the traces of the pattern underneath earlier. My preliminary estimate is that it's around ten-plus years old."
Chen Chuan thought briefly. "Ten-plus years? Was that also used to summon an evil god?"
Bureau Director Lei said, "Very similar. Although different individuals drew the rituals, their function follows the exact same lineage. Previously, it must have also utilized resentment and flesh to feed a certain entity. However, this ritual was used once before. I suspect that the evil god worshipped above was likely devoured by that entity once."
Chen Chuan nodded. If that was the case, it made sense; the source of that entity's increase in power likely lay right there.
Bureau Director Lei added, "The ritual was executed once, but certain parts weren't unusable. Adding another layer on top happens to form a 'Double Overlapping Mountain Pattern,' thereby sacrificing to an even more powerful evil god. However, I believe the ritual's delineator—this 'Painter'—might have had additional motives of his own. This shows he understood the function of the ritual. I will take him back for interrogation first; perhaps we can extract something valuable."
Chen Chuan said, "Alright. I'll leave this matter in your hands then, Director Lei."
On the other side, Lan Shengu finally regained his strength. Rather than bothering with the matters at the tunnel, he hurried outside and found his younger cousin, who had been well protected.
"Cousin!"
Seeing him, Xiaoyi ran up quickly. Looking him up and down, she asked with concern, "Cousin, are you alright?"
Lan Shengu said, "I'm fine. The Jibei Dao Government Affairs Hall is reliable after all. Someone came to the rescue at the critical moment, rather than making a huge mess with no one to clean it up."
Xiaoyi asked, "Then can we leave now?"
Lan Shengu said, "Not until I get the other half of the money. Besides, I think the Jibei Dao Government Affairs Hall can actually get things done. Other places can't hold a candle to it in that regard."
He had visited quite a few center cities. How to put it? They were all much of a muchness. They had the desire to solve problems, yet could rarely follow through properly. Whenever competing interests were entangled, they could only brush over the surface, failing to resolve a single root issue.
Jibei Dao was truly different. It possessed a relentless grit to pursue things to the bitter end. And thinking about how they had even pulled off something as audacious as bringing down the Municipal Council, there seemed to be nothing they wouldn't dare do.
He said, "Let's stay here for a while. Your cousin needs some rest too—these past few days have been exhausting." Just then, he noticed a message arriving on his boundary credential. Opening and glancing at it, he was taken aback for a moment. After some thought, he said, "Let's talk about it once we get back."
Chapter 932