Out on the Outer Ocean, a cruise ship cleaved through the open water, its bow parting the surging swells and casting up streaks of white foam.
After the two state enterprises took over the Outer Ocean, they had undertaken construction of various facilities across key islands, so cargo vessels and passenger liners had plied these waters in great numbers in recent years. Among them, this ordinary ship drew no special attention.
In an upper-deck suite formed by knocking through several adjoining first-class cabins, golden sunlight streamed through the thick windowpane. Chen Chuan sat leaning against the bulkhead, turning the pages of a book in his hands to the rhythmic roll of the waves outside.
He wore a casual plaid shirt. Though it was already December, the shipping lane lay within a warm wind belt, keeping the weather pleasantly balmy.
At his age, a first glance gave no hint that he was the chief of Center City's Defense Department; he looked more like a young man who had just enrolled in higher education.
Yet the moment he stood up or locked eyes with someone in conversation, the outward aura of a martial artist became impossible to fully suppress. A martial artist's kinetic rhythm and distinctive bearing were things that could never truly be hidden.
Chaoming stood by the window, gazing outside. Over the past few days, it had behaved impeccably, making not a peep. Chen Chuan prepared its food and water, and unless someone were right there to see it, they would never suspect another living creature occupied the cabin.
The volume in Chen Chuan's hand was a translated booklet from the Federation—a past publication of the New Light Cult. Although the organization was recognized internationally as a cult, its influence was immense in reality. It could appear openly in formal venues, including the state council, and quite a few councilors were likely members behind closed doors.
During the earlier mop-up operations in the Lower District, he had crossed paths with some of their people, though those cultists had already been wiped out.
The pamphlet detailed the destruction of a First People tribe. The author had posed as an injured hunter to infiltrate their territory, befriended the tribespeople after being "coincidentally" rescued, won their trust, and extracted intelligence on their inner workings.
Once the tribe's strongest warriors ventured out on a hunt, he sent word for the cult's Holy Guard to surround and eliminate them. Then came a surprise raid on the settlement itself: young and old, men and women alike were hauled off to organ factories, sparing only those with special aptitudes to be brainwashed into tools of the cult.
Much of the text was filled with detailed first-person accounts, penned without a shred of shame or remorse—every line practically oozed smug satisfaction.
What was more, they had compiled and published their deeds in broad daylight, utterly unbothered by whether the First People might see it. In their eyes, the First People were ignorant savages—nothing more than "walking livestock."
Chen Chuan's gaze darkened slightly as he read. Intelligence indicated that this upcoming plot was being driven primarily by the New Light Cult. Over the past few days of travel, he had spent his time reviewing materials concerning them.
Just then, a rhythmic knocking sounded outside.
"Come in," he called.
The door opened, and the orderly accompanying him stepped inside, holding out a dossier enclosed in a paper packet.
"Director, this telegram just came from Center City. Per your authorization, we have already decoded and translated it."
"Good. Set it down," Chen Chuan said.
The orderly saluted and took his leave.
Chen Chuan rose and picked up the paper packet. Aside from the daily field progress updates sent by Center City's Government Affairs Hall, there was a coded transmission from the General Affairs Bureau. It confirmed that the intelligence held solid, with fresh updates arriving daily from the Federation to ensure no unexpected hitches compromised his operation.
Beside these two items lay a letter from Skarsen.
Skarsen wrote that after reporting the recent incident to his superiors, the investigation team had once again expressed its gratitude to Chen Chuan. Attached was an outline report previously compiled by the team, featuring a chart of the growth rate of martial artists worldwide over the past several decades.
After studying it for a moment, Chen Chuan grasped Skarsen's point.
Taking Jibei Dao as an example: setting Chen Chuan himself aside, not a single person had become a martial artist in the past decade. The other Center Cities were in a similar state.
Most of the martial artists he had encountered were well along in years, almost all accumulated gradually over the past ninety years. A surge had occurred during the era of the Grand Alliance, but in the years since, many martial artists had undergone aberration or fallen in battle on the front lines.
Even though advances in technology and the times meant the total number of martial artists worldwide was steadily growing, any sizable upheaval or outbreak of war could cause those numbers to plummet drastically. Martial artists were far rarer than most imagined.
It was merely that, given their extended lifespans, those stationed in various regions often persisted for decades or even a century, lending them an outsized presence.
Skarsen's letter was, at its core, a continuation of his earlier perspective. He was using a subtle method to convey the grim reality facing the world, hoping Chen Chuan would leave some margin of restraint when he took action.
Chen Chuan pondered the matter. Skarsen was indeed an idealist. His premise was built upon an assumption: that everyone would band together against external threats.
Yet some individuals were far from helpful; they were more likely to become obstacles. Eliminating them would actually benefit the bigger picture. If nothing else, Kolva served as a clear example—and that had been within the Grand Alliance itself, to say nothing of the wider world.
Every nation, every faction, and every individual pursued their own self-interest. Conflicts were inevitable. If someone targeted you, you could not simply refrain from striking back—let alone when certain individuals had likely already thrown their lot in against the world itself. Facing such people, one had to eliminate them without hesitation.
A flash of light gleamed in his hand, reducing all the letters to ash, which drifted down into a nearby disposal bin.
He stood up, glanced at the sunlight outside, locked the cabin door, and sat down cross-legged to perform his daily breathing practice.
Since departing Center City, the cruise ship had called at every scheduled port along the way to pick up and drop off passengers, appearing no different from any ordinary liner. The stewards on board only knew that an important guest might be traveling with them, knowing nothing more beyond that.
Ever since the two state enterprises took control of the Outer Ocean, they had cracked down vigorously on Federation-backed pirate organizations and local factions across the sea. Their efforts had yielded marked results, making the primary shipping lanes relatively safe. Consequently, despite numerous ports of call, the ship arrived at the Anying Archipelago on December 14—the site designated for the Haidong Dao Center City.
There had once been debate over where to place the new Center City, but the authorities ultimately settled on this location. The Anying Archipelago possessed a ready-made naval port and a substantial population; being both a tourist resort and equipped with industrial infrastructure, it made for an ideal site.
Moreover, it was less than half a day's journey from the Wave Pavilion on Erwen Island. With Fenghe Shou having already accepted Great Shun's recruitment right nearby, security was thoroughly assured.
Furthermore, reaching this place by airship from the Great Shun mainland took at most two to three days. Projecting power from the mainland was comparatively easy here, without overly provoking the Linax Federation.
Chen Chuan did not disembark upon arrival. Instead, he stood on the cruise ship's uppermost deck, gazing from afar at the Center City rising in construction.
Compared to his visit half a year ago, numerous high-rises had already shot up, with others still in progress, including the branch office building of Fusion Boundary Company.
Having absorbed a substantial portion of Ferris Wheel Company's business last time, and taking advantage of its connections with Chen Chuan, Fusion Boundary Company had secured a batch of orders and received permission to be among the first enterprises to establish a presence in Haidong Dao. Meng Shu had even placed a personal call to thank him for it.
If built successfully, a powerful sphere of influence could be established with this place at its core, encompassing most of the islands across the Outer Ocean. Given the present population and resources of the Outer Ocean, supporting two martial artists would pose no difficulty at all.
While he looked out toward the island, two young men newly arrived from Center City walked into the temporary signal administration office of the Center City and presented an approval document.
The twenty-third of this month happened to be the eightieth birthday of a certain elderly gentleman—a date falling precisely on the first day after the field signals of the two regions were linked.
A few ambitious juniors had therefore dispatched representatives, intending to use the newly connected fields between the two regions to deliver remote birthday congratulations when the time came.
This was undeniably an occasion of immense significance and prestige. The service was only being opened on a trial basis following the link-up; qualifying to apply was merely a prerequisite, and approval from the Government Affairs Hall was strictly required. They were among the select few granted special permission.
Even after arriving, however, there were still convoluted procedures to navigate, and they needed to finalize the technical arrangements for the message transmission, requiring them to remain until the birthday itself.
The cruise ship remained moored at port throughout the day and resumed its journey once night fell.
Another day later, around eight o'clock in the evening, Chen Chuan dressed, put on his hat, fastened a jade-like mask over his face, picked up the Xuejun Saber, and walked out. The streak of red scarf fluttered into the air, wrapping itself around his neck.
He stepped out through the hatchway and looked out over the open sea ahead.
According to the coordinates on the map, the rendezvous point of the three targets lay straight ahead. All three were traveling by airship.
Across an expanse of sea this vast, patrols could at most monitor the primary shipping lanes; intercepting a handful of airships was out of the question. In particular, the Linax Federation possessed an island state in the Outer Ocean. An airship launching from there could reach this vicinity in just two to three days.
Once the Haidong Dao Center City was fully established, however, it would serve as an impenetrable maritime fortress, locking them completely behind that barrier. That was precisely why the West Coast Faction was so impatient.
The East Coast Faction was actually far more clear-headed at this point. They understood that they did not have another twenty years to pour resources into the Outer Ocean, so they might as well turn their focus toward the Western Continent to seek greater advantages there.
Having fixed his bearings, Chen Chuan leapt down, landing lightly upon the surface of the sea. Then, with a stomp of his foot that detonated a concussive cloud of vapor, he sprinted forward across the waves.
Chapter 976