Chapter 630 - 369: Arrival

As the Sky Shark Airship carrying Chen Chuan headed toward Yinglu District, the Defense Department and various other government agencies were all intently focused on the battle.

This operation to annihilate the Ferris Wheel Company was a joint effort between multiple departments. On the surface, it was only aimed at a single company, but in reality, it represented a tentative expansion of the government’s political authority.

Whether it was the Canglong Company and Overseas Development Group from before, or the various departments currently involved, nearly all of them were aligned with the Dashun Government.

If they could thoroughly purge the Ferris Wheel Company, successfully weather the Fumu’s splitting, and eliminate the entity that had entered their world, then the authority of the Jibei Dao Central City Administrative Hall—and by extension, the Dashun Government—would be massively consolidated and strengthened.

Power struggles have always been a zero-sum game. As the government’s authority rose, the City Council, which represented corporate interests, would inevitably be suppressed.

This was especially true with the Fumu’s splitting. The armed forces of numerous corporations had joined the fray, only to suffer heavy casualties. This had undoubtedly weakened them severely, which would lead to a further decline in the City Council’s power.

But all of this was contingent on achieving every one of their objectives.

Inside a warehouse on the outskirts of Yinglu District, Specialist Cao stood watching a screen. On it, flickering footage showed the scene inside the Ferris Wheel Building.

"Sir, your tea." A subordinate from the General Affairs Bureau brought him a steaming cup.

Specialist Cao took the cup and had a sip, his eyes still glued to the screen. The subordinate said, "Sir, you haven’t slept in three days. Why don’t you get some rest?"

"There’s no time," Specialist Cao said. "Keep a close eye on the coast. Report back the second you have anything."

"Sir, Team Three is watching it," the subordinate replied.

"What about the City Council?"

"As you ordered, sir, we have eyes on every one of them. We’ve cut all nearby communication lines and jammed all Domain-based transmissions. Even if they realize something is wrong, their orders won’t make it out of Weiguang District."

The subordinate hesitated for a moment, then took half a step forward. "Sir, we previously detected some anomalies near Qingding Mountain. Should we dispatch a team...?"

Specialist Cao held up a hand to stop him. "Leave that for now." He stared ahead. "The most important target is right here."

Just then, another liaison officer hurried over and spoke in a rushed whisper, "Sir, people from the Special Operations Committee are here. They’ve asked several times, demanding we hand over the detailed operational plan for their review."

Specialist Cao glanced at his watch. It was 11:20. "Tell them to pick a place. I’ll head over right away. I’ll explain the plan to them in person."

"Yes, sir."

In northern Yinglu District, atop a skyscraper, Director Lei gazed in the direction of the Ferris Wheel Company. He was surrounded by members in the uniform of the Esoteric Affairs Bureau.

"Director Lei, we’ve checked. All twelve ritual sites are secure."

Director Lei nodded. They had set up a total of twelve Esoteric Rituals around the peninsula where the Ferris Wheel Company was located, all designed to resonate with the one being prepared inside.

Once the primary ritual was activated, these would activate in unison, serving as both reinforcement and a failsafe to ensure the main one would be effective.

The subordinate glanced toward the main ritual site. "Director Lei, the binding might only last an instant. Even the most optimistic estimate is less than a single breath. Seizing that opportunity won’t be easy. Can the person the Defense Department sent really pull it off?"

Director Lei gazed in that direction and said with absolute certainty, "Don’t worry. The person I recommended will most definitely seize that chance."

At 11:22, to the sound of whirring propellers, a Sky Shark Airship entered Yinglu District.

As it flew in, two other airships that had been waiting at the edge of the district began to converge on its position.

This served two purposes: first, to ensure a stable data link for the primary airship, and second, to act as a decoy, making it impossible to identify the true target and thwarting any potential sabotage from within.

Chen Chuan stood at the front of the airship’s upper deck, looking out through a viewport. A fog had rolled in at some point; clouds and mist drifted past the vessel, and the ground below was a blurry haze.

A monitoring officer entered the cabin. "Captain Chen, we’ve entered Yinglu District. We’re heading toward the Ferris Wheel Company and should be over the target area within ten minutes."

Chen Chuan picked up his service cap from a nearby table and put it on, straightening the brim. He then tied on his protective scarf and, finally, picked up the Snow Monarch Blade that was resting to the side and headed out.

The monitoring officer let him pass and then followed him out. Orders had come down from on high: during the mission, they were to cooperate with Captain Chen, relay his every request, and transmit all messages without delay.

When Chen Chuan reached the airship’s deck, he saw it was empty. "Where’s my classmate?" he asked.

The monitoring officer replied, "He signed a non-disclosure agreement. He’s been restricted to his quarters."

Even though Pan Xiaode was an employee of the Sky Shark Company, he wasn’t permitted to know the details of such a critical mission. He had been required to sign a non-disclosure agreement and remain with the airship for the duration of the operation.

Chen Chuan nodded. ’That’s the best way to handle it. Pan Xiaode’s strength and status aren’t high enough for him to be involved in matters like this. It’s better he doesn’t know too much.’

He looked out. Now that they were here, the fog seemed to have thinned slightly, perhaps due to the sea breeze, but he could still only make out the vague silhouettes of the buildings below.

Light streamed in from over the sea. Amidst the interweaving fog and light, Central City below and the bright sky above seemed to be two separate worlds that were nevertheless constantly merging into one.

As the airship flew onward, Chen Chuan could see numerous Rifts flickering around them. They varied in size and appeared and disappeared intermittently.

This was why the airship had to navigate with extreme caution. In fact, they had maintained a relatively slow speed on their way here, mainly to avoid being affected by the Rifts.

Just then, with a great RUSH, a flock of birds burst out of a nearby Rift, but they deliberately veered around the airship.

This was because the airship had been coated with a special layer of chemicals and materials. Be it insect swarms or the birds from the Merging Lands, they would instinctively avoid the vessel upon sensing it.

Chen Chuan could now see the towering Ferris Wheel on the coast. From this distance, it looked no bigger than a coin.

He stared at it. The various departments had entrusted him with delivering the final blow, but the exact method was his to decide.

After deep consideration and a conversation with Hong Fu, he had decided to take advantage of the current conditions and launch an aerial assault on the target.

He had already submitted this plan to the Defense Department on the way here.

But pulling this off would be no easy feat. First, they had to ensure the target was exposed in the open. That task would fall to the coordinating personnel on the ground.

Inside the Defense Department Command Center, Specialist Liang glanced at his watch. It was 11:25 PM. The Fumu’s splitting had now reached its twelfth wave.

He asked, "Is Captain Chen arriving soon?"

His female assistant replied, "The airship has already entered Yinglu District. It will be in the airspace above the Ferris Wheel Building in about ten minutes."

Specialist Liang turned his attention back to the screen. "Have Old Xu and his team been notified?"

The female assistant said, "We’ve notified them repeatedly and even left a message in the weapons cache we sent over. They should have received it."

Specialist Liang said in a grim voice, "Tell Old Xu and his men again: no matter how difficult this request is, they must carry it out. That’s an order!"

"Yes, sir."

Specialist Liang stared at the screen. ’Those of them who drafted and pushed this plan forward were now bound to it themselves. No one could escape the consequences.’

’Every single person involved at this moment—from Xu Chan and his men fighting valiantly, to the response teams outside, to the coordinating staff in various departments, and even himself—was a pawn on this chessboard. All of them were being moved to set up and execute that final, killing blow.’

The airship in the sky gradually approached the coast, and the silhouette of the Ferris Wheel grew ever larger. Chen Chuan stared at it, blade in hand, as the sea wind gusted across the deck, tousling the ends of his hair.

The monitoring officer seemed to receive a message. He looked up and said, "Captain Chen, the ground team is sending a warning. The active Consciousness Body possesses a Spiritual Shock ability with a wide range. We can’t get too close."

"What’s the effective range?" Chen Chuan asked.

"The ground team reports a range of two to three kilometers, but anything over three kilometers should be safe."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "Then take us up. Increase our altitude to over three kilometers. Can this airship manage that?"

The monitoring officer said, "We can manage four kilometers, let alone three. But will that be an issue?" ’Can he really launch an accurate attack from that far away?’

Chen Chuan gave him a firm reply. "Do it."

The monitoring officer didn’t ask any more questions and immediately had the airship ascend. They had been told to obey Captain Chen’s orders completely and not to ask questions.

As the lead airship ascended, the two escort vessels rose with it. Under the cover of the fog, the three airships became nearly invisible to anyone on the ground. Only Domain-based transmissions could still be exchanged.

However, as they drew closer to the Ferris Wheel, Chen Chuan’s heightened spiritual senses could already feel waves of Spiritual Power washing over them. By the time the force reached him, it was faint and barely perceptible, not even strong enough to affect an ordinary person. He could only imagine the immense pressure on those in direct contact with it on the ground.

He pushed the thought aside. ’The people on the ground have their duty to fulfill, and I have mine.’

Facing the strong oncoming sea wind, he tugged down the brim of his cap and planted the tip of the Snow Monarch Blade onto the deck beside him. All that was left was to wait for the right moment.

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