Chapter 634 - 373: Investigation

The dense thud of military boots grew closer from outside the plaza. It was the emergency response forces that had surrounded the area. They poured like a tide through the surrounding gaps and the breach in the Ferris Wheel Building, drawing near.

Upon arriving, they first saw the Ferris Wheel Company guards scattered across the ground, frozen in various poses with their weapons raised. They instinctively lifted their guns, but a scan of the Domain via their Implants revealed that the guards had long since lost all signs of life.

Then, they saw Chen Chuan standing by the coast, blade in hand, gazing into the distance. Turbulent waves washed over his feet, flowing into the massive crater that looked as if it had been carved by a meteorite impact.

Everyone silently lowered their weapons.

Xu Chan emerged from the ranks of the troops. He said to the team leader beside him, "There might be contamination left behind by the Ferris Wheel Company nearby. There’s no need for your men to go any further. Just hold the perimeter here."

After the leader acknowledged his order, Xu Chan walked forward until he was in front of Chen Chuan and extended a hand. "Xu Chan."

Chen Chuan shook it. "Chen Chuan."

Xu Chan said, "Captain Chen, I’ve heard of you. I once considered inviting you to join my squad. I’m glad I didn’t. Otherwise, I don’t know who would have delivered that final strike."

He praised him sincerely, "Captain Chen, well done."

Chen Chuan replied, "Captain Xu, I was just the one to deliver the final blow." He glanced toward the other squad members. "Without the groundwork you all laid, I could never have accomplished this."

Xu Chan could see he was being sincere, not just polite. This made him feel the other’s goodwill and respect, so he nodded solemnly.

The other four squad members didn’t approach, but upon hearing his words, they couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration and respect for him.

Others might not have understood the intricacies of that strike, but they had watched the entire process clearly and knew just how difficult it was.

It required striking at the exact moment the ritual bound the entity. Not to mention the immense power demonstrated by the blade, the timing had to be absolutely precise. A moment too early or too late would have meant failure.

If any of them had been in his place, they wouldn’t have been able to do it. No wonder the Defense Department had entrusted this mission to him. They had truly chosen the right person for the job.

Xu Chan said to Chen Chuan, "Captain Chen, we still have some tasks to complete. We’re all from the Processing Bureau. We should keep in touch."

"Of course," Chen Chuan replied.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Chan led his four team members toward the building. They needed to check the situation in the sublevels and see if anything had been left behind.

After they had walked some distance, Captain Lü said, "Old Xu, that Captain Chen is really something else. I took a look just as the mist was clearing. That Airship was at least three kilometers up in the air. To jump from that height and deliver that strike... damn, that was a death-defying feat."

The others felt a chill just thinking about it. Even for a Third Limit Fighter, falling from such a height would mean serious injury, if not death, if they weren’t careful—let alone having to simultaneously kill the entity possessing the active Consciousness Body.

Captain Wang said, "I just asked around with some people from the Bureau. I heard that the decision to have Captain Chen deliver this strike was a consensus among various departments. It seems this Captain Chen has deep roots, both in terms of power and backing."

Xu Chan recalled the crimson gleam that surrounded Chen Chuan as he fell. He guessed it was some form of protection, but that the majority of it must have been due to Chen Chuan’s own abilities.

’And, if I saw correctly, that wisp of light on the blade as it struck down...’

He thought to himself, ’Spiritual Sense...’

’Isn’t he less than twenty years old?’

’To reach this realm before the age of twenty... it’s hard to imagine how far he’ll go in the future. The Defense Department certainly had their reasons for choosing him.’

Captain Wang said with a hint of envy, "This Captain Chen is so young, with a limitless future, and he’s highly regarded by multiple departments. After accomplishing something so monumental, I think he’s likely to become a poster boy promoted by both the Defense Department and the Processing Bureau."

The others deeply agreed.

Captain Lü looked at Xu Chan again. "Old Xu, you put in the real work holding down that active Consciousness Body. This couldn’t have been done without you. The higher-ups will probably want to move you up. Are you going to refuse a promotion again?"

The five of them had now reached the shaft leading down from inside the building. Xu Chan’s gaze fell into the seemingly bottomless pit. He shook his head. "The path upward is not an easy one to walk." He then added in a somber tone, "Alright, let’s talk about this when we have time. Let’s finish the mission at hand first."

After standing by the shore for a while, Chen Chuan left the peninsula, where gray snowflakes were drifting down, and walked toward the plaza.

As he walked, the emergency response soldiers along the path all made way for him and offered a respectful salute.

He continued until he reached the center of the plaza and looked up. To his eyes, a massive Rift still hung in the sky.

Ever since the Fumu began to multiply and divide, opening the Celestial Gate, he had been constantly circulating the Spiritual Reflection Method that Xue Shou had taught him. He hadn’t stopped at all, except when absorbing Pure Essence or in the heat of battle.

This method could effectively strengthen his Spiritual Power during this period, but the growth was in breadth.

And since last night, he had fought several powerful Fighters in succession, which also elevated the height of his spirit.

After mastering Spiritual Sense, he had thought he wouldn’t be able to push his spirit any higher for a while.

But after slaying the active Consciousness Body just now, it had risen another level. He pondered this and concluded it was likely because he had absorbed the Pure Essence. Pure Essence not only purified the spirit but also enhanced the body’s potential.

Besides that, he had another gain.

After the series of clashes and battles, his Second Self had also been elevated, drawing much closer to his main body.

Once it was in complete harmony with his main body, perhaps the second fusion could occur. At that point, breaking through the theoretical perfect limit would no longer be just a fantasy.

But all of that would have to wait. The most important thing now was to continue absorbing Pure Essence. Although he was no longer on the Airship, the enhancement of his spirit allowed him to sense the fleeting streams of light even while standing on the ground.

He didn’t care which phase it was. In any case, before the World Ring was sealed, these things would continue to flow outward, and he didn’t want to miss out.

So, he walked to the side, requested an empty armored vehicle from the emergency forces under the pretext of needing to rest, and sat inside alone, concentrating on sensing and capturing the streams of Pure Essence that flowed past.

Not long after, a medical team came looking for him, saying they needed to check if his body was in any abnormal condition.

He knew this was a routine check-up after facing such an entity, meant both to prevent any unforeseen issues and to ensure timely treatment if a problem arose, so he was very cooperative.

After a thorough examination, the medical team saw nothing unusual, thanked him for his cooperation, and left.

Inside the command center, Specialist Liang watched the displays for each region. The Fumu should divide two more times. By noon or early afternoon, this crisis would be over.

Just then, he saw an encrypted communication coming in on the Realm Token. It was a contact from the General Affairs Bureau. He accepted the call and asked, "Specialist Cao, any more suggestions?"

Specialist Cao’s voice came through. "No suggestions. I just heard you found the submarine carrying the Ferris Wheel Company’s board of directors. Besides the technology provided by the Lynx Federation, the Ferris Wheel Company has some technologies from unknown sources. We need to investigate."

Specialist Liang knew what they were looking for. He said, "The Ferris Wheel Company was propped up by Lynx. It’s not like Molan Company, which was spun off from Tianhe Mining. It’s unlikely to have what you want."

Specialist Cao said grimly, "We still need to search it. The Ferris Wheel Company has deep ties with the various island nations of the Outer Ocean. Back then, the Outer Ocean islands were also part of the Grand Alliance."

"Alright," Specialist Liang said. "I’ll let them know."

After the call ended, he thought for a moment and asked his female assistant, "Where is the inspection team from the Federation?"

The assistant replied, "We’ve confirmed. Before the Fumu began to divide, the inspection team had already gone to the White Bird District."

Specialist Liang nodded, then asked, "Has the medical team checked on Captain Chen and Old Xu’s team?"

"Yes," the assistant said. "The medical team reported that they are all fine. At most, they’re a bit fatigued from exertion and will be fine after some rest."

"Good, as long as they’re alright," Specialist Liang said.

Just then, the assistant seemed to receive a message. She looked up and said, "Specialist, there’s a message you need to see." She tapped something, and it was transferred over.

Specialist Liang glanced at the message’s content and couldn’t help but frown. "They sure know how to exploit an opening. Alright, get me Chu Yiming."

Meanwhile, another phase of Pure Essence dispersal had passed. Chen Chuan stepped out of the armored vehicle, holding a hot drink provided by the emergency forces, and waited for the next phase to begin.

In the distance, a security officer came jogging over. He first gave a salute, then handed over a long, wrapped object.

"Reporting, Captain Chen! An Airship stopped by just now and asked us to deliver this to you. They said it’s yours."

Chen Chuan knew at a glance it was the scabbard for his Snow Monarch Blade. He said his thanks, took it, removed the wrapping, and then picked up the Snow Monarch Blade itself.

His movements paused slightly as he recalled his final strike. It seemed something had fused into the blade.

But he could feel that this probably wasn’t a bad thing. He could examine it more closely after he returned. So, he slid the blade back into its Sword Scabbard.

Just then, two people walked toward him. They were both dressed in black trench coats, their expressions cold and severe.

After reaching him, one of them looked him over. "You must be Captain Chen Chuan." He took out a Name Card and showed it to him.

"We’re from the Special Action Committee. We’re here to investigate the case concerning Chen Bitong. We need your cooperation, Captain Chen. If you have the time, please come with us."

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