https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1021-Observing-the-Four-Directions/13110032/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1023-The-Secret-Chamber-s-Shocking-Discovery/13110034/
Chapter 1022: Unbinding and Seizing the Initiative
Chapter 1022: Unbinding and Seizing the Initiative
Within the old Imperial House, a military group, rank and order represented personal strength.
Chen Chuan sat in the car, pondering. Whenever a matter required the involvement of a martial artist from the Eternal Life Realm, the old Imperial House would undoubtedly make a significant move.
Currently, it was uncertain if the Eastern Expeditionary General was specifically targeting Jinbei Province, but even the slightest possibility couldn't be taken lightly.
Moreover, given the strict hierarchy of the old Imperial House, it was unlikely for a general of such caliber to appear alone.
Another consideration was whether only the old Imperial House was involved in this matter.
He contemplated for a moment, then instructed the driver, "Go to this location." As he spoke, he sent a map marker through the Boundary Token.
The driver glanced at it and immediately turned the steering wheel, heading north.
After leaving the boundaries of Yangzhi City, they followed the railway line, then turned southeast. After more than two hours, a building came into view.
It was the research center of Yu'an Company.
While on the road, Liao Donghai, the person in charge of Yu'an Company, had already received a telegraph and was now waiting at the entrance.
The armored vehicle stopped at the entrance, and after Chen Chuan stepped out, Liao Donghai hurriedly greeted him and shook his hand with a smile, "Director Chen, we've been waiting for you."
"Mr. Liao, are they still here?" Chen Chuan asked.
"Yes, they've been here all along. After receiving your message, we prepared for the release ceremony, and we're ready to begin whenever you are."
Yu'an Company had already received a communication from the Jinbei Province Government Hall, and it had been agreed that they would hand over the two ancient fighters to Chen Chuan.
To be honest, this relieved them of a burden. After the higher-ups from the security department sent people to inspect and instructed them to maintain the restraints, they were told that inspections would be conducted monthly. However, they had not come to take the fighters away.
These were two formidable fighters, and if they managed to escape and cause damage, the company would be held responsible. This time, they were more than willing to get rid of these two hot potatoes.
Chen Chuan and Liao Donghai entered the building, and through the glass partition, they saw the two ancient fighters still lying there, maintained in a basic physiological state, bound by various cuffs and ritual patterns.
Chen Chuan said, "Proceed with the release ceremony."
Liao Donghai immediately instructed the invited ritual experts to cut off the ceremony. Within half a minute, the two fighters' chests heaved, and almost simultaneously, they opened their eyes. With a simple gesture of their hands and feet, they effortlessly broke the cuffs made of special metal, causing the people on both sides to blink in surprise.
At this moment, Chen Chuan pushed open the door and entered. The two fighters saw him at first glance, their expressions slightly defiant but not overly hostile.
Upon hearing the word "fight," Zharl Nikol and the white-haired woman's eyes seemed to glow with fiery passion. They exchanged a glance and stood up.
Zharl Nikol said, "We were defeated by you, and as your spoils of war, we currently have no means to ransom ourselves. According to the honor agreement, we will fight alongside you as your followers until we ransom ourselves and regain our freedom."
The white-haired woman shouted, "Yes, if fighting is required, we will fight with you. We promise to give it our all, even if it means dying alongside you."
Chen Chuan glanced at her, thinking that she was a bit too blunt and should refrain from such statements in the future.
"I don't need you to die with me," he said. "Just do your best, but during the battle, I require you to follow my commands and abide by the rules I set."
"Of course," Zharl Nikol replied. "We are qualified warriors! We follow the orders of our commander, and you can trust us!"
"But we need food now," Zharl Nikol said. "We need to fill our stomachs and restore our strength."
"Yes, we are very weak now," the white-haired woman added.
Chen Chuan gestured, and immediately, attendants brought in two suitcases and placed them in front of them. "This is for you. I'll wait outside for you to recover."
After saying this, he left.
As soon as he left, the two fighters punched open the suitcases and found neatly stacked pieces of meat, all of which were high-quality food. Their eyes lit up, and they grabbed the meat and stuffed it into their mouths, chewing and swallowing noisily.
Chen Chuan allowed them to eat while he stepped outside. Liao Donghai, slightly nervous, asked, "Is everything alright, Director Chen?"
"Don't worry, there's no problem," Chen Chuan assured him. "I'll take them away shortly."
Liao Donghai nodded, letting out a long sigh of relief. Now, he wouldn't have to worry every day about potential issues arising.
"I'll requisition this place for their recovery," Chen Chuan said. "You can withdraw your people for now."
"No problem, I'll arrange it right away," Liao Donghai assured.
At the same time, on the outskirts of Jiaoshan, an armed convoy was stationed, with Yangzhi's Enforcement Bureau Chief He Fen using a telescope to observe the area ahead.
After addressing the internal issues in Yangzhi City, the Government Hall, the Patrol Bureau, and the Enforcement Bureau turned their attention to Jiaoshan.
A rough estimate suggested a population of at least thirty to forty thousand in the area. Successfully resolving the situation here would be a significant achievement for one's records.
Civil Affairs Minister Zhu Xian realized that now was the best time to address the issue in Jiaoshan. With the field domain expansion, this blind spot could no longer be tolerated. If he didn't resolve it during his tenure, it would become someone else's achievement.
Therefore, he had been sparing no effort in setting up field domain stations in the area, even if it meant not being able to immediately penetrate Jiaoshan's interior.
A few days ago, the Central City Government Hall secretly sent a message, instructing them to keep an eye on this area.
He Fen was the most proactive in pushing this plan. After receiving the message from the Central City Headquarters to closely monitor the area, he sensed something was amiss. He felt that the promotion opportunity he had been waiting for might be within reach, so he decided to seize the chance. He stayed put, determined to notify the rear at the first sign of any unusual activity.
At that moment, on the western side of Jiaoshan, a middle-aged man in traditional robes with a top knot stood atop a pit, coldly observing the scene below.
Below him, about a hundred villagers were digging with all their might, their expressions blank and mechanical as they performed their tasks. After a while, one of the villagers collapsed and lost consciousness on the spot.
A young man nearby approached and whispered, "Young Master, we've lost another twenty people since yesterday. If we don't feed them, there might be many more collapses tomorrow."
The middle-aged man spoke coldly, "Then go and capture more. Are we short of people here?"
The young man quickly bowed and said, "This subordinate will follow your orders."
Just then, a loud rumbling sound echoed from below, as if an earthquake had struck. A large area collapsed, taking down the villagers who were digging above.
The middle-aged man's expression changed upon seeing this. He quickly descended from his vantage point and approached the collapsed pit, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
He lifted his robe and leaped down, followed by seven or eight others.
Ignoring the villagers buried under the sand and stones, he examined the walls of the pit, noticing signs of artificial excavation and a passageway ahead.
He gestured, and one of his men immediately raised an oil lamp.
As they ventured deeper, the only sounds were the weak whimpers of the barely alive villagers and their hurried footsteps.
When they reached the inner depths, the scene that unfolded startled them all.
It was...
The walls were adorned with statues of deities and monsters, crafted in a unique "semi-sculpted" style from the West. This technique involved sculpting directly from the stone wall, leaving half of the statue connected to the wall and without any embellishments. The statues appeared to grow from the wall, and the deities' and monsters' grimacing and horrifying expressions made the scene particularly eerie.
The middle-aged man surveyed the area with a discerning gaze and said, "No mistake, this is the place. The Old Imperial House built here, utilizing the former Maka people's temple. This is the western corner. Go up and arrange for more people to dig here. Once we break through, we'll have only one more location left."
The man behind him immediately bowed and hurried back up to drive the villagers to continue digging.
The middle-aged man focused on the pit before him. With the ongoing field domain convergence in the Yangzhi area, any disturbance from unlocking the secret repository would be detected. Therefore, they had to act before this event, opening the rift and allowing it to expand sufficiently to create a space large enough for an army to pass through.
If they had the other half of the key, it wouldn't be so complicated, but with only one half, they had no choice but to proceed this way.
Meanwhile, on the other end, Ren Xiaotian and Lu Ke, sensing a tremor beneath their feet, emerged from another village.
"An earthquake?" Ren Xiaotian asked.
Lu Ke thought for a moment, "There are earthquakes in this region, but this isn't one of them. It's likely that a cave has collapsed somewhere. The ground here is hollow; you can't just dig anywhere. It's common for people to dig through places in search of treasures."
"Can you tell where it's coming from?" Ren Xiaotian asked.
Lu Ke looked around and replied uncertainly, "Probably from the west?"
"Then let's head south first," Ren Xiaotian decided.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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