https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1071-Seeking-Solutions-through-Discernment/13228920/
Chapter 1072: Gathering Spirits on the Path to Life
Chapter 1072: Gathering Spirits on the Path to Life
Chen Chuan was uncertain if this attempt would succeed.
These seeds would draw power from the Heavens above to sustain themselves. If any of the pulling forces disappeared, it would mean that a seed had failed. If they continued to exist, it would indicate their presence.
If all the seeds failed, he would try again, but according to the jade tablet's warning, there might be little hope after the third attempt.
To be honest, this process also relied on some luck. After scattering the seeds, he could only determine their locations through the purple energy, and he had no control over them. In a place like the Federation, it was hard to predict how many would survive in the beginning.
It was precisely in such a place, amidst a more complex environment, that Chen Chuan felt there was a higher chance of truly honing his skills.
He couldn't see the content after the jade tablet, but the subsequent cultivation required external cultivation resources, so it didn't matter if he couldn't see it for now.
He could maintain self-improvement for about one to two months. During this time, he didn't need any drugs. At the latest, in ten days, the cultivation drugs sent by Daxun should arrive, and optimistically, they could sustain his progress for over a month.
In other words, he had less than three months to find more cultivation resources. So, as soon as that batch of items arrived, his trip to Kavatuya would be on the agenda.
This time, he might encounter powerful opponents, which would be a great opportunity to witness the skills of the Federation's martial artists.
In a certain underground space in the central city, at the Confidential Operations Bureau, various biological materials, equipment, and instruments surrounded the Intelligence Planning Office. Countless eyeballs were embedded in the biological walls, glancing left and right. Occasionally, flickering lights flowed through the interconnected pipelines above, converging into the Resonance Nests deep inside.
Inside each Resonance Nest sat a Resonator equipped with deep implants, monitoring and receiving information from various critical areas.
These past two days, the Operations Bureau had focused on the Daxun visit team. They meticulously recorded and analyzed every team member's activities and public conversations, even scrutinizing their bathroom breaks.
The branch head, Nathaniel, sat at his desk with a solemn expression, watching a recording of Xie Xinmin interacting with someone. His hawk-like implant eyes scanned the footage repeatedly, examining every word and expression to ensure no detail was overlooked.
Xie Xinmin, as the leader of the visit team, was their primary focus. Not only him but also everyone he came into contact with required heightened surveillance afterward. Every place he visited needed to be investigated and organized later.
In the past day and a half, Xie Xinmin's behavior had been entirely normal. He had met with Daxun company executives and some civilian representatives, but Nathaniel knew this was just the surface. Xie Xinmin must have come with specific tasks, and these tasks needed to be clarified.
At that moment, a subordinate approached, saluted him, and placed a report on the desk.
"Sir, this is the report on the other part of the visit team. In the past two days, apart from the two Daxun martial artists invited to a company, the only other notable event was Mr. Skulls' visit to Chen, as you requested."
"Also, I must report that Mr. Black Catfish lost contact with us after yesterday morning. We sent people to his last known location, but nothing was left there. His whereabouts are currently unknown, and we don't know if it was the Strategic Affairs Department or Daxun's Bureau of General Affairs."
Nathaniel frowned, his expression turning slightly gloomy. This situation was unexpected. Black Catfish was usually very cautious and rarely made mistakes. He had been specifically requested for this mission from headquarters.
Moreover, being a martial artist himself, such a loss would likely be unacceptable even to headquarters.
However, the situation was peculiar. First, the Strategic Affairs Department of the East Coast Party wouldn't act without purpose, and they saw no benefit in killing Black Catfish. It could only be related to the Daxun martial artists.
Even if the Daxun martial artists discovered they were being watched, they wouldn't initiate an attack unless there was a special vow involved. Still, those selected for the visit team should have been screened for such extreme individuals.
This situation likely involved an unexpected change of plans.
Another subordinate approached, saluted, and said, "Sir, we've found a clue." When Nathaniel looked over, the subordinate continued, "Mr. Black Catfish frequently browsed the Hakheke Shu platform and had contact with it within 48 hours before his disappearance.
"We suspect he accepted a bounty mission from the platform. We requested clues from the platform, but they refused. We also found another piece of information." He handed over a report, "On the Hakheke Shu platform, there's a bounty request for four Daxun martial artists."
Nathaniel took the report and read it expressionlessly. When he saw that the bounty for Chen Chuan was three times higher than for the other martial artists, a cold smile appeared on his face. After considering for a moment, he turned his hawk-like eyes to another subordinate.
"Well done. From now on, you'll be in charge of surveillance outside the city. I'll give you double the manpower to record their every move."
That subordinate's face showed excitement, looking ahead, and saluted, "Yes, sir."
Another subordinate remained silent. After his colleague left, he asked in a low voice, "Sir, about Mr. Black Catfish, should we continue...?"
Nathaniel was silent for a while and said, "First, put it into the archive storage."
"Yes!"
After everyone left, Nathaniel stood up and walked into the adjacent secret room, picked up a phone, and dialed a complex number.
When the other side answered, he said coldly, "I suspect that the Dashun delegation's martial artist has a strong offensive capability. We must prevent unexpected accidents and safeguard the interests of the West Coast. I'm requesting the 'Iron Crow' from headquarters."
In the center city of Serrano, more than a dozen people wearing Dashun costumes walked on the bustling streets with cars passing by.
Awan followed his uncle, Tahou, cautiously. He looked up at the skyscrapers in front of him, feeling both awe and detachment, while the flashing neon lights made him feel very uneasy. The two-wheeled motor vehicles that occasionally zoomed by on the road, along with the excited screams coming from them, almost made him unable to resist taking down the bow and arrow behind him.
It wasn't just him; even those who had never seen such a scene before, the young and strong first people, felt confused and even terrified when they saw the "metal monsters" coming and going.
Ever since Takoda's disappearance, large numbers of Blood-Red Hunters and mercenary armed groups had appeared near their tribe, hunting them down. But at that time, Ahktawa had come, and he helped the tribe's warriors repel the enemies.
Before leaving, he had also advised them that the Dashun delegation was about to arrive in the Federation, with their first stop being Serrano. They could come here to seek help.
In fact, it wasn't just them; Ahktawa had personally visited over twenty tribes he could find, telling them to come here to meet the delegation. So, as early as last month, most of these tribes had sent their warriors on their way here.
Over the years, Dashun had been providing support to some of the larger tribes, especially those gathered in the ancestral land of Kavatuya, who had been receiving aid for many years. However, some scattered tribes were not given much attention. In fact, these tribes might receive aid today and disappear tomorrow, so there was no point in wasting too much effort on them.
But they knew that they couldn't possibly stand up to the Federation with their own strength, and even a slightly larger hunting party might be too much for them to handle. So, they needed to seize this opportunity.
They had sent people cautiously, and fortunately, the pressure on them had eased a little recently. It was said that many hunting parties had gone to the ancestral land, but even so, there were only a dozen or so people who had made it here.
They gathered together and even put on some makeup to look a bit like Dashun citizens.
In fact, they didn't even know themselves that they stood out among the surrounding Dashun people. Their gait, alert eyes, and weathered skin made them look nothing like Dashun citizens. They thought they had disguised themselves well, but as soon as they stepped onto the street, they attracted attention.
Fortunately, today, the delegation was going to meet with an elder from Kavatuya, so there were actually quite a few first people present, and they didn't stand out too much.
When the group arrived at the square outside the Dashun Diplomatic Affairs Bureau, the security personnel's field scan revealed that they didn't have any implants, they were just ordinary martial artists, and they weren't carrying firearms, so they were only glanced at and then ignored.
The group had originally thought that they would be able to meet with high-ranking officials from Dashun as soon as they arrived, but upon reaching the scene, they realized that the area was heavily guarded, and without official identities, it was impossible for them to meet anyone.
As they were hesitating, they suddenly saw a cavalry team approaching. It was a team dressed in traditional first people's clothing, all riding on brightly colored horses. Each person was tall and robust, with muscular and fierce physiques. They wore colorful gradient cloaks and adorned themselves with bone carvings and crystal accessories.
At the front was a fifty-year-old first people's elder, wearing first people's feather decorations on his head, topped with a deer antler crown, and dressed in a traditional copper-trimmed long robe. He held a snake-wood staff in his hand.
The first people present had rarely seen such a traditional and luxurious outfit, and they couldn't help but exclaim in low voices.
An elder with a unique appearance looked ahead and said, "Isn't that Elder Gray Falcon?"
He excitedly said, "I saw him at a gathering of all spirits in the ancestral land when I was young. I even drank and chatted with him." As he spoke, he called out to the first people's elder in the crowd.
Elder Gray Falcon heard the voice, turned to look at them, frowned, and didn't pay any attention. He rode his horse directly past them.
Everyone looked at each other, and someone hesitantly asked, "Didn't he hear us?"
The elder forced a smile and said unnaturally, "Maybe he's not in a convenient position to talk to us right now."
Elder Gray Falcon arrived at the Diplomatic Affairs Bureau, and a senior officer came out to greet him. Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he was invited inside.
...
...
(This chapter is complete)
(End of Chapter)
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