Chapter 157: Yu Chen's Gambit — 【Silver Falcon】 and 【Azure Owl】

[Reality World, Station 13]

Watching the screen as Deputy Captain Yu Chen suddenly turned traitor mid-action, the Dimensional Audience wasn’t surprised.

But while Yu Chen’s betrayal was expected, his utterly ridiculous performance—claiming he’d accidentally missed—had them utterly torn between laughter and disbelief.

“Wait, wait, wait! The Deputy Captain of the Fifth Squad actually missed? If he’d been a Book speaker, he’d’ve been a national disgrace!”

“Yu Chen: Sorry, Captain, my personal bias is off the charts, and my sense of justice is zero. (￣▽￣)~”

“Ink: A traitor has emerged within the team.”

“Ink’s expression is flawless, honestly. No reaction at all? That’s dedication!”

Staring at the screen, where Yu Chen stood grinning like a mischievous child, fixing his gaze on ‘Ink’, the audience knew exactly what was happening. This wasn’t a mistake. This was on purpose.

With Liu Ma’s massive frame standing right there, it would’ve taken deliberate aim at the sky to miss. Hitting ‘Ink’? Impossible—unless you were trying to not hit him.

There was no doubt: Yu Chen had meant to miss.

And standing at the entrance of the Gear and Brass Bridge, Tian Dao clearly saw through it too.

He stared at Yu Chen, who had already drawn both pistols, and spoke calmly:

“Yu Chen, Deputy Captain. It seems you’ve made your choice.”

Yu Chen lazily raised his guns, shrugged, and flashed a carefree smirk.

“Meh. Pretty much.”

Meanwhile, the Fifth Squad members, shocked into silence for half a second, immediately drew their weapons, aiming them all at their former deputy.

Tian Dao raised a hand.

“Leave this to me. You go after the fugitives.”

The squad hesitated, then finally snapped into formation.

“Yes, sir!”

As the team sprinted off in pursuit of Chen Kong and Vivian, Dannika lingered for a moment, her small hands clenching her short knife. Her face, though tiny, was full of fierce determination—I’m still part of the Fifth Squad!—and she took off after them, her short legs pumping.

Her duty was clear: apprehend the fugitives.

But then—

“Stop. You don’t need to come.”

A sharp tap at the back of her collar, and Tian Dao lifted her effortlessly by the neck of her jacket, like a kitten, placing her gently aside.

Dannika blinked. Then, without protest, she scurried behind a distant stone pillar, peeking out with wide, curious eyes.

Soon, only Tian Dao and Yu Chen remained at the bridge’s entrance.

And nearby, Liu Ma stood frozen—hesitating, torn between aiding Yu Chen… or chasing after Chen Kong.

But Tian Dao didn’t even glance at Liu Ma. His voice rang out, calm and piercing:

“Colluding with outsiders to replace guards. Then, attacking your own comrades at the critical moment.”

“Yu Chen… you’ve staked your entire life on this. Is it really worth it?”

Yu Chen grinned, unfazed.

“Worth it? What does ‘worth it’ even mean? If Vivian’s father saved my life back then, I can’t just stand by and watch her walk straight into a death trap, can I?”

He tilted his head, eyes glinting.

“People should remember their debts, shouldn’t they?”

Then, his tone shifted—suddenly sharp, cutting.

“Stop pretending, Captain. Don’t tell me you don’t know what Vivian’s planning. You just don’t care to stop her, right?”

Tian Dao’s voice remained cold, emotionless.

“Others’ affairs are none of my concern. I only do what is my duty.”

Yu Chen let out a dry chuckle, as if hearing the funniest joke in the world.

He hadn’t found the smoking gun—no concrete proof of the Church’s staged events. But he had uncovered some troubling traces: anomalies in ‘Ink’s’ origins.

A “common Book enthusiast” from Deep Blue Metropolis?

No way.

Anyone connected to the Hidden Star Society wasn’t ordinary—no one was.

He didn’t have the full picture. He couldn’t guess Tian Dao’s true intentions.

But one thing was certain: this Fifth Squad Captain was playing a much bigger game than anyone realized.

But none of that mattered now.

What mattered was repaying a debt.

To buy more time for Vivian and the others, Yu Chen decided to go full mouth-to-mouth—a tactical barrage of words.

“Captain,” he said, voice steady, “you know what the Steam Church has done over the years. You can’t pretend you don’t.”

Tian Dao didn’t answer. He didn’t nod. Didn’t shake his head.

Instead, he slowly raised his left hand.

Yu Chen was ready.

With a swift motion, he raised his right hand—his pistol, etched with silver feather patterns, its barrel inlaid with a carved bird motif—【Silver Falcon】.

“Break it, Silver Falcon.”

BANG!

A burst of shimmering silver-white fire erupted from the muzzle. The Falcon carving on the gun seemed to breathe, its wings fluttering faintly.

A single, intricately carved silver-white bullet—etched with feather patterns—ripped through the air, streaking toward Tian Dao’s raised left hand.

Yu Chen had seen what Stellar Energy Spell · Ink Coffin could do. He couldn’t let Tian Dao unleash that spell.

If he did, all of Yu Chen’s “delaying tactics” would be nothing more than a farce.

And besides—his fighting style was always about control, about preventing the enemy from ever getting a chance to act.

So when the silver bullet shot toward him, Tian Dao’s Shattering Star swung up, cleaving the air.

But just as the blade neared the bullet—the silver projectile suddenly split.

Like wings unfurling, it veered sharply, twisting through the air at a razor-sharp angle, aiming straight for Tian Dao’s shoulder.

At the last second, the moon-white captain’s coat rippled, dark ink spreading across it like a living shadow—solidifying into a ghostly, invisible armor.

TING!

A sharp, screeching clang echoed through the air.

The bullet struck the armor and was deflected, spinning to the ground.

Yu Chen’s pupils narrowed.

He’d known Silver Falcon wouldn’t pierce ‘Ink’—the suspected Stellar Energy Value S-class entity.

But he hadn’t expected it to fail against even the basic Stellar Energy defense.

That kind of fundamental control? Even novice Stellar Envoys could do it—without a Stellar Source.

Yet only a handful of people could rely solely on raw Stellar Energy to shrug off attacks from peers.

And Tian Dao was one of them.

“Yu Chen,” Tian Dao said, voice calm, “if this is all you’ve got… then perhaps I should end this pointless rebellion.”

Yu Chen took a deep breath, then smiled—wry, confident.

“Is that so? Then I guess it’s time I showed you my real hand.”

He fired Silver Falcon again—rapid, relentless shots, each one a silver streak.

Tian Dao walked forward, slow and deliberate, his Shattering Star flashing left and right, chopping down bullet after bullet.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

The metallic echo rang out like a relentless drum.

But as Tian Dao closed to within ten meters of Yu Chen…

The world shifted.

“Devour him—Azure Owl!”

Yu Chen raised his left hand—his silver-gray pistol, 【Azure Owl】—and fired a thick, disc-shaped electromagnetic shell.

It tore through the air, leaving a wake of wind and distortion, slamming hard into Tian Dao.

In an instant, Tian Dao raised Shattering Star and took the hit.

BOOM!

Sparks erupted in a violent explosion. The blade and the cannon clashed—but unlike before, Tian Dao didn’t hold his ground.

His feet scraped across the ground, carving a deep, ten-meter-long trench before he finally stopped.

From afar, Yu Chen smirked.

“Careful, Captain.”

Then—everything changed.

The scattered silver bullets on the ground trembled.

Like strings pulled by an invisible hand, they rose into the air, spiraling upward—then suddenly flew in unison.

Not at Tian Dao.

But at the Azure Owl shell at his feet.

In a flash, the battlefield became a storm of silver light.

Thousands of bullets, now like meteors, surged from every direction—forming a dense, blinding wall of silver-white fire.

A rain of steel, a shroud of light.

Tian Dao vanished beneath it—engulfed in dazzling radiance, swallowed by smoke and light.

---

[Name: Yu Chen]

[Rank: Upper Grade Two]

[Stellar Source: Fantasy Wing (Trait Class)]

[Effect: Can apply the 'Acceleration' property to any object]

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end