Chapter 223: Welcome
Chapter 223: Welcome
On the rooftop of an old residential building in the eastern part of the city, a man with a bushy beard squatted, using binoculars to observe the direction of the city center. From time to time, he muttered curses under his breath.
"Those damn Grey Dogs have tightened their guard again. It's getting harder to pull off our operations," he grumbled.
A team member's head popped out from the rooftop entrance, shouting, "Big Brother Tian, the captain's telegram has arrived!"
"What are you shouting about? I heard it," the bearded man replied as he stood up and walked over. He took the crumpled and slightly sweat-stained telegram, glanced at it, and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Good. No need to worry about planting bombs anymore. Tomorrow, we'll load the remaining explosives onto a vehicle and transport them near that department store. With the crowd, we'll set them off together. Also, inform Little Li's team to take action simultaneously and give them a grand fireworks show."
"Big Brother, that location is still some distance from the city center. Will it be effective?"
The bearded man gave him a sidelong glance and said, "I'd like to blow up the city center too. Do you want to go instead?" The team member immediately retracted his head, "Then forget it."
The bearded man huffed, "Just follow the plan. Why so much chatter?"
"I'm just concerned about delaying Captain's request for you, that's all," the team member explained.
"The captain is smarter than you. What he can't think of, you can?"
The bearded man checked his watch—3:25 a.m. In about two hours, it would be 5:25 a.m. He said, "Get moving. I want to hear from you before 6:00 a.m."
"Big Brother, you watch out," the team member replied.
In the wilderness, Chen Chuan and his team had arrived at the northern side of Xieshan Mountain. There was no direct road connecting the wasteland to Xieshan, so they had to stop at the foot of the mountain and traverse the mountain paths arranged by the Patrol Bureau. They reached the side where they could access the railway.
Most of Chen Chuan's team were fighters, and even those without that title had years of experience carrying out missions. They were all energetic and quick on their feet, even when carrying heavy loads, as they moved swiftly along the mountain paths in the dim pre-dawn light.
This location had been specifically chosen by the Patrol Bureau, with the cover of trees providing concealment. Despite the darkness, they could vaguely make out the railway about half a mile away.
Before them was a steep slope, approximately 130 to 165 feet above the ground, but this was no challenge for them. With the right tools, they could quickly descend if needed.
Chen Chuan looked south, where the train would approach, passing through a tunnel that took over twenty seconds to traverse—a stretch frequently targeted for attacks. However, a watchtower had been established nearby, and railway security personnel patrolled the area every hour.
He checked his watch—4:15 a.m.
At this moment, members of the resistance organization were likely hiding on a nearby mountain, while those behind the secret sect ritual remained unseen.
The exact effects of the ritual were still unknown.
However, Chen Chuan wasn't worried. Not only had they prepared defenses, but Director Lei had also informed him during the teaching process that the larger the ritual, the harder it was to control the details. A single oversight could result in losing control, even for the ritual's orchestrator.
Consequently, the most significant concern for large-scale rituals was being discovered before they could be countered. But with prior knowledge, there were ways to address them.
At that very moment, several kilometers away, near a hillside to the north, Bao Yuan had already arrived with his team.
Bao Yuan also checked his watch.
If the train schedule hadn't changed, the train would pass beneath them around 6:05 a.m. This section of the railway had enhanced security and patrols, making it nearly impossible to detonate explosives successfully.
Fortunately, they weren't relying on that this time.
The Painter had promised to deliver what he wanted to see.
Bao Yuan didn't know how the Painter would accomplish this, but he trusted him implicitly. Many of his successful endeavors were thanks to the Painter's assistance, even though they had never met in person.
Moreover, Bao Yuan suspected that the Painter was a member of the organization, sharing the same ideals, which explained the Painter's repeated support.
Two kilometers away, Director Lei, along with several members of the Secret Sect Review Bureau, hid within a watchtower.
This operation had mobilized almost the entire Review Bureau, with many members waiting in the periphery and various hidden locations, equipped with radios for communication. As soon as something happened, they would be ready to respond.
Given the potential significance of this operation for the Review Bureau in the past decade, the younger members were both excited and nervous, constantly checking their watches.
Time ticked by. At 5:05 a.m., just as the train was about to approach, a team member suddenly pointed upwards and exclaimed, "Look!"
Everyone looked up and saw a hot air balloon floating above the mountain range.
Director Lei's gaze fixed on the balloon, and he knew without further thought that the person behind the secret ritual was hiding inside.
Using a hot air balloon was indeed a clever strategy, allowing for a comprehensive view of the ritual while providing an escape route.
"Get ready," Director Lei said. "The person is likely up there."
Hearing this, the team members reacted, and one asked, puzzled, "Director, if the person is up there, how can they activate the secret ritual?"
"Before the Secret Ritual could be initiated, a crucial component needed to be embedded within it for the ritual to take effect. An incomplete setup would be useless, and it was clear that the person wouldn't activate it before the train arrived. But how could they accurately pinpoint the timing if they were in the sky?"
Director Lei, upon seeing the hot air balloon, had already figured out the perpetrator's plan. He said, "The train is the key."
The team members were startled. "The train?"
Director Lei spoke with a grave tone, "If the train has his people on board or if the train itself has been tampered with, then he won't need to control it himself. As soon as the train arrives, the entire Secret Ritual will be triggered. And if that's not the case, he can still descend from the hot air balloon if necessary."
At this moment, he glanced at his wristwatch.
6:02 pm.
If the train was on schedule, it would be arriving soon.
Almost simultaneously, Guan Yuming, who was in charge of command near the city center, suddenly heard two loud explosions coming from the east and west sides respectively.
...
He frowned slightly. Despite their best efforts to search the area, they couldn't block off the entire city, especially the small alleys where hidden individuals could easily go unnoticed.
Such actions, aside from causing casualties and creating chaos among the common people, served no purpose. Therefore, it was likely a tactic to distract them and prevent them from deploying their forces elsewhere.
He first dispatched two teams to the incident sites, then turned to the telegraph operator and said, "Send a telegram: 'The city center's outskirts have been hit by explosions. Caution is advised.'"
A moment later, Chen Chuan and Director Lei both received the telegram. With the city now in turmoil and the train's imminent arrival, the perpetrators were likely about to make their move.
At this very moment, the Chang Shun Express was traveling along the tracks towards Yangzhi City. This train consisted of seventeen carriages, all of which were equipped with high-end facilities and interior decorations.
Among the passengers on this train journey were foreign company representatives heading to Yangzhi City for a meeting. Each company occupied one or two carriages, and most of their entourage consisted of armed security personnel. They were permitted to carry firearms and wore stab-resistant vests, while a few of them donned protective gear.
Pollen Corporation's representative, Steven Lin Dengbeige, was currently gazing out the window at the passing scenery. His assistant spoke up, "Sir, the land outside Da Shun Central City is always desolate and monotonous. The people living in those cities are like livestock in a pen, barbaric and foolish, with nothing worth seeing."
Steven Lin Dengbeige replied, "The world outside every central city is like this. Da Shun is like this, and Norland is like this. But Mo Lan Corporation chose to establish its base here, so this land must have some mysterious qualities that we're unaware of."
After this evaluation, he stopped looking outside and continued to peruse the information about Yangzhi City. Initially, he wasn't supposed to be the business representative, but the original person was reassigned to a temporary task by higher-ups, leading to his appointment. As he had no prior knowledge of the local situation, he had to start from scratch.
"Hmm..." At this moment, he suddenly lifted his head, removing the tea-colored decorative glasses from his face. His implanted eyes widened as he spotted a small black dot in the distance. He exclaimed in surprise, "A hot air balloon?" He also noticed a banner hanging below it that read, "Welcome All Guests."
"Is this a welcoming ceremony by the Yangzhi Government? They seem very enthusiastic."
Just then, the train was approaching the mountain tunnel section. The train driver was keeping a close eye on the front, aware that this stretch of the track had frequently been targeted in the past. Fortunately, everything seemed fine for now, and as they were about to enter the tunnel, he sounded the horn in advance to signal their approach.
As they entered, he glanced sideways and suddenly felt a chill. The folds and wrinkles on the mountain's surface seemed to form a bizarrely smiling face, as if it were grinning at him at that moment. And the dark tunnel entrance below appeared like a gaping mouth.
The train whistled as it plunged into the tunnel, and after about twenty seconds, it successfully emerged from the other side, but it slowly came to a halt, with only half of its length visible outside while the rest remained within the tunnel.
The passengers were all seated in their respective compartments, but they didn't seem to notice or care that the train had stopped. Each of them continued with their previous activities.
In the Beren Corporation's carriage, the assistant's voice echoed, "Sir, the land outside Da Shun Central City is always desolate and monotonous. The people living in those cities are like caged animals, barbaric and foolish, with nothing worth seeing."
Steven Lin Dengbeige withdrew his gaze and said, "The world outside every central city is like this. Da Shun is like this, and Norland is like this..."
He frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss, but he continued, "But Mo Lan Corporation chose to establish its base here, so this land must have some mysterious qualities that we're unaware of..."
He resumed reading the documents, and after a while, he seemed to make a discovery. "Is that a hot air balloon?"
"Is this a welcoming ceremony by the Yangzhi Government? They seem very enthusiastic."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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