Chapter 441: The Cleanup
Chapter 441: The Cleanup
Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque confirmed that their opponents were no longer a threat, and only then did they relax, both looking up at Chen Chuan.
They saw him holding a longsword, walking slowly towards them, with an iron masked head hanging from his waist. Wisps of qi energy rose from his body, and although he wasn't intentionally projecting his biofield, an invisible sense of overwhelming presence emanated from him.
Yuan Qiuyuan swallowed hard, trying to calm his breathing. He stared at the head, unable to resist saying, "Captain, is it done?"
Chen Chuan walked up to the two of them and nodded. "It's done, but there's still some unfinished business. However, without your help in restraining them, I wouldn't have been able to handle the Iron Demon so smoothly."
Yuan Qiuyuan straightened up, but then he let out a sigh. "Captain, I admit that you have the real skills. I'll follow you from now on, but I won't acknowledge anyone else."
Qin Qingque didn't say anything, but her expression conveyed the same sentiment.
Chen Chuan smiled and then reminded them, "Pay attention to your Vitality Index."
After all, they were in the wilderness, without the field technique connection of the outpost. If they were too far apart, they wouldn't be able to see each other's vitality index. Now that they were closer, they realized that both of them had reached a value of over 20, but fortunately, they hadn't crossed the warning line. This was likely due to their conscious control.
Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque felt a chill down their spines and acknowledged his words. During the battle, they had been on high alert, but now that they relaxed, they found their indices were rising again. They quickly focused on their breathing methods to lower the values.
At that moment, they couldn't help but glance at Chen Chuan's index, which was still at "zero," and they were even more impressed.
They knew that lowering the index was possible, but the further they pushed it down, the harder it became. Chen Chuan had just fought against the Iron Demon, and the pressure he faced was likely far greater than theirs. Yet, within a few minutes of ending the battle, his index had already dropped to zero. This level of self-control and bodily restraint was truly remarkable.
Just then, Chen Chuan suddenly sensed something, and Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque noticed it too. All three of them turned to look behind, and they saw that the remaining cavalry troops had gathered together, facing them and organizing their formation. In a short time, they'd information and mutual support could help them deal with the upcoming situation.
Yuan Qiuyuan found this strange. "What are they trying to do? Do they think they can charge at us with those people?"
A group of second-limit cavalry troops against them, third-limit combat solvers, seemed like they were seeking death. Were the Iron Demon's subordinates this loyal to him?
Qin Qingque observed for a while, thought about it, and then spoke to Chen Chuan. "Captain, they're blocking the view from behind, but I see they have hooks and ropes. They might not be planning to attack us but to retrieve the bodies on the ground."
"We can't let them have those. They're our spoils of war."
Yuan Qiuyuan shouted and ran towards the off-road vehicle. When he reached it, he leaped onto the top and grabbed the machine gun. "Captain, leave this small matter to us. Let us show our skills too."
"Then it's up to you."
"Alright, watch me. I've received training for this."
Qin Qingque said, "I'll drive." She quickly got into the vehicle, and in a while, the off-road vehicle started and headed towards the cavalry troops.
The troops saw them driving towards them, and their formation briefly scattered, but they quickly reorganized and charged forward on their battle horses.
Chen Chuan shook his head. He knew what charging against a machine gun would lead to. Even the implanted modification horses with armor couldn't withstand heavy machine gun fire.
However, these troops likely had no choice. According to the Imperial Samurai's military tradition, when a superior died, their personal guards were expected to behead them. If they couldn't retrieve the body, the entire squad would be punished. Moreover, these troops were personally assembled by the Iron Demon, so their loyalty was unquestionable.
Soon, the sound of machine gun fire, the whinnies of battle horses, and the thuds of heavy objects falling reached them, all drowned in a cloud of rising dust.
Chen Chuan didn't intervene. He stood by the riverbank, his sword planted in the ground, gazing at the flowing water. His mind, however, was on the changes he'd seen in the Iron Demon.
He believed that the Iron Demon didn't represent the ideal of a perfect mind and body.
Indeed, when they first encountered the Iron Demon, his mind, body, and application of qi energy techniques seemed flawless in every aspect. But in reality, these were all disjointed, and as they clashed, the Iron Demon struggled to coordinate them effectively.
Chen Chuan wondered if it was due to a lack of a unifying force or the presence of something within him that hindered his abilities.
After some thought, he concluded that both reasons were likely at play.
Then, he wondered, what would true perfection look like?
After about half an hour, the sounds outside gradually subsided, and the off-road vehicle returned, emerging from the rolling dust and dirt. As the dust settled, a scene of carnage and blood was revealed, with human and equine limbs scattered across the ground, indistinguishable from each other.
The vehicle stopped in front of them, and Yuan Qiuyuan leaped down from the top, saying, "Captain, everything's taken care of. But the numbers seem a bit off."
Qin Qingque emerged from the driver's cabin and said, "Captain, there were initially two teams heading towards our rear, probably searching for a shoal on the river to flank us. They should not have arrived yet."
Chen Chuan said, "Since we're already out here to pursue and suppress, let's try to clean them up. It's no big deal if we can't catch up; these people won't be able to escape."
"Yes."
The two team members responded in unison. After this victorious battle, their morale was high, and they had complete faith in Chen Chuan.
However, the first thing to do was to deal with the aftermath. Especially, the Iron Demon's corpse had to be thoroughly incinerated to prevent any future troubles.
At the same time, the armor of the Iron Demon and its subordinates, some official documents and seals, and other important items had to be taken back as proof of identity.
After everything was cleaned up, another half-hour passed. But still, there was no sign of the cavalry troops who had split up earlier. If they hadn't circled back, they might have received a warning and scattered, but it was still worth pursuing.
Chen Chuan looked at the fire that was gradually dying out, seeing that everything there had turned to ashes. He then retracted his gaze and said, "Let's go."
Qin Qingque took a few steps forward, opened the car door for Chen Chuan, and saluted, "Captain, please get in the car."
Chen Chuan acknowledged with a sound and sat in the car. After the vehicle started, he glanced at the sky. Including the time spent before and after the battle, it had been about three hours.
He hadn't expected the battle to end so quickly. He had previously considered the possibility of a stalemate, wondering if the fight would drag on into the night.
Although he was prepared, he had already drawn the ritual on the outer garments of his two teammates. Still, the critical factor was the Vitality Index, which was an unpredictable variable.
However, based on the battle's outcome, the Iron Demon had no such intention. Perhaps it also feared the night or was eager to decide the victor without being flanked.
From this perspective, the deceptive intelligence obtained from Rao Consultant was indeed useful, playing a crucial role. It might even help expose an internal traitor.
At this point, Chen Chuan asked, "Qin Executor, did those cavalry troops have portable radios with them?"
Qin Qingque replied, "Captain, no. They probably transferred them beforehand. But if they find out that the Iron Demon has been killed, they might destroy the radios, making it difficult to trace them through their tracks."
Chen Chuan said, "Then let's not force it." This wasn't their main task; finding clues was ideal, but it wasn't a problem if they couldn't. They just needed to fulfill their duties.
As they followed the tracks left by the cavalry troops, they found that the cavalry squad had previously camped there but had obviously dispersed and retreated.
After discussing, they felt the remaining cavalry troops were no longer a significant threat, so they decided not to pursue further.
Chen Chuan said, "Qin Executor, you can send a report to the rear, and also, please thank Rao Consultant on my behalf." He knew that deceptive intelligence was no simple matter, and Rao Consultant had undoubtedly taken a risk.
"Yes, Captain," Qin Qingque replied.
Inside Outpost 73, Rao Consultant had been waiting by the radio, worried about Chen Chuan's team and himself.
As Chen Chuan had guessed, deceptive intelligence was a critical tool, and if it didn't yield results, he would be held responsible.
At that moment, the telegraph operator looked up and said, "Consultant, there's a telegram!"
"It's here? Quick!" Rao Consultant urged. The telegram's arrival meant the team was safe, and it wasn't the worst outcome.
After the telegraph operator wrote down the code, Rao Consultant took it without needing a translation. His eyes widened, and his hands began to tremble as he struggled to contain the joy on his face.
But after reading it several times, he suddenly became unsure and sent a reply for confirmation. After two exchanges, the other party confirmed that they would bring back the Iron Demon's head and personal belongings, allowing him to finally relax.
With a smile on his face, he instructed the telegraph operator, "Send a report to the command center, telling them..."
He slowed his speech to ensure his words were clear. "Confirmed. Around 10 AM today, the Iron Demon and its subordinates encountered our elite squad's proactive attack in the middle section of River Segment 24."
He paused.
"After nearly two hours of intense battle, we successfully beheaded the Iron Demon and two Imperial Samurai under its command. We also annihilated over thirty elite cavalry troops, with only a dozen or so managing to escape."
Note: This squad was led by First Rank Executor Chen Chuan, with team members Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, Tactical Advisor Rao Qili, and others..."
He glanced at his watch, "Time: November 26th, 2:23 PM." He looked up and said to the telegraph operator, "Send the report as is."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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