Chapter 449: Entanglements
Chapter 449: Entanglements
Chen Chuan turned around, and in the office, there appeared to be an additional person, seemingly emerging from the shadows. He stood there silently, his height not particularly tall, dressed in a military coverall with a silver-white scabbard hanging at his waist, holding a short sword. His face was long and rectangular, his skin slightly tanned, and his thick hair was somewhat disheveled, giving off a slightly sinister gaze.
Judging by his appearance, he matched the photos in the Outpost's information files—the very same Fei Tong, the Commander of Fortress Two-Eight-Five.
Fei Tong stared at him and said, "Because I knew from the very beginning that all of this was your doing, Fei Commander, and not some anomaly."
Fei Tong narrowed his eyes at him, "Is that so? How did you figure it out?"
"Yesterday, when I went to the office, I found this shredded piece of paper," Chen Chuan took out the reassembled paper and gestured towards him.
"This was torn from your personal diary. Look at how chaotic the lines are, and those characters—you seemed to want us to think you had gone mad."
Fei Tong took a glance, "What, don't you think my imitation is good enough?"
Chen Chuan said, "It's not that it's not good, but it's just that. Your lines do try to portray 'madness,' but they lack that genuine madness. Your biggest flaw is that you wrote so much but didn't tear the paper even a little. It's hard to believe you truly went mad."
"And then, after tearing it up, you threw it into the trash can. This is clearly meant to be seen. Such an action is too logical, and the deliberate traces are too heavy."
Fei Tong paused for a moment before saying, "Do you think it's me just based on this?"
Chen Chuan said, "It's true that this alone can't confirm it, but it does let me know that someone is deliberately trying to distract us. Because if it were an anomaly, with the level of protection here, without an insider, it would be impossible to enter."
"You are the owner of the diary, and you also happen to be the person capable of doing it. I don't doubt who you suspect."
A cold smile flashed across Fei Tong's face, and he said, "So, you don't have any solid evidence, and you're just guessing based on your feelings?"
Chen Chuan spoke sincerely, "That's not entirely true. In fact, I knew it was you, Fei Commander, yesterday."
Fei Tong's expression turned slightly somber, "Yesterday?"
"Yes, yesterday."
Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "Fei Commander, you probably haven't specifically trained in aura, nor have you learned any aura techniques. Last night, when you stood outside the briefing hall, I sensed your aura.
That's an aura only a Tier Three Fighter would have. Combined with the previous evidence, it's enough to prove it's you."
He added, "By the way, when I came in just now, you followed me in secret, but your aura was so obvious, it was almost like you were announcing your presence. I'd find it hard not to notice."
He smiled, "This fully proves that without understanding some techniques and knowledge, even simple disguises can't be done well."
Fei Tong's expression turned gloomy, "Your words are unpleasant, and I don't like them."
A strong killing intent emanated from his body, but Chen Chuan remained unmoved, continuing his speech, "Yesterday, when I directed the suspicion towards you, I kept wondering, why would you do this?
Just from the incidents at the rest station, I guessed that perhaps you people's minds had gone astray, so you did these things. If a Tier Three Fighter in an Outpost goes rogue, they indeed have the ability to do this."
He raised his gaze and said calmly, "You didn't suddenly go astray, it wasn't a passive occurrence, but a long-planned, deliberate action."
Fei Tong let out a cold laugh, "Is that your deduction too?"
"Yes."
Chen Chuan spoke honestly, "The aura I felt yesterday was icy cold, but there was something hidden within. It's similar to what I've encountered with Iron Demons, and I think this isn't a coincidence.
I happened to hear that this is a technique of the Former Imperial House, and currently, this technique is granted to those who receive titles from the Former Imperial House."
He looked at Fei Tong, "It seems that you should have received a title from the Former Imperial House and are preparing to serve them."
Fei Tong stared intently at him.
Chen Chuan continued, "I thought about it, and although there's some time between the events here and those involving the Iron Demons, if they were blocked on both fronts and couldn't retreat, they could still flip over some remote areas, pass through here, and circle back. That's also a possibility.
Although there would still be losses, compared to other options, this is far better. From this perspective, you are very likely the backup plan they prepared early on, and you might be the insider. But after the Iron Demons were dealt with, there was no turning back, so the subsequent incidents occurred.
But I'm curious, since you've already done these things, why are you still here and not leaving?"
I guess that the Iron Demons might have been your recommender, and now that they're dead, you're afraid to just go to the Former Imperial House, so you're creating all this chaos, wanting to bring back more spoils of war, hoping to give them an explanation, am I right?"
"Fei Tong's expression grew increasingly gloomy.
Chen Chuan observed his demeanor and nodded, "It seems my guess about this matter was right, or at least partially correct."
Fei Tong took a deep breath, his hand resting on the hilt of the short sword at his waist, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Indeed, after doing this, where else can I go? I can only go to the other side, but I should bring a gift when I go there, right?" He paused, "I didn't expect it to be you."
"I heard you beheaded the Iron Demon, so I believe they'd definitely appreciate your head. Perhaps I might even receive a genuine title directly from them."
"Your Excellency seems quite confident," Chen Chuan remarked.
Fei Tong hummed and drew the short sword from his waist with a clank, a weapon well-suited for use in this not-so-spacious area. Simultaneously, tendrils sprouted from his exposed neck, rapidly coiling around his body, resembling the situation with the Iron Demon.
"Activation grants me formidable strength and enlightens me to many things. My spirit and flesh have once again been sublimated; now, my power is at least twice what it was before."
He grinned menacingly at Chen Chuan, "Do you think I appeared here just because of your words? I had already made my plans. You sent your two team members away, and they won't be back for a while. And you didn't bring a sword, so how could you possibly be my match?"
Chen Chuan's calm gaze fixed on him. Though they were initially at a distance, in the next moment, he suddenly appeared in front of Fei Tong and delivered a punch to the latter's abdomen.
Fei Tong sensed something amiss and tried to retreat, but the metamorphic power within him was too overwhelming, surging through his body. He stumbled back several meters before half-kneeling on the ground and retching.
"Do you think I didn't bring a sword for no reason?"
A serene voice suddenly sounded by his ear, startling him. Chen Chuan appeared before him once more, his gaze looking down from above.
"That's because against you, I don't need them."
Before Fei Tong could react, Chen Chuan kicked him, and this time, Fei Tong responded, twisting his waist to attempt to hand over the short sword.
However, the sword was kicked back halfway, the force of the kick sending the blade and his arm crashing into his own body. The impact propelled him into the wall behind, creating a massive hole, and bricks clattered to the ground.
Chen Chuan strode forward, having indeed come unarmed. He had previously assessed the man's strengths and weaknesses through his aura, confident he could subdue him even without weapons.
And if he hadn't done so, how could the man have appeared so easily?
Fei Tong coughed a few times, lying amidst the scattered bricks. If it were the Fei Tong of before, these blows would have broken his bones and rendered him combat-ineffective. Yet, he managed to struggle to his feet.
Before he could straighten up, another punch struck him. He hastily raised his hand to block it, but the force pushed his hand into his face, and he staggered backward with a bang.
The force not only numbed his arm but also penetrated his skull, repeatedly shocking his brain and causing his vision to darken momentarily.
Fortunately, he was no longer an ordinary human; his brain tissue was firmly anchored to his skull, preventing severe concussion, allowing him to maintain consciousness.
At this moment, he felt both surprised and enraged, realizing he had severely underestimated his opponent. He roared, his breath quickening, and the countless tendrils on his body suddenly turned crimson. His body gradually paled, as if it had just feasted on fresh blood.
Chen Chuan sensed that as the tendrils grew, the aura representing the limbs intensified rapidly, while the aura representing the body weakened. This indicated an extreme overdraft of his life potential to enhance the metamorphic power, perhaps even investing all his essence and blood. Such a method could indeed temporarily boost combat effectiveness.
However, it was only a matter of time. If he didn't actively attack, the strain would eventually take its toll, and he would defeat himself.
Therefore, if he had no concerns, he could simply maintain his distance and wait for the opponent to self-destruct.
But he had other team members outside, so he couldn't do that. He'd have to put in a bit more effort.
Taking advantage of Fei Tong's metamorphosis, Chen Chuan stepped forward again, pushing Fei Tong with a single hand. Fei Tong attempted to block, but an unstoppable force surged through his body, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying out of the office through the hole in the wall.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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