Chapter 450: The Chase
Chapter 450: The Chase
Fei Tong felt a sense of foreboding as he tried to adjust his body mid-air, but before he could fully regain control, a figure flashed before him and struck with a punch.
With a boom, he flew backward faster, crashing into the wall of the open corridor behind him, creating a massive dent. The wall's surface and fragments of bricks and stones tumbled down with a clatter.
Relying on his limb-like body's strength, Fei Tong straightened himself and roared, ready to counterattack. But Chen Chuan kicked him in the face with a powerful kick, sending him flying backward.
This kick was not only strong but also carried an upward force, causing Fei Tong's body to involuntarily soar into the air.
As he looked down, Chen Chuan glanced up at him, his eyes calm and deep. Suddenly, Chen Chuan's figure seemed to magnify before Fei Tong's eyes, causing his hairs to stand on end. Fei Tong hurriedly crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the incoming attack.
A fist then slammed into him, and with two cracking sounds, his arms broke. The force sent him crashing into the wall behind him, creating a large dent. The wall's surface and fragments of bricks and stones tumbled down with a clatter.
Chen Chuan's entire body was sent flying backward, and as he landed, he immediately countered with a knee strike to Fei Tong's chest and abdomen. Fei Tong's eyes bulged, and he spat out a mixture of liquid and blood.
In mid-air, Chen Chuan grabbed the tendrils on Fei Tong's body and, upon landing, flung him to the ground. As Fei Tong fell, Chen Chuan followed up with a powerful punch.
With a thunderous resonance, Fei Tong's chest burst open, revealing shattered bones and organs within. The tendrils, still covered in undigested blood, also ruptured, spraying blood everywhere.
This punch created a gaping hole in Fei Tong's body. Although his wounds began to heal slowly due to the writhing tendrils, he was temporarily unable to move.
Chen Chuan looked at Fei Tong, whose eyes had rolled back, and retracted his fist, which was emitting white mist. He straightened up from his crouching position and tapped the interdimensional connector, notifying Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque, "Come back. I've found the main culprit."
Chen Chuan scanned the area and seemed to notice something. He crouched down, searched through Fei Tong's pockets, and pulled out a small object from the connector.
It was a peculiar bug with two long, thin tendrils, which seemed capable of arbitrary deformation when held in the hand.
Chen Chuan immediately recognized it as a unique Mimic Bug from the Convergence Zone. By establishing a mental connection with this bug, one could mimic any sound the bug had ever heard.
It seemed that the mysterious voices from yesterday were created using this bug. No wonder the second me never showed any signs of virtualization. Chen Chuan's gaze shifted, and he reached for the short sword that Fei Tong was holding. Fei Tong seemed reluctant to let go, but Chen Chuan pulled it out with a tug.
Chen Chuan then removed the silver-white sword sheath and, after standing up, sheathed the sword and hung it on his waist.
About five or six minutes later, Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque appeared in the corridor. They were both surprised to see Fei Tong on the ground, as his skin and tendrils resembled the corpse of the Iron Demon.
"This is Fei Tong, the commander of Fortress Two-Eight-Five," Chen Chuan said. "He's the one causing trouble. I said, it's hard to guard against an insider."
"What did you find outside just now?" Chen Chuan asked.
Qin Qingque saluted and reported, "Captain, we found nothing unusual outside."
Chen Chuan nodded. He had previously asked the two to check outside to ensure this person wasn't working with others. Now it seemed they were alone.
Although there were still some unanswered questions, with the main culprit captured, the rest would be figured out eventually.
Chen Chuan said, "Send a telegram to the outpost."
Two days later, a transport airship arrived above the fortress, and over a hundred soldiers quickly took control of the entire fortress.
The leading officer shook hands with Chen Chuan and said, "Captain Chen, Commander Qiao received your telegram and is very concerned about the capture of Fei Tong. He hopes you can quickly send him back. So, this time, we'll have you return by airship."
Chen Chuan acknowledged and called to his team. Half an hour later, they all boarded the airship and took off.
Soon, the airship rose into the sky. Yuan Qiuyuan was experiencing this for the first time and found it novel. Previously, he had always been on the ground, but now he was looking down from the air, and everything had a different perspective. It was an unprecedented experience.
Many soldiers, including Yuan Qiuyuan, crowded around the tilted porthole, discussing the situation below.
At that moment, they were all delighted because they had initially thought they would have to spend the New Year outside. Still, with such a powerful captain, the matter was quickly resolved. After returning, they wouldn't have to carry out tasks, and they could not only take a break but also had a good chance of going home for the New Year after signing a confidentiality agreement.
Chen Chuan looked around for a while and then went to the cabin where Fei Tong was being held. Although Fei Tong had been severely injured by Chen Chuan, the process of being swallowed by the metamorphic organization had also been interrupted. Now, Fei Tong's essence and blood were exhausted, and it was difficult for him to recover. Still, his tenacious vitality, even as a Tier Three Fighter, kept him alive.
When Chen Chuan entered, Fei Tong was staring upward, deep in thought.
(End of Chapter)Chen Chuan walked over and sat down beside him, asking, "Why did you do this?"
After a while, Fei Tong turned his gaze sideways and said, "Because I had no other choice."
"No other choice?"
Fei Tong scoffed, "I'm thirty-nine this year, but just like you, Captain Chen, I achieved the Third Limit at this age. I was a young hero admired by all, and many people praised me. At that time, I had only been here for half a year before being promoted to a Second-Class Executor and becoming the commander of a fort compound.
But look at me now; I'm still just a commander.
Haha, twenty years have passed.
At least my rank is still here, but I've never found a way to advance further. There's absolutely no chance at all.
You want to know why? When I was young and full of vigor, I was proud and confident, thinking that my strength alone was enough and that I didn't need to care about anything else. It was then that I unknowingly offended someone.
Later, I learned that this person had a deep background in the Defense Department, and ever since, I've been suppressed and oppressed by them.
Every time I go on a mission, it takes a long time for them to issue me the special medication, and just when I'm about to start my cultivation, I get assigned another mission, which takes another long period. For two whole years, my growth was hindered by them.
Moreover, this person has influence above, and I couldn't even retire if I wanted to.
After missing this crucial period, no matter how hard I tried, my strength didn't increase as fast as before, and I was always assigned to the frontier zone, the most arduous, exhausting, and dangerous tasks.
He laughed coldly, "I know this person hasn't forgotten about me. They want to keep me down, to crush me, preventing any chance of revenge. Ideally, they want me to die during a frontier mission."
His eyes flashed with endless hatred, "I hate those who oppressed me, so I want to get back at them, but I'm powerless alone. After twenty years, this person's position has only risen higher, and I have no connections or relationships to deal with them.
Fei Tong laughed twice, "What they didn't expect is that I've been at the frontier, often dealing with the Former Imperial House. After repeatedly expressing my willingness to communicate, I finally contacted the Iron Demon, who agreed to help me."
Chen Chuan said, "It seems my guess was correct."
Fei Tong hummed and spoke mockingly, "Seeing you reminds me of myself back then, the same youthful vigor, the same promising future. But what good did that do?
The path to advancement is controlled by certain people. If they value you, you might have a chance, but if you don't follow their wishes and offend them, you'll never get anywhere."
Chen Chuan could sense the resentment and hatred in his words. Looking at Fei Tong, he said calmly, "You say they wronged you, that they didn't value you, but what about the more than a hundred colleagues you killed? Did you ever value them?
When you bring up this matter, you don't even remember them. It's as if they were just roadside weeds, meant to be trampled by you, because in your heart, they were disposable and expendable. In this regard, what's the difference between you and those you hate?
Fei Tong's expression changed slightly, and his face contorted. "What do you know? How can they compare to me? I'm a naturally talented person, a fighter! I should have gone further! And them?
They're just a bunch of mediocre people, and there are plenty like them. But me, Fei Tong, the achievements I've made in twenty years, can they compare? Can they?"
Chen Chuan said, "You naturally think your colleagues were useless and disposable. But to those who oppress you, it's only natural to oppress you because, in their eyes, you're equally worthless.
You both look down on those below you, but in essence, you're no different from those you despise. It's just that you don't like being the oppressed; you prefer being the oppressor."
Fei Tong seemed to be struck by his words, his body trembling, his face turning red. He roared, "What do you know? What do you know?!"
Chen Chuan didn't argue but stared at him calmly and said, "If you go after those who you claim oppressed you, I might have some respect for you. But you chose to draw your sword against the weaker ones. In the end, you've always been just a failure."
After saying this, he lost interest in staying any longer and stood up, leaving as Fei Tong's hisses of frustration echoed in the room.
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End of Chapter.
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