Chapter 567: Closure
Chapter 567: Closure
In the Jiubei Dao Command Center, where communications were bustling, Commander Qiao Weiting stood before the battle map, observing the troop movements marked on it.
At that moment, a liaison officer approached and handed him a report, "Reporting, half an hour ago, abnormal movements of the former Imperial Household Army were detected."
Qiao Weiting took the report and glanced at it, then spoke in a steady voice, "Noble private armies?"
Ever since the Spider Queen split in the Central City, their primary task had been to contain the former Imperial Household Army.
Even under such pressure, the former Imperial Household Army's deployment of troops towards the Central City was limited.
However, the same couldn't be said for the noble private armies, which were highly independent and maintained a co-governance relationship with the current Imperial Household. Unless the war escalated to a national scale, they typically didn't engage in battles between the two sides.
But now, they were moving, which was highly unusual.
Qiao Weiting instructed, "Immediately have our insider find out the situation."
"Yes!"
Qiao Weiting waited for about ten minutes when his deputy and the liaison officer who had left earlier rushed in, holding a telegram. The liaison officer exclaimed in surprise, "So fast?"
The deputy explained, "It's from our insider. They have an assistant general who fell on the front line." He handed over the telegram.
Qiao Weiting was taken aback and reached for the telegram, puzzled, "We haven't engaged them in battle..." Then it dawned on him, "The Rift?"
"Yes!" confirmed the deputy. "They found a rift leading to the Central City, but they encountered strong resistance, and an assistant general fell there."
"Confirmed?"
"Confirmed!"
The deputy was slightly excited. After fighting the former Imperial Household Army for so long, such a battle outcome was still relatively rare.
Generals with titles like this were usually well-protected by heavy troops, and their formidable martial arts skills meant that even if they couldn't win head-on, they could usually retreat. But now, one had been slain at the front, which would greatly boost morale if communicated to the various command centers.
After reading the telegram, Qiao Weiting pondered for a moment, "So, the mobilization of the noble private armies is due to this reason? Or..."
"Reporting, urgent telegram from the rear!"
Another liaison officer entered, saluted, and quickly handed a telegram to Qiao Weiting. The latter's expression turned grave as he immediately took the telegram.
After reading it, his face became more solemn than ever. He raised his head and said, "Immediately inform the Defense Department and the Central City Government Hall about this news and the corresponding situation. They must find a way to defend, and quickly!"
"Yes!" The liaison officer responded loudly and rushed out.
Qiao Weiting checked his watch, "I hope we're in time."
Within the rift, Chen Chuan glanced outside. He knew that even if he and Chen Bitong joined forces, they wouldn't stand a chance against a martial artist. "Captain Chen, it's still possible to leave now."
However, Chen Bitong shook his head, speaking with determination, "Captain Chen, I've said that I will fight here until the very end. I won't be returning."
After saying this, Chen Bitong suddenly turned around and unleashed a punch towards Chen Chuan, with a faint glow flickering on his fist.
Instinctively, Chen Chuan reacted, pushing a palm forward, and their fists collided.
The next moment, a force surged, sending Chen Chuan backward, and at the same time, a mental force imprinted numerous things into his mind.
Chen Chuan's body retreated until he stood outside the rift. He raised his head, meeting a pair of eyes filled with expectation and a certain entrustment.
"Captain Chen, go back."
After saying this, Chen Chuan saw Chen Bitong turn around and stride towards the front of the rift.
Hearing Chen Bitong's final words, Chen Chuan's body froze. He didn't step forward again, as he respected Chen Bitong's choice.
Just then, an incredibly strong aura swept outward, causing Chen Chuan's hair to flutter backward.
Chen Chuan watched as Chen Bitong's figure walked through the rift and disappeared into the mist and glow. After a while, the rift flashed intensely several times before completely closing.
Chen Chuan gazed at the vast open space before him. On the other side was a flowing river, its sound particularly clear at this moment. He looked down and saw the half-face mask Chen Bitong had dropped, with the battle standard he had blown out earlier underneath it.
Chen Chuan bent down and picked it up, wiping the dust off with his hand.
"Captain Chen?"
Chen Chuan turned around and saw dozens of security personnel standing several meters away, behind them was a dug-out trench, barbed wire, and roadblocks. These people were probably the response force dispatched to seal off this area.
They looked at Chen Chuan with reverence, noticing the multiple tears in his military coat, the scorch marks, and the bloodstains on his cap and collar, all signs of a fierce battle.
Chen Chuan glanced outside and saw that the sheath of the Snow Lady Saber had also been blown out by the aura, so he wouldn't need to order a new one. As he was about to walk over, Fang Zhixin approached and took the initiative to pick up and hand over the sheath, though his eyes held a questioning look.
Chen Chuan looked at him calmly, and the latter's eyes were filled with darkness. After he took the sheath, he walked away. At this moment, several people in trench coats and top hats approached and said, "Assistant Fang, it's time for you to come with us."
Fang Zhixin took one last look at the direction of the Rift and nodded. He allowed these people to put handcuffs on him and then left with them.
Another person stepped forward, saluted Chen Chuan, and presented something with both hands, "Captain Chen, this is what Commissioner Liang asked us to give to you."
Chen Chuan took a glance; it was a vial of recovery potion. He took it and looked up at the sky. The crimson glow still lingered, indicating that the Spider Queen Split was not yet over.
In the Lower City, a convoy of Allied Heavy Control's armed vehicles was passing through.
However, unlike the city center, the road conditions and environment here were complex. Sometimes, they couldn't take the shortest route and had to keep turning. Occasionally, they even had to stop and negotiate with others.
This was because most of the tunnels in the Lower City were controlled by various gangs and group factions. Everyone was on high alert as a fully armed convoy passed by, and some who had previously agreed to let them through changed their minds and refused.
Che Gaoyi's expression turned cold. Although he was dissatisfied, he knew he couldn't choose to fight here. Once they engaged in combat, all subsequent roads would be fraught with danger, and no one would trust them anymore. They would undoubtedly face strong resistance.
Their mission was to escort the cargo out of the city, not to wage war. Being held up here was not a good thing, so they chose to take detours each time.
However, this made their journey longer.
He knew that if they continued to delay, by the time the split wave above ended and the Processing Bureau had free hands, they might be trapped here.
After driving for over an hour with intermittent stops, Che Gaoyi looked at the middle-aged fat man in a foreign-style suit sitting in the adjacent seat. "Mr. Pan, how much longer until we get out?"
Mr. Pan's head was covered in sweat, whether from anxiety or the heat. Hearing the question, he hurriedly replied, "Mr. Che, at most half an hour. The people occupying the road ahead are my old brothers; they will never stop us."
He wasn't lying. The rest of the journey went smoothly, and the factions on the road allowed them to pass without any further trouble.
After driving for a while longer, Mr. Pan looked outside and said excitedly, "Mr. Che, it's just ahead. There's an exit there. Once we pass through it, we'll be out of the Central City."
Che Gaoyi wasn't as excited as him. He calmly spoke a few words to Jie Ping, and immediately, a vehicle from the outpost drove out. After a few minutes, Jie Ping's urgent voice came from within, "Mr. Che, there's a Processing Bureau checkpoint at the exit ahead. They've sealed it and won't let us through."
Che Gaoyi's expression turned grave. "People from the Processing Bureau? How could they possibly be here?" He glanced coldly at Mr. Pan.
Mr. Pan was also flustered. "Mr. Che, I don't know. It's not my fault. This road is a secure passage that the Iron Fist Gang and Road Tong Logistics' higher-ups spent years opening. The Processing Bureau shouldn't know about it."
Che Gaoyi understood in his heart that someone had secretly leaked the information. He didn't dwell on how such a problem could occur; he only knew that he had to get the cargo out.
He asked Jie Ping, "Can we break through?"
Jie Ping replied solemnly from the other end, "Mr. Che, we've checked. There's a Third-Limit Combatant guarding the exit. Although we can force our way through, it will definitely alert the Processing Bureau, and it might not be safe after we get out."
Che Gaoyi narrowed his eyes. At such a critical moment, every bit of the Processing Bureau's strength had to be treated as double. Yet, there was a Third-Limit Combatant guarding the exit, indicating that they attached great importance to this place and had confirmed intelligence.
He thought for a moment and asked, "I remember you saying there was another route besides this one?"
Mr. Pan quickly replied, "Yes, there's another one deeper underground, but it might be a little dangerous as it's close to the Plague Cult's territory."
Che Gaoyi had heard of the Plague Cult, but he didn't care. Everyone in their convoy wore protective suits and masks. "Then let's take that route."
The entire convoy immediately changed course and, after ten minutes, headed towards a tunnel located deeper underground.
Che Gaoyi looked around and noticed that this place was indeed different from others; there were no sun vines, and it was almost pitch black. When the headlights shone, they revealed dense paintings on the walls, which seemed like random graffiti. But after a few glances, a sense of unease rose from the depths of his heart.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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