Chapter 681: The Rush
Chapter 681: The Rush
Within just ten seconds, An Shield had uncovered the origins of the mansion and the source of all the high-energy nutrients.
"This house and the surrounding properties belong to an illegal gang's assets. Three years ago, the house was rented to a complex backgrounded Mr. Li, who had been a mercenary and a hired gun. Records show he visited the mansion once a month, but there's been no sign of him for over a month now."
"All the high-energy nutrients came from other Central City's public procurement channels. The buyers are all newly registered small companies. The earliest records date back three years, but more specific details require inquiries in other Central Cities. It's likely these nutrients were transported in batches and stockpiled here..."
After a moment's thought, Chen Chuan instructed his team, "Send people to remove these high-energy nutrients and temporarily seal off this place."
In just ten minutes, they located another warehouse with a similar setup, stacked with high-energy nutrients, and signs of disturbance.
However, there was a difference; fresh traces indicated the mother worm had recently been there, less than two hours ago according to monitoring.
This meant the mother worm had just left as the security team entered the area. Chen Chuan immediately dispatched combat creatures to track her through the pit she had left behind.
This modified organism couldn't erase its own traces, making it highly likely they'd find it this time.
Indeed, within half an hour, the underground combat creatures encountered newly hatched larvae, and the images transmitted from below showed a constant struggle of rolling and tearing.
This meant the mother worm was nearby. Despite the larvae's attempts to hinder their progress, they were no match for the combat creatures, and the path ahead soon became clear.
However, as the creatures surged forward, the images from the dimensional tokens suddenly went dark, not just for the ones at the front but also for those following closely behind, as if they had all disappeared in an instant.
But the team above was undeterred. This meant their tracking was effective, and they were likely to find the main target.
Yuan Qiuyuan, Su Wei, and Qin Qingque positioned themselves based on the information from the dimensional tokens.
"This is the spot," Yuan Qiuyuan declared.
The three exchanged glances, and Yuan Qiuyuan and Su Wei focused on Qin Qingque. She raised a specially prepared elongated spear, reversed the spearhead, and aimed it at the ground. After taking a deep breath, she thrust the spear downward, and nearly three-fifths of it sank into the earth. With a shout, she shook the spear handle, causing the mud above to crack and fall away, revealing a pit. The spear was impaled in a creature about two meters in size.
The creature was covered in mud, making it difficult to see its original form. Only a portion of its smooth carapace was visible, adorned with some sort of spotted pattern.
At this moment, Qin Qingque held the spear handle with both hands, took two steps back, and shouted again. With a powerful jerk, she lifted the creature from the ground. As the mud fell away, its body became visible—a shape resembling an upside-down weight, with a smooth carapace, folded limbs on its abdomen and sides, multiple compound eyes on its head, and retractable spines on its back. Suddenly, accompanied by a strange hiss from its abdomen, the creature's spine shot out, flipping over and stabbing towards Qin Qingque.
Qin Qingque remained calm and collected. With a slight shake of her spear, she dispersed the force on the creature, causing the attacking spine to become limp and powerless. She then turned her body to the side, lifting the creature and slamming it down onto the ground with a loud bang!
The worm let out a strange, shrill cry as it was slammed.
"Let me handle this!" Yuan Qiuyuan raised his stick and brought it down on the worm with a burst of kinetic energy.
This strike could have blasted half of the worm's body.
However, at that moment, Yuan Qiuyuan sensed something amiss. He twisted the stick mid-air, changing its trajectory to strike something else. The force of the object was so strong that it pulled the stick's head along with it.
He glanced at the direction of the force and realized it was heading towards Qin Qingque. The object might fly towards her, so he quickly tried to reduce the force. However, he was already in the middle of his attack, and his ability to change direction at the last moment showcased his exceptional coordination. Still, he didn't have enough strength left to stop it completely.
Su Wei, standing nearby, quickly threw a lasso and wrapped it around the stick's head, pulling it back. Even with their combined efforts, the force was so strong that it caused both of them to take several steps back, leaving deep footprints in the ground.
After coming to a stop, Chen Chuan finally got a clear look, and the only thing that had left them a little flustered was a throwing dart with several metal balls attached to its end. His heart skipped a beat.
Judging by the situation, this object must have been thrown from at least one or two kilometers away. Despite the distance, it still carried such tremendous force. Undoubtedly, this was the work of a master!
Just as this object was thrown, Chao Ming let out a piercing cry in mid-air.
Chen Chuan's eyes flashed, and despite the obstruction of the buildings, he instantly caught sight of the fighter who had thrown the dart through Chao Ming.
The fighter was wearing a gray coverall that completely enveloped them from head to toe. They were tall and robust, with stiff stubble protruding from under their hood, covering the upper half of their face and revealing a well-defined profile.
Notably, a sword was sheathed at their waist, and just by the scabbard, it appeared to be about a palm and a half in width. It was evidently broad but not overly long, and the scabbard bore numerous heavily worn engravings.
The fighter was currently standing on the rooftop of a tall building, and just by standing there, they exuded an air of stability. This external display not only involved their center of gravity but also seemed to emanate a certain spiritual aura.
Chen Chuan stared at the fighter, and as expected, this person was likely the captain the three had mentioned.
Logically, it was unwise for this person to reveal themselves at this moment, as it would expose their trail. The Handling Bureau would undoubtedly try to track them down, even if they hadn't considered it before.
However, considering the importance of the Mother Worm to this person, their appearance here wasn't entirely unexpected.
Moreover, this person's purpose in coming here was to lure out the captain, so the position they chose was at least three kilometers away from the search area. Perhaps, they hadn't encountered a sufficiently powerful opponent in the area, which emboldened them to make their move.
The fighter heard Chao Ming's cry and looked up at the sky, but the thick clouds on a rainy day obscured his vision, allowing him to see only a vague silhouette.
However, at that moment, he must have realized that he had been discovered, so he quickly unfastened another hanging ball rope from his waist, twirled it a couple of times, and then hurled it forcefully into the sky!
In an instant, the rope shot upwards and became an indistinguishable black dot in the sky.
Chao Ming slightly flapped its wings, easily dodging the hanging ball rope. Currently, it was at least three to four kilometers above the ground, and even if it were a regular bird, hitting it from the ground would be a challenge, let alone a flying creature like Chao Ming with its modified organs. There was no way it could be hit.
Seeing this, the fighter didn't persist and instead turned and leaped off the tall building. He began to sprint through a narrow alley filled with obstacles and cover.
Chao Ming immediately took flight and pursued him. To maintain its line of sight, it had to fly lower, and in a fleeting moment, the fighter's figure disappeared, likely having entered a nearby residence.
Chao Ming circled the area, trying to locate the fighter. Suddenly, a skylight on a nearby building shattered, and a hanging ball rope shot out at high speed!
This move was incredibly abrupt, faster than the previous one, and it came from an even more concealed and higher location.
However, Chao Ming responded by abruptly stopping mid-air, its body tensing into a straight line. Instead of dodging, it accelerated downward, narrowly missing the spinning rope and then flapping its wings to avoid another building. It let out a long, piercing cry.
The fighter had intended to use the building as cover to lure Chao Ming down and kill it, a clear target in the sky. Meanwhile, Chao Ming used itself as bait to draw the fighter out.
Both were taking risks, but Chao Ming's was greater. A slight misstep could result in being entangled, and the force of the throwing rope could easily tear its ligaments and break its wings.
Seeing that he still couldn't take down Chao Ming, the fighter seemed to give up. He leaped from the tall building, several dozen meters high, and landed on the ground without a scratch. He then sprinted through the shadowy alley between the buildings.
Meanwhile, Chen Chuan moved with lightning speed, rapidly closing the distance. With Chao Ming's aerial vantage point, he maintained the correct direction, and he also used the Dimensional Token and An Shield to analyze and map out the fighter's possible escape routes and destinations.
As he ran through a narrow alley, a sudden premonition filled Chen Chuan's mind. A deafening explosion rocked the entire street, engulfing him in its shockwave.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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