Chapter 683: Blockade
Chapter 683: Blockade
At this moment, if Chen Chuan unleashed a punch towards the ground, his Heart Force's destructive power would be enough to break through the barrier above and penetrate the passage below.
After that, if he were to leap downwards, his speed, which was faster than his opponent's, would be sufficient to catch up with the person.
However, Chen Chuan had to consider one crucial question: whether this place also had buried explosives. It seemed that the person's decision to head towards the lower city was a temporary one, and they couldn't have known in advance that they would change direction here.
Sometimes, it's unnecessary to know these things in advance; one only needs to be prepared at critical locations. Chen Chuan's intuition told him that this person was the type to be thoroughly prepared. Therefore, he decided not to follow the opponent's rhythm.
So, at this moment, Chen Chuan suddenly accelerated, paying no heed to the individual and instead sprinting in another direction.
Aside from the hidden and deliberately excavated secret passages, all the main passages of the lower city were displayed on his Dimensional Token, and from the opponent's escape route, it seemed they would pass through a deep tunnel if they maintained their current direction. Chen Chuan could get there ahead of time to block their path.
As for the possibility of the person retracing their steps, ordinary people would never dare to do so, but this individual might. Chen Chuan couldn't take that chance.
Therefore, he sent a message through his Dimensional Token, instructing his team to catch up from behind and bring explosives to block the area above.
At the same time, he instructed An Shield to monitor the entire path above. If the person emerged from the middle, An Shield would inform him immediately. During his run, Chen Chuan made a series of arrangements.
With An Shield's guidance, he entered the lower city through one of its entrances. The city security guards on duty only felt a gust of wind breaking through the air, followed by a louder howl in the tunnel, as if a projectile had been fired. They became uncertain and suspicious.
After a while, a voice sounded on the Dimensional Token, conveying a blockade order from above. The guards hurriedly emerged from the security post and frantically set up roadblocks.
Chen Chuan entered the lower city and quickly moved through the tunnel. In just over twenty seconds, he reached a spacious area and halted.
As he stopped, a deafening rumble erupted, echoing endlessly through the tunnel. The ground and walls vibrated slightly, and fragments and stones fell from loose structures and unstable areas.
Chen Chuan looked ahead; there was no news from above, indicating that the person hadn't retraced their steps. So, if they wanted to return to the surface or continue deeper into the lower city, they would have to pass through here.
He just needed to wait.
In the distance, scattered footsteps and muttering could be heard. These were likely members of the lower city's gang controlling the intersection, probably drawn by the earlier loud noise.
Every passage leading upwards was guarded by someone, making it convenient to monopolize the resources of the upper and lower cities. Even the logistics personnel had to pay a toll when passing through these controlled areas.
Chen Chuan didn't want these people to interfere, so he released a mental wave, and an invisible force knocked them to the ground, rendering them unconscious.
As his mental power spread, the field of information in the area was affected, as if interfered with by a disruptive creature. No information could be transmitted.
After dealing with these individuals, Chen Chuan stood there holding his sword. The sun vine originally used for illumination had collapsed, but the plant still emitted faint light, barely illuminating the area and casting his shadow on the ground.
After waiting for about two minutes, Chen Chuan heard footsteps in the distance, coming from the other end of the tunnel. The sound was distinct in the relatively quiet tunnel, and a figure in a cover garment formed in his mind's eye.
Chen Chuan looked up at the long tunnel ahead.
The footsteps seemed to have noticed something and stopped about three hundred meters away, right at a tunnel bend.
After a brief pause, the person continued forward and slowly turned the corner. They then saw Chen Chuan standing across the tunnel, holding his sword.
The person's steps faltered, but they didn't retreat. They knew they were already within Chen Chuan's mental range and couldn't escape. On the ground, they could still use various obstacles and structures to hinder Chen Chuan, but here, they had no such advantage.
The person stopped about thirty to forty meters in front of Chen Chuan and sincerely praised, "Chen Chuan, your reputation is well-deserved."
They had learned about Chen Chuan from the headquarters and knew that he had been instructed by the Handling Bureau to keep a close eye on their Allied Heavy Duty Branch. Recently, three of their members had been captured by Chen Chuan.
He keenly realized that Chen Chuan was an extremely capable investigation chief and a formidable opponent. If he allowed Chen Chuan to continue his investigation, it would be difficult to carry out the company's planned scheme. So, he decisively decided to use the Earthworm Mother as bait and plotted this ambush.
If Chen Chuan could be eliminated, then the troubles of the Allied Heavy Duty Branch would be largely resolved.
But from the current outcome, not only was Chen Chuan unharmed, but he had also accurately predicted his escape route, blocking him here and leaving him with no escape. This level of professionalism made him admire his opponent.
As an adversary, he was considering eliminating Chen Chuan, but at the same time, he admired the formidable strength and exceptional judgment Chen Chuan displayed throughout the process.
He reached out and removed his head cover, revealing a resolute face with thick eyebrows and a topknot. He introduced himself briefly, "Fan Mo."
Chen Chuan spoke calmly, "Chen Chuan."
Fan Mo sighed, "Actually, I wanted to avoid fighting with Chief Chen, because I know I wouldn't be able to handle someone as capable as you without any cost. Even if I win, it's not worth it."
The task given to him by the company was to retrieve the relic in the Fusion Zone, and this time, he might have to compete with the Jinbei Dao Government, the Union, and the armed forces of the Linaksis Federation. Therefore, he wanted to maintain his full combat strength before entering the Fusion Zone.
Chen Chuan's strength was not to be underestimated. Not only from the information he had seen before, but even during the previous chase, he could sense Chen Chuan's capabilities. Even if he won, he felt like it was only half a victory, and if he lost, the outcome was obvious—it would be a loss.
Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "It makes no difference to me. One of you is as good as another, and they're all targets for the Handling Bureau to expel."
Fan Mo showed understanding and reached for the hilt of the broadsword at his waist, drawing the blade out with a swish. "Then, let's see what you've got."
At this moment, Chen Chuan also gripped the hilt of the Snow Empress Saber, but before he could fully draw the blade, Fan Mo, who seemed to be waiting for him to unsheathe his sword, suddenly took a step forward and slashed towards him! In that instant, his hair danced in the wind, his muscles tensed, and his expression became ferociously fierce. The strike aimed at the centerline with immense force, almost tearing the air apart as if the special broadsword were ripping it in two.
Chen Chuan's eyes flashed, knowing that no matter how he blocked or dodged, his opponent would have a follow-up move. Although he had countermeasures, he didn't choose to use them. Instead, he took a half-step towards his opponent.
With just this half-step distance, the force of his opponent's attack could no longer be sustained. To unleash his full strength, he would need to readjust.
This was the method he had used against a member of Chen Chuan's team earlier. It was to use his speed, field advantage, and mental prowess to change the rhythm, forcing his opponent from an offensive to a defensive position, thereby controlling the pace of the battle.
Fan Mo was evidently much stronger than his teammates. As he approached, his body seemed like a self-regulating pendulum, and with a slight adjustment to his mutated tissues and muscles, he found the perfect angle to exert force again.
However, Chen Chuan changed his tactic. He kept the unsheathed Snow Empress Saber horizontal and leaned it against Fan Mo's blade.
Although Fan Mo adjusted his swing when he saw Chen Chuan's move, he was a step too late. Moreover, due to the consecutive adjustments, his force wasn't smooth, and he couldn't unleash his full power.
As their weapons clashed, both their forces collided.
Undoubtedly, Fan Mo was a fighter who had mastered the Heart Power. For a fighter, unless they had trained in the Cross-Training Heart Power, they couldn't withstand the force of Heart Power directly with their bodies.
However, fighting with weapons was a different matter. The force could be partially absorbed by the weapon itself, but this also meant that without a sufficiently mutated weapon, one wouldn't qualify for such a battle.
As their weapons clashed, most of the Heart Power was absorbed by their respective weapons. On Fan Mo's broadsword, tiny water droplets appeared, as if the mutated tissues inside were expelling the force.
Although the Snow Empress Saber remained sheathed, a misty glow enveloped its scabbard, absorbing the force as well.
Chen Chuan had prepared to withstand the Heart Power, but to his surprise, he was unaffected. He immediately realized that his opponent's force had been almost entirely absorbed by the Snow Empress Saber. His spirits lifted, and it seemed that the sword's absorption over the past few days had paid off, now demonstrating its true value.
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(End of Chapter)
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