Chapter 694: The Directive
Chapter 694: The Directive
Chen Chuan glanced up and observed the large bird flying at a moderate height, its long tethered rope hanging down with a limited length. Its wings spanned an impressive four to five meters, flapping with immense force, and its movements reminded him of a fighter.
Instantly, Chen Chuan concluded that this was a bird with altered tissues, not something implanted but an innate ability. It must have originated from the Convergence Zone.
As he watched, Chen Chuan grabbed a handful of polished stones and, with a swift turn of his shoulders, hurled them into the sky.
In an instant, numerous streams of air, accompanied by piercing whistles, shot towards the bird.
Qiu Qianyang, suspended in midair, seemed prepared for this. Upon seeing the stones, he swiftly removed his training attire, exposing his bare chest. With a powerful swing, he unleashed a surge of inner strength that traveled through his clothing, instantly expanding the resilient fabric and catching most of the stones.
The impact caused a series of muffled explosions, and although some stones penetrated the clothing and continued towards the bird, the sturdy feathers and altered tissues shielded it from severe injury.
Qiu Qianyang, already at a higher altitude, anticipated this move. Chen Chuan's stone-throwing technique was formidable, forcing Qiu Qianyang to take precautions. Even ordinary bullets would have little effect on this airborne creature.
However, as Chen Chuan's vision was momentarily blocked by his clothing, he quickly shook it off, only to find that Chen Chuan's figure had vanished from below, causing him to frown in concentration.
Simultaneously, a shadow loomed overhead, and when Chen Chuan looked up, he was astonished to see Chen Chuan appearing above him, his silhouette backlit by the sun, resembling a soaring dragon. Chen Chuan unleashed a punch towards him.
Qiu Qianyang roared, his muscular body tensing. He released the rope he was holding and pressed the back of one hand against the other, pushing it upwards to block Chen Chuan's fist. A loud bang echoed as a visible shockwave rippled outward from the point of contact.
On Qiu Qianyang's arm that collided with Chen Chuan's fist, the skin and flesh suddenly ruptured, starting from the back of his hand and spreading up his forearm, bicep, and all the way to his shoulder, accompanied by a series of bone-cracking sounds.
Blood gushed out, swirling in circles around him.
Chen Chuan also felt a surge of inner strength, but he countered with the Dragon Soaring Fist, which, although lacking a gap to maneuver, could transform the force into a leaping, soaring power.
At that moment, the impact of their inner strengths, combined with the force of their punches, caused both men to be propelled outward by the resulting shockwave.
Chen Chuan leaped and twisted in midair, soaring high above the ground. However, just as he was about to strike again, a deep voice from the World Credential suddenly interrupted, "Supervisor Chen, let him go. Return to the bureau."
"Hmm?"
The voice added, "I'll explain when you get back."
Chen Chuan glanced at Qiu Qianyang's position, who, at that moment, was using his uninjured hand to grasp the rope again. During their collision, Qiu Qianyang had sent him a psychic message, revealing a spacious area—the designated battleground.
Chen Chuan understood that this was the opponent's response to his challenge.
Considering that Supervisor Wu had used the emergency channel and was not one to deliberately prolong a fight, Chen Chuan decided to comply. He retracted his strength, flipped in the air, and allowed himself to fall. With a thud, he landed on the ground.
As he looked back, he saw Qiu Qianyang swiftly flipping onto the bird's back and using its momentum to fly away.
Chen Chuan contacted Supervisor Wu through the World Credential, "Supervisor Wu?"
Supervisor Wu's voice rumbled, "Return to the bureau first."
Chen Chuan turned to the armed squad behind him and administered specialized medications, which helped them recover after a while. However, they still felt disoriented, most of them experiencing splitting headaches.
The psychic impact would have been fatal to ordinary individuals, but the squad members, being fighters themselves, had some resistance.
Even so, only Captain Yu Xiao swiftly regained his composure, insisting on driving back to the bureau.
Seeing that Captain Yu was indeed unharmed, Chen Chuan agreed. He instructed the rest of the squad to rest while he took the passenger seat in the car. As the vehicle started, Chen Chuan retrieved the envelope given to him by Harford.
A subtle gleam shone in Chen Chuan's eyes as he examined the contents—several photographs depicting Supervisor Wen meeting with individuals in a private setting, apparently exchanging something.
Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow but refrained from using the World Credential to identify them. Instead, he contemplated for a moment before returning the photos to the envelope.
The return journey was swift, taking less than forty minutes to reach the Processing Bureau headquarters in Wuding District.
Upon entering the headquarters, Chen Chuan headed straight for Supervisor Wu's office. Once seated, Supervisor Wu spoke, "Just ten minutes before your fight with that fighter, three high-ranking officials from the government department were attacked."
Two of the attacks were successfully thwarted by our people, but the third one, due to the stubbornness of the person involved, who insisted on leaving the Government Hall building, resulted in an ambush and hostage situation on the way. This included over a dozen innocent bystanders, and even a child.
They initially ignored our questioning, but after Qi Qianyang appeared and attacked the Linax Federation's foreign affairs personnel in your presence, they immediately demanded that Qi Qianyang be allowed to leave unharmed and without any interference.
He looked at Chen Chuan and spoke in a low voice, "Even if I don't give this order, the Government Hall will still send the message to you via emergency communication. If you refuse to accept it, the blame for the death of this government official and the surrounding hostages will fall on you."
After that, even if it doesn't affect your position much, you will still face some procedural inquiries. At least for a while, you won't be able to get involved in the division's affairs."
Chen Chuan's thoughts turned, and he couldn't help but think of something.
If this had been an ordinary situation, he would have killed Qi Qianyang on the spot, and the subsequent inquiry wouldn't have been a big deal. At most, he would have ignored the division's matters for ten days or half a month, considering it a vacation.
But the current situation was different. This moment was a delicate one, as various parties were preparing to enter the Convergence Zone to compete for the relic. Was this move intended to exclude him prematurely? However, from the current situation, releasing Qi Qianyang would also cause trouble.
Because a foreign affairs officer from the Linax Federation had been killed on the spot, and they could make a big deal out of it.
Furthermore, he wondered why Percival Harford happened to be there and was killed by Qi Qianyang. Why did the hostage situation occur just a moment earlier? This series of events didn't seem like a coincidence.
He shared his thoughts with Wu Division, who spoke in a low voice, "Yes, but this has nothing to do with you, Chen Supervisor. I gave the order, and you just executed it."
Chen Chuan looked at him, "Wu Division, will this affect you?"
Wu Division said, "There won't be a major impact, but procedural inquiries will still exist. For a while, I might not be able to pay as much attention to the division's affairs as before, but I will make arrangements in advance for some matters."
In the 1619 book bar, there is a mistake-free version!
Chen Chuan thought for a moment, took out an envelope from his pocket, and handed it to him, saying, "This is something I received earlier from the foreign affairs officer of the Linax Federation."
Wu Division took it, glanced at the contents, and his expression became somewhat serious. He asked, "When you received this, was anyone nearby?"
Chen Chuan said, "Yes, my team was there, but they didn't see what was inside. I used my psychic powers to disrupt the field for an instant, so even An Dun wouldn't have been able to record it."
With this intelligence of unknown origin, how could he not be cautious? Without a specific record, what was inside couldn't be verified by others.
Wu Division said, "Well done." He quickly put away the item and instructed, "Don't mention this to anyone else."
Chen Chuan nodded.
Wu Division added, "Wait for me a moment."
He stood up, went to the adjacent secure room, and returned after a while. He held a key in his hand and handed it to Chen Chuan.
"Take this," he said, and then whispered a few instructions.
Chen Chuan took the item, listened to Wu Division's instructions, and nodded slightly. He also felt the complexity of the situation.
After Wu Division finished his instructions, he tapped the World Credential, and a map appeared on the light screen next to him.
"Captain Xu will lead a team into the Convergence Zone this afternoon at 5 p.m., but the specific route will be temporarily arranged by the Defense Department. I don't know which path they will take.
However, within the next two or three days, armed personnel from the Linax Federation and the Union will also enter through special channels.
After the Mother Worm split, over the past few months, the Convergence Zone has seen intermittent clashes between the stationed troops and the Old Imperial Army. The large-scale military engagements, along with strict controls on personnel entering the Convergence Zone, have hindered non-military personnel from accessing the area.
It was during this time that news of the discovery of the third-level relic emerged.
As September drew to a close, both sides had ended their large-scale engagements and entered a phase of small-scale team confrontations, with each side trying to find the relic.
"Old Xu has a heavy burden this time. I hope he can withstand the pressure and find the relic. But nothing is foolproof, so we must also prepare for failure."
Wu Division looked at the map and spoke in a low voice, "This is just a third-level relic, but its impact is significant. It must not fall into the hands of the Linax Federation or the Union. If necessary, we must take some radical measures, Chen Supervisor. Wait for my orders."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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