Chapter 698: The Rift
Chapter 698: The Rift
Chen Chuan gently caressed the Snow Queen Saber and felt the remaining power within. He raised the saber once more and, with a wave, created a tiny rift barely an inch wide.
Focusing his mind, he swung the saber again, successfully sealing the rift this time.
He tried this several times, and after a while, he felt a sense of fatigue emanating from the saber.
This indicated that both the act of creating and sealing the rift consumed the power within the saber, and the anomaly organism also felt weary.
He carefully sensed that perhaps due to the suppression of the World Ring, the consumption required to seal the rift was significantly less than that needed to create it.
In other words, if he could only create a rift with maximum power once a day, he could seal it two to three times.
This was very useful, as it meant that during his solo cultivation, whether something tried to cross over from the other side of the rift or someone suddenly discovered the anomaly, he could immediately seal it to prevent any issues.
This way, he didn't have to strictly limit his time to the four-hour maximum. He could relax a bit, and if any problems arose, he could seal the rift promptly.
Additionally, he didn't need to focus too much attention on guarding against external disturbances, as he could entrust most of the vigilance to Chao Ming, significantly improving his cultivation efficiency.
However, it was necessary to consider that there was only a little more than a month left until the World Ring's influence would make it much harder to create rifts, and their duration might be even shorter.
The golden time was this one-month period, perhaps even less.
Chen Chuan had to strive to make the most of this time, even aiming for a breakthrough.
He sheathed the saber and took out a bottle of liquid, pouring it onto the scorched marks on the ground, instantly corroding the area. He then took out a small knife and scraped the residue into a prepared bag.
After the rift appeared, there were always mysterious things that happened, so he kept these tools ready to handle them discreetly, preventing any leaks of his cultivation traces and potential subsequent issues.
As for the damage caused, it was normal for a powerful fighter like him, and no one would think too much of it.
After finishing the clean-up, he rang the bell on the airship to signal his return. The crew, having worked with him multiple times, promptly responded.
Honestly, they were curious about Chen Chuan's cultivation, wondering why he always chose to cultivate in the sky. But as experienced company employees, they knew not to ask or say anything inappropriate.
Upon returning to the Central City Domain, numerous messages appeared in the Dimensional Token. He replied to each, and one message regarding United Heavy Drive caught his attention.
Although the bureau had to monitor the Linaksis Federation's diplomatic team and the United delegation, most of An Shield's surveillance resources were diverted. However, Chen Chuan didn't relax his information monitoring on United Heavy Drive.
To ensure internal information, he occasionally dispatched personnel for surprise inspections within the company.
The excuse was ready-made: Fan Mo and three team members were proven to be connected to United Heavy Drive's headquarters, and these individuals had caused significant impact and damage to the size of the team's impact on the city, further inspections were necessary to prevent similar incidents.
The message indicated that United Heavy Drive Corporation had recently submitted an application to enter the Fusion Zone for exploration and support obligations.
Although it was called an application, the agreement from the Alliance era, along with the cooperation of the Municipal Parliament, had made this a procedure with little actual effect.
In essence, as long as the company was recognized by the Central City, the application would undoubtedly be approved.
Regarding personnel entering the Fusion Zone, the Defense Department and Handling Bureau could still conduct reviews. If there were inconsistencies with the submitted list, the two departments had the authority to take action.
So, after reviewing the application, Chen Chuan immediately retrieved the personnel list.
He noticed that the two previous Black Steel Grade Fighters, who had been responsible for guarding the Third Level Relic, were on this action list.
Additionally, there were names not on the previous records, with notes stating they were currently en route and would arrive in the city in a few days.
However, he found it odd that while Black Steel Grade Fighters were formidable in regular situations, they might not be enough for relic disputes.
Unless they didn't plan to do anything.
But was that possible?
After expending so much effort, was United Heavy Drive's goal merely to send two people into the Fusion Zone for a casual visit?
He was certain that United Heavy Drive's true investment was not limited to these two individuals.
So, with one team eliminated and the new team not yet in place, how could they ensure their military strength?
He pondered for a moment, instinctively thinking of the active consciousness body embryo.
Having clashed with the active consciousness body, he had a strong impression of such entities, naturally leading his thoughts in that direction.
After a moment's thought, he immediately asked An Shield, "An Shield, you mentioned that the embryo of an active consciousness body itself has no combat ability and can only transmit and receive messages. Are there any other technical means to achieve the purpose of enhancing its combat power? I'm asking about those that are not yet mature or only in theory."
An Shield replied, "Currently, there is an immature technology that may be able to achieve the effect you mentioned. It involves the fusion of a person with the embryo of an active consciousness body, thereby achieving mutual symbiosis and mutual amplification."
"However, the conditions are quite stringent. First, it requires a person with a special spiritual talent whose spirit resonates with the active consciousness body to achieve a high success rate in fusion."
"But it's important to note that even with these conditions, under the same circumstances and with the same subject, fusion may not succeed every time. Failure will cause irreversible damage to both parties, reducing the success rate for the next attempt."
"Even if successful, how to separate is also an unsolved problem. According to current research, maintaining this state for a long time may lead to both parties completely merging into one. The specific impact and consequences are currently unknown, and there is no existing experimental data to refer to..."
After listening, Chen Chuan pondered for a moment and immediately brought up the photo of the girl named Yang Ling.
If his previous guess was correct and this girl possessed certain talents beyond ordinary people, it would perfectly fit the condition.
Only such a biological weapon would be qualified to compete with the government and other forces.
Under the premise of no other options and possibilities, this inference is the most likely one.
However, the list didn't mention the active consciousness body or Yang Ling's name. He quickly realized that this was a condition he could exploit. If his suspicions were correct, he might be able to disrupt the possible plans of Universal Heavy Drive.
He glanced again at the time of Universal Heavy Drive's application to enter the Fusion Zone, which was at 5:00 PM on October 4th.
After a brief moment of thought, he reached out and touched the Dimensional Token, saying, "All teams, be aware that there's an important task coming up. Please pay attention to the message."
In the underground hall of Universal Heavy Drive, Yang Ling was feeding Narcissus with high-energy nutrients. Her outer shell was sprouting tendrils that extended into the nutrient storage area, drawing in the nutrient liquid.
It was clear that her body had grown significantly since she first emerged.
However, a powerful body also meant greater consumption. Here, she had access to nutrient supplements and could even enter a low-consumption state.
But after entering the Fusion Zone, such convenience would no longer be available. Although Narcissus could theoretically capture prey from the Fusion Zone to replenish its consumption, doing so would consume a significant amount of time each day, leaving little time for other tasks.
Therefore, Universal Heavy Drive would assign a small team to support her, capturing prey and providing logistical support.
She only needed to focus on finding relics and dealing with key enemies.
As she fed, Yang Ling felt her thoughts gradually merging with Narcissus, as if she herself was Narcissus, and Narcissus was her. This was an inevitable result of the integration of their bodies and spirits.
Perhaps soon, they would become truly indistinguishable from each other, and her human side would completely fade away, transforming her into a unique active consciousness body—a biological weapon under the control of the company.
Footsteps approached, and the female assistant came to stand before her. She looked at the consciousness body in front of her with fervent eyes, now even larger than before.
"Miss, the application has been submitted, and the time has been set. Tomorrow evening, we will set off. Everything has been arranged, and we will provide you with cover when the time comes."
After speaking, she noticed the response from the Dimensional Token and continued, "Miss, you don't need to worry about a lack of manpower. The second team sent by the headquarters is already waiting outside the city.
Although the Handling Bureau is keeping a close eye on our movements and has been blocking us with procedures, this time we are following the proper process. The arrangement of the combatants fully complies with safety limits. At most, they will only block us until tomorrow before releasing us."
At this moment, Narcissus looked up at her again.
The female assistant glanced at the Dimensional Token, and her expression turned indifferent, "Miss, you can rest assured. Once we find what we're looking for, we will help you unfuse. Someone with special talents like you won't be wasted on this operation.
I also need to remind you that the duration of the fusion depends entirely on you. If you can find what the company needs early on, you can unfuse sooner."
As she spoke, she bowed slightly and turned to leave, her figure in high heels soon disappearing into the dimly lit passage ahead.
Yang Ling silently watched her leave, then lowered her head and unconsciously flicked Narcissus's tail, continuing to absorb the surrounding high-energy nutrient liquid.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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