Chapter 706: The Theft
Chapter 706: The Theft
Upon hearing Chen Chuan's response, Ling Assistant's expression turned regretful. "That's a pity. I had high hopes for you, Chen Manager. You neither hail from a powerful family nor possess an exceptional background. You've climbed to this position through your own efforts, and our experiences are quite similar. We face the same obstacles, and I thought you would understand us."
"If you were to join us, with your strength, we could overcome all the barriers together and make our dreams a reality."
Chen Chuan remained unmoved by Ling Assistant's words. He stared at him, "In my opinion, you and your group are no different from those you speak of. You're merely circumventing obstacles due to unfulfilled ambitions, using others' blood and flesh to build your stairway to success."
"You claim to fight for every fighter and every individual, but in reality, you don't value them. You use them as tools, easily sacrificing students in the arena, hanging their heads on a tree, all in the name of a grand ideal. You console yourselves with this and occupy positions of power."
It was evident that as this so-called ideal expanded, more heads would adorn that tree, each one a sacrifice for someone else's ambition. But to Ling Assistant and his backers, this was of no concern; they were willing to sacrifice anything for their goal. Chen Chuan saw no value in their methods.
Ling Assistant smiled, "It seems Chen Manager truly doesn't understand this cause. We may not align in our thoughts, but that's fine. For this ideal, I'm willing to use more aggressive means. One day, you'll thank me for bringing you into this great endeavor."
He turned to Chen Chuan, "But Chen Manager, you may not realize that while there might not be many like you in the world, there are others. However, you have something unique."
He gestured behind him, "The True Form Tree creates a field of consciousness, but it wasn't always this way. The details and logical changes within require constant refinement and improvement. The more details are filled in, the closer the changes resemble reality, and the more complete and authentic the transformations become."
"The True Form Tree has always been there, and we're not the first with this idea. The wisdom of our predecessors is no less than ours, but they were limited by their era, constrained by numerous restrictions."
"Imagine in the past, even without a complete world, how could they truly present fighting techniques within? The fighters they encountered in their lifetime, even those of similar caliber, likely didn't match the number of students and teachers at Wu Yi Academy."
"How could they possibly create what they needed within the True Form Tree? But now, we don't face the same limitations. The advancements of our era allow us to achieve what was once impossible."
As he spoke, the branches beneath him slowly rose, lifting him higher. "Riding the waves of the times, we must grasp every opportunity..."
His smile became enigmatic, "The True Form Tree can absorb not only human consciousness but also the consciousness of active consciousness bodies."
Chen Chuan sensed something and his gaze intensified.
Ling Assistant had risen even higher. Smiling, he continued, "Do you know why I came to Wu Yi Academy? Because here lies what we value."
A mysterious light shone in his eyes as he spoke, "The active consciousness body, Hong Fu, is our true target. We don't need to fully integrate with the entire consciousness body; merging with her external consciousness is sufficient. But this is challenging, especially since Hong Fu has her own consciousness."
"Fortunately, we now have you." He looked at Chen Chuan, "Chen Manager, you and Hong Fu are highly compatible. When I sent Hong Fu to assist you, your perfect utilization of her abilities confirmed that you are the most suitable person."
"If you willingly cooperate, drawing Hong Fu's external consciousness and merging it with the True Form Tree, then all the techniques accumulated by Wu Yi Academy over decades can be absorbed. Our plan will be complete."
He sighed, "How wonderful that would be! Every consciousness within will experience a leap forward with this nourishment."
A hint of regret flashed across his face, but he quickly composed himself and fixed his gaze on Chen Chuan.
"Even if you refuse now, we can still place your head on the True Form Tree and attract Hong Fu's consciousness, integrating it."
"With your talent and abilities, you will undoubtedly grow within, perhaps even stimulating the True Form Tree to break through to higher levels..."
He spread his arms wide, as if embracing something.
As he made this motion, the virtual scene around him suddenly transformed, revealing rolling floods, erupting volcanoes, and collapsing mountains. When all this subsided, only an incredibly tall giant tree remained standing on the earth, beneath the sky.
"In the future, it might even rival any high-level being in the world, thus fulfilling our vision."
Chen Chuan looked up at Ling, the assistant who seemed lost in her own intoxication, and said calmly, "Putting aside whether you can achieve it, what you're saying right now is a blatant threat and a decision to murder an investigator from the Handling Bureau. You're quite bold."
"How can you call it murder?"
Ling smiled and said, "We're merely inviting you to join us. You won't die; you'll just continue living in a different way.
As for the rest..."
Ling stretched out a hand and said, "Chen Manager, you asked me earlier why I thought today was suitable. It's because someone invited us to deal with you."
"Although we didn't directly agree, if you join us, it won't be a problem either."
He pointed outside with a finger, "Right now, the Handling Bureau has deployed most of its personnel. They need to deal with the Liananax Federation and the Union, and they don't have the spare capacity to look after other places. So, I'll have ample time to complete this."
"As for what happens after, there's no need to worry too much.
Once we get what we want, we'll leave here and go to the Fusion Ground. Then, we'll continue with the follow-up there."
"Hmm, there's something here that Chen Manager might not have considered."
Suddenly, he shouted, "Hongfu, open the Fusion Ground passage!"
The next moment, a cold voice echoed around, "Command received, authorization granted. The temporary passage to the Fusion Ground is now open."
In that instant, behind the giant tree, a huge void appeared, its edges shimmering with flickering flames. On the other side, one could vaguely see a stretch of land.
"And..."
Ling stretched out a hand and said, "Hongfu."
A red shadow flashed, and Hongfu, holding the Crane Feather Saber, appeared on the other side of the tree trunk. The red veil covering her face and the red clothes on her body fluttered with the airflow coming from the Fusion Ground.
Chen Chuan's gaze shifted, but the eyes on Hongfu's veil were cold and unmoving, unlike her usual lively self.
Ling said, "No need to look further. I'm the deputy assistant to the vice-chancellor of the academy, and I've received the highest authorization. Hongfu, as the academy's active consciousness body, will only obey my commands now, she won't recognize you, nor can she hear your words."
"Chen Manager, I admit you're strong, but no matter how strong you are, you can't possibly be stronger than Hongfu."
Yes, he couldn't fathom Chen Chuan's strength, but he didn't need to fight him face-to-face. He could simply let Hongfu handle it.
"Hongfu, take down Chen Manager!"
At his words, Hongfu drew her saber with a clang, and as a red shadow descended gracefully from the tree, a cold saber light slashed towards Chen Chuan.
Her eyes were cold and detached, as she had blocked out part of her self-awareness and was purely following orders. But this didn't affect her strength.
And since this wasn't a potential test, she didn't hold back. This strike demonstrated her full lethality, and the saber's power arrived before the blade.
Chen Chuan had fought with Hongfu countless times and knew her strength well. With a shift in his intent, his second self instantly merged with him, and he raised his unsheathed Snow Queen Saber to block the attack.
Although the saber remained sheathed, the force it exerted was real. Yet, this didn't budge Hongfu in the slightest.
Similarly, as his second self directly bore the incoming force, he remained unmoved.
The saber light flashed again, and in that instant, their weapons clashed hundreds of times, the surrounding air exploding with thunderous roars.
Ling watched with admiration, clearly seeing that each of Hongfu's moves was unique, releasing heart power that never repeated, and her strength and speed almost reached the upper limit of the third limit.
Yet, Chen Chuan managed to block every strike. Aside from that, just this resistance to force alone demonstrated his formidable strength.
But the more he saw this, the more he wanted to put Chen Chuan's brain on the tree.
So, he decided to add another weight, after all, this wasn't a fair duel.
He raised his hand and made another gesture, and the surrounding scene changed once more. Two flowers with serrated edges appeared beside him, and he smiled, saying,
"Chen Manager, why resist? It's futile. Perhaps you're limited by your own beliefs and resist our cause, but once you join us, you'll understand the true goodness within."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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