Celestial Human Diagram

This convoy consisted of the security team escorting Director Lei to his new post, a clear sign of how much the Central City Esoteric Review Bureau valued him.

Wu Han, who had been listening to jokes on the radio, looked back. "Whoa, quite the motorcade. Is this who you were waiting for, Junior Chen?"

Chen Chuan nodded.

As the convoy drew closer, a long, armored vehicle pulled up beside the Gard Car. The window lowered slowly, revealing Director Lei seated in the back.

Beside him sat a man in his thirties wearing goggles. He was a Third Limit Fighter from the Esoteric Review Bureau, serving as Director Lei’s personal bodyguard.

Chen Chuan glanced over. As his gaze fell upon the man, the bodyguard stiffened as if pricked by a needle, instinctively sitting up straight with a look of astonishment. Chen Chuan gave him a friendly nod, and the man quickly returned it.

Director Lei said, "Chen, we’ve set up the Domain Creature. The Realm Token can connect now."

Chen Chuan agreed. He picked up the nearby Realm Token, put it on, and quickly connected to the convoy’s local Domain channel. This way, if anything happened, everyone would be alerted immediately.

He then said to Wu Han and Weidong, "You two should put them on and try them out, too."

After they fumbled with the devices for a moment and put them on, he assigned them to a sub-channel under his own and set their permissions to listen-only.

This way, they could hear everyone else but couldn’t broadcast to the main channel.

He spoke with Director Lei again to confirm there were no issues. After passing inspection at the checkpoint, the two groups started their vehicles and drove off.

In the back seat, Wu Han and Weidong were fascinated. It was their first time using Realm Tokens to chat over a distance, and they had a blast trading messages back and forth.

Chen Chuan understood. ’It’s a normal reaction for people who’ve never encountered this kind of technology. If I hadn’t come from a world with advanced communications in my past life, I probably wouldn’t have handled my first time with a Realm Token any better.’ "You two," he said, breaking the silence, "stay alert."

Hearing this, Wu Han immediately perked up. He stopped fiddling with the Realm Token and leaned forward. "Does that mean... something’s about to happen, Junior Chen?"

Chen Chuan said, "I’m not sure yet, but it’s a definite possibility."

Wu Han and Weidong exchanged a look, seeing the same eager anticipation in each other’s eyes. Sitting in the car was mind-numbingly boring, with only the radio for entertainment. But being part of the action themselves? That was a different story entirely.

Chen Chuan said, "If something happens, I’ll handle the heavy hitters. You guys take care of the rest. Just be careful."

"Don’t worry, Junior Chen," Wu Han said. "We know what we’re doing."

His expression turned serious.

He and Weidong had taken on plenty of jobs, and they were always on the front lines. If you couldn’t keep your wits about you, react quickly, and assess the enemy, you wouldn’t survive long, no matter how skilled you were.

They weren’t just reckless brawlers; they knew how to assess a situation and find a better approach.

The convoy traveled along the National Path. After nearly four straight Hours of driving, there had been no incidents. By now, it was early afternoon.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, Chaoming kept pace with the convoy. Chen Chuan had tested it before; though not yet fully grown, Chaoming had enough stamina to fly for eight or nine Hours straight at a steady speed.

With Chaoming overhead, it was like having a pair of eyes in the sky, allowing him to spot any trouble in advance.

From the ground, Chaoming was just a large black speck. Most people wouldn’t even notice it, and even if they did, there was nothing they could do at that distance.

The afternoon sun was bright and the road was empty. The monotonous scenery was lulling everyone into a state of lethargy. At that moment, a cry, neither high-pitched nor low, sounded from the sky.

Birds often flew over this region, so the sound wasn’t out of place. But Chen Chuan recognized it as a signal. He tapped his Realm Token. "Director Lei, be advised. We should watch the road ahead."

After he sent the warning, the security advisor beside Director Lei immediately relayed it to the entire convoy. All armed personnel instantly went on high alert.

Before long, they spotted a convoy in the distance, heading toward them. They could faintly make out several large transport trucks among the vehicles. It was unusual to see a convoy of this size on the National Path, particularly one traveling in this direction.

At this, two armored cars pulled out from the escort convoy, accelerating past Chen Chuan’s vehicle to approach the oncoming vehicles.

As escort vehicles from the Central City Esoteric Bureau, both were equipped with monitoring devices that could detect shielding equipment or Domain-jamming creatures on the other vehicles. Any such findings would indicate a potential threat, and they could immediately signal a warning back to the convoy.

But everything seemed normal. The approaching convoy didn’t even slow down much. The driver of the lead vehicle merely glanced at them a few times before calmly turning their attention back to the road.

The security advisor next to Director Lei used his Realm Token to ask the forward team, "Can you identify them?"

"Based on the license plates and markings, they’re likely vehicles from Lianwei Zhongyu, out of Central City," someone replied.

Chen Chuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Lianwei Zhongyu’s primary business was security for hire and cross-regional transport, so seeing them on the National Path shouldn’t have been unusual.

However, he had looked into the company before while dealing with Zhao Qian. Their operations were typically confined to routes between Central Cities; they rarely traveled to Edge Cities.

This road led back toward Yangzhi City. And while Yangzhi City did have access to Yuanwang Port on the eastern coast, it was far more direct to ship goods overseas from Central City’s own Ji Yang District. There was absolutely no reason to take this long detour.

He used his Realm Token to send a private message to Director Lei.

Just then, the oncoming vehicles passed by their convoy. Everything appeared to be in order.

A moment later, Director Lei’s voice came over the channel. "I’ve spoken with Advisor Yao. He says he’s made the necessary arrangements."

Chen Chuan nodded.

The convoy pressed on. Another half an Hour passed. At this rate, they would reach the final checkpoint in less than thirty minutes, after which they would officially be in Central City’s jurisdiction.

Once there, while not completely safe, they could at least establish a direct communication link with the city. The Processing Bureau had personnel stationed throughout the region, tasked primarily with protecting government officials like Director Lei. If any trouble arose, they would be dispatched immediately.

Just then, Chen Chuan heard another cry from Chaoming—a short, urgent shriek this time. ’He couldn’t see anything ahead, but he trusted Chaoming’s eyes in the sky. It must have spotted something out of the ordinary.’ Without hesitation, he spoke into his Realm Token, "Director Lei, perhaps we should stop here."

Director Lei, trusting him implicitly, immediately ordered a halt.

The security escort hadn’t detected anything either, but they remembered how Chen Chuan had given them advance warning about the previous convoy. Figuring he had likely spotted something again, they prioritized their safety and preferred to stop and wait.

If it was nothing, all the better. If it was something, they’d be prepared.

Following the order, the entire convoy began to slow down, coming to a gradual stop, one vehicle after another. Only the two lead cars continued onward to scout ahead.

Meanwhile, about three kilometers ahead, two teams lay in ambush on either side of the National Path. Hidden in pre-dug pits, they watched the convoy’s movements through binoculars.

They noticed that the convoy, which had been traveling normally, had suddenly halted. Only two vehicles were proceeding forward. Unsure of what was happening, they immediately used hand signals to alert their comrades positioned further back, who in turn radioed in the development.

After a short wait, a clear order came back: Don’t wait any longer. Attack now.

Back on the National Path, the two scout cars were cautiously observing their surroundings. Just as they were approaching the ambush point, they heard a commotion up ahead and saw another convoy approaching in the distance.

Their attention was immediately drawn to the new arrivals. Heightening their alert, they accelerated slightly to meet them.

Just then, they suddenly heard a burst of static through their Realm Tokens. This wasn’t interference from being too far away; they had encountered a Domain-jamming creature.

’So there *is* a problem!’

They immediately tried to radio a warning back to the convoy.

At that exact moment, swarms of combat creatures leaped over the guardrails on both sides of the National Path. They were all Combat Mantises from the Compound Eye Company.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, they were upon the two vehicles, their sharp, bladed limbs slashing at the chassis and windows. But before their attacks could connect, they dropped powerlessly from the air, falling to the ground like rain.

Those that got closer slid down the vehicles’ chassis, only to be crushed under the reinforced tires with a sickening CRUNCH. Blood and viscera splattered across the pavement.

The vehicles dispatched by the Central City Esoteric Bureau were heavily armored and had Esoteric Ritual patterns embedded within their hulls. When activated, these patterns would inflict various physiological and psychological effects on any approaching life-form. That’s why the personnel inside remained calm as the combat creatures attacked.

But their expressions quickly changed. As more Combat Mantises swarmed forward, they were followed by combat personnel leaping over the guardrails, each equipped with a long blade, goggles, protective armor, and Implants.

A particularly agile figure landed with a heavy THUD directly in the path of one car, raising a long blade high.

The driver’s face fell. He desperately tried to swerve, but in the next instant, the figure seemed to cross dozens of meters in a flash, appearing right before the vehicle. Then, the blade came down!

The entire vehicle was cleaved in two as if it were paper. It coasted forward a short distance before the two halves slid apart, crashing onto the sides of the road.

The attacker’s goggles reflected the distant convoy. He gave his blade a sharp flick, twirling it in a flourish. Behind him, the other fighters with Implants and the bioweapons surged past, charging toward their target.

...

...