Celestial Human Diagram

Liang Guanghai raised his hand, and a marked-up map of the major Central Cities materialized on the desk. He tapped a few locations, his expression grim as he spoke.

"Just last year, a gap appeared in the Ring Screen. It affected several Central Cities, including our own Jibei Dao. We lost a significant number of personnel because of it. Not only that, but numerous unmonitorable spots have also emerged in our territory, leading to many unpredictable situations.

This vulnerability has yet to be fully sealed, and we have confirmed that some entities have crossed over from the other side.

For example, Meng Huang of the Fusion Boundary Company, whom you dealt with previously, was likely possessed by one of them. We have handled a number of these cases, but it’s hard to say if we’ve caught them all.

The Processing Bureau’s main force is still investigating this matter. When the gap in the Ring Screen first appeared, we suspected it was an internal problem."

He gestured with his hand again, and a screen of light appeared behind him, displaying the image of a man.

Chen Chuan glanced over. It was a man wearing a half-face mask and a protective trench coat. His cheeks were gaunt, with deep wrinkles etched around his sharp, piercing eyes. He appeared to be about forty-five or forty-six years old.

"Chen Bitong. He’s a Third Limit Fighter, and a skilled one at that, approaching the level of a Fighting Master.

He was in the vicinity when the incident occurred. He commands a small team that is permanently stationed on the front lines of the World Ring. He has a distinguished service record and also comes from a notable background.

The investigative team has already looked into him and found nothing, but we can’t completely rule him out as a suspect. According to our analysis, even if he wasn’t directly involved, someone close to him most likely was."

Liang Guanghai looked at Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, your record is clean, your background is reliable, and your combat strength is more than sufficient. Therefore, we will be temporarily assigning you to an area near his usual sphere of activity.

You don’t need to do anything specific, nor should you deliberately make contact with anyone. If you do happen to interact with him, simply observe. Just record what you see and hear."

Chen Chuan glanced at the man’s image and nodded. "I understand."

Liang Guanghai said, "I know you have a mission you haven’t finished yet, so I’ll give you some time to take care of it. Report for duty before the end of the month."

He sent a command via his Realm Token, and the woman from before re-entered the conference room holding a box.

After placing it on the table, she opened it. Inside rested a Realm Token.

Liang Guanghai said, "This Realm Token is custom-made by the Defense Department. It has extremely strong anti-interference and self-repair capabilities, allowing it to adapt to any combat environment.

It contains a great deal of stored data, including various operational notes and specific information on Chen Bitong. You can take it back and review it at your leisure. You’ll use this Realm Token while participating in defense operations."

After he finished, he looked at Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, do you have any questions?"

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "None for now."

"In that case, that will be all for today."

The woman stepped aside and gestured for him to proceed. Once Chen Chuan had taken the Realm Token, she led him out. After seeing him off, she returned to the conference room.

Liang Guanghai looked at the woman. "Well?"

A faint black mist in the woman’s eyes receded. "No problems," she said. "He’s clean. His Domain is very stable. I can confirm he hasn’t been attacked or infected."

Liang Guanghai said grimly, "He may be clean now, but that doesn’t mean he will be in the future. I hope he isn’t swayed by those people from the Fusion Faction when he gets there."

The woman said, "Commissioner, since you think so highly of him, wouldn’t it be better to let him mature for another year or two?"

Liang Guanghai shook his head. "I’d also prefer to nurture talent slowly, but we lost a huge number of personnel after that last incident. The traitorous organizations are running rampant. And even though we’ve pulled in replacements from various departments, it’s still not enough. The situation is critical. Any capable talent we have must be put to use immediately."

He considered for a moment before adding, "Do this: send a recommendation to the Processing Bureau. Tell them to be as generous as possible with his compensation and promotions."

"Yes, Commissioner," the woman replied.

Just as Chen Chuan left the Processing Bureau and got back to his car, he received a message from Wubei.

"Brother Chen, I was watching that building you mentioned and saw two suspicious individuals. I planned to tail them, but their movements were deliberately shielded. I tracked them as far as the Deep Unexplored District, but then I lost them. I tried to trace the shielding signal, but that didn’t turn up anything either."

His voice grew louder. "These guys are good. Very good. But I’ve set up some reactive sensors around you, Brother Chen. If they show up again, I should be able to spot them."

A thought stirred in Chen Chuan’s mind. "Thanks, Brother Wu," he said.

He mulled it over. ’Even Wubei, with his Resonance Nest, couldn’t track these two. They must have advanced skills and equipment. People like that don’t come from simple backgrounds.’

’My first thought was the warning I received in the Lower City District, but I quickly dismissed it. I never told anyone when I’d be returning to the Upper City District, so they couldn’t have sent people to wait for me in advance.’

’Besides, according to them, since I’d already left, there was no reason to come looking for trouble with me. So, it was most likely a faction native to the Upper City District.’

’I wracked my brain. I seemed to have a few leads, but I couldn’t be certain about any of them.’

’Still, I don’t need to dwell on it. They’re either watching me to track my movements or to make a move against me. All I need to do is stay vigilant.’

After getting into the car, he drove his Gard Car toward Lu Lan Lake.

Manager Qiu had told him that Xu Xianwen had a hideout concealed in a nearby underground river channel. Since he was already out, he decided to check it out.

He was passing by Motie Mountain and had originally planned to pay a visit to Senior Brother Cao. But when he arrived at the manor’s gate, he saw the grounds were filled with high-end cars. It looked like there were many guests. Since he hadn’t announced his visit, he took one look and drove away.

After driving north for a stretch and passing Motie Mountain, he arrived at the shores of Lu Lan Lake. The location was on the far side of the water. Following the shoreline would take too long; crossing directly over the surface was the fastest route.

So, upon arriving, he simply got out of the car. He quickened his pace, his body parting the lakeside reeds as he stepped out onto the surface of the water. A wake cut through the lake as he moved rapidly forward.

Six or seven minutes later, he neared the location. His body dropped, and with a soft PLUNGE, he sank straight to the bottom. He then adjusted his position and swam toward his destination.

Following the directions on his Realm Token, it didn’t take him long to find an underwater grotto. The only problem was that the current here was exceptionally swift.

It didn’t pose much of a problem for him. He simply let the current carry him inside. Though he was knocked about along the way, his formidable physique prevented any injury.

After swimming for some distance, he headed up toward the surface of the underground river. As he neared the top, he saw patches of light. ’This must be it.’ He immediately accelerated, finally surfacing in a small pool.

As his feet touched solid ground, white steam billowed from his body, his clothes rapidly drying. He surveyed his surroundings. It was a cave, but an industrial lamp hung overhead, radiating a harsh, baking light. The generator was clearly still running, likely powered by a large, pre-stocked supply of algae oil.

He walked a circuit of the cavern. The place wasn’t very large, maybe fifty square meters in total, divided into five sections—three large and two small. A small path led out the back toward what looked like a forest. Perhaps for that reason, several lizards, the kind that prey on insects, were being kept here.

In the largest section, there was a wardrobe, a simple bed, and a nightstand. Shelves made from long wooden planks had been mounted on the cave wall.

On the shelves were a few bottles of medicine and a carton of Nutrition Paste. There were even a couple of special-purpose drugs. ’Only two bottles. I can’t tell if he started with a small amount or if these are just what’s left. They look like the batch from the Fusion Boundary Company, probably from Meng Huang.’

He checked the nightstand and wardrobe. They contained some valuables and identity cards, a decent amount of cash—around two or three hundred thousand—a Wansheng Conglomerate gold note, a spare dagger, and a pistol.

’It looks like this was just a way station. There probably won’t be anything of real value here.’

But then, he found something else.

Behind the wardrobe, concealed by a removable panel, was a simple "secret compartment." Opening it, he pulled out a set of heavy books wrapped in waterproof cloth.

He unwrapped the cloth, revealing the books inside. They were three Classics of the Secret Snake Sect. They looked old, yet every corner was perfectly flat, a clear sign of meticulous care.

Chen Chuan leafed through one. Each page was made from a special kind of animal hide. The characters were carved into the surface and then filled with a cinnabar-like pigment.

The first book was on the tenets of the Secret Snake Sect, which he skipped. That kind of old-world material could be found on the Sect’s public platforms. It wasn’t rare; even the cultists themselves didn’t read it anymore.

The second book had more substance; it was filled with diagrams for the Secret Snake Sect’s Secret Ceremonies. He gave it a quick look. For the most part, it didn’t cover anything beyond the information Director Lei had already given him.

As expected, the third book was about Fighting Skills. It introduced various Secret Transmission Powers of the Secret Snake Sect and their training methods. It even had a section on the Profound Snake Force.

’It was only worth a glance, though.’

’It only mentioned superficial details. How to guide the Breathing Technique, which parts of the Mutated Organization to focus on, what drugs to take—none of that was mentioned.’

’So the real secrets weren’t in the book. If this fell into the wrong hands, no one could master the techniques from this text alone.’

However, the book did describe the characteristics of each Limit and the abilities one could achieve. After flipping past the descriptions for the first three Limits, he noticed a considerable number of pages remained.

His heart skipped a beat. ’Could there be more?’

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