Celestial Human Diagram

Airships, unhampered by terrain and able to travel in a straight line, were much faster than off-road vehicles. Of course, they still had to land and rest at night, as the strange phenomena of the Merging Land after dark couldn’t be avoided just by being in the sky.

Even so, it only took them two days to return to the base at Fortress No. 4.

The moment the airship stabilized, Lai Guard came aboard with his soldiers and said to Chen Chuan, "Captain Chen, I’m under orders to take custody of Fei Tong. I’ll take him from here."

Chen Chuan gestured, and Yuan Qiuyuan brought the man out from the rear and handed him to Laiwu. As he did, Yuan Qiuyuan said, "Watch him closely. We went through a lot of trouble to catch him and haul him back here. Don’t let him die on your watch."

Laiwu remained expressionless. He had a Fighter behind him go forward and lead the still heavily-injured Fei Tong away.

Chen Chuan led his squad off the airship. After a few brief words, he dismissed them on the spot. His squad members saluted him before breaking off in twos and threes, heading for the base’s recreation area to relax and grab a drink.

Chen Chuan went to the operations room alone, where he met the waiting operations staff officer, Ding Mou. He took the opportunity to hand over a report he had written on the road.

Ding Mou already knew the situation from the telegrams, so after accepting the report, he gave it a cursory glance and set it aside. "Captain Chen," he said, "you completed your mission quickly and just in time. You prevented a great deal of potential casualties and losses, and most importantly, you caught the mole. On behalf of the base, I thank you."

"All in a day’s work," Chen Chuan replied. After a pause, he asked, "Has the base confirmed that Fei Tong is the mole?"

"He wasn’t the only one, but we’ve confirmed he was one of the participants."

Chen Chuan nodded.

After submitting his mission report and completing the official procedures, he left the operations room. Just then, a message from Counselor Pei came through his communicator. It informed him that since it was nearly the end of the year, his special medicine would be distributed in the next few days, and he just needed to wait.

He knew this was faster than regulations usually allowed. ’Counselor Pei’s faction must have pulled some strings for me.’ So, he sent a message back to express his gratitude.

After returning to his dormitory, he rested for two straight days. On the twenty-first, Counselor Pei contacted him, saying he had brought the medicine and asked him to come to the conference room.

Chen Chuan arrived at the same conference room where they had met twice before. Counselor Pei shook his hand, motioned for him to sit, and personally poured him a cup of tea before settling onto the sofa across from him.

"Now that this mission is over, the base won’t be assigning your squad any new tasks before or after the New Year. You can return to Central City, Captain Chen. Once you’re there, your primary objective will be to get in touch with Chen Bitong.

"Since he invited you to his training seminar, don’t miss this opportunity. Do your best to build a good relationship with him."

"What are the arrangements for my squad members?" Chen Chuan asked.

Counselor Pei said, "After the New Year, if they want to participate in missions, I’ll find a way to arrange it. When you return to the squad, they’ll still be your teammates. If they’d rather not, they can remain on standby for the time being. However, we’ll prioritize your preferences, Captain Chen. Feel free to propose any ideas you have."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "Those arrangements are fine," he said.

Counselor Pei picked up the metal case at his feet and placed it on the table. "You can distribute this batch of special medicine as you see fit, Captain Chen. Oh, right. There’s one other thing being sent to you. Remember to look for it after you get back."

"What is it?" Chen Chuan asked.

Counselor Pei just smiled.

Seeing that the counselor wasn’t going to elaborate, Chen Chuan didn’t press the issue. After drinking a few more cups of tea and chatting about base affairs, he took the special medicine and left.

After Chen Chuan departed, Counselor Pei’s expression grew serious. He returned to his room, took out a key, and unlocked a cabinet. From it, he retrieved a radio set with a special serial number and began to transmit a message.

"Mr. Chen returning before year-end. Preparing to approach target. Time: 14:10, December twenty-first. Sender: Wasp."

Chen Chuan returned to his dormitory and called two of his squad members over. He distributed the special medicine and the prize money that had been transferred to him. As for the other squad members, their prize money was issued by the base.

After receiving the medicine, Yuan Qiuyuan said with great satisfaction, "See? I told you it’s good to follow the captain. I’ve never heard of medicine being distributed so promptly anywhere else."

Qin Qingque nodded earnestly. Coming from a military background, she knew it was rare for special medicine to be distributed so promptly.

Chen Chuan smiled. "It’s the end of the year. The higher-ups are being considerate of our difficulties. But besides this, I called you two here today to talk about something else."

He paused for a moment. "I might have to stay in Central City for a while after the New Year, which could affect my participation in base missions. What are your thoughts on arrangements?"

Yuan Qiuyuan answered without hesitation, "Captain, I’ve said it before. I don’t serve under anyone but you."

Qin Qingque also said earnestly, "Captain, we’re your squad members. We’ll wait for you to come back."

They were both well aware that following the right leader made a world of difference. Chen Chuan had only led them twice, but hadn’t he always been the one charging at the very front? Moreover, he was exceptionally capable, handled matters fairly, and took great care of his squad members. Where else could they find a captain like him?

They hadn’t been here long, but they had already learned a few things. Some captains worked their subordinates to death, then used every trick in the book to reduce their medicine quotas, treating them as less than human. In contrast, following Chen Chuan was a stroke of incredible luck. They wouldn’t go to another squad for anything.

Chen Chuan looked at them, and seeing that both were resolute, he said, "Since you’ve said so, then that’s the plan. When I get back, we’ll continue our missions together."

Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque stood up together and gave him a salute.

"Yes, Captain."

After settling his affairs at the base, Chen Chuan boarded a train the next day, seen off by his squad members, and began the return journey from the Merging Land to Central City.

Because he was an Execution Captain, he was entitled to a private compartment even without Counselor Pei accompanying him. There was even a dedicated attendant to serve him; he could call for anything he needed.

’No wonder so many people tried every trick in the book to get promoted,’ he thought. ’The treatment really is different.’

After a day’s travel from the base, the train entered the tunnel back to Central City. This time, however, he saw another train pass on an intersecting track, heading in a different direction.

In the brief glimpse he caught, he saw it was full of people. It looked like an armed unit, accompanied by some sharply-dressed individuals in foreign suits.

’They look like people from one of the corporations,’ he mused. ’I wonder where they’re going.’

The two trains, heading in different directions, quickly sped past one another.

Before long, the train pulled into the station platform and slowly came to a halt.

He grabbed his suitcase and stepped off the train. As he passed through the security checkpoint, his Realm Token chimed, and a female voice sounded in his ear:

"Personnel returning from the Merging Land detected."

"Name: Chen Chuan."

"Identity: Execution Captain."

"Activation Index: Zero."

"Subject is cleared for passage."

The voice then became a little more human. "Welcome back, Captain Chen."

Chen Chuan adjusted his peaked cap, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the checkpoint, heading up the corridor.

He had come down this same way last time. He had since learned, however, that stations all over Central City had special, normally closed tunnels leading to the Merging Land. These were guarded twenty-four hours a day and monitored by the Fumu’s Domain, and only personnel who had been to the Merging Land were permitted to pass.

This was actually to ensure that, in an emergency, combat personnel scattered throughout Central City could return to the Merging Land at high speed to participate in its defense.

He emerged into the parking plaza, and the cacophony of Central City and the advertisements on its giant screens flooded his senses. Yet, for some reason, the scene inexplicably put him at ease.

In the Merging Land, all access points were military zones. At night, you tried to stay put as much as possible. Even staying inside a fortress was dangerous. The entire atmosphere never allowed anyone to truly drop their guard.

’But as the two worlds grew ever closer and the Merging Land expanded, who knew what would ultimately become of this place, and that one?’

After finding his Gard Car, he reached out, opened the door, and slid inside. As he started the engine, he sent a voice message to his close contacts, telling them he was back from his mission.

This time, he didn’t drive directly back to the Profound Palace Building. Instead, he first went to the residence the corporation had given him to drop off the spoils and mementos he had brought back.

As he drove onto the residence’s grounds, a member of the maintenance staff informed him that something had been delivered two days ago and they had already placed it in the garage.

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. He remembered Counselor Pei saying he was sending something. ’Is this it? What could it be?’ He was rather curious.

After driving into the garage, he immediately spotted a large wooden crate. It was about two meters long and wide.

He parked the car, got out, and walked over to the wooden crate. After pulling out the fastening pins, the sides of the crate fell away. As dust billowed up, an object covered by a dust cloth was revealed. He reached out, pulled off the cloth, and discovered a suit of iron armor, displayed in a seated position.

He recognized it at a glance: the Iron Armor of an Iron Demon.

The entire suit of armor was propped up on an articulated mannequin, complete with an iron mask, helmet, pauldrons, cuirass, Arm Guard, belt, fauld, greaves, thigh guards, and leather boots. It had clearly been meticulously restored. Not only were the armor plates gleaming, but a surcoat had even been draped over the exterior.

He noted that the entire suit of armor was seated with one arm raised to the side, posed as if to grip something. But its hand was currently empty. It was undoubtedly missing its Long Spear.

’Very clever. They knew he liked collecting weapons, so they sent him a complete "weapon rack" to go with them.’

It was like they’d made a whole batch of dumplings just for the dipping sauce.

Still, he liked the gift a lot.

This couldn’t stay here; it had to be put in the weapons collection room. So he lifted it with one hand, holding it by the support frame at the bottom, and carried it out of the garage and into the residence.

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