Celestial Human Diagram

Although Specialist Liang wasn’t satisfied with this outcome, it was within his expectations.

After all, the Administrative Affairs Hall was, for the most part, merely an administrative and executive body. In the end, any major policy proposals still had to go through the Central City Council.

However, the Council represented a wide array of interests, making it difficult to coordinate and pass any proposals that seemed too radical.

In fact, over a decade ago, such a proposal would have been unthinkable. It never would have even been brought to the Council for discussion. It was only in recent years, as the Dashun Government gradually gained control of the situation, that the Central City Council began to yield some ground.

But everything hinged on how the current incident was handled.

If they could successfully resolve this crisis, the Jibei Dao Government’s influence and prestige would undoubtedly rise to a new level. Many directives from the Upper Layer could then continue to be implemented. Conversely, if they failed, their credibility would suffer a major blow. A single misstep could cause them to lose all the ground they had painstakingly gained.

Yet this was a problem the Central City Government had no choice but to face.

After a moment of thought, he asked, "What’s the situation with the various corporations?"

The female assistant replied, "All the National Enterprises and their associated companies have agreed to cooperate. However, the most volatile elements are these few..."

She tapped a pointer on the display, indicating several companies one by one. "Ferris Wheel Company, Lianwei Zhongyu Company, Porlon Company, Green Source Ecological Company, and others have all shown clear signs of abnormal activity..."

Specialist Liang looked. The common thread among these companies was that most were foreign-owned, while the few domestic ones had significant multinational capital investment.

Conversely, the local branches of the global mega-corporations showed no signs of unusual activity. This was understandable. Even if those giants had ambitions, they wouldn’t act directly; they had plenty of proxies to do their bidding. Besides, they already sat at the top of the food chain and had no need to take unnecessary risks.

He said in a low voice, "I’m not worried about the companies themselves. The General Affairs Bureau and the Temporary Special Action Committee have already promised to share information with us in real-time. We can handle any situations that arise with them.

I’m worried about their active Consciousness Bodies. According to the latest intelligence from the front lines, besides the two that were eliminated at the Fusion Boundary and by the Processing Bureau, there should be another one lurking in Central City. If it targets these corporations, the resulting destruction will be difficult to estimate."

He looked at his assistant. "You still can’t sense it?"

A black mist flickered in the female assistant’s eyes. She shook her head. "I can’t sense its location."

"That means this adversary is very cunning."

Specialist Liang gestured, and the holographic map of Central City was overlaid with numerous hollow voids. These were simulations of potential Rifts, and there were a great many of them.

He looked at the map and said, "One is already trouble enough. Once the two worlds draw closer, entities from the other side might try to cross over. We absolutely cannot let that happen, or the entire defensive system will collapse."

He turned and asked, "What did ’that person’ say?"

The female assistant replied, "He said he will arrive on time when he’s needed."

Specialist Liang sighed. "Let’s hope so." He suddenly thought of something. "What has Chen Bitong been up to lately?"

"No activity," the assistant replied.

Specialist Liang mulled it over. ’At this critical juncture, the Defense Department actually wants to transfer Chen Bitong out of Central City. But Chairman Quan won’t agree. He believes that in such a perilous situation, Central City desperately needs someone with Chen Bitong’s prestige and power to stabilize morale and ensure security.’

’The Defense Department can’t just ignore his demands, so the discussions have been dragged out time and again without any clear conclusion. It seems no transfer order will be coming down during the Fumu’s fission-reproduction phase now.’

He knew this was just a continuation of the struggle between the two factions. However, Chairman Quan’s insistence wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. If handled correctly, this could be an opportunity—though it would likely come at a price.

He looked up and asked, "And Captain Chen?"

The female assistant answered, "He’s been on standby ever since the training program ended. Yesterday, he summoned his team members from the Merging Land to Central City."

Specialist Liang considered this for a moment. "Adjust his mission priority. I need Captain Chen to be available for a critical role at a critical moment."

"Yes, sir. I’ll arrange it right away," the assistant said.

In the Underground City District, beside a tunnel at the edge of a shattered, collapsed area, stood a cluster of solidly-built subterranean residences. Sentry posts and defensive fortifications had been set up along the perimeter.

On the surface, it looked no different from the territory of any other faction in the Underground City District. In reality, however, it was a resistance organization’s stronghold within Central City.

Inside a spacious brick room, under bright lights, Guan Xiaohui and several other young people were receiving instruction from a teacher, learning about Resonance Domain technology.

The resistance organization cultivated all of its own Resonators. They would gather talented members for intensive study before finally giving them a Resonance Implant.

Guan Xiaohui was one of the most outstanding students in the current batch. After all, she had attended a very good middle school. Compared to the other students, not only was her academic foundation stronger, but she also grasped concepts more quickly. Of course, the most important factor was talent; without it, no amount of effort would matter.

After her lesson ended, she was about to head back to her room when a member informed her that the person in charge wanted to see her. Without even taking the time to drop off her things, she headed to the area where the leader usually worked.

She reached the door, announced her arrival, and was called inside. She was surprised to find Zhen Ping was also there; Zhen Ping nodded a greeting to her.

The leader was sitting across from them. He looked to be in his forties, with a muscular, robust build, thick knuckles, a wrinkled face, and dark, weathered skin, like a dockworker who labored all day.

She gave a slight bow. "Group Leader Yu."

Group Leader Yu said gently, "Xiaohui, sit down. I have something to discuss with you both."

Once Guan Xiaohui was seated, he said gravely, "The team has a new mission for you. You are required to maintain complete secrecy and ensure you do not leak this to anyone."

Having both undergone rigorous training after joining the resistance, Zhen Ping and Guan Xiaohui understood the weight of his words. They both nodded solemnly.

Group Leader Yu said, "According to intelligence from our comrades within the government, Central City’s Domain Creature, the Fumu, will begin to split in a few days."

He waited for Zhen Ping and Guan Xiaohui to digest the news before continuing. "This is the Fumu’s unique method of reproduction. In theory, each of its fissioned offspring has the potential to grow into a new Fumu."

"Therefore, the higher-ups have assigned our branch a mission: we are to acquire one of these fissioned offspring. This would be a tremendous boon to our resistance. We might even be able to use it to establish our own Central City."

His voice grew impassioned as he spoke the last words.

Caught up in his fervor, Zhen Ping and Guan Xiaohui also grew excited. After her emotions settled, Zhen Ping asked with some concern, "Group Leader Yu, are we strong enough for this?"

Although their branch wasn’t the only one in Central City, as far as she knew, they had at most a hundred members available. They were short on weapons and had very few high-end combatants. A Second Limit Fighter like herself was already considered part of the branch’s core strength.

’A moment’s thought is enough to realize how important the Fumu’s offspring would be to Central City. The defenses would surely be incredibly tight. Other factions will probably have their eyes on it too. How could our small group possibly succeed?’

Group Leader Yu said, "You don’t need to worry about the ’how.’ The capture itself will be handled by comrades sent from the higher-ups. Our job is to transfer the offspring to the Underground City District after it’s been secured. That is precisely how we can be of assistance."

Zhen Ping said, "But Group Leader Yu, there are many factions in the Underground City District. If someone targets us, it will still be very difficult to complete the mission."

Group Leader Yu held up a hand. "Don’t be so anxious. Let me finish."

He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. "We’ll have the item sealed in a container beforehand and hand it over to the logistics system in the Lower City District. They will transport it to a designated location. This method is indirect, efficient, and won’t attract attention. Furthermore, we’ll send out multiple decoys to different locations to divert any prying eyes."

"You two will be the ones to retrieve the package. Once you have it, you will follow a route I’ll provide you with later, leave Central City immediately, and transfer the item to a safe location."

He said gravely, "This mission is incredibly significant. It’s the kind of opportunity that comes once every few decades. You two were chosen because you haven’t been in Central City for long and haven’t had much contact with people, so I can trust you completely. Zhen Ping, you’re a Fighter, and Xiaohui, you have a great deal of talent as a Resonator."

"Partnered together, the two of you complement each other perfectly. That’s why the group decided you were the most suitable candidates."

Seeing that neither of them spoke immediately, he added, "Now, this mission is quite dangerous. If you don’t feel confident, or if you have any reservations, you can say so now."

Zhen Ping said, "Group Leader Yu, I can do it."

Guan Xiaohui also said, "I can too, it’s just..."

Group Leader Yu looked at them and smiled. "Yes, don’t be so quick to agree. Think it over carefully. This mission is extremely dangerous."

Zhen Ping looked up. "Group Leader Yu, I’ve made up my mind." Watching her determined expression, Guan Xiaohui clutched the hem of her clothes and nodded as well.

A gratified smile spread across Group Leader Yu’s face. "Then go and get ready." He looked at Guan Xiaohui. "Xiaohui, someone will be by shortly to help you with the final implantation surgery. Afterward, I’ll have Old Mei give you some accelerated training."

Guan Xiaohui asked, puzzled, "Group Leader, if the Fumu causes a disturbance, my resonance abilities might be useless."

Group Leader Yu said, "Have you forgotten what it is you’ll be transporting? When you’re holding something like that, as long as you are clearly aware of it, you can utilize it even if it’s shielded. You’ll be far more powerful than an ordinary Resonator."

Guan Xiaohui still had her doubts, but she thought better of voicing them.

Then, Group Leader Yu turned to Zhen Ping. "The group will teach you a Breathing Technique for moving stealthily underwater. If things go wrong, it will be up to you to escape with the package."

He said sternly, "Because we received the intelligence late, our time is extremely limited. I need you both to master these skills as quickly as possible within the next two days."

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