Celestial Human Diagram

Inside the Defense Department’s command center, everyone stared, stunned, at the scene on the light-screen.

To be honest, they hadn’t seen Chen Chuan’s final counterattack clearly, as the displayed image was just a blur. But seeing the final result, they all felt an indescribable sensation—utter devastation!

’Hold out for three minutes?’

’Who was the one that needed to hold out, exactly?’

It felt absurd, as if their roles had been completely reversed.

Someone checked the time, feeling a bit dazed. From the start of the confrontation to the end of the attack, not even twenty seconds had passed.

Specialist Liang looked up and said, "Connect me to Captain Chen."

"Y-yes, sir!"

The communications officer seemed to still be reeling from the scene on the light-screen. He paused for a moment after hearing the command before snapping to attention and hastily establishing the connection.

Chen Chuan heard a burst of static from his Realm Token, followed by a voice. "Captain Chen, this is Liang Guanghai."

"Specialist Liang?"

He lifted his head and asked, "Specialist, what are your orders?"

Specialist Liang said, "To prevent the Rift from expanding further, I need you to deal with that split-off immediately.

This particular split-off has been exposed for too long and sustained significant contamination. Even if we recovered it, I’m afraid it’s become highly unstable and unsafe. And so, Captain Chen..."

His voice grew somber. "I authorize you to completely destroy this split-off."

Chen Chuan’s voice was resolute. "Yes!"

Immediately, the procedure for dealing with the split-off appeared on his Realm Token. First, he had to locate and restrain the split-off with a capture device. Then, he had to kill it. Finally, he needed to sprinkle a special chemical solution over the remains to ensure nothing was left behind.

All the necessary equipment could be found in the response team’s vehicles, as every squad was tasked not only with recovery but also with destroying split-offs when necessary.

He walked over to an overturned vehicle and searched it, quickly finding what he needed. He then picked up the case and walked to the edge of the Rift.

The split-off was on the other side. Since the opening here was stable, he would be able to return the same way he went in. After a brief look, he stepped through.

At that moment, the people hiding nearby—the mercenaries hired by various companies—all let out a collective sigh of relief.

Although every one of them had their guns aimed at the Rift, not a single shot had been fired.

They had all been stunned by the destructive power of the combatants, and by the sheer, indomitable might of Chen Chuan’s final attack. No one had dared to be the fool who shot first.

If he hadn’t seemed to be ignoring them, they would have already begun to retreat. In fact, some had already started to slip away quietly.

Once Chen Chuan stepped through the Rift, he was met with a brilliant expanse, as if filled with intense light. Standing there, he could clearly feel essence surging toward him from all directions.

But he knew this place was extremely dangerous; something could cross over at any moment, so he couldn’t stay long. He raised the sensor on the case and waved it around. Soon, it picked something up. The sensor’s light began to flash, and it emitted a low BUZZ.

Following the indicator light, he soon found its location. It was a grayish-white, sponge-like mass, balled up and only about the size of a fist. Its surface was wrinkled and enveloped in a layer of clear, translucent fluid, and it appeared to be floating in place.

Chen Chuan could feel that a great deal of essence was surging toward this object. ’So I’m not the only one absorbing essence,’ he thought. ’This thing is gathering it too.’

’But it makes sense,’ he mused. ’Creatures like the Fumu were originally meant to resist foreign incursions. Especially after being modified, they probably act on instinct, since the essence also contains deep-seated contaminants.’

He activated the capture device from the case, set it on the ground, and then walked forward with the Snow Monarch Blade in hand.

The split-off seemed to sense something and began to tremble slightly, but it showed no sign of trying to flee. This was because after the parent body was modified, its split-offs wouldn’t struggle against capture devices, which was why even ordinary response teams could handle their recovery and destruction.

Chen Chuan reached it and decisively swung his blade, cleaving it in two.

But the moment the blade passed through the split-off, the edge hummed and vibrated. Long, brilliant ribbons of light, like silken mist, streamed from the Snow Monarch Blade. They drifted forward to entwine the bisected split-off, completely enveloping it.

For a second, everything seemed to slow down, creating the illusion that time had stopped. But just an instant later, the mists of light retracted, and the two withered, shriveled halves of the now lifeless split-off dropped to the ground.

Chen Chuan held up the Snow Monarch Blade and examined it. The weapon seemed to have changed somehow, and he sensed it had fallen into a dormant state.

’The power within this blade originally came from Xiong Jianyi and is most likely connected to the Ferris Wheel Company. I don’t know what it is, exactly, but my intuition tells me this change is a good thing.’

But now wasn’t the time to investigate.

He glanced at the remains of the split-off, then walked back to the case, opened it, and took out the bottle of chemical solution. After twisting off the metal cap, he poured the liquid onto the remains. Following his instructions, he also sprinkled a circle of it on the ground around them. The moment the solution made contact, the remains began to dissolve, disappearing completely into the puddle of liquid.

At the same time, the large Rift seemed to change. It not only stopped expanding, but it also appeared to be contracting slightly, albeit very slowly.

Back in the Defense Department’s command center, the active Consciousness Body Sentry announced, "Split-off Domain has vanished... Rift generation has ceased... Assessment: split-off has been destroyed."

Everyone in the command center involuntarily sighed in relief, their faces breaking into smiles.

By now, most of the other split-offs had been recovered or destroyed. This particular one had been the most dangerous of the recent wave; if it had been allowed to persist, it could very well have escalated into a major crisis. But now, the threat was gone.

After receiving confirmation, Specialist Liang immediately issued new orders. He recalled one of the two emergency response teams that were en route and requested that the Defense Department dispatch another response unit to the location.

Then he turned his gaze back to the light-screen, his eyes fixed on the large Rift.

A moment later, Chen Chuan’s figure emerged from the Rift. He took a moment to assess himself and realized his Spiritual Power had grown tremendously, spurred on by the recent battle.

Most notably, through these last few battles, his Second Self had vaulted past the boundary of the Third Limit!

Although his Second Self didn’t yet possess his full, current strength, it had without a doubt firmly reached the same tier.

When the two merged, his power wouldn’t necessarily double, but his physical attributes would increase substantially. If he could raise his primary self to this new standard, his Spiritual Power should also be augmented. However, he could sense that the higher he climbed, the harder it was to improve. Fortunately, this world had no shortage of opponents.

Just then, he heard the sound of armored vehicles approaching. He looked up to see two of them driving toward him—they belonged to his teammates.

Yuan Qiuyuan’s voice came through the Realm Token first. "Captain! We’re here... Huh? Captain, is it already over?"

Just then, everyone on the team heard their Realm Tokens crackle with static, and the communications officer’s voice came through. "Captain Chen and all Executioners, the Rift in your area has been identified as the largest one currently in Central City. Please secure your position and hold it. Troops will be arriving shortly to set up defensive and interception fortifications. We ask for your cooperation."

Chen Chuan replied, "Understood."

He looked out. The Rift was certainly conspicuous; more people would likely be drawn to it soon, so it definitely needed to be guarded. ’This is good, though,’ he thought. ’It gives me more time to absorb essence.’

「Meanwhile, on the seventieth floor of the training group’s building in Central City’s Weiguang District.」

Chen Bitong stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the scene outside. The fractured Rifts flickered intermittently, their light overlapping with the crimson glow in the sky above, resembling distorted fireworks.

Fang Zhixin and Yu Lie stood behind him. One leaned against the wall, while the other stood with one hand in his pocket, idly flipping a coin with the other.

Yu Lie looked completely nonchalant, but his eyes kept darting toward Chen Bitong. This behavior didn’t arouse suspicion, however; everyone knew he was a fanatical admirer of Chen Bitong and was used to his constant, reverent glances.

A notification pinged on Fang Zhixin’s Realm Token. He straightened up, read it for a moment, then looked up. "Teacher, the Administrative Affairs Hall has denied your request for deployment... Chairman Quan... He hopes you will remain stationed in Weiguang District, saying you are needed more here."

Another alert sounded from his Realm Token. He checked it again—this time, it was from the Defense Department. "The Defense Hall has also responded," he added. "They said that due to the tense situation, Weiguang District must remain absolutely secure, so they advise against you leaving, Teacher."

Chen Bitong grunted in acknowledgment. "Are the preparations complete?" he asked.

Fang Zhixin replied, "They are complete."

Yu Lie’s expression didn’t change, but inwardly, he was stunned.

’What preparations?’ ’What is Chen Bitong about to do?’ ’How come I don’t know anything about this?’ ’Should I report it?’

’Or should I wait and see?’

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Chen Bitong stood for a moment longer before saying, "Let’s go." He turned and walked out, with Fang Zhixin following right behind. At the door, Fang Zhixin turned back and called out to Yu Lie, "Come on, what are you standing there dazed for?"

Yu Lie grinned, said, "Coming," and snatched the coin out of the air before following them. His face still wore its usual mask of detached interest, but inside, a sudden nervousness began to bubble up from the unknown.

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