Celestial Human Diagram

In Central City, Chen Bitong’s convoy passed through multiple checkpoints and smoothly exited Weiguang District. The vehicles then turned and headed northwest.

The convoy drove through the Deep Unexplored District, then entered Hongsheng District, stopping in an open area in front of an abandoned commercial complex.

By some coincidence, this place was not far from where Chen Chuan had arranged to meet Su Wei last time.

Fang Zhixin then said, "We’re here. Let’s get out."

A car door opened. Yu Lie pushed it open, stepped out with his hands in his pockets, and casually waved an arm, scattering some of the surrounding flying insects. He then looked around.

Even though it wasn’t yet 5 AM, the sky had been brightly lit since the middle of last night.

He could see abandoned commercial buildings and dilapidated streets all around. About a hundred meters away, by the roadside, was a huge billboard, mostly destroyed, with only its metal frame remaining. It seemed to have been an ad for some kind of cosmetic, as the faint emblem of an orchid was still visible, though it was now faded.

A few birds were perched on top of it, preening their feathers. When he looked over, they seemed to be startled and flew away with a flutter of wings.

After scanning the area, he saw personnel from the rear vehicles of the convoy disembarking one after another. They silently dispersed, taking various pieces of equipment and weapons from the cars and methodically setting them up in the surrounding area.

First, they built several bonfires and poured medicinal incense from boxes into them. The rising smoke quickly drove away the dense swarms of flying insects. Next, they dug trenches nearby and set up barbed-wire barricades.

Other personnel went to inspect one of the abandoned buildings and set up fire support positions at high points within it.

These people seemed very familiar with the area, and each had their own task. There was almost no communication between them. The entire scene was silent, creating an oppressive feeling for Yu Lie.

He tugged at his collar. ’What in the world are they planning to do?’

’Who are they going to deal with?’

Just then, he saw two people from the last transport vehicle carrying out long cases. When opened, they revealed long posts arranged inside.

’Is this... the Iron Armor Jade Posture?’

In the Old Era, this was a common tool of war used by the Old Imperial Family. According to the Classics from that time, this object was "wrapped in iron armor, with an embryo of gold and jade within; when struck, it rings like gold and vibrates like jade, its splendor echoing for a hundred li." It was used on the battlefield specifically to transmit military information.

In the new era, it became a ceremonial item. However, with later technological improvements, it was made with biological materials, becoming a type of Domain Creature with a special purpose. It could be used in place of Domain-interfering creatures, and when arranged in an array, its interference range could be vast and the effect extremely strong.

’And who knows if these have other uses.’

Unfortunately, he had no way to transmit this information. Not only had an interfering creature been active the whole way here, but any slight movement now would expose him.

’So I’d best just be an obedient positioning beacon for now. I’m sure that now that I’ve stopped, the action team is on its way.’

Inside the Defense Department Command Center, Specialist Liang stared at the large screen overhead. The fourth wave of division had begun ten minutes ago, and this time, as many as twenty-seven splinter entities had appeared.

Various teams were rushing to the locations of the splinter entities according to their previous deployments. The situation was more serious this time. More and more mercenary groups had learned about what was happening and had gotten involved. Besides ambushing the response forces, they even occasionally exchanged fire with each other.

The female assistant placed her hand on the Realm Token. After a moment, she said, "Specialist, the Administrative Affairs Hall reports that they are under immense pressure. Their response teams have been severely delayed, and multiple units will likely be unable to complete their recovery missions on schedule. They are requesting Airship support from the Defense Department."

Specialist Liang considered it for a moment, then said decisively, "Denied."

In truth, dispatching just a few Airships from Weiguang and Wuding Districts would have greatly improved the situation. Even if they weren’t the ones stationed here, diverting some from Motie Mountain and White Bird District would have been enough.

But he would rather let them sit idle than spare even a single one for support.

Of course, his refusal wasn’t born of spite; he had more far-reaching considerations. He was still thinking, ’Where is that potential surprise force of the Old Imperial Family? And when will it appear?’

’And that entity that came from the other side and has been in hiding ever since... it must be waiting for an opportunity right now. I have to keep a few cards up my sleeve to play at the critical moment.’

Just then, the female assistant seemed to receive another message. She looked up and said, "Specialist, forty-five minutes ago, Chen Bitong left Weiguang District. He is currently suspected to be in Hongsheng District."

Specialist Liang frowned. "Why wasn’t this reported sooner?"

The female assistant replied, "The General Affairs Bureau sent a message earlier, but it was intercepted by the Temporary Special Action Committee. The message that just came through was their second attempt."

Specialist Liang shook his head slightly. One of the duties of the Temporary Special Action Committee was to restrict and police the General Affairs Bureau during its operations, so the General Affairs Bureau was often constrained by it.

’But this is hardly the time! Is this really the moment for interdepartmental squabbling?’

’Besides, that Action Committee is known for being too aggressive. Sometimes, they’ll stop at nothing to achieve their goals, regardless of the methods or consequences. In this situation, it’s obvious they’re trying to take this over and won’t let anyone else interfere.’

He just hoped the Action Committee was capable enough to handle the matter properly and that no mistakes would be made.

In Hongsheng District, near the abandoned commercial complex, the Iron Armor Postures were erected one by one, forming a grid-like array. They glittered with Golden Light under the glow of the sky.

Fang Zhixin checked everything one last time, conferred with the team members around him, then walked over to Chen Bitong and said, "Teacher, it’s all set up. What do we need to do now?"

Chen Bitong said, "We don’t need to do anything. We just need to wait here."

"Understood."

Yu Lie felt like the two were speaking in riddles. But theoretically, as someone who was supposed to be a fanatical admirer of Chen Bitong, his role was to do whatever Chen Bitong said without question. So, for now, he could only hold his tongue.

After waiting for another seventeen or eighteen minutes, he noticed that the Rifts around them were becoming more numerous and dense, a stark change from before. He was startled. ’This is...’

Right in front of Chen Bitong, the continuously flashing Rifts actually began to converge, eventually merging into one large Rift.

Yu Lie’s heart skipped a beat. ’It’s like Chen Bitong already knew a Rift would appear here. How did he know? Could it be...’

He glanced at the Jade Postures. ’Is it related to these things?’

Just then, Fang Zhixin came over and said, "Major Yu, you seem a bit puzzled."

Yu Lie put on an unconcerned expression. "A little, yeah, but it is what it is. I’ll support whatever Teacher Chen does."

"Anything?"

Yu Lie said without hesitation, "Anything."

Fang Zhixin smiled. "No wonder Teacher decided to bring you along this time, Major Yu. In that case, please stand over here." He indicated a spot.

Yu Lie glanced over. It was right at Chen Bitong’s side. He didn’t ask why, just walked over and stood still. "And then?"

Fang Zhixin chuckled. "No need to be anxious. There will be a time for you to shine, Major Yu. I trust you have at least that much patience, don’t you?"

Yu Lie scoffed, then took out his coin and started flipping it again.

Standing before the gradually widening Rift, he didn’t know what was about to happen. He couldn’t help but feel a little tense, but on the surface, he maintained his nonchalant facade.

A moment later, he suddenly felt a slight tremor under his feet. At first, he thought it was a minor earthquake, but he quickly realized— ’This is... the fifth wave of the Fumu’s division?!’

’But it hasn’t been that long since the last division, has it? Why is this one happening so soon?’

Then, he suddenly saw a thin fissure open up in the ground. Something tiny and fragmented, about the size of a fingertip, emerged from it and floated upward. As it rose, it tumbled and grew, revealing a shape like a curled-up sponge, enveloped by a layer of what looked like transparent liquid.

’Is that... a splinter spawn?’

He felt even more certain that something was wrong. Even if he wasn’t part of the Central City Government, he knew that the location of each splinter spawn’s appearance was hard to predict. At best, they could only mark out a general area. Otherwise, couldn’t they just station people by the predicted spots? Then there would be no future trouble. But what was this situation now?

’There just happens to be a Rift here, and a splinter spawn just happens to appear?’

He looked at Chen Bitong standing diagonally in front of him. No one present was doing anything about the splinter spawn, but whatever they were planning must be much bigger. ’Why hasn’t the action team arrived yet?’

He couldn’t help but feel a surge of urgency.

After appearing, the splinter spawn entered the light of the Rift, which then became even more stable.

Inside the command center, a report came from the watchtowers: "Stable Rift detected in Hongsheng District, Abandoned Commercial Area No. 5. A splinter spawn has entered it. Recommend immediate action."

Specialist Liang glanced at the area marked on the light screen. ’Hongsheng District... could it be a coincidence?’

That was the very district Chen Bitong had gone to.

He said in a low voice, "Dispatch an additional response force and..." He paused. "Have ’Team Two’ head there and stand by."

The female assistant glanced at the Realm Token, saw the authorization Specialist Liang had granted her, and began relaying the orders.

Dispatching the previous teams had only required a direct command. This team, however, was special because it was composed of elite personnel drawn from the Processing Bureau and the Defense Department.

The team members were exceptionally powerful and were a primary force meant for handling critical issues. Specialist Liang hadn’t even mobilized them when problems arose during the third wave of Rifts. But now that he might have to confront Chen Bitong, he was forced to play this card.

But after a moment’s thought, he added a further instruction, "Send a stamina recovery potion over to Captain Chen Chuan’s position."

The female assistant looked slightly surprised but didn’t ask any questions. She nodded and began issuing the commands via the Realm Token.

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