Celestial Human Diagram

After a quick, discreet discussion, Yang Shen and Nie Guanshan turned to Chen Chuan.

They proposed that since Chen Chuan felt it was inappropriate for him alone to be responsible for luring Chen Bitong, they would not designate a specific person for the task. Instead, the decision would be made based on the situation as it unfolded.

Should an opportunity arise, any one of them would have to step forward to engage Chen Bitong.

After explaining this, Nie Guanshan looked at him with an amicable expression and said in a conciliatory tone, "Captain Chen, if you feel anything is still amiss, we can make further adjustments."

Chen Chuan glanced at them and decided not to press the issue. He responded bluntly, "Fine. We’ll do it that way."

Nie Guanshan’s previous aloofness and indifference seemed to have vanished completely. He smiled and said, "I’m glad we could come to an agreement.

"Then let’s wait and see. It would be best if the Action Committee’s people can take down Chen Bitong—it would save us the trouble. If not, then it’s our turn to act."

At the same time, he extended his hand, appearing even friendlier than before. "Captain Chen, I look forward to working with you."

Chen Chuan shook his hand, then did the same with Yang Shen. Seeing they had no intention of sharing any further intelligence, he didn’t linger and walked away.

The two of them had taken the main vantage point, blocking his direct view of the area. He needed to find another spot.

’But he knew perfectly well they had no intention of changing their original plan. This "deciding based on the situation" was just a superficial attempt to placate and dismiss him—or perhaps to ensure the after-action report would be free of any loopholes.’

’The real reason he’d objected wasn’t because they’d made him the one to bear the brunt of the pressure. That was fine; someone always had to do it.’

’The main problem was that they hadn’t explained the characteristics of their own Power, nor had they discussed any specific tactics with him. They simply expected him to show up and improvise.’

’If their reluctance to explain was simply because they thought their ranks were different, that would be one thing. But for them to maintain that attitude even after he’d stated his own position—that spoke volumes.’

’There was something else, too. During their earlier clash of Domains and Spiritual Power, he hadn’t sensed any real determination or resolve from either of them.’

’That’s why he believed their so-called plan was merely a feasibility test. If it didn’t look like it would succeed, they wouldn’t fully commit. It was even possible they would abandon the mission and retreat.’

’But none of that mattered. As long as he had ostensibly secured the initiative, it was enough. To be honest, even if they asked him to fight Chen Bitong alone, he wouldn’t have refused. In fact, he would have eagerly accepted the challenge.’

He stopped at a new observation point and looked out.

Although he was at least three kilometers from the main area, his eyesight was sharp enough to see the scene clearly.

Chen Bitong was fighting someone in a black trench coat. In a wide radius around them, there were no signs of people, not even flying insects. Any bug that flew into this zone was killed instantly—likely a result of their intensely colliding Domains.

They weren’t fighting continuously. Instead, they would face off for a moment, then rush forward, exchange a few blows, and rapidly retreat to face off again. A moment later, they would repeat the process.

Their moves were restrained, and it seemed they never made solid contact, yet faint, invisible ripples spread through the air with each exchange.

Chen Bitong seemed to be constantly on the defensive, always avoiding direct contact. His opponent, however, also seemed hesitant to attack with full force. Both sides were extremely cautious, and the fight lacked the earth-shattering impact one might expect.

Since he wasn’t there in person, Chen Chuan couldn’t sense the specifics. ’But just from what I’m seeing,’ he thought, ’this most likely involves a clash on the spiritual level.’

’This seemingly slow standoff is actually a cover for them to probe each other’s minds during the exchanges, searching for openings and weaknesses.’

Once he understood this, the scene took on an inexplicable sense of extreme danger.

Both men seemed to be suppressing an immense power, keeping it restrained while searching for the perfect opportunity to unleash it.

In the battle, Chen Bitong continued to avoid any prolonged physical contact with Old Hu. Old Hu’s Splitting Force was incredibly formidable. In the old Pioneer Team, he had been the strongest attacker, the one who often delivered the final blow.

If that Power were fully unleashed, it could instantly sever any part of the body of someone who didn’t specialize in Horizontal Training. Not even he was an exception.

However, at their level, one could use Spiritual Power to sense an opponent’s intentions, provided they knew them well enough. Thus, during their exchanges, the moment Old Hu showed any sign of unleashing his Power, Chen Bitong would immediately disengage and wait for the next opportunity.

Old Hu stared intently at Chen Bitong. He had been dispatched to deal with him precisely because he knew him so well—his habits, his fighting style, the type of Power he used—he knew it all like the back of his hand.

After joining the provisional special committee, he had even studied Chen Bitong’s psychology with the help of experts. Before arriving, he had been fairly confident he could kill him.

However, all that confidence vanished the moment Chen Bitong demonstrated his ability to slip into a Rift. Just as Chen Bitong was wary of his Splitting Force, Old Hu was equally wary of that evasive maneuver and the man’s String Void Force.

That was why he didn’t dare make any unnecessary moves. Every step was deliberate, because the first to reveal an opening would likely be exploited by the other. This had led to the current stalemate.

With their stamina, they could keep this up for days and nights without a problem.

Old Hu, however, couldn’t let this drag on. He was on a mission.

He didn’t know what Chen Bitong’s objective was, but a sense of danger lingered on a spiritual level, a nagging feeling that prolonging this fight would lead to trouble.

After all, the Action Committee had intercepted the Defense Department and taken over the situation. That meant they were responsible for dealing with both the Rift and the splinter entity.

The Rift had now been open for nearly two hours without being properly handled. He could imagine the pressure the Defense Department must be putting on Mr. Chu.

Even though no orders to hurry had come from command, he knew he couldn’t delay any longer.

His gaze swept toward the Rift. He was certain of one thing: the splinter entity was clearly important to Chen Bitong. If he made a move to capture it, Chen Bitong would be forced to intervene, which would force him into a direct confrontation.

He hadn’t had an opportunity earlier because people were continuously coming through from the other side, and the disturbed Rift couldn’t be used to reach the splinter entity’s location. But now that some time had passed without anyone emerging, it was worth trying to retrieve it.

But he wasn’t going to take that risk himself.

He looked at Yu Lie, who was standing nearby. He was a pawn that had been put in place, and now was the time to use him. There was no need to hide it any longer.

He sent a message through his Realm Token: "Kid, stop hiding. Make your move!"

Yu Lie, who was guarding the Rift’s entrance, received the message instantly. Although he didn’t want to turn on a teammate he had fought alongside, not while facing the threat of the Old Imperial Family, there was no room for hesitation.

He turned and threw a punch at the nearby Fang Zhixin. But the punch lacked conviction and was a fraction of a second too slow.

Fang Zhixin turned and caught the blow as if he’d been expecting it. Yu Lie was startled. He looked up. "You knew."

Fang Zhixin sighed. "I guessed." ’He would have preferred Yu Lie to reveal his hand later; at least then he could have helped share the pressure from the enemy.’

Yu Lie snorted. Since things had come to this, there was nothing left to say. It was time to fight.

He threw two more punches in quick succession, but Fang Zhixin calmly blocked them both. He had followed Chen Bitong for a long time and received much of his guidance, but his specialty wasn’t unarmed combat—it was the Soft Sword.

Yu Lie knew how powerful the Soft Sword was once drawn, so he rushed in for close-quarters combat, launching a furious assault to prevent Fang Zhixin from having any opportunity to use it.

While they fought, the mercenary squad on the other side received Old Hu’s order and immediately began to break through toward the Rift. One of them was even carrying the same type of splinter entity capture case that Chen Chuan had used earlier.

But as they charged forward, a barrage of gunfire erupted from the tall buildings on both sides.

These were the dozens of men Chen Bitong had brought with him. Scattered across the high-rises, they could rain down bullets with ease on the street below.

The location had clearly been chosen with care. There were firing positions flanking the Rift, and behind it was a river, which was also completely exposed to their line of fire. It was nearly impossible to flank from the rear; a frontal assault was the only option.

The correct tactic would have been to capture or destroy one of the firing positions before advancing. But the mercenary squad lacked the manpower to storm the pre-fortified buildings. Their only choice was to raise their Protective Shields and try to push through the middle.

This method of advance was dangerous, slow, and highly inefficient. But they had no other choice. The outskirts of the area were filled with roadblocks and pre-dug trenches, preventing their armored vehicles from pushing through. This was their only option.

Mr. Chu watched the battle unfold through binoculars. He could see Old Hu’s intent: to force a direct confrontation with Chen Bitong by attacking the Rift.

So he didn’t sit idly by. He ordered the personnel stationed with him to immediately assault the high-rises on both sides and relieve the pressure on the mercenary squad in the middle.

Just then, more of the mercenaries he had summoned arrived. He didn’t keep them in reserve, instead sending them all to join the assault.

In an instant, a large force surged into the area. Fierce gunfire echoed relentlessly as the scene descended into intense chaos.

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