Celestial Human Diagram

Hearing what he had to say, Che Gaoyi knew this was trouble. But then an idea struck him. In a low voice, he said, "You've got the wrong person. The people you're looking for are behind us. They'll be here if you just wait a little longer."

"Is that so?" Xiang Tiancheng looked him up and down. "And how would you know that?"

Che Gaoyi had no desire to get tangled up with someone from a resistance organization. Some people in those groups acted without any restraint and were extremely hostile toward the company and the government.

"I sensed them on my way here," he said. "My business has nothing to do with you people."

Xiang Tiancheng chuckled. "And how am I supposed to know if you're telling the truth? Besides, I just gave you my name. To make sure that information doesn't get out, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to stay."

As he spoke, he raised his hand. Che Gaoyi immediately assumed a defensive stance. But just then, with a loud BOOM, Xiang Tiancheng was shoved aside by a massive figure. No. 9 had, at some point, charged forward again, ramming straight into him and sending him flying.

Seeing his chance, Che Gaoyi didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately turned and fled.

Though he'd been sent flying, Xiang Tiancheng didn't seem to mind. He looked at No. 9 with great interest, then reached out and pressed his hand against its chest, where there was a sunken hole.

He had already shattered the heart in that spot with his Power. Not even a Third Limit Fighter could recover from that so easily.

But now he could feel a heartbeat again, one that seemed to be recovering rapidly. What's more, he thought he could feel a second heartbeat in another location.

'Two hearts? A Combat Puppet?'

'Technology from the Original Man Company?'

His eyelid twitched. Spreading his hands, he grabbed both of No. 9's arms. He dug his heels into the ground, instantly halting both of their forward momentum. Then, with a surge of strength, he heaved backward, throwing No. 9's massive body over his shoulder and behind him.

He had no intention of wasting time on No. 9. These modified humans were incredibly durable, possessing special bio-fiber skeletons, artificial Mutated Organizations that covered nearly their entire bodies, and integrated organs. If you didn't kill them in one hit, they'd just get back up. They could keep fighting even after being torn apart, as long as their regenerative abilities were intact.

More importantly, the thing would constantly adapt to his combat rhythm, becoming more difficult to handle the longer the fight dragged on. Besides, Che Gaoyi was clearly the main target. Why was he wasting his energy here?

So, after tossing No. 9 aside, he spun around and lunged, shaping his fingers like a knife and jabbing it in the chest. A visible ripple of Power flowed through the muscles of his arm, surging from his bicep all the way to his fingertips.

CRACK! No. 9's back suddenly arched in a grotesque manner, and its massive body froze.

Seeing that it was immobilized, Xiang Tiancheng paid it no more mind. He glanced in the direction Che Gaoyi had fled, pushed off the ground, and shot off in pursuit.

But only a moment after he left, No. 9's finger twitched. A series of cracking sounds echoed from its twisted spine as the vertebrae slowly began to realign themselves.

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan emerged from the gap and surveyed his surroundings. He could confirm that he was now outside Central City.

Judging by the terrain and vegetation, this area was likely southwest of Central City. If he kept heading in the direction he was currently facing, he should eventually reach Rift Wave Canyon, the Secret Snake Sect's headquarters.

He remembered Lan Xinnan telling him there was another exit below. Anyone passing through would have likely used it. So, he had made his way down from above, following the sound of water until he found the opening.

He examined the ground carefully and found two sets of footprints. The prints indicated they were made by some kind of standard-issue footwear. Judging by their dampness, the owners hadn't been gone for long.

As he was examining them, he seemed to sense something and glanced back into the depths of the tunnel.

But he quickly looked away, turned, and noted the direction the footprints led. He then quickened his pace and followed the tracks.

A good while after he had left, Zhen Ping and Guan Xiaohui cautiously emerged from the tunnel.

Guan Xiaohui asked uncertainly, "Was that person just now... Chen?"

She had sensed his Domain from a distance but couldn't be certain. The pressure she felt from Chen Chuan was far greater than that of the two people who had passed through earlier. It had almost made her stop breathing for an instant.

As a Fighter, Zhen Ping had sharper eyes. "I think that was Junior Chen," she said. She gave a serious reminder, "Xiaohui, Junior Chen is with the government now. He might be here for us, or for the two people who passed through ahead of us. We have to be careful. We absolutely must avoid running into him."

"Right!"

Guan Xiaohui nodded emphatically. She was well aware that as a government agent, Chen Chuan was a natural enemy to their organization. It would be fine as long as they didn't cross paths, but if they did, there was no telling what would happen.

After running for some distance, Che Gaoyi sensed something behind him. He knew Xiang Tiancheng must have caught up. He crushed the stimulant pill he had under his tongue. In an instant, a surge of power flooded his body. He spun around, putting his back to a large tree, and threw the suitcase far away before settling into a combat stance.

He knew explanations were useless now. Besides, No. 9 wasn't easy to take down. If he could just hold out for a little while, it should be able to catch up. Then he might have a chance to escape.

Xiang Tiancheng closed the distance, his figure coming to a dead stop right in front of Che Gaoyi. He halted so abruptly and effortlessly it was as if his forward momentum and inertia simply didn't exist.

He glanced at Che Gaoyi's stance and smirked. Che Gaoyi immediately sensed danger and dodged sideways. He saw Xiang Tiancheng's arm suddenly plunge into the tree trunk, sinking halfway in.

'An opening!'

'But such an obvious opening... it has to be a trap. Still, if I can't even capitalize on an opportunity like this, there's no point in continuing the fight.'

He shot his hand out and grabbed, locking his fingers around his opponent's arm. His Power surged inward, meeting no resistance at all.

Since he specialized in Capturing Force, this should have been the moment he secured his victory. But something felt wrong, though he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

A playful smile crept across Xiang Tiancheng's face. He seemed completely unaffected as he swung his other arm around in a horizontal elbow strike. Che Gaoyi raised his arm to block, bracing himself for the attack. But the force he met wasn't the Impact Force he expected. Instead, it was a familiar Power.

'Capturing Force?'

'No! This is my own Power!'

'He actually sent my own Power back at me!'

He frantically used his Mutated Organization to dissipate the force. But right behind that Power, another wave slammed into him. He barely managed to call upon his reserves of Power to block it. The expected physical impact never came. A moment later, a sharp pain erupted in his chest as a burst of Power detonated inexplicably inside him. His entire body went rigid.

Xiang Tiancheng grinned. He specialized in the "Vortex Force," a technique passed down within the Resistance Alliance. Not only could he generate potent Power from any part of his body, but under the right conditions, he could even redirect an opponent's Power right back at them.

When he had slammed No. 9 into the ground earlier, he had actually used its own strength to do it.

But the technique's most ingenious aspect was that if an opponent failed to dissipate the redirected Power in time, he could mentally guide it to detonate in an area he hadn't touched, or use it to create a pulling effect, making it impossible to guard against.

Che Gaoyi felt the severe internal injury, but he didn't give up. He was still gripping his opponent's wrist. From the last few exchanges, he had gained a rough understanding of the man's Power.

'As long as I understand it, I can counter it.'

He tightened his grip. This time, he didn't unleash a unified Capturing Force, but rather a destructive, penetrating one. He wasn't trying to control his opponent's entire body, just to make him lose control over an arm, or even half an arm. If he succeeded, he could follow up with a unified force, and it would be much harder for his opponent to redirect it.

Xiang Tiancheng immediately noticed his move and reacted swiftly, but... it was useless.

He allowed the Penetration Force to seep into his arm. Even he couldn't completely block this kind of dispersed, needle-like Power. He could redirect and scatter it, of course, but there was no need.

Che Gaoyi felt his Power flow through unobstructed and immediately followed up with a unified force. It didn't matter if this Power was redirected. In fact, he was counting on it.

He had already noticed it: there was a slight delay as the Vortex Force traveled through the body. If he could disrupt it at that exact instant, he might have a chance to counterattack.

Thus, as soon as he unleashed his Power, he lunged forward, headbutting Xiang Tiancheng who was right in front of him. He slightly lifted one foot, the tip of his boot already aimed at a vital point, while holding his other hand in reserve.

This sequence of attacks was something he had devised based on Xiang Tiancheng's earlier performance, and it utilized every last bit of his current abilities.

But as Che Gaoyi's headbutt came crashing in, Xiang Tiancheng met it with his own forehead. Simultaneously, he raised a knee to block the incoming kick and thrust an elbow out to parry the follow-up strike from Che Gaoyi's other hand.

These movements were all completed in virtually the same instant—a perfect example of striking second but landing first.

The key here wasn't that he could anticipate his enemy's moves. It was that his physical attributes were simply far superior to Che Gaoyi's. He was reacting to each of Che Gaoyi's moves *after* seeing them. In the face of such absolute speed and strength, even the most brilliant techniques were useless.

After his sequence of attacks was blocked, Che Gaoyi's momentum was spent, and he involuntarily faltered for a moment.

Xiang Tiancheng, however, brought his fingers together into a point and gently "pecked" the side of Che Gaoyi's neck. The next instant, a gaping hole was torn open. A geyser of blood shot out, GUSHING onto the grass beside them. The sheer force and volume of the spray was like something from a pressure hose.

Xiang Tiancheng then easily broke free from the hand gripping him and took two leisurely steps back. Che Gaoyi clutched his neck and slowly sank to his knees. He couldn't stop the bleeding, and a choked, gurgling sound escaped his lips.

Xiang Tiancheng looked down at him. "Sorry about this. But what can you do? You're one of the company's men. I could smell your kind from a mile away. I hate you people more than anything, and you just had to walk right into my path. If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves."

He was rambling on when he suddenly fell silent and turned to look into the distance. He saw a hand pick up the suitcase Che Gaoyi had thrown. "Hey," he called out. "That's mine."

Chen Chuan stood there, suitcase in one hand. From beneath the brim of his hat, his eyes locked onto Xiang Tiancheng. "If you want it," he said, "come and get it."

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