Chapter 708 - 59: Information

Fang Zhixin fell from the sky and landed on the ground. But there were gunmen here as well, aiming at him, and bullets kept flying in from outside.

The firing coordinates had been set in advance, with someone assigned to shoot at every position. It didn’t matter that the shooters weren’t Third Limit Fighters; they didn’t need to see his movements clearly. They just had to listen for cues from the spotters.

So when he landed this time, he was hit by several more shots, and not just from one direction. Bullets pierced various parts of his body.

But as a Third Limit Fighter, these were mostly superficial wounds and didn’t affect him much. His movements were still agile and swift. After landing, he pushed off his toes and shot forward with a SWOOSH. With a loud CRASH, he broke through a wall and charged in one direction.

After crashing through a dozen or so rooms, he leaped forward and suddenly vanished from his pursuers’ sight.

A moment later, the sound of footsteps closed in from all directions. When the men got closer, they pointed their guns down, only to see a long-abandoned sewer entrance. The man was gone.

Not knowing where it led, some of the pursuers immediately jumped down to search.

However, they quickly discovered that the sewers below were a labyrinth, extending in all directions with almost no light. There were also some homeless people and criminals hiding down there. Furthermore, it seemed to vaguely connect to the Lower City District, making the search extremely difficult. At first, they could follow some of the tracks he left, but soon they lost the trail completely. So, when night fell, the search party withdrew.

At the edge of the Ji Yang District, Fang Zhixin emerged from a modified sewer access point. He hadn’t just run to a random hiding spot; he had planned his escape route in advance.

And this route led directly to a safe house he had prepared beforehand.

After climbing out, he pulled a mangled tube of Nutrition Paste from his pocket, squeezed it into his mouth, and swallowed. He warily scanned his surroundings, and after confirming no one was watching, he crossed the street at an extremely high speed. About ten minutes later, he vaulted into a house.

Only after arriving here did he finally relax.

But as soon as his guard dropped, he felt a numbing sensation. He lifted his arm and saw that the spots where he’d been pricked were covered in dense red dots.

Those Long Spikes were clearly problematic. They seemed to be coated with some kind of toxin that was making his whole body go numb. He tried to pull one out but found it was impossible. Flexing his muscles only pushed it deeper, and pulling it out by force would likely cause it to break off inside his body, making it very difficult to deal with.

Moreover, the bullets that had entered his body seemed to be alive, trying to burrow deeper into his flesh. He suspected they were some kind of special biological bullet.

He couldn’t figure out who these people were. Anyone who could deploy such unique biological weapons couldn’t have a simple background.

’These people don’t seem to be from the government, nor from the temporary special committee.’ He had also paid close attention earlier; the voices he’d faintly heard on the wind weren’t speaking the Dashun language. Instead, they sounded a bit like they were from Nordland.

He felt something was wrong. Connecting this to recent events, he vaguely grasped something. After pondering for a while, he made a decision. He first found the Realm Token hidden here and put it on. Then, he grabbed some weapons and gear, and after getting fully equipped, he took a few tubes of Nutrition Paste and left.

Inside the Profound Palace Building, Chen Chuan was in his apartment studying Force Techniques when he suddenly heard a ping from his Realm Token. It vanished just as quickly. This happened three times.

This pattern was clearly meant to avoid An Shield’s information tracking.

He thought for a moment, temporarily disabled the An Shield, and then tried to contact the signal he had received. After a moment, the connection went through. A somewhat hoarse and weary voice came through, "Captain Chen, is that you?"

Chen Chuan recognized the voice. "Fang Zhixin?"

"It’s me."

Fang Zhixin spoke quickly. "Can we meet? I have something urgent to tell you." He added, "Someone is hunting me, but they aren’t from the government. I heard them talking—I think they’re foreigners."

Hearing this, a glint flashed in Chen Chuan’s eyes. He said, "Where are you?"

Fang Zhixin immediately reported his location.

Chen Chuan said, "Wait for me there. I’m on my way."

"Okay. They’re still searching for me, so I have to end the call."

After ending the call, Chen Chuan considered his options. He didn’t call for his private car, but instead went downstairs and drove a Gard Car toward the location.

On the way, he used his Realm Token to contact Yuan Qiuyuan and the other two, giving them some detailed instructions.

A little over an hour later, he arrived in the area Fang Zhixin had mentioned. He got out of the car and walked toward a certain building—an abandoned small shop. There were many such places near the Hongsheng District.

After about twenty paces, he could feel someone inside watching him. It had to be Fang Zhixin. Then, a flashlight switched on from a broken window and blinked in his direction.

He walked over and entered through the missing doorway. He saw Fang Zhixin sitting on a collapsed counter. The moment Fang Zhixin saw him, his first words were, "Captain Chen, I’ve been gone for so long. Is Xiaojin okay?"

Chen Chuan nodded. "Xiaojin has been fine recently."

Fang Zhixin seemed to relax a little upon hearing this. He said, "I just used my Realm Token to log into the platform and check the situation. I think I know who these people are."

Chen Chuan asked, "Who?"

"They’re most likely from the Federation."

Fang Zhixin said with a grave expression, "The shattering of the World Ring will have a series of consequences. It’s highly probable that a Lost Object will be created in the aftermath. In the past, whenever something like this happened, the Federation and various world powers would rush to fight over it. I saw on the Realm Token that people from the Federation have arrived, so I suspect they’re the ones hunting me."

Chen Chuan said, "What does this have to do with you?"

Fang Zhixin sighed. "Because to seize the Lost Object, you have to know the specific situation of the Merging Land. And in Jibei Dao, only my teacher was most familiar with that place."

"I’m afraid they think that as my teacher’s assistant, I’m also clear on the details. They want to find the relevant information through me. You can tell from the fact that most of the weapons they used on me weren’t lethal, but were only meant to limit my combat ability."

’The deduction is reasonable. But for Fang Zhixin to think of this so quickly, that information probably really does exist.’

In fact, it wasn’t just Fang Zhixin who knew; Chen Chuan also knew a part of it.

Because the information Chen Bitong had transmitted through that Spiritual Mark included not only Force Techniques, but also details about the Merging Land. Looking at it now, it seemed Chen Bitong had anticipated that today’s events might occur.

Fang Zhixin said, "The reason I asked about Xiaojin just now was because I was afraid that if they couldn’t find me, they’d go after Xiaojin. Now that Xiaojin has your protection, Captain Chen, I can rest easy." He paused, then looked up and said, "Captain Chen, there’s something I need to te—"

Just then, his expression suddenly changed. He sensed some movement outside and immediately realized what had happened. ’I must have been tracked because I used the Realm Token!’ He just hadn’t expected them to arrive so quickly. He hastily warned, "Captain Chen? They’re here!"

Chen Chuan said calmly, "I know."

Fang Zhixin was stunned, but then he involuntarily calmed down. He had witnessed the great battle between Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong. Even someone with Chen Bitong’s skills had been suppressed by Chen Chuan; these people were no match for him.

At that moment, outside the building and several hundred meters away, figures in heavily armed Protective Clothing were converging from all directions. They had secured all the nearby high ground, setting up machine guns and long-range firearms.

One of them pulled up some data on his Realm Token, made a comparison, and spoke into it, "Report. The person talking to the target may be an Investigation Chief from the Processing Bureau. Suspect the target is turning himself in. Requesting instructions on whether to proceed with the operation."

A cold voice came from the Realm Token: "The operational plan remains unchanged."

"Understood."

After receiving the clear command, the men’s movements sped up noticeably. At a distance of about two to three hundred meters, they placed a box on the ground. Then, they pressed a syringe injecting a High-Energy Nutrient Supplement inside it. A moment later, a grid of round holes opened on the top of the box.

Immediately following was a SWOOSHING sound as metallic, javelin-like objects shot out from the box. They flew one after another into the abandoned shop, embedding themselves in the walls with a series of THUDS.

Having suffered from these before, Fang Zhixin was startled. "Be careful, those are—" But before he could finish, he was stunned into silence, because he realized that after embedding themselves in the walls, the objects did nothing.

Chen Chuan, however, said casually, "You’re injured. Just wait here."

After speaking, he took a special protective mask from his pocket and fastened it over his face. He then walked outside. The moment he was out, gunfire erupted. However, the bullets hit his Protective Clothing to no effect, falling to the ground one by one with a CLATTER.

At that moment, his eyes glinted. An invisible wave radiated outward from him. Within a 500-meter radius, the armed personnel collapsed one by one. Those closer were killed instantly by the shockwave, while those farther away were knocked unconscious.

The surroundings fell silent in an instant.

Chen Chuan stood his ground. After a moment, he heard the sound of rapid footsteps. He looked up and saw a figure at the end of the street running toward him, getting closer and closer.

It was a man with a thick beard, deep-set eyes, a high-bridged nose, and pale skin, looking like he was of mixed heritage. His arms were thick and long, and he held a retractable baton. His steps had a unique rhythm as he moved.

As this person approached, he casually slapped his hands, sending roadside advertisements and other obstacles scattering and flying toward Chen Chuan. At the same time, he suddenly ducked low and lunged forward, swinging the baton in his hand at Chen Chuan’s ankles.

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