Chapter 743: Siege

Caught in a pincer attack, Manager Wen had no time to dodge. He leaned to the side and unleashed his Heart Force, proactively clashing with the ferocious power from a distance.

A loud BOOM erupted as a shockwave exploded between them. He was thrown backward, but this was exactly what he had hoped for. Now, he could finally get a clear look at his assailant.

The man wore a protective visor over his face, with an especially large eye-piece that covered more than a third of his head. His body was outfitted with detachable External Implant armor, and his fists were covered in thick, custom-made gauntlets. He had a powerful physique, with exceptionally thick muscles in his shoulders, back, and thighs, which made his waist look almost slender in comparison.

He recognized him instantly. It was a well-known Fighter and mercenary from the Lynx Federation, nicknamed “Soldier Ant.” The man was famous for his immense strength and incredibly high mission success rate.

‘Someone from the Lynx Federation…’

His heart sank. Manager Han was indeed colluding with the enemy. This was the one scenario he had feared most.

But he had no time to dwell on it. He had used the force of Soldier Ant’s blow to propel himself dozens of meters away, quickly recalibrating his body as he dissipated the impact.

Soldier Ant’s Power had a disruptive effect on Mutated Organizations and could even cause some spiritual interference. He could withstand it in a one-on-one fight, but he was facing two opponents…

The sound of rushing wind came from the side as Manager Han closed in again, aiming a kick at his face. Manager Wen raised a hand to block. This time, their Powers clashed and detonated in mid-air, with neither managing to harm the other. But Soldier Ant was right behind, smashing down with his enormous gauntlets.

This time, he couldn’t readjust and was forced to parry again. But Soldier Ant’s Power was completely different from before. As their forces collided from a distance, it unexpectedly generated an Adhesive Force. Instead of being able to use the impact to retreat, he found himself stuck in place for an instant.

At that moment, with the sound of a Weapon being drawn, Manager Han seized the opportunity to pull out his own sword. A flash of steel immediately streaked toward him.

And just as Manager Wen was pinned down, the men he had positioned at the machine gun nests were successively shot in the head. From the looks of it, the bullets were coming from a high-altitude watchtower.

They never expected to be fired upon from what should have been their secure rear. By the time they reacted, their main positions had already been wiped out.

However, the remaining squad members were well-trained and didn’t panic. They immediately moved to release the combat creatures they had on standby. But before they could, a wave of Spiritual Power instantly swept across the entire position, preventing any of the creatures from being successfully deployed.

Although the team members all carried Spiritual Protection items, many were still knocked to the ground on the spot. Even those who remained standing were swaying, their minds muddled. In that brief window, a shuttle-like object suddenly flew in, circled the area, and left bloody holes in each of their heads.

The slender shuttle made another circle in the air before returning to the hand of a man wearing a white mask and a cowboy hat.

This was the renowned Lynx Federation Fighter, “the Flayer.”

His eyes were fixed on Manager Wen’s position. A small knife twirled discreetly between his fingertips, and a peculiar glint appeared in his eyes.

In truth, they had been lying in ambush here all along. Today’s battle was actually a joint encirclement operation, with the Lynx Federation and Manager Han teaming up to annihilate Manager Wen and his men.

Meanwhile, Manager Wen had already sustained two sword cuts. The wounds were long and deep, bleeding profusely. The disadvantage of fighting empty-handed against a weapon was immense, to say nothing of facing two opponents at once.

Although he also carried a sword, he’d had no opportunity to draw it. Seeing the state of his subordinates, he made a split-second decision. ‘Since I brought these men here, it’s my duty to get them back out, even if I have to sacrifice myself to do it.’

With this thought, after dodging another attack, he ripped off his overcoat. With two sharp metallic clicks, he flicked his wrists and tossed out two pineapple-shaped grenades.

Seeing this, Manager Han and Soldier Ant immediately and cautiously retreated.

BOOM! BOOM! The two grenades detonated in mid-air, but they only released a cloud of smoke, with no shrapnel whatsoever.

Under the cover of smoke, Manager Wen immediately sent out a retreat signal via an emergency channel. The signal was so short and powerful that it would be difficult to completely block, even with interference organisms.

Once the order was given, all of his remaining men began to retreat. The few armored vehicles that had been waiting in the distance also started their engines and sped away.

Sounds came from his left and right as the two men charged him again. This time, however, he was unable to mount an effective counter-attack under their combined assault. He could only do his best to stall for time, even as more and more wounds were carved into his body.

After a fierce struggle that lasted about ten minutes, Manager Wen felt himself reaching his limit. He knew there was no longer any point in dragging things out.

A look of grim finality filled his eyes. He ripped off his tunic and flung it at Manager Han, instantly obscuring his vision.

Seeing this, Manager Han held back his thrust, pulling his sword back slightly. But at that moment, he felt his blade meet solid resistance. Manager Wen had actually thrown himself forward, allowing the Long Sword to plunge into his chest, then used “Fixed Void Force” to lock the blade firmly in place!

Simultaneously, his hands shot out with unparalleled speed and clamped down on Manager Han’s forearm. His gaze was fixed intently on him.

Manager Han’s expression shifted. He understood Manager Wen’s intention: he was going to destroy one of his limbs.

Because no matter how this ended, Han fully intended to return to his post. But if he were missing a limb—especially if the injury was caused by Manager Wen’s unique Heart Force—it would be incredibly difficult to explain away the day’s events.

But faced with Manager Wen’s desperate, all-out counter-attack, the Fixed Void Force traveled through the sword and affected him, making it impossible for him to muster the strength to break free in that instant.

A figure blurred. Soldier Ant had charged in, viciously slamming both fists into Manager Wen’s back and head!

One fist instantly blasted a massive hole in his spine, while the other struck his head, causing half of it to explode on impact.

Yet even then, Manager Wen held fast to Manager Han’s arm. With a final surge of Power, Han’s entire arm suddenly exploded, leaving only shredded bone and flesh hanging loosely in its place.

Manager Han glanced down at his arm and took a sharp breath before looking back at Manager Wen’s face. Staring at the man’s single remaining eyeball, he said slowly, “Old Wen, do you know why you lost? It’s because you’re too quick to trust people.”

He knew that while Manager Wen usually put on a slick facade, he was, in reality, a genuinely honorable man—a rare thing. When trouble arose, he would truly step up and was always willing to assist his colleagues. It was precisely because of this trait that Han knew his proposal would be a hook the man couldn’t resist.

Manager Wen was already dead. His body was a wreck of gaping wounds; that last attack had taken every last bit of his strength. Yet he remained standing, frozen in his final, unmoving posture.

The Flayer walked over, glancing first at Manager Han’s mangled arm, then at the shredded flesh on the ground. “Han,” he said, “want me to sew that back on for you? It won’t be free, though.”

“No need,” Manager Han replied, his face devoid of expression. He was already prepared for the possibility of injury.

He then turned his gaze to the side, where a white-haired man had appeared at some point. The man’s face was covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were as clear as a child’s. With his arrival, the once-chaotic battlefield seemed to fall completely silent.

This was the Lynx Federation Fighter known as the “Dream Master.” He was not only a Fighter but also possessed exceptional Spiritual Talent, allowing him to alter people’s memories to a certain degree.

Manager Han said, “The ones who are unconscious or were captured alive, I’m leaving them to you. I expect no mistakes.”

“Leave it to me,” the Dream Master replied in a magnetic voice.

Manager Han slowly pulled his Long Sword from Manager Wen’s chest.

The Flayer stepped forward, a hint of eagerness in his eyes. He pointed at Manager Wen and said, “Han, could you let me have this one? I know he’s your trophy, but I’m sure you’d rather not have people figuring things out from his wounds, would you?”

“Do as you wish,” Manager Han said coolly. He flicked the blood and flesh from his sword and turned to leave. After two steps, he glanced back. “Make it clean.”

The Flayer touched the brim of his cowboy hat, tipping it slightly. “As you wish.”

「At the same time, inside the Processing Bureau.」

Chen Chuan was sitting in his office as the head of the medical team gave him a report.

“Manager Chen, we’ve examined her. Overall, she’s not in any critical danger. A significant amount of Mutated Organization had grown inside her body. Without proper guidance, it would have eventually overtaken her normal tissues and physiological functions. Fortunately, it hasn’t been growing for long, so it hasn’t caused any major damage yet. We’ve already excised it.

The technique used was quite sophisticated. If the Fusion had progressed any further, the outcome could have been very different. We were lucky she was rescued in time.

However, while the foreign matter in her body is treatable, the mental side is far more difficult. Too many things were fused into her consciousness. It will likely take her a long period of rest to recover, and even then, her personality and behavioral habits may be permanently affected. It’s very difficult to reverse those kinds of changes.”

Chen Chuan set down the report. “Was she on any kind of medication?”

“We found no traces,” the head of the team said. “This is likely due to her possessing Spiritual Power, as long-term drug use can interfere with its expression. We also found no evidence of hypnosis or Implants, probably for the same reason.”

She sighed. “After all, she’s just a little girl with no combat abilities.”

Chen Chuan asked, “What is the current status of that active Consciousness Body?”

“We’ve preserved it using cryogenic technology,” the department head explained. “However, it began decaying at an accelerated rate the moment the girl was removed from it. Without proper maintenance, it could completely lose its original activity after some time.”

She added with a note of praise, “Manager, your decision not to remove the girl immediately upon transport was absolutely the right one. Otherwise, this thing would have rapidly decomposed en route, and we would have had very little left to salvage.”

Chen Chuan nodded slightly. When he had first retrieved the Consciousness Body, it had been constantly self-healing. To prevent Yang Ling from being re-fused with it, he had to repeatedly damage it during transport.

Because he hadn’t been sure what major effects removing her immediately would have, he had left her inside. It turned out to be the correct decision.

“Make sure that thing is well-preserved,” he said.

This active Consciousness Body would serve as excellent proof of Lianwei Zhongyu’s involvement, as the modulation techniques used in its creation could be traced to a specific source.

“I will, sir,” the department head said earnestly. Seeing that Chen Chuan had no further instructions, she gave a slight bow and exited, closing the office door behind her.

After she left, Chen Chuan placed his hand on his Realm Token. “Executioner Qin, what’s the progress on your end?”

Qin Qingque replied, “Captain, the interrogation is done. They’re all willing to testify, but they don’t know much. Only that assistant has the detailed information, and she’s currently undergoing treatment.”

Chen Chuan grunted in acknowledgment. He had been precise with his attack, shattering the female assistant’s internal organs without killing her. This was to ensure they could extract a confession from her.

Once this was all sorted out, they could finally remove the thorn of Lianwei Zhongyu from Central City’s side.

As he was lost in thought, a notification tone suddenly sounded from his Realm Token.

He glanced at it.

‘Assistant Ling?’