I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 252: Chapter 143: The Coast Guard’s Reinforcements (Part 2)

He instructed Liu Qin, "Notify Section Chief Liu to provide full logistical support for all of the Provincial Hall’s technical team’s needs. As long as their requests don’t violate our principles, accommodate them as much as possible."

"Yes, Director Yang."

"Draft a written notice of the order I just gave. Distribute it to all departments in the branch and reiterate the confidentiality protocols."

Yang Wenqing glanced at the closed door of the backup control room, then looked at Zhu Yunchuan with a smile. "They don’t like us tagging along, so we won’t. Let’s just focus on our own duties. We have more than enough trouble to deal with."

’He couldn’t wait for the Provincial Hall’s marine police to arrive, as it would relieve a great deal of pressure on him.’

Back in his office, the official document from the Provincial Hall regarding collaborative defense between the marine police and the local branch arrived through an encrypted channel. The contents were just as Yang Wenqing had expected. Communication and coordination between the two parties would primarily be conducted through an encrypted hub established by the Provincial Hall’s technical team, with designated liaison officers for daily contact.

The document’s wording was precise, with a clear division of authority and responsibility. It positioned the marine police in the lead role, while the local branch was to serve in a more cooperative and supportive capacity.

Yang Wenqing wasn’t dissatisfied with this at all. On the contrary, he breathed a sigh of relief. The marine police would be on the front lines, shouldering the main defensive burden and the risk of direct conflict. This greatly reduced the pressure on his branch. Logistical support might be tedious, but it was far easier and safer than facing potential attacks and the undersea Alien Race.

He had several copies of the document made and sent to Vice Director Chu and the heads of each section so they could fully understand the Provincial Hall’s intentions.

Furthermore, he appointed Liu Qin—in her capacity as Deputy Director of the Police Intelligence Center—to be the branch’s designated daily liaison with the Provincial Hall’s communications team, giving her full responsibility for all coordination efforts.

With these matters arranged, Yang Wenqing was just about to take a sip of hot tea. But before the cup could reach his lips, the Communication Array embedded in the side of his desk began to flash urgently with a Spiritual Light.

He had no choice but to set down his teacup and activate the Array.

"Director Yang..."

Director Leng from the monitoring center reported at a rapid pace, "We’ve detected abnormally strong Spiritual Qi fluctuations coming from West City. The wave patterns don’t match any known mining operations or civilian Arrays. We suspect a battle is taking place."

Yang Wenqing’s gaze subconsciously drifted to the map of Lingshan New District on the wall. At that exact moment, the Communication Array in his chest badge buzzed with an urgent request. He answered it, and Liu Xin’s voice came through.

"Director Yang, we were pursuing smugglers on the south bank and followed a lead from a captured suspect to Black Teeth Ridge. We discovered a hidden Cultivator stronghold with a number of rogue Cultivators inside. They’ve used the mountain caves to construct a clandestine jamming Array. We were spotted the moment we approached and are now under heavy fire!"

"Our monitoring Array shows the highest energy readings are at the Qi Cultivation Stage. They’re using some kind of standard-issue crossbow bolts inscribed with an explosive Dharma Seal, and their tactical coordination is proficient. We’re pinned down on the outskirts of the rocky area. Two of our team members are wounded. We need immediate backup!"

’A rogue Cultivator stronghold?’

Yang Wenqing’s heart skipped a beat. He connected this to the recent smuggling and the conflict just instigated by the Jade Whale Sect. He immediately prepared for the worst and made a swift decision: this stronghold had to be eradicated, and with overwhelming force.

"Backup is on the way!" Yang Wenqing said, rising to his feet while still on the line. He strode out of his office and commanded Liu Qin, who was waiting outside, "Have the First and Second Combat Squads of the Operations Section gear up and report to the hangar on standby. Notify the Technical Section to disengage the weapon safeties on the Cyan Simurgh Type Four combat Flying Shuttle."

Liu Qin immediately used her authority to relay the orders. Then she heard Yang Wenqing add, "Tell Vice Director Chu to take charge of the command center."

"Yes, sir!"

Yang Wenqing moved quickly, reaching the hangar in just a few minutes.

Two recently commissioned Cyan Simurgh Type Four multi-role combat Flying Shuttles were parked here. Each was about fifteen meters long, its streamlined hull painted in the City Defense Bureau’s dark blue camouflage. Mounted under the wings were multi-barreled Spiritual Energy machine cannons and ground-attack energy cannons.

By the time he arrived, more than forty fully armed operatives were already waiting.

"Director Yang!" A squadron leader stepped forward, snapping to attention and saluting as he reported, "Section Chief Xia is leading the main operations force on patrol along the southern coastline."

"Board the shuttles. Our target is Black Teeth Ridge to the west."

"Yes, sir!"

...

Inside the command cabin of the combat Flying Shuttle, Yang Wenqing transferred Liu Xin’s comms link to the shuttle’s Communication Array. He then deployed several projection Arrays. In no time, a live feed from Black Teeth Ridge appeared on the projected water-like screen. The area was in chaos; one could see streaks of light from crossbow bolts firing from rock crevices and the bright flashes of explosions.

Liu Xin’s encrypted transmission came through the intense Spiritual Qi interference. "Director Yang... we’re on the western slope of Black Teeth Ridge... The enemy is holed up beneath the overhanging rock strata at Hanging Coffin Cliff... There are three stone caves side-by-side, suspended about one hundred fifty feet off the ground..."

The tactical water mirror in front of Yang Wenqing flickered violently before stabilizing to show the terrain below. It was a jagged mountain range that looked as if it had been chewed on by some colossal beast. On its north face was a nearly vertical cliff, where long-term erosion had weathered the rock strata into an overhanging, eave-like structure.

Just beneath that rocky eave, three pitch-black cave mouths were embedded in the cliff face like eyes. Dense, grayish-white stalactites hung down from their openings, resembling the fangs of a monster.

Below the cave mouths was a slope covered in dark-red moss. Liu Xin’s six-person team was pinned down halfway down the slope behind several large, Turtle Shell-shaped boulders. The three caves took turns firing runic short spears that left faint blue trails. The spears didn’t explode on impact with the rocks. Instead, they burrowed into crevices like living creatures, only to dart out from unexpected angles for a surprise attack.

Over two hundred feet above the highest cave on the left, a rock jutted out like an eagle’s beak. A reflective, mirror-like object was faintly visible on top. ’That must be an observation post.’

"I have eyes on you," Yang Wenqing’s voice was grim. "Report the exact coordinates of all your team members."

He then turned to the weapons officer. "Log the coordinates for the six friendlies on the ground. Avoid friendly fire. Then, lock onto the three cave entrances and use ’Fire Talisman Shells’."

"Yes, sir!" The weapons officer’s hands flew across the control Rune Board. On the light screen, three targets were encircled by blood-red trigram markers, while friendly forces were marked with green dots.

The combat Flying Shuttle hovered a thousand meters above Black Teeth Ridge. Beneath its fuselage, two heavy Spiritual Energy cannons began to rotate and adjust their angle. The complex Spirit Gathering Array Patterns on their muzzles lit up one after another, emitting a low hum as they charged.

On the cliff face below, a sharp-eyed rogue Cultivator spotted the threat in the air. The observation post suddenly flashed a series of rapid signals with its mirror.

"They’re raising the alarm!" Liu Xin warned.

"Fire!" Yang Wenqing’s order came almost at the same instant as the cannons fired.

BOOM!

The first tremendous roar sounded as if the sky itself was splitting apart. A searing column of light over three feet in diameter erupted from the cannon’s muzzle. It crossed the thousand-meter distance at a speed the naked eye could barely track, striking the observation post with pinpoint accuracy.

There was no explosion. The moment the pillar of light struck the protruding rock, it instantly vaporized like a block of ice under a blazing sun. The rock, along with the mirror-like Magical Artifact and any observers, dissipated into a wisp of smoke, leaving only a charred crater some ten feet deep in the cliff face.

BOOM! The second beam of light slammed into one of the cave entrances. The cluster of hanging stalactites instantly shattered. An earthen-yellow shield of Spiritual Light over the entrance cracked like an eggshell. Its momentum unchecked, the beam bored deep into the cave, triggering the muffled sound of a collapse and faint, agonizing screams.

BOOM! The third strike hit another cave mouth, causing large chunks of the rock face to break off.

BOOM! The final blast struck the last cave. This shot brought down nearly half of the rocky overhang, leaving the fate of those guarding the entrance unknown.

"Deploy a monitoring device."

Yang Wenqing commanded once more.

A five-foot-wide metal sphere dropped from the Flying Shuttle’s deployment bay. It hovered above the mountain peak below and began to form a monitoring Array, scanning the surrounding area for Spiritual Qi signatures.

"You’re going down too. Your personal safety is the top priority. Rendezvous with Team Liu, then establish observation posts on the outskirts of the main paths leading to the summit. Do not advance recklessly," Yang Wenqing ordered the members of the two combat squads.

"Yes, sir!"

Then, Yang Wenqing turned to the communications specialist and commanded, "Patch me through to Director Zhou of the Qianjiao County branch."

The situation inside the caves was unknown, and Yang Wenqing couldn’t risk storming them with so few men. Although Lingshan New District had operated independently for years, reporting directly to the municipal bureau for many affairs, an operation to besiege rogue Cultivators still required support from Qianjiao County.

As for encountering a great Cultivator that the combat Flying Shuttle couldn’t handle, the probability was low. If there truly was one, they would use a Secret Technique to escape preemptively, provided they weren’t a fool. The municipal bureau had a keen interest in unaffiliated great Cultivators; anywhere within the borders of the Wanxuan Nation, they were eliminated the moment they surfaced.

But it was never wrong to be cautious. That was why Yang Wenqing was using the combat Flying Shuttle to maintain a safe distance.