Book 3, Chapter 349: Swallow

After issuing the orders, Liang Guanghai wondered whether the operation was going a little too smoothly.

But that thought soon went away.

No matter what, they had defeated more than a thousand people from Ferris Wheel’s security force. Regardless of what the enemy was planning to do, they couldn’t give up on such a chance handed to them on a silver platter.

Liang Guanghai wasn’t worried about Ferris Wheel’s regular forces, but the company did have someone they needed to pay attention to. That someone was going to be their greatest obstacle in getting rid of Ferris Wheel.

Liang Guanghai took another look at the plan provided by Sentry Tower. It was truly the best arrangement under such constraints.

Then, he asked his assistant to contact Xu Chan again.

“Lao Xu, I’ll send you recovery medicine. You know what you’re going to face later, so I’m going to make you the leader of the final battle. With your prestige and experience, you’re the best for this mission among the three departments.

“Tell me who you need. I’ll send those people to you.”

“I’m going to start naming names, then. I need a few people. Nie Guanshan from the Department of Administrative Affairs, Yang Shen from the development squad, and—”

“Those two might be unable to join you,” Liang Guanghai interrupted him.

“Hmm?” Xu Chan was quite surprised. “They don’t want to? Are they on some other important mission?”

“The intensity of the battles this time was greater than what we expected. They were killed in action,” Liang Guanghai said grimly.

Xu Chan was stunned before frowning. “Is that so?”

Setting aside their fighting prowess, their refined forces were really unique. With them around, the success rate of their operation would have doubled if they managed to coordinate things properly.

But since they weren’t available anymore, Xu Chan would have to get someone else.

He quickly dropped a few more names.

Then, he thought of a person. He was a youngster who had gotten pretty famous lately. Xu Chan had heard that he was really strong.

But he shook his head a moment later. While he had heard of the youngster, he had never seen him before. They had never worked together either, so he wouldn’t be at ease commanding him. Besides, being strong wasn’t necessarily a good thing. If he couldn’t make the youngster cooperate, he would end up dragging the entire team down. Hence, he considered the possibility but never said the name.

Liang Guanghai couldn’t give Xu Chan all the martial artists he named, because some of them were protecting important political figures or guarding important districts.

After some thinking, Xu Chan thought that he had enough people. The only problem was that he couldn’t guarantee absolute victory. “I still need some backup...”

“I can’t give you the rest of the ones you named, but you can ask for other things you need,” Liang Guanghai promised.

“Alright.” Xu Chan didn’t hold back and immediately made a series of requests.

They weren’t simple requests, but reasonable. “You’ll get them. We only have one request for you. Get this settled before the end of the propagation stage,” Liang Guanghai said.

***

Chen Chuan stayed on the airship the entire afternoon. Perhaps the higher-ups wanted him to rest properly, because he hadn’t received a single message.

He stood beside a slanted porthole and looked outside. It was evening, but the sky was still bright. The gaps were flashing down below in the city occasionally.

While he appeared to be enjoying the scenery, he was actually extending his mind outward to sense the movements of the other world.

He didn’t know when pure essence would arrive, and he didn’t want to miss it, so he was waiting for it.

According to Chen Bitong, pure essence scattered quickly. Once it came, it would spread through the Great Shun Republic, then all the corners of the world. Those who sensed it would fight for it. After this, the countries and companies would monopolize the pure essence again. That was why Chen Chuan had to be ahead of everyone else and act fast.

This was a window of opportunity. No one would stop him at first, so he had to seize the chance to get as much of it as he could.

While thinking about it, he realized that Chen Bitong had to have someone supporting him to go that far. This meant that they would know and participate in acquiring pure essence. They should also know what Chen Chuan wanted to do. Hence, even if they weren’t coming forward to stop him, they were competitors. Their abilities would determine how much they got.

The fluctuations were getting more obvious, which could be a sign that pure essence was about to arrive. Chen Chuan left the porthole and went to find his friend.

“Pan Xiaode, I’ve spent too much energy, so I’d like a place for secluded training.”

Pan Xiaode thought about it. “I have a quiet room. It was prepared for martial artists who came up here for sightseeing. We’re up in the air, so try not to cause too much of a ruckus.”

He had seen what had happened to Grand Morals District, so he now had a strong impression of Third Limit martial artists’ destructive prowess. If Chen Chuan practiced martial arts in the airship, it wouldn’t last long.

“I just need to regulate my breathing,” Chen Chuan assured him.

“Then, the room will be fine.”

Pan Xiaode brought him to the quiet room located at the lower end of the middle section, which was meant for sightseeing. It had a circular window in the floor with a diameter of around three meters to see the world pass by below. The window could be opened if desired.

After Pan Xiaode left, Chen Chuan sat down. The fluctuations were getting stronger, so he was going to wait and see.

***

Security guards covered head-to-toe in protective gear were at the Temple of the Strange God on Greenpeak Hill. They even had helmets on. But they weren’t part of Central City’s response units. Instead, they were a private security force.

Only two people were inside the hall of the temple.

One of them was an old man who appeared to be in his sixties. A full beard covered his thin face. His eyes were clear, and he wore a black suit, but his hair was done neatly in a top-knot straight from the old era. Not a single strand of hair was out of place.

The other was a young man in his twenties. He had exquisite features, a handsome face, and long limbs. While he wore a martial arts uniform, there was a wicked look in his eyes as he sat with his hands placed on his knees.

The old man put a fist behind his back and said while looking outside, “The Temple of the Strange God is located quite high up in Central City. In the past, it was an important place of worship. It can give you a boost in mental energy.

“If our source is correct, in at most half an hour, pure essence will enter Central City. Right now, no one should know that the gap keeping it sealed has been opened.

“Chu An, if you can get some pure essence now, then, together with what your family allocated for you, you’ll surpass your sister and that outstanding brother of yours in terms of resources. You might even be able to catch up to them.”

Chu An looked up and asked, “Only ‘might be,’ Master?”

“I’ve told you many times before that the potential test you take after you’re born determines everything. They’re bound to be faster in the path of martial artists, even if they spend much less energy than you when they train.

“But when they’re slacking off, you can catch up to them. You shouldn’t aim to surpass them in one go. All you need to do is make sure that you keep up with them and not fall behind. This will give you many options in the future.”

“As long as I get a chance to become stronger, I’ll use it, but I’m curious, are you the one who got someone to open the gap?” Chu An asked.

“How could I possibly do that? I just bought information from the ones involved,” the old man retorted coolly.

“Whoever tore open the seal right under the countries and companies’ noses and is now sending pure essence into the world has some serious guts. What are they aiming for?” Chu An was astonished by the act itself.

The old man didn’t say anything about it.

“They did it for some vague ideal. Even if they tore open a gap, what will it change? In the end, pure essence will only benefit some plebeians, who are going to end up wasting it. This is a completely useless act for pushing the world forward.

“That’s enough talking for now.” He turned around. “I’m going to teach you a technique. It is unique to the refined training school and will help search for pure essence from the other world. Get ready.”

The relaxed expression on Chu An’s face disappeared, and he became a little more serious as he stood up and put a hand forward.

The old man put his hand on Chu An’s. When their palms connected, a loud bang sounded. In an instant, Chu An sensed a will enter his mind.

He shut his eyes to get a better feel of it, and soon, he picked up the technique from the old man’s mental mark.

The old man then put his hands behind his back. “This technique allows us to sense pure essence while filtering out corruption. It will also ensure you’re not affected by corruption as much as possible while you absorb it.

“You must understand that pure essence isn’t just a resource. It’s also bait. The existences from the other world sometimes sneak into our world along with pure essence. If you pick up a lot of corruption, your mind will become a beacon of light in the darkness for those existences.

“Even though they can’t come for the time being, they’re going to be a problem in the future. With this technique, you can avoid entering their line of sight. It’s almost time. The first wave of pure essence is about to arrive. Get ready.”

***

Ever since Chen Chuan sat down in the quiet room in the airship, his mind was trained on the other world as he sensed the increasingly obvious fluctuations.

No one else could stay in this state as long as he could. They would have to face constant corruption when they used Awakening Clarity to absorb quintessence or observe the other world, while Chen Chuan had his second self to absorb the damage.

After meditating for half an hour, Chen Chuan sensed something rush toward him, but he was ready. The moment he caught sight of it, his mind approached and enveloped it.

At the same time, his body moved on its own. He tilted his head back and gulped, as if he was swallowing some sort of liquid.

Apparently, he didn’t have to use his mind to come into contact with this thing, for it wasn’t the only thing reacting to it. Instead, pure essence had true substance. A gentle, warm feeling filled his body and heart, and he felt as if he had actually swallowed something.