Chapter 626 - 365: First Move

Inside the combat command center, Specialist Liang confirmed the details with Chen Chuan, then ended the call without another word.

In his view, the plan was risky, but it was also a good way to solve the problem in one fell swoop.

Nothing in this world was ever a hundred percent certain. He was willing to make the decision and bear the responsibility.

He looked forward again. After Wu Qi’s appearance, the Sentry Tower had analyzed its overflowing Domain information, and now a light screen before him displayed a detailed breakdown of Wu Qi’s physical structure and composition.

"High-energy cell tissue, bio-energy interface, high-density Mutated muscle fibers, reinforced exoskeleton, multi-state joints, energy storage organs, secretion regulators, heat-dissipating fins, Regenerative Membrane, communication antennae, polyhedral Compound Eye, fiber-optic tactile organs, micro-olfactory sensory pores..."

The items scrolled down the list, a dense stream of information. Over seventy percent of it was Lynx Federation technology. In fact, many Implants were byproducts derived from the research and development of such active Consciousness Bodies.

In its non-combat state, the creature’s functions were primarily dedicated to Domain information communication. Now that it had emerged to fight, all of its biological systems had spontaneously switched to combat mode.

Based on this data, the Sentry Tower also listed its potential weaknesses and key areas to target, generating a tactical strategy.

After reviewing it, Specialist Liang immediately had the Sentry Tower transmit the strategy to the field. However, the Domain information there was suffering from severe interference. Even with An Shield working at full capacity to maintain the connection, it would likely take a while for the personnel on-site to receive it.

High above the Deep Unexplored District, a modified bird flew toward the Airship, carrying a small package clutched in its talons. Guided by Domain signals, the bird landed on the Airship’s forward deck.

An Airship crew member came forward, retrieved the package, and delivered it to a supervisory officer standing nearby.

The officer quickly inspected it, confirmed it was undamaged, and immediately took it to the upper-level bow of the Airship, where he handed it to Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan thanked him. After the officer left, he unwrapped the package and took out a medicine box. It was decorated with an image of a Cloud Lingzhi, giving it an air of Spirituality and mystique.

It was the mark of Celestial Hundred Herbs Medicine; the drug was clearly from that company.

Inside, there was a single, thumb-sized, blue-green Elixir Pill. When he picked it up, a faint wisp of icy mist seemed to drift from it.

There were no markings on it, so he had no idea what kind of medicine it was. He didn’t dwell on its origins and simply swallowed it.

At first, he felt nothing. But after a moment, a warmth spread throughout his entire body, as if he were soaking in a comfortable, warm bath. Every part of him felt at ease.

He could tell it was immensely helpful for repairing physical damage. The medicinal effect was gentle, not taking hold suddenly, but releasing slowly, giving his body time to adapt.

He looked at his Second Self and saw almost no signs of fading. This was a rare medicine with no side effects.

And that wasn’t all. After another moment, a cool sensation spread through his mind, and he felt as if his spirit had become clearer.

The elixir was nourishing the Mutated Organization in his brain. A person’s spirit relied on their physical body—especially on the support provided by the brain’s Mutated Organization—so this nourishment benefited his spirit as well. And the feeling was continuous.

’This medicine is surely precious, but if the plan succeeds, this is a small price to pay.’

As he was quietly savoring the feeling, he suddenly felt a vibration from the world where he had left his Spiritual Mark. He looked up. ’More Pure Essence must be arriving soon.’

He still had two Hours. ’I can use this time to absorb some more.’

Since he was alone, he simply sat down and focused his attention, waiting for the activity from the other side.

Before long, he sensed a wisp of shimmering light arrive. He captured the stream of light in an instant, and with a soft swallow, drank it down.

This time, however, the amount of scattered Pure Essence was far greater than before. One wisp was followed by another, and more arrived intermittently. Even he couldn’t possibly intercept and consume it all.

’But I don’t intend to,’ he thought. ’This should be left for others. I only need to take the portion I require.’

At almost the same moment, Chu’an was also waiting. His expression suddenly filled with excitement. "Teacher, I can feel it!"

As he spoke, his spirit made contact with an incoming stream of light. A moment later, his face flushed red.

Although his spirit had entangled the wisp of light, the substance was as nimble as a fish, constantly darting and flashing as if it might break free at any moment. He strained with all his might to hold it down.

The old man saw this and immediately understood. He advised, "You must find a way to bind it. Don’t worry if some escapes in the end. This process is beneficial for strengthening your spirit."

"Don’t be greedy and try to get it all. Use the technique I taught you. Capture what you can, and swallow what you can."

Chu’an followed his instructions. In the end, he failed to hold onto the entire stream of light, and most of it escaped. He only managed to swallow a small portion, but he immediately felt an extreme sense of bloating.

He quickly began circulating it using the method the old man had taught him. After a good while, he slowly exhaled, looked up, and said, slightly excited,

"Teacher, I felt it! There are so many benefits I can’t even describe, but..." He added, vexed, "I let so much of it get away."

The old man comforted him. "It’s fine. If you don’t succeed the first time, you can always try again. It seems the Pure Essence is much more abundant in this second phase than the first. You can rest a bit before trying to capture more."

After Chu’an closed his eyes again, the old man glanced upward warily.

’If one’s physical constitution hasn’t reached a certain level of strength, it’s very difficult to refine Pure Essence completely in one go, even if you think you’ve succeeded.’

’And when it remains deposited in the body, one can easily become a target for... those things. Especially with the Celestial Gate open and a breach in the World Ring, it’s hard to say what anomalies might appear.’

So he stepped to the side, took a long incense stick from his belongings, and lit it. He then walked to the altar dedicated to the Mo God and placed the stick in the censer.

This was an old-world method for shielding against prying eyes from the other side. He had chosen this location to absorb Pure Essence not just for its high altitude, but also because religious sites like this were built with such shielding effects in mind.

After straightening up, he glanced at the Mo Divine Statue above, paid it no mind, and turned away.

Inside the Ferris Wheel Building, even though the tactical analysis from headquarters had yet to arrive due to the interference, the combatants on site were all experienced veterans with their own methods of assessment.

Captain Lü was the first to test the waters. His figure flickered, and he was suddenly in front of Wu Qi. His hand formed a claw, and as he thrust it forward, the strike cracked the air with a loud SNAP.

Although it was only a probing attack, he immediately discovered that the massive creature was not slow at all. It was surprisingly agile. It had already adjusted as he advanced, raising a leg to block the blow with its hardened exoskeleton.

He was surprised. For a body that large to exhibit such flexibility and speed was terrifying. But he didn’t alter his attack, intent on testing its strength.

CRACK! He felt a tremor run up his arm. The smooth bone armor had deflected most of his force, but even so, the immense Power of the blow still caused several fine cracks to appear on its surface.

Suddenly, a sense of danger washed over him. He ducked, letting a whip-like tentacle lash through the air above his head.

It seemed he had dodged it, but after lashing out, the tentacle’s tip whipped back around in mid-air. The sharp claw at its end shot toward the back of his head, creating a sonic boom as it reversed direction.

A direct hit would have been enough to crush his skull. But in this critical moment, instead of dodging, he lunged forward, his body a blur as he dove under the creature’s abdomen.

He had intended to attack from there, but he didn’t stop, darting straight through to the other side. A fleeting glimpse had revealed its abdomen was covered in countless small openings—clearly not a defensive weak point, but the location of its predatory organs.

All the while, the tentacle was still pursuing him. Once he was behind the creature, he rolled to his feet, spun, and slapped it away with the edge of his palm.

But just then, another Whip Hand struck from his flank. Just as it was about to pierce his head, a hand shot up and caught it with a sharp SNAP.

The clawed tip, however, struggled violently. Muscles tensed, and a sharp Bone Blade shot out from its midsection, stabbing toward his face at incredible speed.

Having anticipated the move the moment he felt it stir, he deflected the tentacle outward, letting the Bone Blade graze past his cheek. He leaned back and retreated at high speed.

But the whip-like tentacle was relentless, continuing to press its attack. No matter where he dodged, he could not shake the pursuit.

Just then, a figure flashed past. Captain Wang had used the distraction to charge Wu Qi from the front, aiming a punch at the joint where its leg met its torso.

He had clearly been preparing this for some time. His lunge was incredibly fast and packed with power. The punch landed squarely on Wu Qi, and the point of impact exploded in a shower of shattered bone and flesh. The recoil, however, made him falter for a split second.

In that instant, one of the tentacles whipped back, striking him dead-center. The blow was immensely powerful, launching him into the air.

BOOM! He smashed through the building’s already shattered glass curtain wall, then tumbled and bounced across the ground for over a hundred meters before finally crashing into a barricade. He spat out a mouthful of bloody foam and slowly got back to his feet.

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