Chapter 711 62: Diplomatic Delegation

Fang Zhixin had sensed a large number of people returning for him, so he had already steeled himself for a fight to the death, determined not to be captured alive.

What he hadn't expected, however, was that before they could even surround him, over ninety percent of the combatants were instantly incapacitated by the impact of Chen Chuan's Spiritual Power.

He didn't witness Chen Chuan's fight against the remaining few, but he could tell from the sounds that each skirmish was over in just two or three exchanges.

The entire encounter lasted no more than three or four minutes.

What shocked him most was the incredible power Chen Chuan displayed when he charged his opponents. Compared to his fight with Teacher Chen that day, it seemed his strength had grown by leaps and bounds.

Awestruck, his earlier conviction only hardened. He spoke with solemn resolve, "Captain Chen, what I was trying to say earlier is that the map data for the Merging Land... such a map does exist, and it's extremely detailed.

I learned indirectly that the people who helped with Teacher Chen's plan also wanted to get their hands on this data, but Teacher Chen didn't give it to them."

Chen Chuan had already deduced that someone was backing Chen Bitong's actions, but he hadn't been able to figure out who. He now asked, "Who were the people helping Teacher Chen? Do you know, Assistant Fang?"

Fang Zhixin's expression was complicated. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. Teacher Chen never mentioned them to me. I suppose he didn't want me to get entangled with them."

Chen Chuan's gaze was deep and tranquil. 'There are many factions in Jibei Dao Central City, and the Schools are a major force,' he mused. 'But Chen Bitong clearly never joined a School. And considering his actions and steadfast beliefs, he would have been incompatible with both the Fusion Faction and the Refinement Sect. It's almost impossible that he would have cooperated with them.'

'However, there is one organization that very likely could have helped him. That would also explain why Chen Bitong didn't want Fang Zhixin to get involved with them.'

'Of course, this is just a guess,' he acknowledged to himself. 'I have no proof yet, but I can try to verify it later.'

After a moment's thought, he asked, "Did Teacher Chen ever turn this data over to the government?"

Fang Zhixin replied, "Teacher Chen submitted it once, a long time ago, back when he was on the Pioneer Team. But the Jibei Dao Merging Land is vast, and it can change significantly in just a few years.

Later, Teacher Chen reviewed data and reports submitted by his successors in the pioneering efforts and discovered numerous errors and discrepancies. He said it was due to insufficient Spiritual Power and misjudgments made while fending off incursions. That's why, for the past few years, he's been organizing and consolidating the information, trying to find a way to verify it all again.

In the past, Teacher Chen would submit portions of the verified data annually. But in the last few years, he hasn't submitted a single report."

'That must have been when Chen Bitong began preparing for his plan,' Chen Chuan mulled.

Fang Zhixin continued, "Thinking about it now, it might not have been just these foreigners. The people who captured me before were likely after the same thing."

Chen Chuan asked, "Do you know who they were?"

"It's hard to say. At first, I thought the people in contact with Teacher Chen had come to rescue me, thinking he had arranged it. But then I realized that wasn't right. Then I wondered if the Temporary Special Action Committee had staged the whole thing, but that doesn't quite add up either..."

Fang Zhixin shook his head. "No matter who they are, I won't let them get what they want." He looked up at Chen Chuan. "Captain Chen, I can only entrust this data to you. You're the only one I trust. I know that if Teacher Chen were here, he would never let the Federation get their hands on the Lost Object."

With that, he stepped a little closer and spoke a few sentences, his voice carried by his Power.

After listening, Chen Chuan nodded. "Assistant Fang, where do you plan to go now?"

'Although the warrant for his arrest is gone,' Chen Chuan considered, 'if he shows his face in public, the Temporary Special Action Committee might come after him. The Federation won't give up this easily, either. And that other, unknown faction might also make a move if they catch wind of him.'

Fang Zhixin said, "I've already thought it through. I'm going to head to the Merging Land. I need to find my comrades."

The retired gunmen who had followed Chen Bitong, while not formally punished, had been sent back to the front lines in the Merging Land. If he hadn't needed to find out what happened to them, he probably would have fled the city the day he escaped.

Chen Chuan asked, "You have a way to get there?"

Fang Zhixin said, "I have my ways, Captain Chen. I know a few people."

Chen Chuan grunted in acknowledgment. 'Control over transit from the Merging Land into Central City is tight,' he thought, 'but going the other way is much less restricted. They might even let a wanted criminal run to the Merging Land, since they'd have no choice but to rely on the military fortresses once they got there.'

'A lone person wouldn't survive a single night in the wilds. If they approached a fortress, they'd either be arrested or sent straight to the front lines as cannon fodder.'

He looked at Fang Zhixin and said, "If you run into any trouble, contact me. Things work by a different set of rules in the Merging Land."

Fang Zhixin nodded solemnly. He then took a step back and gave Chen Chuan a formal salute. "Thank you, Captain Chen. I won't cause you any more trouble. I'll be leaving now. And please, you must take good care of Xiaojin."

Chen Chuan said, "I will." He paused, then added, "Assistant Fang, wait here a moment."

He stepped outside. A moment later, he returned with a medical kit from the Processing Bureau. "You're injured. Take this with you," he said. "I've already spoken to the men outside. No one will stop you."

Fang Zhixin didn't refuse the kind gesture. He gave a firm nod and another salute, then picked up the kit and left, disappearing into the darkness.

After Fang Zhixin was gone, Chen Chuan walked out. Yuan Qiuyuan was waiting outside. He saluted and reported, "Captain, we've apprehended everyone. No one on site got away."

Chen Chuan nodded and walked toward his official car, which had already pulled up. An aide-de-camp stepped forward to open the door for him. Once inside, Chen Chuan tapped his Lower Realm Token and gave the order: "Withdraw."

The car started moving slowly. Outside, the Processing Bureau and city security teams began to pull out, and the combat creatures, guided by information from the Domain, started returning to their designated zones.

He looked up at the sky, where the airship was already a distant shape. 'It's a big target; I'll let the Bureau handle it,' he thought. 'As for the data... I'm not going to retrieve it just yet.'

'They know I was just in contact with Fang Zhixin, so they'll definitely be watching me. I'll wait a few days.'

The convoy returned to the Processing Bureau, where all the captured personnel were detained for immediate interrogation and identification.

Chen Chuan went back to his office to await the results, flipping through some files as he waited. About half an hour later, the first report came in.

The head of the interrogation department personally delivered the report to Chen Chuan.

"Manager Chen, our investigation shows that all of them were hired from abroad through a consignment company called 'Lu Xing.'"

"A consignment company?"

"Yes. The company was founded less than three years ago, but it has a lot of suspicious capital flows. Of its entire upper management, only one is still in Central City. Should we bring him in for a special interrogation?"

Chen Chuan replied, "No need. Just follow standard procedure."

'The Federation is behind this company,' he knew. 'They're just being cautious, using a front instead of acting directly. Even if we investigate, we won't be able to trace it back to them.'

He glanced at the file. Just like the intel An Shield had given him, all these Fighters were from Chiloga. Chiloga was a long way from here; it would take mercenaries a significant amount of time to travel. 'The Federation must have been making thorough preparations in the three months since the Fumu's division,' he concluded.

As he was thinking, a notification pinged from his Realm Token, and An Shield's voice followed. "Manager Chen, the Lynx Federation's diplomatic delegation has arrived outside the port. The Bureau needs to divert more Domain resources, so we will temporarily be unable to provide monitoring services in the Lianwei Zhongyu sector. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Chen Chuan's eyes flickered. 'The people from the Lynx Federation are here?'

He immediately tapped the Domain screen in his office. After a moment, a beam of light projected downward. It flickered indistinctly at first, then gradually sharpened into a clear image.

It displayed the current situation at the port in Ji Yang District, where several large warships could be faintly seen at anchor.

Unlike the Federation, the Lynx Federation arrived via a deep-sea escort fleet. According to the advance notice, the delegation's flagship was escorted by six warships. Three of them would dock alongside the flagship in the Ji Yang District port, while the other three ships would anchor at different ports.

As this was an official diplomatic delegation, both the Administrative Affairs Hall and the City Council had sent representatives to greet them. Manager Wen from the Processing Bureau was also part of the welcoming party. Consequently, the port was swarming with security personnel and armed soldiers, with armored vehicles blocking all main access routes.

The delegation was scheduled to arrive this afternoon but seemed to have been delayed. It was now past ten o'clock at night, yet the port remained brilliantly illuminated.

Just then, he saw a wide ramp lower from a transport craft docked alongside the flagship. One by one, armored transport vehicles from the Lynx corporation "Behemoth Company" drove out and arranged themselves on either side, forming a protective corridor that resembled two towering walls of steel.

Following this, heavy footsteps echoed. As the silhouettes in the shadows gradually came into focus, figures over four meters tall emerged from within.

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