Chapter 717: Ranking

Chapter 717: Chapter 68: Ranking

White Bird District. The Federation delegation’s temporary meeting hall.

The members of the Federation delegation sat around a conference table as an operations director stood before them, detailing their recent progress while referencing a Domain screen.

The delegates present listened patiently. The keys to this entire operation were military power and intelligence, and they would not neglect either.

“The mercenary team we deployed was supposed to capture Chen Bitong’s assistant and search him for any potential data on the Merging Land. However, they encountered an Investigation Chief from the Processing Bureau during the attempt, and the operation failed.

According to our follow-up investigation, this Investigation Chief also visited Chen Bitong’s youngest son. He has not been seen leaving the military family residential area since.

Therefore, we can be almost certain that the Processing Bureau is now taking this matter seriously. Seizing the data will no longer be so easy.”

One of the delegates crossed his arms and said, “If the Processing Bureau is on alert, I suggest we pull back. There’s no need for us to clash with them directly right now. That would be playing right into their hands.”

The other members agreed. They were on Dashun soil. Clashing head-on with the Processing Bureau was a losing proposition. Even if they won a localized skirmish, the Bureau could call on endless reinforcements as long as it existed. No matter how many men they threw at the problem, it would never be enough.

The forces they had assembled for this operation were powerful, but ultimately finite. They had to be concentrated and used strategically.

The operations director said, “We couldn’t find the complete data, but we did manage to acquire some old records through certain intelligence channels, along with partial data that various companies agreed to share. After technical collation and analysis, we have pieced together a rough picture of the situation in the Jibei Dao Merging Land. It’s enough to meet our minimum requirements.

Any lack of intel can, to an extent, be compensated for by the quality of our personnel.

Furthermore, we’ve learned from the Jibei Dao City Council that the City Government doesn’t have the complete data either. All they have is a file that was cobbled together three years ago, which isn’t necessarily any more detailed than our reconstruction. So, we aren’t at a disadvantage in that regard.”

A delegate raised a question. “Was Chen Bitong’s assistant, Fang Zhixin, captured by the Processing Bureau? If the detailed data was in his possession, does that mean the government has it now?”

The operations director replied respectfully, “Mr. Mo Lujiang, we can confirm that the Processing Bureau did not capture Fang Zhixin. He either escaped, or he never had the data in the first place. In any case, the Processing Bureau came up empty-handed.” He added with emphasis, “And our source on this is very reliable.”

Hearing this, the delegates considered the various possibilities. One of them suddenly asked, “What’s the fighting prowess of the Processing Bureau chief who intervened in the operation?”

The operations director replied, “The scene was information-blocked, so we couldn’t obtain specific details. However, according to the files we have on him, this Investigation Chief played a key role in the destruction of the Ferris Wheel Company. He was promoted to his current position because of that battle.”

As he spoke, a scene materialized on the Domain screen in the middle of the table: Chen Chuan, descending from the sky and cleaving the Ferris Wheel in two with a single strike.

As the massive Ferris Wheel toppled apart, the flickering light illuminated the faces of every delegate in the room.

Their expressions turned grave. They were all experienced individuals, and they could see that this level of destructive power seemed to surpass that of an ordinary Third Limit Fighter.

‘Could a man like that be a threat to us?’

The operations director said, “Honorable representatives, that wasn’t his true power. The Chief’s strike was actually augmented by the power of Wuyi Academy’s active Consciousness Body.

As for his own power… we assessed him according to the latest international rating standards. Among Third Limit Fighters alone, his strength is enough to consistently place him in the world’s top four hundred.”

The delegates’ expressions grew attentive. That rating was a comprehensive one, based on a multi-faceted analysis of all known prominent Third Limit Fighters across the globe.

This was a global ranking, after all. A spot in the top four hundred was an extremely high placement. Anyone on that list could be considered the absolute pillar of strength for an entire region.

They all knew that as the Great Collision approached, more powerful individuals would continue to emerge, putting these rankings in constant flux. A “consistent” top-four-hundred ranking meant that no matter how the list changed, he would always remain within that echelon. This represented a level of combat prowess that demanded their attention.

A delegate immediately asked, “Will this man be entering the Merging Land?”

The operations director replied, “As the Investigation Chief for the Central City region, he’s an administrator, not a field operative. The chances of him entering the Merging Land are minuscule. Furthermore, reports indicate his current responsibilities lie elsewhere. As long as we don’t continue pursuing the data, we can afford to ignore him for now.

The person we need to focus on, however… is this man.”

The screen flickered, displaying the image of Captain Xu.

“This is Xu Chan, an Execution Captain from the Processing Bureau. His personal combat strength is immense. According to our assessments, he likely ranks somewhere between one hundred and two hundred. We have also confirmed that he will be entering the Merging Land. He will be our primary adversary.”

The representative from before, Mo Lujiang, looked to Sadiyas, seated to one side, and asked, “Mr. Merriweather, can your Spiral Deep Sea’s Thunder Twins handle such an opponent?”

Sadiyas offered a polite smile. “I have every confidence in them. And I hear, Representative Mo Lujiang, that you brought your company’s ‘Blood Diamond’?” He then glanced at the other delegates. “With them, and all the other powerful Fighters you’ve brought from your respective companies, what reason could we possibly have to lose?”

The operations director interjected, “Xu Chan is not to be underestimated. To deal with him, we recommend concentrating all our forces to neutralize him the first chance we get, driving him out of the running.”

He looked to Osbert, who was seated at the head of the table. “Mr. Osbert, to defeat a man like him, we’ll need the help of Ocean Life’s ‘Gray Whale.'”

Osbert said thoughtfully, “I need a detailed operational plan. It must include this man…” He looked up at Xu Chan’s image. “…the Processing Bureau’s Execution Captains, and their Executioners. And…” He recalled Chen Chuan’s earlier display and added grimly, “…include that Investigation Chief in the plan as well.”

At the Processing Bureau, the interrogation chief stepped out of an interrogation room. He addressed Chen Chuan, who was waiting outside. “Chief Chen, they confessed to everything.” He handed over a report. “The results are here.”

Chen Chuan took it. The three individuals confessed to being dispatched by Lianwei Zhongyu to infiltrate Central City and execute a covert operation.

He contacted someone in the bureau’s legal department. “Can we use this to go after the local Lianwei Zhongyu branch?” he asked.

The legal expert replied, “Chief Chen, we can try, but the report indicates their operation was directed by their head office and has no connection to the local branch. We can’t find any communication records between them. According to regulations, the most we can do is demand a fine from their parent company, which will have a negligible impact.”

Chen Chuan said his thanks and looked back at the interrogation report. According to their testimony, they had a captain above them. They communicated via a variety of methods—telegraphs, message boards, and intermediaries—switching it up every time.

They had never met this captain and had no idea how strong he was, but it was obvious his power far surpassed their own.

He thought for a moment before contacting the intel division. The division head reported, “Chief Chen, we’re already running a search, but their communication methods are varied and they’re being very cautious. The chances of finding this person are slim.”

Chen Chuan mulled it over. “Have you identified that combat creature?” he asked.

The division head replied, “Bio-analysis suggests it’s likely an experimental product from the Compound Eye Company called the ‘Earthworm Mother.’ The creature can breed a massive number of larvae to dig tunnels and serve as combatants. We’ve already mapped the current tunnel network.”

A notification sounded on Chen Chuan’s Realm Token, and an image of the residential area appeared. Beneath the entire district was a network of freshly dug tunnels, all excavated in the short time the three had been living there.

He studied the image. ‘One of these tunnels must have been for the captain to meet with his team,’ he thought, ‘but there’s no discernible pattern to these dozen or so routes.’

The division head continued, “We believe they weren’t digging these tunnels just for an escape route. They were likely trying to create a path to the Merging Land.”

“A path?”

“Yes. If they have a Domain Creature—ideally, an active Consciousness Body—they could use such a tunnel to access the Merging Land directly. It would allow them to bypass all security checks and deploy their armed forces inside.

They don’t have one of those with them right now, but based on all the information we’ve gathered, it’s the most logical explanation for their actions.”

Chen Chuan nodded. The analysis was sound. After all, the agents from Lianwei Zhongyu Company had an active Consciousness Body with them when they entered Central City.

‘From this perspective, the Earthworm Mother is incredibly important. If we can find and eliminate it, it won’t be so easy for them to bring another one in.’

He asked, “Can you track the Earthworm Mother’s current location?”

“We’re on it,” the division head said. “A combat creature like that requires a steady supply of High-Energy Nutrient Supplements to remain active, especially if it’s breeding larvae.

Since you didn’t find any High-Energy Nutrient Supplements at the scene, Chief Chen, they must have a stockpile hidden somewhere nearby—possibly in more than one location. We’re running analyses and cross-referencing locations now. We should have something for you soon.”

“Good,” Chen Chuan said. “I’ll leave it to you, then. Let me know the moment you find anything.”