Chapter 763 - 114: Poison Shadow

Chen Chuan examined Mr. Yang’s wound and saw a mutated substance coiled around it, preventing his recovery. It resembled some kind of biological toxin.

Before heading out, he had read the Processing Bureau’s intelligence reports. He wasn’t completely in the dark about the Federation Fighters who had arrived; he had files on some of them.

He asked Mr. Yang about the attacker’s appearance and learned a few details.

If what Mr. Yang said was accurate, then based on current intel, the person pursuing them was likely the Federation Fighter known as "Poison Shadow."

This person was said to be a world-class Fighter.

He agreed to Mr. Yang’s plea without much hesitation.

"Mr. Yang, I can help you with this. These people can be considered my enemies as well. In fact, they are the reason I came here."

He had already been planning to raid the enemy’s camp. If he could eliminate one of their strongmen outside the camp, he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity.

Besides, he was rather curious about these international rankings. This was a good chance to see for himself just what level the world’s top Fighters were at.

Mr. Yang saw how readily Chen Chuan agreed without asking about the difficulty or danger involved. He assumed the only reason was that he was a Dashun veteran, and Chen Chuan was willing to fight alongside him for that reason alone. A long-forgotten passion surged within him, and he felt a strong desire to do something for Chen Chuan.

He leaned forward slightly and asked, "Mr. Chen, are you here on a reconnaissance mission?"

Chen Chuan said, "I need to go check out the camp they’ve established."

Mr. Yang couldn’t help but nod. He said solemnly, "Mr. Chen, you may not be familiar with the route. I’ve lived in this area for twenty-five years. I know some shortcuts that can avoid trouble and get you there very quickly, and they’re good for observation. After this is over, I’ll accompany you."

Chen Chuan asked, "Elder Yang, don’t you need to escort the people outside to safety?"

Mr. Yang said, "They were all born and raised here their whole lives. As long as they aren’t being pursued by a powerful enemy from behind, they’ll have no trouble navigating the dense forest."

Since he put it that way, Chen Chuan didn’t refuse. The situation seemed complicated, and having a guide familiar with the paths would certainly be a great help.

He glanced at the man’s wound again, then took a small vial of potion from his pocket and handed it to him. "Try this."

Mr. Yang didn’t decline. He took it, glanced at the vial, and said nostalgically, "It’s the same style as the old ones." He deftly pulled out the stopper, sprinkled some of the potion onto the surface of the wound, then dipped his fingers in it. Without a change in his expression, he reached deep into the wound and spread the potion evenly inside.

After a moment, the mutated substance that had been preventing the wound from healing was clearly suppressed. The mutated tissue around the wound seemed to reawaken from a death-like state and began to repair itself, bit by bit.

Feeling the potion’s effects, a look of joy spread across his face. He then turned to Chen Chuan and thanked him solemnly, "Mr. Chen, thank you for the medicine!"

Chen Chuan said, "Elder Yang, you’re being too formal. Given your status, we can be considered comrades-in-arms. This is nothing."

’Comrades-in-arms...’

Mr. Yang nodded firmly. He extended his hand and said, "Yang Yuncheng. A veteran who left the ranks twenty-five years ago."

Chen Chuan shook his hand. "Chen Chuan, Investigation Chief for the Processing Bureau."

"Investigation Chief?"

Yang Yuncheng was stunned. He hadn’t expected an Investigation Chief to come here. In the military, that would be equivalent to a high-ranking officer, someone who would almost never be on the front lines, let alone venture this deep into enemy territory.

But he had been away from the Defense Department for twenty-five years, after all. His past experience might not apply to the current situation, so he didn’t ask any more questions.

He glanced outside and saw that the rain had stopped. Then, he looked at the old mechanical watch on his wrist. It was now midday. His expression grew slightly more serious as he said, "That person usually attacks around this time. Manager Chen, we need to prepare."

Chen Chuan grunted in acknowledgment. "He’s already here."

Yang Yuncheng’s expression tightened at his words. The next moment, the tent flap flew open, and Chen Chuan, who had been sitting opposite him, suddenly vanished.

A thunderous BOOM echoed from outside, making the entire tent tremble.

He immediately grabbed his bone weapon and rushed out. Once outside, he heard a continuous series of thunderous cracks. One moment they were in front of him, the next they seemed to be in the distance. Each blast was painfully loud.

But the commotion stopped after only a short while. The last sound seemed to come from the dense forest they had passed through on their way here. He immediately headed in that direction.

About five or six hundred meters out, he saw Chen Chuan standing there, holding his blade. The sword was still sheathed, but wisps of vapor were rising from his empty fist.

A figure in a black protective suit and a conical mask lay on the ground. There was a deep indentation in his chest that looked like a vortex, and his torso and limbs seemed to be twisted in the same direction as the vortex’s spin.

He suddenly found his breathing becoming heavy. He walked slowly toward the scene, staring at the figure on the ground. The man was still holding a pitch-black Long Spike, but the weapon itself had also been twisted into a bent shape by some unknown force.

With his sharp eyes, he could tell that the man had tried to block the attack with his Mutated Weapon, but it had been utterly useless. In the end, the incoming Power had penetrated both man and weapon alike.

Chen Chuan asked, "Elder Yang, is this him?"

Yang Yuncheng nodded. "It’s him."

Looking at the half-dead man on the ground, he felt a mix of emotions. He truly hadn’t expected that this opponent, who had seemed so powerful and unstoppable in his eyes, would be dealt with so easily by Chen Chuan. He suddenly felt old, as if he had been left behind by the times.

Chen Chuan had initially approached this internationally renowned Fighter with the utmost seriousness. ’But after the fight,’ he thought, ’the opponent has some skill. More than enough to be an Execution Captain, maybe even an Investigation Chief. But that’s about it.’

’Still, after a certain level, every small increase in strength is incredibly difficult to achieve. I can’t underestimate those with higher rankings in the intel reports. It’s hard to say what their true level is. I’ll have to fight them to find out.’

Yang Yuncheng crouched down and, with a gloved hand, examined the man. He found that the bones and muscles below the man’s neck were almost completely mangled by some kind of force. He was once again secretly amazed.

He said, "Manager Chen, are you planning to interrogate him for information?"

Chen Chuan replied, "That’s the plan, but it looks like he’s not very willing to cooperate."

Yang Yuncheng immediately said, "If Manager Chen trusts us, we can help."

Chen Chuan had no objections. Interrogation wasn’t his forte. If Yang Yuncheng had people who could get something out of him, that would be for the best. If not, it wasn’t a major setback.

Yang Yuncheng immediately took out a rope and tied the man up securely. He then hoisted him onto his shoulder and returned to the camp with Chen Chuan.

He first took Poison Shadow to one of the tents, then came back and said to Chen Chuan, "Manager Chen, the interrogation will take some time. Plus, it looks like it might rain again today, so it’s not a good time to go to the Federation’s camp. Why don’t you rest here for today? I’ll personally take you there tomorrow morning."

Chen Chuan said, "Alright."

At that moment, Yang Yuncheng reached into the pocket of his overcoat and took out a palm-sized object wrapped in thick cloth. He offered it to Chen Chuan. "Manager Chen, please take this."

Chen Chuan didn’t immediately reach out to take it. Instead, he asked, "What is this?"

Yang Yuncheng sighed. "This is the Lost Object I found all those years ago."

Chen Chuan was a little surprised. "Oh? Your teammates didn’t take it back with them, Elder Yang?"

Yang Yuncheng shook his head. "We were continuously attacked by powerful creatures on our way back. We figured it was because we were carrying this Lost Object, so I left it behind when I was covering our retreat.

Based on our analysis, it’s most likely just a Fifth Level Lost Object, no higher than the Fourth Level at best. It has some value, but probably not that much. Otherwise, the creatures it attracted back then would have been even more powerful.

This object has been in my possession all these years, but I haven’t been able to figure anything out about it. Manager Chen, I’d like to entrust this to you. Whether you keep it or take it back to the Defense Department is up to you. But this isn’t our payment. We’ll give you what we promised later, Manager Chen."

Chen Chuan wasn’t particularly concerned about any reward, but he didn’t refuse the object. He reached out and took it.

"Then I’ll accept it."

Seeing him accept it, Yang Yuncheng seemed to relax, as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

He then asked if he should prepare a tent for Chen Chuan, but Chen Chuan said it wasn’t necessary. Seeing his refusal, Yang Yuncheng didn’t insist, as he knew someone who had traveled all this way like Chen Chuan surely had his own way of spending the night.

Since he had decided to stay, Chen Chuan went off to one side to set up his tent. He chose a spot in a corner of the camp, some distance away from the others.

The entire camp was surrounded by campfires, so there was no need to worry about any trouble, nor did he need to light a fire of his own.

Since he had plenty of time, he made his dugout shelter a bit more spacious. After he had everything set up, he noticed it had started raining again. He let Yang Yuncheng know that he was going to cultivate and asked not to be disturbed.

He then returned to his tent and sat down. He picked up the Snow Monarch Blade and, with a light swing, sliced open a glowing Rift. He was about to begin his daily cultivation, but just then, he felt something in his pocket begin to grow faintly warm.

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