Chapter 765 - 116: The Camp

Inside the conference hall of the Federation’s delegation in White Bird District, its key members were seated around a conference table, facing a Domain light screen. The director of operations was explaining the current situation.

"We’ve received confirmed intelligence. The Processing Bureau’s Investigation Chief, Chen Chuan, has most likely already entered the Merging Land with a team. He is presumably acting on orders from his superiors to support Xu Chan and his people."

A member of the delegation raised a question. "I recall being told he isn’t a front-line combatant. Wouldn’t that mean he rarely enters the Merging Land?"

The director of operations replied, "The situation has changed. Of the Processing Bureau’s three Operations Investigation Chiefs, one is dead and another... is now confirmed captured. They’ve also lost a large number of elite personnel and subordinates who worked with them. The only person they can spare for this support mission is Manager Chen."

"And as it happens, his combat prowess is the greatest of the three chiefs. He was promoted on merit and lacks powerful connections in the upper echelons, so it’s understandable that the Defense Department would assign him to this support mission."

Another member of the delegation asked gravely, "How does this affect our operation?"

"Based on our assessment, their only option right now is to rescue the forward outpost established by the Defense Department..."

As he spoke, a map of the uncharted region materialized on the screen, highlighting the location of the Defense Department’s camp. In another corner, their own camp was also shown, each clearly distinguished by different colors and icons for easy reference.

"As long as the Jibei Dao Defense Department can secure their base in the uncharted region, maintaining a forward foothold, they can support and extract Xu Chan’s team. Once Xu Chan and his people acquire the Lost Object and fall back to the camp, they can board an Airship and quickly return to the safety of their garrison’s protection."

"Therefore, that location is their absolute top priority. Right now, it’s under assault by the Old Imperial Family’s elite forces. Manager Chen’s first destination will undoubtedly be that camp, to ensure its security."

The delegates present nodded in agreement. The deduction was logical; it was the only way for the Jibei Dao Government to possibly turn the situation around.

"Is that camp still holding out? Wasn’t it breached once before?"

The director of operations said, "The Old Imperial Family’s elite forces haven’t launched an all-out assault. They’re merely maintaining a certain amount of pressure on the camp. They likely intend to adjust and control the developing situation based on the exact whereabouts of the Lost Object."

The delegation members were very familiar with such tactics. The corporations backing them could manipulate local situations at will in any region where they had invested sufficient resources and power.

And the Merging Land was clearly the home turf of the Old Dynasty’s Old Imperial Family, so it was no surprise they would employ such a strategy. Their ultimate goal was simply the Lost Object—everyone was just using one another.

"Does the operations team have a plan?"

The director of operations answered respectfully, "We have contingencies for every scenario. We’re still in the process of deployment and adjustment. With a little more time, everything will be in position."

A delegate then asked, "I heard our field operatives have already had an encounter with Xu Chan?"

"That’s correct." The director of operations glanced at Representative Mo Lujiang, who was sitting to one side. "Mr. Blood Diamond of Spire Biotechnology Company has already clashed with Xu Chan once. Mr. Blood Diamond is a very meticulous man, and he assessed Xu Chan’s strength as unexpectedly high. He believes our original evaluation was inaccurate and needs to be adjusted upward."

"Although neither side went all out in that fight, Mr. Blood Diamond’s judgment is that he cannot defeat Xu Chan alone. Furthermore, Xu Chan has several powerful allies with him. We would need to mobilize a force several times the size of their squad to have any chance of driving them off or inflicting serious damage."

"We have the forces to do so, but at the time, the whereabouts of the Lost Object were still unknown and our forward preparations weren’t complete. The operations team unanimously agreed that we needed to wait."

"However, a day ago, a Fighter of considerable standing arrived. He has already entered the uncharted region to help search for Xu Chan’s squad. I trust he will bring us good news this time."

One of the delegates asked, "Considerable standing? Who?"

The director of operations said with a smile, "Mr. Yusios Heros. He should have arrived there by now."

Some of the delegation members present were a bit surprised. "Heros? His application was approved?"

This was a man who ranked among the top thirty Third Limit Fighters in the world. The Dashun Government is extremely wary of individuals like him, subjecting him to a strict entry review. His application to enter the Merging Land was repeatedly rejected—they were stonewalling him completely.

The Federation delegation had all but given up hope of him joining the operation, but unexpectedly, things had taken a turn.

The director of operations responded, "The review department suddenly loosened its restrictions. It must be with the cooperation of the Jibei Dao City Council. They’re even more invested in this matter than we are."

"This is excellent news," Mr. Chi, who was also in attendance, said with conviction. "With him there, we’ll have more than enough to handle Xu Chan."

The world rankings weren’t strictly ordered; they were generally grouped into tiers of several dozen fighters. The top thirty, for instance, were all powerhouses in the highest tier, and it was difficult to definitively say who was stronger than another.

After all, the strength of Fighters at this level was comparable. In a duel between them, victory or defeat could often come down to a bit of luck or simply their condition on the day of the fight. Even if someone defeated an opponent once, there was no guarantee they could win a second time.

However, the ranking tiers could be used to roughly categorize a Fighter’s level of strength. Someone in a top tier, like the top thirty, was in a completely different league from those ranked below them.

The moderator of the delegation, Osbert, spoke up. "It’s not just Heros. Wilhelm, the ’Blue Blood’ of the Lynx Federation, is on his way there aboard one of our Airships. He should be arriving soon."

The representatives were somewhat surprised. Another one from the world’s top thirty. They looked at each other; the Lynx Federation obviously wanted to maintain a balance of power with them.

However, they had reached a solid agreement before the operation began. Besides, the Lynx Federation had always been on unfriendly terms with the Dashun Government, meaning its personnel support couldn’t match their own. The transfer of the Lost Object was also dependent on them, so they weren’t concerned.

The director of operations looked at the screen and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, for the time being, let us await news from the front."

「Merging Land, Uncharted Region.」

After Chen Chuan finished packing his things, he followed Yang Yuncheng out of the camp and down a small path shrouded by dense forest.

He had avoided traveling through the forest on his way here. The area was filled with too many reactive plants, which were a nightmare to deal with. Once deep inside, they were practically endless. Worse, it was impossible to get one’s bearings, and anyone who ran out of stamina could easily become trapped and die within.

This time, however, he found that with Yang Yuncheng leading the way, the reactive plants didn’t respond at all.

Yang Yuncheng explained that the native tribes had lived here for generations, reaching a sort of tacit understanding with the plants. They would occasionally feed their hunted prey to the flora. Yang Yuncheng had followed this tradition for the past twenty-five years, so as long as he was with them and they didn’t pass through too frequently, the plants wouldn’t attack.

Furthermore, other aggressive creatures were rarely found in areas with reactive plants. As a result, they faced almost no obstacles on their journey and arrived near the Federation camp before noon.

Yang Yuncheng was very familiar with the local terrain. He led Chen Chuan to a high slope that provided an excellent vantage point for observing the area.

With their keen eyesight, they could clearly see what was happening inside the camp, despite being at least seven or eight kilometers away.

The entire camp was shaped like a dumbbell, with its north and south ends facing the road being the most heavily fortified. On the perimeter, they could see sentry posts, barbed wire, trenches, and drawbridges. The rear of the camp had numerous machine gun emplacements, and there were also several structures inside that appeared to be bunkers.

Fully equipped security personnel, carrying large canisters on their backs, were using spray guns to douse the surroundings with various chemicals. A layer of dissolved insect carcasses covered the ground.

Then, several front-loaders emerged and pushed the carcasses into a large, pre-dug pit. They then doused the pit with algae oil and set it ablaze, sending plumes of thick smoke rolling into the sky.

Chen Chuan observed the scene. ’The Federation has built this place into a full-fledged rear base. To have put together an operation of this scale in such a short time... it seems they’re determined to succeed at all costs.’

At that moment, Chaoming suddenly flapped its wings, its feathers bristling as if it felt a deep sense of unease.

Chen Chuan also sensed that something was wrong, and he noticed his Second Self beginning to flicker slightly.

’A thought occurred to him. Based on the intel he had, this was likely a strong Domain signal being broadcast by Domain Creatures. It was designed to target and repel any organism with a Mutated Organization.’

’And this type of technology was a specialty of certain Federation corporations.’

He reached out and used his Spiritual Power to soothe Chaoming, and the creature quickly settled down.

Yang Yuncheng gestured in one direction, pointing to a mooring mast. "That’s the Airship berth. Most of the camp’s supplies are brought in by them. Look, another one is coming now."

Chen Chuan looked over and saw a blue Airship speeding toward their location. A large flock of birds circled it, looking as if they wanted to attack but were held back by fear of something.

As the Airship entered a certain range, the strong Domain signal seemed to take effect. Many of the birds turned and fled, but a few continued to follow. Just then, several gunshots echoed from the camp, and the remaining birds were instantly blown out of the sky.

The moment he heard the shots, Yang Yuncheng blurted out, "Scathach’s Spear!" He paused before explaining, "It’s a famous long-range firearm from Nordland with a long history of successfully assassinating Fighters. I don’t know which generation they’re on now, but the ones that just fired sounded like second-generation models."

Chen Chuan nodded slightly. He said, "Mr. Yang, I need to get a bit closer to observe. Are there any other suitable observation spots here?"

Yang Yuncheng thought for a moment. "Follow me."

As the two of them moved closer to the camp, the blue Airship had already entered its airspace, coming to a stop at the berth and beginning its slow descent.

Down in the camp, most of the personnel from the Lynx Federation had come out. They stared at the airship’s hatch, as if waiting for someone to appear. A moment later, a figure emerged.

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