Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 344 - 75: Departure

After returning to the company building, Zhao Qian went straight to his office and summoned the Resonator and a trusted Implant doctor. He had them perform a comprehensive check on his Realm Token.

After their inspection, the two of them found no issues.

The Resonator said, "Supervisor, your attacker used simulated projection technology. They didn’t tamper with your Realm Token directly; it merely acted as a receiver."

"I’ve checked. The perpetrator gathered the Domain resources of an entire street. To do that so quickly, they must be a Resonator with a Resonance Nest or similar equipment. That’s a capability typically limited to large corporations, organized groups, and government agencies."

Zhao Qian asked coldly, "An operation of that scale must have left a trace. Can you track him down?"

The Resonator replied, "I started investigating right after it happened, but I may have been too late. They used many Boundary Points for transmission. If they erased their tracks on the back end in time, it’ll be very difficult to find them. Judging by the methods, it wasn’t a government operation, but we can’t rule out a deliberate misdirection."

Zhao Qian looked at him. "If I encounter a similar situation again, how can I defend against it?"

"You just need to add a command to reject incoming Simulation Domain data. No Implant surgery or Realm Token replacement is necessary."

Zhao Qian immediately ordered, "Do it now!"

’The next major transport operation is coming up. I can’t afford any more strange incidents. Today’s scene might seem like nothing, but some security guards must have recorded it and secretly passed it to the head office and our competitors. I absolutely cannot make another mistake.’

The Resonator immediately walked in front of Zhao Qian, then placed one hand on the Realm Token and the other on Zhao Qian’s shoulder. Blue bio-electric light began to flash in his eyes.

Zhao Qian felt a tingling numbness, like a mild electric shock, wash over him. ’This is necessary for a direct command override. It can also be done at a Boundary Point, but the difference is that this is only temporary and can be canceled anytime.’

About thirty seconds later, the Resonator said, "It’s done," and stepped back to his original position.

Zhao Qian then turned to his assistant. "If anyone asks about today, tell them I had a flash of combat insight and was trying for a breakthrough."

The assistant hastily agreed.

’Zhao Qian knew the explanation was a stretch, but with the transport mission coming up, he couldn’t afford to be labeled as unstable or problematic. Once he got through this, he could slowly deal with the fallout later.’

He waved to dismiss the Resonator and his assistant. After they left the office, he stood up and began to pace around the room.

’It’s been almost five months since I’ve been involved in an operation. The recent business has had nothing to do with me; it’s as if my presence makes no difference. If I don’t take part this time, there’s really no point in me staying in this position.’

’I might have said I’d give up my position after this mission, but that was just to placate certain people in the company. If I can solve both our internal and external problems this time, it’s not like I can’t make a comeback.’

Just then, a call came through his Realm Token. When he saw who was calling, he quickly answered, his tone respectful. "Director Xing."

A voice came from the other end of the Realm Token. "The escort time is confirmed. See that it’s handled properly."

And with that single sentence, the call ended.

Only then did Zhao Qian realize it had been a pre-recorded message. The director couldn’t even be bothered to exchange a single proper sentence with him. A cold glint appeared in his eyes.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, checked the time on his Realm Token, and immediately contacted his assistant. "The time is confirmed. Arrange the convoy and contact the municipal authorities..."

「A few days later.」

On April 27th, Wubei, who had been monitoring the city’s traffic network, suddenly tensed. He stared at his screen for a few moments before immediately contacting Chen Chuan. "Brother Chen, it’s happening. Tomorrow. The city is adjusting several road sections tomorrow, per Lianwei Zhongyu’s request."

Chen Chuan said, "Got it. Good work, Brother Wu."

"No problem."

Back in the apartment, Chen Chuan ended the call and turned to Gao Ming. "It looks like Lianwei Zhongyu’s transport is tomorrow."

Indeed. They hadn’t been able to determine Lianwei Zhongyu’s exact departure time, but an armored convoy had to file a plan with the municipal government one or two days in advance.

The municipal government had no obligation to keep this information secret, so it was the key to accurately predicting the departure time. This allowed them to prepare accordingly.

Gao Ming said, "Based on our analysis of the latest intel from Antan Company, Lianwei Zhongyu’s convoy was expected to leave at the end of this month or the beginning of the next. The timing is spot on."

Chen Chuan asked, "Could they change the time?"

Gao Ming said, "Even if they did, it wouldn’t be by more than a day or two. But there’s no reason to. For an operation like this, the moment the convoy moves out, every major corporation will know. It’s impossible to keep it a secret."

Chen Chuan said, "Then we wait for tomorrow."

On the morning of April 28th, a convoy of twenty-five armored vehicles and three heavy transport trucks rolled out from the Lianwei Zhongyu Company compound.

A major corporation like Lianwei Zhongyu had a temporary weapons permit granted by the government. In reality, once they were outside Central City, there was no one to regulate them anyway.

Zhao Qian sat in an armored vehicle in the middle of the formation. It was equipped with a small Domain Creature that allowed the entire convoy to use their Realm Tokens for simple signal transmission even after leaving Central City.

Beside him was a Third Limit Fighter named Chi Duan. He was an asset cultivated by the Zhao Family in its heyday, using family resources. He normally handled matters for Zhao Qian that couldn’t be dealt with openly, and Zhao Qian brought him on every transport mission.

The security chief for the entire convoy, "Peregrine Falcon," had been sent by the head office.

Nominally, everyone, including Peregrine Falcon, was required to obey his orders as the supervisor. In reality, however, Peregrine Falcon was in direct command of the security team. If they ran into any trouble on the road, he would radio the head office immediately, not ask for Zhao Qian’s opinion.

’Watching the motorcycles flanking the convoy, Zhao Qian had an inexplicable feeling that this escort mission might not go so smoothly. Still, the convoy’s heavy armament gave him confidence.’

He gazed out the window at the receding scenery and smoothed his dyed, gray-white hair. ’Even if a few small problems crop up,’ he thought, ’I’m confident I can handle them.’

Profound Palace Building, forty-ninth floor. Inside Dormitory 1, Chen Chuan stood at the window, watching the brilliant morning sunlight. Just then, his Realm Token chimed. Wubei’s voice came through. "Brother Chen, they’re on the move."

"Good."

Chen Chuan stepped away from the window, his back to the rising sun. He donned the Protective Clothing he had laid out on a table. Next, he put on the trench coat, mask, fedora, and scarf issued by the General Affairs Bureau, one after another. Finally, he pulled on his protective gloves, cinching them tight.

He reached out and took the Snow Monarch Blade from its rack. He drew the sword, inspecting it for a moment, then slowly returned the cold gleam to its scabbard. He left the dormitory and took the elevator straight down to the underground garage. As he stepped out of the elevator, he activated his Realm Token and spoke to Wubei. "Brother Wu, I’m heading out now."

Wubei replied, "I’ve got my eyes on them."

Chen Chuan walked over to his Gard Car, opened the door, and slid inside. The engine rumbled to life, and the car pulled out of the underground garage. Once on the road, it sped off toward the west side of the city.

’The Lianwei Zhongyu convoy had left before him, but he wasn’t worried. Although activating the Haunting had a limited range, anything within an hour’s drive was fine. This time, he planned to wait until the armed convoy was a good distance away from Central City before making his move.’

’When he and Gao Ming were drawing up the plan, he had originally considered ambushing them on the return journey. After all, the team would be at its most alert and in peak condition right after setting out.’

’Gao Ming, however, had told him that his analysis showed Zhao Qian had a decisive side. He was willing to cut his losses at critical moments. Before the fall of the Molan Company, he had severed ties with the Zhao Family. He inherited almost none of the Zhao Family’s wealth, but for that very reason, their collapse didn’t drag him down.’

’With the current situation being so unfavorable for him, if Zhao Qian simply chose not to return, or decided to settle in another central city, he would be much harder to deal with.’

’Furthermore, once Zhao Qian reached his destination, he could still use some platform to hire assassins to come after me. He could even just wait for the negative attention to die down before returning. Therefore, striking as he departed was the best option. It was the last thing they would expect.’

Chen Chuan had ultimately agreed with this assessment, despite having sounded more conservative when speaking with Gao Ming. He was actually quite confident about using the Haunting to deal with Zhao Qian.

’I had previously witnessed a scene of You Xing killing a target after accepting a commission. You Xing had targeted mid-level corporate managers more than once.’

’Every attempt had been a success, which proved that managers at that level could hardly resist an attack from this type of Haunting.’

’Admittedly, after the pact-bound alterations I’d made, the Haunting’s power might not be as strong. But even severely injuring Zhao Qian would be enough. The convoy’s medical facilities couldn’t compare to Central City’s. Their only option would be to rush him back for treatment.’

’But the convoy has already set out; they won’t turn back for just one person. This will split their formation, creating the only opening we can exploit.’

’However, Zhao Qian is a Class-B client of the city’s security services. The moment he’s back inside the city, a security team will immediately arrive to provide an escort.’

’He’s also a Tier-3 client for Parallel Emergency Services. No matter how badly he’s injured, as long as the emergency team can get to him, they could likely save his life. That’s why he absolutely cannot be allowed to get back to the city. He has to be cornered outside.’

’However, there is one extreme possibility: the Haunting might have no effect, or even if he is severely injured, he might just hide within the convoy and refuse to come out.’

’The chances are slim, but not zero. If that happens, our only option will be to temporarily abort the mission. With our current resources, a direct assault would be foolish.’

Chen Chuan drove for over an hour before stopping in front of a pre-arranged cabin at the western edge of the city. He got out, carrying his Snow Monarch Blade. He had just received word that the transport convoy had left Central City more than twenty minutes ago. In a little while, he could launch his attack.

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