Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 299 - 31: Interception

In the seventh car of the motorcade, Xiong Jianyi sat with his arms crossed. His large frame made the two security guards on either side of him look rather small.

He sat motionless in his seat, his face a blank mask. The two guards, however, watched him with extreme vigilance. Even the driver up front kept glancing at him in the rearview mirror.

Just then, the car entered a curve, and its speed involuntarily slowed. At that moment, however, Xiong Jianyi’s expression suddenly changed, and he threw himself back against his seat.

Outside the sedan, a wheel-like arc of light slashed down from above. It sliced through the middle of the car, and the Power radiating from the blade instantly tore the vehicle in two!

The front and rear halves of the car were instantly sent tumbling into the air. The people inside were clearly capable; including the driver, they all curled up, covering their heads to protect themselves the moment disaster struck.

However, the rear half of the car had barely lifted off the ground when an immense force knocked it away, sending it flying into the distance. It continued to bounce and roll even after it landed.

A tall figure was revealed inside, standing nearly seven feet tall. Black, tight-fitting Protective Clothing clung to his bulging muscles. His arms were so long his fingers looked as if they could easily touch his knees. The man wore a pair of goggles and had his hair tied back in a ponytail.

Xiong Jianyi!

From his movements and the Power he displayed, Chen Chuan immediately identified him as a Third Limit Fighter!

’As expected.’

’Without this level of skill, he probably wouldn’t have dared to return to Dashun.’

But none of that mattered. Right now, all he knew was that this man was his target.

There was no time to stand off against this man. The Gongshi also had guards, and it would be more trouble if they surrounded him later.

So, he slowly straightened up from his downward slash, his gaze meeting his opponent’s for a moment. His five fingers tightened on the hilt of his blade, and he abruptly charged forward, his Long Blade simultaneously sweeping upward!

Xiong Jianyi had no weapon at hand; the Gongshi people were watching him closely. But he didn’t rely on weapons. His greatest skill was the Capture Technique, and his entire body was clad in custom-made Protective Clothing. Combined with his own Power, it could somewhat block a Fighter’s Weapon.

Facing the arc of the blade, he retreated, leaning back to narrowly avoid the sharp edge. At the same time, he observed the movements of Chen Chuan’s entire body through his goggles.

’Next will be a slash...’

The blade’s path changed from an upward sweep to a downward slash, chopping toward his body. He continued to move back, the tip of the blade grazing past his nose by a hair’s breadth.

He kept his eyes fixed on Chen Chuan. ’And then... a thrust!’

Sure enough, after the slash missed, he saw Chen Chuan lower the hilt to his waist, his Power sinking. Chen Chuan’s left hand also gripped the hilt, the tip of the blade pointing directly at him, poised to explode forward.

That was the exact moment Xiong Jianyi was waiting for!

The muscles on his back could be seen rippling. He knew that the instant Chen Chuan completed his thrust—the very end of that burst of Power—his opponent would need to recover and gather strength for the next attack. If Xiong Jianyi could break in during that transitional gap, he could instantly seize control of the blade and his opponent, ready to snap his bones!

Chen Chuan’s gaze was deep and calm as he stared at his opponent. In the instant before he launched the strike, he completely released the restrictions on his body’s Mutated Organization. At the same time, his furnace-like breathing technique kicked in, and the blood in his veins suddenly began to boil. Then, he channeled all his strength and thrust forward with the Snow Monarch Blade!

His Sword Stance seemed slow at first, no different from his previous speed. But halfway through, it suddenly accelerated. Man and blade seemed to merge into a blurry afterimage that even Xiong Jianyi had trouble tracking.

’What?’

Behind his goggles, Xiong Jianyi’s eyes involuntarily widened. His judgment of Chen Chuan’s movements was based on the previous three strikes, but this sudden change caught him completely off guard. His nervous system simply couldn’t keep up.

But the intense stimulus triggered an instinctual reaction. Propelled by layers of his Mutated Organization, he threw his arms up, crossing them in front of his chest while simultaneously shifting his body backward.

However, the incomparably swift blade of light instantly pierced through his crossed arms, continued through his chest, and emerged from his back with a SHINK.

In a single move, Xiong Jianyi was grievously wounded.

Those at the Third Limit had tenacious Life Force, so he wouldn’t die just yet. But with his arms pierced by the blade, and his specialty being the Capture Technique, he had lost his ability to counterattack in an instant.

But he knew that if he let Chen Chuan pull the blade out, he would surely die. If this were a one-on-one duel, any further struggle would be futile.

Fortunately, the Gongshi guards were on both sides. They would react quickly and come to his aid. So, he suddenly tightened all the muscles and Mutated Organization in his body, clamping down hard on the blade.

At the front of the motorcade, Gong Zhanyi’s armored vehicle had stopped. Despite the sudden attack, he didn’t seem flustered at all. He asked calmly, "Which faction are they from?"

The Biological Domain was currently being jammed, so he couldn’t confirm the situation himself. But an experienced man beside him took one look and said uncertainly, "Master, that trench coat... it looks a bit like the General Affairs Bureau..."

Gong Zhanyi’s expression changed. They had anticipated that the Processing Bureau might interfere this time, but the Processing Bureau was manageable. If it was the General Affairs Bureau...

He said in a low voice, "Open fire. Kill Xiong Jianyi immediately!"

The Steward’s heart went cold. "Yes!"

Following his order, the other members at the front of the motorcade unhesitatingly raised their guns and aimed toward the rear.

Back at the scene, the moment Xiong Jianyi clamped down on the blade, Chen Chuan yanked it toward himself.

With his body pierced through, Xiong Jianyi couldn’t muster his full Power. He was pulled forward, stumbling, as Chen Chuan thrust a palm toward his head.

Xiong Jianyi sensed danger. The Mutated Organization above his shoulders and neck squirmed, reinforcing his neck. At the same time, he ducked his head sharply, whipping his long hair at Chen Chuan like a whip.

Chen Chuan completely ignored the whipping hair and slammed his palm into Xiong Jianyi’s forehead. The Power blasted out, and blood immediately spurted from Xiong Jianyi’s nose and mouth. His whole body jerked back, exposing his neck.

Chen Chuan’s five fingers then rested on his cheek, sliding gently downward. When they reached his throat, they clenched and ripped downward with a sickening TEAR, tearing away the soft tissue and flesh.

Xiong Jianyi let out a gurgling whimper, like air escaping a leak. Blood gushed from the mangled wound, splattering onto Chen Chuan’s scarf.

Just then, Chen Chuan sensed a strange movement behind him. He immediately twisted his blade, using it to swing Xiong Jianyi’s body in front of his own.

BANG BANG BANG... A series of gunshots rang out.

All the bullets hit Xiong Jianyi’s body, and most that struck his Protective Clothing ricocheted off. But amidst the noise, Chen Chuan heard a strange sound and felt Xiong Jianyi’s muscles go from tensed to completely slack.

The gunfire stopped.

Chen Chuan glanced up and saw a large hole had been blown open in Xiong Jianyi’s forehead. It was from a bullet that had entered from the back of his head—precise and fatal.

Even for a Third Limit Fighter, with his brain destroyed, no amount of tenacious Life Force could keep him alive.

At that moment, he suddenly saw a strong sign of virtualization appear on his Second Self, but it flickered once and then vanished.

The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind him; the security team from the rear of the Gongshi motorcade had arrived. They fanned out, raising their guns and aiming at his back.

Chen Chuan, however, seemed not to feel their presence at all. With a flick of his arm, he calmly pulled his blade out of Xiong Jianyi’s body.

As that flash of snowy light reappeared under the open sky, he gripped the hilt, rotated his wrist, and flicked the blade to the side. At that very moment, Xiong Jianyi, deprived of support, fell backward, his limbs splayed as he crashed heavily onto the ground.

The backup team sent by the Processing Bureau to support Chen Chuan had just arrived, but they never expected it would all be over before they could even make a move.

They had actually arrived very quickly, but from the moment Chen Chuan leaped from the balcony and sliced the car in two, to Xiong Jianyi being shot dead, less than twenty seconds had passed in total.

When they arrived, they only saw Xiong Jianyi falling from a distance. Chen Chuan stood in the middle of the road holding his blade, surrounded by nervous Gongshi security personnel pointing their guns at him from both the front and rear.

Chen Chuan turned to look at them, recognizing their uniforms as belonging to the Processing Bureau. A Heart Thought flashed, and he instantly understood. ’They were probably sent to clean up after me, in case I ran into trouble.’ So he lowered his blade and walked toward them.

At the front of the motorcade, the Steward turned to look at Gong Zhanyi, who shook his head. Since he gave no order, not a single person opened fire. They simply watched as Chen Chuan walked away.

The team leader, Shao Heng, watched him approach and gestured to a team member beside him. The man understood and went into a nearby residence where they were stationed.

As Chen Chuan walked over, the team member came back out and tossed a Sword Scabbard toward him. "Brother Chen, this is yours."

Chen Chuan caught it with one hand and thanked him. He then looked at the team leader, Shao Heng, and said, "Senior, Xiong Jianyi is confirmed dead. According to mission protocol, I need to go back and report."

Shao Heng grinned. "Nice work, kid. You can head back. The rest of this has nothing to do with you. We’ll handle it from here."

Chen Chuan nodded to him and the surrounding team members, adjusted his scarf, sheathed his Long Blade, and strode away.

Shao Heng looked ahead and signaled a team member to go make contact with the Gongshi. Just then, his Realm Token suddenly reactivated. Captain Li’s voice came through: "What’s the situation on your end?"

Shao Heng replied, "Captain Li, Xiong Jianyi is dead."

Captain Li asked, "So quickly? Did you handle it?"

"No, it was the new guy. Chen... Chen Chuan, right? By the time we arrived, he had already taken the guy out."

Captain Li was silent for a moment.

"What did you say?"

Shao Heng raised his voice. "I said, by the time we arrived, he... had already... taken the guy out!"

Captain Li sounded incredulous. "Can you confirm?"

Shao Heng glanced at Xiong Jianyi’s body again. "There’s a hole in his head, and his brains are scrambled. I don’t think he’s coming back from that, do you?"

Captain Li took a breath. "Bring Xiong Jianyi’s body back."

"And then?"

"Then pull out. The higher-ups will handle the follow-up."

After the call ended, the team member who had fetched the Sword Scabbard came over with a few items. "Brother Shao, look."

Shao Heng took a look and was shocked. ’Damn. Potent drugs for unlocking potential, all of them. If he took all these at once, wouldn’t he be afraid of blowing himself up? Are all the new guys this hardcore these days?’

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