Chapter 489: Chapter 219: Implication Chen Chuan turned around. Someone else had appeared in the office, though he didn’t know when.
The man seemed to have emerged from the shadows, standing there silently. He didn’t look particularly tall and was dressed in a military smock, a short sword in a silver-white scabbard hanging at his waist. He had a rectangular face, dark-complected skin, and a messy thatch of thick hair. His gaze was somewhat sinister.
His appearance matched the file photo from the garrison—he was none other than Fei Tong, the defender of Fortress 285.
Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "Because I knew from the very beginning. This was all your doing, Defender Fei, not some ’abnormality’."
Fei Tong narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? Then how did you figure it out?"
"When I came into the office yesterday, I found this torn-up piece of paper." Chen Chuan took out the reassembled sheet and gestured with it toward Fei Tong.
"It was torn from your personal diary. Judging by the chaotic lines and strange characters, I’d say you were trying to make us think you’d gone mad."
Fei Tong glanced at it. "Oh? Was my impression not convincing enough?"
Chen Chuan said, "It wasn’t a bad impression, but it was just that—an impression. You tried your best to make the lines look ’frantic,’ but they lacked any real madness. Your biggest mistake, Defender Fei, was writing so much without piercing the paper even once. That makes it hard to believe you’ve truly gone mad."
"Then you tore it up and threw it in the wastebasket, which was otherwise empty. That’s a clear sign you wanted it to be found. The act was far too logical, the intention behind it too obvious."
After a brief silence, Fei Tong said, "And you concluded it was me based on that alone?"
Chen Chuan said, "That alone wasn’t enough to be certain, no. But it at least told me someone was deliberately creating a diversion. If this were a true ’abnormality,’ given how secure this place is, it couldn’t have possibly gotten in without an inside man."
"You’re the owner of the diary, and you also happen to be the one with the means to do all this. Who else was I to suspect?"
A smirk suddenly appeared on Fei Tong’s face. "So you don’t actually have any concrete evidence. You’re just speculating based on a hunch?"
Chen Chuan said earnestly, "Not exactly. In fact, I knew it was you as of yesterday, Defender Fei."
Fei Tong’s expression tightened. "Yesterday?"
"That’s right. Yesterday."
Chen Chuan looked at him. "Defender Fei, you’ve never specifically trained your Domain or learned any related techniques, have you? Last night, when you were standing outside the main hall, I sensed your Domain."
"That was the Domain of a Third Limit Fighter. Combined with the other evidence, that was all the proof I needed."
"And by the way, when I came in just now, you were secretly following me, but your Domain was so obvious it might as well have been a beacon. It was hard not to notice."
He smiled. "It just goes to show, if you don’t understand the right techniques and knowledge, you can’t even pull off a proper disguise."
Fei Tong’s expression grew grim. "I don’t like the way you talk. Not one bit."
A potent killing intent radiated from him, but Chen Chuan was unfazed and continued, "When my suspicions fell on you yesterday, I kept wondering why you would do this."
"Based on what happened at the rest stop, one might guess that the minds of people like you had undergone Activation, leading to these events. If a Third Limit Fighter at a garrison went haywire, they’d certainly have the power to cause this much trouble."
"However, I believe..."
He lifted his gaze and said slowly, "You certainly didn’t just ’run into a problem.’ This wasn’t something that happened to you; it was something you actively sought out. It was premeditated."
Fei Tong sneered. "And I suppose you deduced that as well?"
"I did."
Chen Chuan said candidly, "The Domain I sensed from you yesterday was ice-cold, but there was something hidden within it. It was very similar to the Iron Demon I encountered before. I figured that wasn’t a coincidence, but a sign of a similar condition."
"And I happen to have heard of an Activation technique from the Old Imperial Family that produces this effect. A technique currently bestowed upon certain individuals who have been ennobled by them."
He looked at Fei Tong. "It seems to me you’ve received a favor from the Old Imperial Family and are preparing to work for them, is that right?"
Fei Tong stared at him, his gaze deadly.
Chen Chuan continued, "I’ve been thinking. Even though some time has passed between this incident and the one with the Iron Demon, I did some research. If their original plan had failed and both of their escape routes were cut off, they could have crossed through some remote regions to get to you. From here, they could have looped back around."
"They’d still suffer losses that way, but it would be far better than any other option. In that light, it’s highly likely you were their pre-arranged fallback route. Or perhaps, you were their inside man all along."
"But after the Iron Demon was eliminated, their original plan fell apart. You, on the other hand, had probably already passed the point of no return. You couldn’t turn back, which is what led to everything that happened next."
"The only thing I didn’t understand was why you were still here. Since you’d already committed to this, why didn’t you leave?"
"My guess is that the Iron Demon was your sponsor. Now that the Iron Demon is dead, you’re afraid the Old Imperial Family will give you a hard time if you show up empty-handed. That’s why you stirred up all this trouble—you wanted to bring them more ’trophies’ as a way to prove your worth. Am I right?"
Fei Tong’s expression darkened even further.
Chen Chuan studied his face and nodded. "Looks like I was right. Well, at least partially right."
Fei Tong took a deep breath, his hand coming to rest on the hilt of the Short Sword at his waist. Killing intent filled his eyes. "You’re right. After what I’ve done, where else can I go? Only to their side. But I can’t show up without a gift, can I?"
"I just never expected they’d send you."
"I heard you were the one who killed the Iron Demon. I’m sure they’d love to have your head as a prize. Maybe it’ll even earn me a real title."
Chen Chuan said, "You seem very confident."
Fei Tong snorted and drew the Short Sword from his waist with a sharp SHING. A weapon like that was perfectly suited for combat in such a confined space. At the same time, tendrils erupted from his exposed neck, rapidly wrapping around it in a display that looked eerily similar to the Iron Demon.
"Activation gave me incredible power. It made me understand so many things. My spirit and my body have been elevated to a new level. I’m at least twice as strong as I was before."
He leered at Chen Chuan. "Besides, do you really think I revealed myself just because you said a few words? I’ve been watching. You sent your two teammates away, and they won’t be back anytime soon. And you aren’t even carrying a blade. How could you possibly be my match?!"
Chen Chuan’s deep, calm eyes remained fixed on him. One moment, they were a good distance apart; the next, Chen Chuan suddenly appeared right in front of Fei Tong, slamming a fist into his gut.
Fei Tong sensed the danger and tried to retreat, using the Mutated Organization in his body to dissipate the force. But the Power was too overwhelming, rampaging through his insides. He couldn’t nullify it completely. After stumbling back several meters, he suddenly dropped to one knee and gagged.
"Why do you think I’m not carrying a blade?"
The calm voice suddenly sounded right beside his ear. Startled, he looked up to find Chen Chuan had appeared before him again, now looking down on him.
"Because to deal with you, I don’t need one."
As he spoke, he launched a kick. This time, Fei Tong reacted, twisting his body to thrust his Short Sword forward.
But the Short Sword was only halfway to its target before the brutal power of the kick sent it flying back. The blade and his arm slammed into his own torso, and the force of the blow sent him hurtling into the wall behind him. He crashed through it, creating a massive hole as bricks CLATTERED to the ground.
Chen Chuan walked forward slowly. He had indeed come unarmed. He had already gauged the man’s true strength and weaknesses with his Domain and knew he could be subdued even with bare hands.
’Besides, if I hadn’t,’ he thought, ’how else would he have jumped out so readily?’
Lying in the pile of rubble, Fei Tong coughed several times. If he’d taken those two hits before his transformation, his tendons would have snapped, his bones would have shattered, and he would have been completely incapacitated. But now, he could still struggle back to his feet.
But before he could fully straighten up, another fist came smashing toward him. He hurriedly raised an arm to block, but the punch drove his own hand into his face. THUD! He staggered backward.
The blow not only left his arm aching and numb, but a brutal surge of Power also seeped into his skull, battering it from the inside. His vision went black.
Luckily, he was no longer a normal human. His brain tissue was now firmly anchored to his skull, preventing a severe concussion. He managed to stay conscious.
He was now both terrified and furious, realizing he had gravely underestimated his opponent. With a ferocious roar, his aura flared. The dense tendrils covering his body suddenly turned a vivid red, while his skin grew pale, as if it had been drained of blood.
Chen Chuan could sense it in Fei Tong’s Domain. As the tendrils swelled with power, the part of his Domain representing his limbs surged, while the part representing his core body rapidly faded.
He was burning through his own life force to increase the strength of his Mutated Organization, probably pouring all of his Essence Blood into it as well. A method like this could indeed grant a temporary boost in combat strength.
But only for a short time. If he kept it up for too long, he would burn himself out and die, even if Chen Chuan didn’t lift a finger.
Therefore, if Chen Chuan had no other concerns, he could simply keep his distance and wait for Fei Tong to defeat himself.
But with his teammates outside, he couldn’t afford to wait. That meant he’d have to put in a little more effort himself.
Seizing the moment while Fei Tong’s body was still transforming, Chen Chuan took another step, appearing before him once more. He reached out and pushed. Fei Tong tried to block, only to be struck by an irresistible force. His feet left the ground as he was thrown clean through the gaping hole in the office wall.
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