Book 3, Chapter 200: Situation

The next day, when the sky started turning bright, Chen Chuan ended his meditation.

He checked his body and found that training with the special medicine in the merged space produced better effects than training in Central City.

But the risks he faced were also higher.

He took a look at his second self and found that the blurred out parts were clear as day. They also refused to disappear, which made it clear that the unseen damage was going to stay for a long time. Chen Chuan wondered how long it was going to take before it disappeared completely.

This meant he would need to be more careful while taking the special medicine. He couldn’t do it as frequently here as he did back in Central City. After all, he had to fight here.

Chen Chuan got up and took a shower. When he was about to go out to exercise, he heard a shrill whistle, as if something had happened.

He changed into the uniform he received yesterday and walked out of his room. When he arrived at the space in the middle of the fort, the gates opened, and a group of soldiers ran out. They didn’t have any cars.

The moment Chen Chuan saw this, he knew that something had happened nearby. So, he walked out while the sentries on both sides of the gate saluted him. He didn’t even have to look for it. He immediately located the abnormality outside.

There were gigantic footprints on the thick layer of snow not too far from the railway. Each was about three meters long and was embedded so deeply into the snow that the dark dirt underneath could be seen.

Based on the footprints, Chen Chuan could tell that this was a large four-legged creature. It had come from the other end of the railway until it disappeared into the distance. When it was the closest to the fort, it had been less than thirty meters away, which meant that it was practically pressing against the wall when it passed by.

A few technicians and a military officer stood by the footprints having a meeting. Some soldiers stood around them. Even though they were talking in whispers, Chen Chuan could hear their conversation clearly.

“By the looks of it, it’s a big one, right?”

“Not necessarily. Unless we see it with our own eyes, the traces left in the merged space can’t be used to deduce anything. We can’t take what we see at face value. The footprints here might just be that—footprints. It might not be a big one.”

A military officer summoned a soldier on duty yesterday and asked, “Did you hear anything at night?”

The soldier saluted him and said, “Everything was normal last night. We didn’t hear anything and only discovered the footprints when we came out to patrol the area in the morning.”

The military officer seemed to be used to this sort of answer and ordered, “Record it and file it away.”

Chen Chuan stared at the footprints for a while before going back inside.

Learning how to control his vitalization rate was the most important thing right now. He had applied for the lesson when he was registering their unit yesterday, and he had set its time to be at 8 a.m..

Chen Chuan went back to have breakfast before meeting up with Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque. Afterwards, they went to the training room. The instructor in charge of teaching them the breathing technique had already arrived.

Instructor Zhai was a Third Limit martial artist, and he was an instructor as well as a defender.

Once they entered the training room, he exchanged a few words with them before telling them the important points of the breathing technique.

Since breathing techniques were a basic thing, it wasn’t difficult for the trio. After listening to the instructions just once, they easily picked it up, and all they needed to do next was to practice hard.

Yuan Qiuyuan’s attitude toward Instructor Zhai was completely different compared to his attitude toward Tian Yu. He was incredibly respectful toward him. After learning the breathing technique, he stood up and asked, “Instructor Zhai, aside from the breathing technique and medicine, is there any other way to avoid the damage from vitalization?”

“Yes. Certain implants can help you avoid vitalization. Their vitalization rate is naturally low, so they’re commonly used. The stationed soldiers all use combat-based implants.

“Martial artists also have combat-based implants suited for them. If you want them, we can make arrangements, but it takes a long time to make an implant suitable for a Third Limit martial artist. We also need to extract your mutated tissue to do that, so you need to apply for the implants and wait.”

Yuan Qiuyuan shook his head. “I don’t need implants. I have faith in my fists and my weapons.”

“Staying true to your beliefs is a good thing, but we’re fighters here. Your will alone won’t decide how things will develop in the future. It’s up to your enemies.

“I’ve been serving here for more than twelve years, and I’ve seen people being forced to replace their limbs and organs with implants because their vitalization rate got too high, which led to an overvitalization. Most of the time, though, they lose parts of themselves during battle and have to get implants. They can’t accept it in the beginning, but in time, they do. A lot of them are still active on the front lines and are our pillars.

“Having implants is common in the front lines.

“I’m the same.”

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves to reveal a muscular arm, but his forearm was an implant. It looked no different from the rest of his arm, but that was because the regrown skin had covered it.

Upon closer look, they could still see the differences.

“This implant was made based on my mutated tissue, and it doesn’t feel any different from my original arm. It doesn’t affect how I fight either. I’d even say that it gives me a boost in certain areas.

“As your instructor, I need to warn you: Don’t reject these things, not when they can save you. Even if they look like they’re not good for you, staying alive is the most important thing. Times are changing. Perhaps one day, you’ll get to make up for those regrets.”

Yuan Qiuyuan pursed his lips. Even though he respected his instructors, when it came to implants, he would much rather stay far away from them. He had greater dreams to chase, and once he got an implant, technology would be the one deciding whether he could improve or not.

Once they learned the breathing technique, they returned to the screening hall to continue their lesson. This time, they were taught about the environment of the merged space.

The fort was located outside the heart of the merged space and was nowhere near the World Ring. It was actually quite far away. The fort was considered to be the most developed and best controlled area by the countries in their world. Still, it was only the rear.

Despite that, it wasn’t entirely safe. The merged space was too large, so they could only control the areas where the railway reached and the perimeter of the military base.

Yuan Qiuyuan raised his hand. Once he got permission to speak, he asked, “I was told that I’m here to protect the World Ring, but that place is far away from us. Will we get a chance to fight at the World Ring this time?”

“The World Ring is far away, but only if you measure the distance normally. You must remember that the World Ring doesn’t just exist in reality. The existences from the other world invade through mental means. That’s why the World Ring is built on the domain isolation zone set up by various domain entities in Central Cities.

“You should know that the Central Cities are at the forefront of the two worlds clashing. They’re an opening between two worlds and the anchor point of the other world. That’s why when we gather all the anti-anchor domains together, we can seal off all the paths leading to our world.”

Tian Yu then pointed at the projection screen, and it showed a map of all the Central Cities in the world. Above them was a large ball of light that symbolized a domain.

“When all of them are connected, this happens.”

Chen Chuan looked over and saw the lights from all Central Cities getting connected like a moving Milky Way. Then, they coiled together, with the front and back linking up to form a ring.

“When all the Central Cities are connected, they form a huge ring in the physical world, which is how the World Ring came to be.

“But domains assume a different form on the mental level. Once you connect the defenses in the physical world and mental level together, they form what we call the Curtain of the Ring.

“Since domains and biofields are things on the mental level, with help from special conditions, some unique martial artists and powerful resonators can penetrate through the Curtain to get closer or resist the other world.

“That’s why while the World Ring is far away in the physical sense, it’s actually right beside you.”

“What exactly is behind the World Ring?” Yuan Qiuyuan asked curiously.

“Please raise your hand if you want to ask a question, Officer Yuan.”

Yuan Qiuyuan immediately raised his hand and asked eagerly, “What’s behind it, Ms. Tian?”

With a stern expression, Tian Yu raised her voice. “That’s a secret, and we have been strictly banned from saying anything about it. The government and companies also forbid anyone from passing through the World Ring on their own, because the act itself damages the World Ring.

“So, don’t even think about it. Those who can do it are either killed or absorbed into various government departments and companies. The government tracks down anyone who crosses the World Ring.

“Once they pinpoint your location and are approved to use the First Defense Plan, a team formed by the world governments and the Union will come to kill you. This team has the right to kill all individuals and forces of power who cross without bringing them to court.”

“Fine. Pretend I never asked.” Yuan Qiuyuan shrugged.

Qin Qingque raised her hand.

“What is it, Officer Qin?” Tian Yu asked her a little nicer than she did with Yuan Qiuyuan.

“Since we’re here as the World Ring’s defenders, who are our enemies, and where are they?” Qin Qingque asked seriously.

“Looks like you’re eager to start.” The speaker’s voice came from the screening hall’s side door.

Chen Chuan looked over and saw a military officer coming inside. He wore a uniform with a wide-brimmed hat and stood tall.

The military officer went to the podium and saluted the trio. “I’m Ding Mou, the tactical advisor of the Command Center. The higher-ups have sent me here to give you a mission.”

When Yuan Qiuyuan heard this, his eyes lit up.

Qin Qingque tensed up and entered a particular state of mind.

Ding Mou turned to Chen Chuan. “Officer Chen, since you and your unit have just arrived here, we were supposed to let you rest for two days and get used to the place while memorizing the things you need to do. Then, we were going to assign some missions to you to help you adapt.

“But we just received an emergency call from another base, and our other units are the front lines for other missions. The only combat unit on standby is yours, so you will have to end your lesson earlier.”