The existence of Lungmen's slums was a long-standing issue, especially given the large number of Infected living there. Years ago, Ch'en had spearheaded an effort to have the Nearl Guard Bureau enter the slums, but in the end, reality forced them to abandon the plan. The Nearl Guard Bureau had failed to establish a presence in the slums.
Even Lungmen's ruler, Wei Yenwu, and Rat King Lin Gooru couldn't change this situation. That's why Wei Yenwu had planned to use the Reunion Movement's attack as an opportunity for a massive purge.
It had to be said that this was a simple solution, but it was also incredibly cruel. Fortunately, in the end, Lin Yushia and the shadow guards didn't fully follow Wei Yenwu's plan.
In this world of Terra, there were many problems, but the root issue was Oripathy. Without solving Oripathy, many subsequent problems would be difficult to address.
"Officer Ch'en, we're handing Misha over to you. However, I hope she will be well taken care of. And if the situation is resolved, I hope Misha can come to Rhodes Island for treatment."
After Amiya and Ch'en met up, Amiya handed Misha over to Ch'en and prepared to return to Rhodes Island with her team. When Rhodes Island docked at the edge of Lungmen, they had reached a series of agreements with Wei Yenwu, one of which was to help Lungmen deal with Infected-related issues.
Finding Misha was just one of the tasks. The main focus was fighting the Reunion Movement on the outskirts of Lungmen—essentially, what was referred to as "annihilation" in the game.
So, even though Amiya was deeply concerned about Misha, she had no choice but to hand her over to Lungmen. Misha's infection was far more severe than others'. Based on the timeline, Misha had only been infected for about a week, but the spread of her Oripathy was alarmingly fast, likely due to her unique constitution.
"This is not Rhodes Island's concern." Ch'en's tone was cold. After confirming Misha's identity, she immediately turned and left with her team.
This scene left Violence visibly upset, but she didn't say anything.
"Ansel, you go with Amiya and the others to Rhodes Island. I have some things to take care of, but I'll visit you at Rhodes Island later." Although Daniel was curious about Rhodes Island—especially the mysterious, gender-unknown, supposedly omnipotent "Demon of Babel" who was said to consume Originium, and the enigmatic, age-unknown Kal'tsit, who was said to know everything—he had more pressing matters to attend to.
*Boom!*
Just as Ch'en and her Nearl Guard Bureau team were escorting Misha through the streets, they were ambushed. A massive explosion engulfed the four members at the front of the group. Fortunately, they were fully armored, so the explosion only knocked them down without killing them immediately.
Ch'en led the Special Inspection Unit of the Lungmen Guard Bureau, composed entirely of elite members with the best equipment. In this regard, Wei Yenwu had spared no expense.
The Special Inspection Unit's setup was similar to the game's, with roles like Defender, Sniper, Caster, and Guard. The ones at the front were undoubtedly Defenders, not Vanguards, since reality didn't require cost recovery.
"Defensive formation!"
The sudden attack caught Ch'en off guard. She hadn't expected an ambush under these circumstances, but she quickly regained her composure. She immediately ordered her team to form a defensive line, with Defenders raising their shields at the front, supported by Casters and Snipers.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Just as the Defenders raised their shields, the next wave of attacks came. This time, it wasn't explosives but spells from Reunion Movement Casters.
Fireballs mixed with shockwaves—attacks from Reunion Movement Casters. Given that the Reunion Movement was now entirely composed of Infected, they had no shortage of Casters. Even if they could only cast small fireballs or shockwaves, they were still far stronger than ordinary people.
While Oripathy brought immense suffering to the Infected, it also granted them abilities that ordinary people didn't possess—Originium Arts. In theory, every Infected could be considered a Caster, one who didn't even need a staff to cast spells.
Of course, this was only in theory. Whether one could control and use Originium Arts depended on individual skill. For example, Ch'en's control over Originium Arts was quite poor.
But there were also those who were incredibly powerful, like one of the ancestors of the Ursus Imperial Guard, who had gained a long lifespan through the distortion of Originium and whose strength even made fragments of gods wary.
"Lungmen profanity! You all protect her."
Seeing the enemy focus their attacks on the four Nearl Guard Bureau members who had been knocked down by the explosion, Ch'en was furious. She immediately charged out from behind the Defenders' shields and rushed toward the nearest fallen member.
The Reunion Movement Casters noticed her movement and immediately focused their attacks on her. However, with a flash of cold light, Ch'en's sword sliced through the shockwaves and fireballs. It wasn't her Chi Xiao sword—just a regular sword she carried with her.
Ch'en usually carried two swords. She wasn't a dual-wielder, but since the Chi Xiao sword was difficult to draw under normal circumstances—requiring a strong enemy to unleash its power—she relied on her secondary sword for most situations. The enemies she faced now were clearly not strong enough to warrant drawing the Chi Xiao.
After cutting through the Reunion Movement Casters' attacks, Ch'en quickly grabbed the fallen Nearl Guard Bureau member with her left hand and carried them to safety. She repeated the process, swiftly moving all four members to safety.
"Truly a dragon. Truly a 6-star operator." Watching Ch'en's actions from the sidelines, Daniel couldn't help but feel impressed.
Ch'en's race was a dragon, which gave her many advantages that others didn't have, such as her physical abilities. This was the advantage of her race.
Strictly speaking, the races of Terra were stronger than ordinary humans. Take Ansel, for example. Despite her severe Oripathy, she was still as agile as a rabbit. And then there was Bagpipe, who often reminisced about farming at home. Her physical constitution allowed her to survive explosions in skyscrapers and falls from great heights—a feat even rare in the world of *One Piece*. This was the physical advantage of the Vouivre race.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Just as Ch'en was about to charge at the Reunion Movement Casters after securing her team, another series of explosions rocked the Nearl Guard Bureau members.
This made Ch'en's expression change. She abandoned her plan to attack the enemy and immediately rushed toward her team, now shrouded in smoke from the explosions.
"Misha is gone." Soon, a voice came from the smoke. It turned out that the explosions, while seemingly powerful, were just a diversion. The smoke was the real purpose.
"Lungmen profanity!" Discovering that Misha was gone, Ch'en's expression turned grim. Amiya had just handed Misha over to her, and now the Reunion Movement had taken her. This made the Lungmen Guard Bureau look incompetent, especially since Amiya had specifically asked her to protect Misha.
"Sorry, we were held up here. How's it going on your end?" At that moment, Ch'en's walkie-talkie crackled with Hoshiguma's voice.
"Misha was taken by the Reunion Movement." Ch'en briefly explained the situation.
"What's the plan now? What about Rhodes Island?" Hoshiguma asked.
"They've returned to Rhodes Island."
"Let them know. With their help, the search will go faster." After a moment of silence, Hoshiguma suggested.
"Stupid dragon, if you're too embarrassed, I can handle the communication with Rhodes Island." Swire's voice chimed in, indicating that she seemed to know what had happened.
"No need. I'll contact them myself." Swire's appearance clearly annoyed Ch'en. As she spoke, her sword flashed, slicing through a collapsed wall in front of her.
"Amiya, it's me." After venting her frustration, Ch'en finally contacted Amiya and explained the situation.
"Understood. We'll be there right away." Amiya naturally had no intention of mocking Ch'en. Upon learning that Misha had been taken by the Reunion Movement, she immediately agreed to come.
"What are you all staring at? Go find her! And grab some Reunion Movement members while you're at it. Also, get them to the hospital ASAP." After hanging up, Ch'en barked at her team, who had been standing by quietly.
"Are you Alex?"
Misha, who had been taken by W, remained silent as she followed W. It wasn't until they reached the outskirts of Lungmen and she saw her brother, Alex—also known as Skullshatterer—that she finally reacted. At first, she was excited, but soon she lowered her head in guilt.
Misha had always regretted what had happened in the past and feared that her brother resented her.
However, Alex was very warm toward Misha. As he spoke, his tone was filled with hatred for those who oppressed the Infected. Several times, Misha wanted to argue, but seeing Alex's expression, she ultimately remained silent.
Although Misha had only spent a short time with Amiya, she had come to understand Rhodes Island's philosophy. If not for W's interference later, Misha might have actually joined Rhodes Island.
"So your plan is to kill all non-Infected?" Just as Alex was venting his hatred, a strange voice echoed in the air.
"Who's there?"
The sudden appearance of a stranger immediately put the dozen or so Reunion Movement members on high alert. They raised their weapons, aiming at the newcomer. However, in the next moment, they all collapsed.
"Hello again, Misha." The newcomer was, of course, Daniel. After using his spiritual pressure to knock out the Reunion Movement members, he waved at Misha with a smile. Although they hadn't spoken earlier, they had seen each other in Amiya's group.
"What did you do?" Seeing his comrades fall, Alex immediately raised his grenade launcher, ready to attack Daniel.
"Room, scan."
But before he could act, Daniel's voice rang out again. With a wave of his left hand, Alex's grenade launcher, magazines, and Originium explosives flew off his body and landed about ten meters to his right.
"You—"
"Quiet."
The sudden loss of his weapons didn't deter Alex. He immediately grabbed a machete from a fallen Reunion Movement member, but before he could act, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, and everything went black.
For someone like Alex, convincing him to give up through words alone would be extremely difficult. Moreover, Daniel didn't have time for a lecture, so he simply knocked him out.
"Miss W, I'm surprised you didn't take the opportunity to attack."
After dealing with Alex, Daniel turned his attention to W. He had been keeping an eye on her the entire time. In terms of danger, Alex was no match for W.
W was a Sarkaz, a member of the demon race, and a mercenary who acted on her whims. The only person who could make her obey was likely Theresa, as W was one of her most loyal followers.
"I didn't want to end up like them. But who are you? I've never heard of you."
"Just a nobody. It's normal that you haven't heard of me."
"A nobody? Hah."
Daniel's words made W laugh. Someone who could knock out a dozen Reunion Movement members without lifting a finger and disarm enemies in such a bizarre manner was no nobody. W's guard was now at its highest.
"A limited 6-star, huh."
Looking at W, who was covered in weapons, Daniel couldn't help but smile. In his past life, he hadn't managed to get W. He had joined the game too late and missed out on many things.
"Looks like I'm not needed here. I'll take my leave then." The unexpected appearance of an unexpected figure made W decide to retreat.
"Why the hurry? Your mission isn't complete yet." Daniel turned to Misha and said, "Misha, can I borrow this teddy bear?"
After a moment of hesitation, Misha handed over the worn-out teddy bear she always carried. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary toy, but inside was something entirely different.
"Is this what you're after? Here, take it." Daniel pulled out a peculiarly shaped key from the teddy bear and tossed it to W.
"What's the meaning of this?" W caught the key, looking puzzled.
"Nothing much. This thing is completely useless now. Talulah doesn't need it. If you want to stop her, relying on this won't work."
"I don't understand what you're saying."
"You know exactly what I mean, Miss W. You want to stop Talulah, and so do I. We can cooperate."
"Cooperate? Interesting. But unfortunately, I'm just a mercenary. Right now, Talulah is my employer. Whatever she wants to do is none of my concern. Still, thanks for the key. It helps me complete my mission." W began to slowly back away.
"A mercenary, huh? How about working for me? I can pay a high price."
"Of course, but I'll have to finish my current job first." Seeing that Daniel didn't seem intent on stopping her, W quickly turned to leave.
"The current Talulah isn't Talulah. She's just a puppet being controlled." Daniel spoke calmly to W's retreating figure.
"What did you say?" W immediately stopped and turned back.
"Exactly what you just heard. I believe you've noticed the stark difference in Talulah's actions before and after joining the Reunion Movement. That's the root cause of her current state."
"The one controlling Talulah's body is an immortal. If you rashly confront her, I might have to collect your corpse."
"Was everything you just said true?" Before W could respond, another figure rushed over—Ch'en.
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