Translator: CinderTL
Beep! Beep!
The car horn blared outside the Martial Hall.
Traffic flowed steadily on the asphalt road, and people paused to look at the shops beneath the tall buildings lining the street.
"Traffic's a bit heavy today," the driver remarked, glancing in his rearview mirror.
Chen Feng, seated in the back of the black car, gazed out the window.
His recent training session had shattered the floor, so he planned to return to the Martial Hall in Jinhua District.
He wasn't going back to the villa for a simple reason: he disliked its emptiness and the commute to the Martial Hall was time-consuming and inconvenient for training.
"Perhaps I should have a custom Training Hall built," Chen Feng mused. His current strength was too great. Even a fraction of his power could warp ordinary Titanium. He wanted a sufficiently sturdy dojo, but without being scanned by detection equipment. After all, his rapid progress would inevitably leave data that could cause trouble later.
As he shook his head in thought, his phone suddenly vibrated.
Buzz! Buzz!
He opened the message to find a message from Chen Yun, whom he hadn't heard from in ages.
[Chen Yun: It's over for now. Time for a few days of rest. Smiling face emoji.]
Attached was a photo of a bustling cityscape.
Moreover, Chen Feng saw the words "Red Capital General Assembly" and a striking landmark building.
"Red City?"
He immediately recognized it as the capital of the Red Nation.
He was somewhat surprised; he hadn't realized Chen Yun's research project was located here.
When he asked for confirmation, Chen Yun didn't answer directly.
[Chen Yun: Our team leader took us out for a stroll.]
[There's an exchange conference at a prestigious academy here, so we came to learn.]
She was being evasive because she had signed a confidentiality agreement and couldn't reveal details.
Chen Feng fell deep in thought. After a few casual exchanges, he couldn't help but think about the research technology she had mentioned earlier.
Perhaps it could raise the current limit of cyborgs even further, or even lead to the creation of powerful technological inventions like mecha.
[Chen Yun: Oh, and today I saw people from the Martial Arts World sparring with cyborgs. They even set up a separate arena within the academy.]
[I heard their sect leader is the Red Nation's most powerful Martial Artist, surnamed Liu, known as the Martial Arts Champion.]
A new message arrived, and Chen Feng saw the video she had recorded.
In the video, a middle-aged man in ancient robes stepped onto an arena set up in an open space to spar with a cyborg.
As they moved, a wisp of blue mist materialized out of thin air, ethereal and magical.
"Force?" Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, sensing something amiss.
[Chen Yun: They say this is a new Martial Arts technique, and they're here to exchange and verify it.]
The message reappeared. Chen Feng instructed Chen Yun to record more videos.
The mist was hazy yet could transform into flowing water.
Or it could ignite flames on the spot, whipping up raging winds.
It appeared incredibly real, far more wondrous than Martial Arts Force.
Their conversation ended only when Chen Yun announced she was following the group leader and others to another area.
"A new Martial Arts technique..."
"Could this be the path Liu Duanyun discovered for the future of Martial Arts?"
Chen Feng was puzzled, unsure.
After a moment's thought, he sent a message to Zhou Wuren but received no reply.
Meanwhile, the black car crawled slowly through the congested traffic.
Chen Feng's thoughts drifted, and he suddenly felt the world's winds and clouds growing increasingly turbulent.
Nanjiang was evolving into Central City, and Pinnacle Realm Martial Artists were pursuing grander futures.
The Black Tide might have been merely a signal of Suojia's arrival, and the Red Nation's technological prowess might advance again.
Like a tide of the era sweeping everything along, Chen Feng found himself swept up in it without realizing it.
Finally, the congested traffic began to ease, and the slow black car finally picked up speed.
Chen Feng put aside his distractions and turned to look out the window.
The earlier congestion had been caused by this: a newly completed skyscraper.
Its floor-to-ceiling windows, layered like scales, shimmered with a deep blue-green hue in the sunlight.
It stood like a giant in the landscape, nearly a hundred meters tall, dwarfing the surrounding shopping malls.
Perhaps something had gone wrong. A cargo truck with its hazard lights flashing was parked below, and shattered glass and spilled black gasoline littered the ground.
Construction workers were clearing the debris, while a middle-aged man in a suit hurried over, shouting and cursing.
Chen Feng glanced at the scene, then looked up.
Four large characters stood out:
[Red Wave Energy]
---
"Red Wave Energy?"
In a newly built experimental factory on the outskirts of Nanjiang, a tall woman in a red dress frowned slightly upon learning the identity of Jadeite Biotech's trading partner.
The power of this Mega Corporation, rooted in Radiant Light City, was beyond question.
The crucial point was...
"When did you establish this connection?" she asked, her gaze shifting to the slender young man in a black-and-purple suit standing before her.
Several powerful Fifth-Tier Cyborgs and Modified Humans, along with numerous precision devices arranged in a circular formation, surrounded them.
"About a year ago," Xu Heng said calmly, gazing at the specially designed room visible through the massive glass window before him.
"A year ago?" Zhong Yan frowned slightly, then immediately understood. Xu Heng's father had secured a position on the board of Jadeite Biotech, ascending to the upper echelons of society. The other person had left Yun Port in sorrow after losing a loved one.
"So you already had a plan back then?" Zhong Yan asked cautiously, while Xu Heng smiled wryly.
"Not exactly a plan, just a contingency move." His tone was flat, as if reminiscing or perhaps even scornful. "Just like the situation at Jadeite Biotech now, there were many voices opposing my father and me back then."
Following his gaze, Zhong Yan looked through the massive transparent glass window. Bright incandescent light poured down from the metal ceiling above, illuminating white-coated lab technicians moving about inside. Cables were neatly secured to the walls, ultimately connecting to a central white metal platform. Blue-silver lines of intricate patterns spread across the platform, radiating a central blue glow that levitated a three-dimensional metallic cube within.
"Moreover, this new energy project is crucial, and some of the experimental staff are fiercely loyal to his father."
"So, we had no choice but to let him go."
Xu Heng's gaze turned cold as he withdrew his gaze.
"But it seems he doesn't appreciate it."
"Dreaming of reclaiming what isn't his... Heh, for Jadeite Biotech, we had to sacrifice family for the greater good."
Watching the mocking expression on his face, Zhong Yan's frown deepened for several seconds before slowly relaxing.
This matter wasn't a secret in Yun Port, but most people in their circle avoided Meng Anran, so no one mentioned it.
Now, the outcome was clear.
"What about Meng Anran?"
She looked at Xu Heng. Many knew that Black Crystal Group had secretly helped the fallen former director's son.
Their bond was like siblings. If Meng Anran learned they were involved, he would surely retaliate.
"Without evidence, who can say we did it?"
Xu Heng smiled playfully, watching Zhong Yan's frown return. He snapped his fingers at the cyborg beside him.
Instantly, the silver metal case was placed flat on the cyborg's palm, then slowly opened.
"The Evil God Cult has been quite active lately, haven't they?"
"Our City Council Member bravely led private security forces to eradicate the threat and sacrificed himself to save ordinary citizens."
"Don't you think it's magnificent?" Xu Heng said with a smile. Zhong Yan's gaze sharpened as she saw the holographic screen suspended within the suitcase.
On the screen were a dozen figures in black robes, imprisoned. Their auras were chaotic, most half-dead, huddled on the ground. Some had tubes inserted into them, as if they had been subjected to some kind of biological experiment.
Beside them lay a button. Pressing it would destroy the black-robed figures' hiding place, turning them into irrefutable evidence.
"When did you capture these members of the Evil God Cult?" Zhong Yan asked, puzzled.
"Heh, you might not believe it, but we found traces of them right here in this vicinity," Xu Heng replied with a faint smile, his eyes radiating an air of complete control. "There are two Mid-Rank Envoys among them, though they're rather weak. Still, they'll serve as decent scapegoats."
Zhong Yan stared at him in silence for several seconds, suddenly realizing that everyone in their circle possessed their own unique skills, each as formidable as the others.
"Alright, let's not waste any more time," Xu Heng said, glancing at her with satisfaction at her newfound willingness to cooperate.
Zhong Yan immediately issued an order. The researchers inside the glass window, having received their instructions, quickly deployed a mechanical arm to grasp the floating metal block and remove it.
Witnessing this and recalling their planned route, Zhong Yan finally spoke, seeking confirmation.
"Are you certain Lin Hao will appear?"
"Of course."
Xu Heng straightened the collar of his black-purple suit and nodded confidently.
"I need a reason."
"Me personally coming to the suburbs is reason enough."
---
Vroom!
The black car drove past the newly completed building undergoing inspection.
Chen Feng retracted his gaze, his mind replaying the information Zhao Meng had shared.
Red Wave Energy, one of the Red Nation's few Mega Corporations.
Even more powerful than the Black Crystal Group, it stood as the pinnacle of corporate power in the Red Nation, a tangible embodiment of its dominance.
Suddenly, all the fragmented information Chen Feng had gathered at previous United Coalition Conference meetings coalesced.
He watched the flat flying car, once again taking off to transport high-wall materials to the suburbs.
All his speculations merged into a single, definitive answer.
"It seems the Radiant Light Secret Realm is real after all."
His gaze deepened. If he had held even a sliver of doubt before, it had vanished completely.
A Mega Corporation like Red Wave Energy would never bother with a small place like Nanjiang. Even if they opened a branch, it would be in a larger, more developed city.
The answer was simple: the Radiant Light Secret Realm was truly migrating here, and the Mega Corporation had come to establish a branch to stake its claim in the future Nanjiang Outer City.
When the Secret Realm and the city merged, Red Wave Energy would become the undisputed ruler, both inside and outside the city walls.
With this thought settled, the black car finally arrived at the Jinhua District Branch Martial Hall.
Cao Tong, having received advance notice, was waiting at the entrance in a loose black tracksuit, surrounded by his staff.
Someone opened the door and greeted Chen Feng respectfully.
Chen Feng nodded and was about to step out of the car when—
"Hm?"
Suddenly, a disturbance rippled through their mental link.
He instinctively reached out with his senses and discovered that Stone Statue No. 3, which was flying over the Nanjiang suburbs, was calling out to him.
(End of the Chapter)
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