With strength in hand, the road lay clear

At noon, Chen Chuan erased the rift with a single stroke of his blade. Over the past stretch of time, besides absorbing a certain amount of mental energy, he had encountered three things that came through from the other side.

Their levels were low, however, and he dealt with them easily. Unlike the first one he had encountered, none left anything valuable behind. Apparently, that first specimen had been a rare breed.

That was only natural, though. After all, he had opened only a minuscule gap here. Only around the World Ring would there likely be enough of such things.

He packed all their remains into his bag, opened the cabin door, and said to the old captain who had waited all night, "Thanks for your hard work."

Despite standing watch all night, the old captain was still bright-eyed and energetic. "It was no trouble, Mr. Chen. I heard about it from the company. These people from the Linax Federation deserve to have their swagger knocked out of them."

After a moment's thought, Chen Chuan understood what he meant. Did the captain think he had come specifically to target that Fighter from the Linax Federation?

Without knowing the inside story, though, that was hardly a strange conclusion to draw.

Before long, the airship returned to port, and his World Token regained its signal. By the time he stepped off the airship, an incoming call had appeared on it. The caller was the client, Huang Wei Yi.

The man had played a role in the earlier investigation into Lianwei Heavy Drive. His work had been satisfactory, and he knew how to read the room. For him to be calling now...

Chen Chuan tapped his World Token and answered.

"Mr. Huang, what is it?"

A voice overwhelmed by the attention came from