Translator: CinderTL
"Damn it!"
In an underground base in the Suro Nation.
The communication module sent back the final image—a cold, burly young man pressing a silver device onto Jin Wei's head.
The screen went black, followed by a series of warning alerts.
The staff, wearing circular patterned badges, turned pale and quickly severed the consciousness link.
The leader, a red-haired woman, ripped off her headset and slammed it onto the table with a loud bang.
"That idiot Jin Wei!"
"He knew it was a trap but still acted recklessly! Just like his useless brother!"
Her icy curses echoed through the room. The red-haired woman wore a black combat suit and a trench coat, her figure tall and graceful.
Her fair skin and emerald green eyes marked her as a native of the Platinum Federation.
For a moment, the underground base was in chaos.
Seeing her frosty demeanor, many dared not even breathe too loudly.
"Master Hong Ling, what should we—"
"That fool deserves to be left in the deep sea to rot!"
"Let him stay there and fend for himself!"
She cursed again, her chest heaving with anger.
No one dared to interject, exchanging nervous glances instead.
This branch relied on Jin Wei and Master Hong Ling to sustain itself and fend off attacks from other forces.
But now...
BOOM!!!
A violent explosion erupted above them, a bombardment from the surface.
The entire underground base shook briefly, and dust fell from the cracks in the metal ceiling.
Seeing this, the red-haired woman took a deep breath.
After firmly memorizing the appearances of those from Tian Hao Security, she finally made a decision.
"Retreat!!"
---
BANG!
Several minutes later.
The gunfire on the streets gradually ceased, and all the thugs had been killed.
Even the Silver-grade Cyborgs had met the same fate as Jin Wei.
"We hit the jackpot this time, Feng!"
Lin Hao was ecstatic, walking over to pat Chen Feng on the shoulder.
The ground was littered with golden remnants of mixed flesh and blood. Chen Feng picked up a silver circular device and held it in his hand once more.
"Are you sure this will work?"
Suppressing the Holy Shield Colossus's eager vibrations for now, Chen Feng looked at the disk in his hand, curious.
Cyborgs could replicate and upload their consciousness. They had only sealed off this instance of Jin Wei's consciousness.
What if he revived in the deep sea? Wouldn't all this effort be wasted?
"Don't worry, replicating consciousness isn't that simple."
Lin Hao smiled, taking the silver disk and examining it. "The deep sea is just a virtual network cluster. While it can store and carry a certain number of human consciousnesses, it's not without limits."
"Each person's original consciousness is maintained by biological energy, but this energy is finite. Every replication consumes the source. Too many replications can cause the original consciousness to collapse, turning it into a mindless, uncontrollable mental wave."
He weighed the silver device in his hand, grinning. "Also, there's a crucial taboo when it comes to consciousness replication."
"What is it?"
"Outside the deep sea, only one independent consciousness can exist."
Chen Feng raised an eyebrow, understanding the implication.
It was like cloning.
If two identical independent individuals existed simultaneously, who would be the real one, and who would be the fake?
They might even influence each other, leading to mutual destruction.
"So, by sealing Jin Wei's consciousness, Utopia won't dare to easily restart it from the deep sea."
"This is a bargaining chip."
Lin Hao grinned like a merchant, but Chen Feng frowned.
"You want to make a deal with Utopia?"
"No, plenty of people want to deal with us."
Lin Hao's eyes signaled, and Chen Feng looked toward the approaching man in a baseball cap.
A Titanium-grade Cyborg.
At the same time, vehicles from the Safety Bureau arrived quickly, landing nearby.
"See? They're here."
Lin Hao smiled, and Chen Feng stood beside him, watching the newcomers.
The sound of footsteps echoed continuously.
A large group approached, led by a gray-haired old man in a dark suit. Alongside him was Zhang Zhengtai, the acting bureau chief, and other Cyborgs and enhanced individuals.
"Grandmaster Chen."
Chu Shihong chuckled, extending his hand.
Meeting his gaze for a second, Chen Feng, aware of the man's relationship with his master, softened his expression and nodded, shaking his hand.
"Today, thanks to Grandmaster Chen, Nanjiang has been cleared of Utopia's threats."
"On behalf of the Nanjiang City Joint Council, I extend our deepest gratitude."
Perhaps because of the presence of outsiders, Chu Shihong spoke respectfully, not putting on any airs of seniority, giving Chen Feng plenty of face.
Seeing this, and recalling that Chu Shihong had helped him once before, as well as the Life Elixir he had gifted to his master, Chen Feng didn't act arrogantly.
"Councilor Chu, you're too kind. This is just what any citizen of Nanjiang should do."
"In fact, we should be thanking the council and the Safety Bureau for their support."
Their eyes met, and both men tacitly understood, smiling without delving into the matter of the Flame Tiger Sect.
Then, Chen Feng's gaze shifted.
He exchanged a glance with the smiling Acting Bureau Chief Zhang, before finally settling on the man in the baseball cap.
During the battle with Jin Wei, the man had offered a word of advice.
But later, he had almost intervened, seemingly trying to seize the opportunity to seal Jin Wei's consciousness.
"This is the action specialist sent by the Provincial Joint Council, here to maintain order in our Nanjiang district."
Chu Shihong chuckled, smoothing things over as he introduced them.
"Qin Xiao."
The man in the baseball cap had already removed his mask. Though his face was ordinary and he seemed lazy, his aura wasn't much weaker than Jin Wei's.
"I got a bit carried away earlier. My apologies."
He offered an explanation, glancing at the silver disk in Lin Hao's hand.
With Chu Shihong mediating, Chen Feng nodded slightly, letting the matter go.
They chatted for a while, and Chu Shihong soon got to the point, looking at Lin Hao.
"Regarding this Utopia incident, the impact is significant."
"We hope to collaborate with Tian Hao Security to handle the aftermath..."
He spoke with a smile, but Lin Hao shrugged, turning to look at Chen Feng.
All eyes followed, knowing that Chen Feng had contributed the most to this operation.
Without his approval, no one could make decisions about the sealed consciousness belonging to Jin Wei.
"Tian Hao Security has full authority to represent my decisions."
Chen Feng patted Lin Hao's shoulder.
He didn't like or excel at negotiations.
So, professional matters were best left to professionals.
"Alright, alright."
Lin Hao grinned, giving Chen Feng a grateful look.
Soon, the two sides began discussing on the spot.
Safety Bureau personnel arrived one after another, maintaining order, clearing potential hazards, and setting up yellow caution tape.
Chen Feng walked to the side alone, intending to return to the convoy and wait to leave.
"I've never seen a Physical Grandmaster as strong as you."
"Even in the Flying Dragon Sect, there's never been anyone like you."
Qin Xiao, the Titanium-grade Cyborg who also disliked negotiations, walked over to Chen Feng and struck up a conversation.
Chen Feng paused, sensing something in his tone.
"You know the Flying Dragon Sect well?"
"Well, I've spent some time in Yun Port. The Flying Dragon Sect is quite famous there—it's the strongest Martial Arts Sect in Yun Port..."
Qin Xiao was also burly, even five or six centimeters taller than Chen Feng.
He didn't hide anything, speaking honestly. "I've heard some things about your Flame Tiger Sect and the Flying Dragon Sect, but that's all old news."
"I don't know much about the martial arts world, and some people aren't too optimistic about you."
"But I think you could give Lu Xinglong a run for his money."
"Oh?"
Chen Feng frowned.
It wasn't surprising that Qin Xiao already knew he was from the Flame Tiger Sect.
But even after his performance—killing Jin Wei—Qin Xiao still thought he could only barely compete with Lu Xinglong?
"Hey, don't look at me like that."
Qin Xiao chuckled, speaking directly. "You're a Grandmaster too. You must know about the Three Gates of a Grandmaster, right?"
"Lu Xinglong isn't just any ordinary Grandmaster. Even before the battle at Yue Mountain, I heard he had already broken through the Gate of Qi."
"Rumor has it, he's even glimpsed half of the Gate of Spirit."
At these words, Chen Feng's eyes narrowed, and all his doubts vanished.
No wonder...
No wonder even with the Giant Elephant Grandmaster's help, they hadn't been able to defeat Lu Xinglong. It was only with Black Flash's surprise attack that they managed to drive him back.
Indeed, Lu Xinglong's performance was far superior to that of an average Grandmaster.
"What exactly is the Gate of Spirit?"
Chen Feng asked, puzzled. This was a secret not revealed in the memories from his dreams.
"That, I don't know."
Qin Xiao shook his head honestly. "We Cyborgs aren't too interested in the martial arts world. It's just that the Flying Dragon Sect is related to Cyborg technology, so I know a bit..."
Deep in thought, Chen Feng gave Qin Xiao a long look.
He understood that the man was intentionally offering goodwill to smooth over their earlier tension.
"Thank you."
Chen Feng nodded, then walked to the convoy.
The Cyborgs from the security team made way, and Captain Zhou Cheng even opened the car door for him, draping a new black coat over his shoulders, his eyes filled with admiration.
Watching this, Qin Xiao smiled, knowing Chen Feng had let go of their earlier disagreement. He put on his mask again and blended into the crowd.
Nearby, a middle-aged officer maintaining order was already numb to it all. A younger officer nudged his shoulder.
"Captain Xiang, don't you know that guy?"
"He's a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Aren't you going to chat with him?"
"Oh come on, get going."
Xiang Jianjun suppressed his mixed emotions, scolding lightly.
Outwardly calm, he felt a sense of helplessness.
He knew such figures were beyond his reach in terms of status, position, and strength. The goodwill he'd once shown could only go so far...
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, he felt someone's gaze on him.
Turning, he saw the young chairman of Tian Hao Security being escorted toward the convoy after the discussions had ended.
Following the gaze, he saw the burly young man in the back seat of the central black car roll down the window, locking eyes with him.
In the silence, he nodded slightly, a friendly acknowledgment.
Instantly, Xiang Jianjun's eyes lit up, and he waved.
The convoy slowly drove away. Seeing this, Chu Shihong raised an eyebrow and asked Acting Bureau Chief Zhang Zhengtai.
"That's one of my old subordinates. He's been a team leader for years..."
"Oh, I heard the Jin Hua District team is short a deputy captain?"
Chu Shihong's expression relaxed, speaking casually.
Zhang Zhengtai was momentarily stunned.
The black convoy entered the streets as dusk faded, and night approached.
People streamed out of the surrounding buildings—children in school uniforms carrying backpacks, office workers finally relaxing after work.
"How did it go?"
Chen Feng sat in the back seat, looking out the window as he asked.
"The City Joint Council wants to take this thing and hand it over to the military for research on source consciousness."
"It's a valuable experimental material, and they've offered many conditions."
Lin Hao grinned, and Chen Feng voiced his concern.
"What if this consciousness collapses?"
"As long as it doesn't completely disintegrate, it's fine."
"Besides..."
Lin Hao explained, "The military wants to use this to try and locate Utopia's deep sea center, to pinpoint the virtual network cluster storing source consciousness."
"Maybe even Utopia's true headquarters."
Oh? Chen Feng's eyes gleamed, realizing this was likely the City Joint Council's primary goal in making the deal.
After all, only by destroying the virtual network cluster could they truly eliminate these consciousness-uploading Cyborgs.
"Fine."
Chen Feng nodded, agreeing readily.
He had no mercy for a terrorist organization like Utopia.
Moreover, in his view, sealing consciousness wasn't entirely reliable. If possible, destroying the source directly would be the most secure approach.
"Alright, I'll discuss the terms with them later."
"Besides money, is there anything else you need?"
Lin Hao asked with a smile, and Chen Feng had already made up his mind.
"High-grade metals. Titanium would be best."
Money was enough for him.
In contrast, exchanging resources to enhance his strength and grow his Steel Bones was far more important.
"Got it."
Lin Hao's eyes flickered, but he didn't ask further.
The convoy soon arrived at Tian Hao Security's headquarters. Chen Feng asked one final question.
"If Cyborgs can upload consciousness..."
"What about ordinary people?"
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy, and Lin Hao knew what he was asking.
"Ordinary people's bodies can't bear replicated consciousness. Only Cyborgs can."
"So, those in high positions might have uploaded their source consciousness?" Chen Feng turned from the window.
Just because they couldn't bear it didn't mean they couldn't upload it.
If he had such an opportunity, he might consider uploading a copy of his consciousness, just in case of an accident, and then create a Cyborg body to carry his revival.
Or perhaps, achieve immortality?
Unconsciously, he felt a chill, suddenly remembering that this nation had a royal family.
"Some people would make that choice."
Lin Hao's tone wavered, and he sighed.
The vehicle stopped, and Zhou Cheng and the security team stepped out, opening the doors.
Lin Hao thought of his deceased loved one.
"But nothing in this world is perfect."
He shook his head, getting out and saying, "The line between a trap and freedom is often just a step away."
(End of the Chapter)
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