Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 874: Finding the Trail in the Deep Valley

White Bird District in Central City.

Mr. Chi was on the phone with someone. "Please tell Mr. Chi that we have received news that the person has gone to the fusion area, but we may not be ready yet."

The voice on the other end said, "The gentleman has anticipated this. He said you don't have to worry too much. If this person is only staying for a few days, there will be a chance next time. If he stays for a longer period, we have enough time to make arrangements."

Mr. Chi said: "Unfortunately, due to the failure last time, we have lost track of this person's specific movements."

"That doesn't matter. Even if he's in the Blending Land, it's impossible for him to completely avoid contact with others. He will always leave clues when he comes and goes. Just keep an eye on him."

Mr. Chi said he understood. "Please tell him that we will use the channels of the fusion area to collect as much information as possible about him."

"Thank you for your hard work. I will pass on your message."

In the intersection area, the airship that Chen Chuan was riding landed on a fortress located on a high ground of the local garrison after flying for more than two hours.

This place is exactly where the generals of the old imperial family were stationed, located at the intersection of Jibei Road. It is now completely occupied by the Dashun army, and a number of defensive fortresses have been built around it.

As soon as Chen Chuancai came up from the airship, he heard music from a military band in the fortress. The high-pitched and fast-paced sounds of gongs, drums and trumpets were very exciting to hear.

Principal Yao was already waiting downstairs. When he came down from the tower, he said, "Commissioner Chen, welcome." He came up and shook hands with Chen Chuan, then welcomed him into the fortress. After inviting him to sit in his living area, he said, "The conditions here are simple, don't despise it."

In order to prevent a possible counterattack by the old imperial family, the entire garrison has been frantically building fortresses and fortifications during this period. He has also been patrolling frequently during this period and has not stayed in one place, so the surrounding layout is relatively simple. There are only some items he carries with him and simple tables and chairs.

Chen Chuan didn't care about it. If he went deeper into the fusion area, he wouldn't even have the conditions here. He said, "It's nothing. It just seems that the principal is a little busy."

Yao Zhiyi picked up the drink and took a sip. "Recently, domestic enterprises are taking over many manors and factories that the old imperial family did not have time to evacuate. The garrison needs to cooperate. Only with these, the places we conquer will be valuable, and we can use them to quickly transform them into our military strength and supplies.

This way we don’t have to rely too much on the rear, and once things stabilize, we can provide a certain amount of output to the central city, for example, we can get some of the nutrients and food we use from here.”

Chen Chuanshuo asked: "Is it difficult?"

"It's not too big. The old imperial family also used our technology, um, the technology of the central city, so after they were defeated, we can take over the remaining factories without any difficulty." Principal Yao said with a hint of sarcasm, "Is this considered a good deed done by someone in the central city?"

Chen Chuan understood what he meant. The old imperial residence could itself be considered an independent production area. Not only could it not rely on the supply from the imperial court, but it also had to pay a portion of tribute. It was also difficult to rely entirely on its own production. Trading through private channels in the central city was a supplementary way. So after decades, it would not be surprising that the other party's production standards and technical equipment would be interoperable with those of the central city.

Although this situation is not what the government wants to see, it actually makes it easier for them to receive enemy assets.

"By the way, Commissioner Chen, this is for you..." Principal Yao stood up, rummaged through the shelf on the side, took out a document, and handed it to Chen Chuan.

“I contacted a commissioned team to verify this. They are a commissioned company composed of a group of retired military officers. They specialize in providing people with various intelligence and information. They are very reliable.

He gestured, "The information contains their contact information. If you need it in the future, you can ask them to find out information for you. You don't have to go to many places yourself."

Chen Chuan took the information and started looking through it. This time he wanted to find the true shape of the tree that Assistant Ling showed him.

The last time he fought with Assistant Ling, the other party had conjured up this tree. Assistant Ling had gotten rid of it, but their tree should still exist.

Although he didn't know where this thing was exactly, there was no doubt that it should be at the intersection of Jibei Road, so he asked Principal Yao to check it out. After all, this person was Principal Wu Yi.

Judging from the information, the place where the true shape tree exists is most likely in a small town where indigenous people gather.

This possibility is very high, because these indigenous gathering places played a significant role in the fight against the old imperial family, and the military also provided them with material support, so there is no need to worry about the true form tree being exposed when placed there, and there is a certain possibility that the indigenous people of the blending area also participated in this matter.

After reading it, he said, "Principal Yao, thank you."

Yao Zhiyi shook his head and said in a deep voice: "This is originally a school matter. I failed to manage it well. Now I have to trouble you, Commissioner Chen, to take care of it. I am very ashamed. I should thank you." He then gestured to the adjutant outside. The adjutant walked out, and after a while, brought in a heavy suitcase.

He said solemnly, "Commissioner Chen, I prepared this for you personally, please don't refuse."

Chen Chuan took a look and nodded, saying, "Okay, Principal Yao, I'll take it." Principal Yao said, "That's right. It's quite a distance from here, and it's already night. Why don't we rest here in the fortress for a night and set off tomorrow?"

Chen Chuan was not in a hurry and agreed.

Principal Yao stood up and put on his wide-brimmed hat. "I still have to inspect the fortress ahead. We can't let our guard down at this time. Oh, by the way..." He stopped just as he was about to walk out the door. "Commissioner Chen, you are going to that unknown area this time, right?"

Chen Chuan nodded.

"Then you have to be careful." Principal Yao said in a deep voice: "I heard that place is not safe. It is said that Wei Guochan and his group went there before, but they have never been there since. There may be something there."

Chen Chuan's eyes moved slightly, "Thank you, Principal Yao, for reminding me."

The next day, they took an airship and left for the town. However, if they went there directly, they might alert the enemy.

So he would stop in the nearby city of Fusion, stay there for two days, and then go there.

Two days later, he arrived above the city built by Jibei Province in the intersection. This city called Shengu City was originally built by the government office, national enterprises, municipal councils and various companies. There are farms and biotechnology factories of all sizes around the city.

Further out, there are several small cities and hundreds of villages and towns that depend on it for existence, and more than half of the people are local indigenous people who migrated here.

The residents inside the city are composed of retired soldiers, mixed-race descendants of Dashun people and indigenous people, and some laborers who have signed lifelong contracts with the company.

Chen Chuan stood on the airship and looked down from above. This city also had towering high-rise buildings and various neon lights. It was simply another replica of the central city of Jibei Road, except that the population was not as large, but the degree of chaos was even worse.

There is no complete order here. Many retired soldiers choose to install implants and become mercenaries. They either continue to serve the army or accept private employment to engage in violent activities. Su Wei's previous team was one of the many teams here.

Just as the airship he was riding was entering the city from the sky, a convoy was just coming out of the city.

The people sitting in the cars were all wearing smocks that covered their heads. It was obvious that the vehicles had been modified for military purposes, and many dents could be seen on the protective plates of the vehicles.

A man with a gun looked up, pouted at the ground, and gestured: "Another military airship! Why don't these guys just die?!"

His words were met with a wave of agreement, and men and women in the convoy all gestured and spat at the airship.

The retreat of the old imperial army also brought about a problem. Many mercenary teams that relied on the war suddenly lost their living ground, or they no longer needed so many people to participate. However, these people were restless and would not lay down their weapons honestly. They went around seizing the industries left behind by the old imperial family. These people soon faced ruthless cleansing and suppression by the military, and the contradictions between the two sides became very acute.

An old man in the team looked up coldly and said, "Let's go, we need to hurry up and get back to the town before nightfall."

He obviously had a lot of prestige in the team. After he said this, everyone fell silent and continued on their way obediently.

The old man glanced at the back of the convoy, which was full of dirty children around ten years old. He said to the smart and strong man beside him, "Watch out on the road. Those were bought at a high price. Not a single one can be lost. The lives of those mercenaries are worthless. If they die, they die. Don't worry about it."

The shrewd and strong man nodded silently.

After the airship entered Deep Valley City, it slowly slowed down in front of a reinforced concrete building with dense and translucent light, and stopped at the mooring tower next to it.

Chen Chuan walked out carrying a suitcase. The guard at the checkpoint checked his ID, saluted immediately, said, "Hello, sir," and let him pass.

In the blending area, he doesn't need to report anything wherever he goes. Of course, because of the agreement, he can't do anything excessive.

Because he needed to verify the location of the True Shape Tree, he couldn't make too much noise, so his current identity was arranged by Yao Zhiyi, as a major in the garrison. This way he wouldn't attract too much attention, nor would he get into trouble.

He walked forward along the steel bridge connecting the mooring tower and the building, then looked down and saw neon lights everywhere and shadows of buildings in the distance. The wind from high above blew the red scarf around his neck. He raised his hand to press down his wide-brimmed hat and stepped over from this place above the city.

……

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(End of this chapter)