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Chapter 327: Countermeasures and Predictions

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"How are you feeling?"

Chen Xuan sat at the bedside, scrutinizing the woman in front of him with complex emotions. He had thought that after all the suffering she had endured, it would take her some time to wake up. To his surprise, shortly after leaving Room 202, he heard the news of her awakening.

She looked very haggard, a stark contrast to the vibrant Honglian of a few days ago—physical pain was one thing, but the psychological blow was even more evident. Her eyes seemed to have lost their luster, becoming dull and lifeless.

It was as if a flame had burned to its end, leaving only a few embers.

"Who are you?" Honglian glanced at him weakly and asked, "And where is this place?"

"It’s a place a mechanism can never find, meaning you’re safe here," Chen Xuan replied. "I’m Chen Xuan, Lin Qing’s partner. You may not know me, but I’ve actually seen you many times."

In fact, their earliest encounter dated back to when Joan was imprisoned.

"So... you were also chosen by Shixin..."

"You could say that."

Once Honglian was returned to the store, there was no need to hide this information any longer, especially given her current sorry state, as she certainly couldn’t go back to the Dimensional Limit Mechanism.

"What about Miss Lin? Is she here too?"

At this, Chen Xuan’s heart suddenly became noticeably heavier. He shook his head, "She disappeared trying to rescue you."

Honglian was stunned.

The room became deathly silent for a moment.

Amid prolonged silence, Chen Xuan actually heard a faint sob. Surprised, he looked toward the bedside and found Honglian’s face streaming with tears. She bit her lip hard so she wouldn’t make too much noise.

Could their bond really be that deep?

Or perhaps the word ’disappeared’ was inappropriate, causing her to misunderstand?

Seeing her emotions becoming uncontrollable, Chen Xuan decided to let her rest for a bit and visit later. Just as he stood up, she grabbed his hand, "You must take immediate action—the issue with your organization... Shixin’s matters... they might have all been exposed!"

Chen Xuan looked surprised, "How were they exposed?"

Did she confess?

No, according to Lin Qing, Honglian was the determined type, otherwise she wouldn’t have dared to openly oppose the highly influential mechanism. It was likely Wang Baihu who confessed—

"It wasn’t us who revealed anything... Wang Qianduan... cough cough..." She spoke too hastily and couldn’t help but cough, "It’s Wang Qianduan! His ability likely involves mind reading, as he accessed our consciousness! Wang Baihu... has also been killed by them!"

"What?"

Chen Xuan’s expression turned serious at once.

Wang Baihu is dead? The image of that young agent flashed in his mind.

...and what about Jiang Siqi?

"They used this method to break my psychological defenses, forcing me to recall everything about him... I don’t know how much information Wang Qianduan has obtained, but thinking of the worst, my interactions with Shixin, Elorie, and Lin Qing are likely completely in their control!"

Despite being heartbroken and with tears streaming down her face, Honglian did not let herself cry out. She had no time for grief, needing to deliver this critical information.

Chen Xuan quickly recalled his interactions with Honglian; the concept of Shixin itself was fabricated, and with Lin Qing already missing, their target could only be Elorie... and the Beitian Academy that collaborates with the "illegal Wanderer."

As for the Ability Store at the Celestial Ridge District... it has never been disclosed to Honglian and her group.

They couldn’t possibly go to the Beitian Academy to grab people, could they?

After all, it’s not 2050, and the mechanism is practically the world’s leader, yet at least within Jiang City, they can’t act with impunity.

Chen Xuan was about to reassure Honglian, but the words caught in his throat.

Will the Dimensional Limit Mechanism really sit idly by, continuing to observe? Especially knowing that Beitian Academy possibly harbors the Wanderer...

This operation had clearly been in the works for a long time. Xiao Canong not only aimed to snatch the artifact from the Demon but also intended to eliminate the mole within the team, which is why they hadn’t acted before. When they did, Honglian was left with no chance to resist.

This attitude clearly indicates a consensus within the mechanism: that the Wanderer appearing in Jiang City posed a significant threat that needed to be eradicated promptly.

With concrete intelligence now in hand, expecting them to be cautious may be wishful thinking.

"I understand, I’ll make arrangements right away," Chen Xuan said, changing his tone.

Honglian nodded, struggling to get up from the bed.

"What are you doing?" he quickly stopped her.

"I... need to help, whatever way I can..." Honglian wiped the tear stains from her face, "Other members are still in Wang Qianduan’s hands; he said if I don’t cooperate, Jiang Siqi and Little Pigeon might not survive either..."

So Jiang Siqi’s situation was also exposed. As for Little Pigeon... perhaps merely being close to Honglian got him entangled with the mechanism.

No hesitation, Chen Xuan pressed her back onto the bed, "Your internal organs and bones are injured, resting quietly is the quickest way to heal. With proper care, you’ll recover in a day, no need to fight for these few hours."

"But—"

"If you want to help, better think about a question," he interrupted, "why exactly are you so important that you could cause a future split in the mechanism."

"Split... me?" Honglian asked, bewildered.

"Correct, understanding your role in the mechanism is the greatest help to us."

Previously, Chen Xuan had doubts about this notion, as Honglian, from any angle, seemed to be just a minor soldier. Imagining her eventually causing the peak-time Dimensional Limit Mechanism to split in two was difficult. But now, he believed in it because history had proven it — the future was altered, and the world changed dramatically simply because he teleported Honglian back to the Ability Store.

Finding the reason behind it is the key to winning the war against the mechanism.

Chen Xuan stepped out of the room, finding Xu Xuanling and Liuli both waiting for him at the door.

"So, who do we kill this time?" Liuli asked, holding her straw hat.

"Such bluntness is hardly elegant," Xu Xuanling pouted.

"How would you ask, then?"

"Master, your will is the mission of the Lotus Cloud Sect’s disciples!" she laughed brightly.

Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow, "How do you know I’m about to make a move?"

"The killing intent is written all over your face," Xu Xuanling shrugged.

Liuli nodded in agreement, "Even when I’m stable, I’m happy to accumulate more stability points."

Is it that obvious? Chen Xuan touched his cheek, trying to maintain his usual state, "This might not happen, but if the enemy comes knocking, I’ll make sure they regret it."

It’s around three in the morning; the Dimensional Limit Mechanism is likely still in another world.

This inference isn’t hard: without completely extracting the intelligence from Honglian, they wouldn’t return easily; even if they had to relocate, they’d administer anesthesia to prevent her using her King’s Castle ability.

Now, Honglian’s sudden disappearance surely caused some chaos within the mechanism.

Whether they dispatch agents to search locally or act on the intelligence against Beitian Academy, it’ll require considerable time.

Chen Xuan estimated he had at least a few hours to prepare.

Consulting with Dean Sun was a necessity; whatever he planned, it couldn’t proceed without the academy’s trust and cooperation. Next, he had to notify Liu Shuyue. Not knowing whether, or when, the mechanism might target Beitian Academy meant he had to prepare for prolonged monitoring, making manpower rotation from Hot Pepper Village critical.

Elorie also needed relocating. As a guest, it was best for her to remain within a range the shop could care for. Even if the Beitian Academy couldn’t keep the mechanism out, the dean and others wouldn’t face any life-threatening danger.

But before arranging these strategies, he had a higher priority task: to see what changes the LV6 shopkeeper had brought.

Chen Xuan returned to the counter and opened the steward app.