69: Crack condition

Soon, they arrived at Huai Gu District.

Chen Nian got out of the car and, without a single wasted movement, walked straight toward the building bearing the emblem of the Spiritual Energy Bureau.

The Huai Gu District Garrison Squad Office.

As soon as he pushed open the door, a mix of tension and anxiety rushed toward him.

The lobby was packed with people—some were members of the Garrison Squad in standard uniforms, while others had a sharper, more lethal aura, clearly Special Agents from the Combat Squads.

They gathered in small groups, discussing something in low voices, each face marked by a lingering sense of solemnity.

The moment Chen Nian stepped into the lobby, the noisy space experienced a brief pause.

Everyone's eyes converged on him simultaneously.

A second later, several men who appeared to be the leaders of various squads quickly stepped forward to greet him, their faces full of enthusiasm.

"You must be Special Commissioner Chen Nian, right?"

"Special Commissioner Chen, it's been a long journey, thank you for your hard work!"

"Wonderful, we've finally been waiting for you!"

Chen Nian didn't respond to their enthusiasm; he simply gave them a calm, sweeping glance.

It seemed the Director's groundwork had been very effective.

While he was on his way, the relevant news and orders had already been transmitted here.

These people not only knew he was coming to assist with the demon cave fissure issue, but they also understood that command authority had already been transferred to him.

From now on, they only needed to cooperate unconditionally with his investigation.

Clearly, even his photo had been sent in advance, so they recognized him at a glance, saving everyone from unnecessary identity verification or potential misunderstandings.

High efficiency.

Chen Nian was somewhat satisfied with this.

What he hated most was wasting time on meaningless procedures.

Facing the enthusiastic pleasantries of the captains, he had no intention of engaging in small talk.

Chen Nian cut straight to the point.

"Tell me about it—the details of that demon cave fissure. What exactly is the situation right now?"

His voice wasn't loud, yet it caused the surroundings to fall silent instantly.

The smiles on the captains' faces stiffened for a moment before they immediately composed themselves, replacing them with expressions of gravity.

They looked at each other, and finally, the most senior Garrison Squad captain stepped forward.

He cleared his throat and began his report.

"Special Commissioner Chen, it goes like this."

"Recently, we in Huai Gu District have been frequently receiving reports of Demonic Evils appearing."

"At first, it was just a few isolated incidents, but later the frequency increased, and the range expanded."

The captain paused, a hint of confusion and lingering fear appearing on his face.

"The strangest part is these demons... they appear and disappear like ghosts, as if popping out of thin air."

"One second there's nothing on the surveillance, and the next, they suddenly appear, causing destruction to the city and a large number of casualties."

"We dispatched a massive amount of personnel for a carpet search, trying to find their nests or hiding spots, but every time we came up empty-handed."

"It's as if they just jumped straight out of another dimension."

As he said this, he felt the description was somewhat absurd, but that was the reality.

"We've been at our wits' end and completely baffled; all the personnel in Huai Gu District have been mobilized, exhausted from running around."

"Until an operation three days ago."

"We saw with our own eyes a black crack suddenly tear open in space."

"Then, a large number of Demonic Evils swarmed out of that crack."

"Only then did we realize the root of all this was the appearance of a demon cave fissure!"

The atmosphere in the lobby became increasingly oppressive.

All the agents who had experienced that scene still had traces of shock on their faces.

demon cave fissure.

Those three words represented endless trouble and danger.

Chen Nian listened quietly, his mind rapidly processing the information.

He had read the mission briefing, which mentioned the frequency and range of the Demonic Evils' appearances.

According to them, the locations of appearance spanned more than half of Huai Gu District.

"Does that mean... the demon cave fissure is opening randomly throughout Huai Gu District?"

Chen Nian asked, voicing his doubt.

If that were really the case, the trouble would be immense.

It would mean the space throughout Huai Gu District was in an extremely unstable state, potentially becoming a battlefield at any time and place.

"No, that's not it."

The Garrison Squad captain immediately shook his head in denial.

"Based on our observations and subsequent emergency investigations, we've found some patterns."

"Those opening fissures are all very small in scale and short in duration; they're more like... projections or aftershocks."

"Our analysis experts speculate that somewhere in Huai Gu District, there must be a larger and stable 'Main Fissure'."

"It is the existence of this Main Fissure that severely affects the surrounding spatial structure, causing weak energy points to be torn open, forming many unstable 'Sub-fissures'."

Chen Nian understood and said indifferently:

"So, our current priority is to find that Main Fissure and then close it."

"Once the Main Fissure is closed, those small Sub-fissures will close on their own because they've lost their energy source?"

"Yes!"

Several captains answered in unison, their tones carrying a hint of excitement.

Finally, someone had arrived who could immediately grasp the core of the problem.

Talking to smart people was so much easier.

They had spent a great deal of effort previously trying to explain this 'Main and Sub-fissure' theory to their superiors.

"Very good."

Chen Nian nodded and continued his questioning.

"So, regarding that Main Fissure, what clues do you have now?"

"Do you have any idea of its specific location or general direction?"

As soon as this question was asked,

The faces of the captains, who had been somewhat excited because the logic had been cleared up, instantly slumped again.

They looked at each other, every one of them showing a troubled expression.

The lobby fell into an awkward silence once more.

In the end, it was that Garrison Squad captain who spoke up with difficulty, though his voice was much quieter.

"About that... Special Commissioner Chen..."

"We... currently have no clues at all."

"No clues at all?"

Chen Nian repeated, his voice devoid of emotion.

A Combat Squad captain quickly added: "We've used all the detection equipment at our disposal to perform an energy scan of the entire district, but the Main Fissure seems to have some ability to hide its own fluctuations; we are completely unable to lock onto it."

"Yes, and the appearance of those Sub-fissures is completely irregular. We tried tracking the Demonic Evils to see if they would return to the Main Fissure, but after they appear, they only cause destruction and slaughter; they don't look back at all."

"We also checked all reported missing persons and locations of abnormal incidents, but found no correlations."

"We even suspected whether the Main Fissure was moving, but that guess was quickly dismissed because the range of its spatial influence is fixed."

The agents chimed in one after another, each describing the difficulties in their respective areas of responsibility.

It could be summarized in one sentence:

We've worked very hard.

But we haven't found a thing.

The entire office lobby was filled with a dejected atmosphere of 'we did our best.'

After listening, Chen Nian remained silent for a moment.

Fine then.

It seemed everything would have to start from scratch.

He would have to go to the scenes himself and investigate bit by bit.

However,

Before he could arrange the next move,

"Aaaahhh—!!!"

An incredibly shrill scream suddenly erupted from the street outside, piercing through the walls and glass, clearly entering everyone's ears.

That voice was filled with extreme terror.

"Monster! There's a monster!!"

"Run! Hurry and run!!!"

The street instantly turned into a chaotic mess; the screams of pedestrians, the sound of running footsteps, and the screeching of car brakes were all jumbled together.

Inside the lobby, all the agents' bodies tensed up instantly, entering a combat state almost by instinct.

"Beep! Beep-beep!"

At the same time, the communicators at the captains' waists began to ring with frantic, urgent alarms.

An extremely anxious voice came through them.

"Warning! Warning!"

"A demon cave fissure has appeared in the middle of Changming Street! Repeat, a demon cave fissure has appeared in the middle of Changming Street! Requesting emergency backup!!"

Changming Street!

Wasn't that right nearby!

The captains were stunned for a moment, then reacted and immediately roared.

"Quick, quick, quick, move out! Demonic Evils have appeared!"

"Squad One and Squad Two, follow me! Everyone else, stay on standby!"

Everyone was immediately on high alert, checking their weapons and gear, preparing to rush out.

Suddenly, an afterimage flashed past like an arrow from a bow.

"Holy crap, what just flashed past!"

By the time the crowd reacted, Chen Nian had already charged out of the office doors, racing toward Changming Street, the source of the screams and chaos.

"It's Special Commissioner Chen Nian!"

"Quick, we need to keep up!"

The agents didn't dare to delay and rushed out after him.