Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 146 - 131: The Camp
Getting the supplies from Wei Chang’an didn’t take much effort. He had everything delivered by the following afternoon.
Meanwhile, with the help of Feng Xiaochi and Luo Kaiyuan, Chen Chuan spent a day coordinating and preparing, and managed to procure all the other necessary supplies.
Senior Sister He had prepared a total of five SUVs for them. Including Ren Xiaotian’s personal vehicle, that made six—more than enough to carry everyone, along with the essential supplies and weapons for their journey through the wilderness.
The next day, just after midnight, everyone involved in the operation assembled in the plaza in front of Wuyi Academy.
Chen Chuan’s party consisted of five people. Wei Chang’an brought six, and with Ren Xiaotian, the total came to thirteen.
Because of her young age, Lin Xiaoti didn’t join the raid. Instead, she remained in Yangzhi City to keep an eye on the exchange delegation and handle any communications from the Foreign Affairs Bureau. The team had brought two radios specifically so that if the delegation made any unusual moves, she could notify them immediately.
Before departing, the group did one final check. Seeing that all their gear was in order, they exchanged nods, boarded the vehicles, and drove out onto the empty roads under the cover of night.
Every one of the six people Wei Chang’an brought knew how to drive, so they took the wheels of the convoy instead of using the vehicles’ original drivers.
The vehicles departed from Wuyi Academy and headed east, leaving Yangzhi City behind before plunging straight into the wilderness. Those inside the cars quickly felt the road beneath them grow rough and uneven.
In truth, if they could have taken the National Path, they would have reached the target area in two hours at most. However, the road was flanked by guardrails, barbed wire, and defensive trenches—relics of the Great Expansion era. Once a vehicle was on the Path, it was stuck there.
The only places to get off were near checkpoints, but those were also the most heavily fortified areas. Exiting there required inspections and registration, which was a huge hassle. Sometimes, they might even be detained for verification. It was simply better to cut directly through the wilderness.
Ren Xiaotian frequently took on jobs in the wilderness, so he was very familiar with the terrain. He had also personally scouted the Copper Rust Corps’ camp, so he was tasked with leading the way.
Chen Chuan sat in the back seat, inspecting the Crushing Rifle in his hands. The weapon was about 1.2 meters long and weighed over ten kilograms, but for a Fighter, it was light enough to hold effortlessly in one hand.
The most unique feature of the rifle, however, was its ammunition. He picked up a round to examine it. The bullet was about seven or eight centimeters long with a sharply pointed tip and felt heavy in his palm. They had brought a total of fifteen rounds. It didn’t seem like many, but it would be enough.
Guns of this type were usually under strict control. Within its effective range, it could tear through ordinary Protective Clothing as if it were made of paper. The only exception was the kind of suit he had worn during the raid on Fang Dawei.
Among the six-person team Wei Chang’an had brought, besides two technicians responsible for vehicle maintenance and radio communications, the most notable member was an expert marksman.
This man didn’t have a Weapon Permit, but he had grown up around the Patrol Bureau and frequently "borrowed" time at the shooting range, developing excellent marksmanship. When he heard he’d get to handle a Crushing Rifle, he insisted on coming, even saying he’d pay for the privilege, just for the thrill of it.
Putting the rifle away, he began to flip through the file Ren Xiaotian had given him. It contained records detailing the situation with the Copper Rust Corps.
The leader of the Copper Rust Corps was a man named Mi Tai, nicknamed "Desolate Eagle." He was a forty-year-old of mixed Maka heritage. According to the file, he had been running with a crew in the wilderness since he was a child. Being quick-witted, he was taken in by the crew’s leader as a personal subordinate.
Later, the leader was killed in a skirmish. As the old leader’s subordinate, Mi Tai wasn’t trusted by the new boss and was driven out.
In reality, the main reason was his mixed Maka heritage.
While city-dwellers looked down on everyone from the wilderness, a pecking order still existed out there. Mixed-bloods and pure-blooded Maka People were considered even lower than those from Jiaoshan, placing them at the absolute bottom of the hierarchy. Clawing one’s way up was incredibly difficult for them.
After that, he spent years doing odd jobs in the wilderness, never accomplishing anything noteworthy. Then, in the last year or two, he suddenly rose to prominence and formed his own crew.
’An experience like that could only mean one thing: he must have support from some influential power.’ 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Mi Tai had two primary deputies. The first was You’an, nicknamed "Poisonous Snake." He was the crew’s strategist and a pure-blooded Maka.
The other was Yatai, "Mad Bear," a half-Maka giant standing 2.35 meters tall. This man had clearly demonstrated superhuman combat abilities. Mi Tai had saved him during a conflict, and he was likely someone with innate talent.
Chen Chuan considered this. ’According to Ren Xiaotian, aside from this Yatai, the bandits’ individual combat skills aren’t actually that high. They mostly rely on weapons and gear in a fight.’
’That makes sense. Most people with significant combat prowess can make a decent living in the city. Unless they’re wanted criminals, what sane person would choose to live like a hyena in the wilderness? Of course, some people might be born with a taste for it, but they would be a tiny minority.’
He considered it further. ’If the Maka homeland is backing these people, they would certainly have sent their own experts over. It would be the only way to properly supervise and monitor a group of ruthless wilderness bandits.’
